Campbell recommended to run Interior Department (March 14, 2006)

Retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) is being recommended to replace fellow Coloradan Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) is writing a letter to President Bush recommending Campbell. "The fact that the president could appoint...

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes win sovereignty ruling (March 14, 2006)

A non-Indian company doing business on fee land within the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho must submit to the jurisdiction of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, a federal judge ruled last week. In an 18-page decision, U.S. District Judge Lynn B. Winmill...

American Indian Center at UND prepares for debut (March 14, 2006)

The American Indian Center at the University of North Dakota is moving to a new building. The $1 million facility will open to students on Monday. The building will house the American Indian Student Services, a computer lab and organizations...

State, tribe find no artifacts at construction site (March 14, 2006)

An inspection by the Mohegan Tribe and the state of Connecticut of a construction site in Norwich turned up no artifacts of evidence of a tribal settlement. The tribe and the state archaeologist went to the site after a...

Tribal-owned tobacco shops exempt from rules (March 14, 2006)

The Oklahoma Tax Commission will exempt tribal-owned tobacco shops from emergency tax rules. The commission issued the rules after finding out that some tobacco products weren't being sold with the proper state tax stamp. But the commission says tribal-owned shops...

DOJ examined financial records of Sen. Burns, staffer (March 14, 2006)

The Department of Justice looked at the financial records of Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) and two former staffers as part of the Jack Abramoff investigation, the Roll Call newspaper reported. Burns has denied being a subject of the investigation but...

County renews three Whiteclay liquor licenses (March 14, 2006)

The Sheridan County, Nebraska, Board of Commissioners voted Monday to renew the liquor licenses of three establishments in the border town of Whiteclay. Tribal activists and the group Nebraskans for Peace had urged rejection of the licenses, citing violations...

Wisconsin school to eliminate 'Raider' Indian logo (March 14, 2006)

The Wauwatosa School Board voted to eliminate East High School's spear/arrow logo but agreed to keep the Red Raider nickname. Some people, including tribal members, called for the elimination of the logo and the nickname. But the board could...

Mille Lacs Chair: Tribes not to blame for Abramoff (March 14, 2006)

"Most Americans were shocked when the scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff began to unfold. Indian people weren't all that surprised. A small group of businessmen hatches a scheme to steal from Indian tribes, employing lies, deception, and even bribing members...

First Nation mourns death of Luna, the killer whale (March 14, 2006)

The Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation in British Columbia held a funeral on Monday in honor of Luna, an orphan killer whale who died last week. Known as Tsux'iit, the whale died on Friday when he got sucked into a tugboat's...

Kiowa medicine men bless Keeper of the Plains (March 14, 2006)

Two medicine men from the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma traveled to Wichita, Kansas, on Monday to hold a blessing ceremony for the 44-foot-tall Keeper of the Plains sculpture. Truman Ware and Vernon "Cy" Ahtone blessed the statue before it...

Tribes awarded $18.4M in energy cost grants (March 14, 2006)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency has awarded $18.4 million in grants to tribes to offset the high cost of energy. In Arizona, the Havasupai Tribe will use $2.2 million to improve its power distribution line and install...

Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation seek to reopen mines (March 14, 2006)

The Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation are working to reopen coal mines in northeastern Arizona that employed hundreds of tribal members and provided revenues for both tribes. The coal mines were shut down on New Year's Day. Operator Peabody...

Osage Nation voters approve new constitution (March 14, 2006)

Members of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new constitution. Nearly 67 percent backed the constitution, The Native American Times reported. The tribe will now move to a three-branch form of government. The tribe has...

Relations between Red Lake, non-Indians improve (March 14, 2006)

Race relations in northern Minnesota have come a long way since 1967, when a business leader in Bemidji used the radio to spread racist views about the Red Lake Nation. The tribe kicked into action to speak out against the...

Sacred Run 2006 halfway to nation's capitol (March 14, 2006)

Participants in the Sacred Run 2006 are halfway through their 4,000-mile journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. The 50 or so runners made it to Oklahoma last week. They are expected to leave Tulsa today as they head into...

Sisseton-Wahpeton chairman removed from office (March 14, 2006)

J.C. Crawford, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, has been removed from office on charges of misappropriation. The tribal council voted 5-3 last Friday to remove Crawford. They said he misappropriated more than $698,000 over two years. Crawford denied the charges and...

Margaret Inouye, wife of Sen. Inouye, dies at 81 (March 14, 2006)

Margaret Inouye, the wife of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), died on Monday after a battle with colon cancer. She was 81. The Inouyes had been married for nearly 57 years. "She was my inspiration, and all that I have...

Study: Lumbees at higher risk for heart disease (March 14, 2006)

Members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina are at higher risk for heart disease, according to researchers from Duke University. A study of 920 Lumbees who were hospitalized for heart treatment had significantly higher rates of cardiovascular risk factors...

Tim Giago: The road to true tribal sovereignty (March 14, 2006)

"John Reyhner, Northern Arizona University, a man who has written extensively on Indian education, expressed some very cogent thoughts on Indian sovereignty. He wrote that sovereignty involves taking back control and taking responsibility for one’s life and for one’s nation...

Human Events: Democrats protect tribal 'loophole' (March 14, 2006)

In 2002, Democrats defeated an attempt to close the tribal political donation "loophole," the conservative publication Human Events says. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Michigan) said the Congressional Native American Caucus worked to defeat an amendment proposed by House Republican leaders. Kildee...