Federal prosecutor seeks to change 'national shame' (April 19, 2004)

A top federal prosecutor on Friday called for a major overhaul of the criminal law enforcement system in Indian Country, labeling it a "national shame." Thomas B. Heffelfinger, the U.S. Attorney for the state of Minnesota, said statistics show that...

Slew of BIA superiors reported drinking problems (April 19, 2004)

Bureau of Indian Affairs supervisors who allowed an ex-employee to drive despite having a drinking problem had alcohol-related arrests and incidents of their own, The Albuquerque Tribune reports. $p Four of Lloyd Larson's superiors from 1987 to 2002 were allegedly...

U.S. attorney calls for jurisdiction fix in N.M. (April 19, 2004)

The top federal prosecutor in New Mexico says Congress will have to step in and resolve conflicting rulings over the meaning of Indian Country in the state. $P U.S. Attorney David Iglesias says the rulings pose a "code red" because...

Editorial: Mediation important step in Cobell case (April 19, 2004)

The appointment of two mediators in the Cobell Indian trust fund case is "the first real breakthrough since the suit was filed eight years ago," The Denver Post says in an editorial. $p The plaintiffs and the Bush administration agreed...

Man accused of hindering Aquash investigation (April 19, 2004)

The president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund is being accused of preventing his aunt from being prosecuted for the murder of American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. $p Denise Maloney, a daughter of Aquash, sent...

Anti-Chief Illiniwek activists stage sit-in at college (April 19, 2004)

Opponents of the Chief Illiniwek mascot at the University of Illinois ended their 33-hour sit-in on Friday afternoon. $p About 40 protesters took over an administrative building, calling on the removal of the mascot. After negotiations with university officials, who...

Virginia tribes press case for federal recognition (April 19, 2004)

Leaders of three Virginia tribes seeking federal recognition said concerns over gaming are bogging down their quest. $p The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has approved a bill to recognize six tribes. But the full Senate has yet to act. A...

BIA official calls tribal jail conditions 'appalling' (April 19, 2004)

Nobody in Washington, D.C., wants to hear about overcrowded and underfunded Indian Country jails, a Bureau of Indian Affairs official says. $p Ed Naranjo, a regional law enforcement official, said he was so fed up inaction that he made a...

Diabetes and obesity ravage Native population (April 19, 2004)

Native people in southern Arizona are suffering and dying from diabetes and obesity at rates 10 times the national average. $p Among the Tohono O'odham Nation, 50 percent of adult members and 85 percent of elderly members have diabetes. Members...

Church faces deadline on reservation tent city (April 19, 2004)

A church that wants to build a massive tent city for homeless farm workers on the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Reservation in California faces an important deadline today. $p The Global Church was told to apply for a permit for a...

First Nation leaders meeting with prime minister (April 19, 2004)

First Nation leaders in Canada are holding a one-day summit with Prime Minister Paul Martin today. $P Martin said the meeting was "a new beginning" in federal-tribal relations. He will discuss a proposed reorganization of the Department of Indian and...

First Nation called murder capital of Canada (April 19, 2004)

The murder rate on the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta, Canada, is 18 times the national average, according to The Calgary Herald. $P Most of the victims are younger than 25, the paper reports. In the past 18 months, there...

Squaxin Island Tribe opens cigarette factory (April 19, 2004)

The Squaxin Island Tribe of Washington has launched its own cigarette brand in hopes of creating jobs and generating revenue. $p The tribe's brand will cost about half the price of similar-quality tobacco products. Since the cigarettes are manufactured entirely...

Housing group fights Lumbee Tribe's takeover (April 19, 2004)

A housing group that manages $7 million in federal funds is fighting a request to hand the funds over to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. $p The Lumbee Regional Development Association says the tribal council can't take over the...

Editorial: Indian voters still face discrimination (April 19, 2004)

"Minority vote suppression tears at the fabric of American democracy. It persists, however, for a simple reason: in close elections, when some minority groups are strongly identified with a single party, it can be the difference between winning and losing....

Aborigines feel ignored by Australian government (April 19, 2004)

Australian Aborigines say the federal government continues to ignore their needs in the face of high rates of unemployment and domestic violence and low rates of educational achievement and health status. $p Prime Minister John Howard last week abolished the...

Chickens missing at Kiowa cockfighting event (April 19, 2004)

A cockfighting event promoted as a showdown over Indian sovereignty turned out to be a dud when no one brought chickens or fighting paraphernalia. $p A member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma scheduled the event to challenge a state...

Senate committee to hold recognition hearing (April 19, 2004)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday for a bill to change the federal recognition process. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) is the sponsor of S.297, the Federal Acknowledgment Process Reform Act. The bill seeks to...

Goshute tribal members try to oust two leaders (April 19, 2004)

Members of the Skull Valley Goshute Tribe of Utah voted to prevent chairman Leon Bear, the subject of a six-count federal indictment, vice chairwoman Lori Skiby from going any business. $p Opponents to Bear claimed victory after a six-hour semiannual...

Navajo Nation may lower blood quantum requirement (April 19, 2004)

The enrollment of the Navajo Nation will double under a proposed change to the tribe's blood quantum standard. $P The Navajo Nation council is being asked to lower the minimum requirement from one-fourth to one-eighth. According to The Gallup Independent,...