BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court that already has said private individuals and groups cannot sue under a key part of the federal Voting Rights Act went even further Wednesday toward blocking lawsuits over alleged racial bias in voting in seven Midwest states. But its decisions may not be the last word, because another appeals court has ruled…
SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. (KVRR) — Spirit Lake Tribe is taking steps to fill a shortage of police officers on the reservation. Chairwoman Lonna Street says the tribe has established a Memo of Agreement with Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. They control the police force. It will allow the tribe to recruit officers directly under tribal authority while ensuring…
Two tribal nations are accusing social media companies of contributing to the disproportionately high rates of suicide among Native American youth. Their lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles county court names Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta Platforms; Snapchat’s Snap Inc.; TikTok parent company ByteDance; and Alphabet, which owns YouTube and Google, as defendants. Virtually all U.S. teenagers use social media,…
FORT TOTTEN, N.D. (KVRR/KFGO) — The chairwoman of the Spirit Lake Tribe says a manhunt in northeast North Dakota is over. Lonna Street says Kolby McKay is in custody after willingly turning himself in to Fort Totten Police. The search for McKay by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs began last week. He was considered possibly armed and dangerous….
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a request to delay his decision supporting two Native American tribes that sought changes to North Dakota’s legislative boundaries to give the tribes more influence in the Legislature. U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte denied Republican Secretary of State Michael Howe’s motion to stay his ruling, pending an expected appeal to the…
FARGO (KFGO/AP) — Closing arguments were heard Thursday in the federal case brought by two tribes challenging North Dakota’s redrawn legislative district lines, claiming the new map diluted Native American voters’ strength on their reservations. The federal lawsuit was brought last year by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe, as well as individual Native American voters,…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — A mutual aid agreement is signed between the Spirit Lake Tribe and the North Dakota Highway Patrol. The agreement will allow North Dakota Highway Patrol to help on the reservation when needed. However, it does not give the highway patrol the authority to arrest anyone. Officers can intervene regardless of tribal status until local law enforcement…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) A lawsuit was filed in federal court by two North Dakota Indian tribes, challenging the legislative map drawn in last year’s redistricting plan. The Spirit Lake Tribe and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians say that the new boundaries dilute the voting rights of Native Americans which would be a violation of the Voting Rights Act…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Savanna’s Act is finally heading to the Senate floor for a vote. Sen. Kevin Cramer says it was approved by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. He is urging the full Senate to act on it quickly. It is named for Savanna Greywind. The 22-year-old pregnant member of the Spirit Lake Tribe was murdered by a neighbor…
Mark Ruffalo & Billy Ray Cyrus in Belcourt, North DakotaBISMARCK, N.D. — A U.S. District Court judge has denied a motion for a temporary restraining order of North Dakota’s new voter ID law. Attorneys representing the Spirit Lake Tribe and six individual plaintiffs had requested the motion. They are suing the state over the election law which states a voter must…
