News Archive: January 11, 2007 Archives

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January 11, 2007
Senate kills measure to limit tribal political donations
An amendment that would have placed limits on tribal political donations was easily defeated on the Senate floor on Wednesday. The Senate voted 56-40 to table an amendment offered by Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana). He tried to attach it to...

Tribal leaders to view controversal Idaho murals
Tribal leaders in Idaho plan to view and discuss some controversial murals in the state Capitol next week. The murals were commissioned by the federal government during the Depression era. One of them depicts the lynching of an Indian...

Former Cheyenne River Sioux sentenced for fraud
The former chief judge for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota was sentenced to three months in prison and three years of supervised release for misrepresenting herself as Native American. Sasaeoleisah Bluespruce claimed she was 3/4 Indian in...

Ramapough family to sue over police shooting
The family of a Ramapough Lenape man who was fatally shot by a New Jersey park police officer is filing a civil rights lawsuit. Emil Mann, 45, was killed on April 1, 2006, during a scuffle with park police officers....

Ex-Crow official 'never' wants to go back to prison
Theodore J. Hogan, a former official of the Crow Tribe of Montana, took the stand in his fraud trial on Wednesday. Hogan, 61, is accused of lying about his financial situation. He is a convicted felon who was required...

United Indian Nations hold first meeting in Oklahoma
The United Indian Nations held its initial meeting in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The group seeks to represent tribes in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas and advocate for their interests at the state and federal level. George Tiger, the speaker of...

Blackfeet Nation surveys damage from storm
The Blackfeet Nation is working with the federal government to determine the extent of damage from last week's severe windstorm. Five homes were completely destroyed by winds as high as 75 mph and gusts as high as 110 mph....

Jodi Rave: Winona LaDuke speaks in Montana
"Environmentalist Winona LaDuke has been taking on human rights and land issues for nearly three decades. The first such case LaDuke researched took place in 1978. She focused her studies on coal development on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Fast-forward nearly...

Jodi Rave: Myers drops bid for 9th Circuit seat
"Native rights advocates celebrated Tuesday after learning three of President Bush’s appeals court appointees withdrew their nominations, including William G. Myers III who was awaiting Senate confirmation to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “NCAI and tribes from across...

Yellow Bird: Tribes have much to offer North Dakota
"There has never been a time in my history with the Herald when the rift between reservation communities and the rest of the state felt so apparent. The distance is between ways-of-life, with each group seeming to be too...

Mille Lacs Band starts pension program for members
All members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe of Minnesota will receive a pension plan, courtesy of the tribe. The tribe will set aside 5 percent of net revenue each year. Interest generated on that money will be used...

Editorial: A second chance for Joe Shirley Jr.
"Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. was inaugurated into his second term earlier this week, the first Navajo leader re-elected to the presidency in 28 years. President Shirley said in his speech that he remains determined to achieve a...

Eastern Shawnee Tribe funds bridge project
The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma has shared its Bureau of Indian Affairs road funding with the state of Missouri. The tribe contributed $792,800 towards a bridge project in Seneca. It is believed to be the first time that...

Tex Hall mulling next step in election dispute
Tex Hall was ousted as chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota last November but he's still trying to decide whether to continue challenging the election. Hall lost the election by 233 votes. But he alleges...

Alaska Natives divided on Bush's drilling decision
Alaska Natives are divided over President Bush's decision to lift a moratorium on drilling in Bristol Bay. Dan O’Hara, the mayor of Nanek who also sits on the board of directors for the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, welcomed potential...

Former Rep. Ney seeks alcohol treatment in prison
Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), the only member of Congress convicted in connection with the Jack Abramoff scandal, has asked for alcohol treatment while he serves his prison term. Ney is due to be sentenced January 9. Federal prosecutors are...

Burns joins Washington lobbying firm
Former Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) spent most of last year deriding Jack Abramoff in hopes of distancing himself from the convicted lobbyist. The effort didn't work and voters sent Burns packing. But now the defeated lawmaker is joining Gage, a...

Griles told of likely prosecution over Abramoff
J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department, has been told that he will likely be indicted for lying about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Griles was told of possible charges by letter and...

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