There are two ways of looking at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s long slog toward a tribal casino in Taunton. In the tribe’s view, they’re inching toward their federal approvals, renegotiating their gambling compact with the state, and winning over local support. They’re doing everything they’re supposed to do to secure the casino that will pay off the massive debts they’ve incurred getting to this point. But with every piece of good news the tribe trumpets, there’s a nagging question hanging in the background: How, exactly, does the tribe open a casino that’s still federally illegal? There’s still no answer to that question — at least, not one backstopped by American case law, rather than a centuries-old agreement between the Mashpee and crazy King George III. Until there is, every inch of progress the Mashpee make just brings them closer to an inevitable roadblock.

The Mashpee announced today that the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has given its initial blessing to the 146 acres in Taunton the Mashpee tribe wants to turn into a tribal casino. The bureau ruled that the Taunton property qualifies for taking as a gambling reservation. The next steps will be messier, though. Although the bureau and the Department of the Interior have been reviewing reservation cases — pushing paperwork up the pipeline — they’re prevented from taking the land for a tribal reservation by a 2009 Supreme Court case.

The 2009 Carcieri case said Congress only allowed Interior to create sovereign land for tribes that were federally recognized by 1934. The Mashpee got their federal recognition in 2007. Interior has continued laying the groundwork for tribal land takings in the aftermath of the case, but its trial balloon for getting around the decision, in which it created a sovereign gambling reservation for a tribe in Washington state, drew an immediate lawsuit from a neighboring tribe, and from local officials. The Washington state lawsuit will drag on for years. It’s unclear whether Interior will await a decision out west, or whether the agency is intent on making a second test case out of the Mashpee’s Taunton casino; what is clear is that the tribe’s two possible outcomes are either a lengthy wait for a decision out of the Washington case, or a protracted lawsuit of their own.

What the movement within the Bureau of Indian Affairs does do, however, is give the state gambling commission a reason to keep southeastern Massachusetts clear of competition for the Mashpee. The state’s gambling law gives the tribe first shot at a casino license in the region, but allows the commission to put a commercial casino license out to bid if it determines that the tribe is facing a dead end on the federal side. The commission nearly pulled the plug on the Mashpee’s long, expensive casino quest in December, but relented and gave the tribe a short extension to show some progress on its federal approvals. The tribe now has the appearance of momentum at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, making it more difficult for the state gaming commission to put the region’s casino out to bid. What’s still not clear, though, is how progress with the Bureau of Indian Affairs solves the tribe’s problem with the Supreme Court.

–PAUL MCMORROW

BEACON HILL

Rep. Marty Walsh of Dorchester, on behalf of local Democrat Joyce Linehan, is filing legislation to make “Roadrunner” the official rock song of the Commonwealth, the Globe reports. In case you’ve never heard it before, catch the song by The Modern Lovers here. It could be just us, but this nomination may be controversial.

State Rep. Shauna O’Connell of Taunton says she meant no offense when she posted a picture on Facebook of a snowman wearing a Confederate flag bikini top in the midst of Black History Month.

In case you were without power Sunday, Keller@Large had House Speaker Robert DeLeo talking about the upcoming session, including the fairly static leadership team he announced last week.

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

A Lawrence city councilor takes pictures of a city contractor plowing the driveway of the three-unit condo complex where Mayor William Lantigua lives, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

A gun rights group sues the police chiefs in Peabody and Danvers for placing restrictions on gun licenses, the Salem News reports. The Worcester police chief is also sued, the Telegram & Gazette reports.

Some Boston residents aren’t happy at all with the state of snow removal. Mayor Tom Menino apologizes for the slow pace of snow plowing in the city, where some streets remained impassable days after the big storm. Menino blames private plow contractors. (The two words all mayors most fear being raised in this context: Michael Bilandic.)

CommonWealth’s Paul McMorrow traces the transformation taking place on the Chelsea waterfront.

Somerville residents ask for denser development on the Assembly Square parcel that IKEA abandoned.

RELIGION

The National Review Symposium takes a look at the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI, including an offering from the Rev. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River. The American Spectator says Benedict was the reluctant pope, serving out of duty, not ambition.

NATIONAL POLITICS/WASHINGTON

Local immigrant advocates say they expect an increase in demand for English and financial skills classes as well as other services if Congress passes the proposed path to citizenship.

ELECTIONS

The battle for union support is joined, as Steve Lynch and Ed Markey work hard to win labor backing in their Democratic primary showdown for US Senate.

Gabriel Gomez, a little known but deep-pocketed Cohasset businessman, plans to kick-off his campaign for the Republican US Senate nomination by putting out a press release and Web video today, the Globe reports. Gomez has the backing of some high-level former aides to Mitt Romney, including lobbyist Ron Kaufman. Here is Gomez’s YouTube video announcement.

Middleboro selectmen are opposed to combining the town election with the special primary to fill John Kerry’s former Senate seat.

CASINOS

Once looking like a sure bet for the Eastern Massachusetts casino license, Suffolk Downs now has some serious competition, the Globe reports.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Attorney General Martha Coakley pushes for the ouster of federal housing regulator Ed DeMarco, whom she calls “a roadblock to our progress” in anti-foreclosure efforts. CommonWealth’s Spring 2012 issue detailed Coakley’s housing activism.

EDUCATION

New England Academy, a private high school for special education students, is planning to build a new campus in Beverly, the Salem News reports. Most of the school’s students come from public school districts, which pay tuition of $50,000 a year.

A robotics testing facility opens at UMass Lowell, WBUR reports.

HEALTH CARE
Researchers asked hospitals across the country what they would charge for a hip replacement and found that many hospitals had difficulty answering and those that did gave wildly different prices, ranging from $11,000 to nearly $126,000.

TRANSPORTATION

Sen. Thomas McGee says new transportation funding is needed to keep the economy moving, the Item reports.

Ridership on the MBTA’s three commuter rail lines south of Boston has fallen dramatically for four straight years and local officials say high fares and parking fees are the main cause. The officials are calling on the T to lower both the fares and the fees for the short term to see if ridership improves.

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

A Cape wildlife shelter is dealing with a passel of puffins and other birds blown off course by the blizzard.

MEDIA

The New York Times restricts the work-arounds that allowed readers to circumvent its pay wall, New York reports.

Mountain Dew rolls out a juice-like breakfast drink, Time reports.