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March 10, 3:13 PM San Diego News Examiner Dave Thomas

Police are searching for the son of a murdered Valley Center woman.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives are searching for the adult son of a 53-year-old woman whose bloody body was discovered at an upscale home in Valley Center.

According to authorities, Margo Jean Lucero was discovered dead by her husband and daughter in the 29300 block of Costalota Road not long after 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Her car was later found in southern Arizona, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office and sheriff’s office

Homicide detectives were dispatched to investigate what a source close to case noted was a “bloody, very bloody” scene.

“She had sustained extensive traumatic injuries,” a sheriff’s spokesperson said in a statement released Wednesday.

Detectives want to question David Leroy Lucero — the victim’s 25-year- old son — in connection with her death, according to a lieutenant, who said the man is Native American, around 5′ 11″ and 165 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

The victim worked at Valley View Casino in Valley Center and resided in the home with her husband

http://www.examiner.com/x-833-San-Diego-News-Examiner~y2010m3d10-BREAKING-NEWS-Search-on-for-son-mother-found-murdered-in-Valley-Center-home

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Last Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | 2:11 PM ET

More than 45,000 Canadians could be recognized as status Indians under changes the federal government plans to make to the Indian Act, CBC News has learned.

The changes come after Ottawa lost a court challenge addressing the different ways that men and women are treated when it comes to Indian status under the Indian Act.

In 1985, Ottawa changed the rules for women who married non-natives. They would retain their status, as would their children, but not their grandchildren.

But the rules are different for Indian men. They and their descendants keep their status when they marry non-native women.

Last year’s court decision has prompted the government to extend Indian status for one more generation. This means grandchildren of such a union will now have native status.

Carol Scott, whose grandmother was a status Indian, said she lost that recognition when she married a non-aboriginal man.

The marriage meant that she and her children couldn’t live on reserve and were denied health and education benefits.

But Scott, who’s from Manitoba, said that it’s more an issue of identity.

“It’s almost like you’re lost, you’re in limbo. You don’t know where you belong anymore. And that’s so important to belong,” she said.

Scott said the government’s amendment is as good start.

“We want what belongs to us. It’s our birthright. I’m an aboriginal person, I’m proud of it and I want my son to be proud of it, too.”

Scott wants the proposed amendments extended so her son will be eligible to become a status Indian as well.

Wanda Wuttnee, who heads the native studies department at the University of Manitoba, said that she’s in the same situation as Scott and that the government needs to go further.

“They haven’t corrected it yet with this decision. It didn’t remove the barriers. My children cannot pass status to their children. So yes, there’s still a problem.”

Shawn Atleo, the head of the Assembly of First Nations, said it’s a question of who has the right to define citizenship.

“And so here we are again with potentially the federal government acting in isolation and unilaterally in defining who is or who isn’t a member of a community when it really rightfully belongs to the indigenous nations to do so.”

But Atleo said he welcomes any changes that make the rules fairer for aboriginal women and their descendants.

With files from Karen Pauls

Video

• Indian Act inequality The government plans to address a gender bias in the Indian Act, making tens of thousands of Canadians eligible for status Watch: 2:55

Audio

• Karen Pauls radio report Thousands to get native status Listen: 2:23

Copyright © CBC 2010

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/03/10/native-status.html

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I spoke with Terry Woster from Governor Rounds office this morning, regarding their press release that was issued yesterday http://www.state.sd.us/governor/ (see below). 

The press release inadvertently left out Ziebach, Dewey & Corson Counties, which encompass Cheyenne River & Standing Rock Reservations. Woster did confirm both Reservations were included in the January disaster declaration request from the Governors office. Woster stated the declaration disaster request was for $23 million dollars. The Governors office is hopeful Obama’s administration will approve the request possibly this week, both requests were made on the same date. The request was for both public and private assistance. 

Unfortunately, there was a delayed response in the Governors office submitting the disaster declaration, for the Christmas blizzard that immobilized the entire state of South Dakota for several days. FEMA was in the field across South Dakota assessing damages, when the January ice storm and blizzard hit causing a crisis in many areas and devastating Cheyenne River Reservation. The damage assessment teams were delayed and rescue mode began. FEMA then returned into the field to assess damages from both disasters. The disaster declarations were completed and simultaneously submitted by Governor Rounds office and FEMA to Obama’s administration.

It was brought to the Governors office that these counties and Reservations were missing from their press release and Woster stated that they would be correcting their error immediately. 

More to follow as info comes in………. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

CONTACT: Terry Woster, Public Information Officer, 605-773-3178 

Presidential Disaster Declaration Approved 

Pierre, S.D. – Gov. Mike Rounds says 12 South Dakota countiesand two American Indian reservations will get federal financial assistance to help recover from the Christmas blizzard of 2009. 

The assistance is made available through a Presidential Disaster Declarationsigned Tuesday by President Obama. 

“I’m pleased that federal aid has been promptly approved by the President,” Gov. Mike Rounds said. “Unfortunately, the area struck by the Christmas-period blizzard continues to be plagued by an excess of moisture. We are now monitoring rivers and streams that are at or near flood stage.” 

“We also hope to receive word shortly on our request for federal assistance due to the January ice storm and blizzard that hit many of these same areas,” the Governor added. 

Counties receiving cost-sharing for emergency work and repair or replacement of public facilities damaged by the Christmas blizzard include Campbell, Clay, Gregory, Jones, Lyman, Mellette, Perkins, Shannon, Todd, Tripp, Turner and Yankton, as well as the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations. 

In addition, federal help is available to the state and eligible local and tribal governments for emergency protective measures, including snow removal costs. 

A disaster declaration authorizes the federal government to provide relief and recovery assistance for up to 75 percent of the eligible costs of damage to public infrastructure in the affected areas.  The state will cover 10 percent of the remaining eligible costs, and applicants are responsible for 15 percent of the costs.

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If things had gone according to schedule, one of the largest class action suits brought against the U.S. government would have already gone through Congress, been approved by a judge and the government would soon be cutting checks. But the legislative branch does not always work on the judicial branch’s schedule. 

On Wednesday morning, Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli will take to the Hill to urge legislators to pass a bill that would finally end a lawsuit that has played out in courts for nearly 15 years. 

Elouise Cobell (photo by Ryan J. Reilly / Main Justice)

 

On Dec. 7, the government reached a $3.4 billion settlement in Cobell v. Salazar.  The lawsuit, filed by Elouise Cobell on behalf of more than 300,000 American Indians, alleged that the Interior Department mishandled thousands of individual Indian trust fund accounts over more than 100 years. 

The settlement requires congressional approval, however, and the original terms gave lawmakers a Dec. 31 deadline to finish the necessary legislation. That deadline has been extended twice and is now set to expire in April. 

Congressional aides said they were not asked for input on the deadline. Nor did the Justice Department lawyers who negotiated the settlement consult with members of Congress about the logistics of passing legislation ahead of Christmas break, according to the aides. A person familiar with the negotiations said that Judge James Robertson, the U.S. District Court judge who approved the settlement, dictated the short deadline. 

Aides in the House and Senate said both the original deadline of Dec. 31 and the second extended deadline of Feb. 28 were unreasonable. Aides said they are more optimistic about the new April 16 deadline, but nobody is making any promises.

As both sides of the settlement wait for congressional approval, Cobell and her team are left with only private funds to explain the terms of the settlement to a hard-to-reach segment of the population. A massive planned government-backed awareness campaign – which includes television, radio, and print advertising across Indian country, as well as materials explaining the settlement in Native American languages – will not kick in until after Congress acts. 

According to Cobell, government lawyers did not want to allocate any funds for outreach to Indian Country prior to the passage of legislation. 

“The government instead assured us that legislation would be passed a few weeks after we signed the settlement agreement on December 7,” Cobell wrote in the Native American Times. “Unfortunately, legislation was not passed (and has still not been passed) and the need to meet with Indian Country is stronger than ever.” 

A Justice Department spokeswoman noted that Perrelli and the Solicitor of Interior Hilary Tompkins recently appeared before the National Congress of American Indians to answer questions on the settlement and that other federal representatives have appeared before tribal organizations. 

“If Congress enacts legislation, we can then – per the settlement - provide for more extensive outreach to inform individual Indians and tribal governments about the settlement,” DOJ spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz said. 

Bill Dorris, one of the lawyers representing Cobell, said that in talking with the Justice Department and with members of Congress, they have not found any real opposition to the legislation. Dorris said he was unsure why the legislation has not yet moved forward. 

“We hope the new goal is realistic, we haven’t heard anything to indicate otherwise,” said Dorris.

 Perrelli is set to testify before the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday along with Cobell and several other American Indian leaders. 

Natural Resources ranking member Doc Hastings (R-WA) is expected to press panelists about how lawyers who negotiated the deal would be paid and about the lack of regional consultations between the Obama administration and Indian Country. 

“The executive branch obviously wants this to happen quickly,” said Spencer Pederson, a spokesman for committee  Republicans. “This will give us some opportunities to get some questions answered at the hearing.” 

Those scheduled to testify at Wednesday’s hearing include: 

Michael Finley, 
president, Intertribal Monitoring Association on Indian Trust Funds

 Austin Nunez, chairman, Indian Land Working Group 

Richard Monette
, professor, University of Wisconsin Law School 

David Hayes
, deputy secretary of the Interior 

Thomas J. Perrelli
, Associate Attorney General, Department of Justice

 Elouise Cobell 

 

http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/03/09/with-cobell-settlement-congress-takes-its-time/

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The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces the availability of $42 million in competitive grant funding for fiscal year 2010 for community-based projects.

The projects will need to promote economic and social self-sufficiency and cultural preservation for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American Pacific Islanders from American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The fiscal year 2010 funding includes $27 million for continuing multi-year projects.

“Many Native Americans continue to face profound social and economic challenges,” said Carmen R. Nazario, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. “The funding opportunities we are announcing today will help provide the stability and financial assistance designed to improve the lives of Native children, youth and families.”

ANA grant funding supports social, economic, and governance development; preservation of Native American languages; and environmental regulatory activities. Applicants are encouraged to contact ANA’s technical assistance regional providers below who offer project development training and pre-application training free of charge.

1. Eastern Region: http://www.anaeastern.org

2. Western Region: http://www.anawestern.org

3. Alaska Region: http://www.anaalaska.org

4. Pacific Region: http://www.anapacificbasin.org

“These funding opportunities bring us one step closer to strengthening Native communities and opening doors to new opportunities for Native American children, youth and families,” said Lillian Sparks, commissioner for the administration for Native Americans.

The Funding Opportunity Announcements can be downloaded and submitted at:
http://www.grants.gov.

ANA utilizes peer panel reviewers to analyze and score applications.

To become a peer panel reviewer, please visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ana/peer_panel/reviewers.html#sub1.

For more information on the Administration for Native Americans please visit: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ana.

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SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. — The U.S. Interior Department’s assistant secretary for Indian Affairs says the federal government and tribal law enforcement officers cannot simply arrest their way out of the problems that plague Indian country.

Former prosecutor and law professor Larry Echo Hawk says the solution to keeping children safe and tackling the escalating crime rate in Indian communities is the creation of healthy families. He gave the keynote speech Tuesday at the start of a three-day national symposium focused on the protection of children in Indian Country.

He says giving the next generation the tools to avoid avenues of crime will help end the cycle.

Organizers say the symposium is the first of its kind. Some 300 federal and tribal officials are attending the event.

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By KSFY Staff

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In a brief statement, Mankiller said: 

“I decided to issue this statement because I want my family and friends to know that I am mentally and spiritually prepared for this journey; a journey that all human beings will take at one time or another.  I learned a long time ago that I can’t control the challenges the Creator sends my way but I can control the way I think about them and deal with them.  On balance, I have been blessed with an extraordinarily rich and wonderful life, filled with incredible experiences.   And I am grateful to have a support team composed of loving family and friends.  I will be spending my time with my family and close friends and engaging in activities I enjoy.  It’s been my privilege to meet and be touched by thousands of people in my life and I regret not being able to deliver this message personally to so many of you.  If anyone wants to send a message to me, it is best to email me at wilmapmankiller@yahoo.com.”

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“Absolutely it’s racist,” said Labelle. “They’re evicting me because I’m white.”

Twenty-five eviction notices were recently sent to non-aboriginal residents of the Kahnawake reservation near Montreal.

The directives were backed by calls for protecting the Mohawk cultural identity and lineage, amid a swell of intermarriages with non-natives, and complaints the territory is overcrowded, with more than 8,000 people living on 48 square kilometers (18.5 square miles) of land.

Many also lament that non-natives living on the reservation are sharing in benefits meant for indigenous peoples, such as a tax exemption for goods and services.

Delisle and Labelle, both in their 60s, are fighting the eviction, but do not hold out much hope.

The Mohawk people have admittedly been kicked around in the past, said Delisle. “Now, we’re the ones doing the mistreating of people who are here. It makes no sense,” he said.

Native rights advocates say the expulsions, which are not new in Canada, are justified under Canadian laws and treaties that set up native reservations.

Mohawk chief Martin Leborgne said the people who were asked to leave “are not aboriginal” and “do not have a right to reside here.”

“It’s not pretty, but it’s your government, your white government that set up reservations for aboriginals to live, and only us,” he said.

Constitutional law professor Jean Leclair said the residency rules adopted by the Kahnawake band council are “radical”, even “stupid” as they require residents to be at least 50 per cent Mohawk.

Asking outsiders to integrate into Mohawk culture would have been more reasonable, he said. But he also says he understands the band’s motivations.

“It’s a racial policy, sure. But natives cannot help but be preoccupied with racial issues, or they risk disappearing. One in two aboriginals marries a non-aboriginal,” he noted.

“The Mohawks are not the most threatened. There are 6,000 of them, while there are other nations with just 50 to 60 members, out of the 630 bands across Canada.”

At the local post office, the chiefs have organised a survey expected to show broad support for the measure. Resident Clint Meloche approves of it.

“They do not have a right to live on our territory in order to benefit from our taxation system,” he said.

But Ellen Gabriel, president of the Quebec Aboriginal Women’s Association does not agree with the council. “There’s a danger of rupturing families and violating human rights.”

An editorial in the daily La Presse commented: “Breaking up families in the name of blood purity? There’s a name for that and it’s racism.”

Ottawa has declined to intervene in what Chuck Strahl, the Indian affairs minister, described as a “troubling situation which has divided the community,” saying it is an “internal” matter to be decided by Mohawks.

“The band council of the Mohawks of Kahnawake made this decision based on their internal policies,” said Strahl’s spokeswoman Genevieve Guibert. “It is not appropriate for the minister to decide on the validity of such policies and rules.”

In theory, non-Mohawks living on the Kahnawake reservation could assert their rights against discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

But this will only be possible beginning in mid-2011 when First Nations’ decisions respecting employment, housing and essential services will be subject to review under the act.

That will be too late for Pauline Labelle who must leave Kahnawake in the coming days.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7359011/Mohawks-kick-everyone-else-off-their-land.html

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