Tribes continue fight for self-determination contracts (December 16, 2005)

Two important legal cases seeking to force the federal government to abide by its promises to tribal governments are moving forward in the courts. In one case, the Shoshone-Bannock Nation of Idaho claimed a major victory. On December 12, a...

Writer paid to praise Choctaws, Abramoff clients (December 16, 2005)

Ed. Note: The Cato Institute has removed the Choctaw article from its website. The link to the Choctaw article is to the cached version kept by Google. After the Abramoff scandal broke, Doug Bandow wrote a negative column about tribes:...

Crow Tribe honors soldier on leave from Iraq (December 16, 2005)

The Crow Tribe of Montana honored Gus Other Medicine, an Army soldier on leave from duty in Iraq. Other Medicine came home December 9 and is due to return to Iraq on Christmas Day. He received traditional blessings and...

Plea deal reached for peyote case in Utah (December 16, 2005)

A Utah man accused of distributing peyote pleaded guilty on Thursday to possession of coca leaves in a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Nicholas Walter Stark, who claims he is one-quarter Iroquois, will face up to one year in prison....

Former Stillaguamish executive murdered (December 16, 2005)

David Koenigs, the former executive director of the Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington, was found murdered in Seattle, King 5 Television reports. Koenigs, 57, was found on Wednesday in a house that had been the scene of a fire. Investigators...

Narragansett Tribe receives grant for health center (December 16, 2005)

The Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money will be used to build a new health center. The tribe has already raised $1 million towards construction of the...

New Mexico tribe, city reach deal over site (December 16, 2005)

A deal has been reached over the construction of a civic center in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Tesuque Pueblo has agreed to drop objections to the $55 million center now that the city has agreed to reduce the size...

Rep. Ney returns Tigua money, just not to Tiguas (December 16, 2005)

REPRESENTATIVE #1 • Scanlon Plea | Attachment • US v. Scanlon Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), one of the lawmakers under investigation in the Jack Abramoff scandal, has returned $32,000 he received from the Tigua Tribe of Texas, The Athens...

Pombo gives Abramoff cash to Red Lake Boys & Girls (December 16, 2005)

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), the chairman of the House Resources Committee, is donating $7,000 he received from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff to the Boys & Girls Club on the Red Lake Reservation. "The chairman, to avoid even the appearance of...

Ralph Reed now regrets working with Abramoff (December 16, 2005)

Ralph Reed, the conservative Republican activist and candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia, recently told a Christian teen group that he regrets working with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and ex-partner Michael Scanlon. In a speech posted on his web...

Probate reform law causing headaches for tribes (December 16, 2005)

The American Indian Probate Reform Act was passed and signed into law in 2004 with much fanfare but tribes are already uncovering problems with the law, Indian Country Today reports. Tribal leaders and advocates say the law doesn't recognize custom...

Bush blasted for remarks on Abramoff, DeLay (December 16, 2005)

Democratic leaders criticized President Bush on Thursday for his remarks on the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and the indictment of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). During an interview on Fox News, Bush called Abramoff an "equal money dispenser" and said Abramoff...

Editorial: Burns should not run for re-election (December 16, 2005)

"We aren't in a position to render a judgment about the legality of [Sen. Conrad] Burns' activities in office. He's not been charged with any crime and he has publicly denied any wrongdoing. We're not privy to details of...

Burns to return $150K in Abramoff donations (December 16, 2005)

After facing months of criticism, Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) will return $150,000 in donations from former tribal clients and associates of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Burns will return money he received from tribes back to the tribes. But the...

Another former Abramoff partner pleads guilty (December 16, 2005)

A former business partner of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to bank fraud in a deal that requires his cooperation with the federal investigations of Abramoff. Adam Kidan partnered with Abramoff to purchase a fleet of casino boats....

In the Loop: Griles attended DOI's Christmas party (December 16, 2005)

Former deputy secretary J. Steven Griles was welcomed to the Interior Department's recent Christmas party by Secretary Gale Norton, Al Kamen of The Washington Post reports. Griles left the department in December 2004 to rejoin the lobbying world. He has...

Report: Cason says termination of trust on the table (December 16, 2005)

Update: Kevin Gover, a professor at the Arizona State University College of Law and an organizer of the conference, chimed in today with a short e-mail. "He didn't say what the HawaiiReporter says. This is a gross distortion of his...

Jana McKeag: DOI to transfer three Indian museums (December 16, 2005)

Ed. Note: Jana McKeag, Cherokee, is the chair of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, an agency within the Interior Department. "The Department of the Interior is exploring with affected tribes how to best ensure the protection and future growth...

David Gipp: Dorgan a tireless advocate for Indians (December 16, 2005)

Ed. Note: David Gipp, Standing Rock Sioux, is the president of the United Tribes Technical College (http://www.uttc.edu) in Bismarck, North Dakota. We recently observed an orchestrated campaign to try to smear North Dakota U. S. Senator Byron Dorgan by linking...