Column: Tribes just can't come and take 'our' land (May 11, 2005)

"The Sherrill Supreme Court decision has said New York Indian nations must pay taxes on their land purchases or they may face foreclosure. There's not an automatic sovereignty attached to any claims. Just like we thought, our land can't just...

Hearing weighed for McCaleb's e-mail destruction (May 11, 2005)

Neal McCaleb on the day he announced his resignation as assistant secretary for Indian affairs. November 21, 2002. Neal McCaleb resigned as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs more than two years ago but his past may come...

Oklahoma tribe considers development in Illinois (May 11, 2005)

The Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma is looking to Illinois for some economic development opportunities. The tribe is considering building a grain terminal in East Moline at the site of a former plant. The tribe is also considering a...

Indian inmates in Wyoming accused of racial attack (May 11, 2005)

Indian and Hispanic inmates at the Wyoming State Penitentiary are being accused of starting a racially-motivated attack against African-American inmates. In a letter to The Casper Star-Tribune, two African-American inmates said they victims of racial violence. They said Indian and...

Si Tanka University files for bankruptcy in court (May 11, 2005)

Si Tanka University in South Dakota filed for bankruptcy in federal court, listing only $330,000 in assets and $5.6 million in liabilities. The bankruptcy filing reflects financial problems faced by the school's former Huron campus, located off the Cheyenne River...

'Native Visions' to air on PBS station in Arizona (May 11, 2005)

Prominent tribal leaders and Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) will discuss sovereignty, health care and education issues on a PBS-produced program airing on KAET in Arizona. "Native Visions" is hosted by Ivan Makil, a former president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa...

Haskell University gets ready for commencement (May 11, 2005)

Haskell Indian Nations University will be handing out degrees to 170 students during commencement exercises on Friday. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony on Friday morning. It will be followed by a powwow on Friday and...

Yakama member running for student body president (May 11, 2005)

Michael Calac, a member of the Yakama Nation, is running for president of the Associated Students of the University of Washington. Calac, a senior in chemistry, hopes to improve student participation in the ASUW. He is running on a platform...

Spirit Lake Nation receives four EPA cleanup grants (May 11, 2005)

The Spirit Lake Nation of North Dakota has been awarded $800,000 in cleanup grants by the Environmental Protection Agency. The tribe will use the money to clean up four sites on the reservation that are contaminated by lead, asbestos and...

Mother of Red Lake survivor suffers stroke (May 11, 2005)

Jodi May, the mother of Jeff May, 15, one of surviving victims of the shootings on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation, has suffered a stroke and is in critical condition. Jodi, a school bus driver, suffered the stroke and heart...

Indian principal connects with Tulalip students (May 11, 2005)

As the new principal of the Tulalip Elementary School on the Tulalip Reservation in Washington, Teresa Iyall knows the challenges facing Indian students. After leaving the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in Idaho at a young age, Iyall grew up poor,...

Board approves naming new school after Sequoyah (May 11, 2005)

The Federal Way School Board in Washington voted 4-0 on Tuesday to approve the naming of a new school after Sequoyah, the Cherokee citizen who developed a syllabary for the Cherokee language. Students at the new school overwhelmingly supported the...

Play recounts Native boarding school experience (May 11, 2005)

A play about the Native boarding school experience and its effect on future generations is being staged at the University of Montana. "The Strength of Indian Women" was written by Vera Manuel, a Native woman from Canada. She based it...

Witness list for hearing on federal recognition (May 11, 2005)

Here is the witness list for today's Senate Indian Affairs Committee oversight hearing on federal recognition. Panel I M. Jodi Rell, Governor of Connecticut Panel II Earl E. Devaney, Inspector General of the Interior Department Lee Fleming, Director of the...

Jodi Rave: Hope remains after mother's passing (May 11, 2005)

"My mother, a social worker, was director of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation's Social Services Department in North Dakota when she died in a car accident July 14, 2003. Shortly before her death, she sought a grant writer to...

Columbia River tribes forced to shut down fishery (May 11, 2005)

Four tribes with treaty rights on the Columbia River have been forced to shut down their fishery for the first time in five years due to an unexpectedly low run of salmon. "We need to figure out what happened," Charles...

Pentagon again seeks environmental waivers (May 11, 2005)

The Department of Defense has drafted language to exempt the Pentagon from environmental and public health laws. According to news reports, the Pentagon wants waivers from the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Superfund law....

Spending act includes new language on contracting (May 11, 2005)

The House and Senate have each passed an $82 billion emergency war-spending bill that contains new language on minority contracting. The Senate version had contained a rider that could have limited contracts to Alaska Native corporation. But the final bill...

Appeals court dismisses Cheney task force suit (May 11, 2005)

A full panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday dismissed a lawsuit seeking information about Vice President Dick Cheney's national energy policy task force. In a unanimous 8-0 decision, the court said two public interest groups had...

Column: Ney investigated for Abramoff donations (May 11, 2005)

"Take pity on poor Bob Ney, who insists he's just another victim of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public-relations consultant Michael Scanlon. Unlike the half-dozen Indian tribes that paid about $82 million to that scamming duo, however, the U.S. representative at...