Editorial: Protest for Lakota drum was 'overkill' (March 26, 2004)

A student-faculty protest against the University of North Dakota law school's refusal to allow a Lakota drum ceremony at graduation "seemed like overkill," The Grand Forks Herald says in an editorial. The paper says the ceremony could have been a...

N.M. tribes and schools focus on student retention (March 26, 2004)

Eight tribes in New Mexico and one in Texas have signed agreements with New Mexico State University to improve graduation rates of Indian students. About 3 percent of NMSU students are Indian. About 30 percent of them quit in their...

Albuquerque mayor reaches out to nearby Pueblo (March 26, 2004)

Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mayor Martin Chavez met with leaders of Isleta Pueblo on Thursday. Chavez said he wants to improve relations between the city and the tribe, one of several in the metro area. He plans to visit all the...

BIA school wasn't told of Internet reconnect (March 26, 2004)

A Bureau of Indian Affairs school principal on the Navajo Nation wasn't told that her school's Internet connection was restored, The Gallup Independent reports. Ft. Wingate Elementary principal Dianne Owens lamented the shutdown that was caused as a result of...

Navajo Nation police recruits can't pass fitness test (March 26, 2004)

All nine applicants for a job on the Navajo Nation police force failed the entry-level physical fitness test on Wednesday, The Farmington Daily Times reported. The tribe is short of police officers and wants to hire more people. But applicants...

Nev. woman tries to hang onto reservation home (March 26, 2004)

A member of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada is trying to hang onto the home of her grandmother, elder Theresa Smokey Jackson. Cynthia Kannan, 33, took up residence in the home with her family after Jackson died in 1999. But...

NIGC rules against Okla. tribe's casino in Kansas (March 26, 2004)

An Oklahoma tribe's out-of-state casino has been deemed illegal by the National Indian Gaming Commission. A 24-page opinion issued through the agency's top lawyer rejected the Wyandotte Nation's right to game in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The tribe has been...

Obituary: Noah White, Indian education advocate (March 26, 2004)

Noah White Jr., a member of the Prairie Island Mdewakanton Dakota Tribe of Minnesota, died last week of complications after a heart attack, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He was 47. $p White was the first Indian elected to the...

Arbiter allows pro-union flyers by tribal employees (March 26, 2004)

An arbitration judge in California has allowed employees of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to post pro-union flyers in employee break rooms. $p The tribe, which owns two casinos, has been under fire for opposing lobbying efforts. Employees...

Alaska Native firm's spraying plans condemned (March 26, 2004)

An Alaska Native village corporation plans to spray corporation land with herbicides over the objections of local tribes, environmentalists and other groups. $p Klukwan Inc. is asking for a state permit to use the with herbicides glyphosate and imazapyr to...

Native man's death in B.C. getting another review (March 26, 2004)

The British Columbia government is reviewing the case of a Native man who died after police left him in an alley. Frank Paul, 47, was a member of the Big Cove First Nation from New Brunswick. He was taken into...

Tribes blast Bush choice for federal appeals court (March 26, 2004)

The nomination of the Department of Interior's former top lawyer to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals would be a disaster for Indian Country, tribal and Indian leaders said on Wednesday. Representatives of the National Congress of American Indian, the...

Veterans post to open on Soboba Reservation (March 26, 2004)

The Veterans of Foreign Wars is opening a new post on the Soboba Reservation in California. According to The Riverside Press-Enterprise, the post is the first created specifically for tribal veterans. Of the 38 charter members, 20 are Native American....

David Yeagley: Democrats do nothing for Indians (March 26, 2004)

"What does a career Indian protester do when he realizes the Left has failed him and his people? Ask Russell Means, Olgala Sioux of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Mr. Means recently endorsed Republican John Thune’s bid for the Senate. Thune...

Obituary: Crone-Morange, Schaghticoke leader (March 26, 2004)

Paulette Crone-Morange, one of the leaders of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation's successful federal recognition effort, died on Tuesday, The Hartford Courant reports. She was 60. Crone-Morange is the sister of tribal chairman Richard Velky. He called her the "driving force"...

Calif. tribe wages campaign against planned landfill (March 26, 2004)

The Pala Band of Mission Indians of California launched its campaign against a proposed landfill near its reservation. The tribe is sponsoring an initiative that seeks to overturn voter approval of the Gregory Canyon landfill. The site is located near...

National Park Service to curb employee travel (March 26, 2004)

National Park Service director Fran P. Mainella promised to cut back employee travel and other spending at a House hearing on Thursday. Mainella responded to criticism from the leaders of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee, who were upset over reports...

Lumbee beauty queen wins damage award from ex (March 26, 2004)

A member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina won a court ruling on Thursday against an ex-boyfriend whose e-mail cost her a shot at the Miss America title. $p Rebekah Revels said she was pleased with the jury's verdict...

Budget resolution barely clears House vote (March 26, 2004)

The House narrowly approved a $2.4 trillion budget resolution on Thursday that an Arizona Congressman says shortchanges Indian Country. Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) was one of 10 Republicans who joined Democrats in rejecting the measure but it passed by a...