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April 4, 2008
Judge backs broad Indian preference at DOI
The Interior Department is breaking the law by restricting its Indian preference policy to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal judge ruled on Monday. In a significant decision, Chief Judge Thomas F. Hogan in Washington, D.C., opened up Indian...

House panel threatens to cut historical accounting
Key House lawmakers said on Thursday they are considering reducing, or even eliminating, funds for the Bush administration's historical accounting in hopes of sending a message to the judge handling the Cobell trust fund case. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Washington), the...

Editorial: Praise for tribal hunting agreements
"The news out of Bismarck on Tuesday that the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and the state of North Dakota have reached new agreements on hunting and fishing regulations is indeed a major positive step in...

Cason 'elusive' on Oneida Nation decision
Associate deputy Interior secretary Jim Cason was "very elusive" about the Oneida Nation's land-into-trust application, county officials in New York told The Syracuse Post-Standard. Cason spoke by phone with leaders in Madison County, who oppose the tribe's request to have...

Montana tribes work on Adam Walsh compliance
Montana tribes are working with the U.S. Marshals Service to comply with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The law requires tribes to set up a national sex offender registry or allow the state to do it for...

Pascua Yaquis targeted for looking 'Mexican'
Members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona are upset by the immigration tactics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Tribal members in the town of Guadalupe say they are being pulled over because they look Mexican. It's part...

Controversial Native leader won't rejoin group
David Ahenakew, the controversial Native leader who is accused of spreading hate against Jewish people, won't be rejoining the senate of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. Ahenakew, 74, said he will wait until his legal case is resolved before...

Jury still deliberates Narragansett case
After three days of deliberations, a jury in Rhode Island still hasn't reached a verdict in the Narragansett raid case. On Wednesday, the jury said it was deadlocked on all the charges against seven tribal members -- including Chief Sachem...

House speaker apologizes to Cherokee chief
Oklahoma House Speaker Chris Benge, a Republican, apologized to Cherokee Nation Chief Chad Smith for Smith's treatment at a hearing on a controversial English-only bill. Smith was prevented from speaking about Senate Bill 163. When he tried to address the...

Vernon Wright, Rincon Band chairman, dies
Vernon Wright, the chairman of the Rincon Band of Mission Indians of California, died on Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was 53. Wright was elected chairman in 2006. He led the tribe when it was among the...

Editorial: Piestewa Peak a fitting honor
"No words can convey the endless ripples of anguish when a soldier doesn't come home from war. Children grow up without a parent. Spouses go on without a beloved. Mothers and fathers grow old without the joys of watching their...

CDC study documents rates of infant abuse
More than 91,000 infants under the age of 1 were abused in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. Of the non-fatal abuse cases, 1.3 percent were among American Indians and Alaska Natives. This was the...

Arrival of first Americans pushed back
The discovery of fossilized human feces in a cave in Oregon has scientists pushing back the arrival of the first Americans. The 14,000-year-old sample of human protein is at least 1,000 years older than "Clovis" artifacts that scientists believe...

Tigua governor downplays criminal record
Frank Paiz, the newly-elected leader of the Tigua Tribe of Texas, says his criminal past is just that, in the past. "The pueblo was aware of who I am and my background," Paiz told The El Paso Times. "My...

Navajo Nation set to lose Internet service
The Navajo Nation is set to lose Internet service from its Utah-based provider. The tribe contracted with OnSat Network Communications to provide service to the reservation. But an audit last summer showed the tribe may have been overcharged by $470,000...

Sen. McCain: Supporting tribal sovereignty
Ed. Note: The following article is essentially a rewrite of the Native American policy that Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) released earlier this month. "Over the years, I have received the support and friendship of many people from Indian country, and...

Steve Russell: Addressing ethnic frauds
"In my last column, I talked about Andrea Smith's tenure case at the University of Michigan. I am Cherokee, and Smith has in the past claimed that same tribal affiliation. Her e-mail handle, I have learned, is ''Tsalagi.'' In my...

Black lawmakers press Senate on Freedmen issue
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they will oppose the Senate's version of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act if it doesn't include provisions addressing the Cherokee Freedmen. The House's version of the bill blocks the Cherokee...

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