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Cobell asks court to speed up appeal of $455.6M ruling (December 10, 2008)

The plaintiffs in the Cobell trust fund lawsuit asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to speed up review of the long-running case. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals already agreed to hear a challenge to a judge's decision to...

Driver in death of Pueblo man failed alcohol test (December 10, 2008)

A prominent attorney accused in the death of a Pueblo man had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit in New Mexico, authorities in Santa Fe said. A test following the November 26 accident showed Carlos Fierro's blood-alcohol...

Riders start 340-mile journey for Dakota ancestors (December 10, 2008)

About 60 riders are taking part in the annual Dakota Wokiksuye (Memorial) Ride. The ride began in 2005 as a way to honor the 38 Dakota men who were killed in a mass hanging on December 26, 1862, in Minnesota....

Cayuga Nation plans to fight tobacco tax charges (December 10, 2008)

The Cayuga Nation of New York will fight tobacco tax charges after losing a round in state court, a lawyer for the tribe said. The tribe tied to stop Cayuga and Seneca counties from investigating its smoke shop operation. But...

Letter: Alaska Natives denied land-into-trust (December 10, 2008)

"The state of Alaska’s hostile actions toward Alaska Indian tribes may be subject to federal violations based on the U.S. Constitution. These issues make it worth revisiting legal arguments over the Venetie Indian Reservation-1940 (Indian country). The 1971 Alaska Native...

Judge upholds arrests of Yakama Nation men (December 10, 2008)

A judge in Washington upheld the arrests of two members of the Yakama Nation who were arrested on tribal land by a non-tribal police officer. Harlan Luton and Willard Nanpooya are suspects in the luring of a 12-year-old girl. They...

Tulalip Tribes put youth in hands of elders (December 10, 2008)

Elders of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington play a key role in the justice system on the reservation. The Elders Court started three years ago. First-time offenders between the ages of 18 and 25 are referred there for specialized...

Oneida Nation veterans to march in inaugural (December 10, 2008)

Veterans from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin will march in the inaugural parade on January 20, 2009. The Oneida Tribe of Indians Veterans Marching Unit was selected by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "We're really excited about this. It's a historic...

Turtle Talk: FedBar conference at Pojoaque Pueblo (December 10, 2008)

"For the first time in its history, the annual Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference will take place in a tribal community just outside of Santa Fe, N.M., at Pojoaque Pueblo’s Buffalo Thunder Resort. We celebrate this historic move as...

Potential Interior picks pressed on disenrollment (December 10, 2008)

Indian activists in California are hoping president-elect Barack Obama will take on tribal disenrollments. Original Pechanga is circulating letters that ask Obama's potential Interior Department picks to consider the controversial issues. Letters were addressed to Rep. Mike Thompson (D-California) and...

Gover now calls potential Interior nod a 'rumor' (December 10, 2008)

Kevin Gover, the director of the National Museum of the American Indian, is dismissing speculation of a Cabinet post under president-elect Barack Obama. Gover, a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, surfaced earlier this week as a contender for...

Shakopee Tribe expands sport and fitness center (December 10, 2008)

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota recently completed an expansion of its sport and fitness center. Dakotah! Sport and Fitness now has a new 72,000 square-foot ice arena with twice the seating as the old one. Amenities include an...

Navajo Nation faces $3.5M loss over failed loans (December 10, 2008)

The Navajo Nation could be out $3.5 million as a result of two failed loans that have been called in by commercial banks. The tribe took over Biochemical Decontamination Systems Manufacturing Inc. after the company failed to make its loan...

Racism denied in shooting death of Native teen (December 10, 2008)

Racism was not a factor in the shooting death of a Native teen in Winnipeg, Manitoba, according to the official inquest report. Matthew Dumas, 18, was Metis. He was shot by a police officer in February 2005 in what...

Cherokee football player favored for Heisman (December 10, 2008)

Sam Bradford, a member of the Cherokee Nation who plays football for University of Oklahoma, is favored to win the Heisman Trophy, USA Today reports. The award will be announced on Saturday. Bradford would be the first Native American...

Yellow Bird: Fritz Scholder redefined Indian art (December 10, 2008)

"Who is an Indian? For indigenous people, that’s one of the questions of this age. We’re at a time when physical traces of our ancestors may be hidden; or we may look like our ancestors, but assimilation has wiped...

Another residential school lawsuit in Canada (December 10, 2008)

Natives who attended day schools in Canada are suing the federal government, saying they were left out of a $1.9 billion settlement. The day schools were similar to residential schools that were part of the settlement. But former students say...

Mille Lacs Band made $1K 'stimulus' payment (December 10, 2008)

Adult members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe found an extra $1,000 in their bank accounts thanks to a "stimulus" package from the Minnesota tribe. The payment was a surprise, former chief executive Melanie Benjamin said. She questioned where...

Washington Sketch: Tee time for Abramoff figure (December 10, 2008)

"Two years after his conviction in the Jack Abramoff affair, former Bush administration official David Safavian got a retrial yesterday -- or, as his golfing buddies might call it, a mulligan. Safavian was assigned a 9 a.m. tee time...