Past News Items

Proposed regulations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Housing Improvement Program (HIP) have been published in the Federal Register, it was announced today.

"This Bureau program," commissioner Morris Thompson said, "complements the programs of other Federal housing agencies. Thousands of Indian families are living in substandard homes or homes needing repairs. This program provides assistance when other resources are not available.”

DENVER, CO – Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar made the following statement in honor of Crow Tribal Chairman Carl Venne, who died this weekend in Montana:

The Department of the Interior has asked Congress for legislation that would make Indian tribes eligible to receive planning help under the Urban Planning Assistance Program of the Housing and Home Finance Agency.

The program is administered under Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954 which authorizes grants to State planning agencies for the provision of planning assistance to smaller cities, counties and other local units of government.

The BIA's Portland Area Office had a communications seminar October 12-13, at Kahneeta Lodge on the Warm Springs reservation. Representatives from the Northwest tribes and agencies talked with journalists and other media experts about ways and whys of improving Indian communications and public relations.

Most of the participants, an informal survey showed, thought some good things happened.

Don Sider from Time Magazine's Washington, D. C. bureau talked knowledgeable bout Indians' problems in getting accurate and adequate coverage in non-Indian publications.

Thank you, Neal. Last Wednesday, Neal made his first appearance at the Senate Indian Affairs Committee since he was confirmed as Assistant Secretary.

Neal talked with Senators about tribal governance practices, economic development and education. That was expected – that’s his job.

It’s what happened after his testimony that took Washington by surprise. He could have driven back to his BIA office – and returned phone calls and other tasks.

Appointment of John H. Artichoker, former director of Indian education for the state of South Dakota, as superintendent of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Agency, Lame Deer, Mont., effective September 8, 1963, was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

Richard T. Christman has been appointed superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Papago Agency at Sells, Ariz., Commissioner
of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson announced today.

Christman, 39, replaces Joe Lucero, who retired as agency superintendent earlier this year.

For the past six years Christman served as Education Program Administrator at the Papago Agency. He has been employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs since 1963.

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will ceremonially administer the oath of office to Carl Artman as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at a 3:30 p.m. event on Wednesday, April 18,2007 in the Sidney Yates Auditorium of the Main Interior Building.

Award of a $283,675 contract for the construction of a community recreation building on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation at Fort Hall, Idaho, was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

The contract calls for the construction of a multipurpose building with a total floor area of 20,660 square feet. The main floor will consist of a full-sized basketball court and stage. The basement will contain a kitchen-dining room, a library and reading room, hobby rooms and toilet and shower rooms.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson, today announced the appointment of Alton R. Nordwall, 47, a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, to be Assistant Area Director of the Minneapolis Area Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Nordwall has a BS degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University, a commercial certificate from Haskell Institute --now Haskell Indian Junior College --and has just completed the Department of the Interior Manager Development Training Course.