Supreme Court takes action on tribal car tag case (December 12, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered some potentially bad news to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation on Monday, a week after ruling against the Kansas tribe in a fuel tax case. In an order, the justices granted a petition filed by...

IGRA amendments tough on many, especially tribes (December 12, 2005)

A bill to overhaul the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act contains provisions that will make just about every stakeholder in the $19 billion tribal casino industry unhappy. Casino investors face more scrutiny if the bill is passed. Many investors will no...

Sacred items returned to tribe after 102 years (December 12, 2005)

The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa went to New York last week to reclaim several sacred items that had been taken from the tribe 102 years ago. Phyllis Boshey, an elder and former tribal council member, said the three birch...

Tribal tobacco collections fail to meet projections (December 12, 2005)

Tribal tax collections have failed to meet projections for yet another month in Oklahoma. The state expected to collect $4.3 million from tribal tobacco sales in November. Instead, the state only brought in $1.8 million. State Treasurer Scott Meacham says...

Flooding forces evacuation of Manitoba reserve (December 12, 2005)

Flooding has forced most of the residents of the Dauphin River First Nation in Manitoba to evacuate. The only road leading to the reserve has been blocked since last Tuesday. Chief Emery Stagg said the water is three feet deep...

Donations sought for soldier wounded in Iraq (December 12, 2005)

Donations are being collected for the family of Latseen Benson, a Tlingit soldier from Alaska who was seriously wounded in Iraq. Benson lost both his legs in a roadside bomb attack. After emerging from a coma, he is slowly...

Interview with Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley (December 12, 2005)

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. hopes 2006 will be another big year for the Navajo Nation. In an interview with The Farmington Daily Times, Shirley said he hopes to see the tribe break ground on the first casino...

Connecticut tribes spend money in Washington (December 12, 2005)

Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes have made hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions, The Connecticut Post reports. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe have donated to leaders of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the House...

Ojibwe woman seeks to lead library association (December 12, 2005)

Loriene Roy, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, has launched her campaign to be the first American Indian president of the American Library Association. Roy is a professor of library and information science at the University...

County may lease land to Little Shell Chippewa Tribe (December 12, 2005)

Commissioners in Cascade County, Montana, will vote tomorrow on a proposal to lease land to the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe. The tribe plans to use the land for a headquarters, a visitor center, a fountain and trails. The tribe hopes...

Opinion: Dorgan a great friend to Indian Country (December 12, 2005)

"I write to add perspective to The Forum’s recent series of articles regarding Sen. Byron Dorgan’s, D-N.D., participation in the congressional investigation into the activities of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Those articles leave the impression that Sen. Dorgan has done...

Bill extends Indian employment tax credit (December 12, 2005)

Provisions in a $56 billion tax bill approved by the House last week extends tax credits for businesses that hire Native Americans. The two tax breaks are designed to help businesses that hire tribal members or spouses of enrolled tribal...

Mark Trahant: The really great state of the economy (December 12, 2005)

"I wasn't going to write about the economy again this week. I thought I would give it a rest. Then I read about what Congress is up to -- and was angry enough to pound my keyboard at about 120...

Yellow Bird: Blessed with a crazy but good week (December 12, 2005)

'It has been a crazy week. I wonder if the star people changed positions during the night or if the "trickster" was about. The weather warmed up into the teens. Snow melted on the roads and looked like cookie dough...

Opinion: Land use plans ignore tribal traditions (December 12, 2005)

"Tradition is important to people here. County land use plans drafted across the state of South Dakota cite custom, culture and tradition as important components of establishing land use. The tradition of private property rights in Meade county means that...

Editorial: Don't hate Burns, hate the system (December 12, 2005)

"Montana's junior U.S. senator, Republican Conrad Burns, is one of several pols in Washington, D.C., reportedly under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for actions linked to contributions and favors from a wheeling-dealing lobbyist named Jack Abramoff, who also...

Babbitt under fire for role in sacred site case (December 12, 2005)

Former Interior secretary Bruce Babbitt is being criticized for helping the U.S. Forest Service defend a plan that tribes say will desecrate the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Arizona. When he was at Interior, Babbitt shut down a mine in...

Delaware Tribe closes up after losing recognition (December 12, 2005)

Leaders of the Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma say they are willing to negotiate with the Cherokee Nation in order to regain federal recognition. The Delawares lost their federal status after the Cherokee Nation challenged it in court. The Delawares were...