Latest Stories
Seminole Tribe puts name on tobacco brand produced in Virginia (03/11)
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is putting its name on a brand of cigarettes being manufactured in Virginia. Tribal leaders visited Virginia's tobacco country on Wednesday to launch Seminole Brands. The products will be sold in Florida and in...
Yakama Nation sues federal government over raid of tobacco firm (03/11)
The Yakama Nation of Washington is suing the federal government over a raid of a tobacco manufacturing company on the reservation. The tribe says the FBI and the Department of Justice violated the Yakama Treaty of 1855. The lawsuit says...
Kevin Abourezk: Nebraska seizes tobacco from Ponca Tribe land (03/11)
"Nebraska state officials apparently seized $13,000 to $14,000 worth of cigarettes from a Ponca tribal smoke shop in Niobrara on Thursday morning, according to the tribe. Ponca Chairwoman Rebecca White said representatives of the Nebraska Department of Revenue entered the...
Lummi Nation doesn't want BIA involved in talks over ferry lease (03/10)
The Lummi Nation says officials in Whatcom County, Washington, shouldn't have asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to get involved in a dispute over the Lummi Island ferry. The tribe has been negotiating a new lease with the county for...
Lawmakers question Obama's cut to BIA loan guarantee program (03/09)
Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk defended the Obama administration's proposed cut to a loan guarantee program at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Testifying before the new House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, Echo Hawk said the $5...
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe the largest employer in central Michigan (03/09)
With over 3,500 full-time and part-time employees, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe is the largest employer in central Michigan. Most of the positions are based in Isabella County, which has one of the lowest-employment rates in the state. Nearly one job...
Timothy Chavez: Tribes looking for energy development partners (03/09)
In 2009, federally recognized tribes across the U.S. received a collective $54.8 million in federal funding from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program to support energy efficiency and conservation initiatives. These funds are critical...
New York tax collector 'prepared to enforce' tobacco tax on tribes (03/09)
The new tax commissioner for the state of New York says he is "prepared to enforce" a tobacco tax on tribes. Thomas Mattox was confirmed to the head of the Department of Taxation and Finance on Tuesday. He said the...
Navajo Nation president approves lease extension at power plant (03/09)
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly signed a lease extension for a coal-fired power plant on the New Mexico portion of the reservation. Shelly said he wanted to protect jobs at the Four Corners Power Plant. The facility employs over 700...
Deadline approaches for end to ferry that crosses Lummi Nation (03/08)
Officials in Whatcom County, Washington, have until April 11 to negotiate a new agreement with the Lummi Nation or face the end of ferry service from a site on tribal land. The tribe's 25-year lease for the Lummi Island ferry...
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe celebrates opening of first credit union (03/08)
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan held a grand opening and reception for its new credit union. The Chippewa Eagle Federal Credit Union gained federal approval last year. It will provide services to an estimated 7,800 members and employees of...
BIA urged to get involved in dispute over ferry on Lummi Nation (03/04)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is being urged to get involved in a dispute over a ferry on the Lummi Nation in Washington. The tribe owns the land where the Lummi Island ferry docks. The tribe has been negotiating a...
Kevin Abourezk: Tribes in Nebraska oppose tobacco taxation bill (03/03)
"When Lance Morgan went to work for his tribe in 1992, the Winnebago Tribe had just $180,000 in discretionary funds. The Harvard law graduate helped create businesses and jobs, and the tribe now employs nearly 2,000 people and generates more...
Pala Band close to finalizing deal to purchase ranch for $20.5M (03/01)
The Pala Band of Mission Indians is close to finalizing a deal to buy the Warner Springs Ranch for $20.5 million. The 2,500-acre ranch includes a 250-room resort, mineral hot springs, horse stables, a glider port and an 18-hole golf...
Oneida Nation leader heads to Los Angeles to promote filming (02/25)
Oneida Nation leader Ray Halbritter is headed to Los Angeles to attend the Academy Awards and to promote central New York as a filming location. Halbritter said filming could provide a boost to the local economy. "Beyond the much needed...
Navajo Nation president urged to reject lease for power plant (02/25)
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly is being urged by a former rival to veto a lease for a coal-fired power plant on the New Mexico portion of the reservation. Shelly, who took office in January, is considering a deal that...
Muscogee sisters celebrate 20 years with successful business (02/24)
Three Muscogee Creek sisters from Oklahoma will celebrate 20 years of business in May. Lori Nalley and her sisters, Tracy and Debbie, started Tiger Natural Gas in 1991. The business is named for their Creek grandfather, Jeff Tiger. The business...
Republican lawmaker wants to put tobacco tax on Idaho tribes (02/24)
Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney (R) introduced a bill that would force tribes to collect the state's tobacco tax. Denney doesn't want customers to go to reservations just to find cheaper cigarettes. His bill raises the state's tax to $1.25...
Idaho Republicans targeting tribes with tobacco taxation bill (02/22)
Republican lawmakers in Idaho are threatening to impose the state's tobacco tax on tribes. Lawmakers are considering a bill to raise the state's tax from 57 cents per pack to $1.25 per pack.One provision could try to force tribes to...
Yakama Nation seeing more business with its utility company (02/22)
The Yakama Nation of Washington is moving closer to its goal to provide power to the entire reservation. Yakama Power serves tribal offices, tribal businesses, the Indian Health Service and a tribal housing unit. The tribe recently struck a deal...
Yakama cigarette firm raided after filing lawsuit against state (02/18)
A tobacco company owned by a member of the Yakama Nation was raided by federal authorities on Wednesday, a day after it filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington. King Mountain Tobacco Co. confirmed the raid by the FBI...
County supervisor says Torrez Martinez Tribe owes gas taxes (02/17)
An official in Imperial County, California, says the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Tribe owes millions of dollars in gas taxes to the state. District 4 supervisor Gary Wyatt has urged the state Board of Equalization to go after the tribe....
Lummi Nation sets 60-day deadline for closure of ferry service (02/16)
The Lummi Nation has given Whatcom County, Washington, 60 days to stop ferry service from a site on tribal land. The tribe and the county have been trying to negotiate a new deal for the Lummi Island ferry. According to...
Opinion: Payday lenders hide behind tribal sovereign immunity (02/14)
"A curious situation came to the attention of regulators some five years ago as they were looking into complaints about online payday lenders. The folks who were doing the lending claimed to be arms of Indian tribes based in other...
Yakama Nation launches its motor vehicle registration program (02/11)
The Yakama Nation of Washington has launched a pilot program for motor vehicle registrations. The tribe will maintain a registration that is open to all local jurisdictions. Information will be shared with top law enforcement agencies in the U.S, Canada...
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