Supreme Court turns down gaming machine dispute (March 1, 2004)

Over the objections of the Bush administration and several states, the U.S. Supreme today refused to hear a dispute affecting the use of electronic casino machines in the $14 billion Indian gaming industry. Without comment, the justices turned down appeals...

Appeals court to hear Cobell disqualification dispute (March 1, 2004)

A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments on a motion to disqualify U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth and special master Alan Balaran from a contempt-related proceeding in the Indian trust fund case. Lamberth assigned Balaran to look into allegations...

Native Americans suffer from high rate of asthma (March 1, 2004)

American Indian and Alaska Native adults have the highest asthma rate among single-race groups, according to data released on Friday. Based on a 2002 survey, 11.6 percent of Native Americans said they suffered from asthma. This was significantly higher than...

IHS employees suing agency for releasing records (March 1, 2004)

Two Indian Health Service employees are suing the agency for alleging releasing their medical records to the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe of North Dakota. The employees say the information was released without their authorization as part of an alleged narcotics...

Indian school in Wis. plans to lay off 40 staff members (March 1, 2004)

The Indian Community School of Milwaukee is planning to lay off 40 staff members, about a quarter of its staff. The school won't lose $27 million of annual funding from the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe until 2011. But officials say...

Pueblo students help NASA with Mars research (March 1, 2004)

Students from Laguna-Acoma High School helped NASA scientists conduct research on Mars. The students were one of 13 teams that participated in the Athena Student Interns Program. They spent a year learning about the geology of New Mexico and and...

Videotape captured teen's death at boarding school (March 1, 2004)

A student at Chemawa Indian School in Oregon died after being placed in a holding cell that was under video surveillance, The Oregonian reports. The paper reviewed documents and conducted interviews to piece together the final hours of Cindy Gilbert...

Opinion: OutKast 'out of line' for GRAMMY performance (March 1, 2004)

"Unlike the episode with Janet Jackson, CBS couldn't claim they didn't know beforehand. Last month, as the final Grammy act, Andre Benjamin of the hip-hop group, OutKast, performed "Hey Ya." Benjamin and dancers were dressed in stereotypical American Indian garb,...

Daschle speech calls on U.S. to keep promises (March 1, 2004)

Ed. Note: Senator Tom Daschle delivered the following statement Thursday on the floor of the U.S. Senate. An audio copy of the remakrs can be found at http://democrats.gov/actualities/daschle. Click on the http://democrats.gov/actualities/daschle/daschle022604.mp3 link. "Madam President, all week long, tribal leaders...

Narragansett Reservation site of police dispute (March 1, 2004)

Members of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island confronted state police over the weekend after a council member allegedly assaulted a police officer. The officer tried to pull over Hiawatha Brown, 51, for speeding and a suspended license. Police say...

Massacre nearly destroyed northern Calif. tribe (March 1, 2004)

Stirred by greed and anti-Indian sentiments, six men nearly wiped out the Wiyot Tribe of California in February 1860. Tribal members gathered on an island that was home to the village of Tuluwat, the center of the Wiyot universe. They...

Juror: AIM testimony not needed in Aquash trial (March 1, 2004)

Testimony about the American Indian Movement did not convict a man accused of murdering AIM activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, a juror told The Rapid City Journal. Laura Franklin said it was Arlo Looking Cloud's admission that he helped transport Aquash...

Havasupai tribal members sue over use of blood (March 1, 2004)

Members of the Havasupai Tribe of Arizona filed a $25 million lawsuit over the authorized use of their blood samples. Tribal members gave more than 400 samples to diabetes researchers at Arizona State University. They claim the samples were used...

Editorial: Interior wasting taxpayer dollars (March 1, 2004)

Congress should no longer let the Department of Interior "drag its feet" on the Indian trust fund, The Denver Post says in an editorial. The paper welcomes mediation talks between the plaintiffs in the Cobell lawsuit and the government. "If...

Democrat chides Campbell for being 1/16th Indian (March 1, 2004)

A Democrat in Colorado says Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) has gotten "a lot of mileage out of being 1-16th Indian." State Sen. Ken Gordon took a shot at Campbell, whose office is being investigated for an alleged kickback taken...

Kiowas vote overwhelmingly to recall two leaders (March 1, 2004)

Members of the Kiowa Tribe of Okahoma voted 4-1 to recall chairman Clifford McKenzie and vice-chairman R.H. Bointy on Saturday. According to The Native American Times, the tally against McKenzie was 401 to 103. Voters recalled Bointy 387 to 114....

Calif. mayor blasted for reported tribal donations (March 1, 2004)

The mayor of Sacramento, California, is being criticized for reportedly accepting donations from two tribes. But Heather Fargo says she can't find checks from the Rumsey Rancheria or the United Auburn Indian Community. The tribes have told the Secretary of...

Opinion: Calif. tribes should stay off 'warpath' (March 1, 2004)

"So when the Governator extends his hand and says, "Come with me if you want to live," the smart move is to accept his offer. If tribal casinos want to survive, they need to make the state of California their...

Editorial: Sovereign tribes can't have it both ways (March 1, 2004)

California tribes must abide by state campaign finance laws, The Pasadena Star-News says in an editorial. The paper comments on a dispute between the state's political watchdog agency and two tribes. The courts are determining whether the tribes are subject...

Yellow Bird: Big market for 'isms' in the media (March 1, 2004)

"When I read recently that Clear Channel pulled the plug on Stern's show in six markets, I wasn't surprised. What surprised me is that there is an audience for his kind of show so late at night. Most people, except...