Indianz.Com News Archive: March 17, 2004

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

IHS doctor charged in two separate assaults
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...

Mont. tribe votes against practice bombing range
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...

Sac and Fox Nation uses road funds for community
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...

Haskell's Houser statue headed to new Indian museum
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"...

Bush investigating Native Hawaiian scholarships
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...

Tribes aim to revive Mohegan-Pequot language
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...

Mohawk Tribe threatens suit over river ice breaker
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...

Norton urged to probe BIA recognition decision
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...

Griles told investigators 'good luck' in ethics probe
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...

Tribal fishermen worry about state ban on killing fish
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...

Tribes seek more input into Army Corps decisions
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...

Appeals court to hear Wash. tribe's treaty dispute
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...

Native youth meet for suicide prevention conference
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...

Police officer still on stand in Native teen's death
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...

Narragansett council member on hunger strike
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...

Pro-union hearing blasts Calif. tribe for sovereignty
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...

Report blames lax culture for Griles ethical 'train wreck'
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...

INS special agent, tribal member, found dead
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...

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