News Archive: March 14, 2007 Archives

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March 14, 2007
Court asserts jurisdiction in Seneca child case
A family court in New York has asserted jurisdiction in a child custody case involving the son of a Seneca father and a white mother. A tribal judge had asserted jurisdiction even though Koby Hammer Parker, 4, is not...

Hundreds rally to oppose New York tobacco tax
More than 500 people joined the Seneca Nation at a rally in Buffalo to protest New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) and his efforts to impose a tobacco tax on reservations. Chanting “Treaty Now! Sovereignty Now!" and carrying signs...

BIA names new director for Navajo regional office
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has named Omar C. Bradley as director of the Navajo Regional Office. Bradley is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He has worked for the BIA sine 1978, working throughout the Southwest....

Tribes welcome court decision on San Francisco Peaks
The Navajo Nation and other tribes welcomed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to protect the sacred San Francisco Peaks. Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. said the ruling set precedent on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said it...

Yellow Bird: Colon cancer screening essential
"If you've never had a colonoscopy and you're more than 50 years old, it's time. I say this because before Monday, I had never had a colon cancer screening. My procedure turned out negative for disease. And after saying...

DOJ stumbles to explain Indian health 'white paper'
As furor builds over the Bush administration's firing of several U.S. Attorneys, another political caper hangs over the Department of Justice. Just who was responsible for the "white paper" that derailed the Indian Health Care Improvement Act? First, there's the...

Cousin of Seminole council member killed by police
Dennis Osceola, a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, was fatally shot in the back during a confrontation with tribal police, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. A tribal officer were called to a home on the reservation in response...

It's Official: School retires 'Chief Illiniwek'
The University of Illinois board of trustees approved a resolution on Tuesday to retire the school's controversial "Chief Illiniwek" mascot. The name, image and regalia will no longer be used at the school. Supporters cheered the decision. "I haven't...

Indian tuition waiver program at issue in Michigan
The legality of the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver program is being debated after state voters approved Proposal 2,, which bans referential treatment on the basis of race, sex and ethnicity in public education and government hiring and contracting. The Michigan...

Senators seek restoration of urban Indian program
A bipartisan group of Senators is backing the restoration of the $33 million urban Indian health care program that President Bush wants to cut. In response, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) said she supports the program. Feinstein chairs the Senate Interior...

Oklahoma tribes oppose English-only legislation
Oklahoma tribes say a bill to make English the "official" language of the state diminishes the importance of Native languages. Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw words meaning "red" and "man." "If you go to English only, what are we going...

White Mountain Apache Tribe takes over historic fort
Four years after winning a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court case, the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona is reclaiming part of its history. In March 2003, the high court ruled that the federal government breached its trust duties to...

Congressional Black Caucus backs Freedmen
The Congressional Black Caucus is urging the Interior Department to take action over the Cherokee Nation's denial of citizenship to the descendants of former slaves. A letter signed by 26 African-American lawmakers questioned the validity of the tribe's March 3...

Opinion: US owes Indians billions for theft
"The United States owes a lot to the Indian Nations. American Indians helped early European settlers survive and succeed on this continent and American Indian governments contributed extensively to the political thinking that led to the creation of the federal...

Editorials: Politics behind ouster of US Attorneys
The Washington Post: "Now that the political costs are higher than the administration could have imagined, now that senior officials have squandered their claim to credibility, it is imperative that the entire story of the firings be uncovered. As we...

E-mails shed new details on US Attorney for Arizona
Newly released e-mails show the former U.S. Attorney for Arizona was targeted for removal over his views on drug smuggling. Paul Charlton adopted a policy not to prosecute marijuana cases of less than 500 pounds. But he said his office...

Bush aide linked to Special Trustee firing resigns
A Bush administration aide who contributed to the firing of former Special Trustee Tom Slonaker resigned on Tuesday amid uproar over the firing of several U.S. Attorneys. D. Kyle Sampson resigned as chief of staff to U.S. Attorney General...

House hearing on Indian Health Care Improvement
The House Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing this morning on H.R. 1328, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2007. The bill would reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which expired in 2000. Efforts to renew...

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