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March 27, 2008
Appeals court to hear Cherokee Freedmen case
The dispute over the legal status of the Cherokee Freedmen will be heard by a federal appeals court in May amid efforts by Congress to resolve the controversy. The Freedmen are the descendants of former slaves. They say a treaty...

Blotter: Minnesota Republican can't read treaties
"In a disturbingly dishonest op-ed entitled "Minnesota's tribes have it both ways," Republican state senator Dick Day repeats old anti-Indian canards in a callow, self-serving way. This piece is irresponsibly simpleminded and should not go unchallenged. It is ignorant...

Indians in Rapid City hurt by rising food costs
The rising cost of food is hurting Indians in Rapid City, South Dakota, who rely on assistance from the state. At a meeting with the South Dakota Department of Social Services, Lynn Thunder Bull said a loaf of bread used...

Bill exempts Maine tribes from public access law
The Maine Legislature's Judiciary Committee is considering a bill to exempt tribes from state public access laws. Under a state court decision, the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe must share their internal documents when they act in ways similar...

Winnebago company's financial officer resigns
The chief financial officer of Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development corporation for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, resigned. Don McEntaffer left to pursue other opportunities, a spokesperson said. CEO Lance Morgan said the departure wasn't linked to a recent review...

Mesa Grande Band buys stake in housing factory
The Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians is buying a 25 percent stake in a housing factory in Otay Mesa, California. The tribe is using a $1.25 million federal grant to invest in the factory. The goal is to encourage...

Narragansett officer defends actions in state raid
A conservation officer for the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island defended his actions on the day of the state's raid of the reservation. Thawn Harris, a federally-certified police officer, was one of seven tribal members who were arrested by...

BIA plans to cut Indian road funding in half
The Navajo Nation is fighting attempts by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to cut road maintenance funds in half. The fiscal year 2009 budget proposes $13 million for road maintenance, down from $26 million. The Bush administration justifies the...

Editorial: A win-win agreement for Fort Peck Tribes
"Beneath the radar of most folks in central and western Montana — but not folks in the east and in Helena where tax revenue is tallied — is an oil boom in northeast Montana and North Dakota. Up to...

Mohegan Tribe returns more than $600K to BIA
The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut is returning more than $600,000 in federal funds to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe is returning $105,680 it received under a self-determination contract with the BIA. Another $518,440 from the same contract also...

Letter: 'Indian' mascots hurt Indian students
"Steve Fool Bear is apparently not aware of the reason that the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association are both calling for the elimination of “Indian” logos and nicknames in educational institutions nationwide. The call for change...

Drug sweep nets 29 arrests in Mohawk communities
Over 300 law enforcement officers from Canada and the United States swept three Mohawk communities on Wednesday, arresting 29 people and confiscating cash, drugs and weapons. Operation Cancun targeted the Kahnawake and Kanesatake communities in Quebec, the Akwesasne community in...

Native man from Canada given U.S. green card
A Native man from Canada has been given a U.S. green card after his right to cross the border freely was questioned. Peter Roberts, a dentist from British Columbia, is a member of the Campbell River Indian Band. He asserted...

BIA holds hearing on Mashpee land-into-trust
The Bureau of Indian Affairs held a public hearing on the land-into-trust application filed by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts. The tribe gained federal recognition in May 2007 and is seeking to have 140 acres in the town of...

Lawsuit accuses BIA of causing death at Pine Ridge
A lawsuit in federal court accuses the Bureau of Indian Affairs of negligence for the death of Nathan Vaughn Dreamer, 36, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Norma Blacksmith, Dreamer's mother and administrator of his estate, says BIA...

Takeover at Lac du Flambeau ends with arrests
Ten members of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa were arrested on Wednesday after they made good on a threat to stage a takeover of the tribal government. The protesters barricaded themselves in tribal headquarters around 1:30am...

Cherokee Nation approves reopening of landfill
The Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission has approved the reopening of a landfill that was fined and closed last year. The EPC approved a request to add another waste disposal cell at the site. Cherokee Nation Businesses said the new...

NYT Magazine Cover Story: Profile of Rep. Cole
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), the only Native American in Congress, is the cover story of this Sunday's New York Times Magazine. Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, is profiled for his role as chairman of the National Republican...

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