Report cites increase in Native gang activity (March 15, 2005)

Native gang activity is on the rise in urban and rural communities across Saskatchewan, according to a government report released on Monday. Bearing names like the Native Syndicate, Crazy Cree and the Tribal Brotherz, adult gangs have maintained a presence...

Penobscot Chief discusses environmental struggle (March 15, 2005)

Barry Dana, former chief of the Penobscot Nation of Maine, discussed his tribe's long-running environmental struggle at Tufts University in Massachusetts on Monday night. Dana said the state and the federal government have ignored their responsibility to protect the...

Navajo students celebrate Native American Week (March 15, 2005)

The Tse' Bit' Ai' Middle School on the Navajo Nation is celebrating Native American Week for the first time in several years. A host of educators, artists, performers and dance groups are visiting the school, located in Shiprock, New Mexico....

Lynch, friend of Piestewa, to visit three reservations (March 15, 2005)

Jessica Lynch, a close friend and roommate of Lori Piestewa, the Hopi woman killed in action in Iraq, will visit the Navajo, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute reservations next week. Lynch credits her survival to Piestewa's actions during...

Pombo schedules hearing on off-reservation gaming (March 15, 2005)

A House Republican who has earned praise for supporting tribal rights will take on the controversial issue of off-reservation gaming at a hearing on Thursday. Rep. Richard Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, has embraced Indian gaming as a...

Federal judge approves Indian inmate settlement (March 15, 2005)

A federal judge approved a settlement between Indian inmates and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services on Monday. The agreement allows the Native American Spiritual and Cultural Awareness Club to hold two pow-wows a year, have more time for religious...

Tribal chair receives 'Woman of the Year' honor (March 15, 2005)

Cheryl A. Seidner, chairwoman of the Wiyot Tribe of California, was named "Woman of the Year” by California's First Assembly District on Monday. Seidner, 55, was recognized for her efforts to preserve tribal culture and heritage. She was instrumental in...

Si Tanka wrapping up discussions with BIA (March 15, 2005)

Si Tanka University representatives are hoping they can wrap up talks with the Bureau of Indian Affairs over the future of the tribal school. Si Tanka officials have been meeting with the BIA in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to...

Drought-ridden Kickapoo Reservation hit by fire (March 15, 2005)

A fire that may have been set intentionally destroyed 900 acres of the Kickapoo Reservation on March 10. Efforts to fight the blaze were hindered due to long-standing drought conditions on the reservation. Fire fighters had to resort to special...

Ailing water district seeks help from Oklahoma tribe (March 15, 2005)

The Pottawatomie County Commissioner voted 2-1 to ask the Citizen Potawatomi Nation to help a financially strapped water district. The tribe has already contributed $1 million to keep the Pottawatomie County Rural Water District No. 3 going. The tribe wants...

Arapaho elders want city to protect sacred site (March 15, 2005)

Elders of the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming want the city of Boulder, Colorado, to protect the sacred Valmont Butte. The butte itself is not being developed but the city has plans for a training facility and sewage plant on...

Governor lobbies Norton on Goshute waste dump (March 15, 2005)

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) is meeting with Interior Secretary Gale Norton today to oppose the Skull Valley Goshute Tribe's proposed nuclear waste dump. Huntsman wants Norton to rescind the approval of lease between the tribe and Private Fuel...

First Nation homes at high risk of asbestos exposure (March 15, 2005)

The Canadian government has identified 11 First Nation families at high risk of asbestos exposure but isn't doing anything to address the problem. Health Canada inspected homes in dozens of Native communities and found significant health risks. But the government...

Bill would pay off settlement with Crow Tribe (March 15, 2005)

Montana lawmakers are taking up a huge budget bill that would pay off money owed to the Crow Tribe for a water and tax settlement. The state agreed to pay the tribe $15 million to settle a water rights and...

Northern Cheyenne Tribe's lawsuit questioned (March 15, 2005)

Officials of the Catholic Church and the St. Labre Indian School in Montana are disputing a lawsuit filed by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. The officials say there was never an agreement to share funds raised by the church and the...

Woman defines role as Indian affairs coordinator (March 15, 2005)

Reno Charette is defining her role as Montana's Coordinator of American Indian Affairs, a Cabinet-level position under Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D). Charette, a Crow/Chippewa woman who grew up on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, says inspiration for the job comes...

Editorial: Norton wrong about drilling in ANWR (March 15, 2005)

"What this country needs is an energy strategy worthy of the enormous energy-related problems it faces: global warming, soaring energy costs and dependency on Middle East oil among them. Opening up the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge...

Cities under scrutiny as IRS probes tribal tax bonds (March 15, 2005)

Two Florida cities who sold $345 million in tax-free municipal bonds for the Seminole Tribe are now part of the IRS investigation into tribal bond deals. The IRS contends that tribes cannot issue tax-free bonds for casinos and hotels because...

2005 Paddle Journey to end at Tse-whit-zen village (March 15, 2005)

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington is hosting the 2005 Tribal Journey in honor of the Tse-whit-zen village that was uncovered last year. Paddlers from dozens of tribes from the U.S. and Canada will end their journey at the...

Battle continues over control of Indian housing (March 15, 2005)

The North Carolina Indian Housing Authority is accusing the Lumbee Tribe of ignoring a lawsuit filed over the control of Indian housing properties. The authority owns and manages apartments that the Lumbee Tribe wants to control. But talks fell apart,...

Lumbee beauty queen files lawsuit over Miss World (March 15, 2005)

Rebekah Revels, the Lumbee beauty queen who tussled with the Miss America pageant has filed a lawsuit related to her appearance at the Miss World pageant. Revels claims a man promised to schedule public appearances, allow her a $3,000 clothing...

Navajo Nation considers appeal of snowmaking plan (March 15, 2005)

The Navajo Nation may challenge the U.S. Forest Service for approving a plan to make snow using wastewater in the sacred San Francisco Peaks. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. equated the agency's decision to "genocide," The Arizona Republic reported....

EPA to issue new rule on mercury emissions (March 15, 2005)

The Environmental Protection Agency will issue a rule today aimed at reducing mercury emissions from power plants, The Washington Post reports. The rule is likely to be controversial because it sets an industry-wide limit on mercury emissions. Rather than forcing...

Hayworth predicts DeLay will weather ethics storm (March 15, 2005)

Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Arizona), the co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus and a long-time supporter of Indian issues, says embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) will continue to enjoy support from Republican leaders. "I imagine that he will...

Editorial: Investigate overseas trip paid by Abramoff (March 15, 2005)

"A congressional watchdog group is right to ask for an investigation of two overseas trips that U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, took that may have violated House ethics regulations. In 2003, Feeney -- whose congressional district includes northern Brevard County...

Column: Strange bedfellows in Abramoff scandal (March 15, 2005)

"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's ethics troubles threaten more than his own political future. They have the potential to create a much wider scandal over lobbying on the Indian gambling issue and to open a rift among socially conservative Republicans....