 The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is turning the page on a new year while taking time to look back at the progress made in 2017. Sarah Winkelman has the details of the 2018 State of the Band Address. I'm very proud to be a Leech Lake Band member. It was a day full of pride in culture and tradition. That brought hot topics to the surface. We kind of had to make some budget cuts, you know, do our deficits, our finances that we were facing, and we try to keep them a minimal. Yet, you know, I reminded everybody that we still wanted to provide good quality services to our members. Including the land shortage issue that has caused the Band not to renew leases on their property. As our numbers grow and our land base stays the same, it causes a lot of friction there where families want to expand. So it wasn't a personal attack on anybody by any means. It was a council decision that we thought was in the best interest of our membership. Drug use and the opioid epidemic were also discussed at length today with the chairman saying change will come through education. We're trying to educate them before it gets to that process so our numbers can start shifting and going in the right direction. The Band Address tackled some difficult issues, but it also took time to celebrate. The actual construction for the new palace is going to begin late this spring early summer. The actual, we had broke ground and we're having a completion date of the summer of 2019. With the theme for the 2018 Address being, we are all in this together. Wonderful values handed down from our ancestors and our elders, them good values. Being there for one another and helping one another out at all times. No matter what it is or where you're at or what you're doing, be there for one another. As the Tribal Council looks ahead into many challenges in the coming year, the chairman wants the Band to remember it's a team effort. This movement is going to be united. It's not just going to be me, it's going to be us. Through budget cuts, housing shortage and addiction, the Tribal Council says they will remain positive that 2018 will bring change. Reporting in Walker, Sarah Winkleman, Lakeland News. The chairman also shared success and education from their Head Start program all the way to the Tribal College. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.