Colville: Tribal women swim out of Alcatraz - Swimming across San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz Island is no easy feat. There are the strong tidal currents, the cold water and the knowledge than a few prisoners drowned as they tried to swim their way to freedom when the island was a prison. But five members of the Colville Confederated Tribes did it Oct. 14. Their efforts were part of the Preservation of Authentic Traditions and Healing program for Native Americans.

Colville: Christine Quintasket taught with her words - On Nov. 7 and 8, a two-day symposium was held in Omak to honor Mourning Dove (Christine Quintasket), a Colville tribal member and the first American Indian woman novelist. Her works sought to preserve and explain Indian culture.

Colville: Tribes tally this year's Okanogan River summer/fall Chinook run - Biologists and fish technicians spend six to eight weeks each year conducting aerial and on-the-water surveys to document where, and how many fish are spawning in the Okanogan River.

Colville: Earl “One Lung” McClung - Earl “One Lung” McClung, a member of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, passed away. He was 90 years old and a part of the famed Band of Brothers that fought in some of the most intense battles of World War II.

Colville: Canoeists paddle way of Columbia salmon - Agency and tribal representatives convened at the Davenport Hotel to outline a variety of complicated and high-price-tag issues facing the Columbia River – fish consumption rates, contamination, water management, invasive species and climate change, to name a few.

Colville: Fish consumption rate keys pollution laws - Recent surveys indicate people on the Colville Confederated Tribes reservation eat about 400 grams of fish a day, Gary Passmore, the tribes’ environmental trust director, said Wednesday at a conference in Spokane. Rates are similar for tribal and nontribal members.

Colville: Leader elected to national Indian organization - Colville Tribal Chairman Michael Finley was elected vice president of the National Congress of American Indians at its annual convention in Tulsa, Okla.

Colville: Tribal Police Investigating Body Found In Nespelem - The Colville Tribal Police are currently investigating the cause and circumstances surrounding the female body located in Nespelem, Wa on Thursday October 31st shortly before 5:00 PM. The deceased was identified as Maria Victoria Sanchez, DOB 05-31-1984.

Colville: Bomb threat shuts reservation store - Colville Tribal police received a possible bomb threat Friday at 3:30 p.m., at Tribal Trails gas station at Barney’s Junction near Kettle Falls, also known as “Noisy Waters.”

Colville: Tribal suit over millions dismissed - A lawsuit filed against members of the Colville Business Council by Colville Tribal member Yvonne L. Swan and the “Colville Members for Justice” was dismissed by the Colville Tribal Court Oct 8.

Colville: Where has the tribal conscience gone? - Much has been written to (the Tribal Tribune) in editorials about theft, embezzlements, unfair hiring and cronyism. We can write about it until we turn purple as evidently some majorities of Colville Tribal Members don’t seem to concern themselves. Some merely respond, “who isn’t on the take?”

Colville: Mergelene (Pichette) Jackson - Mergelene (Pichette) Jackson, 86, of Omak, died Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. She was a lifelong resident of Omak and was a member of the Colville Tribe.

Colville: 33 Charges Filed Against Tribal Man In Okanogan Trophy Buck Poaching Case; Atty Says Client ‘Not Guilty’ - Garret V. J. Elsberg was charged in Okanogan County Superior Court with 33 counts of illegal hunting activities.

Colville: The Heresy of Capitalism Threatens Well Being in Indian Country - (M)arket-based capitalism is fundamentally rooted in competition, and competition means there will always be winners and losers. ... Economics is the god that free-market capitalism (and even socialism) worships, and to suggest that capitalist fundamentalism is a false religion is to commit heresy. I’m not afraid to admit I’m a capitalism heretic. Comment: Our ancestors gambled. The bone game often involved wagers. In gambling there are winners and losers. To say our ancestors did not engage in competition is simply false. Our ancestors also engaged in commerce. The Chinook, for example, were renowned as savvy traders.

Colville: Reservation youth gather for science event - Colville Indian Reservation youth celebrated National 4-H week by participating in 4-H Super Science Saturday on Oct. 12.

Colville: Prisoner Dies At Colville Tribal Jail - A 34-year-old man died Sept. 24 at the Colville Tribal Corrections Center. Colville Tribal Police responded to the center at 10 p.m. and found Aaron J. Swan dead in a cleaning closet, police Chief Cory J. Orr said Oct. 1. Swan apparently hanged himself with a bed sheet.

Colville: Tribes vote to recognize same-sex unions - The Colville Tribal Council on Thursday voted to recognize same-sex marriage. Council Chairman Michael Finley said tribes have always known that gay people – whom they call Two-Spirited Peoples – have a special place in their society.

Colville: Indian mascots from another view - Google “Redskins” and you will sift through four pages of game recaps and analysis and Robert Griffin III updates before you finally find someone disgusted by the name of the team. The periodic furor over the name Redskins, which many perceive to be racist, can be drowned in footballisms with just one win. One more victory and it’s temporary amnesia.

Colville: Tribal Projects Benefit Economy - The Colville Confederate Tribes may be giving our economy a much-needed shot in the arm with two projects in planning and permitting stages. The first is development and the looming construction of a new casino, resort, hotel, RV park and amphitheater in the Omak-Okanogan area. While that project is sure to bring long-lasting jobs to the area, the rebuilding of the tribe’s headquarters and administration center in Nespelem is expected to bring short-term jobs, too.

Colville: Vanishing Indian Movement isn’t working — we’re still in the background - In 1968 California Gov. Ronald Reagan established the Fourth Friday in September as American Indian Day. Many states have followed suit but changed the name to Native American Day. This is a little confusing because anyone born in the U.S. is a Native American. And that has contributed to American Indians becoming invisible. Try to find the Indian in Bev Doolittle’s drawing.

Colville: Interpretive center honors chiefs’ legacy, descendants - Terry Charley remembers coming home to Malott, tired after his long days at work when he was a young man some 30 years ago. And his father, TB Charley would talk, on and on, about the old ways.

Colville: Wisdom From Mel: It's Okay to Not Know Everything - Mel Tonasket served as the Colville Confederated Tribe’s Chairman, The President of National Congress of American Indians and Indian health Service Area Director. The lesson is that Indian country needs to work together for every tribe’s best interest. The larger tribes should look out for the smaller tribes because the erosion of Sovereignty affects all of Indian country. Everyone should have a voice. Mel would say “Indian Country is only as Strong as the weakest tribe.”

Colville: What is going on with the Colville Confederated Tribes? - Just my opinion ... but I still adamantly say strict oversight by the peoples is necessarily ‘there’ against a still dysfunctional council ... and, further that we the concerned membership fighting for council reform truly and necessarily need “more” support from the general membership to enact once again constitutional governance, as non-transparency from council is still the rule rather than the exception.

Colville: Tracing my roots from Entiat to the Kartar Valley - The 1800s were challenging times for Indians in this region. In 1872 they were told to move from their aboriginal land to the Colville Indian Reservation 100 miles north. Then the Homestead Act opened up the reservation for non-Indians and tribal members were given small allotments that many of them sold for a pittance. Land ownership was strange and not understood by tribal people. Land was for the use of everyone and was not a commodity that could be sold.

Colville: Tribe loses government records in fire - Some 40 people who work for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespelem lost their offices when the tribes’ administration building burned to the ground. The losses include the offices of 14 governing council members, and at least some of the council’s resolutions and meeting minutes from the past year, since the tribe archives its records annually.

Colville: The mixed blessing of fire for the tribes - The mythical Coyote is said to be a trickster. But he is also a transformer and brought FIRE to the people. Fire is good except when it’s not. It was not on July 29, 2013 when the Colville tribal office burned down and displaced 40 tribal employees including the 14 council members.

Colville: Fire at tribal headquarters appears accidental - A fire that destroyed the administration building for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation on Monday was apparently accidental, and is believed to be electrical, authorities say.

Colville: Tribes have busy building year ahead - The burning of their Nespelem headquarters building has left their offices scattered around until a new building can be put up. That isn’t the only major construction plan, either. Press reports have come out about a new casino planned across the Okanogan river from Omak and Okanogan. The tribes have purchased $2 million worth of property for a major expansion there, according to the reports.

Colville: Tribes to build new Omak casino - The Colville Tribes has announced plans to construct a casino on property purchased four years ago along SR-97, south of the Rodeo Trail Road near Omak. The Tribes wanted to start the project earlier but when workers dug on the site back in 2009, they found human bones, and it derailed the project until now.

Colville: Fire cause still unknown - The cause of the fire that destroyed the Colville Tribes’ administration building July 29 is still unknown, Tribal Police Chief Cory Orr said Tuesday. Orr said private investigators had been unable as yet to determine a cause and federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are continuing the investigation.

Colville-Yakama: Colvilles say Yakama fish project interferes in their territory - A letter from the Colville Tribes “vigorously” opposing a plan by the Yakama Nation to build an acclimation pond for coho north of Winthrop puts a new twist in salmon recovery in the region. The comment from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation was one of less than a dozen others submitted by residents and Okanogan County Commissioners on an environmental analysis of the proposal to build a one-third acre pond to hold young coho before releasing them into the adjacent Chewuch River.

Colville: Tribes reopen Fort Okanogan - Once focused on fur trading and the region’s first white settlers, the newly reopened Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center has a whole new different perspective now. Two and a half years after the state gave this 45-acre site north of Brewster to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the interpretive center is completely redone, with new displays and a new emphasis.

Colville: NMAI Interviews Chairman John Sirois - The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation inhabit portions of our aboriginal homelands. Of the twelve tribes—Wenatchee (Wenatchi), Nespelem, Moses–Columbia, Methow, Colville, Okanogan, Palus, Sanpoil, Entiat, Chelan, Nez Perce, and Lakes (Arrow Lakes)—we inhabit the Okanogan, Nespelem, Lakes, and Sanpoil regions. Essentially, the Colville Reservation is in our indigenous homelands we have occupied from time immemorial. We are unique and very blessed in that way of having our own lands to live upon.

Colville: Tribes open $51 million fish hatchery - A new fish hatchery that will release nearly 3 million salmon to the wild each year is set to be dedicated Thursday in rural north-central Washington, marking the opening of the first hatchery designed and built under new scientific recommendations intended to boost fish survival rates in the Pacific Northwest.

Colville: Tribes celebrate $50 million hatchery - The tribe recently celebrated the opening of a $50 million hatchery designed to bolster runs to the Upper Columbia and a tributary, the Okanogan River.

Colville: Colorful crossroads of pop culture and heritage - Gendron is an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated tribes who has been a full-time professional artist for more than three decades. He paints every day, combining the pop-culture iconography of contemporary America with symbols from his Native American heritage.

Colville: CNI Northwest lands work on NE Washington projects - Contractors Northwest Inc., of Coeur d'Alene, expects to begin construction this month on two projects with a combined value of $2.4 million. The projects include a $660,000 renovation of a 54,000-square-foot Super 1 grocery store in Colville, Wash., and a $1.7 million expansion and remodel at the administration building of the Colville Indian Housing Authority, in Nespelem, Wash.

Colville: State, tribe conflict on Sanpoil fishing licenses - Lake Roosevelt anglers continue to be caught in the crossfire of boundary disagreements between the state of Washington and the Colville Confederated Tribes.

Colville: Tribal culture and history - We are from the Entiat tribe which is one of the twelve tribes making up the Colville Confederated Tribes. My great-grandfather, Chief Chilcosahaskt, remained at the Entiat Valley and my grandfather Lahompt (Chief Koxit George) was the first of our family to move to the Reservation.

Colville: Meeting on wolves planned - Two meetings are planned on the Colville Indian Reservation to bring the public up to date on the wolf population in the area. A meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 28, at the Nespelem Community Center, and a second meeting will be held June 4, at 6 p.m., at the Inchelium Center. The meetings will be hosted by the Colville Confederated Tribes Wildlife Department with Carter Niemeyer as the special guest speaker.

Colville: Tribes host Okanagan National Alliance meeting - The Okanagan National Alliance Chiefs Executive Council quarterly meeting will be hosted by the Colville Confederated Tribes from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 8 at the Omak Longhouse, 25 Mission Road. Subjects will include a Columbia River Treaty presentation and a ceremonial signing of the Columbia River Treaty Protocol Agreement.

Colville: Denied recount, tribal candidate files grievance - A candidate for the Colville Business Council has filed a formal grievance against the tribal election committee, saying she was denied a recount required as automatic by tribal law, she said. Charlene BearCub, who ran for the position 2 seat in the Nespelem District, was edged out in the May 18 primary by two votes. She said the tribal election code requires an automatic recount if the difference between candidates is three votes or less.

Colville: Two lose office in tribal primary - Two Colville Business Council incumbents lost out in their bids for another term in the primary election certified last week. Losing in the primary were Brian Nissen, in position 1 in the Nespelem District and Darlene Zacherlie in the position 1 race in the Keller District.

Colville: Tribal election poll results in - The results of Saturday’s Colville Business Council primary election, minus absentee ballots, show that in two of the races, it appears incumbents are in for serious challenge.

Colville-Yakama: Horse slaughter debate draws strong opinions - Yakima Nation Chairman Harry Smiskin recently wrote to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack about the need to resume horse slaughter in the United States. While noting that, “no other president has done more to include Indian tribes in his priorities,” he expressed “serious disappointment” with recent statements coming from representatives of the Agriculture Department on the issue of horse slaughter and the processing of horse meat.

Colville: How the Colvilles kept their reservation - Fifty years ago this October, a congressional subcommittee on Indian affairs held a series of hearings across Washington state on a bill to dissolve the 1.4 million-acre Colville Indian Reservation.

Colville: Governor awards Blaylock - Fern Blaylock, a veteran volunteer at Center School, received an award April 25 from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. The award, for outstanding volunteer service, was presented to her at the Governor’s Executive Mansion in Olympia. Blaylock was nominated for her work through the Colville Tribal Foster Grandparent Program.

Colville: Tribes propose police service to Elmer City - The Colville Tribes pitched the Elmer City council last Thursday to provide the town’s official police force. Appearing at the town council were Public Safety Director Bill Elliot and Tribal Police Chief Corey Orr.

Colville: Final touches being placed on salmon hatchery - The final step in finishing the Chief Joseph Salmon Hatchery is under way, with coring into Chief Joseph dam for a water delivery system to the hatchery. When Chief Joseph Dam was built in 1955, there were no provisions made for fish passage around the dam. A Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife newsletter said last fall the reservoir water intake had to be modified due to the placement of rip rap that blocked the entrance to the irrigation intake port.

Colville: Colville Tribal Federal Corporation Selects Bally Technologies as iGaming and Mobile Provider - Bally Technologies, and the Board of Directors of Colville Tribal Federal Corporation, a wholly owned entity of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, today announced an agreement for Bally Interactive to provide its iGaming Platform and mobile solution to Colville's three properties in Washington -- Mill Bay Casino, Okanogan Bingo Casino, and Coulee Dam Casino.

Colville: Federal grant to help Colville tribal youth - The Colville Tribal Youth Diversion Program will get a $137,000 grant through the Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice, a news release from the state Department of Social and Health Services said.

Colville: Wood Resources to Reopen Colville Plywood Mill; Hire 200 - Wood Resources LLC has signed a 25-year lease with the Colville Tribe to reopen the Colville plywood mill in Omak, WA. As many as 200 workers could be hired to operate the mill. Shut down in 2009, the mill "will require significant restorative maintenance and upgrades to become operational," according to a statement from the company.

Colville: Tribes plans annual Earth Day event - The Colville Tribes will hold their fourth annual Earth Day celebration, Monday, April 22, at the powwow grounds near Nespelem.

Colville: Tribes to build new headquarters for $40 million - The Colville Business Council has voted to spend $40 million to build a new administration building on the Colville Indian Agency campus near Nespelem. The vote was taken March 7, with half the 14 tribal council members present as the resolution passed on a 6-1 vote.

Colville: Key players meeting on sewer plant project - Officials from Coulee Dam, Elmer City, Gray & Osborne, the Colville Tribes and Indian Health Services are meeting and moving toward some decisions on proposed wastewater treatment plant work that has been halted by controversy.

Colville: New hatchery at Chief Joseph scheduled for summer opening - The Chief Joseph Hatchery is scheduled for completion in May and should be rearing chinook salmon in July. The construction cost is paid with electric ratepayer money from the Bonneville Power Administration through the Colville Tribes “Fish Accords.”

Colville: Interest high in Colville council seats - Interest in filings for the seven Colville Business Council openings has been brisk, election officials stated Monday. As of Monday, 23 interested parties had picked up applications at the election office at the Colville Indian Agency campus.

Colville-Kalispel-Nez Perce: Tribes keep language alive - The unmistakable melody of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” filled the packed room at the Pavilion at Northern Quest Resort and Casino. A trio of women took the stage, executing the iconic dance moves as the lead singer, sequined hat, one glove and all, belted out the song. The tune was familiar but the words were not. That’s because the song was performed in Salish at the Salish Karaoke Contest on March 6 during the Celebrating Salish Conference.

Colville: Tribal ceremonial locker explained - Tribal members have been asking questions regarding the Tribes’ Ceremonial Locker such as how it’s used, when it began and who can benefit from it, the Colville Fish and Wildlife department state last week.

Colville: Chief Joseph Hatchery to open this summer - Three years after work began on the new Chief Joseph Hatchery in Bridgeport, it's nearly ready to begin operations. The estimated $49 million hatchery is scheduled to be finished in May and begin production in July. Sixty-six employees work on-site now, and 11 will remain full-time once construction is complete. The project began in January 2010, a combined effort of the Colville Tribe and the Bonneville Power Administration.

Colville: Confederated Tribes Win Sierra Club Award for Battling British Columbia Smelter - The Colville Confederated Tribes’ successful effort to hold a British Columbia smelter accountable for dumping pollutants into the Columbia River for a century has caught the attention of the Sierra Club Washington State’s Upper Columbia River Group, which bestowed its 2013 Watershed Hero Award on the tribes.

Colville: Tribal Recall/Signing Rally - Colville Tribal Members are having a Recall signing Rally to oust all 14 currently seated Council, all districts will be available to sign.

Colville: Tribes earn environmental award - The Sierra Club is honoring the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and a former mayor of Quincy for their work to protect the environment.

Colville: Legal Notices for March 6, 2013 - The Colville Tribal Federal Corporation is seeking proposals from Colville Tribal Members, for the fabrication and installation of a 3-D steel sculpture of a traditional Kettle Falls fisherman.

Colville: Wolf population doubled in Washington over past year - Despite the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife shooting of seven wolves last summer because they were killing cattle, the state’s population is burgeoning, a new survey shows. On the Colville Indian Reservation, Chairman John Sirois said contractors working for the tribe had recently net-gunned a more than 130-pound male wolf. The animal was tagged and released.

Colville: Officials: Problem wolves will be removed - State officials assured Okanogan County residents Thursday that some problem wolves that kill livestock will be trapped and euthanized this year. The county is interested in giving jurisdiction over the wolves to the Colville Tribes.

Colville: Economic district funnels grants to job creators - If an organization wants to create jobs in North Central Washington, it will probably need the help of the NCW Economic Development District. The district, which includes Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties and the Colville Confederated Tribe, is a federally designated economic development district responsible for strategy and planning, and collaborates with various private and public agencies, according to administrator Jennifer Korfiatis.

Colville: What's 9 million tons of toxic slag more? - Canadian firm Teck Cominco used the Columbia River as a hazardous waste dump for about 60 years. What will it cost them?

Colville: Outdoor writer Dave Graybill offers insight on new Upper Columbia hatchery - The plan for the Colville Confederated Tribes to build a new hatchery began ten years ago. If construction continues on schedule the facility will be operational by May of 2013. The completion of the project will not only mean the return of harvestable salmon to the Colville Tribal members, but thousands of additional salmon available to recreational fishermen on the main stem Columbia and the Okanogan rivers.

Colville: Gonzaga to host Colville appeals court - The Colville Tribal Court of Appeals will hear arguments at Gonzaga University School of Law’s Barbieri Courtroom, at 10 a.m., Friday, Jan. 25. The hearing, which is open to the public, is part of Gonzaga Law School’s centennial celebration. The panel will ask if the lower tribal court abused the power of discretion in blocking further prosecution of a dismissed case.

Colville: Tribes advised of project delay - Coulee Dam Mayor Quincy Snow, Greg Wilder and Elmer City Councilmember Larry Holford all met with the Colville Tribes Community Development Committee Tuesday to discuss the proposed wastewater treatment facility. He told the group that the town had decided to delay proceeding with the facility plan, and he encouraged the Colville Tribes to participate.

Colville: Wolf management issues a growing priority around state - Okanogan County officials are beginning to more fully engage on wolf-related issues after seeing how fast wolves have repopulated other parts of the West.

Colville: Members are exercising recall right - As many in the Colville Tribe and surrounding communities are aware of, there is currently a Tribal Council Recall effort under way. It is within the constitutional rights of the membership to initiate such an action when there has been a breach in the leadership amongst Council representatives.

Colville: Longhouse Destroyed in Fire, But Not All Is Lost - A disastrous fire rocked the Colville Reservation as the year ended. A news release from the office of Chairman John Sirois expressed the sorrow felt throughout the reservation. “Our community, especially the Longhouse Community, stand in a state of shock a day after Christmas. At approximately 12:30 a.m. a fire broke out at the Chief Joseph Nez Perce Longhouse and it completely burned to the ground.”

Colville: Wolf recovery in Washington: Seattle briefing with experts - Absent from Washington for more than 70 years, wolves are returning to Washington, with eight packs so far confirmed, and unconfirmed sightings in Kettle Falls in northeastern Washington, the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington, and in the North Cascades.

Colville: Tribes OK Wolf Hunt On Reservation - The Colville Confederated Tribes have authorized a wolf hunt on their reservation. Although the number of confirmed wolves on the Colville reservation is low, tribal officials say the carnivores have been killing animals that some tribal members normally kill for food.

Colville: Tribal record doesn’t earn confidence - Houseboats at Keller Ferry and abandoned mills near Omak serve as grim reminders of Colville tribal council’s record of inept spending and intuitive planning. I am not optimistic that council’s approach will maximize use of settlement monies, not during my lifetime. The attitude among some “elected” council is “trust us, you elected us.”

Colville: Many members are hurting - More people signed the petition to release funds than voted in the last election, yet council has stated they feel that their “supporters” will vote no and the settlement would be used by council for their “plan” anyway. I want to say that if they are so sure of that, why is our chairman sitting on the petition? Ask our elders who lost all of their settlements due to the malicious holds council had placed on them to get even. Ask how holds were taken out of families’ payments for debt owed by deceased parents and 20-plus-year-old debts that were paid but since receipts weren’t kept, had to be paid again.

Colville: Potlatch Fund Honors Healing Lodge Director for Her Cultural Approach to Youth Addiction Recovery - Dr. Martina Whelshula has the kind of personality that fills the room. A member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, she serves as executive director of the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nation, a Spokane, Washington-based treatment center that helps youth overcome drug and alcohol addictions.

Colville: Tribes claim Columbia River pollution court win - Canadian mining and smelting giant Teck Metals Ltd. was found liable last week by a U.S. District Court in Yakima for contaminating the Columbia River with millions of tons of smelting waste. The Colville Tribes of northeastern and central Washington, which joined the eight-year-suit against Teck in 2005, said the ruling has "great meaning" for the Tribes.

Colville: Tribe hunting wolves to protect deer, elk, chairman says - After eight months of deliberation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation decided earlier this month to open a hunt on wolves living within the boundaries of its reservation, John Sirois, chairman of the Colville Business Council said in a telephone interview Friday. The tribe elected to allow a wolf hunt in order protect the tribe's food supply, Sirois said.

Colville: Tribe upholds plans to spend $193 million - The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation will stick with a plan to spend half of a $193 million settlement on tribal programs, rather than distribute it to tribal members to spend as they please, the Colville Business Council announced Monday.

Colville: Tribal members protest - Members of the Colville Tribes gather in protest outside the tribal government headquarters Wednesday, objecting to leaders’ decision to stick to an earlier decision on allocation of a $193 million settlement with the federal government. Those calling for recall of elected officials wanted all of that amount paid to tribal members. The Colville Business Council decided in October that half would go to tribal programs.

Colville: Elders rebuke council answers - In light of precedents set by former Colville Business Council who in the 1950s and 1990s immediately informed tribal members of claims settlements, called general membership meetings, and in the 1990s put the issue to a vote, I and other elders expected this example to be followed by current Colville Business Council regarding the recent (2012) $193 Million claims settlement.

Colville: Many tribal members approve of keeping settlement money for programs - Many Colville Confederated Tribal Members were quite happy to receive the first 50 percent of the Salazar Settlement funds and want the remaining 50 percent to remain with the Tribal Government. Our Tribal Leaders...believe that holding some of these funds in reserve and investing in our Tribal infrastructure is critical at this time. There is no injustice in this payment distribution, as 50 percent was paid to the people and now 50 percent should be invested in the development of our Tribe.

Colville: Bragging robber says he’ll do it again - Coulee Dam police have been advised that a man sought in an alleged armed robbery of the Smoke Shop might do it again. Police received word from Colville Tribal Police that a man reported he had heard that Phillip Cody Ruiz, 23, the man sought in the Nov. 27 robbery, had told others on the Colville Indian Reservation that he was going to rob the store again.

Colville: Tribe opens wolf hunting season on reservation - Although gray wolves are still listed by the state as an endangered species, the Colville Confederated Tribes have opened a wolf hunting season for tribal members on a portion of their reservation, according to the 2012 Tribal Member South Half Gray Wolf Regulations posted on the tribe's website.

Colville: Video on reducing fatal crashes on Colville reservation wins film award - A map of the 1.4 million-acre Colville Indian Reservation littered with red and yellow markers hangs on a wall at the Colville Tribal Police Department. The markers show dozens of fatal and near-fatal crashes that occurred over a four-or five-year period. For years, serious vehicle accidents have plagued members of the Confederated Tribe of the Colville Reservation. But a reservation-wide effort to turn those numbers around by working with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission may be changing that.

Colville: Soap Lake eschews moniker change in committee vote - Soap Lake the lake will remain Soap Lake, just like the city on its shore. The state Committee on Geographic Names rejected a proposal Friday to return the name of the lake to the Salish language word for healing waters, Smokiam.

Colville: Tribes Manage Wolves With Own Program - As controversy rages over the killing of the Wedge wolf pack in Washington State, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are quietly managing one of the state’s eight remaining packs, with a second one possibly to be identified come spring, the pup-birthing season.

Colville: Local advocates wary of marijuana legalization - Darren McCrea’s relationship with marijuana goes back to 2003. He started using it medically for a disability and formed a support group called “Spocannabis.” McCrea is part of the Colville Confederated Tribes, which does not fall under state law enforcement. “Right now, it’s not legal on our reservation, even for medical purposes. And that’s because we’re afraid of the federal government.”

Colville and Yakama: Group launching effort to improve forest health - It is possible to avoid repeated outbreaks of the kinds of fires that charred tens of thousands of acres in North Central Washington and choked the region in smoke, but that will require a radically different approach to managing our forests. This week, I met with members of the steering committee that are working to set up a Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. The group includes representatives from Chelan and Okanogan counties, the Colville and Yakama tribes,

Colville: New hatchery to bring salmon to Colville tribe - The first salmon hatchery on the Columbia River designed with the latest scientific recommendations on how to avoid weakening the naturally spawning populations is 80 percent complete and will begin producing fish in the spring. Promised to American Indian tribes decades ago, the Chief Joseph Hatchery is located directly across the river from Chief Joseph Dam _ where each year salmon still return year, only to bump their heads against the massive concrete structure that prevents them from continuing their journey to spawn in tributaries northeast of Bridgeport.

Colville: Agriculture Undersecretary Announces Broadband and Communications Projects to Create Jobs, Promote Education in Rural America - $1,303,794; Funds will be used to provide broadband services to the rural community of Keller, through an optical fiber fed wireless access network. Additionally, the community center will be equipped to provide free access to computing equipment, training, and broadband services to residents for at least two years.

Colville: On the Issue of Indians and Mascots - I am an American Indian, a member of the Colville Tribe, and a former high school mascot for the North Central Indians in Spokane, Washington. What’s wrong with “Indians”, “Braves”, “Chiefs”, “Warriors”, “Redskins” or “Totems”? To see the potential problems with these, it may be effective to consider a relatively simple counter-example. How many people would be in favor of – or even just comfortable with – using a different non-caucasian/minority ethnic group for a mascot? Pick general labels first and consider the “Chinese”, “Africans”, “Maori” or “Jews”. Then maybe consider the “Zulus”, “Gypsies”, “Levites”, “Samurai” or “Sheikhs”. How about just going with skin “color”: “Blackskins”, “Brownskins” or “Yellowskins”? Now how appropriate do “Indians”, “Braves” and “Redskins” sound? What about the First Nations peoples separates them as exempt from this kind of exploitation?

Colville: Tribes Savor Teck Resources Court Admission That It Polluted Columbia River - The Colville Confederated Tribes of Washington State are savoring a court victory that has been a long time in the making: In mid-September, British Columbia–based Teck Resources Ltd. finally admitted in court that it had polluted the Columbia River for more than a hundred years. The company conceded that runoff from the smelter of its subsidiary Teck Metals Ltd. in Trail, B.C., had been polluting the waters downstream since 1896.

Colville: Northwest Fire Season Stretches Tribal Resources Thin - A wildfire on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington has grown to nearly 10,000 acres. Crews are now trying to keep the fire from burning 132 homes and other buildings near Omak. As Jessica Robinson reports, the Northwest’s busy fire season has taken a toll on tribal lands this year. The fire near Omak is the third major blaze on the Colville reservation this year. Tribal spokeswoman Kathy Moses says the reservation employs a seasonal fire crew, but it’s not used to seasons like this one.

Colville: Tribes receive payment checks today - The Colville tribal membership will be receiving Government settlement money today. The checks are scheduled for October 12, 2012. Approximately $6100 will be received by each tribe members (Approx. 9,000 members). This will a be an early Christmas present to area businesses and retailers. The dollars will be filtering in the communities. Okanogan and Grand Coulee businesses have already seen an increase in foot traffic and people receiving loan qualifications.

Colville: Federal judge takes case under advisement - A federal judge in Yakima will decide whether a Canadian mining company must pay to clean up pollution that for decades crossed the border into Lake Roosevelt in Washington. U.S. District Court Judge Lonny Suko heard motions on the lawsuit Wednesday and said he will issue a decision later this year.

Colville: Tribe sets up nets to fish the Similkameen - Colville tribal fishermen set up nets in the Similkameen River near Oroville last week, catching some 70 summer Chinook salmon in two days of fishing.

Colville: Tribes Pleased With Teck Acknowledgment of Release of Hazardous Substances Into the Columbia River/Lake Roosevelt - For years the Colville Tribes have fought to protect and clean up the Columbia River. With less than ten days to trial, mining and smelting giant Teck Metals, Ltd (Teck) conceded that it discharged millions of tons of smelting waste known as slag and other hazardous waste effluent into the Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt from Teck's Trail B.C smelter. With these concessions documented in a signed stipulation, questions that were formerly central to the parties' litigation are now undisputed by Teck, and a one-day streamlined trial will be held without live testimony from witnesses to focus on remaining legal issues.

Colville: Tribe documents Washington’s 9th wolf pack - The Colville Tribe confirmed Washington’s ninth wolf pack Sunday as they trapped and released a 104-pound gray wolf. The new group of gray wolves has been called the Strawberries Pack. The wolf is the third to be captured, fitted with a GPS collar and released on the reservation in three months.

Colville: Teck, Colville Tribe go to trial over slag - In the early 1990s, anglers in the Upper Columbia River reported seeing beads of liquid mercury floating in the water. The actions galvanized the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, whose 1.4 million-acre reservation borders the Columbia River. After years of convoluted legal wrangling, the Colville Tribe will face one of the river’s major polluters in federal court in September. The tribe and the state of Washington want to hold Teck Resources Ltd. accountable for dumping millions of tons of pollution into the Upper Columbia from its massive lead-and-zinc smelter in Trail, B.C.

Colville: Tribe installs salmon weir across Okanogan River - A temporary picket-style salmon weir recently has been installed on the Okanogan River about 15 miles upstream from its confluence with the Columbia River near Brewster, the Colville Tribe reports. The weir was installed a mile downstream from Malott Bridge during three weeks of construction by Chief Joseph Hatchery staff to test methods for sampling chinook salmon heading upstream to spawn. The river can flow through the weir but the picket slots form a barrier to upstream-bound adult salmon and angles them into a trap.

Colville: Tribes Head to Court Against Teck Resources on September 10 - The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will get their day in court on September 10 against Teck Resources, a Canadian smelter that over the course of a century dumped slag into the Columbia River from its lead-and-zinc operations up in British Columbia.

Colville: Colville tribal members vote for money now - Colville tribal members can expect the second installment of a settlement disbursement in October after voting overwhelmingly in favor of distributing half of a $193 million settlement to members, instead of 20 percent.

Colville: Tribe will disburse another $58 million - Just three weeks after disbursing more than $4,000 to each of its members, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced today that it will disburse another $58 million from its $193 million settlement with the federal government stemming from mismanagement of tribal timber- and rangelands.

Colville: Elmer City wildfire shuts down Highway 155, scorches 8K acres - Firefighters are battling a brush fire near Elmer City that has swept across 8,000 acres and forced limited evacuations on the Colville Indian Reservation. According to Colville Tribal Police, the fire started around 8 p.m. Tuesday in brush near Elmer City. Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said Wednesday morning the fire was approximately 1,000 acres; by the evening the fire was estimated at 7,800 acres. "A lot of it is wind driven, still a lot of fuel left to burn and the winds keep changing," said Chief Matt Haney with the Colville Tribal Police.

Colville: Tribe, Teck go to court over Columbia River pollution - After years of legal wrangling, the Colville Tribe will face Teck Resources, one of the river's major polluters, in federal court in September. The trial is a bid to hold the Canadian company responsible for dumping pollution into the upper Columbia River.

Colville: Wildfire Near Grand Coulee Dam 93% Contained, 11,000+ Acres Burned - By Saturday afternoon, containment of the Buffalo Lake Road fire had increased to 93%. Mop up continues to progress as firefighters work to ensure that the fire perimeter is brought under control. Coordination continues between the Colville Confederated Tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington Department of Natural Resources, US Bureau of Reclamation, Okanogan Fire District 2, Elmer City Fire Department, Coulee Dam Fire Department, Grant County Fire Department, National Park Service and Okanogan County. Note: Monolithic dome homes cost about the same to build as stick frame houses, but are more energy efficient, maintenance free, and fireproof.

Colville: Tradition keeps dangerous horse race alive - This weekend, as it has for nearly 80 years, the rodeo in Omak, Washington will attract thousands of residents and tourists to its city to watch up to 20 jockeys and their horses sprint down a steep embankment and into the water. Organizers of the Suicide Race are used to defending the tradition shared with the Colville Native American tribe. An estimated 23 horses have died since 1983, according to the Humane Society of the United States, including one this week.

Colville: Tradition of sharing continues - With sockeye returning by the thousands, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have been inviting other tribes to share their bounty. For the last few years, the Colvilles have been using their fishing boat, the Dream Catcher, to net salmon returning to the upper Columbia River where Chief Joseph Dam blocks further passage. With such a huge return this year, the Colvilles have hosted fishermen from the Coeur d’Alene Kalispel, Kootenai, Wanapum, Shoshone-Bannock and Spokane tribes.

Colville: Horse dies in bid to qualify for Omak Suicide Race - The Humane Society of the United States has condemned the death and renewed its criticism of the event, run annually in Washington State. The society says horses are forced to run at full gallop down a 210 foot long bank on a 60-degree slope. It is known as Suicide Hill. The animals must then cross the Okanogan River, during which they may go under, it says. Its banks are also covered in rocks and debris, posing a hazard to the horses. Most of the riders who take part are young members of the Colville Confederated Tribes and the race is considered a rite of passage for young warriors.

Colville: Colville Tribe Members are receiving $38 Million this week - The Colville Tribe is receiving 193 million settlement from the U.S Government. About $39 million dollars will go to members this week. Another 30 percent of the 193 Million will be up to a vote this year.

Colville: Lawsuit alleging abuse settled - Attorneys for a North Idaho girl have agreed to settle a civil suit alleging she was molested by a man who worked as substance abuse counselor and coach at the Paschal Sherman Indian School, which is operated in Omak, Wash., by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The suit was filed last year relating to an incident in November 2008, when the girl was attending the school and staying in an on-campus dormitory. The suit names Clinton J. Nicholson, who was 44 at the time. He no longer works at the school, according to his attorney, Mark Carroll.

Colville: Indian Reservation Declares State of Emergency After Severe Thunderstorms - The Colville Indian Reservation has declared a state of emergency following a severe thunderstorm that downed trees, caused landslides, closed roads and cut off power in the reservation’s four districts.

Colville: Lawsuit funds disbursement vote planned - A petition calling for tribal members to receive 50 percent of a lawsuit settlement has traction with the new Colville Business Council. Last week, the new council set Aug. 11 as the date for a tribal vote on distributing 30 percent more of the Tribal Trust Settlement, new tribal Chairman John Sirois said.

Colville: Members to vote on fate of $193 million settlement - Colville Tribal members will vote in the next 30 days whether they want half of a $193 million settlement to be distributed to members, instead of the 20 percent that their leaders had previously arranged.

Colville: Tribal members seek to recall chairman - Displeased with how a $193 million federal settlement will be spent, some members of the Colville tribes are now seeking a recall of their leaders who negotiated it. Joanne Sanchez — a tribal member who gathered 2,092 signatures to distribute more of the funds to members — is circulating petitions to recall Michael Finley, the Colville Tribal chairman, and Brian Nissan, a councilman who also negotiated the settlement. The petition claims Finley and Nissan failed to look out for the best interest of tribes by negotiating a settlement that would be taxed if distributed to members.

Colville: Tribes offer wild horses for adoption - About 1,000 wild horses that are damaging rangeland on Colville Indian Reservation will be rounded up and given up for adoption over the next few years. Officials from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation say they plan to remove between 200 and 400 horses every year until about 200 are left.

Colville: Tribal councilman resigns - Ferdinand Louie, a Colville Tribal councilman from Omak, resigned from his post last week. No reasons were given for Louie’s resignation in a news release from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. He was arrested last month by Tulalip Tribal Police and booked into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence. Comment: Maybe the Colville are plagued by a pseudo-matriarchal political faction bent on taking over by any means, no matter how nefarious, too.

Colville: City of Moses Lake resists tribal gas station - A proposed tribal gas station and convenience store has continued to see resistance from city council members. Tribal Trails Travel Plaza, which the Colville Confederated Tribes has brought to the city's table, submitted an environmental assessment to the city which council members picked apart.

Colville: Tribes vote in new council - Colville tribal members this week voted in a whole new slate of leaders, electing six new members to their governing council out of seven up for re-election. Only Colville Tribal Chairman Michael Finley retained his seat on the Colville Business Council in the June 16 general election, which was certified Thursday. One sitting council member opted not to run for reelection, two were defeated in primary elections, and three were defeated in Saturday’s election.

Colville: Gray wolves collared on Reservation - The Colville Tribes’ wolf trapping team has captured and collared two gray wolves in two days at a remote location this week on the Colville Reservation—an historic event for the Tribes, announced Colville Business Council Chairman Michael O. Finley. Finley said the wolves were captured June 4 and June 5 and outfitted with tracking collars that will transmit important data and allow the Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife Department to follow their movements.

Colville: Two pairs of wolves captured - On Monday and Tuesday, the Colville Tribes’ “Wolf Trapping Team” captured and collared two gray wolves from the Nc’icn Pack near the San Poil river, the first wolves caught on the reservation in over 100 years.

Colville: Tribal councilman becomes national leader for Indian health - As a national advocate for Indian health, Andy Joseph, Jr. says he sometimes feels like a war general who's losing too many of his troops. And like a war general, he travels regularly to Washington, D.C. from his home in Nespelem to fight for funding, hoping he won't see so many of his people die before they grow old. Instead of getting killed by bullets or roadside bombs, American Indians on his Colville Indian Reservation and across the nation are dying of cancer, diabetes, suicide and alcoholism. They are dying of many diseases at higher rates than the rest of the population. And instead of those rates getting better, they're getting worse. Comment: I served on the Cowlitz Tribe Health Board for 10 years, and four years ago I met Councilman Joseph at a health conference in Seattle. He is a good man and a great leader. The legacy of 19th century prison camp cultural on the reservations acts as a lens to magnify the harm caused by "sickness care" that masquerades as "health care" combined with the fast food culture that emphasizes convenience and taste over good nutrition. What is happening on the reservations is happening more slowly but just as surely throughout America. The FDA's attacks against organizations and efforts to promote good health through education and proper nutrition enriches drug and fast food companies, but sickens the nation. Tribes bear the brunt, but this is a national issue that should be of concern to all.

Colville: Tribes dicker over settlement - Plans to disburse only 20 percent of a $193 million federal settlement directly to members of the Colville Tribes isn’t sitting well with some members. Joanne Sanchez, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation who lives in Moxee, said she wants to see 50 percent of the settlement dispersed immediately to members of the tribe. The tribal council announced that the remaining 80 percent would go toward restoring tribal forests, rangelands and natural resources. Sanchez said many members, including herself, don’t trust how the tribal council will spend that money.

Colville: Tribal member pleads guilty to brutal assault - A member of the Colville Confederated Tribes pleaded guilty today in federal court to brutally beating and kidnapping his wife earlier this year. Matthew R. Carden, Sr., 40, pleaded guilty to felony assault, kidnapping and a felon in possession of a firearm after the Jan. 9, 2012, assault near Nespelem in which he used his boots and fists for about 20 minutes, according to court testimony.

Colville: State postpones decision on Soap Lake - The state Committee on Geographic Names postponed a decision on whether to change Soap Lake’s name to Smokiam Lake on Friday. Bonnie Holt- Morehouse, a Soap Lake resident, and Dr. Robert Ruby, a Moses Lake historian, are behind the proposal to change the name of the lake — but not the town. They believe giving the lake back its original name would foster positive relations with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and help educate others about the importance of the lake and its minerals.

Colville: Anglers at odds with Tribe - Colville Confederated Tribes fish and wildlife officers recently cited several Lake Roosevelt anglers for fishing without a tribal fishing license on land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Perhaps it’s notable that the escalation in tribal enforcement action is just months before the WDFW and Colville Tribe will be renegotiating their five-year agreement that allows non-tribal members to fish hassle-free at designated sites along Lake Rufus Woods with either a state or a tribal fishing license.

Coeur d'Alene-Spokane: UI, tribes receive STEM education funding - The University of Idaho and UI Extension have been awarded a $1.1 million National Science Foundation grant to extend science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to underserved Native American students in the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane tribes.

Colville-Skagit: Omak man assaulted with ax, suspect arrested - Arthur B. Chuweah, 71, was assaulted according to the Colville Tribal Police Department. Police were called about 1:50 a.m. Chuweah is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Justin F. Martinez, 32, was arrested and booked into the Okanogan County Jail. He told authorities he is a mamber of the Skagit Tribe.

Colville: Low standards for water put fish eaters at heightened risk - After years of urging from Columbia River tribes, Oregon updated its fish consumption rates to 23 meals per month. The push was based on studies documenting that Native Americans eat far more fish than the average population. Washington tribes also support efforts to make native fish safer to eat, said Gary Passmore, environmental trust manager for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Colville: Federal court rejects Canadian mining company’s divisibility defense in CERCLA lawsuit - A federal court in Washington state has rejected a Canadian mining company’s defense of divisibility in a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCL A) lawsuit. Pakootas v. Teck Cominco Metals, Ltd., No. 04-256 (E.D. Wash. 4/4/12). The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation sued defendant in 2004 to recover costs associated with cleaning up environmental contamination in Washington allegedly caused by the company’s disposal of slag and liquid effluent into the Columbia River from its mining facility in Canada.

Colville: Judge bars Teck ‘divisibility’ bid - The Colville Tribes and the state of Washington won a victory in a pretrial phase of a lawsuit against Teck Resources for dumping millions of tons of smelter slag into the upper Columbia River.

Colville: Name change for Soap Lake sparks opposition - A proposal to change the name of Soap Lake to Lake Smokiam is generating strong opposition from residents of the town of Soap Lake. Michael Finley, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, wrote a letter in December expressing the tribes’ enthusiastic support for the proposal by two residents of the area who are not tribal members. “It demonstrates their dedication to bridging the gap between the native and Anglo communities,” he wrote.

Colville: PBS documentary tackles construction, history of Grand Coulee Dam - The 90-minute film, premiering Tuesday, features interviews with former dam workers, historians and leaders of the Colville Tribe, and is stitched together by historic photos and film clips. Together, these sources help paint a picture of a project monumental and impressive in scope, with terrible unintended consequences.

Colville: Moses Lake tribal casino likely not in the cards - A tribal casino in Moses Lake is on a list of projects that could be made possible by settlement funds received by Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. That does not mean the option is being seriously considered, according to Colville Business Council members.

Colville-Spokane: Tribe puts Lake Roosevelt walleye on table - for dinner, debate - Biologists for the Spokane and Colville tribes, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Eastern Washington University and even many – not all – anglers say there’s an overabundance of small, underweight non-native walleye and a dearth of forage fish in the reservoir. Ironically, while the Spokane Tribe stirred the pot by proposing a bounty on Spokane Arm walleyes, the Colville Tribe is meeting less resistance to a pilot project experimenting with gillnets to reduce walleye numbers in the Sanpoil Arm, which extends into their reservation.

Colville: Tribes comment on Moses Lake truck stop plans - The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are requesting the federal government take land into trust to pave the way for a truck stop project. The Colvilles have long been searching for land to build a truck stop in or near Moses Lake, according to Michael Finley, chairman of the Colville Tribes' business council.

Colville: Tribes reach agreement with state over hunting issues - In a settlement reached Tuesday, the Colville Tribes will drop a lawsuit and rescind a resolution in place since last March declaring that state Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers cannot come onto the reservation in an official capacity. In return, the state has agreed to notify the tribe when Fish and Wildlife officers plan to investigate cases on the Colville Indian Reservation. And, state Wildlife officers who catch tribal members violating one of six safety rules in an area known as the North Half will refer those cases to tribal officials instead of making an arrest or issuing a citation.

Colville: Efforts underway to change Soap Lake's name - Soap Lake's name may change to Lake Smokiam in an effort to bridge relations with Native Americans. A state committee is considering whether to reinstate the original name. Under the proposal the City of Soap Lake would keep its current title while the lake itself would revert to Lake Smokiam, a Salish Mid-Columbian term translating to "healing waters."

Colville: Tribes’ land suit settled; Portion of $193 million from federal government will go to forest restoration - The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have agreed to accept a $193?million settlement offer from the federal government for decades of mismanagement of tribal trust funds and income-generating assets. The settlement ranks among the largest payouts for Indian trust-mismanagement cases in U.S. history, according to Michael Finley, chairman of the Colville Tribes’ business council.

Colville: Tribes win $193 million for mismanaged lands - The Colville Tribes on Friday announced it will accept a $193 million settlement offer from the federal government for mismanaging tribal lands, including forests and rangeland, for the last 16 years. The agreement — which the U.S. Department of Justice is expected to sign in the next two weeks — is one of the largest Indian trust mismanagement settlements in U.S. history, said Colville Tribal Chairman Michael Finley.

Colville: Moses Lake fights tribal truck stop - Moses Lake is opposing a plan by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to build a truck stop on six acres of land near Interstate 90. The Colvilles have requested the federal government hold the land in trust, meaning it would not be subject to state or local taxation or regulation.

Colville: Tribe Funds Expand Canola Research & Rural Economic Growth - Over the last several years canola research with the Colville Confederate Tribes has helped in providing oil for food and fuel as well as enhancing the area’s economy in northeast Washington State where the Colville Reservation is located. This past fall the CCT awarded a $55,760 grant for WSU and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to continue and expand the work.

Colville: Gathering food, building community - Seventeen-year-old Cayle Diefenbach is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation and a senior at Omak High School who shares this goal. A self-described “old soul in a modern world,” Cayle values the knowledge that has been passed on to him by generations of his Methow and Wenatchi ancestors about how to harvest wild foods in ways that support the land and the community.

Colville: Chairman says change needed at federal level - Michael O. Finley, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, spoke Wednesday at Washington State University about developments taking place on the federal stage that are important and relevant to his constituents in Indian country.

Colville: Tribes hope to boost small bighorn herd near Omak - A small herd of about 20 California bighorn sheep living on the rocky ridges above Omak Lake on the Colville Indian Reservation is about to get some new blood pumped into it. On the Colville Indian Reservation, biologists have relocated 113 bighorn sheep over the last three years to Hell’s Gate game reserve — a 70,000-acre area on the Colville Indian Reservation near Keller that is set aside for big game.

Colville: Foss Maritime Co. expands to complete state ferry contract - Foss Maritime Co. is adding about nine employees this month at its Rainier shipyard to build a $9.6 million replacement state ferry for Lake Roosevelt in northeastern Washington, company officials said. The project is a joint effort among the Colville Confederated Tribes and the state Department of Transportation.

Colville: Wolves confirmed on Colville Indian Reservation - With a wolf pack to the west, and three packs to the east, Colville Tribal officials weren’t too surprised to confirm that gray wolves are now also living on the Colville Indian Reservation. Reports of wolf tracks, wolf kills and howling on the reservation — all the way from Omak to Inchelium — have become more and more frequent since 2007, said Randy Friedlander, manager of the wildlife program for Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife.

Colville: Urban American Indians Rewrite Relocation's Legacy - On the edge of downtown Los Angeles, Rae Marie Martinez looks for familiar landmarks. The 60-something grandmother turns in a slow circle and shakes her head. In 1957, she still had long braids and wore long dresses. Martinez was just 8 years old when her family traveled to California by car from the Colville Reservation in Washington state. "Mom and Dad felt like they were making the right choice and decision in being part of the relocation program, because so much had been promised to them," she says. Today, Martinez coordinates the domestic violence program for UAII, and her life is about to come full circle. Her reservation in Washington state is developing a domestic violence program and has asked for her help.

Colville: Foss, State, Tribes to Build Columbia River Ferry - Foss Maritime Company is joining with Washington state and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to build a state-of-the-art replacement for an aging 63-year-old ferry that's been a vital cross-Columbia River transportation link. The unique partnership between Foss and the Washington State Department of Transportation includes the Confederated Tribes whose members will participate in the vessel's final assembly work.

Colville: Star Athlete and Colville Tribal Member Chantel Heath Visits U.S. Naval Academy - Colville tribal member Chantel Heath has decided to apply for admission and play basketball for the U.S. Naval Academy. She, along with her mother Deanna, was invited along with 12 other basketball recruits and family members to visit the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on October 21-23. Heath’s grandmother, Jeanne Jerred, served on the Colville Tribal Council for 16 years.

Colville: Federal court finds state not liable for waste from mine - In 2004 a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation filed a lawsuit against Teck Cominco Metals Ltd. for generating and disposing of hazardous mine waste directly into the Columbia River. In September 2004, the state moved to intervene. The defendant filed a counterclaim against the state arguing that the state was liable as it had arranged the mining lease. The court disagreed.

Colville: Tribes try selective fishing to boost catch without harming wild salmon - The Colville Tribes hope that selective harvesting will allow them to catch their full allocation of salmon for ceremonial and subsistence use without jeopardizing wild runs' recovery.

Colville: Hunter backlash begins over wolf plan adoption

Colville: WA commission approves wolf management plan

Colville: Upgraded Keller Ferry expected to run in 2013

Colville-Yakama: Washington State Agency Accused of Placing Native Foster Children with Pedophile Priests

Colville: Lawyer vows to appeal tribal cigarette tax case

Colville: State failed to investigate complaints

Colville: Church burglary solved, others pending

Colville: Rufus Woods: Summit shows the art of what’s possible

Colville-Umatilla: Seeking: Ric Gendron’s lost paintings

Colville: George’s Coyote tale a remarkable one

Colville: State to award contract for new Keller ferry

Colville: Regional Success Summit to be held in Bridgeport

Colville: The Sad, Strange Saga of the Sinixt People

Colville: Mom Rescues Daughter From Washing Machine

Colville: New Keller Ferry Closer to Reality

Colville: Child injured in laundry mishap

Colville: Colvilles worry that wolves will hurt hunting

Colville: Snyatan Shopping Centre Grand Opening

Colville: Arsonist ordered to pay feds for wildfire

Colville: Cheney artist tells his stories with intricate ink drawings

Colville/Okanogan: American Indians 'Swim For Life' From Alcatraz to San Francisco Shore

Colville: One man’s vision saved by another's