 The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Cass County Wellness Court celebrated a milestone today. Josh Peterson has more from the ceremony. Formed in 2006, the Leech Lake Cass County Wellness Court was the first joint jurisdiction wellness court in the nation. The wellness court is a post-conviction, post-sentencing DWI court founded on the 10 principles of drug courts. The court handles the cases of both tribal members and non-Indians, and today celebrated not only 10 years of the court, but also a brand new building. This is pretty overwhelming and I'm really glad to be a part of it and to see it go so well the way that it did today. With natural light filling the room, a drumming group played special music to congratulate those who graduated from the program. It's success stories like these graduates who leave these judges with a good feeling of knowing that 10 years ago this revolutionary program has played a major role in changing so many lives. So I think that the reach of healing and turning around and becoming sober and becoming well is really fairly significant. To see the program come so far, other communities across the United States have taken notice of the wellness court's success and now are implementing similar programs in their court systems. Together everyone achieves more and so we've helped other courts set up in California with the Shinglesprings man of Miwok and El Dorado County Superior Court. Looking to the future there remains only high hopes for the program and to see a broader joint effort between tribes and the state. I think it shows the willingness of people to cooperate and make things work for people because we all have common goals. In Cass Lake, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. The ceremony also included a pipe presentation as well as a blessing of the pipe and a feast. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.