HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes have received the long-awaited approval they've sought from the federal government to push ahead with plans for an off-reservation casino in East Windsor. Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot, said Thursday that his tribe and the Mohegans can now ``move forward with construction on Tribal Winds Casino.'' The project has been billed as a way to blunt competition from the MGM Resorts casino in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts while protecting jobs at the tribes' two existing casinos in southeastern Connecticut. A memo posted by the U.S. Department of Interior says the agency's assistant secretary of Indian affairs on Tuesday approved proposed amendments to two tribal documents, including the memorandum of understanding with the state of Connecticut.
A federal investigation of the delay is ongoing.
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