Latest Stories
South Dakota tribal leaders meet with US Attorney (02/05)
South Dakota tribal leaders met with U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson for a "listening conference" on Thursday. Tribes discussed law enforcement, crime, gangs, jurisdiction and youth. One big concern was suicide -- some tribes in the state have seen a rash...
Coeur d'Alene law enforcement bill stirs controversy (02/05)
A proposed bill that would expand the arrest authority of police officers for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe is stirring up controversy in the Idaho Legislature. The bill would authorize cooperative law enforcement agreement between the tribe and counties. If the...
No charges for Navajo teen killed in Target parking lot (02/04)
Police in Farmington, New Mexico, won't lay charges against a man who was driving a pickup truck that ran over and killed a teen from the Navajo Nation. Darius Lee, 17, was struck on December 26 in the parking lot...
Oglala Sioux Tribe supports detox center in Whiteclay (02/04)
Oglala Sioux Tribe President Theresa Two Bulls testified in support of a bill that would set aside alcohol tax revenue for health facilities, economic development and law enforcement near Whiteclay, Nebraska. Two Bulls said the revenue could be used...
Factions at Klamath battle for control of tribal council (02/04)
State police in Oregon have intervened twice in recent months in response to an ongoing leadership dispute within the Klamath Tribes. Two factions are vying for control of the tribal council. One group said it removed the sitting council members...
Self-help guru indicted for deaths inside 'sweat lodge' (02/04)
Self-help guru James Arthur Ray was indicted on three counts of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of three people at a "sweat lodge" he organized. Ray is accused of recklessness that caused the deaths of Kirby Brown, 38;...
Coquille Tribe settles dispute over municipal services (02/04)
The Coquille Tribe and the city of North Bend, Oregon, settled a dispute over municipal services. The tribe agreed to pay the city $275,000 for police, fire and sewer services that were provided last year. The tribe agreed to pay...
Judge dismisses indictment against Aquash defendant (02/04)
A Canadian man who is accused of murdering American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash will no longer face charges in federal court but a case in South Dakota state court will proceed. John Graham was indicted for Aquash's...
Editorial: Support tribal arrest authority over non-Indians (02/03)
"The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is supporting proposed legislation that would allow tribal officers to make arrests of non-tribal members on reservation land in Benewah County. Officials in Benewah County don't like that a bit. They say it's unconstitutional. We...
Mining company owes royalties to Coeur d'Alene Tribe (02/03)
A mining company says it needs more time to figure out how much money it owes to the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho. Sterling Mining Co. is in bankruptcy court. The tribe says it is owed $1.8 million in royalties...
Grand Traverse Band eliminates general counsel post (02/03)
The tribal council of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan voted to restructure its legal department and eliminate the position of general counsel. The decision means John Petoskey is out of a job. He served...
Little Traverse Bay Bands hires two new police officers (02/03)
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians of Michigan has is expanding its police department with the help of money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The tribe hired one officer to fill an open slot...
Tribal leaders to meet with US Attorney in South Dakota (02/02)
Tribal leaders in South Dakota will meet with U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson on Thursday. Johnson wants to hear from tribes about crime and law enforcement in Indian Country. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Theresa Two Bulls said the federal government can...
Judge delays hearing over Mishewal Wappo recognition (02/02)
A federal judge postponed a hearing in the federal recognition lawsuit of the Mishewal Wappo Tribe of California. The tribe was terminated by an act of Congress in 1959. But the Interior Department failed to abide by the law, the...
Architect files lawsuit against Navajo council speaker (02/01)
An Arizona architect has filed a lawsuit against Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan and the speaker's chief of staff in Navajo Nation court. Will Graven, the owner of North American Building & Development, says Morgan promised him at least...
Secretary Salazar offers thanks for consultation talks (01/29)
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar offered the following message to Indian Country for participating in the tribal consultation policy meetings in December 2009 and January 2010: On behalf of President Obama and the Department of the Interior I would like...
Blackfeet man 'was going to get beaten up' anyway (01/28)
A member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana who tried to stop a fight "was going to get beaten up" regardless of his race, the state prosecutor who handled the case said. Ron Rides at the Door, who also serves...
Man charged for vandalizing Snoqualmie tribal office (01/27)
A Washington man has been charged in connection with a string of hate crimes whose targets included the Snoqualmie Tribe. Adam Moore, 24, sprayed "White Power" on the tribal office in June 2009. He also targeted several churches, a...
Brothers reach plea deals for beating Blackfeet man (01/27)
Three brothers pleaded guilty today in connection with the beating of a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana. Todd, Brian and Aron Molenda attacked Ron Rides at the Door, who also serves as a commissioner in Glacier County, at...
Northern Arapaho Tribe can file brief in murder case (01/27)
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals says the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming can file a brief in the appeal of a tribal member. Andrew Yellowbear Jr. was convicted in state court of murdering his daughter. The crime occurred in...
Aquash murder defendant asks to exclude testimony (01/27)
A man accused of murdering American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash says another man who was already convicted of the crime should not be allowed to testify. Richard Marshall, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South...
DOJ doesn't want attorney's Indian status mentioned (01/26)
The Department of Justice is asking a federal judge to prevent a prominent Indian attorney from mentioning his Indian status or his prior work in the U.S. Attorney's Office during the trial of a Pueblo leader. Sam Winder is...
Border city mayor denies role in 1948 rape of Zuni girl (01/26)
The mayor of a city near Zuni Pueblo continues to deny his role in a 1948 rape of a 16-year-old girl from the reservation but The Gallup Independent says court documents paint a different story. Gallup, New Mexico, Mayor...
Judge reduces fine in Ojibwe woman's file-share case (01/26)
A federal judge reduced a $1.92 million fine against Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians who was convicted of sharing copyrighted music over the Internet. In a decision last Friday, Judge Michael Davis...
Blackfeet Nation continues work to revise constitution (01/26)
The Blackfeet Nation of Montana hopes to vote this summer on a new tribal constitution. The 75-year-old constitution was adopted after the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Critics says it lacks checks and balances and places too...
Seneca Nation targets Sen. Gillibrand for tobacco bill (01/25)
The Seneca Nation might spend up to $250,000 this year to target Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) for co-sponsoring the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act. The PACT Act prohibits the U.S. Postal Service from delivering cigarettes and certain tobacco products....
Tohono O'odham Nation turned into 'militarized zone' (01/25)
Drug smuggling and the presence of federal agents have turned the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona into a “militarized zone," Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said. A record 319,000 pounds of marijuana were seized on the reservation last year, up...
Arizona governor opposes tribes in national AG group (01/22)
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) doesn't think tribes should be a formal part of the National Association of Attorneys General, a campaign consultant said. Brewer believes tribal attorneys general can participate in the group on a "limited basis...
Lawsuit for Saginaw Chippewa reservation continues (01/22)
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan is set to go to court later this year in a lawsuit over the boundaries of the Isabella Reservation. The tribe wants to clarify the status of the reservation and address jurisdictional and sovereignty...
Indian Country crime gets a second look in Oklahoma (01/22)
The Indian Country justice system in Oklahoma is undergoing some changes. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma is creating a misdemeanor docket to handle Indian Country crimes. The goal is to patch up any gaps...
Leader of Maine's tribal-state commission leaves post (01/22)
Paul Bisulca, a member of the Penobscot Nation, will no longer be serving as chair of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission. Bisulca took the volunteer, unpaid post four years ago. He hoped to ensure the state lives up to...
North Dakota tribes discuss Missouri River settlement (01/22)
Two North Dakota tribes met on Wednesday to discuss the settlement they each received for the loss of hundreds of thousands of acres of valuable land to the Missouri River. The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation received a $143 million...
Motive for Cabazon leader's 1981 murder an unknown (01/22)
Fred Alvarez and two friends were murdered in the summer of 1981 and a man has been charged with their murders. But no one really knows why the vice chairman of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indiansof California was killed....
Soo Tribe's former police chief charged with 15 counts (01/20)
Correction: Fred Paquin was NOT hired as police chief by the city of St. Ignace. According to a local news report, he was among four candidates who were narrowed down by the city council on January 18. Fred Paquin, the...
Turtle Talk: Supreme Court discusses tribal sovereigns (01/20)
"Today, the Supreme Court held that two non-sovereign entities may intervene in an original jurisdiction case. Of note, it appears that for the first time, the Court allowed a non-sovereign entity to intervene in an original jurisdiction case. The majority’s...
|
