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July 29, 2008
Cherokee officials open to lawsuit from Freedmen
Officials of the Cherokee Nation, but not the tribe itself, can be sued by the Freedmen, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. In a unanimous decision, the court said the tribe cannot be joined as an indispensable party...

Indian Country advocate hindered by top DOJ aides
A well-respected federal prosecutor was blocked from working on Indian issues because Department of Justice political appointees believed she was lesbian, according to an investigation released on Monday. Leslie Hagen was as assistant U.S. Attorney in Western Michigan assigned to...

Sen. Ted Stevens indicted on corruption charges
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has been indicted on seven charges of making false statements. Stevens is accused of concealing more than $250,000 in goods and services from Veco, an oil company that does business in Alaska. The Veco scandal...

Senate candidate stumped by Navajo player question
Democratic senate candidate Jeff Merkley visited the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon on Sunday but didn't know the identify of the community's biggest celebrity, OPB News reported. “Do you know who Jacoby Ellsbury is?" asked Warm Springs Radio KWSO....

BIA report cites $8.4B backlog in detention centers
A report that the Bush administration has refused to make public cites a $8.4 billion backlog in detention facilities in Indian Country. The Bureau of Indian Affairs paid a consulting company to examine conditions at jail centers. Although the report...

Business meeting added to Indian Affairs hearing
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a business meeting and oversight hearing this week. The business meeting will focus on pending legislative business. An agenda hasn't been released. The oversight hearing will address a Government Accountability Office report that...

Tribal Canoe Journey reaches final destination
More than 100 canoes were welcomed to shore by the Cowichan First Nation in British Columbia on Monday evening. The canoes represent tribes from Washington and Alaska and First Nations from B.C. They paddled from their home communities to the...

Native shareholders' personal data exposed
Shareholders of Sealaska, an Alaska Native regional corporation, have been informed that their personal information has been exposed. An employee with the information was the victim of theft, the corporation said. "We believe that unauthorized access to your name, address...

Alaska lawmakers to probe firing of Native top cop
The Alaska Legislature voted to spend up to $100,000 to investigate the firing of the state's first Alaska Native public safety commissioner. Walt Monegan was fired unexpectedly by Gov. Sarah Palin (R) earlier this month. He said was being pressured...

Indian county sheriff removed in North Dakota
The state of North Dakotas has temporarily removed the sheriff of Rolette County after a complaint was filed by the attorney general. Richard Turcotte, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, was elected in November 2006. He...

8th Circuit dismisses suit against BIA jail officer
A Bureau of Indian Affairs corrections officer cannot he held liable for allegedly beating a man on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday. Bobby L. Johnson claims he was severely beaten by...

Republic of Lakotah plans one-year investigation
The Republic of Lakotah will spend a year investigating tribal corruption, police brutality and discrimination on reservations in South Dakota. Activist Russell Means, who announced the breakaway nation last year, said a grand jury will investigate complaints from all...

Treaty process costs British Columbia over $1B
After spending $1.1 billion, the British Columbia Treaty Commission has only finalized one First Nations treaty, according to a report released on Monday. The commission began work in 1993 but only the Tsawwassen First Nation has a ratified treaty. A...

Gangs blamed for death of 16-year-old Native boy
Native gangs are being blamed for the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy on the Samson Cree Nation in Alberta. Billy Buffalo was killed early Sunday. Relatives said he was in the Indian Posse, which was feuding with rival gangs....

Jury sides with trooper in Narragansett raid case
A federal jury deliberated almost three hours before clearing a Rhode Island state trooper of using excessive force against a member of the Narragansett Tribe. The jury said trooper Kenneth Jones used reasonable force in subduing Adam Jennings during the...

Self-described medicine man seeks return of peyote
A self-described "medicine man" from Utah wants the federal government to return 15,000 peyote buttons. James "Flaming Eagle" Mooney runs the Oklevueha Native American Church but is not a member of a federally recognized tribe. Federal charges against him...

Cherokee Nation has big plans for IHS takeover
The Cherokee Nation plans to turn the W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, into a major health complex. The tribe is going to take over control of the hospital from the Indian Health Service. Plans call for separate...

Soboba Band water bill still waiting on Bush
A bill to settle the water rights of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians could be signed by President Bush soon. The H.R.4841, the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act of 2007, provides $29 million and up to 2...

Kickapoo Tribe declares health care emergency
The Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas declared a health emergency due a lack of funds. Chairman Steve Cadue said funding for the tribe's health center and dental clinic has been steadily reduced while the number of patients rises. The tribe...

Republicans back Sen. Coburn and his 35 holds
Senate Republicans sided with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) on Monday and refused to allow consideration of 35 bills he is holding up. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nevada) bundled the 35 bills into S.3297 in hopes of clearing Coburn's...

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