News Archive: May 4, 2007 Archives

May 4, 2007
A 'revolving door' for criminals on Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is seeking $2.2 million from the federal government to address what one official called a "revolving door" for criminals. The tribe only has 80 jail beds on its three-state reservation. That means most offenders are going free....

Montana woman sentenced for lying about rape
A woman from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana was sentenced to two years of probation for lying about being raped at a Bureau of Indian Affairs jail. Jennifer Marie Simpson Woodenlegs, 28, apologized for falsely accusing three Bureau of...

Shadow Wolves report record seizures of drugs
The Shadow Wolves, an all-Native unit of border trackers, have been having a record year since being transferred out of the U.S. Border Patrol. The unit recently seized 1,246 pounds of marijuana, one of the largest single seizures ever....

EPA still reviewing Navajo Nation power plant
The Environmental Protection Agency has received more than 1,000 comments on the air permit for the Navajo Nation's proposed power plant in northwestern New Mexico. The EPA has to review and respond to all of the comments before moving forward....

Court opens Alaska Native corporation to suit
An Alaska Native corporation can be sued for allegedly discriminating against its employees, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. In a unanimous decision, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that Congress exempted tribes and Alaska Native corporations from...

Ousted Hopi chairman awaits tribal court ruling
Council members for the Hopi Tribe of Arizona met on Monday to consider the fate of ousted chairman Ben Nuvamsa but decided to leave the matter to the courts. On March 27, the council removed Nuvamsa after less than a...

Bush administration opposes Native Hawaiian bill
INDIANZ.COM LISTENING LOUNGE Opening Remarks Panel 1 Testimony - Q&A Part 1 - Q&A Part 2 Panel 2 - Testimony - Q&A The Bush administration opposes the Native Hawaiian recognition bill, a Department of Justice official said on Thursday....

Teacher denies abuse at Onondaga Nation school
A music teacher accused of abusing and endangering 17 girls at the Onondaga Nation School in New York denies any wrongdoing. “It just didn’t happen,” Albert Scerbo told The New York Times in an interview. “It’s just not right.” Scerbo,...

Third defendant pleads guilty to beating Navajo man
The third defendant in the racially-motivated beating case of a Navajo man in Farmington, New Mexico, has pleaded guilty. Freddie Brooks, 21, admitted to his role in the kidnapping, robbery and assault of William Blackie. He said he kicked Blackie...

Alaska Republicans seek review of tribal status
The top Republicans in the Alaska Legislature have asked Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to review the legal status of the state's 200-plus tribes. A letter from House Speaker John Harris and Senate President Lyda Green cites "profound policy consequences" created...

Deer: Demanding justice for Native women victims
"On April 24, Amnesty International released a report - ''Maze of Injustice'' - documenting the numerous human rights violations associated with the sexual assault of Native women in the United States. I was fortunate enough to be one among the...

Novak: Mitt Romney and a Mormon Massacre
"Opening in theaters Friday, a motion picture called "September Dawn" depicts a brutal American massacre that has been forgotten. On Sept. 11, 1857, in Utah Territory, Mormons slaughtered more than 120 California-bound settlers from Arkansas. Retelling at this time the...

Opinion: Virginia Indians advocate 'mythology'
"Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe was less charitable. He opined: "The word annihilation, the word holocaust, the word atrocity come to mind when I think of 1607." Chief Adams is not talking about the unprovoked mass murder...

Experts criticize policy after Ojibwe boy, 11, jailed
Law enforcement experts criticized a policy that led to the arrest of an 11-year-old Ojibwe boy in Minnesota. The boy was handcuffed and held overnight even though is a victim and witness in an assault case. Authorities in Mille Lacs...

Nez Perce Chair: Responding to rumors about Oregon
"This May is the 130th anniversary of the forced removal of Nez Perce people from the Wallowa Valley. Nez Perce descendants today live and work across several Indian reservations and around the world. It is odd that, at this moment...

Rep. Doolittle says Democrat raided over Abramoff
Facing scrutiny for his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Rep. John Doolittle (R-California) said the FBI also raided the home of a Democratic lawmaker. Doolittle wouldn't name the lawmaker but said the raid was connected to the Abramoff probe....

Suit over Havasupai blood research dismissed
The Havasupai Tribe of Arizona says it will appeal a judge's decision to dismiss its lawsuit against Arizona State University. The tribe sued on behalf of its members, whose blood samples were used for research to which they didn't consent....

Editorial: Foxes guard henhouse at Interior
"Interior has been a hotbed of duplicitous conduct by political appointees of President Bush. Most of them come from industries they now are supposed to police. But time and again, news reporters and congressmen have discovered these appointees watering down...

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