Latest HeadlinesGreat Wolf tax case begins in federal courtA federal judge heard oral arguments Thursday in the lawsuit brought by the Chehalis Indian tribe to prevent Thurston County from collecting property taxes on the Great Wolf Lodge. The case pits the right of state and local governments to levy and collect taxes to provide public services against the sovereignty of Indian tribes and their efforts to expand economic activity beyond casinos. Energy Attorney Carol Harvey Named To Indian Affairs PostEnergy attorney Carol Harvey is the new executive secretary of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien announced. The executive secretary acts as a liaison between the Southern Ute Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the urban American Indian population and the State of Colorado. The position was created by the Colorado General Assembly in 1976. Grant would fund broadband Internet to Tribal communitiesA grant to bring broadband Internet services to the eight Choctaw Indian communities is being pursued by the Tribe. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is seeking the grant through the USDA Rural Utility Service Broadband Initiatives Program. The grant would come under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This project could have far-reaching results, not just to the Tribal entities and residents, but to non-members who live in the rural areas as well, Michelle York, Information Technology director for the Tribe, said. Pow wow celebrates heritageCanadian Indian Joel Syrette has been busy sharing his traditional dancing lately, performing the various styles of Native American dance to large public audiences at NMU and beyond. Syrette recently performed in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, an event that he said was beneficial as a means of accurately portraying Native American culture on a global scale. Secretary Salazar Announces $3.7M In Renewable Energy Project Grants For 13 Tribal CommunitiesSecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently announced that the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development has awarded $3.7M to tribes that are developing renewable energy resources for their communities. Access to these resources will allow these communities to develop jobs and additional economic opportunities on their reservations, while decreasing their reliance on fossil fuels. Connecting to a Culture Using 4 WheelsRyan Washington, 21, said he can perform over 100 gravity-defying tricks on his skateboard, which has given him a place of honor at the local skate park. “There is no limit to what you can do on a piece of wood with plastic wheels, he said. “Whenever I master a trick, I feel like I am on top of the world.” Senate Approves Abenaki Recognition(Host) The Vermont Senate has unanimously approved legislation that's designed to expand state recognition to various Bands of the Abenaki Indian tribe. Supporters of the bill say it will allow the Bands to take full advantage of a variety of federal programs. VPR's Bob Kinzel reports. It's time to get countedIt's a warning you don't see very often on a piece of mail: "YOUR RESPONSE IS REQUIRED BY LAW." But that message is greeting most people in the United States this week as the once-a-decade census forms reach American mailboxes. The U.S. Census Bureau wants the forms returned by April 1. Mandated by the U.S. Constitution to apportion representation in Congress, census data also is used in various formulas to set state and local government districts, award grants and spend public money. Quechan boost HIV/AIDS awarenessThe Quechan Indian Tribe will be celebrating the fourth annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Friday. Events will include a Community Wellness Walk, children's activities, traditional entertainment, resource booths, guest speakers, Spiritual Running and a candlelight vigil to honor those who have died from the disease. The Native Red Ribbon HIV/AIDS Pendleton Blanket will be on display. House OKs bill to block casinoArizona lawmakers are hopping mad at a Southern Arizona Indian tribe that is planning a casino and resort near Glendale and are pushing legislation aimed at allowing the city to annex the proposed site without the consent of the tribe. The bill, H2297, cleared the House of Representatives today by a narrow 31-26 margin. It received the minimum number of votes required to pass. Talks held on Hardin jail futureSherry Matteucci, a former U.S. attorney for Montana, gave more details Tuesday on a recent meeting in Hardin to discuss possible uses for that city’s vacant detention facility. Matteucci, now a private attorney in Billings, said she was retained by Municipal Capital Markets, the underwriter of the economic development bonds that were sold to finance construction of the jail, to work with the Crow Tribe to develop a project involving the facility. EPA Announces the New Office of International and Tribal Affairs ActionU.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, who has highlighted strengthening tribal partnerships as a top priority during her tenure, today announced an internal restructuring that brings EPA’s international and tribal programs together under one umbrella organization called the Office of International & Tribal Affairs (OITA). Reader: Students May Be Partly to Blame for District's Native American Mix-UpReader Indian Educator responds to Seattle School District Likely Owes $300,000 to the Feds After Submitting False Information. "I run a similar program using funds from the same source. The program guidelines are quite clear: A 'qualified' student is one who is enrolled in a state or federally recognized tribe or whose parent or grandparent is enrolled. Lawsuit threatens talks on live dealers at Cherokee casinoA new lawsuit brought by a former video poker operator claims North Carolina’s governor doesn’t have the authority to negotiate gambling rights with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The lawsuit threatens to further delay negotiations between Gov. Bev Perdue and Principal Chief Michell Hicks regarding the introduction of Las Vegas-style card dealers at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, a move the tribe says would create hundreds of new jobs. 35 years later, Murrow director gives up temporary positionWhen Joan W. Brown began her work at the Murrow Indian Children’s Home, it was supposed to be a temporary position. That was in 1974. “I was going to Bacone College, had my family started and had gone back to school,” she said. After 35 years of work, Brown is retiring at the end of this month. She said she’ll continue helping out, but the full duties will be taken over by Betty Martin. Pacific smelt declared a threatened speciesConcurring with a petition from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, the Obama administration on Tuesday officially declared Pacific smelt as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing eventually could mean further curtailments of commercial fishing and recreational smelt-dipping, although Oregon and Washington have already cut back on those opportunities due to anemic runs in recent years. Sycuan Band, Kumeyaay Nation, Daniel Tucker Oppose US PokerWith California’s Native American tribes having such a powerful influence on the outcome of a bill that may bring intrastate poker to the state this year, it is interesting to see what tribal gaming groups have to say about legalizing and regulating online poker and gambling on a national level. Appeals court vacates convictions of 2 non-IndiansAn appeals court on Tuesday threw out the convictions of two Montana men with American Indian heritage after ruling their bloodlines and affiliations did not merit prosecution under the law that establishes federal jursidiction over serious crimes on tribal lands. Revenue board seeks outside inputLocal governments will have an opportunity to review a proposed plan for the distribution of FireKeepers Casino gambling revenue before any plan is finalized. Members of the FireKeepers Local Revenue Sharing Board agreed Monday to send notice to government bodies throughout Calhoun County of a distribution breakdown proposed by the Nottawaseppi Band of Huron Potawatomi, the American Indian tribe that operates the Emmett Township facility. Nooksack Tribe settles lawsuit over Northwood casino loan Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/03/16/1340086/nooksack-tribe-settles-lawsuit.html#ixzz0iLksOKMnThe Nooksack Indian Tribe has worked out a settlement of a lawsuit originally filed by a Minnesota bank, alleging that the tribe was behind on repayment of more than $26 million in loans used to build and equip the Nooksack Northwood Casino. In a written statement, Nooksack Chairman Narz Cunanan said the tribe had negotiated more favorable terms for the loan, although terms were not disclosed. Seattle School District Likely Owes $300,000 to the Feds After Submitting False InformationAlready facing a budget crisis that has it laying off staff, the Seattle School District now expects it will have to return about $300,000 to the federal government. To help fund a program targeted at Native Americans, the U.S. Department of Education provides a certain amount of money per child enrolled. UWS grad is first Native American appointed to UW RegentsThe University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is on the cusp of having its first Native American board member. Governor Jim Doyle has appointed Eau Claire attorney Ed Manydeeds as its newest regent, pending confirmation by the state Senate. Manydeeds is an enrolled member of South Dakota’s Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and a 1973 graduate of UW-Superior. O'odham tribal member nears end of his journeyFor more than a decade, Terrol Dew Johnson has advocated healthy eating. But the co-founder of Tohono O'odham Community Action - a nonprofit grass-roots organization that supports traditional farming, healthy foods and tribal culture - did not heed his own advice. In 1996, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes - an epidemic among tribal members. Native Americans living in desperate povertyPeople who live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota lack resources including jobs, funding and housing. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota is the poorest reservation in the United States. Nearly half of its nearly 30,000 residents live below the poverty level, and life expectancy is among the lowest in the Western world. Reservation death under investigationFederal and tribal authorities are investigating the death of a 19-year-old man whose body was found Sunday on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The body of Benjamin Hernandez was found near a lagoon north of Evergreen Housing community along BIA Road 27. Evergreen is north of Porcupine, according to Bob Perry of the FBI. Native Americans celebrate heritage at CSULB Pow WowEagle feathers floated in the spring-like breeze while a vivid assortment of brightly-colored ribbons, furs, beads and shawls whirled in the air, making up the clothing of a sea of energetically dancing Native Americans. Representing many different tribes from all over the United States, they participated in inter-tribal dances and competitions at Cal State Long Beach’s 40th Annual Pow Wow, March 13-14. Cost of oil spill into bay: $588,000Polar Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips Co., has agreed to pay $588,000 to help compensate the public for environmental harm caused by the October 2004 crude oil spill into Puget Sound's Dalco Passage near Tacoma. The payment would come under a proposed settlement agreement or consent decree filed this week in U.S. Oneidas cool to state’s new cigarette proposalThe sale of untaxed cigarettes from Indians to non-Indians has been a long standing issue, especially in the Mohawk Valley with the Oneida Indian Nation. Now Gov. David Paterson is giving collecting this revenue another shot, looking to enforce a law he signed in Utica in December 2008. Local Indian nations are cool to the concept. Crow consider bid to take over empty Hardin jailThe Crow Tribe is exploring the idea of making use of the vacant Hardin jail, possibly as a drug-and-alcohol treatment center for Indians from across the country. Crow Tribal Chairman Cedric Black Eagle said Monday that representatives of the tribe met last week at the jail with representatives of the city of Hardin, Sen. Max Baucus’ office, the Department of Justice and holders of the bonds used to finance construction of the jail. San Manuel supports American Indian Veterans MemorialThey were among the Marines who raised the stars and stripes atop Mount Suribachi during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. American Indian code talkers from 13 tribes relayed critical communications using their native languages to stump the enemy in World War I and World War II. Yet no memorial exists honoring the contributions American Indians have made to the U.S. Armed Forces. Native American Art Show drawing artists from across nationThe Native American Art Show is beginning to draw artists from outside this region, according to its organizers. "We're starting to get a nationwide representation instead of just from the West Coast," said Sue Pate. "We've had a lot of new inquiries this year, including calls from Kansas and a couple from the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina." Looking Wolf dedicates newest CD to fighting drug, alcohol abuseThe past few years have been quite a journey for Kalapuya Native, Jan Michael Looking Wolf. In 2008, Looking Wolf was named “Flutist of the Year” in both the Indian Summer Music Awards and the Native American Music Awards. In 2009, Looking Wolf won the esteemed “Artist of the Year” award for his album “The Looking Wolf Project.” Whiteclay panel discussion to be held April 7A tribal president, a religious leader, an author and a filmmaker are among those invited to take part in an April 7 panel discussion at Bellevue University on alcohol sales at Whiteclay. "This event provides an excellent opportunity for students and guests to learn more about the Whiteclay experience and join in the conversation," said Patrick Artz, Bellevue University professor and panel moderator. US alligator wrestling body hopes to make a killing with blood, gore and gutsBlood trickles from a gash below Paul Bedard’s left ear, a wound that could have been worse considering that he incurred it while kissing an 8ft (2.5m) alligator under water. In the viewing stands overlooking the pool where he is performing, a crowd of 800 people cheers and gasps as he dives to wrangle the reptile, anxious to impress the panel of judges who are assessing his moves. The National Broadband Plan and Indian CountryWhen it comes to internet broadband connectivity, much of the United States is still a hungry bird. The United States has fallen far behind globally in terms of the number of households who access the internet via broadband. At the start of the Bush administration, the US ranked fourth in broadband access and adoption in households and businesses across the country. Game based on King Philip’s War angers Native AmericansA new board game that pits 17th-century Colonists against New England’s Indian tribes is sparking a 21st-century skirmish between the publisher and Native American leaders. The game, called King Philip’s War, allows players to defeat Colonial or Indian forces in “a momentous example of New England frontier savagery,” says Multi-Man Publishing, a military game company in Millersville, MD. Pow Wow tells stories of American Indian historyA man dressed in traditional American Indian regalia heads to the arena to participate in a gourd dancing performance. The 40th annual Pow Wow took place March 13-14 on upper campus. Sounds of drum beats, prayers, songs, dances and storytelling, and the scent of American Indian foods spread throughout upper campus over the weekend as Cal State Long Beach hosted its 40th annual Pow Wow. UAW Brokers First Union Contract Under Tribal LawAmerican Indian casinos are big business in the United States, with an estimated 280,000 people employed across more than 400 sites. That huge workforce is largely unorganized. Only a few such casinos recognize union contracts. Among them is North America's largest gaming center, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. Social priorities for tribe’s new chiefLynn Malerba, a peripatetic businesswoman with a high-wattage smile, has been able to flourish an eye-catching résumé: nurse manager, hospital executive, casino expert. Now she can add one more — chief — after her appointment this month as the first female leader of the Mohegan tribe in nearly 300 years. In this role, Malerba will be asked to straddle two starkly different worlds: Stillaguamish Tribe carve river canoeMonty Charlie greets them with his shirt off, sweat on his brow and a chisel in his hand. Laughing as they get out of the car on this warm February day, Stillaguamish tribal members Shawn Yanity and Jeff Tatro tease Charlie and holler for him to get dressed. It's an hour's drive for Yanity and Tatro from their Arlington homes to this house on the Lummi reservation near Bellingham. The cousins keep making this trip in an attempt to reclaim their past. Gambling Supporters Push for More Casinos in MichiganTwo major gambling proposals in Michigan would add at least seven new casinos in metropolitan areas and at horse racing tracks. The state already has 22 casinos with the 23rd already under construction. Todd Boorsma, president of MichGO, an opposition group, said it hasn't produced much financial relief. Doctor visit: Lawmaker takes aim at tribal lawsuitState Rep. Doug Cox isn’t happy with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation — as a lawmaker or as a physician. The tribe filed a federal lawsuit in January regarding legislation that made changes to the state tax code. Senate Bill 608 seeks to crack down on tobacco bootleggers. Among other things, it stiffens the penalty for those who deal in cigarettes that don’t have proper tax stamps, and requires smokeshops to buy their tobacco from state-licensed wholesalers if the tribe doesn’t have a compact with the state. Missing Lodge Pole woman foundA two-day search and rescue effort on the Fort Belknap Reservation ended successfully Monday night when the woman reported missing called into police. Mable Hoops, a 30-year-old Lodge Pole woman, was last seen in her hometown by relatives on Saturday morning. Family members reported her missing to police on Sunday afternoon and a search was conducted by the Fort Belknap police along with search and rescue teams from Hill, Phillips and Blaine counties. Shinnecocks are looking at benefits that come with federal recognitionAs luck would have it, so to speak, a week after the Shinnecock Indian Nation learned that it had received preliminary federal recognition came a heaping reminder of the kinds of benefits that long-awaited status might bring. “The Mashantucket Pequot received [federal] funding for snow removal,” Shinnecock Tribal Trustee Chairman Randy King said as he and fellow Trustee Fred Bess helped dig out the driveway of an elderly tribe member on Monday. |
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