Bill Lawrence, Minn. tribal watchdog, dies
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Bill Lawrence, a journalist who was a watchdog of Minnesota's tribal governments for more than two decades, has died after a fight with prostate cancer. He was 70.
Lawrence died Tuesday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise, Idaho.
"He just died very quietly and gently, as he had lived," his companion, Roxanne Jensen, said Thursday.
She said Lawrence's cancer already was advanced when it was diagnosed in March 2008.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
"It's just been a downhill ride," Jensen said.
Lawrence became a journalist in 1988 and crusaded to open the books of Minnesota's 11 Indian casinos. His investigative reporting helped send several tribal leaders to prison in the 1990s.
Lawrence was a Red Lake Band Ojibwe member who grew up in Bemidji. He was founder and editor of the Native American Press/Ojibwe News. He printed his final edition last fall because of his failing health.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 13 at Bemidji State University's Memorial Hall.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)