News Archive: January 12, 2007 Archives

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January 12, 2007
Judge rules in Coeur d'Alene Tribe's dam case
An administrative law judge issued a mixed ruling in the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's challenge to a dam in Idaho. The judge said the hydroelectric dam's operator, Avista Utilities, was responsible for wetland degradation and unearthing of tribal artifacts in Lake...

Column: BIA the black hole of information requests
""If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise, what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would....

State, tribes urged to cooperate on education
Tribal and state officials need to work together to ensure the success of Indian students, South Dakota's top Indian educator said. Keith Moore, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said Indian students graduate at rates far lower than their...

Yakama man named head of Indian housing group
Paul Lumley, a member of the Yakama Nation of Washington, has been named the executive director of the National American Indian Housing Council. Lumley was chosen by NAIHC's board of directors. "Mr. Lumley brings to NAIHC a wide-ranging background on...

Ramapough family sues state over police shooting
Members of the Ramapough Lenape Nation of New Jersey said racism was a factor in the shooting death of Emil Mann on April 1, 2006. Mann was unarmed when he was shot and killed by a state park police officer....

Editorial: Treat Hoopa Tribe like other governments
"New Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Bonnie Neely is now the board representative on the Humboldt County Association of Governments board. After a lengthy protest from 2nd District Supervisor Roger Rodoni, the board went ahead to put Neely in...

Woman sentenced for Pine Ridge drug trafficking
A Colorado woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in a drug-trafficking ring on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Jean 'Chick' Merrival, 36, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled...

Disaster aid coming to Navajo Nation for floods
The Navajo Nation will finally receive federal disaster aid for last summer's floods. Several tribal communities in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona suffered damage last July and August. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency had withheld funds due to...

Racism an issue after beatings in border town
The beatings of three Navajo men have prompted concerns about racism in the border town of Cortez, Colorado. The attacks occurred in a city park last November and one man had to be hospitalized. No one has come forward with...

Navajo woman runs for mayor of border town
Anna Rondon is hoping to be the first Navajo mayor of Gallup, New Mexico. Rondon is the only Navajo running for office in the border town. She was inspired to run by Della John, a Navajo woman whose son...

Column: Seminole Tribe no longer struggling
"Anyone growing up in south Broward County in the 1960s and early '70s would have found it impossible to miss the Seminole chickee just north of Stirling Road on U.S. 441. That thatched hut on 441 was the most visible...

Jury deliberates fate of former Crow official
Update: After 11 hours of deliberations, the jury acquitted Theodore Hogan. "I’m absolutely relieved," he told The Billings Gazette. A federal jury began deliberations on Thursday in the fraud case of Theodore J. Hogan, a former official of the...

Eastern Cherokee Band brings Internet to schools
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has formed a partnership to bring high-speed Internet service to schools in western North Carolina. The tribe and Drake Enterprises have invested $14 million in BalsamWest FiberNet. Their first project is a high-speed fiber-optic...

Tribes file trust mismanagement suit
The Native American Rights Fund filed a lawsuit last month to represent more than 250 tribes whose trust funds have never been accounted. Eleven tribes signed on as named plaintiffs. They are the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho; the...

Site near Leech Lake Reservation oldest in US
A site near the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota is being called the oldest in the United States. Stone tools and other items were found in Walker, just a few miles from the reservation. The artifacts date...

Maidu tribe in California seeks federal recognition
The Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe of California is re-establishing itself in hopes of gaining federal recognition. The tribe recently moved offices to a bigger location. The tribe is opening a thrift store to fund cultural projects and provide services for its...

Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe approves land-use deal
The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has approved a land-use deal aimed at avoiding sovereignty disputes. The agreement details how the tribe and the town of Aquinnah will resolve jurisdictional issues. The goal is to avoid court battles like the...

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