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January 27, 2009
Alaska proposes $14M for wind farms at villages
The state of Alaska is proposing to spend $14 million to build wind farms at six Alaska Native villages. The villages are located in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Officials say they will benefit from high winds from the Bering Sea. Overall,...

Maine's Indian lawmakers gain full recognition
Maine's Indian lawmakers have been a part of the state Legislature as far back as the 1820s but it wasn't until this year that their positions became more official. The Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe (Pleasant Point | Indian...

South Dakota weighs tribal tax refund legislation
The state of South Dakota is asking lawmakers to clarify how much money can be refunded to companies that do business on reservations. The state has entered into tax agreements with several tribes. The deals split sales, tobacco and contractor-excise...

County opposes Fond du Lac Band land-into-trust
A Minnesota county is objecting to land-into-trust applications filed by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The tribe recently asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take about 113 acres into trust. But officials in St....

S.E. Ruckman: Tribes turn out for Obama inauguration
"American Indian attendees of the Jan 20 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama returned home tired but exhilarated last week. Tribal spectators from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. to witness the swearing in of the country’s first minority president....

Karuk Tribe loses bid to stop recreational mining
The California Department of Fish and Game won't stop a popular form of recreational gold mining despite a request from the Karuk Tribe. The tribe believes suction dredging hurts salmon runs on the Klamath River. The department didn't disagree, but...

Opinion: Stalking a big problem in Indian Country
"January is National Stalking Awareness Month. We have all heard the stories on the news. A protective order is obtained, the victim is found dead—often along with others. For Indian country this has special meaning. The numbers for the general...

Seneca Nation in court over tobacco shipments
The Seneca Nation and two tribal retailers are in court today over a New York state law that seeks to impose tobacco taxes on reservations. The tribe previously vowed to raise toll fees on the New York Thruway and prepare...

Osage chief blasts ruling on reservation status
The Osage Nation will continue its lawsuit against the Oklahoma Tax Commission, Chief Jim Gray said. The tribe claims all of Osage County as Indian Country. That would lead to state income tax exemptions for tribal members who live and...

Sen. Kyl: White Mountain Apache deal a win-win
"Water is and always will be our most precious resource in the Southwest. Control of water rights has fueled seemingly endless and intractable disputes among competing interests. That’s why resolving water rights claims is so important. It is surely one...

Lawmaker from Pine Ridge switches parties
After eight years in the South Dakota House as a Democrat, Sen. Jim Bradford is now a Republican but says he will always represent the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Bradford, 75, won the District 27 seat by...

Inouye praises Larry EchoHawk as BIA nominee
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) urged tribal leaders to "get to know" Larry EchoHawk before jumping to conclusions about the still-unannounced Bureau of Indian Affairs nominee. In a speech to tribal leaders on Saturday, Inouye said EchoHawk, a member of the...

Federal Diary: No Army pay raise for Eskimo scouts
"Paul Kiunya Sr. looks back on his early military days with pride. He was just 16 when the now 78-year-old retiree joined the Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II. Traveling by kayak in the summer and dog sled...

Judge won't block mine near Western Shoshone site
A federal judge on Monday refused to grant a preliminary injunction against a gold mine in Nevada that would impact sacred Western Shoshone sites. A group of tribal and environmental plaintiffs sued the Interior Department to block construction of...

Editorial: Obama targets DC lobbyist problem
"In one of his first acts in office, President Obama jammed a major wedge into the revolving door that's long connected the White House and K Street's lobbyist row. The question is whether he kicked in the wedge far enough...

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