Woman pleads in connection with Yankton Sioux girl's death (January 23, 2013)

A South Dakota woman pleaded guilty in connection to the death of a girl at a housing unit managed by the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Laurie Cournoyer, 29, pleaded to two counts of possession of methamphetamine and one count of maintaining...

Native teen to testify about alleged assault by police officer (January 23, 2013)

A Native teen is testifying today against a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who allegedly assaulted her. Jamie Haller was 17 when she was placed in the back of a police cruiser in September 2011. She said Const. Andy Yung...

Mississippi Choctaws to vote on change in tribal sentencing (January 23, 2013)

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will vote on three amendments, including one that will allow the tribe to impose longer jail sentences. The tribe currently limits sentences to six months in jail and fines of up to $500. The...

Quechan Nation in court to block wind project at sacred site (January 23, 2013)

The Quechan Nation was in federal court on Friday in hopes of blocking a wind farm at a sacred site in California. The tribe sued the Interior Department and the Bureau of Land Management for approving the Ocotillo Wind Energy...

Michigan Radio: Tribes in campaign to reverse wolf hunt law (January 23, 2013)

"Aaron Payment is the chair of the Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He said a wolf hunt would be an affront to tribal culture. “In our tradition, in our culture, we believe that the wolf is our brother....

Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe preserves language in dictionary (January 23, 2013)

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington has purchased a Klallam language dictionary for every home on the reservation. The dictionary took years to produce. Tribal elder Adeline Smith, 94, alone contributed 12,000 words. “It holds so much, every word...

Spirit Lake social service director charged in domestic case (January 23, 2013)

The director of social services for the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation of North Dakota has been charged for a domestic violence incident, The Grand Forks Herald reports. Mark Little Owl is accused of hitting a woman at an apartment in...

Law Article: Fiscal cliff bill can help tribes with energy plans (January 23, 2013)

"As you may have heard, the Fiscal Cliff legislation contains incentives targeted toward economic development in Indian country. These include the extension of both the Indian employment tax credit, which encourages businesses to hire tribal members and their spouses, and...

Reward still offered in case of Native girl missing since 2004 (January 23, 2013)

Police in Regina, Saskatchewan, are renewing a $25,000 reward for information about Tamra Keepness. Keepness was five years old when she went missing from a predominantly Native neighborhood in Regina on July 5, 2004. At one point, Tamra's mother and...

Police look into claim involving Native man in Saskatchewan (January 23, 2013)

Law enforcement in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, are investigating a claim that a Native man was driven to the outskirts of town on a freezing night. Drayton Bull told Aboriginal People's Television Network that he was “highly intoxicated” when he left his...

Charles Kader: Righting a wrong with bigoted Redskins name (January 23, 2013)

"This year has gotten off to quite a start with Idle No More and now the Washington, D.C. mayor Vincent Gray chiming in on a franchise name change for the NFL team associated with that city. I have felt passionately...

Carrie Garrow: Treaty rights being treated as 'policy matter' (January 23, 2013)

"Prime Minister Harper’s insistence on excluding Governor-General David Johnston from talks with the First Nations leaders illustrates Canada’s degradation of First Nations’ treaty rights to a ‘policy matter.’ What Harper fails to understand is that First Nations entered into treaties...

Native Sun News: Partnership to protect Spirit Lake children (January 23, 2013)

The following story was written and reported by Brandon Ecoffey, Native Sun News Staff. All content © Native Sun News. Partnership to protect children announced By Brandon Ecoffey Native Sun News Staff RAPID CITY — The assistant Secretary of Indian...

Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, on key House committee (January 23, 2013)

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has joined a key House committee for the 113th Congress. Mullin is a new member of the House Natural Resources Committee. He will sit on the Subcommittee on...

Nebraska governor approves route for Keystone XL Pipeline (January 23, 2013)

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) approved a new route for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. Heineman wrote a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying the pipeline will have "minimal environmental impacts" in the...

Mark Trahant: House Republicans shuffling the deck on debt (January 23, 2013)

"House Republicans are expected to vote later today on a plan to “suspend” the debt ceiling (instead of raising it by a set amount). The bill, H.R. 325, says the debt ceiling limit will not apply between the date of...

In The Loop: Sen. Tom Udall suggested as Interior Secretary (January 23, 2013)

"So much for a short list. Add another name to the possible candidates for Interior secretary, a post that will be vacant when Ken Salazar departs the agency in March: Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) We hear Salazar suggested Udall as...