Peabody continues top-level access at Interior (March 17, 2004)

An internal investigation released on Tuesday shows that Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles met at least a dozen times with representatives of Peabody Coal, the company at the center of the Navajo Nation's billion-dollar breach of trust and racketeering...

IHS doctor charged in two separate assaults (March 17, 2004)

An Indian Health Service doctor from Gallup, New Mexico, has been charged in two separate incidents for assaulting women. Scott Storm was arrested on Monday for allegedly trying to choke his girlfriend, Rhonda Davis, and destroying her house. He told...

Mont. tribe votes against practice bombing range (March 17, 2004)

The Fort Belknap Indian Community Council voted 6-2 last week to withdraw support for a Montana Air National Guard test bombing range. Tribal leaders initially welcomed the $11 million range as a way to create up to a dozen jobs....

Sac and Fox Nation uses road funds for community (March 17, 2004)

Officials in Oklahoma credit the Sac and Fox Nation for leading the nation in using Bureau of Indian Affairs funds to fix state roads and bridges. The tribe has used $31.5 million in BIA roads funds to help state and...

Haskell's Houser statue headed to new Indian museum (March 17, 2004)

Haskell Indian Nations University is loaning a two-ton marble sculpture by Apache artist Allan Houser to the new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. "Comrade in Mourning" will be on display at NMAI for a year. Haskell...

Bush investigating Native Hawaiian scholarships (March 17, 2004)

The Bush administration is investigating scholarship preferences for Native Hawaiians at the University of Hawaii, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The Department of Education received a complaint in June 2002 from an attorney who worked on the Rice v....

Tribes aim to revive Mohegan-Pequot language (March 17, 2004)

Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes are working on programs to revitalize the Mohegan-Pequot language. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation adopted a language revitalization strategic plan last fall and agreed to fund the project for at least three years, The New...

Mohawk Tribe threatens suit over river ice breaker (March 17, 2004)

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is threatening a lawsuit to stop an ice breaker on the St. Lawrence River. Tribal officials say the ice breaker causes environmental problems and shoreline damage. They are seeking a delay in the start of...

Norton urged to probe BIA recognition decision (March 17, 2004)

Interior Secretary Gale Norton is being asked to investigate why the Bureau of Indian Affairs agreed to recognize the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation of Connecticut. Members of Connecticut's Congressional delegation cited an internal BIA memo which said the tribe did not...

Griles told investigators 'good luck' in ethics probe (March 17, 2004)

An internal investigation into Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles was hampered by his former industry clients, inadequate record-keeping and conflicting information. The Department of Interior's Inspector General had to subpoena records from former clients in order to determine whether...

Tribal fishermen worry about state ban on killing fish (March 17, 2004)

The state of Washington's ban on killing wild steelhead has tribal fishermen, sport fishermen and local officials up in arms. The ban doesn't affect the Quileute Tribe, which has a treaty right to catch the fish. But some worry the...

Tribes seek more input into Army Corps decisions (March 17, 2004)

Tribes along the Missouri River hope a new agreement will give them a greater say in decisions by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Programmatic Agreement replaces and older document that didn't include tribal participation in how the Corps...

Appeals court to hear Wash. tribe's treaty dispute (March 17, 2004)

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals next week will hold oral arguments in the Skokomish Tribe's $6 billion treaty rights dispute. The tribe says its treaty rights were violated by the construction of two dams that impede fish runs. The...

Native youth meet for suicide prevention conference (March 17, 2004)

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Manitoba First Nations Youth Council are hosting a suicide prevention conference on the Waywayseecappo First Nation in Manitoba. The conference will focus on suicide prevention for Native youth. Last year, there were at...

Police officer still on stand in Native teen's death (March 17, 2004)

A police officer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, resumed testimony in the inquiry of a Native teenager who died 13 years ago. Cst. Larry Hartwig took the stand on Monday. He was the second in command the night the night Neil Stonechild,...

Narragansett council member on hunger strike (March 17, 2004)

A council member for the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island went on a hunger strike on Monday to protest treatment of the tribe by state and local officials. Bella Noka was one of several officials and members who were arrested...

Pro-union hearing blasts Calif. tribe for sovereignty (March 17, 2004)

The California Workplace Fairness Commission held a hearing on Tuesday that drew testimony critical of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Current and former employees blasted the tribe for not allowing unions to organize. As a sovereign, the tribe...

Report blames lax culture for Griles ethical 'train wreck' (March 17, 2004)

The appointment of J. Steven Griles to a top position at the Department of Interior was a "train wreck waiting to happen" because officials were unable to deal with complex ethical issues raised by his relationship with former clients, an...

INS special agent, tribal member, found dead (March 17, 2004)

Police in Arizona have ruled the death of Thomas DeRouchey, 45, a special agent of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix, a suicide. DeRouchey was a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. He died...