Agencies still in conflict over off-reservation gaming (December 7, 2004)

The National Indian Gaming Commission has eased its stance against off-reservation gaming but still won't allow an Oklahoma tribe to operate an out-of-state casino. Earlier this year, the agency surprised some tribal and gaming leaders with a legal opinion affecting...

Gold mining again poses threat to California tribe (December 7, 2004)

The Karuk Tribe in northern California has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service to protect the Klamath Basin from gold mining enthusiasts. The tribe relies on the Klamath River and the Salmon River for fish and water. The...

Two former leaders of Kickapoo Tribe arrested (December 7, 2004)

The former chairman of the Kickapoo Tribe of Texas and his closest aide were arrested on Monday and jailed as part of a sealed criminal complaint. Raul Garza, 62, and Isidro Garza, 53, a non-Indian, ran the tribe with an...

Museum takes down marker that offended tribe (December 7, 2004)

The Cheboygan County Historical Museum in Michigan has removed a marker that paid tribute to a sheriff who burned out a village of the Burt Lake Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The tribe protested when the sign was put up in...

Mohegan Tribe buys six properties for $7.1M (December 7, 2004)

The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut has paid $7.1 million for six properties but hasn't decided what to do with the land. The tribe has been in negotiations with the landowners for several years. The properties are located near the entrance...

Labor union challenges tribe's Indian preference (December 7, 2004)

A Teamsters union seeking to organize on the Seneca Nation in New York says the tribe is wrong to favor tribal members and other Indians. Tribal law allows Senecas more holidays, including election day, than other workers. Senecas get preference...

Nearly 300 Yellowstone bison slaughtered this year (December 7, 2004)

Nearly 300 bison that wandered out of Yellowstone National Park were slaughtered by the state of Montana this past spring. But nearly 600 calves have been born since, putting the total population in the park at around 4,200, a record...

United Keetowah Band elects new government (December 7, 2004)

The United Keetoowah Band of Oklahoma has voted nearly every incumbent out of office. In a runoff election on Monday, voters ousted incumbent Chief Dallas Proctor and replaced him with George Wickliff. The tally was 411 to 351. Voters also...

Montana group proposes $23M for Indian education (December 7, 2004)

The Montana Indian Education Association is calling on the state to provide $23 million over the next two years to fulfill the Indian Education For All act. The state constitution requires public schools to about Indian history, culture and government....

Indian political party wins Bolivian elections (December 7, 2004)

Bolivia's largest Indian political party swept the country's municipal elections on Sunday. The Movement to Socialism party won nearly every local election, according to unofficial results. Indian leader Evo Morales said the party is the country's biggest political force. Morales,...

Audit finds problems at Native housing authority (December 7, 2004)

A confidential audit by Manitoba Housing's department has found major problems with a Native housing authority that received $2 million in government funds, CBC News reports. The review found that board members of the Aiyawin Housing Corporation were paid than...

Supreme Court hears death penalty case again (December 7, 2004)

For the second time in two years, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard a case alleging racial bias in the death penalty trial of an African-American man from Texas. Thomas Miller-El, 53, has been on death row for 19...

Bush appoints new head of Civil Rights Commission (December 7, 2004)

President Bush on Monday appointed a new chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, replacing a Clinton administration appointee who has been critical of the Bush administration. Under chairwoman Mary Frances Berry, the commission issued a crucial report in...

Congress puts finishing touch on $388B omnibus (December 7, 2004)

The $388 billion omnibus appropriations bill was finally sent to President Bush for his signature after the House on Monday repealed a provision allowing Congressional staff to view anyone's tax return. The bill consolidates funding for 13 departments and hundreds...

Reid's Supreme Court comments stir debate (December 7, 2004)

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada), the incoming Senate minority leader, is already drawing controversy for his comments about the future makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court. In an interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Reid called Justice Antonin Scalia "one...

IRS targets tribal tax-exempt bond financing deals (December 7, 2004)

The IRS issued a preliminary adverse determination against a $410 million bond financing deal that allowed the Seminole Tribe of Florida to build two hotel-casino complexes. The decision could affect other tribes. The agency said the bonds are not tax-exempt,...

Aquash murder suspect told medicine man of crime (December 7, 2004)

A man charged with murdering American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash told a medicine man of his involvement in the brutal 1975 crime, a Canadian court was told on Monday. A prosecutor said John Graham, a Canadian Native,...

Yellow Bird: Bridges tell history of North Dakota tribe (December 7, 2004)

"That bridge was built in 1934 and is part of the history of the Three Affiliated Tribes. It connected the eastern part of the reservation near the town of Elbowoods, N.D., to the western part. It was dismantled in 1953,...

Oglala Sioux Tribe upgrades dispatch center (December 7, 2004)

The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has created a new emergency dispatch center in hopes of reducing police response times on a reservation the size of Rhode Island. A year ago, only 75 percent of the reservation could be...

Christmas comes early for Cheyenne River youth (December 7, 2004)

The Boys and Girls Club of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota will distribute more than 1,600 gifts to children on Wednesday. Toys, shoes, clothing and other items were collected by Hawk Wing, a charitable organization from Connecticut....

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe developing wind farm (December 7, 2004)

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is working with a California company to build a wind farm. The tribe and Innovative Investments LLC plan as many as 1,000 wind turbines on the reservation. The tribe would receive 5...

Colville Tribes council member resigns after conviction (December 7, 2004)

A council member for the Confederated Colville Tribes of Washington has resigned after being convicted in tribal court. Louella Anderson was found guilty of embezzlement and misuse of public funds. She used both tribal and state money to pay for...