Author: Alex J.

Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in our community, the Tunica-Biloxi Offices are temporarily closed. However, your Tribal Council is still working hard to ensure Tribal citizens receive essential and critical services during this closure.

Although Government Offices are closed to the public, departments are working remotely from their homes, with a few essential employees operating in the departments to ensure the needs of our Tribal citizens and their families are continuing to be met. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

For any questions or needs you may have, please contact the Tribe at info@tunica.org or (318) 253-9767.

Tribal Citizens: Please complete the below survey to help your Tribal Council accurately assess the housing, education and health needs of our community.

Click Here to take the survey.

Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in our community, we are closing the Tunica-Biloxi Offices until further notice. We will notify citizens when offices reopen. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we continue to navigate this pandemic. 

For any questions or needs in the meantime, please contact the Tribe at (318) 253-9767 or info@tunica.org.

Tunica-Biloxi Tribe announces the new Tunica-Biloxi COVID Economic Rescue
Program for Tribal-Member Businesses. Qualifying applicants may be eligible for
economic support and/or reimbursement of costs in connection with the COVID-19 public
health emergency. Because funding is limited, a qualifying applicant will receive no more
than $15,000 (amount has to be justified) related to this program. Applicants must complete
the COVID Economic Rescue Program for Tribal-Member Businesses application.

Eligibility for Tribal Member-Owned Businesses
• Businesses must be at least 51% owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Member.
• The Tribal-Member business has to be the primary source of income for the Tribal
Member household (at least 51% of income has to be derived from the business
entity).
• Must have less than 50 part-time or full-time employees prior to March 11, 2021 and
in operation prior to March 11, 2021;
• Must be able to demonstrate they have faced financial hardship due to the COVID-19
public health emergency.

Filing of Application
A tribal member shall request an application from Jessica Barbry, Budget & Data
Analyst, the employee assigned to coordinate this program. Application submissions may
be either emailed, hand-delivered, or mailed to Jessica Barbry. For email submissions,
please send the application to jabarbry@tunica.org. For mail submissions, please submit
the application to the following address:
Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana
Attn: Jessica Barbry, Budget & Data Analyst
150 Melacon Road
Marksville, LA 71351

In spring of 2016, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe and the Tunica-Biloxi Gaming Authority asked the Mohegan Tribe and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) – a master developer and operator of premier global integrated entertainment resorts – to act as the manager of their Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana.  Over the course of those five years of partnership, the Resort successfully navigated to reduce its debt by over two-thirds and recently refinanced its outstanding debt on very favorable terms. In addition, a number of employee benefits were reinstated, including the 401k match, bonus program, annual raises and implementation of minimum wage above the required state minimum.  If this positive momentum continues the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe is positioned to be debt free in just seven years.    

Based on the tools, framework and guidance of this partnership, the Tunica-Biloxi Gaming Authority will assume full management of Paragon Casino Resort.  The Mohegan Tribe is confident they will continue their upward trend and wish our friends at the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe great prosperity.

“The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe is grateful for the management and leadership Mohegan Sun has provided the Tribe,” said Marshall Pierite, chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.  “This has been a true Nation-to-Nation collaboration and we will continue to work with Mohegan Sun for the overall benefit of Indian Country to ensure the growth, empowerment, and benefit of our sovereignty for generations to come.”

“This has been a great business partnership built on understanding and the mutual respect of our tribal journeys.  We look forward to continuing our work together on national issues and making Indian Country stronger and safer for all indigenous people,” said Mohegan Chairman James Gessner.   

On Thursday, June 10, The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana’s Tribal Council presented $266,235 to the Avoyelles Parish as part of its quarterly donation to the community. As part of the gaming compact agreement that the Tribe has with the state of Louisiana, the Tribe was able to make this financial contribution due to the success of Paragon Casino Resort. Since Paragon Casino Resort opened its doors 26 years ago, the Tribe has been able to provide financial support to local entities through quarterly distributions.

Additionally, the Tribe was proud to hold an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signing with Avoyelles Parish Police Jury President Kirby Roy. The IGA is aimed at supporting the Slim Lemoine Road improvement project, a one-mile road that will provide access further into the Tunica-Biloxi reservation, allowing for continued development of Tribal land. This development is part of the Tribe’s larger transportation and infrastructure plan and will provide new opportunities for economic growth.

“The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe is proud to continue to work with our Avoyelles Parish community through our mutually-beneficial partnership,” said Tunica-Biloxi Chairman Marshall Pierite. “The Tribe is proud to continue improving our lands, and this road will allow for greater economic and residential development. This is yet another step in the right direction.”

“We are grateful for our relationship with the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe,” said Police Jury President Kirby Roy. “When the Tribe succeeds, we all succeed thanks to the impact that they have on our community. We look forward to this continued partnership and what we can accomplish together.”

For more information on Paragon Casino Resort, visit – https://www.paragoncasinoresort.com/. For more information on the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, visit –  https://www.tunicabiloxi.org/.

A partnership between the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana will empower the state’s green energy landscape.

The focus on strengthening Louisiana’s renewable and traditional energy sectors is among a host of areas the new partnership will address. Other areas will include economic, workforce and community development, public health, and computing and information technology.

The partnership will advance the Tribe and UL Lafayette’s shared mission of improving Louisiana; it will also provide crucial resources for the Tribe’s 1,500 citizens and their families, both in Louisiana and around the country.

Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, and Marshall Pierite, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe chairman, formalized the partnership during a signing ceremony on Tuesday. The event was held at the LITE Center in UL Lafayette’s Research Park.

“Collaborations such as these are essential to our state. By aligning resources toward a common mission, this partnership between the University and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe will strengthen the state’s economic landscape today and nurture future economic growth,” Savoie said.

“This collaboration is good for the University and for the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe. Ultimately, it’s the people of Louisiana who will benefit.”

Pierite said that “this mutually-beneficial partnership will not only open doors for our Tribe, but allow us to make an impact on the development of our state and region.”

“From public health to energy and more, we are working together to address some of the most critical topics in our region. We are extremely grateful to UL Lafayette for their collaboration and look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together,” Pierite added.

The memorandum of understanding signed Tuesday “creates an environment of mutual support” that advances economic development for the Tribe through the University’s applied research and workforce development programs, said Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, UL Lafayette’s vice president for Research, Innovation and Economic Development.

“We are a public university, and the work being done here is for the public good. This partnership is an opportunity to translate our research and intellectual capacity into tangible outcomes that will benefit society,” he explained.

The partnership includes research collaborations, technical assistance, consultation, training and workforce development in a number of economic areas and industries, including traditional and sustainable energy resources.

“One of the focal areas of this partnership will capitalize on the University’s longstanding role as a leader in energy research to assist the Tribe as it explores both conventional and alternative energy sources,” Kolluru said.

Additional collaborations will focus on economic and community development through entrepreneurship, business cultivation, financial literacy and hospitality management. The partnership will also foster collaboration in the fields of public, mental and behavioral health and other life sciences, and through information technology, including broadband applications such as telehealth and e-learning.

The agreement also seeks to enhance support for traditional students and continuing education and lifelong learning opportunities for adult learners of the Tribe.

The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana has more than 1,500 citizens and their families throughout the United States, primarily in Louisiana, Texas and Illinois. With deep ties to Central Louisiana, the Tribe is dedicated to the prosperity and growth of the region. The Tribe received federal recognition in 1981 and owns and operates Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, the largest employer in Central Louisiana.

UL Lafayette is the largest institution in the nine-member University of Louisiana System. It is one of two universities in the state designated by the Carnegie Foundation as Doctoral Universities with Higher Research Activity. UL Lafayette’s research and development expenditures topped $144 million in 2019.

Photo caption: The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana will collaborate in a host of areas, including renewable and traditional energy, as part of a partnership signed Tuesday. Seated, from left, are: Marshall Pierite, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe chairman and Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president. Standing, from left, are: Roy Holleman, Tunica-Biloxi Economic Development Authority CEO; Wayne Elmore, immediate past chairman of the UL Lafayette Foundation Board of Trustees; Dr. Jaimie Hebert, UL Lafayette provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; and Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, UL Lafayette vice president for Research, Innovation and Economic Development. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the largest campus of the University of Louisiana System, offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The University has a total enrollment over 19,000 students. Within the Carnegie classification, the University is designated as a Research University with High Research Activity. The University is dedicated to achieving excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, in research, and in public service.