McCain puts twist in Cobell settlement legislation (August 3, 2006)

The price tag for settling the Cobell Indian trust fund lawsuit may have just gone up despite attempts by the Bush administration to delay the case. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, was due...

The Dirt: Indian employees sue over discrimination (August 3, 2006)

"In August 2002, Fluor Enterprises hired Terry White, who is part Cherokee, as an ironworker for a construction project at Duke Energy's Belews Creek power plant in Stokes County. White was working as a fitter when he and a handful...

Misprint delays election for troubled IHS board (August 3, 2006)

A ballot misprint has delayed the election of the troubled Trenton Indian Service Area Board in North Dakota. The board held a special election to choose a new chairman on Tuesday. But the ballots are being held up until issues...

Miss Indian Arizona pageant celebrates 45 years (August 3, 2006)

The Miss Indian Arizona pageant is celebrating its 45th birthday this year. Applications are still being accepted for the competition. Participants must be 17-26, live in Arizona, and be an enrolled member of an Arizona tribe. Organizer Denise Homer says...

Alaska Native who was headed to Iraq laid to rest (August 3, 2006)

Funeral services were held on Wednesday for Billy Brown, an Alaska Native guardsman who died in an accident while he was preparing to go to Iraq. Brown, 54, was from the Inupiaq village of Barrow. He volunteered to lead...

Rally to protest liquor venues near sacred Bear Butte (August 3, 2006)

Tribal activists expect 1,000 people for a rally and march on Friday in protest of liquor venues near sacred Bear Butte in South Dakota. The Inter-Tribal Coalition to Defend Bear Butte has been camped out at the base of Bear...

Tribe from Panama sails 3,000 miles to Maine (August 3, 2006)

A 92-foot-long wooden ship carrying members of the Chocoe Tribe of Panama completed a 3,000-mile journey to Maine on Wednesday. Tribal members started their trip on June 4 in Colombia. They were invited to Maine by Jim Brunton, a...

Navajo Nation to hold two marches in border town (August 3, 2006)

Navajo Nation leaders plan to hold two marches in Farmington, New Mexico, to highlight racism and discrimination issues in border towns. The first march, on September 2, marks the strained relations between the tribe and Farmington. The second march, to...

Klamath Basin tribes see hope in removal of dams (August 3, 2006)

Tribes in the Klamath Basin of northern California and southern Oregon see some hope that dams on the Klamath River might be removed. The Karuk Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Klamath Tribes have been...

South Dakota tribal compensation advances (August 3, 2006)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved two bills to compensate South Dakota tribes for damages caused by the Missouri River. S. 374, the Tribal Parity Act, adds money to the trust accounts of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe...

Senate panel approves Lumbee recognition measure (August 3, 2006)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee advanced a bill to extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina but supporters say it probably won't pass this year. S.660 would reverse a termination era act that identified the Lumbees as...

Suit against tribe's charter schools dismissed (August 3, 2006)

The Michigan Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit that sought to close down public charter schools operated by the tribal college of the Bay Mills Indian Community. The court said Michigan Education Association lacked standing to bring the case. The...

Blackfeet Nation to prepare 1,000 FEMA workers (August 3, 2006)

The Blackfeet Nation of Montana is once again stepping up to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency. During last year's devastating hurricane season, the tribe sent 500 to the Gulf Coast. Now, the tribe is being asked by FEMA to...

Ethics panel won't clear Sen. Burns over Abramoff (August 3, 2006)

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) is upset that the Senate ethics committee won't clear his name in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Burns had asked the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate allegations that he steered federal money to Abramoff's tribal...

Southern Ute Tribe opposes GOP sheriff candidate (August 3, 2006)

The Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado is opposing a Republican candidate for Archuleta County sheriff, saying he doesn't respect tribal sovereignty and failed to investigate police harassment of tribal members. Pete Gonzalez used to be the chief of police in...

Rep. Ney's legal defense fund may be drying up (August 3, 2006)

Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) hasn't raised additional money for his legal defense fund, The Hill newspaper reports, leading to speculation about his status in the Jack Abramoff investigation. Ney has been referred to in court papers as "Representative #1." Federal...

Native teen home safe after standoff ends in Canada (August 3, 2006)

A 14-year-old Native boy from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was reunited with his mother on Wednesday after a harrowing ordeal with a convicted sex offender. Jordan Bruyere had been missing since July 22. Police found him holed up in an abandoned...

Bush officials asked McCain to delay Cobell settlement (August 3, 2006)

The Bush administration asked Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) to delay legislation that would settle the Cobell Indian trust fund lawsuit. McCain was set to advance S.1439, the Indian Trust Reform Act, at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday....

NCAI welcomes Artman as assistant secretary (August 3, 2006)

The National Congress of American Indians said it supports the nomination of Carl Artman as assistant secretary for Indian affairs. "I look forward to supporting Mr. Artman in representing Native people at the highest levels of the federal government," said...