Plea deal cites members of Congress and another tribe (November 22, 2005)

LOBBYING SCANDAL Public relations consultant Michael Scanlon refused to answer questions at November 17, 2004, Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing. • Plea Deal | Attachment | US v. Scanlon Retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) with Albert Alvidrez and...

Oneida Nation sues to stop land foreclosures (November 22, 2005)

The Oneida Nation filed a lawsuit against the city of Oneida, New York, to prevent the city from foreclosing on the tribe's land. The tribe owns 45 parcels within city limits. The city wants to take away the land for...

NCAA decision on 'Fighting Sioux' in 2006 (November 22, 2005)

The NCAA won't make a decision on the University of North Dakota's "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo until January 2006 at the earliest. A staff review found the nickname and logo to be hostile and abusive to Native Americans. The...

Task force to investigate missing persons (November 22, 2005)

A new task force in Saskatchewan will investigate 82 unsolved cases of missing people, half of whom are Native. Saskatchewan Justice Minister Frank Quennell said funds will be provided to assign eight officers o the RCMP and police forces...

Indian lawmaker urges more self-reliance (November 22, 2005)

Oklahoma State Rep. Lisa Johnson Billy (R), a member of the Chickasaw Nation, spoke at the eighth annual Native American Heritage Celebration on Monday. Billy, who is also Choctaw, urged tribes and Indian people to be more self-reliant. "God...

Scanlon free after guilty plea in tribal lobbying scheme (November 22, 2005)

• Plea Deal | Attachment • US v. Scanlon A former business partner of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff will remain free for several months, and possibly more, after admitting guilt on Monday to a scheme that defrauded tribal clients...

Cobell to press Interior on accounting mess (November 22, 2005)

Lawyers for Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund lawsuit, will ask the court to rule that an historical accounting of billions in Indian money is impossible due to inaccurate information in the government's computer systems. Jodi...

Opinion: Tribes paid for Ralph Reed's suits (November 22, 2005)

"For a moment there, it looked like Ralph Reed and I were on the same side. That would have been a switch. Maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise. I oppose opening up Texas to casino gambling. Surely the...

Skate park provides healthy fun on reservation (November 22, 2005)

Indian and non-Indian kids on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota have a new skate park to enjoy. The park was opened by the city of Wagner in October. The Yankton Sioux Tribe, the Boys and Girls Club of...

Murder of ex-Winnemucca chair still unsolved (November 22, 2005)

Nearly six years after being stabbed in front of the offices of the Winnemucca Indian Colony in Nevada, Glenn Wasson's murder remains unsolved. Wasson was 66. A World War II veteran, he served as chairman of the small colony and...

Freedmen descendants shut out of Cherokee Nation (November 22, 2005)

Descendants of the Cherokee Freedmen, former African slaves who were made members of the Cherokee Nation after the Civil War, are being shut out of the tribe. Evelyn Ross, 77, always believed she was Cherokee. But when she showed up...

Famed guitarist Link Wray, Shawnee, dies as 76 (November 22, 2005)

Guitarist Link Wray, a Shawnee whose style of guitar playing and unique sound influenced generations of artists, died in Copenhagen, Denmark, on November 5. He was 76. Wray grew up in North Carolina. He started on the guitar at...

Oklahoma seeks arbitration over tobbaco taxes (November 22, 2005)

The state of Oklahoma is seeking arbitration with the Cherokee Nation and the Osage Nation for alleged violations of the tribal-state tobacco compact. State Treasurer Scott Meacham said the two tribes aren't collecting the proper state tax under the compact....

Ohio Congressman at center of bribery scheme (November 22, 2005)

• Scanlon Plea | Attachment • US v. Scanlon Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) is "Representative #1," the public official at the center of a bribery scheme that was outlined in court documents released on Monday. Ney accepted "things of...

Mashpee chairman happy with Abramoff work (November 22, 2005)

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates performed good work for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, Chairman Glenn Marshall says. Marshall says he approached Abramoff because he was frustrated with the lack of action on the tribe's federal...

Tim Giago: Deloria gave Indian people a voice (November 22, 2005)

"I remember 40 years ago when we (Indians) didn’t have an author who was one of us, one who could write a book from an Indian perspective and believe it or not, an Indian does see things in a whole...

Montana Democrats to run ads against Burns (November 22, 2005)

The Montana Democratic Party is running ads that criticize Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) and his links to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The "Stay Home" ad criticizes Burns, the chairman of the Interior Appropriations subcommittee, for taking campaign contributions from...

GOP Senator won't return Abramoff donations (November 22, 2005)

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) won't give back $2,750 in donations from four people who worked with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff although at least one of his Republican colleagues has done so. DeMint says he won't return the money...

Column: Here's the Abramoff thirtysomething (November 22, 2005)

"Move over Keating Five. Make way for the Abramoff thirtysomething. As the Associated Press reported last week, top lobbyist Jack Abramoff appealed to some three dozen members of Congress to write to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, urging her to block...

Abramoff scandal not slowing Choctaws down (November 22, 2005)

Getting caught up in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal hasn't slowed the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians down. In Washington, D.C., the tribe is as active as ever. The Choctaws were the first tribal client of Abramoff's. After defending him...

Yellow Bird: Giving thanks and mourning loss (November 22, 2005)

"As days grow shorter and the Dakota prairie cools, I feel the season turning. The sounds of deer rifles echo across the wide-open spaces, reminding me again it's fall. Since I don't hunt, I turn my attention to Thanksgiving, keeping...