Supreme Court agrees to hear tribal gas tax case (March 1, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from the state of Kansas to impose a gas distribution tax on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last August that the state had no...

Mistrial declared in murder of Alaska Native woman (March 1, 2005)

A judge in Alaska declared a mistrial in the case of a former police officer accused of murdering an Alaska Native woman. Jurors had been deliberating since last Tuesday and informed the judge yesterday that they could not reach a...

NCAI Winter Session Wrapup: Day 1 (March 1, 2005)

The National Congress of American Indians is holding its annual winter session in Washington, D.C., all week. Here's a rundown of what happened on Monday. Judicial Nominations At a pre-conference press briefing, NCAI renewed its objection to the nomination of...

Supreme Court takes on tribal-state tax dispute (March 1, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court accepted its first Indian taxation case in nearly five years on Monday, agreeing to determine whether the state of Kansas can impose a gasoline tax on fuel sold on reservations. Without comment, the justices accepted a...

Officer faces discipline over Native teen's death (March 1, 2005)

The deputy chief of police in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, faces disciplinary action for lying to the public about the death of a Native teen in 1990. Deputy Chief Dan Wiks is before a hearing all week. He was suspended after admitting...

Arizona tribes willing to host baseball spring training (March 1, 2005)

Two Arizona tribes say they are willing to host the Cactus League spring training teams on their reservations. The Salt River-Maricopa Indian Community and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation say hosting a team presents a good economic opportunity. Both tribes...

North Dakota tribe seeks return of land lost to dam (March 1, 2005)

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota is seeking the return of 36,000 acres that were taken from the tribe by the flooding of Garrison Dam. The tribe asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make the...

State Lawyer: Misinformation in non-Indian peyote case (March 1, 2005)

"Since issuance last summer of the Utah Supreme Court's opinion in State v. James and Linda Mooney and the Oklevueha EarthWalks Native American Church of Utah, Inc., there have been numerous published articles and editorials containing misstatements such as: The...

Indian voters oppose bill aimed at settling lawsuit (March 1, 2005)

Members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe testified against a bill they said would scuttle their voting rights lawsuit against Charles Mix County. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in January, saying the county created districts that prevent tribal...

Yellow Bird: Another one of my excellent adventures (March 1, 2005)

"I include this as another of my excellent adventures. This time, the game was fast cars, slick ice, racing a fast car on slick ice and into near-rollover situation - and living to tell about it. Baudette in northern Minnesota...

Tim Giago: Black Hills land theft a dishonest deal (March 1, 2005)

"Let’s analyze a case of injustice in America. Although the case was (and is) the longest ongoing case in American history, the general public is nearly oblivious to its implications of imperialism and injustice. 1980 – U. S. Supreme Court...

Tribal budget advisory council backs tribal colleges (March 1, 2005)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Budget Advisory Council passed a resolution in support of funding for two tribal colleges cut by the Bush administration. The council called for the restoration of funds to the Crownpoint Institute of Technology in...

Couple says mother didn't want son in her tribe (March 1, 2005)

A non-Indian couple in Minnesota says the mother of the boy they adopted didn't want him as part of her tribe or living on the reservation. The Hofers adopted Christian two years ago. They say his mother, Juanita Good Bird,...

New Jersey state court won't hear tribal land claim (March 1, 2005)

A New Jersey appeals court on Monday upheld the dismissal of a state tribe's land claim. The Unalachtigo Band of the Nanticoke-Leni Lenape Nation says the state wrongly took possession of the former Brotherton Reservation. The tribe said the transactions...

Lakota Fund wins $100K grant for reducing poverty (March 1, 2005)

The Lakota Fund of South Dakota has won a $100,000 grant from the Northwest Area Foundation for its efforts to reduce poverty on the Pine Ridge Reservation. As the first and only financial development institution on the reservation, the Fund...

Senate panel takes up Native Hawaiian recognition (March 1, 2005)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is holding a hearing today on a bill to provide for the federal recognition of a Native Hawaiian governing entity. S.147, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, is backed by the state's congressional delegation and...

Myers before Senate Judiciary Committee again (March 1, 2005)

The Senate Judiciary Committee today will hold its second confirmation for Bush judicial nominee Bill Myers. Myers, a former lobbyist for the ranching and grazing industry, has been re-nominated for a spot on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The...

Report: Former Norton organization subpoenaed (March 1, 2005)

An interagency task force investigating disgraced Washington lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon has subpoenaed an organization founded by Interior Secretary Gale Norton, The Hill newspaper reports. The Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy received $175,000 from two tribal clients...

Burns, Dorgan backed $3M grant for Abramoff client (March 1, 2005)

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) used their position on the Senate Interior Appropriations subcommittee to steer a $3 million set aside to a client of Jack Abramoff's even though the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe did not...