Tex Hall: Poverty a bigger scandal than Abramoff (January 27, 2006)

"I decided to write this column because, before this whole Abramoff affair goes any further, America needs to hear from American Indians themselves. There are three points that I want to the country to hear: First, we condemn the corruption...

Bush says photos with Abramoff not 'relevant' to probe (January 27, 2006)

President Bush said on Thursday that he welcomed the federal probe of Jack Abramoff but adamantly refused to release photographs that place him with the disgraced lobbyist. Addressing the scandal for the second time in recent weeks, Bush didn't deny...

Transcript: President Bush and Jack Abramoff (January 27, 2006)

The following is the text of several Jack Abramoff questions President Bush was asked during a White House press conference on January 26, 2006. The entire transcript can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060126.html. Q What do you hear or your staff...

Men sentenced to life in prison for kidnap, rape (January 27, 2006)

Two men were sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping two women and raping them on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations. Patrick Doyle, 21, and Daniel Curtis Bigman, 20, pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping and four counts...

Bill would create buffer zone around Bear Butte (January 27, 2006)

Two Indian lawmakers in South Dakota have introduced a bill aimed at protecting the sacred Bear Butte. Paul Valandra, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and Jim Bradford, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, are sponsoring HB1233. The...

Two Washington tribes reach deal on state gas tax (January 27, 2006)

Two Washington tribes have reached an agreement to collect a state gas tax in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision on the subject. The Swinomish Tribe and the Squaxin Island Tribe had won a court decision that...

Meskwaki members fear disenrollment from tribe (January 27, 2006)

More than a dozen members of the Meskwaki Tribe of Iowa fear they will be disenrolled for being political opponents of the tribal council. Donald Wanatee Sr. and others have been denied their monthly per capita payments. "The next steps...

Mohegan Tribe's chief of staff abruptly resigns (January 27, 2006)

Tom Acevedo, the longtime chief of staff for the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, resigned abruptly on Thursday. "He caught us all off guard," chairman Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum told The Harford Courant. Acevedo is a member of the Confederated...

Jodi Rave: Chippewa Cree artist honored for work (January 27, 2006)

MERLE BIG BOW First Peoples Fund to honor four Native artists First Peoples Fund - http://www.firstpeoplesfund.org "Merle Big Bow has been selling his artwork the only sure way he's known - by knocking on doors and showing completed work to...

School won't play Crow Reservation teams (January 27, 2006)

The boys and girls basketball teams at a high school in Montana have forfeited the rest of their games on the Crow Reservation due to safety concerns, The Billings Gazette reports. Recent incidents between Shepherd High School and Lodge Grass...

Judge tosses suit challenging tribe's ownership (January 27, 2006)

A federal judge in Montana has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the Northern Cheyenne Tribe's ownership of the Tongue River bed. U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull adopted the recommendations of a magistrate who sided with the tribe and the United...

Democrats question timing of Bush nomination (January 27, 2006)

Democrats called for an independent prosecutor to investigate Jack Abramoff after the Department of Justice official in charge of the probe was taken off the case because he was nominated for a federal judgeship by President Bush. Democrats questioned...

GOP Leader: Tribal sovereignty is no longer useful (January 27, 2006)

Ed. Note: John Dendahl is the former chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party. He writes a column for The Albuquerque Journal [Link] that has criticized the actions of tribes in the state. The following is a reprint of one...

Opinion: Maybe it's time to end reservation system (January 27, 2006)

"Maybe we should give land back to the rez-dwellers, so that they may own private property the way other Americans do. Currently, the inability to put up land as collateral for personal mortgages and loans is a major obstacle to...

DeLay denies being a target of Abramoff probe (January 27, 2006)

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the former House majority leader who was forced to relinquish his post due to ongoing legal troubles, is denying that he is a target of the Jack Abramoff probe. DeLay has told people that the...

Abramoff says he won't release photos with Bush (January 27, 2006)

A spokesman for Jack Abramoff said the disgraced lobbyist won't be releasing or selling photos with President Bush. Abramoff and Bush have taken photos together at least five times, according to news reports. The White House has confirmed the existence...

Coeur d'Alene Tribe launches online tutoring program (January 27, 2006)

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho launched a pilot program with Washington State University to provide tutoring for tribal students via Internet video teleconferencing. Officials say the program makes it easier for students to get help. They also hope it...

Tribe, state to continue talks over Klallam village (January 27, 2006)

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the state of Washington will continue talks over a Klallam village where hundreds of ancestors and thousands of artifacts were uncovered. The tribe and the state signed an agreement to guide their talks. An...

Michigan tribe shares road funding with counties (January 27, 2006)

The Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi, also known as the Gun Lake Band, is sharing its Indian Reservation Road funds with local counties. The tribe submitted inventories of road projects in two counties to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which administers...

Sault Tribe members bar ex-officials from office (January 27, 2006)

Members of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians voted overwhelmingly to bar the former chairman and seven other people from running for public office. Tribal members passed a referendum against former chairman Bernard Bouschor and current director Paul Shagen. The...