Indianz.Com News Archive: October 25, 2006 Archives

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October 25, 2006
Another GAO report looks at land-into-trust
Newly recognized tribes and tribes who lost their federal recognition have regained more than 600,000 acres, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Congress terminated the federal government's relationship with over...

Haskell reports small drop in fall enrollment
Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas reported a slight drop in fall enrollment. The school has 889 students enrolled for the semester, down from 918 in fall 2005 and down from 906 in spring 2006. Venida Chenault, vice president for...

Judge rules student's rights violated by school
A federal judge has ruled that the Todd County School District in South Dakota violated the constitutional rights of a student by suspending him without a proper hearing. The student, identified only as Ernest Doe, was suspended for being involved...

Woman pleads guilty for assault on child
A former teacher's assistant pleaded guilty in federal court to assaulting a child at the Seminole Nation's Head Start. Chelly Louise Jordan, 32, admitted to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault. The incident occurred when she tried to discipline a...

Pueblo artist turns art into chocolate treats
Santa Clara Pueblo artist Roxanne Swentzell has found a new medium for her award-winning works. Swentzell is using chocolate to turn her sculptures and masks into edible art. "The only problem is they're so beautiful no one wants to eat...

Navajo Nation to allow uranium waste transport
The Navajo Nation has agreed to allow the Department of Energy to transport radioactive waste through the reservation. The transuranic waste, which is contaminated with uranium and related chemicals, is headed to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project in southern New...

Counselor ties domestic abuse to historical trauma
A domestic violence counselor on the Navajo Nation says the historical mistreatment of Native Americans contributes to abuse. "There is a backlash of forced assimilation -- boarding schools, experiences of attempted extermination. All those backlashes lead to social ills," Clifford...

Apache man's eagle feathers confiscated by U.S.
Robert Soto, a Lipan Apache man who live in Texas, is trying to get his eagle feathers back from the federal government. Soto's two feathers were confiscated at a powwow in March. They were taken by an undercover U.S....

North Fork Rancheria to study lead paint dangers
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians has received a $59,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to study the dangers of lead-based paint. The tribe will determine whether children on the reservation are being exposed to lead paint. Lead...

Professor links genocide to high rate of suicide
A professor who has studied historical trauma among American Indians says the high rate of suicide can be linked to genocide. "So much happened to our people, we didn't have time to recover from one trauma before another occurred," said...

Editorial: 'Injun' not an appropriate phrase
"Several Wisconsin tribal leaders quickly came to the defense this week of Democratic congressional candidate Steve Kagen for his use of a racially insensitive term for American Indians. But just because they say they're not angry doesn't mean they -...

Indian woman is latest target in hate crime spree
An Indian woman who is leading a recall campaign at her housing subdivision in Menifee, California, has been targeted by graffiti that is being treated as a hate crime. Jayme Halliday is the second victim of the racially charged graffiti....

Chehalis Tribe breaks ground with Great Wolf
The Chehalis Tribe of Washington broke ground on a $100 million resort that will bear the Great Wolf name. The Great Wolf Lodge is being built on 43 acres in Grand Mound. The Bureau of Indian Affairs took the...

Guilty pleas in Kickapoo corruption scheme
Five of the seven people charged in connection with stealing more than $900,000 from the Kickapoo Tribe of Texas pleaded guilty. The seven include former chairman Raul Garza, who was the only Indian charged. He pleaded guilty to one...

Maurice Lyons steps down as Morongo chairman
Maurice Lyons, the chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, resigned this week, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. Lyons, 56, was first elected in June 2001. He oversaw the expansion of the tribe's casino. The tribe is one of...

Federal Register: BIA information collection
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is seeking comments on an information collection request regarding "Gaming on Trust Lands Acquired after October 17, 1988." The BIA collects information from tribes who "seek a secretarial determination that a gaming establishment would be...

Column: Not all Indian mascots are offensive
"The black uniforms and the statues didn't work magic for FSU football. But let's say this while the bandwagon idles: FSU's use of the Seminoles nickname may not be the worst thing in the world. For years, I've been in...

Abramoff associate asks judge for no jail time
David Safavian, a former Bush administration official who was convicted of lying about his ties to Jack Abramoff, has submitted letters of support as he seeks to avoid jail time for his crime. Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) submitted one letter....

Preliminary investigation into Renzi land deal
Federal authorities have opened a preliminary investigation into a land deal involving Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Arizona), according to news reports. The probe centers on a complaint that Renzi pressured landowners to buy a 480-acre parcel owned by his former business...

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