Officials identify couple found dead in home

Browning, Montana (AP)

Authorities have released the names of a husband and wife who were found dead in their home during August. The bodies of Susie and Gary Spotted Bear, both of whom were in their mid-40s, were discovered by a family member. The cause of death was not determined, and further investigation is necessary, Glacier County Undersheriff Jeff Fauque said.

Election of Santee Sioux leader put on hold

Sioux Falls, South Dakota (AP)

An Aug. 29 hearing was scheduled on a challenge to the results of the election for president of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. Josh Weston defeated incumbent Mark Allen 122-109 in the Aug. 1 election. Allen’s supporters are challenging the election, said Richard Nesje, a member of the tribal election board, which ruled that there is sufficient merit to go to a hearing. “The issue primarily was whether Josh Weston had established residency for a year prior to running,” says Rollyn Samp, tribal lawyer.

No Bigfoot to be found

in South Dakota school

Rapid City, South Dakota (AP)

Ignore the reports – the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology said it does not have the body of the legendary Bigfoot. An Internet site “reported” that one of the mythological creatures had been shot near Slim Buttes on the Pine Ridge Reservation and that the body was taken to a School of Mines laboratory for studies. The body of Bigfoot was supposedly seen and given a ceremonial treatment by three Lakota elders, including Wilmer Mesteth. “Tell them it’s a bunch of baloney,” Mesteth said. “I think someone is playing a practical joke.”

Hopi chair investigated after alcohol incident

Flagstaff, Arizona (AP)

The chairman of the Hopi Tribe is being investigated for potential violations of the tribe’s code of conduct after an incident in which he was allegedly intoxicated in a Winslow hotel and detained by police. Chairman Ivan Sidney was staying at the hotel on June 27 when the manager called police reporting that Sidney was intoxicated and had urinated in the lobby, police reports show. Officers found him there unable to walk and took him to a hospital, where a test showed his blood alcohol content was .31 percent, more than three times the legal limit for driving. Sidney issued a statement calling the detention a “medical incident” and said he was innocent of any wrongdoing. A council member asked that he be investigated for violating the tribe’s code of conduct, and a formal investigation was opened by the council. A citizen’s group was circulating a petition requesting that he be immediately removed from office. Alcohol is forbidden on Hopi land. Any government official convicted of drunkenness can be automatically removed from office, according to the tribe’s constitution. The tribe’s press officer, Bertha Parker, said that Sidney was on official leave and not on the reservation when the incident happened.

Two plead not

guilty in hate crimes case

Farmington, New Mexico (AP)

Two men arrested in a beating that authorities have labeled a possible hate crime pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other charges. John Winer, 18, of Farmington pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to commit a violent felony. Freddie Brooks, 20, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit robbery, aggravated assault and battery. The pair were arraigned Aug. 21 in state district court in connection with the June 4 beating of William Blackie, 46, who told police his attackers hit him on the back of the head and yelled racial slurs because he is an American Indian.

United Tribes lacks

space, caps enrollment

Bismarck, North Dakota (AP)

United Tribes Technical College has capped its enrollment because of space constraints. President David Gipp said the college is anticipating a fall enrollment of 1,160 students. The school also is home to nearly 500 children whose parents attend classes. Gipp said he expects the enrollment cap to be temporary. “We’re busy trying to build a new apartment house on campus, trying to acquire some housing in... the city of Bismarck, so we are trying to address our growth issues,” he said.

Dickinson State, Three Tribes form partnership

Dickinson, North Dakota (AP)

Dickinson State University and the Three Affiliated Tribes have formed a partnership to educate future entrepreneurs. Dickinson State will offer its Certification in Entrepreneurship program in New Town, and will involve tribal members in “think tank” activities at the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Revitalization. The university and the tribe hope to eventually create a Native American Business Enterprise Center at Fort Berthold Community College in New Town.

Accident leaves N.D. Congressman with skinned lip, swollen nose

Bismarck, North Dakota (AP)

Rep. Earl Pomeroy says he was able to finish a horseback parade ride with a skinned lip and swollen nose after he fell off his mount and was almost knocked cold before the event started. “You’re going to get off a horse on one of two occasions. When you think it’s a good idea, or the horse thinks it’s a good idea,” Pomeroy said. When the incident happened, the Democratic congressman was taking part in a “Signature Event” at New Town, on the Fort Berthold Reservation, marking the 200th anniversary of the Missouri River exploration trip of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Shiprock residents

asked to conserve water

Shiprock, New Mexico (AP)

Residents are being asked to conserve water until the monsoon season passes. Recent heavy rains have caused mud and silt to dump into the San Juan River, which fuels the city’s water supply. Herb Beyale, field superintendent, said a treatment plant here does not have the capability to treat heavy sediment in the water. Without the river water, the city’s storage tanks are at drastically low levels, according to a news release from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.

Santee Sioux to

expand tribal health clinic

Santee, Nebraska (AP)

The Santee Sioux Tribe will go ahead with expansion of its medical clinic. Growing demand prompted plans for a $3.5 million addition to the Santee Health Center in northern Knox County. Mike Henry, health administrator for the clinic and reservation, said the patient load has doubled in the past six years. “We have approximately 12,000 or 13,000 visitations annually – and we are a small community of about 700 residents,” he said.

Cheyenne River primary winners announced

Pierre, South Dakota (AP)

The Cheyenne River Sioux election board’s canvass of the tribe’s primary election has verified the top finishers. Tribal Chairman Harold Frazier and challenger Frank Thompson received the most votes out a 17-person field and will face each other for chairman in the general election Nov. 7. After absentee ballots and affidavits were added into the primary results, Frazier received 386 votes and Thompson 198. Candidates for chairman, treasurer, secretary and council representatives had five business days to ask for a recount.

Election of Comanche chairman challenged

Lawton, Oklahoma (AP)

The results of a second election to determine the next chairman of the Comanche Nation has been challenged. Michael Burgess, who received 52 fewer votes than incumbent Wallace Coffey in the August 19 election, filed a protest Aug. 22 with election board president James Yellowfish at the Comanche Nation Tribal Complex office. The Comanche Business Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet and determine the outcome of the protest, public information officer Jolene Schonchin said. Burgess was the winner of a May 13 election for chairman, but the results of that vote were nullified after Coffey requested a recount and anomalies were found in the results. Burgess received 28 percent of the vote in that election, compared to 25 percent for Johnny Wauqua and 23 percent for Coffey. In the vice chairman’s election, incumbent vice chairman Darrell Bread defeated Willie Nelson by 40 votes.