News Archive: April 20, 2007 Archives

April 20, 2007
Judge orders Cobell accounting trial for October 10
The federal judge overseeing the Cobell trust fund case has scheduled an October 10 historical accounting trial. In a five-page order issued today, Judge James Robertson said it was time to move the case forward. He noted that it has...

Cason explains misgivings on land-into-trust
For the past few years, tribal leaders have complained of an unofficial moratorium on land-into-trust applications. Interior Department officials have repeatedly denied it. They point to at least a dozen requests that have been approved since the start of the...

Alaska Native leader Ed Thomas leaves top post
Ed Thomas, the longtime president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, resigned on Thursday, effective immediately. Thomas led the council for 23 years. His announcement, which came at the end of his...

Alaska Native leaders target alcohol smuggling
Alaska Native leaders hope to send a strong message to people who want to smuggle alcohol into dry villages. The Tanana Chiefs Conference and Doyon, an Alaska Native regional corporation, joined the Fairbanks Airport Police Department in dumping 48 gallons...

Memorial service for McKenzie, first Navajo doctor
Hundreds attended a memorial service for Taylor McKenzie, the first Navajo surgeon and former vice president of the Navajo Nation who died April 13 at the age of 76. Through his longtime career in public and Indian health, as...

Second defendant pleads to attack on Navajo man
A second defendant pleaded guilty to a violent attack on a Navajo man in Farmington, New Mexico. C.L. Carney, 21, admitted to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery, assault with intent to commit a violent felon. He said in court that...

Lawmaker targets Cherokee Nation funding
Rep. Diane Watson (D-California) wants to cut federal funds to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma after tribal members voted to oust descendants of African slaves. Watson asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to look into the March 3 election that...

Jodi Rave: More Natives needed in journalism
"Cheryl Cedar Face said she’s going to be a news reporter. The Pine Ridge High School student plans to attend the University of South Dakota this fall and earn a degree in journalism. But a year ago, Cedar Face never...

Seneca Nation withdraws agreement for highway
The Seneca Nation has rescinded an agreement to allow the New York Thruway to pass through tribal land. The issue is separate from an escalating fight over tobacco and sales taxes on the reservation. But Seneca President Maurice John...

Omaha Reservation boundaries a source of dispute
The boundaries of the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska are again generating debate. The tribe maintains the reservation includes several towns where non-Indians settled. But some local officials say the tribe lost the land. The issue has led to law enforcement...

Arizona ranks second for Indian HIV/AIDS cases
Arizona has the second highest-rate of HIV/AIDS cases among American Indians and Alaska Natives, The Yuma Sun reports. Native Americans are about 5 percent of the state population. They represent about 4 percent of the HIV/AIDS cases, according to...

Author rejects honorary degree from 'Fighting Sioux'
Ojibwe author Louise Erdrich has rejected an honorary degree from the University of North Dakota because the school continues to use the "Fighting Sioux" logo and nickname. Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in...

Counties oppose Coeur d'Alene land-into-trust
Two Idaho counties are opposing the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's land-into-trust application. The tribe wants about 2,800 acres placed in trust. The request covers eight parcels in Kootenai County and 21 parcels in Benewah County. Commissioners from both counties are objecting,...

Former Seminole chairman Billie seeks old job
Jim Billie, the former chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, wants his old job back. Billie was removed by the tribal council in 2003 after 23 years as leader. He faced questions about his financial dealings but was never...

Shinnecock leaders requested probe of drug trafficking
Leaders of the Shinnecock Nation of New York reacted with sadness after authorities raided the reservation on Thursday but noted they sought an investigation of drug trafficking. The tribe's board of trustees contacted the Suffolk County district attorney to...

Rep. Doolittle gives up Appropriations seat
Rep. John Doolittle (R-California) gave up his seat on the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, less than a week after FBI agents raided his Virginia home. Doolittle is linked to three investigations. One involves his wife, who received a cut...

Rep. Renzi steps down from panel after FBI raid
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Arizona), the co-chairman of the Congressional Native American Caucus, stepped down from the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday after FBI agents raided a family business in Arizona. Renzi said the FBI took documents from the Patriot Insurance...

Sen. Coburn tells Gonzales to resign over firings
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) told U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign over the firings of several federal prosecutors. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, Coburn said the best way for the Department of Justice to move on...

Griles marries former DOJ official after guilty plea
Former Interior Department deputy secretary J. Steven Griles married his girlfriend three days after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Griles married Sue Ellen Wooldridge, a former Department of Justice official, on...

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