Update on Senate hearing on lobbying scandal (June 22, 2005)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing today on the Jack Abramoff/Michael Scanlon lobbying scandal. The hearing, the third so far, focused on the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, one of Abramoff's earliest tribal clients. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona),...

Judge won't let county tax tribe's casino hotel (June 22, 2005)

A California county cannot impose a tax on a hotel owned by the Rincon San Luiseno Band of Mission Indians even if it is managed by a non-Indian company, a federal judge ruled on Monday. The tribe won the decision...

Native leader's hate crimes trial comes to a close (June 22, 2005)

Final arguments were made on Tuesday in the hate crimes trial of David Ahenakew, a prominent Native leader accused of making statements against Jewish people. Ahenakew, a former chief of the Assembly of First Nations and former head of...

Adopted Navajo child to return home to reservation (June 22, 2005)

A Navajo teen whose adoption sparked an Indian Child Welfare Act battle is returning home to her roots on the Navajo Nation. Allyssa Keetso-Pitts, 17, was known as "Baby K." In 1988, she was at the center of a dispute...

South Dakota tribe to build elderly village (June 22, 2005)

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota will break ground this month on a $8 million elderly village that will serve as a nursing home and assisted living facility. The 60-bed facility will provide a place for elderly tribal...

Mississippi Choctaws at center of lobbying hearing (June 22, 2005)

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will be at the center of today's Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. The tribe was one of Abramoff's oldest clients, having signed on when he was at the...

Coushatta Tribe gave millions to lobbyists, campaigns (June 22, 2005)

The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana spent $32 million on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and made at least $300,000 in campaign contributions at his request, documents show. The tribe hired Abramoff to lobby on Indian gaming and tribal issues. But tribal...

Influence peddling on the rise in Washington (June 22, 2005)

The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has doubled since 2000 and lobbyists are now charging clients nearly twice as much, The Washington Post reports. The paper says there are more than 34,750 lobbyists in the nation's capitol. "Lobbying firms...

KKK leader convicted for deaths of civil rights workers (June 22, 2005)

A jury in Mississippi convicted Edgar Ray Killen, a Ku Klux Klan leader, on Tuesday for the deaths of three civil rights workers in Choctaw territory. Killen, 80, was found guilty of manslaughter for the deaths of the workers 41...

Firm helps Blackfeet people find employment (June 22, 2005)

A new employment service on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana is helping tribal members find jobs. Anna Bull Shoe and her partners formed Nin-Nah-Too-Sii in response to high unemployment on the reservation. Bull Shoe said the year-round unemployment rate is...

Wisconsin tribes promote tourism opportunities (June 22, 2005)

Tribes in Wisconsin are wrapping up the fifth annual Native American Tourism Conference today. Sponsored by Native American Tourism of Wisconsin, the conference aims to show tribes how they can tap into the tourism industry. Tom Hutchinson, a consultant, said...

Nevada tribe concerned about methamphetamine use (June 22, 2005)

The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe is holding a community forum today to address the growing use of methamphetamine on the reservation. "Meth has become a problem within the tribe," tribal council member Rochanne Downs told The Lahontan Valley News. The forum...

CERT holds Indian Energy Solutions conference (June 22, 2005)

The Council of Energy Resource Tribes is holding up its Indian Energy Solutions 2005 conference in California. The conference began on Tuesday. It is being hosted by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Agenda topics include Indian energy policies, tribal-industry...

Lawsuit filed over treatment plant at sacred site (June 22, 2005)

The Fort Mojave Tribe has filed a lawsuit against a California gas company, alleging that its water treatment plant is destroying a sacred site. The Topock Maze, a series of rock formations, is considered by the tribe to be the...

Some schools cling onto Indian imagery, mascots (June 22, 2005)

Hundreds of schools across the nation have gotten rid of their Indian nicknames, symbols and mascots but some refuse to budge. Like the "Redmen" of Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The school's mascot is portrayed by a student in a headdress and face...

Fort Mojave chairwoman survives recall election (June 22, 2005)

The longtime chairwoman of the Fort Mojave Tribe of Arizona, California and Nevada survived a recall election on Saturday by only three votes. Nora McDowell said she was pleased with the outcome even though it was close. Of the...

Dine College opens first building on new campus (June 22, 2005)

Diné College, the Navajo Nation's tribal college, has opened the first building on its new campus in Shiprock, New Mexico. The $4.6 million building will welcome students for the first time in July. In addition to classrooms, the building has...

Spirit Lake Nation chairman target of recall effort (June 22, 2005)

The chairman of the Spirit Lake Nation of North Dakota will go before a recall hearing on Thursday. More than 400 tribal members signed a petition against Valentino "Tino" White Sr., The Grand Forks Herald. The petition lists four complaint...

Absentee Shawnee governor already under fire (June 22, 2005)

The new governor of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma has been in office only a few days but faces major challenges to his power. Larry Nuckolls was elected on Saturday. He defeated rival Kenneth Blanchard by a 419-210 vote,...

Final decision expected on Goshute waste dump (June 22, 2005)

The state of Utah expects a final decision this summer on the Skull Valley Goshute Tribe's license for a nuclear waste dump. The tribe is seeking permission to store up to 44,000 tons of nuclear waste on a small portion...

Chumash Tribe near deal with county on trust land (June 22, 2005)

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and Santa Barbara County are near an agreement over the tribe's land-into-trust application. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has agreed to acquire 6.9 acres of land across from the tribe's casino. The tribe...

Editorial: Trust fund a 'national embarassment' (June 22, 2005)

"A group of American Indian leaders gathered in Washington on Monday to unveil a set of principles that provide a framework for settling a 9-year-old class action suit and ending a century-old national embarrassment. The framework, which also provides guidance...