22 Dec 2009: Native News from PECHANGA.net

Penobscot chief calls on Obama to help stop state erosion of tribal sovereignty (MAINE) -- When the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed in 1980, a Senate report celebrated the event with the statement that “from this day forward the tribes of Maine will be forever free from state interference when it comes to matters internal to their tribes.”

Non-native services could provide boost (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- In rural South Dakota where communities struggle to hold onto their hospitals and health centers, Ray Grandbois, a retired Indian Health Service administrator, contends that IHS could provide a solution.

Specialty clinic might be benefit - or duplication (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- Tribal people in South Dakota go to heart, cancer and other specialists at 15 percent to 20 percent of average South Dakotans, according to IHS numbers.

Indian health crisis: Finding answers / More than money needed to solve issues in Indian Health Service (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- Destiny Black Lance did not understand. The man she loved lay in an emergency room bed, gasping for breath behind a seemingly ineffective oxygen mask, staring vacantly with eyes she did not recognize.

Many can't pay outside providers (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- With few or no specialists at reservation hospitals and clinics, Indian Health Services often has to pay outside providers for heart, cancer, orthopedic and other care.

MARK TRAHANT: Indian Country & health care reform / Are we there yet? (USA) -- Early Monday morning the Senate moved health care insurance reform one step closer to becoming law. But the steps ahead, in political terms, must be perfect.

Untapped resources offer hope (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- In a health care system funded at only half the need on South Dakota's reservations, tapping into other dollar streams can be the difference between another doctor, or a CT Scan machine.

Rules inhibit flexibility, creativity (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- While underfunding certainly helps to fuel health disparities between Indian and non-Indian America, many insist bureaucracy drives the problem, too.

Dorgan cites 'major breakthrough' on Indian health (WASHINGTON, DC) -- Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, announced a "major breakthrough" today on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

Indian health care: 'Historic failure' / Native Americans face long waits, rushed doctors, questionable care (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- Cleveland Kills In Sight fears the night. He fears the nightmare that visits him in the darkness of his St. Francis apartment, bringing with it the terror of a morning two months ago when he lay in his hospital bed and a doctor pressed her fingers against his nose, trying to stop his breathing.

Appropriations bill kind to S.D. tribes, universities (WASHINGTON, DC) -- Congress can't decide what to do about health care or global warming, but luckily for a bevy of South Dakota interests, it still knows how to spend money.

Horseback Ride for Lights and Human Rights (SOUTH DAKOTA) -- In August of 2008, after hearing horror stories about the poverty-stricken conditions and the blatant human rights violations and abuses that the residents of Crow Creek, South Dakota suffer, CAN-DO delivered emergency supplies to the reservation.

Factions develop over tribal recall election (CALIFORNIA) -- A dispute over a recall election has led to conflicts at Elem Indian Colony. The Lake County Sheriff's Office received three separate calls and responded each time to the rancheria on Monday, according to Capt. James Bauman.

HSU to host one-day tribal collaboration conference (CALIFORNIA) -- Tom Lidot, a member of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska and a member of the Chilkat Indian Village, will speak on strengthening collaborations between tribes and county agencies at a one-day conference on Friday, Jan. 8, at Humboldt State University.

Court Upholds Stricter Indian Protection Laws (CALIFORNIA) -- California can apply stricter Indian cultural protections than required by federal law, a state appeals court ruled, because federal law only sets minimum standards.

Navajo leaders ask what's next (NEW MEXICO) -- Fewer than half of the Navajo Nation's registered voters cast ballots in the Dec. 15 vote that affected two branches of the tribal government.

Homesite leases frozen / Upper Fruitland area inundated with residents (ARIZONA) -- The Resources Committee has approved a moratorium on new homesite leases within Upper Fruitland Chapter and will direct the Navajo Land Department to cease processing new requests for homesites until further notice.

DiCiccio details land holdings on Gila River tribe land (ARIZONA) -- Sal DiCiccio has a long-term lease to develop 75 acres of Gila River Indian Community land just north of Wild Horse Pass, on the south side of Pecos Road at 40th Street.

Navajo Peacemaking and Safe Schools at STAR School (ARIZONA) -- As a Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative, the Navajo Peacemaking/Safe Schools Project (NP/SS) joins a highly successful movement to create safe schools for our students.

Know law in working with tribes (MICHIGAN) -- Michigan is home to 12 of the more than 560 federally recognized American Indian tribes in the U.S. Many American Indian and non-Indian businesses in Michigan operate in tribal areas. It is important for these business owners to grasp the political, regulatory, legal, and financial outcomes of operating under the authority of tribal communities.

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