News Archive: May 31, 2007 Archives

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May 31, 2007
Native baby was abandoned in Wal-Mart bathroom
A newborn boy who was found in a Wal-Mart bathroom in Saskatchewan has been released to the care of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. The boy was discovered by a store employee on May 21. He was hospitalized and...

Meth addicts share stories at North Dakota summit
Former methamphetamine addicts shared their stories at the Third Annual Great Plains Regional Summit on Methamphetamine that was held on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota. Sandra Miller, a member of the Spirit Lake Nation and grandmother, spent two...

Letter: No justice for Indians in South Dakota courts
"My heart goes out to people who have lost family members because of drinking and driving. I will guarantee you that if the person is Native American, he or she will go to jail. Native people have to rely on...

Oklahoma drops tribal tobacco rule amid complaints
The state of Oklahoma has rescinded an emergency tobacco rule that drew complaints from tribes, state Treasurer Scott Meacham said at the Sovereignty Symposium on Wednesday. The state imposed two rules after it said certain tribal retailers were violating the...

DOJ cut off Indian voting rights probe in Minnesota
Top Department of Justice political appointees cut off an Indian voting rights inquiry in Minnesota, The Los Angeles Times reports. In October 2004, former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger raised concerns about a state law that appeared to bar the use...

Editorial: Navajo Nation needs to pay autopsy bill
"Imagine losing a loved one and then not being able to find out the cause of death. Unfortunately, that scenario is occurring far too often on the Navajo Nation. The reason: An outstanding tab of more than $250,000 has forced...

Canada offers $125M to settle Six Nations dispute
The Canadian government is reportedly offering $125 million to the Six Nations to settle four long-running land disputes. The deal requires Mohawk protesters to leave a former housing development site in Caledonia. Tribal members have been occupying the site...

Inquiry into Native activist's death to be released
The inquiry into the death of Native activist Dudley George will be released today by the Ontario government. George, 38, was a member of the Stony Point First Nation. He was part of a group that was occupying Ipperwash...

California tribes protest firing of popular doctor
The Lake County Tribal Health Consortium in California is under fire for the dismissal of a popular doctor. The consortium, which serves seven tribes in Lake County, recently fired Dr. Tony Veletto. The move has tribal leaders and members concerned...

Column: Tribal issues have become partisan issues
"It was a rare sight that will become only more rare – elected officials opposing one of the state’s Indian tribes. By a 4–0 vote Tuesday, the Pierce County Council expressed opposition to the Nisqually Tribe’s move to gain ownership...

Justice O'Connor to appear at Cherokee youth forum
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will participate in a Cherokee Nation youth forum on Saturday. O'Connor is a guest panelist at the Leadership Forum for Indian Youth and Families. The event takes place on the campus...

Southern Ute Tribe wins case against biker rally
The organizers of a biker rally were ordered to pay the Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado $110,000 for breach of contract. The tribe's court on Wednesday said the Rally in the Rockies failed to pay rent to the tribe. The...

Michigan parents in court over alleged peyote use
Three Michigan parents were in court last week facing allegations that they are giving their children peyote. One father, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, said he has a right to use peyote as...

Bush picks new head of Bureau of Land Management
President Bush has nominated James Caswell to head the Bureau of Land Management at the Interior Department. Caswell currently runs Idaho's Office of Species Conservation. He has worked with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, the former governor of Idaho. “I’ve...

Indian teen found dead on Flathead Reservation
An 18-year-old Indian girl was found strangled to death on the Flathead Reservation in Montana and her mother believes the crime was racially motivated. Tasheena Craft was on the reservation to visit her boyfriend, who was on leave from Iraq....

Florida court rejects Seminole Tribe in ICWA case
A Florida appeals court on Wednesday refused to grant jurisdiction to the Seminole Tribe in an Indian Child Welfare Act case. The Fourth District Court of Appeal said the best interests of a 4-year-old Seminole boy outweigh the rights of...

Eight members of Congress under investigation
At least eight members of Congress -- six Republicans and two Democrats -- are under federal investigation, according to the Associated Press. The probes have Republicans worried that they might lose more seats in the House. In 2006, four House...

Clinton refuses to attend 'Prez on the Rez' forum
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) became the first major Democratic presidential candidate to turn down the "Prez on the Rez" forum, drawing an angry response from the event's organizers on Wednesday. Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw Nation of...

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