FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – A Hopi official says 24 ceremonial items purchased last year at a French auction house have been returned to the tribe in northern Arizona.

Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, says representatives from the Annenberg Foundation brought them Friday afternoon to the village of Walpi on Hopi land.

He says a cultural ceremony was held to welcome back the Kachina friends.

The Los Angeles-based charity also separately returned artifacts to the San Carlos Apache tribe.

The foundation bought the masks last December at a contested auction in Paris.

The tribes argued the artifacts represent their ancestors’ spirits and shouldn’t be sold.

A bid by the tribes’ lawyers to get a French court to block the auction failed after a judge ruled the sale was legal in France.

KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Alan Boraas took 22 people for an hour-long walk through a thousand years of history Thursday in the woods near Kenai Peninsula College.

It’s a trip Boraas, a professor of anthropology at the college, makes three or four times a year; one he uses to show off some of the barely concealed prehistoric cultural heritage sites of the Dena’ina people who thrived on the Kenai Peninsula from about 1000 A.D. through the late 1700s when the Russians arrived.

“Had the Russians not come, the Americans not come, they would still be a sustainable culture based on salmon and other wild foods. (They would be) totally self-contained in the sense of being non-globalized. They were not dependent on other groups, they were not dependent on international trade, they were totally food sovereign,” Boraas said after the trip.

“So, food sovereignty is the point I was trying to get across to people and it’s not just the obtaining of the food, it’s having the social and spiritual practices that make you sovereign and sustainable.”

The field trip drove home several concepts discussed in the classroom, said freshman aviation business management student Merick Ahlberg.

“It makes it real,” Ahlberg said. “A lot of the stuff you hear, it’s like ‘that’s cool, but probably not really around here.’ Somebody discovered that on another continent. But this, it’s in our backyard.

“It’s there for us to find, he said. "

Ahlberg, who grew up in the area, said he didn’t realize the sites existed until Boraas led the class to a narrow path that runs between College Road and Slikok Creek. The group eventually hiked down to the Kenai River before heading back to the campus buildings. Along the way, they passed 50 archaeological sites including housing depressions and underground cold storage pits the Dena’ina used to freeze and keep salmon over the winter.

Surprise is a common response to the hike, Boraas said. Typically, students tell him that, without the hike, they would have had no idea that the sites existed.

While the pits and housing depressions are easy to find, few other artifacts of Dena’ina existence are readily available, Boraas said.

The Dena’ina believed that artifacts and places absorbed information and carried the energy of an event, negative or positive, Boraas said.

So, people were careful about leaving artifacts around because the energy could potentially be damaging to the people exposed to it.

Boraas said he learned that concept the hard way.

“The first house I excavated in 1973, I think I got one artifact out of all those weeks of working,” he said.

The Dena’ina habit of leaving no trace is one Boraas said he hoped would hold significance for students.

“It’s sort of the opposite of the ethic of our modern society where we have this idea of making a difference, changing the world, innovating and all those sorts of things,” he said. “But hey didn’t do that and you wouldn’t if you were a very sustainable culture.”

Boraas said he hoped students would be able to come away from the class with a sense of pride in the Kenai Peninsula, that “they will see the place that many of them grew up, differently.”

In addition, he said, he wants them to question the elements of sovereignty.

“We are this globalized network,” he told the group as they stood on a trail near the Kenai River. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just don’t embrace it and glorify it, because it’s also very delicate.”

Ahlberg said he saw at one thing he had in common with the Dena’ina people.

“Our family, we fish a lot and we store it in our freezers and eat it throughout the winter just like they would. We can smoke and dry and hang a lot of it, so that kind of hit close to home. It’s a technique from centuries ago. The same idea and end result.”

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Information from: (Kenai, Alaska) Peninsula Clarion, http://www.peninsulaclarion.com

 

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan on Friday said that he is proud of his record on Alaska Native voting rights and efforts to combat the scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault in the state.

Sullivan is challenging Democratic Sen. Mark Begich in a race that could help decide control of the U.S. Senate. Opponents of Sullivan, including the state Democratic Party, have sought to cast him as soft on issues important to Natives, an influential and a key constituency. For example, they point to an appeal he filed while attorney general to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a long-running Alaska Native food-subsistence case, characterizing him as having an anti-subsistence record.

In an interview Friday, Sullivan, who married into an Alaska Native family, said he respects the subsistence culture and understands how important it is for food security and the culture of Alaska Native people.

He said the case, initially brought by the Athabascan elder Katie John, had morphed into an issue of “federal control and the extent of federal or state control over the internal waterways of Alaska.” He said that was the broader issue from the state’s perspective.

Sullivan served as attorney general from June 2009 until becoming Natural Resources commissioner in December 2010. Throughout the campaign, he has pointed to a record in those posts of fighting against federal overreach.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year decided not to hear the state’s continued appeal. Going forward, the state, Native community, tribes and federal government need to work together on this issue, Sullivan said.

Begich said the case was about protecting the subsistence rights of Alaska Native people.

“He opposed the legal rights of subsistence for the Alaska Native community,” Begich said. “You can’t have some rewriting of history because now he has to run in a general election.”

As state attorney general, Sullivan said he pushed to settle a long-running case by tribal governments seeking improved language assistance for Yup’ik-speaking voters in the Bethel area. That case was cited in litigation, filed last year, seeking to have the assistance extended to other communities.

During the 2010 Senate race, in which Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski ran as a write-in candidate, Sullivan said he led the state’s efforts to allow voters to see lists of write-in candidates. That effort was opposed in court by the state Democratic and Republican parties.

“I have a real record of getting things done in this realm,” Sullivan said.

Begich has introduced legislation aimed at protecting voting rights for Alaska Natives and American Indians. It was meant to complement legislation that would rewrite a formula for special protections under the federal Voting Rights Act after the previous formula was thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court last year.

Sullivan would not say if he thought there should be a requirement that states with a history of discrimination against voters be required to get federal approval before making election changes, saying he would let his record speak for itself. Alaska fell into that category before the high court’s ruling and in 2012 had sued over the formula.

Sullivan also said he would support changing the name of Mount McKinley to Mount Denali. “It’s about respect for the people who named it,” he said.

Denali is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one.” Murkowski introduced legislation to change the name of the mountain during this session of Congress. Prior efforts, going back decades, have been stymied by members of Ohio’s congressional delegation. Ohio is the birthplace of President William McKinley.

Sullivan is from Ohio, but he has roots in Alaska dating to the 1990s.

TUBA CITY, Ariz. (AP) – The decision about whether Navajo Nation presidential candidate Chris Deschene speaks Navajo fluently enough to be on the ballot is headed back to a lower tribal court after a Navajo Nation Supreme court ruling Friday.

The tribe’s high court found the Office of Hearings and Appeals shouldn’t have dismissed a case against Deschene, and it reinstated grievances filed against him.

The Office of Hearings and Appeals dismissed the case earlier this month, saying the complaints weren’t filed within a 10-day time frame and the plaintiffs did not have the legal authority to file them. Now, the lower court must hold a hearing next week to determine whether to disqualify Deschene from the November ballot.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys say Deschene lied about being able to effectively communicate in Navajo when he entered the race to preside over the nation’s largest American Indian reservation. Tribal law requires that the president speak the Navajo language fluently.

Deschene said fluency is a matter of opinion, and his language skills are progressing.

“They rejected any notion that ‘fluency’ is too ambiguous,” said David Jordan, an attorney representing Dale Tsosie, one of the people who filed the complaint.

Lambert Benally, Deschene’s campaign manager, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday afternoon.

Deschene is set to face former Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr.

Navajo election officials, meanwhile, are trying to figure out how to proceed. Kimmeth Yazzie, of the Navajo Election Administration, said ballots were supposed to begin printing Thursday in order to meet an Oct. 6 mailing deadline for absentee voters.

“I told the printer: ‘Just keep your fingers off that print button for now,’ " Yazzie said.

Yazzie plans to spend the weekend thinking of different scenarios his office may have to carry out, depending on what the Office of Hearings and Appeals decides. “The first option is not to postpone the election. But if worse comes to worse, we got to have a plan for it,” Yazzie said.

The fluency issue came to a head only recently when several Navajo citizens and presidential candidates filed grievances against Deschene, saying he shouldn’t appear on the presidential ballot. The challenges were dismissed as untimely or lacking legal standing. The rulings were appealed to the tribe’s Supreme Court.

The grievances filed against Deschene were the first over the language requirements, said Richie Nez, chief hearing officer for the Office of Hearings and Appeals.

Other presidential candidates have been challenged on term limits and residency, though living or having a continual presence on the reservation is no longer required.

The Navajo language is a vital part of the tribe’s culture, most commonly spoken among elderly Navajo people as their first language and less so among younger generations.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) – “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on Thursday night aired a controversial segment pitting Washington Reds***s fans against a group of American Indians who want the team to change its mascot.

The segment got attention days before, after one of the team’s fans told The Washington Post she left the confrontation in tears and felt so threatened she called police. One of the American Indians said the group accused the fans of supporting a racist mascot.

The “Daily Show” segment initially shows the two groups being interviewed separately. At the end, the American Indians walk in on the Washington team’s fans.

Before airing the segment, Stewart told viewers that his program doesn’t broadcast pieces if a subject has been intentionally misled or their comments misrepresented.

“We generally don’t want people to participate in the show to have a bad experience,” Stewart said. “We work very hard to find real people who have real beliefs and want to express those beliefs on television, and we work hard to make sure that the gist of those beliefs are represented accurately, albeit sometimes comedically, on our program.”

The segment showed very little of the confrontation between the two sides. Before they were in the same room, the group of American Indians said that the Oxford dictionary defines the word “redsk*n” as being “dated or offensive” and that traditionally, the word means “proof of Indian kill.”

One of the team’s fans said changing the team name would be “like losing a family member.”

Washing team owner Dan Snyder is shown in the segment saying previously that the team mascot name represents pride, honor and respect and that those who are offended by it are taking it out of context.

The segment ends with an expletive and a message to Snyder that he’s on the wrong side of history and should change the team’s name.

It’s the second time this week that the debate over the Reds***s name made national television. The series “South Park” dedicated its entire season premiere Wednesday to skewering the name.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday it will not rehear its decision allowing Wisconsin’s voter identification law to be implemented for the Nov. 4 election.

The court said in a seven-sentence order that it was equally divided on whether to take up a request to reconsider a Sept. 12 decision allowing for the law to go forward while it considers the merits of the case.

That means the 10-judge panel was one vote short of reconsidering the earlier decision, as requested by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Advancement Project. The groups argued that implementing voter ID so close to the election will create chaos at the polls, undermining election integrity and public confidence.

Opponents are evaluating whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, said Jeremy Rosen, an attorney with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. That group joined the ACLU and the Advancement Project in challenging the law.

Katherine Culliton-Gonzalez, director of voter protection with the Advancement Project, said the decision wasn’t unexpected – the court rarely grants such requests – but was still disappointing.

“We think of this as a very mistaken decision,” she said. “There’s going to be disenfranchisement in November. (Republicans) are manipulating the system for their own political gain.”

A spokesman for the state Department of Justice, which defended the law, declined comment.

In its Friday order, the court said individual judges may file opinions later explaining their votes. The order said those in favor of rehearing the case were judges Diane Wood, Richard Posner, Ilana Rovner, Ann Claire Williams and David Hamilton.

Three of the judges who voted to rehear the case were appointed by Democratic presidents, two by Republicans. All five who voted against rehearing it were appointed by Republicans.

Wood and Williams were appointed by President Bill Clinton, Hamilton was appointed by President George W. Bush, Posner was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and Hamilton was appointed by President Barack Obama.

Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the law in 2011 requiring people to show certain government-issued photo ID at the polls to vote. Allowable IDs include driver’s licenses, state ID cards, passports, some college student IDs, military IDs, naturalization certificates or IDs issued by a Wisconsin-based American Indian tribe. Military and permanent overseas voters are exempt from the requirement.

The law was in effect for the February 2012 primary but hasn’t been enforced since then because of multiple legal challenges.

The ACLU and the Advancement Project filed a federal lawsuit challenging the mandate in 2011, the same year it was passed. A federal judge in Milwaukee found the law unconstitutional this spring, but Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen appealed.

A three-judge 7th Circuit panel – all appointed by former Republican presidents – ruled two weeks ago that the state could implement the law while it considers the merits of the case.

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Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this report.

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Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A state agency for now is exempting several New Mexico counties and about a dozen Native American tribes and pueblos from new work-related rules for participation in the food stamp nutrition-assistance program.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that counties being excluded from the rules include Luna, McKinley and Mora and that the tribes and pueblos being exempted include the Navajo Nation.

The new rules are scheduled to start taking effect Nov. 1 in three planned phases. Counties in the first phase include Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia.

The exemptions from Human Services Department rules to reimpose and broaden work requirements are based on high unemployment rates.

WASHINGTON – Add two more voices to the chorus of dissatisfied Keepseagle v. Vilsack claimants.

In a letter filed Thursday with the District of Columbia District Court, George and Marilyn Keeps Eagle, the lead plaintiffs in the class action discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, blasted a proposal from class council attorneys to establish a foundation with the $380 million in excess settlement funds.

“We fought for this settlement for over 20 years now,” the letter reads in part. “We did not fight for a foundation. We fought for this to help ourselves and our fellow Native American farmers and ranchers recoup that which was lost by the discrimination of the USDA. The amount we’ve received thus far falls far, far short of that goal.”

Keepseagle v. Vilsack was filed in 1999 by a group of Native American farmers and ranchers who contended that they were subjected to discrimination by local USDA loan officials. Some were denied loans that were given to white farmers with similar histories while others received loans but received little if any service in the process. The plaintiffs have received $760 million in the settlement, but with fewer claimants successfully able to prove their case than expected, hundreds of millions of dollars of leftover settlement funds have not yet been spent, prompting class counsel to embark on a series of listening sessions across Indian Country throughout August to solicit feedback.

“Those ‘listening’ sessions were not set up for class council to listen to us, but rather for them to sell their foundation concept,” the Keeps Eagles wrote. “Virtually every class member [at the Billings, Mont., session] who commented was opposed to the foundation.”

Under the terms of the negotiations with the USDA, all parties involved must agree to the settlement provisions. Both the federal government and the courts have balked at a second payout, prompting class counsel to suggest the creation of a foundation that would be managed by court-appointed trustees. Individuals could not directly receive funds from the proposed trust but could be an indirect recipient, such as through a grantee’s scholarship program.

Many successful claimants have criticized the proposed foundation, with more than 15 percent of the class action members filing a separate motion to intervene in the case to force a second payout rather than allow the organization to be established. No action has been taken on that motion.
George and Marilyn Keeps Eagle, the lead plaintiffs in a class action discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting in the most primitive conditions possible across the bloodied landscape of France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and the coral islands of the Pacific. They answered the call to save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled, instruments of conquest in the hands of fascist maniacs. They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. They succeeded on every front. They won the war; they saved the world.”

--Tom Brokaw, The Greatest Generation

Honoring our warriors is the Cherokee way. We have always held in the highest regard those men and women who are willing to go into battle to protect and defend all of our freedoms. That is why I am so proud we recently held our inaugural Cherokee Warrior flight. We flew seven World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., so they could visit war memorials and other sites in our nation's capital.

The Cherokee Warrior Flight, funded solely by the Cherokee Nation, allowed these veterans to see the memorials dedicated to honor their service for the first time. With more than 4,000 military veterans who are Cherokee Nation citizens, we have always known the responsibility of protecting our country, just like our fellow tribes. Native Americans serve at a higher rate in the military than any other ethnic group, and we are proud to do so.

I am so honored we were able to provide this opportunity to these seven Cherokee veterans: Navy veteran Steve Downing Jr., 89, of Locust Grove; Navy veteran Dewey Alberty, 88, of Tahlequah; Navy veteran Charles Carey, 88, of Hulbert; Army veteran Guy Wilson, 97, of Hulbert; Army Air Corp veteran William Wood, 94, of Vinita; Army veteran Eugene Fox, 91, of Bartlesville; and Navy veteran Joseph Leathers, 92, of Big Cabin.

These men who served in World War II tell us this was the trip of a lifetime. With our allies, their service helped liberate millions. They are truly the greatest generation. WWII was a war the United States had to win, and these men should be honored for their role in history. We plan to make the Cherokee Warrior flight an annual event. This is a way to say thank you to our Cherokee veterans and to let them know that we will never forget their service and sacrifices.

These men, and a half a million other brave servicemen who never made it home, paved the way for America’s victory in WWII, and we are forever grateful. We will always respect that war experience and what it means for us as a society. God bless all these brave men who served for us to live free.

Chairman John Berrey Calls On Communities to Better Protect Women, Elderly and Needy

NEW YORK – Speaking at a United Nations conference in New York this week, Quapaw Tribe Chairman John Berrey represented Native-Americans with a strong voice advocating for UN enforcement for the rights of indigenous people worldwide.

"My desire is for the UN to adopt enforcement mechanisms and have governments worldwide respect those mechanisms," Berrey told the high-level World Conference On Indigenous Peoples.

“It was an important day for the Quapaw Tribe," he said, "because for hundreds of years we have been involved in international affairs related to this effort. The adoption of the outcome document (for enforcement) is a huge step forward for native people."

The conference was an in-depth discussion of the challenges facing indigenous communities related to land, natural resources and industries in territories they have historically populated, and to seek ways of ensuring those people's rights and privileges are not trampled upon. Its goal is to improve relationships between indigenous peoples and their respective governments by summoning the will to ensure the people's rights. Chairman Berrey was one of three Native-American leaders on a panel speaking to the UN's World Conference.

He also called on indigenous communities themselves to be diligent in protecting the rights of women, the elderly and the challenged members of their societies.

"Everyone has a responsibility in this important effort. I urge everyone to be part of the solutions that will lead the world for peace and love to reign in this dark hour of our existence," Chairman Berrey said.

$554 MILLION SETTLEMENT OF TRIBAL TRUST ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT LAWSUIT FILED BY NAVAJO NATION

 
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Navajo Nation regarding the U.S. government’s management of funds and natural resources that it holds in trust for the Navajo Nation.  The settlement resolves a long-standing dispute, with some of the claims dating back more than 50 years, and brings to an end protracted litigation that has burdened both the Navajo Nation and the United States.

Secretary Jewell joined Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resource Division Sam Hirsch, and numerous tribal officials at a commemorative signing ceremony held in Window Rock, Arizona today.
 
“This settlement reflects our continuing commitment to upholding the federal trust responsibility to Indian Country and to building strong, prosperous and resilient tribal communities,” said Secretary Jewell.  “The historic agreement strengthens the government-to-government relationship between the United States and the Navajo Nation, helps restore a positive working relationship with the Nation’s leaders and empowers Navajo communities.  The landmark Cobell settlement and resolution of 80 other tribal trust management lawsuits under President Obama has opened a new chapter in federal trust relations with tribes and individual Indian beneficiaries.”

 “This historic agreement resolves a longstanding dispute between the United States and the Navajo Nation, including some claims that have been sources of tension for generations,” said Attorney General Holder.  “The Department of Justice has made it a top priority to honor and foster the trust relationship between the United States and American Indian tribes.  This landmark resolution ends protracted and burdensome litigation. It will provide important resources to the Navajo Nation.  And it fairly and honorably resolves a legal conflict over the accounting and management of tribal resources.  This demonstrates the Justice Department’s firm commitment to strengthening our partnerships with tribal nations -- so we can expand cooperation, empower sovereign tribes, and keep moving forward together with mutual respect and shared purpose.”

“This historic settlement demonstrates how President Obama and his administration remain deeply committed to the federal trust relationship and improving the United States’ relationship with the tribes,” said Assistant Secretary Kevin K. Washburn.  “The Bureau of Indian Affairs will work even more closely with the Navajo Nation through improved cooperation, consultation and communication to ensure proper management and protection of its trust funds and resources.”

The Navajo Nation is the largest Indian tribe in the United States, with over 300,000 members.  The Nation has the largest reservation in the United States, encompassing over 27,000 square miles of land in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.  The reservation includes more than 14 million acres of trust lands, which are leased for various productive uses, including farming; grazing; oil, gas, and other mineral development; businesses; rights-of-way; timber harvesting; and housing.  The Navajo Nation also owns or has ownership interests in over 100 trust accounts.

Under the agreement, the United States will pay the Navajo Nation $554 million in settlement of its claims.  In return, the Navajo Nation will dismiss its current lawsuit and forego further litigation regarding the United States’ historic management or accounting of Navajo funds or resources held in the trust by the United States.  The Navajo Nation and the United States will undertake prospectively information-sharing procedures that will lead to improved communication concerning the management of Navajo’s trust funds and resources, and also the parties will abide by alternative dispute resolution procedures to reduce the likelihood of future litigation.

In addition to the negotiations that led to this historic settlement with the Navajo Nation, the Departments of Justice, the Interior, and the Treasury have been diligently engaged in settlement conversations involving other litigating tribes.  On April 11, 2012, the United States announced settlements with 41 tribes for about $1 billion.  Since that time, the federal government has focused considerable dedicated effort on the remaining tribal trust accounting and trust mismanagement cases and has been able to resolve “breach of trust” claims, without the need for further extended litigation, of almost 40 additional tribes, for over $1.5 billion.

The United States will continue settlement discussions in numerous other cases that are still pending and is committed to resolving the litigating tribes’ trust accounting and trust mismanagement claims in a manner that is fair and reasonable to the tribes and the United States.

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) – The Choctaw Nation has broken ground on a new $10 million tribal complex in McAlester.

Choctaw Chief Gary Batton joined state and local leaders Tuesday to mark the beginning of the project, which calls for an early childhood education building, a community center, a food distribution center and a wellness center.

The complex is being built at McAlester’s South Side Industrial Park. The tribe bought the property from McAlester for $1.3 million.

The McAlester News-Capital reports that the childhood education center is scheduled to be ready by next July, with the other three buildings to be completed by September 2015.

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Information from: McAlester News-Capital, http://www.mcalesternews.com

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Responding to a stinging legal setback, the governor of Wyoming on Wednesday asked a federal judge to reverse an order ending state management of wolves and returning them to protections under the Endangered Species Act.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington on Tuesday sided with conservation groups and entered an order agreeing that Wyoming’s wolf management plan was inadequate.

Jackson’s order immediately returned wolf management in Wyoming to federal control. The order was the latest setback for Wyoming, which has been stymied over the years in attempts to gain control of its wolf population.

Many sportsmen and ranchers in the state say wolves are a threat to livestock and wildlife.

Wyoming took over wolf management from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2012 under a state management plan that designated wolves as predators that could be shot on sight in most areas. The state classified wolves as trophy animals in a zone bordering Yellowstone National Park and has allowed licensed hunters to kill scores of them in the past two hunting seasons.

Although Wyoming had pledged to maintain at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation, Berman noted that promise wasn’t legally binding.

“The court concludes that it was arbitrary and capricious for the service to rely on the state’s nonbinding promises to maintain a particular number of wolves when the availability of that specific numerical buffer was such a critical aspect of the delisting decision,” Jackson wrote.

Earlier this year, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead released a survey prepared by the state Game and Fish Department that said there were at least 306 wolves in at least 43 packs - including more than 23 breeding pairs - in the state at the end of 2013.

Mead on Wednesday started the process of making the state’s minimum wolf population pledge legally enforceable. He signed and filed an emergency rule to that effect which could last up to 240 days.

Mead’s office announced that the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission initiated a formal rulemaking process to make the emergency rule permanent.

“Now that Wyoming has resolved the court’s concern, I hope the court will amend its ruling and allow Wyoming’s continued management of gray wolves,” Mead said in a prepared release.

The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office filed a request with Jackson asking her to change the order. The request states that reaction among the groups that sued against Wyoming’s management plan was mixed. It states that Defenders of Wildlife opposed it while the Humane Society of the United States needed to see the content of the emergency rule before it could respond.

Attempts to reach a lawyer for Defenders of Wildlife after business hours on Wednesday weren’t successful.

Several groups including Safari Club International and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation entered the lawsuit to support Wyoming’s original wolf management plan. They likewise support the state’s move to make its minimum population promise legally enforceable.

The federal government reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has transferred wolf management to state control in Montana and Idaho. Congress specified that there could be no legal challenge to those management plans, which also allow hunting.

NEW YORK (AP) – Wal-Mart is the latest company to get rid of fees that traditional banks charge customers who don’t have enough money in their accounts to cover purchases.

The world’s largest retailer said Wednesday that it teamed up with Green Dot Corp., a company known for its reloadable prepaid cards, to bring mobile checking accounts to its shoppers. The accounts won’t charge overdraft and bounced-check fees.

It’s the latest attempt to offer banking services that cater to cash-strapped Americans who are still struggling in the economic recovery. Bank of America and Citibank both launched checking accounts this year that don’t charge overdraft fees, which can normally cost up to $35 per transaction.

The moves come as overdraft fees, which occur when a customer doesn’t have enough cash in their account to cover a purchase, have come under increasing scrutiny by regulators in the past few years.

In 2010, banks were required to get written approval from customers to provide overdraft protection, which allow balances to go below zero. But those that opt for overdraft coverage are still paying high fees: Some customers at large banks can pay, on average, almost $260 a year in overdraft fees, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Wal-Mart and Green Dot’s account, called GoBank, has a monthly fee of $8.95. But that can be waived if a direct deposit of $500 is made each month.

To open an account, customers need to go to a Wal-Mart store and pay $2.95 for a starter kit. They must also own a smartphone, since most of the banking is done through the app. The kit comes with a MasterCard debit card that can be used to make purchases or to take out money, for no fee, at more than 42,000 ATMs around the country. Using an ATM outside the network will result in a $2.50 charge. There’s also a 3 percent fee for money taken out at an ATM outside of the country.

And to attract people with poor credit scores and little money, Wal-Mart said that credit bureau ratings and other scores typically used to determine eligibility are not part of the process.

Daniel Eckert, senior vice president of services for Walmart U.S., said that the retailer’s customers “feel they just aren’t getting value from traditional banking because of high fees.”

Wal-Mart’s move follows similar ones by big banks. Bank of America launched its SafeBalance account, which has a monthly fee of $4.95 and no overdraft fees.

And Citibank’s Access Account, launched Tuesday, has a monthly fee of $10 that can be waived if customers make one monthly bill payment or one direct deposit or if they average a monthly balance of $1,500 or more. The Citibank accounts don’t charge overdraft fees either.

Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, said it is unlikely Wal-Mart will be able to steal customers from big banks. People who do sign up for GoBank are likely to not have a checking account or are unable to open one, he said.

“The goal here is to get them in the store and boost traffic and sales in the store,” said McBride.

The account also comes with perks. To make a cash deposit, GoBank customers can go to the register of any Wal-Mart store. GoBank customers also can receive payroll direct deposit earlier than their normal payday if their employer notifies GoBank of a deposit in advance.

The app notifies customers in real time if a purchase they are about to make falls outside of their budget. A “Fortune Teller” feature crosschecks the price of a particular item against a customer’s planned income and other expenses.

In addition, customers can send money instantly to each other at no charge through either email or a text message.

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Michelle Chapman in New York contributed to this report.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded nearly $5 million in grants to Oklahoma to support programs aimed at preventing chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will administer the grants, which are partially funded under the federal health care law. The grants aim to strengthen local and state programs to reduce rates of death caused by tobacco use, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The health department says chronic diseases are responsible for seven of 10 deaths among Americans each year.

Oklahoma received grants totaling more than $4.9 million. Those grants were awarded to the state of Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation, the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Area Inter-Tribal Health Board.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The Osage Nation in Oklahoma is boycotting global shipping company FedEx due to its relationship with the Washington Reds***s and calling on other tribes to do the same, saying the NFL team’s name is derogatory to people of American Indian descent.

Until the name of the football team is changed to something “less inflammatory and insulting,” employees of the 18,500-member tribe should refrain from using FedEx when an alternative is available, according to the directive issued Tuesday by Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.

The chief noted that the National Congress of American Indians also has asked FedEx to reevaluate its involvement with the team, which plays at FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C. The directive states that the name “is derived from a horrible former practice of removing the skin of Native people for the purpose of collecting bounties.”

Assistant Principal Chief Raymond Red Corn declined to comment Wednesday, saying the language in the two-page order spoke for itself. The directive comes as various human rights groups, lawmakers and representatives of some tribes urge the team’s ownership to change the name, calling it derogatory to American Indians.

FedEx spokesman Patrick Fitzgerald said Wednesday that the company values its sponsorship of the stadium, noting that the facility hosts a range of sporting and entertainment events. He said the company has closely followed the “dialogue and difference of opinion” concerning the team name, but directed further questions on the issue to the team.

A team spokesman didn’t return a message Wednesday. But in a recent interview, Reds***s  spokesman Tony Wyllie said the franchise believed that most Americans didn’t support changing the name.

The Osage Nation, which is based in Pawhuska, appears to be the first tribe in Oklahoma to call for a FedEx boycott. Representatives for the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma’s largest American Indian tribe, and the Chickasaw Nation said they were unaware of discussions about launching similar efforts against the company.

Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

 
Canadian District
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Location: Indian Capital Technology Center
Address: 2403 N. 41STStreetsBuilding C Room 100, Muskogee, Okla.
Phone: (918) 682-1965
Directions: Located on corner of Country Club Road on Shawnee St.

Cooweescoowee District
Collinsville, Oklahoma
Location: First Baptist Church Collinsville – Fellowship Hall
Address: 1301 W. Main, Collinsville, Okla.
Phone: (918) 371-2526

Pryor, Oklahoma
Location: First Christian-Presbyterian Church
Address: 301 N. E. 1st Street, Pryor, Okla.
Phone: (918) 825-2396

Delaware District
Jay, Oklahoma
Location:  Jay Community Building/Library
Address: 102 N. 5th Street, Jay, Okla.
Phone: (918) 253-8521

Flint District
Stilwell, Oklahoma
Location: Stilwell Satellite Office
Address: On the Corner of Young & Section Line Road
Phone: (918) 696-7672

Goingsnake District
Stilwell, Oklahoma
Location: Maryetta Public School
Address: 100 Maryetta Rd, Stilwell, Okla.
Phone: 918-696-2285
Directions: Boys & Girls Club Entrance

Kansas, Oklahoma
Location: Kansas Satellite Office, Kansas, Okla.
Directions: On the corner of Hwy 10 and Hwy 33, there is a service station and the Kansas office is the red brick office behind the service station.  Last office of the Associates Insurance Services Inc. Building
 
Illinois District
Vian, Oklahoma
Location: Vian United Methodist Church     Address: 209 Blackstone St., Vian, Okla.
Directions: Location on the corner of Lee & Blackstone

Saline District
Salina, Oklahoma
Location: Saline Christian Church
Address: 322 N. Owen Walter Blvd, Salina, Okla.  74365  
Phone: (918) 208-4721
Directions: Owen Walters on Hwy 82

Sequoyah District
Location: UKB Sallisaw Satellite Office
Address: 3750 W. Cherokee Ave.  Sallisaw, Okla.     
Phone:  918-775-0920
Directions: Across from Blue Ribbon Downs 

Tahlequah District
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Location: UKB Wellness Center
Directions: Tahlequah, Okla.     
For more information, contact the UKB Election Board at (918) 456-8421

Tribal Council new terms to begin October 1, 2015

DURANT, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation Tribal Council met in regular session Sept. 13 at Tvshka Homma. Officers for the new fiscal year were elected during the meeting. District 4 Councilman Delton Cox of Pocola was chosen for the eighth consecutive year to represent the council as speaker.

Cox was elected to the Tribal Council in July 2001 and took office the following September. He has spent 32 years in various fields of education. He has been teacher, coach, counselor, education specialist, instruction specialist and administrator in tribal and BIA school systems and Oklahoma public schools, from elementary through junior college levels. He served as the Choctaw Nation’s tribal treasurer for 3 ½ years before being elected Councilman of District 4 in northern LeFlore County.

Thomas Williston of Idabel, District 1, will retain the position of secretary and Joe Coley of Red Oak, District 6, Latimer County, will also remain the Council’s chaplain.

Williston has served as the Councilman for southern McCurtain County since November 2010. Before being elected as a member of the Council, Thomas worked 25 years in law enforcement. He has also worked as a carpenter for the last 25 years.

Coley has served as Councilman of District 6 since 2004. Coley has worked with churches throughout Oklahoma and has been appointed Council Chaplain for several years. He spent decades with the Choctaw Nation Community Health Representatives before becoming the Choctaw Councilman in Latimer County.

The new terms begin Oct. 1. Following the election, Speaker Cox appointed recording secretary Patty Hawkins of Talihina, sergeant-at-arms Sylvester Moore of Talihina, and parliamentarian Bob Rabon of Hugo to their positions for another year.

 The Council’s two steering committees were chosen and the officers for the Enterprise Board were selected. The board president is a position held by the Council speaker. Vice president for 2014-15 is Anthony Dillard, District 10, Atoka County, and secretary is Kenny Bryant, District 3, southern LeFlore County.

Several Youth Advisory Board members attended the session, learning more about the tribe’s legislative process. The students belonged to YAB chapters from Latimer County, Stigler, Hugo and Boswell. YAB is comprised of youth leaders who become involved in their communities by volunteering for service projects and promoting programs to prevent underage drinking, tobacco use, and domestic violence. Each year they attend at least one Tribal Council meeting, City Council meeting, and School Board meeting.

The 12-member Council approved several bills during new business, including:

• An application for the Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership Grant.

• Membership to the National Congress of American Indians.

• Funds and budgets for the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program; Project SAFE; Support for Expectant and Parenting Teens, Women, Fathers, and their Families (SEPT) Program; Women, Infant, and Children’s Program (WIC); WIC Farmer’s Market, and the Health Services Program.

• A sand and gravel lease, a recreational lease, and disposal of surplus equipment.

The Choctaw Nation Tribal Council meets at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of every month in the Council Chambers at Tvshka Homma.

Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art invites artists who reside in the Mid-America Arts Alliance region to apply to become part of an art exhibition entitled Ballad of the Farm: Then, Now, Tomorrow.

 
Artists who live in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas or Texas are invited to apply to become part of the exhibition at Callforentry.org at http://bit.ly/1qd3uIH.  The deadline for applying is October 15.  Artists may address questions to Director Carol Kobza, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 913.362.4929.

The exhibition is set to open May 13, 2015 and artists selected will have six months to create a new work of art for the exhibition.

More than 100 historic farm-related photographs from early to mid-1900s have been gathered from people with ties to the farm (crowd-sourced). Artists will create a dialogue with the owners of the photographs and learn the stories surrounding them.  Artists will then create their own story through new works of art.  Each artist selected for the exhibition will choose photographs from among those submitted and which inspire them to create new works of art that depict farm life as it once was, as it is now, and as it might be in the future.

Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art’s mission is to connect people to the land through art.  By sponsoring this exhibition the museum sets the stage for an innovative collaboration among farm families, artists, and the museum’s nationwide community of supporters.

Photographs selected to be part of Ballad of the Farm will be protected, displayed and returned to the owners in a museum quality frame once the exhibition ends in September 2015.  This exhibition also has the potential to tour with other museums beyond September, 2015.

To have your photographs considered for the exhibition, send a scanned image, a photocopy of the image, or a photographic reproduction of the original image to Bone Creek Museum via e-mail, regular mail, or by dropping by the museum at 575 E Street in David City.  Please submit by October 15, 2014.

Original photographs will remain the property of the owner while the reproductions will be kept by the museum for future reference.  The owners of the photographs selected for the exhibition will be notified and a request made for the original photograph to be framed and displayed during the duration of the exhibition.

This project is supported in part by an award from Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, Nebraska Arts Council, and foundations, corporations, and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Peter Kiewit Foundation has provided generous support for this project as a key sponsor. Other sponsors who have pledged support include Allen Capital Group, LLC, Butler County Arts Council, the Holland Foundation, and Moravec Financial Advisors, Inc.

The museum is seeking funding to match the grants already received.  Other companies or individuals interested in supporting the development of this project may contact Director Carol Kobza at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Seneca Niagara and Allegany Resorts Part of Bluegreen’s Vacation Packages
 
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Seneca Resorts & Casinos has developed a multi-faceted strategic alliance with Bluegreen Vacations, a leader in the vacation ownership industry that connects more than 180,000 owners with 60+ Bluegreen resorts in 40+ popular destinations across the continental U.S. and the Caribbean.  Bluegreen will now offer its members access to a range of vacation packages at Seneca Resorts & Casinos, a sensational integrated resort and casino experience in both Niagara Falls and Salamanca, N.Y.  In addition, Seneca Resorts & Casinos will be proud to introduce a range of world-class vacation experiences provided by Bluegreen Vacations to its customers and particularly the Player’s Club members, thereby adding more depth and value to the loyalty program.


Seneca Resorts & Casino is the Northeast region’s leader in hospitality, operating destination resorts including Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, N.Y., with Seneca Hickory Stick Golf in Lewiston, N.Y. as an added amenity to visitors of Niagara, Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca, N.Y., and the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino for urban entertainment in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. 

The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino is just a two block walk from the thunder of Niagara Falls and the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino is couched in the rolling Allegheny hills just minutes from ski country in nearby Ellicottville. At Seneca Resorts & Casinos travelers and gaming enthusiasts have diverse options for fine dining, a full-menu of luxurious spa and salon services, swimming pools, Jacuzzi tubs and workout facilities at both properties, not to mention a full schedule of events and top-notch entertainment for a nightlife teeming with concerts featuring legendary and contemporary chart-topping artists, and shows headlining famous comedians.

Both the Seneca Niagara and the Allegany Resorts & Casinos are AAA Four Diamond Award properties notable for luxurious accommodations and superior g uest service. Each resort property features the award-winning signature restaurant, the Western Door Steakhouse—one of the region’s premier destination steakhouses, which has been voted “Best Steakhouse” by Buffalo Spree magazine for four years.

The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino features 604 deluxe rooms and suites, nine dining outlets, nine retail outlets, a full-service Spa & Salon, and entertainment venues including the 2,400-seat Seneca Niagara Events Center and 440-seat Bear’s Den Showroom. Guests can enjoy 147,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 3,600 slot machines and 90 table games. In February 2014, the property unveiled a completely renovated main gaming floor with the addition of STIR, a new high-end feature bar and lounge. The property is located less than a 10-minute walk away from the breathtaking brink of Niagara Falls, in the core of the Niagara Region that is home to historic wine trails, endless shopping, and numerous attractions. 

Prospective golfing enthusiasts visiting the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino have Seneca Hickory Stick Golf as an added amenity. Located in scenic Lewiston, N.Y., Hickory Stick is an award-winning 18-hole course of championship-level golf on a challenging PGA-style terrain designed by world-renowned course architect Robert Trent Jones II, who has designed more than 270 golf courses in 40 different countries.


The Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca features a AAA Four Diamond Award–winning hotel tower with 413 luxurious rooms, seven unique dining locations, a full-service spa and salon, an outdoor hot tub and an indoor pool. The gaming floor features nearly 2,000 slot machines and more than 30 table games. The 2,400-seat Seneca Allegany Events Center serves as a venue for top entertainment as well as special events and conferences. Retail outlets include the TEN Store featuring affordable gifts all under ten dollars and the 24-hour Logo Shop. Located at Exit 20 on Interstate 86, Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino is nestled in an outdoor enthusiast’s haven with activities, such as hiking, skiing, boating, fishing, and horseback riding nearby. 


The relationship with Seneca Resorts & Casinos, which annually has more than 10 million visitors a year, is expected to result in thousands of vacations for Bluegreen members and Player’s Club members, for an overall big win for travelers.


Cathy Walker, president and CEO of Seneca Resorts & Casinos said, “There is something for everyone visiting Seneca Resorts. Whether it’s a getaway centered on food and wine, golf, gaming or family fun, our properties have it all,” said Walker. “And when you add in our close proximity to other area attractions, vacationers have a wealth of entertainment possibilities to choose from. Given the distinct experiences that await visitors to both the Niagara and Allegany regions, we believe Seneca Resorts & Casinos is a perfect fit for Bluegreen Vacations. We have a tremendous opportunity to further expand the scope of this collaborative relationship that will benefit travelers.” 

Bluegreen Vacations aspires to “share happiness,” by providing quality, flexibility and choice to Bluegreen Vacation Club owners through its network of resorts and is excited to extend these vacation options to the Seneca Resorts & Casino Players Club Members.

“‘It’s time to play!’ is the motto at our three Seneca Resort & Casino properties,” said Doni Taube, senior vice president of marketing. “Bluegreen members will find that they can tailor their escape to Seneca Resorts & Casinos for as lively or relaxing a vacation as they desire. You can play indoors or out, stir the senses, build the romance, or simply wind down and relax. Whatever you choose to do, it is our aim to please our guests beyond their expectations and we are equally excited about introducing our customers to the world of amazing vacations provided by Bluegreen.”

 
Peter Menges, senior vice president of Bluegreen Vacations, expressed his enthusiasm for the new alliance. “Bluegreen is delighted to provide an enhanced set of vacation offerings to our members as a result of the alliance with Seneca Resorts & Casinos,” said Menges. “We have built our reputation on our ability to provide our members with quality vacation choices, and Seneca Resorts & Casinos delivers with its two diverse locations and a wealth of entertainment options. In addition, we are excited to maximize the range of opportunities provided to us to introduce the Seneca Resorts & Casinos guests and best customers to the world of Bluegreen Vacations.”


Bluegreen Vacations program features a points system which allows flexibility to craft vacations that fit every individual lifestyle. Bluegreen includes Seneca Resorts & Casinos and other top quality resorts that guarantee excellence in service.

 
The Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, also part of the Seneca Resorts & Casinos portfolio, is located in the rapidly developing Cobblestone District along Buffalo, N.Y.’s Inner Harbor, located just a half-hour from Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. At Buffalo Creek, guests can enjoy more than 800 slot machines and 20 table games, and dining options including the BC Café, Stixx Sports Bar and Buffalo Savors Grill for a true taste of Buffalo foods.

 
About Seneca Gaming Corporation

Since opening Seneca Niagara Casino in 2002, Seneca Gaming Corporation has grown into one of the largest private sector employers in Western New York, with 4,000 employees at its three locations. The company operates world-class facilities offering more than 6,400 slot machines, 140 table games, 1,000 hotel rooms, a championship golf course and other related amenities. Seneca Gaming Corporation was recently selected as one of Western New York’s “Healthiest Employers” and was chosen last year as one of the region’s “Most Admired Companies” by Buffalo Business First. For more information, visit www.SenecaCasinos.com.

 
About Bluegreen Corporation

Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Bluegreen Corporation (“Bluegreen Vacations”) is a sales, marketing and resort management company, focused on the vacation ownership industry and pursuing a capital-light business strategy. Bluegreen manages, markets and sells the Bluegreen Vacation Club, a flexible, points-based, deeded vacation ownership plan with more than 180,000 owners, over 60 owned or managed resorts, and access to more than 4,000 resorts worldwide. Bluegreen also offers a portfolio of comprehensive, turnkey, fee-based service resort management, financial services, and sales and marketing on behalf of third parties. For more information, visit www.BluegreenVacations.com.