Bill treating tribe as state signed into law (October 20, 2004)

A bill to designate the Southern Ute Tribe as a state under the Clean Air Act was signed by President Bush on Tuesday. The tribe sought the designation for years but ran into objections from the state of Colorado. As...

Indian County support grows for Kerry campaign (October 20, 2004)

The council of the nation's largest tribe voted on Tuesday to endorse Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) for president, citing the Democratic nominee's commitment to Indian issues. By a vote of 61 to 8, the Navajo Nation council passed legislation supporting...

Navajo Nation council nearly endorses Renzi rival (October 20, 2004)

After endorsing Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Arizona) for re-election, the Navajo Nation council nearly endorsed his rival, Democrat Paul Babbitt. The vote for Renzi was 60 to 0. But 35 of the council delegates also voted to endorse Babbitt, leading one...

Navajo community worried about meth trafficking (October 20, 2004)

Two recent drug busts have the Navajo community of Tuba City, Arizona, worried that they are becoming a trafficking corridor for methamphetamine. In the past few weeks, Navajo police seized seven pounds of meth. The suspects were said to be...

Navajo soldier says U.S. 'fighting for nothing' (October 20, 2004)

A Navajo solider who served in Afghanistan and Iraq before being injured in a car-bomb attack said the U.S. is "fighting for nothing" in Iraq. U.S. Army Sgt. Terrell Dawes was sent to Afghanstian twice after the September 11, 2001,...

Trial into Kickapoo spending begins in Texas (October 20, 2004)

A trial into alleged misspending of the Kickapoo Tribe of Texas opened in federal court on Tuesday. Maricela Mendoza, 48, is accused of stealing almost $260,000 from the tribe's health care program, The San Antonio Express-News reported. Authorities say she...

Seven California tribes on top 20 campaign donor list (October 20, 2004)

Seven of the top 20 tribal donors to political campaigns are from California, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. Five of the seven tribes are in the top 10, based on data from the Center for Responsive Politics. The Morongo Band of...

Montana governor to fight tribe's riverbed rights (October 20, 2004)

Montana Gov. Judy Martz (R) has decided to join a fight challenging the Northern Cheyenne Tribe's ownership of half a riverbed even though she is nearly out of office. Martz said she will ask a federal court to allow the...

Union fighting Agua Caliente Band's zoning plan (October 20, 2004)

The union behind a challenge to tribal sovereignty has poured nearly $100,000 into a campaign opposing the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' zoning plan in Palm Springs, California. Donations from the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE)...

San Pasqual families to get replacement homes (October 20, 2004)

Eight families on the San Pasqual Reservation in California will get keys to new homes to replace the ones they lost in last year's devastating Paradise Fire. The keys will be presented in a ceremony next Tuesday. The event marks...

Stillaguamish Tribe to open new health clinic (October 20, 2004)

The Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington will open a new health clinic in January 2005. The 3,000-square-foot facility will mix traditional and alternative treatments for mental health and chemical dependency. The tribe will hire six staff, including a mental-health clinician, an...

Indian lawmaker challenged over tribal support (October 20, 2004)

Washington state Rep. John McCoy (D), the only Indian in the Legislature, is being criticized by his opponent for supporting tribal issues. McCoy introduce several bills to help tribes, including his own Tulalip Tribes. But Kim Halvorson, a Republican who...

BIA to hold public hearing on tribe's oil refinery (October 20, 2004)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a public hearing November 9 on a proposed oil refinery on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation want to open the refinery on 470 acres within...

Pueblo designer takes pottery, fashion to new heights (October 20, 2004)

Works by Virgil Ortiz, an artist from Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico, are on display in a new exhibit at the Heard Museum in Arizona. Ortiz grew up in a family of potters. He blends traditional styles with modern ones...

Chief defends natural gas drilling agreement (October 20, 2004)

The chief of Carry the Kettle First Nation in Saskatchewan acknowledges a natural gas agreement he signed will not generate as much revenues but is good in the long run. Tribal members are protesting the agreement, saying the First Nation...

First Nation school reopens with elders teaching (October 20, 2004)

The school on the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan reopened its doors on Tuesday with elders teaching the classes. The school was shut down last week by parents who were upset over the handling of their children. As the result...

Study shows tribe not receiving benefits from state (October 20, 2004)

The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming has lost out on nearly $81 million in state services since 1979 due to the state's taxation system, according to a new study. The tribe hired a consulting firm to compare the amount of...

Indian students upset over tepee defacement (October 20, 2004)

Indian students at Montana State University-Bozeman are upset that a tepee has been defaced with the F-word. The tepee was outside the door of the American Indian Council Resource Center. It has been in place for about three weeks. Some...

Obesity blamed for rising health care costs (October 20, 2004)

Treating obesity is a major cause for the rising cost of health care, according to a study by researchers at Emory University. From 1987 to 2001, medical bills for obese people constituted 27 percent of the growth in overall health...

Online Chat: Abramoff 'close friend' of DeLay (October 20, 2004)

Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff is a "close friend" of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the authors of a new book said on a Washington Post chat yesterday. Lou Dubose & Jan Reid, authors of "The Hammer," made two references...