Political cost of Cherokee stance on freedmen continues to mount
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Thirty-five members of the Congressional Black Caucus have informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., that they will actively oppose reauthorization of the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Assistance Act unless it cuts off funding to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, pending the nation's recognition of Cherokee freedmen and their descendants as tribal citizens.
Weahkee newest Native American Superdelegate
(CALIFORNIA) -- Laurie Weahkee was probably the most surprised person at the recent New Mexico Democratic convention when she was selected to become the 12th and last superdelegate as an Ad-On. Officially the 42-year-old Zuni/Cochiti/Navajo voter registration leader is an un-pledged delegate.
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.
Kohring sentenced to 3½ years
(ALASKA) -- A federal judge today sentenced former Wasilla state Rep. Vic Kohring to 42 months -- 3½ years -- in prison for his role in a corrupt scheme to keep oil taxes down.
Freedmen are confident following Cherokee appeal
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The Cherokee Nation and its freedmen met in court May 6 in a case over tribal sovereignty and minority rights. A three-judge panel of U.S. Appeals Court raised questions about the tribe's sovereign authority to determine its citizenship, in the case of the freedmen at least.
Omaha Tribe Sets Future Goals During Meetings
(IOWA) -- The future of the Omaha Nation Tribe was on the minds of many tribe members attending planning meetings in Sioux City Thursday. Thursday was the second day of a two day strategic planning meeting.
Tribes want land, not money
(SOUTH DAKOTA) -- Another tribal leader has rejected a Yankton attorney's attempts to recruit Native Americans who want a piece of a multi-million-dollar trust fund.
2010 census strives for better counting of Native Americans
(MONTANA) -- Members of the Native American Local Government Commission — pointing out that a few thousand Cascade County Indians were not recorded in the 2000 census — told U.S. Census Bureau officials Tuesday they could reduce the undercounting by hiring better counters in 2010, including more Native Americans.
Clinton struggles to hang on in Democratic race
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Barack Obama moved into a commanding lead in the Democratic presidential race on Wednesday, and Hillary Clinton's campaign said she loaned her struggling bid $6.4 million over the last month to stay alive.
Mescalero fire being contained
(NEW MEXICO) -- The South Tularosa fire, first reported Thursday four miles east of Mescalero, was 65 percent contained Tuesday and officials expect to downsize personnel working the fire this week.
Blood Tribe management questioned
(ALBERTA) -- A group of Blood Tribe members has drafted a petition calling for the resignation of chief and council for what they claim is mismanagement.
Will age be just a number in '08?
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Is John McCain Ronald Reagan or Bob Dole? Or, more to the point, will McCain be perceived as the vigorous, wood-chopping proclaimer of “Morning in America” or as a cranky senior senator prone to gaffes and the occasional stage tumble?
Election officials roll out programs for Native speakers
(ALASKA) -- Alaska Division of Elections officials say the have a new language assistance plan for Native speaking voters. The American Civil Liberties Union and Native American Rights Fund filed a motion in federal court Monday claiming state and local election officials are violating the Federal Voting Rights Act.
The ID Divide
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- There is no denying the increasing importance of personal identification in the daily lives of Americans after last week’s Supreme Court's decision in the Indiana voter identification case, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board et al.
Village setbacks generate success stories
(ALASKA) -- The Yukon River village of Galena has had its share of drama. In the 1990s, it lost a major employer: the Galena Air Force Station. Instead of hemorrhaging jobs, the village temporarily gained 50 or 60 when the Air Force hired an Anchorage-based Native contractor to keep the base running on standby.
Another Oklahoma superdelegate backs Obama
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton may have won Oklahoma's Democratic presidential primary by a wide margin in February, but Sen. Barack Obama is winning the battle of superdelegates.
Tennessee Natives Face Battle For Recognition
(TENNESSEE) -- With the recent failure of HB3299, a bill which would have granted automatic recognition to seven tribes in Tennessee, it seemed only appropriate to speak with a typical State Representative regarding this bill and this issue.
Yup'ik voters want help at polls
(ALASKA) -- Residents of Bethel and five Kuskokwim River villages are asking a federal court to order more effective elections assistance for Yup'ik-speaking voters.
Natives & newcomers: Looking for relief
(MONTANA) -- When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the interests of tribes in four out of five Indian cases before it in 2001, the National Congress of American Indians and other Native American groups decided that a new strategy was needed.
Native American Super Delegate Announces Endorsement for Barack Obama
(ILLINOIS) -- Kalyn Free, an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee, today announced that she supports Illinois Senator Barack Obama for the party's presidential nomination. As a DNC member, Free will serve as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Colorado measure finds support here
(OKLAHOMA) -- Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Gov. Darrell Flyingman said he was appreciative but “skeptical” Thursday of the Colorado Legislature’s passage of a resolution that compares the atrocities exacted on American Indians to the Holocaust.
Natives & newcomers: Taxes are key
(MONTANA) -- Eight years ago, before federal courts overturned the Blackfeet Tribe's taxes on railroads and utility companies, it collected roughly $1.3 million in tax revenue - about half the tribe's direct income.
Natives & newcomers: Doing business
(MONTANA) -- The Crow Tribe recently signed an innovative agreement with Montana and the federal government that will make it easier for banks to offer secured loans on the reservation.
Natives & newcomers: Backlash
(MONTANA) -- Almost as many non-Indians as Indians live on the nation's 560-plus reservations, and some of them are not happy about what they see as increasing threats from tribal assertions of sovereignty.
Natives & newcomers: Lost river, lost powers
(MONTANA) -- The granddaddy of all modern sovereignty cases sprang from Montana. The state and the Crow Tribe were embroiled in a bitter struggle for ownership of the Bighorn River. When the U.S. Supreme Court finally settled the matter in favor of Montana in 1981, the Crow had lost the banks and bed of the river that runs through the heart of their reservation.
Natives & newcomers: Battles of taxation
(MONTANA) -- Based on earlier Supreme Court decisions, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2000 that Big Horn County Electric, which served customers on and off the Crow Reservation, did not have to pay tribal taxes on property the company owned on the reservation.
Fort Belknap tribe closes jail Friday
(MONTANA) -- Fort Belknap officials said they were closing the tribal jail Friday, citing continuing cuts in federal funding. Tribal Police Chief Moses Dionne said the tribe can no longer afford to pay for staffing and other facility expenses.
Transportation bill OK’d; includes Navajo projects
(ARIZONA) -- Legislation to amend the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, or SAFETEA- LU bill, and provide millions of dollars for Arizona road projects has passed both houses of Congress.
Natives & newcomers: Making gains
(MONTANA) -- Despite court rulings that slice away at tribal sovereignty, Indian law specialist Tom Fredericks of Boulder, Colo., believes "tribal governments are stronger than ever."
Obama damaged by Wright flap: USA Today/Gallup poll
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama's standing has been significantly damaged by the controversy over his former pastor, according to USA Today/Gallup poll published on Monday.
Tribe may get part of Badlands
(SOUTH DAKOTA) -- The National Park Service is considering management changes that could give the Oglala Sioux Tribe control of the 208-square-mile South Unit of Badlands National Park.
Tribe getting back on its financial feet
(SOUTH CAROLINA) -- When Donald Rodgers was elected Catawba chief in July, he admits he inherited a financial mess. The tribe's primary moneymaker, the bingo parlor on Cherry Road, was closed and the building demolished.
Colorado measure finds support here
(COLORADO) -- Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Gov. Darrell Flyingman said he was appreciative but “skeptical” Thursday of the Colorado Legislature’s passage of a resolution that compares the atrocities exacted on American Indians to the Holocaust.
More resources for Mescalero fire
(NEW MEXICO) -- Federal officials have upgraded a three-day-old fire near Mescalero to beef up the response force on the ground and in the air. Officials also said they believe the fire was caused by humans, but the exact cause is still under investigation.
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