News Archive: June 27, 2007 Archives

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June 27, 2007
Cheney intervened in Klamath water dispute
Vice President Dick Cheney made sure non-Indian farmers and ranchers in northern California and southern Oregon received water, The Washington Post reports. Cheney personally called Sue Ellen Wooldridge in early 2001 to talk about the water situation in the Klamath...

Salt River Tribe boosts police officer salaries
Last October, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of Arizona raised police officer salaries by nearly 5 percent. The effort, meant to boost recruitment, has paid off. According to The Arizona Republic, 40 new officers have been hired in the...

Judge to issue ruling on Onondaga abuse case
A judge in New York heard competing arguments in a sex abuse case against a former teacher for the Onondaga Nation. Albert Scerbo is accused of abusing endangering the welfare of 17 female students and sexually abusing 16 of them....

Court puts off challenge to Goshute nuclear
A challenge to a planned nuclear waste dump on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation in Utah is unripe, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday. A group of tribal members sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after the NRC...

Letter: Healing for Mashantucket Pequots
"I returned to Mashantucket in 1996 at a time when I had limited means to provide for my family. The tribe presented the opportunity to better myself through higher education, housing and employment. I saw this opportunity as a direct...

Cortina Rancheria faces opposition over landfill
The Cortina Band of Wintun Indians faces renewed opposition to a proposed landfill on its rancheria. Colusa County officials filed a lawsuit against the Interior Department to challenge the environmental review for the project. The county now says the...

Public comment sought on Pueblo land transfer
The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public comment on a land transfer with two Pueblos in New Mexico. The agency plans to transfer 7,058 acres of the Santa Fe National Forest to San Ildefonso Pueblo and 740 acres to Santa...

Senate hearing on Navajo water rights bill
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing this afternoon on S.1171, a bill to settle the Navajo Nation's water rights. The tribe reached a deal with the state of New Mexico. It resolves the tribe's claims...

Direct Service Tribes discuss IHS in Denver
The Direct Service Tribes are holding their 3rd annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, this week. The tribes received their health care services directly from the Indian Health Service. They told Dr. Charles Grim, the director of the agency, about substandard...

Ethics issue behind us, Swimmer tells OST
The Office of Special Trustee has addressed concerns about preferential treatment, Special Trustee Ross Swimmer said in a memo to employees. In July 2006, the Interior Department's Inspector General released a report that detailed numerous social contacts between top OST...

Muckleshoot Tribe to release Sonics arena plan
The Muckleshoot Tribe of Washington will make a bid to build an arena for the NBA Supersonics, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The tribe has been interested in relocating the team. But there hasn't been any contact with Sonics owner Clay...

Aquash murder defendant loses extradition appeal
A Canadian man accused of murdering American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash can be extradited to the United States, a Canadian court said on Tuesday. John Graham, a Native man from the Yukon Territory, is charged with killing...

NYT Frugal Traveler: On the Pine Ridge Reservation
"Over the last six weeks, as I’ve steered my old Volvo up and down hills, across plains and through thick forests, I’ve frequently fallen into a hypnotic groove. The right music will come on the iPod — the Rolling...

Griles punished for lying about Jack Abramoff
Citing his abuse of the public trust, a federal judge on Tuesday sentenced J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary at the Interior Department, to 10 months in prison for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Griles broke into...

NCAI opposes bill to cut Cherokee funding
The National Congress of American Indians opposes legislation to cut federal funds to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, President Joe Garcia said on Tuesday. Garcia said the bill, H.R.2824, would "terminate" the second-largest tribe in the U.S. "Not since the...

Seneca-Cayuga cigarette factory shut down
A leadership dispute has led to the shutdown of the tobacco factory owned by the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma. Chief Paul Spicer authorized the closure of the factory, citing a lack of materials to make tobacco products and frozen bank...

Column: Love sent J. Steven Griles to prison
"Love is a many-splendored thing -- unless you're under investigation by the feds. Then it can be quite a nuisance. Had J. Steven Griles not been busy with so many lady friends while serving as the No. 2 official...

Chief Norris: Jena Band 'victimized' by Griles
The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians was "victimized" by J. Steven Griles and Jack Abramoff, Chief Christine Norris said in a letter on Monday. Norris recounted Abramoff's well-publicized efforts to derail the Louisiana tribe's land and gaming efforts. She said...

Puyallup Tribe hosts Democratic chairman
The Puyallup Tribe of Washington met with National Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean on Tuesday. Dean had lunch with tribal leaders at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. He talked about getting more tribal members to run for public...

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