Urban Indian clinics in Oklahoma safe from cut (February 28, 2006)

Two urban clinics in Oklahoma are safe from the Bush administration's $33 million cut to urban Indian health care because they fall under a separate funding source. Former Sen. Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma) inserted a provision in the 2004 Interior appropriations...

Blackfeet Nation closes down landfill after 30 years (February 28, 2006)

The Blackfeet Nation of Montana has closed a landfill that operated on the reservation for 30 years. The tribe agreed to replace the dump back in 1997 but high costs and regulatory hurdles prompted the tribe to go with a...

Update from NCAI winter session in Washington (February 28, 2006)

Updates from the winter session of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C. Anti-Drug Initiative NCAI President Joe Garcia held a press conference to outline a three-tiered initiative to fight methamphetamine abuse and drug trafficking in Indian Country,...

Indian gaming law proposal undergoes big changes (February 28, 2006)

The Bush administration is scaling back its controversial gaming law proposal amid overwhelming opposition in Indian Country, outgoing U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said on Monday. Addressing the winter session of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., Heffelfinger...

Northern Cheyenne VP: Wrong to keep team off court (February 28, 2006)

"The recent actions from the Montana High School Association has left a bitter taste among our Northern Cheyenne Tribal Schools Indian basketball players, coaches, parents and fans. On Feb. 20, the school received a call from Mark Beckman, executive director,...

Native Threads clothing expands to Canada (February 28, 2006)

Native Threads, an Indian-owned clothing company, is expanding its reach into Canada. Rudy Rojas, a member of the Tigua Tribe of Texas, recently picked up a Canadian distributor. The Samson Cree Nation is hoping to open a factory on...

Navajo Nation appeals court ruling on snowmaking (February 28, 2006)

The Navajo Nation has appealed a federal judge's decision to allow snowmaking in the sacred San Francisco Peaks. Last month, U.S. District Judge Paul Rosenblatt said the use of reclaimed water to make snow does not infringe on tribal religious...

Tribes hope to tap into natural energy resources (February 28, 2006)

Tribes in the Rocky Mountain region are seeking to develop their natural energy resources in hopes of generating jobs and revenues and taking more control of their destines. The Chippewa Cree Tribe in Montana wants to create its own energy...

Editorial: Racism behind proposal for new county (February 28, 2006)

"Divide Charles Mix County? Because of racism? No. There might be good reasons to look around our state and consider reconfiguring some of our counties - merging, taking a piece of one and adding it to another. But racism isn't...

Science Snapshot: Study of Kennewick Man (February 28, 2006)

"It's not quite CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, but the oldest forensic science case in the country is back in the spotlight. Scientists have presented their evaluation of the remains of a man who died 9,300 years ago, the fruit...

Medal of Honor sought for Sisseton-Wahpeton vet (February 28, 2006)

The Secretary of the Army is reviewing a request to award the Medal of Honor to Woodrow Keeble, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe who fought in two wars. Keeble served in World War II and the Korean War....

Ousted Enterprise Rancheria members hold protest (February 28, 2006)

Former members of the Enterprise Rancheria of California held a protest on Saturday as the tribe was holding a council meeting. Enterprise Rancheria 1 consists of 70 people who were kicked out of the tribe. They say they were...

Navajo Nation president blasts BIA budget cuts (February 28, 2006)

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said the Bush administration failed to consult tribes when it cut the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget. Shirley spoke at the tribal budget advisory committee meeting in Washington, D.C., last week. He said the...

Yellow Bird: It's time for tribes to go smoke-free (February 28, 2006)

"When I spend an evening at one of the local casinos, I come home with burning eyes and sometimes a sinus headache. I don't know if its from staring at the slot machine willing it to hit the jackpot, how...

KBIC member appointed to Small Business post (February 28, 2006)

William H. Largent, a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Michigan, has been named director of the Small Business Administration's Office of Native American Affairs. Largent has 30 years of experience with small businesses. He created his...

Judge won't force FBI to give up all Peltier papers (February 28, 2006)

The FBI can withhold some documents related to imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier, a federal judge ruled. Peltier filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the documents. After the FBI refused to turn all of them...

St. Regis Mohawk Tribe blasts NY Times story on drugs (February 28, 2006)

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is demanding an apology from The New York Times for the newspaper's story about drug trafficking in Indian Country. The tribe was prominently featured in a story about the use of the Akwesesane Reservation on...

Lobbying reform bill to include tribal provisions (February 28, 2006)

Update: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) introduced an amendment to strike the tribal provisions. It was carried by a voice vote, removing the provisions from the bill. A lobbying reform bill being marked up today by the Senate Rules Committee will...

Sen. Thune helps railroad, a former lobbying client (February 28, 2006)

Cecilia Fire Thunder, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, talks with Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota), at National Congress of American Indians reception in the National Museum of the American Indian. February 27, 2006. Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) inserted...