Legal views clash on Shirley reform
(ARIZONA) -- Since President Joe Shirley Jr. launched his government reform effort two weeks ago, officials have weighed in with conflicting legal opinions on the validity of a voter initiative he is pushing to accomplish his goals.
Anti-uranium attorney 'encouraged' after hearing
(ARIZONA) -- It's well-known in legal circles that you can jinx yourself by predicting how judges are going to rule, but an attorney for two groups protesting uranium mining in New Mexico said he felt good about a hearing in Denver Monday.
'The nail in the coffin'
(MAINE) -- Donna Loring, the Penobscot Indian Nation's representative in the Maine state Legislature, will continue her work there with the tribe's support, despite the nation having cut its ties to the state in the aftermath of a legislative session that saw every effort to squash the attempt to improve the lives of the Wabanaki people.
OP/ED: Obama Upholds Rights of Cherokees, All Native American Tribes
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has stated his opposition to H.R. 2824, an attempt by his fellow Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) to sever government-to-government relations with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma because of an on-going dispute between the tribe and the "Cherokee Freedmen."
PEGGY NOONAN: Pity Party
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Big picture, May 2008: The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech.
Witnesses: BIA stifles tribal self-government
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Indian tribes want to move toward more self-governance, but red tape and foot-dragging by federal agencies continuously throws a wrench in their attempts, tribal leaders testified Tuesday.
Self-governance revisited
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Shortfalls in congressional appropriations for federal Indian agencies again moved front and center at a May 13 Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing.
HILLARY: What Went Wrong?
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Endings are rarely as joyous as beginnings--and in the case of a long, wearing, and ultimately disappointing campaign, they can be downright brutal. But they also have the potential to be educational, for participants and gawkers alike.
Obama Secret Service Agent Tied to Sex Joke
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- A Secret Service supervisor who until recently was a leader of Senator Barack Obama’s security detail sent several colleagues an e-mail message in 2005 that included a crude sexual joke about blacks and American Indians, according to documents disclosed last week as part of a lawsuit by black Secret Service agents.
States to enforce molester law on tribal land
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- A little-noticed provision in a 2006 federal sex-offender law is rankling American Indian tribes in six states because it would give state law enforcers unprecedented authority to monitor child molesters living on tribal land.
My Sister's House honors tribal chairman
(CALIFORNIA) -- A host of community, business and philanthropic leaders, as well as local officials came together to honor the heroes of My Sister's House at their annual Heroes of Hope dinner on Monday at the Masonic Temple.
GOP cancer: Party could lose 20 more seats
(WASHNGTON, DC) -- For the past 18 months, ever since the 2006 elections, congressional Republicans have been like a hospital patient trying to convince visitors that he is not really all that sick: a bit under the weather; actually feel better than I sound; should be up and about any day; thanks for asking.
Clock ticking to replace BIA chief
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- As Indian leaders come to terms with the unexpected resignation of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Carl J. Artman, they are now working overtime to ensure the Interior Department doesn't muck up its next appointment to head the BIA.
In the South, a Force to Challenge the G.O.P.
(NEW ORLEANS) -- The sharp surge in black turnout that Senator Barack Obama has helped to generate in recent primaries and Congressional races could signal a threat this fall to the longtime Republican dominance of the South, according to politicians and voting experts.
JODI RAVE: Offering hope to Native America
(MONTANA) -- Speaking at the University of Montana on Wednesday, Bill Clinton asked young people to consider their future. “You are moving into a 21st century world that is full of promise and excitement,” he said.
Bills mount; Young's legal fund doesn't
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Rep. Don Young has reported "no activity" in the special legal fund he set up to accept donations and pay for lawyers assisting his defense in federal investigations.
Leech Lake Police Chief Day plans to retire
(MINNESOTA) -- Leech Lake Tribal Police Chief Steve Day has announced his last day in office will be May 23. “It is time to move on to a healthy retirement with my loving family and friends,” Day wrote in a memo to Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Council members, department staff and other tribal division employees
Joint power one step closer
(CALIFORNIA) -- The Joint Power Agreement between the City of Porterville and the Tule River Tribe took another step close to the governor’s desk when it passed the Assembly floor Thursday, by a unanimous vote of 64 to 0.
Tribe to meet with Riverside sheriffs, mediators on shootout
(CALIFORNIA) -- When Riverside County sheriff's deputies and SWAT officers stormed the Soboba Indian Reservation and killed two suspects in an hourlong gunbattle, they enforced a lockdown so strict even the tribe's leader wound up sleeping in his casino parking lot.
Smithsonian Strategies Suggested
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The Government Accountability Office recommended yesterday that the Smithsonian Board of Regents develop ways to critique its own policies and institute a plan to discipline its members if they neglect their duties.
After String of Losses, Republicans Face Crisis
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- House Republicans turned on themselves yesterday after a third straight loss of a GOP-held House seat in special elections this year left both parties contemplating widespread Democratic gains in November.
Shirley initiative divides branches
(ARIZONA) -- President Joe Shirley Jr.'s government reform initiative that would cut the council by two-thirds and give the president more veto power has divided the tribal government.
EJ DIONNE: Brand on the Run
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican elected in the face of the 2006 Democratic sweep, understands the panic that took hold in his party this week following its loss in a ruby-red district.
Tseshaht Elect New Council
(CANADA) -- The Tseshaht First Nation has elected band leaders. On May 8 nine new members took office for the coming four-year term.
Crowd waits, then welcomes Clinton for short speech
(SOUTH DAKOTA) -- Bill Clinton returned to the land of the Oglala Lakota without the massive security detail, rock-star excitement and national press corps that followed him on his first stop here nine years ago.
Cherokee council approves suspension of cigarette tax
(OKLAHOMA) -- The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council passed a measure this week that would remove the tribe’s tax from cigarette carton sales. The act, passed unanimously at Monday evening’s regular meeting, suspends the 50-cents-per carton tax the tribe takes in on cigarettes sold by smoke shops that are outside the state’s exception rate zones.
Tribe opens lion hunt
(NORTH DAKOTA) -- The Three Affiliated Tribes has opened a special mountain lion hunting season on a portion of the Fort Berthold Reservation, for the second time in two years.
New Mexico AG rules meeting didn't follow Open Meetings Act
(NEW MEXICO) -- The state Attorney General's office has determined that the public was not properly notified, as required under the state's Open Meetings Act, about a February meeting held to temporarily list Mount Taylor in the State Register of Cultural Properties.
Native American hot shot crew battles fires
(MONTANA) -- The Chief Mountain Hotshots are elite firefighters based in Browning and are ready at a moment's notice to travel and suppress fires before they get out of control.
Edwards, NARAL back Obama in big setback for Clinton
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Former Sen. John Edwards Wednesday endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president, throwing his stature as a populist champion of the working class behind a onetime rival whose failure to appeal to such voters has been his chief political weakness through the late primary season.
Tribe donates money to tornado victims
(OKLAHOMA) -- The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe is donating $5,000 to the victims at Picher, Okla., and $5,000 to the tornado victims north of Seneca. “This is not limited to Indian people or tribal members. This is for all victims,” said Chief Paul Spicer said.
Edwards gives long-awaited endorsement to Obama
(MICHIGAN) -- Democrat John Edwards has given his long-awaited endorsement to Barack Obama. It's a major boost from a former presidential rival as Obama tries to shrug off Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is determined to press ahead.
Obama, Clintons, Kennedys plan South Dakota visits
(SOUTH DAKOTA) -- South Dakota Democrats have a lot to look forward to this week, starting Wednesday with former President Bill Clinton's return visit to Pine Ridge, and continuing Thursday with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's second visit to South Dakota in a week.
The Longest Walk 2 Takes Oklahoma By Storm
(OKLAHOMA) -- The Longest Walk 2 (LW2) Southern Route forged ahead through pouring rain and thunderstorms this week to reach Tulsa since reaching Oklahoma on May 3, 2008.
Tribe leaders seek more autonomy
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- American Indian tribes want to move toward more self-governance, but red tape and foot-dragging by federal agencies continuously throws a wrench in their attempts, tribal leaders testified Tuesday.
Each Cherokee community deserves fair representation
(NORTH CAROLINA) -- Members of the Snowbird community have long maintained traditions, strong Cherokee bloodlines and the language. It’s represented in Tribal Council together with the Cherokee County community, a community that’s largely nontraditional.
Republican Election Losses Stir Fall Fears
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The Republican defeat in a special Congressional contest in Mississippi sent waves of apprehension across an already troubled party Wednesday, with some senior Republicans urging Congressional candidates to distance themselves from President Bush to head off what could be heavy losses in the fall.
Democratic Victory May Be a Bellwether
(MISSISSIPPI) -- A Democrat won the race for a GOP-held congressional seat in northern Mississippi yesterday, leaving the once-dominant House Republicans reeling from their third special-election defeat of the spring.
OP/ED: Kickapoo invest in the future
(MISSOURI) -- For far too many years, the American Indian has been reduced to talking about geographic boundaries of reservation lands as if these property lines somehow define the Indian experience.
Maryland Indian tribes get state holiday
(MARYLAND) -- Dozen of members of Maryland Indian tribes, some in native dress, stood behind Gov. Martin O’Malley on Tuesday as he signed into law a bill designating the Friday after Thanksgiving as American Indian Heritage Day, a new state holiday.
MT tribes announce support for Obama
(MONTANA) -- The Crow Nation and the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation say they endorse Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
TIM GIAGO: Finding an Indian role model in life
(SOUTH DAKOTA) -- In the spring of 1976, 32 years ago, I had an actor named Will Sampson as my guest on the weekly television show I hosted, "The First Americans," which aired each Sunday morning on TV in Rapid City, S.D.
Democrats win again in a Republican stronghold
(MISSISSIPPI) -- Forget West Virginia. The election that pros in both parties were watching tonight was a special House faceoff in Mississippi -- and the results could not be worse for the GOP.
Obama Endorsed by Crow Nation, Ft. Peck Tribes
(MONTANA) -- The Obama campaign announced today the endorsements of the Crow Nation and the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Ft. Peck Reservation. Tribal leaders cited Sen. Obama’s commitment to Indian Country and to the issues facing its residents.
The Myth of Voter Fraud
(NEW YORK) -- Missouri and at least 19 other states are considering passing laws that would force people to prove their citizenship before they can vote. These bills are not a sincere effort to prevent noncitizens from voting; that is a made-up problem.
Cheney Makes Appearance for House Hopeful
(MISSISSIPPI) -- Vice President Cheney traveled to this Memphis suburb on Monday in an eleventh-hour effort by the Republican Party to hang on to a U.S. House seat that it has long held but that appears at risk of becoming the third Democratic gain this year.
McCain Differs With Bush on Climate Change
(OREGON) -- Senator John McCain sought to distance himself from President Bush on Monday as he called for a mandatory limit on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
Crow looked to acquire empty Hardin jail
(MONTANA) -- Crow Chairman Carl Venne said Monday that the tribe had looked to acquire or arrange a federal takeover of an empty $27 million jail in Hardin, but is no longer interested after the city rebuffed the proposal.
'Squaw' still Utah moniker
(UTAH) -- While states across the nation move to sweep the word "squaw" — a term deemed derogatory by many American Indians — from state and federal maps, Utah has yet to broach the subject.
ROBERT NOVAK: McCain's Christian Problem
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- John McCain, who as the Republican candidate for president has spent the past two months trying to consolidate right-wing support, has a problem of disputed dimensions with a vital component of the conservative coalition: evangelicals.
What does Minnesota statehood mean in Indian country?
(MINNESOTA) -- Minnesota was home to Indians long before it became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. During this year's celebration of statehood and state history, we're interested in hearing from American Indians about how they or their families ended up in Minnesota.
Horror of native residential schools scrutinized
(CANADA) -- 'Assimilation' is such an antiseptic word. "Policy of assimilation" suggests little more than bloodless bureaucracy. Which goes to show how neatly and tidily language can camouflage bloody reality. To see behind this particular camouflage, try some imagery on for size.
U.S. Outlook Is Worst Since '92, Poll Finds
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Americans are gloomier about the direction of the country than they have been at any point in 15 years, and Democrats hold their biggest advantage since early 1993 as the party better able to deal with the nation's main problems, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Contention marks tribal election at Campo Band
(CALIFORNIA) -- Challenges to a tribal election here could cancel out an all-female leadership that was elected in April. The disputed election is delaying the resolution of pressing issues such as the tribal economy, which has been negatively affected by the nationwide economic downturn.
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