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August 7, 2008
Judge issues final ruling in Cobell trust case
Judge James Robertson issued his final ruling in the Cobell v. Kempthorne case, concluding that Indian beneficiaries are owed $455.6 million for mismanagement of their trust funds. The amount is far lower than the $47 billion sought by the Cobell...

BIA report on detention facilities made public
After a threat of subpoena, a Bureau of Indian Affairs report on the conditions of detention facilities in Indian Country has finally been made public over the objections of the Bush administration. The BIA paid a consultant to assess conditions...

Sen. Thune to host tribal meeting in South Dakota
Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) will host a tribal roundtable in South Dakota tomorrow. Thune plans to hear from tribes on law enforcement, health care and other issues. He said his last roundtable led him to sponsor a $2 billion...

Utah team told to go 'back to the reservation'
Indian students and alumni at the University of Utah want an apology for the behavior of a Brigham Young University at a volleyball game last November. The unidentified female student brought a dry-erase board to the game between the...

Target of San Manuel murder plot went into hiding
The intended victim of a murder-for-hire plot involving two members of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians faked his own death and went into hiding to avoid being killed, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. Leonard Epps was told by police...

State orders parolees to leave Soboba Reservation
The state of California has ordered parolees to leave the Soboba Reservation. Five members of the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians are currently on parole. The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ordered them to find housing elsewhere over concerns...

Osage Nation holds forum on trust fund lawsuits
The Osage Nation of Oklahoma is hosting a forum to discuss its trust fund lawsuits. The tribe is suing the federal government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for breach of trust. A lawsuit for an historical accounting, similar...

Letter: Soboba chairman wrong to criticize sheriff
"Who does the tribal “chairman” think he is? What a dumb reference that this isn't the 1800s. No kidding, it is the 21st century. And if he studied his history correctly, the cavalry mistreated and slaughtered Indians. I don't think...

Editorial: Familiar faces for Oneida Nation
"The new Oneida Business Committee that is sworn in today will have a familiar look: With the exception of the tribal chairman, it's the same group as the previous committee. And the chairman will be Rick Hill, who served on...

Former Cheyenne-Arapaho official pleads guilty
Roy Dean Bullcoming, a former official for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to theft. Bullcoming admitted he stole $5,000 in tribal funds to pay for a used car. He has agreed to pay more...

Red Lake man faces assault and arson charges
A man from the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota faces numerous charges stemming from an April 2 attack against three women. Robin Greg Kelly Sr., 47, is charged with aggravated sexual abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon and arson. Federal...

Mashantucket museum celebrates 10 years
The museum owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut marks its 10th anniversary this month. The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center opened to the public on August 11, 1998. Nearly 2 million people have visited the...

Pember: The bitter legacy of Indian boarding schools
"My mother said that the nuns used to take the Indian kids to town to beg for money to support the mission school. They would point to the kids and say to passers-by, “Help these poor dirty Indians.” My...

Opinion: Reservation system an unqualified failure
"From every human standpoint, the reservation system is broken. There is extreme poverty, rampant alcoholism, high infant mortality rates, terrible joblessness and lawlessness. FBI reports show that rates of all of violent crime doubled between 2005 and 2006, partly fueled...

Border incident on Tohono O'odham Nation
A border incident on the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona is being investigated by the United States and Mexico. According to the U.S. Border Patrol, four Mexican soldiers entered U.S. soil through the reservation on Sunday. The soldiers pointed their...

Indian construction firm tops $1B in revenues
Flintco, the largest Indian-owned construction firm in the nation, continues to grow, with revenues topping $1 billion. Robin Flint Ballenger, the chairman of Flintco, is Cherokee. Her family started the company in Oklahoma in the early 1900s and it...

Another homicide on troubled reserve in Alberta
The Samson Cree Nation in Alberta has seen its second homicide in less than a week. A 21-year-old man was found dead on August 2, just six days after a 16-year-old boy was killed in a gang-related incident. The two...

J.D. Colbert: What does it mean to be Indian in 2008?
"Does "Being Indian" mean a state of mind? Does it mean a cultural/historic tribal awareness? An ability to speak one's tribal language? Or does "Being Indian" mean possessing the requisite amount of blood quantum so as to qualify for a...

Yakama woman joins tribal program at nonprofit
Carol Craig, a member of the Yakama Nation of Washington, will be working for the Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit organization. Craig, who has worked for her tribe and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, will serve as...

Abramoff raised $30K for potential McCain pick
Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff raised $30,000 for Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), who is being mentioned as a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona). As chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, McCain investigated Abramoff's tribal lobbying activities....

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