Yakama: County public services wins big at Yakama casino - Legends Casino handed Yakima County Public Services $200,000 Thursday at the casino’s annual round of contributions to local government agencies and nonprofits.

Yakama: EPA has levied four pollution actions in Lower Valley - Out of the 35 enforcement actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency so far this year in the Pacific Northwest, four were in the Lower Valley. On Thursday, EPA released a summary of enforcement actions that took place between Jan. 1 and March 31. EPA has jurisdiction on the Yakama reservation, where all the violations occurred.

Yakama: Yakama Nation Statement Against the ‘KKK’ Hate Crime Upon a Lakota Elder - Harry Smiskin, chairman: At some point between August 26 and September 8 of 2011, while in the medical care of the Rapid City Regional Hospital following open heart surgery, Vern Traversie, a blind Lakota Elder and enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, allegedly had the letters “KKK” carved into his abdomen. As a former tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer, I am particularly disturbed by what has not taken place in the aftermath of the assault upon Mr. Traversie. Upon the Yakama Nation’s inquiry of his tribal leaders and other relatives, I understand that there has been a complete failure of any federal, state or local law enforcement agency to take any initiative on the matter – despite that the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Police have determined conclusively that a hate crime has been committed against Mr. Traversie.

Yakama: Powwow against diabetes - Organizers are inviting the public to dance their way to healthier living Tuesday May 8 at the annual Dance Away Diabetes Powwow. Dancers in full regalia will also perform in various dance categories at the 6:30 p.m. powwow at Yakama Tribal School at 601 Linden St. The event being organized by the Yakama Healthy Heart program is free and open to the public.

Yakama: Toppenish workshops to help Yakamas applying for federal jobs - Workshops geared to give Yakama tribal members useful tools when seeking federal jobs will be held May 15 and 17.

Yakama: Feasting On First Salmon - As I walked up to Celilo Village’s newly built longhouse, the sun shone and wind swept alder wood smoke across the area. Ceremonial drums beat inside the longhouse. I learned about the ceremony from Wilbur Slockish, Jr., the hereditary chief of the Klickitat Tribe, a part of the Yakama Nation. The First Salmon Feast must take place each year, before tribal fisherman can harvest salmon.

Yakama: Indian education grant hearing due in Wapato - Parents will be able offer input Wednesday during a public hearing on a grant application for Native American students. The 6:30 p.m. public hearing in the Wapato School District's administration building at 212 W. Third St. will be part of the school board's regular meeting. The school district is on the Yakama reservation, and is eligible to apply for the federal Title VII Indian Education Grant.

Yakama: Portland Harbor Superfund site cleanup must extend to the Columbia - Now as a Yakama Nation Tribal Council member and chairman of Yakama's Fish and Wildlife Committee, I call for the restoration of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, not only because failure to do so violates the Yakama Nation's treaty, but also because failure violates the civil rights of all people who rely upon these rivers for subsistence fishing and other uses.

Yakama: Parker residents get new nearly $3 million water system - The water source for the community system is a new well. A back-up well may be drilled if enough funds remain after all the construction bills are paid. Yakima County and the Yakama Nation worked jointly to make the system a reality. Funding came from grants and a $200,000 loan that accompanied a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.

Yakama: Yakama Nation Challenges Willamette River Polluters to Clean and Protect Lower Columbia River - Portland is an environmentally-friendly city, a scenic city, with Mt. Hood rising postcard-pretty in the distance and an architecturally graceful series of bridges spanning the river that flows through its heart, the Willamette. But there’s a problem with the Willamette: It’s toxic. The Yakama Nation is concerned with two issues. One is the cleanup; the other is the damage to natural resources.

Muckleshoot-Yakama: Jolene Lozier of Enumclaw to compete in Miss Indian World Pageant - Jolene Lozier, an Enumclaw resident and member of the Muckleshoot and Yakama tribes, will compete in the Miss Indian World Pageant as part of the 29th Annual Gathering of Nations. It is billed as the most prominent Native American powwow in the world, taking place between April 26 and April 28 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Yakama: A toxic cocktail runs through it - The Portland Harbor Superfund Site feasibility study released last week by the Lower Willamette Group (LWG) proposes a range of clean-up options by the parties responsible for the contamination in the Willamette River and marks a major milestone in the Superfund process, the Yakama Nation says. But it doesn’t go far enough.

Yakama: Are Drano Lake tribal platforms off-limits? - Virgil Lewis, chairman of the Yakama Nation’s Fish and Wildlife Committee, released the following statement on Wednesday: "In general, the public and sport fishers do not use tribal scaffolds at the Columbia River or other tributaries. At Drano Lake, it should not be assumed that sport fishers can use tribal scaffolds, which are considered personal use items. The inquiry about sport fishers using Drano Lake tribal scaffolds when the tribal fishery is closed is under review by the Yakama Nation Fish and Wildlife Committee."

Yakama: Wapato fined for polluting Yakima River - The City of Wapato, Washington will pay a fine for excess pollution discharges from its municipal sewage treatment facility in violation of its Clean Water Act permit, according to an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The City’s wastewater treatment facility provides secondary treatment of wastewater prior to discharge to the Yakima River. The violations took place on Yakama tribal land, but the facility is not tribally-owned.

Yakama: Dairy pulls plan to update facility on reservation - Stephen Bangs wanted to increase the size of his milking parlor at his dairy near Granger, erect a commodity shed for feed and replace structures that shade cows. But on Feb. 24, he withdrew his application for a Yakima County permit to do the work.

Yakama: Tribal officer accused of domestic violence against ex-wife - A Yakama Nation police officer is facing fourth-degree assault charges after his ex-wife accused him pushing and kicking her.

Yakama: Governor approves tribal rights bill - A measure led by the Yakama Nation that would allow American Indian tribes to regain civil and criminal jurisdiction over their people was signed into law Monday by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Yakama: Film, frybread contest Tuesday in Toppenish - A film-maker who has produced four Native American movies will visit the Yakama Nation on Tuesday to show his latest film: "More Than Frybread."

Yakama: Indian taco feed today in Toppenish - Toppenish High School students are holding an Indian Taco feed today at the Yakama Nation’s Wildlife office to help raise money for field trips.

Yakama: Powwow Dancers Perform in Front of 1.5 Million in South America - Last July the Yakama Nation of Washington was contacted regarding Carnaval Andino in Chile, the second largest event in South America, second only to the huge Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. No North American Indian group had ever been invited to participate at Carnaval Andino but the Yakama Nation was asked to send a group down and take part in the huge parades with dancing and singing. Not only that, they would be the featured group!

Yakama: Indian arts, crafts show is March 24-25 - Handmade jewelry, deerskin drums, beaded purses and bags are among the items to be on display March 24-25 during the 48th annual Spilyay-Mi Indian Arts and Craft Show. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 24, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the following day at the Winter Lodge and 14 Tribes room of the Yakama Nation's Cultural Center at U.S. Highway 97 and Buster Road. Admission is $2 per person.

Yakama: Yakima Nation challenges Kittitas County land-use rules - The Yakama Nation wants a state growth board to throw out Kittitas County government’s provisions that allow creation of nine large rural lots 20 acres or more in size in a single action.

Umatilla-Warm Springs-Yakama: Horse slaughter plant planned for eastern Oregon after change in national rules - A horse slaughter and processing plant -- which could be among the first in the country in five years -- may open in Hermiston within a year. Private investors and Northwest tribes are likely to underwrite the proposed 20,000-square-foot operation that would employ 100 people and slaughter 25,000 horses a year, Duquette said. No Northwest tribal councils have signed off on the project yet, but the tribes are bowed by crushing numbers of ownerless horses on the reservations. Examples: An estimated 6,000 horses roam the 640,000-acre Warm Springs Indian Reservation near Madras; up to 15,000 horses range across the 1.4 million-acre Yakama Indian Reservation in central Washington and 350 horses roam the 178,000-acre Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton.

Yakama: Acquitted in triple slaying, White Swan man back in custody - A White Swan man who was acquitted in the brutal 2003 stabbing deaths of his sister and two others is back in custody after he allegedly fled a traffic stop. Bail was set Monday at $100,000 while prosecutors review the case of Arthur Joseph Sanchey, 55, who was arrested Sunday by a Washington State Patrol trooper.

Yakama: Yakima River Basin water plan released - Federal and state officials rolled out a final environmental report Friday on a plan to meet Yakima River Basin's future needs for more water storage, fish passage and land preservation. What is different about this plan is the support from the Yakama Indian Nation, a key basin player, and environmental groups.

Yakama: Hastings seeks Impact Aid grants for area school districts - U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings wants to make it easier for school districts with large amounts of federally owned land in their borders to apply for federal construction grants.

Yakama: State Supreme Court backs Yakama fisherman in sturgeon case - In a ruling issued this morning, the state Supreme Court determined that state wildlife authorities had no right to give a Yakama fisherman a ticket for catching undersized fish with a net at a tribal fishing site.

Yakama: Yakama Housing Authority getting $6.3 million - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced it was awarding the Yakama Nation Housing Authority a $6.3 million grant.

Yakama: The return of the wapato potato (Video) - Nine months ago as a graduate student, Emily Washines' research led her to rediscover a largely missing piece of her culture: a wild, native potato traditionally eaten by the Yakama. A graduate student at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washines was reading about a similar tribal root vegetable in the Midwest when she decided to search for the potato on her own Yakama reservation.

Yakama: White Swan: A Year Later Still Trying to Rebuild - It's been nearly a year since a fire tore through White Swan destroying 14 homes. Donations poured in from not just our community but across the country. But where has that money been spent? And what to the victims have to show for it. Life is looking up for some in white swan. Those living in Yakama Nation housing now have brand new homes. But everyone hasn't been so fortunate.

Yakama Indians have new solution for sturgeon - Here in this small town in Eastern Washington’s Toppenish area, the Yakama Indian Nation is operating a cutting-edge sturgeon hatchery. Especially in light of severe ongoing cutbacks in the Lower Columbia River sturgeon fishery, this may be an idea whose time has come.

Yakama: Wapato, Toppenish join tribe in call for returned jurisdiction - A controversial proposal by the Yakama Nation to unravel the state's civil and criminal jurisdiction over its people has garnered the support of two reservation towns -- Wapato and Toppenish. At issue is a 1953 federal act known as Public Law 280, which allowed states nationwide to assume jurisdiction over tribal members in key arenas ranging from school attendance and juvenile delinquency to adoption proceedings. But in 1968, Congress amended the law to include a so-called "retrocession" provision to return some or all jurisdiction over American Indians to the federal government, and essentially, the tribes. Before that can happen, the governor would have to agree with the request and forward it to the U.S. Department of Interior, which has final say.

Yakama: Dancers will perform in Chile - Yakama powwow dancers will head to northern Chile this week for a cultural exchange at the area's large carnaval. "We are the first Native American tribe to be invited and featured at this large event," said Stephanie G. Wendt, Yakama Nation tourism coordinator. Dancers from the Colville, Paiute and Navajo tribes as well as from Canada -- 21 in all -- will travel with the Yakamas to Arica, Chile, for the carnaval, which runs Friday through Sunday.

Yakama: Yakama Nation closes Boundary Reach to anglers - Rule-breaking anglers certainly don’t like it and even some law-abiding fishermen may not like it, but state fisheries biologists are quite pleased with the Yakama Nation’s decision to close to sport fishing the stretch of the Yakima River that borders the reservation. For years, tribal and state fisheries and enforcement officials have been alarmed about the number of winter and early-spring anglers that, while ostensibly fishing for whitefish, have reeled in and in some cases illegally harvested steelhead.

Yakama: Harrah brush fire burns about 100 acres - A brush fire whipped up by gusty weather burned about 80 to 100 acres Saturday afternoon before firefighters were able to bring it under control. Capt. Dave Martin of Yakima County Fire District 5 said the blaze at Island and Pump House roads appeared to have started from a burn pile at a nearby residence. He said the fire was stoked by winds of 20-25 mph and low humidity. It took District 5 and Yakama Nation tribal crews four hours to control the blaze.

Yakama: Death of Yakama Leader Leaves Ripples in Many Communities - The October 27, 2011 death of Yakama General Council chair Moses Dick Squeochs created serious ripples not only within his family and the Yakama people, but also with the higher education, environmental and Native rights communities in which he served. Squeochs had served as chair of the Fourteen Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation since 2007. During his lifetime, Squeochs served on many federal and state boards that included higher education, agriculture and Native rights.

Yakama: Columbia man returns rare Native American artifact to Washington state museum - Paul Cary found himself in Toppenish, Wash., this past year because of a basket. The coordinator of MU Toxicology discovered in 2008 that a rare Native American basket he had purchased for his personal collection was stolen from a museum of the Pacific Northwest Yakama tribe. Cary brought the basket, called a Sally bag by the Native American women who once used it to collect roots, back to the Yakama Nation last October.

Yakama: Designs for new Wapato High School to be revealed this week - Residents will get a look at the design for the new Wapato High School at a Wednesday night meeting. Construction of the new school, which is being paid for by a $20 million bond approved by voters in February, is set to begin next fall. This will replace the outdated half-century-old school with a 166,000- square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.

Yakama: Shrinking glaciers on Mount Adams signal growing water problem - Spectacular on a clear, sunny day, Mount Adams rises a scant 53 miles from Yakima. But the mountain holds what until now has been pretty much a secret. In the first comprehensive study of its kind, a Portland State University study has found Mount Adams' 12 glaciers have shrunk by nearly half since 1904 and are receding faster than those of nearby sister volcanoes Mount Hood and Mount Rainier. "Precipitation hasn't changed much, but it is switching from snow to rain," according to Andrew Fountain, a Portland State University geology professor who presented his findings at the "Mount Adams in a Warming Climate" event was co-sponsored by the Yakama Indian Nation, the U.S. Forest Service and private groups.

Yakama: Speedy pronghorns reintroduced into Washington - Pronghorns reasserted themselves as the fastest land mammals in Washington in January, thanks to a sportsmen’s group that joined with the Yakama Nation for an end run around state bureaucracy and environmental red tape. Volunteers from Safari Club International and tribal members released 99 of the prairie speedsters on the Yakama Indian Reservation after trucking them 700 miles from the site where they were captured in Nevada. The pronghorns quickly broke into small groups and dispersed as much as 40 miles in different directions, many of them off the reservation. At least six went over mountains to the Klickitat River area.

Yakama: Two missing tribal members located near Toppenish - Two members of the Yakama Nation missing since Tuesday were reunited with family Thursday night. The two men, ages 27 and 35, were reported missing when they didn't return to their residence Tuesday night following a hunting trip. Klickitat County received a cell call from the missing men. They were ok, but out of gas.

Yakama: Wapato High School builds a foundation for science - A towering crane on Wednesday set large modular structures onto a foundation at the northeast end of Wapato High School, beginning work on what in a few months will be a brand new, 16,000-square-foot science lab. A $3.7 million federal Impact Aid grant is paying for the new science lab, and a $20 million bond approved by voters last February will see the rest of the more than half-century-old high school replaced in the next few years. The federal grant is aimed at school districts with large amounts of nontaxable land, such as tribal reservations or military installations.

Yakama: Work to begin on Drano Lake fishing ramp - Construction of the wheelchair-accessible fishing ramp at Drano Lake in Skamania County is expected to begin on Tuesday. The Yakama Indian Nation Fish, Wildlife and Law and Order Committee granted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permission to move two tribal scaffolds built in late May on the construction site.

Yakama: Drano Lake fishing ramp gets Forest Service approval - The Forest Service has given the green light for construction of a wheelchair-accessible fishing ramp at Drano Lake in Skamania County. The ramp is envisioned to be about 250 feet long and four feet wide, said Speros Doulos, manager of the four federal hatcheries in the Gorge. Doulos is working with Yakama Indian Nation officials to remove two tribal fishing scaffolds at the site of the proposed ramp. Tribal officials in August prohibited scaffolds with 50 feet of the site.

Yakama: Restore the Yakima River and its salmon! - Earlier this year, the multi-stakeholder Yakima Workgroup agreed on a general plan to restore hundreds of thousands of salmon to the Yakima River and its tributaries, including what could be the largest sockeye salmon run in the lower 48 states.

Yakama: "Lily of the Mohawks" to be named a saint, Yakima Catholics "rejoicing" - The approval by Pope Benedict XVI of a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha has Native American Catholics in Central Washington rejoicing that she will soon be declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. "We´ve prayed really hard for her recognition," said Yvonne Smith, a Yakama nation member. "We’ve thought of her all along as a saint."

Yakama: Some burning restrictions lifted - The Yakima Valley and the Yakama Indian Reservation have been under some form of burning restriction since Nov. 28 as a persistent high pressure system over the Northwest has allowed pollutants to build up.

Lower Elwha Klallam-Port Gamble S'Klallam-Stó:lo-Yakama: Lower Elwha Gallery exhibit to showcase native art - The spirits of the native people of the Strait of Juan de Fuca will be unleashed in an art exhibit Saturday. Artists include Darrel Charles Jr., Roger Fernandes and Robert Francis III of the Elwha Klallam; Ivan Francis of the Stó:lo tribe of British Columbia; Darryl Barkley of the Yakima tribe; and Jimmy Price of Port Gamble.

Yakama: Tribal fishing scaffolds at Drano Lake a blight for everyone - November winds knocked down several fishing platforms on Drano Lake, but some were built too close to "Social Security Beach."

Yakama: Limited hunting best plan for preserving ALE site - It's been a long-held dream of many hunters to help cull the herd at Hanford, which has grown to nearly 700 elk that have found refuge on lands with no public access. The Yakama Nation has asked for the herd to be culled as well, though most tribes are still concerned about the effect of opening public access to the sensitive lands.

Yakama: Renewable energy thirst fueled wind farms on gusty ridges - Members of the Yakama and Wanapum tribes dig bitterroots at the Wild Horse wind farm site each spring. But the boom in Northwest wind farm development may have hit its peak.

Yakama: White Swan Fire Victims to Get New Homes in Time for Christmas - The Yakama Nation is spending $400-thousand donated from the community and other tribes to build the trailer park near White Swan High School.

Yakama: Proposed Eastern Washington Biomass Facility Debated - Meddlesome group in Seattle says the Yakima-area plant could make people sick.

Yakama: Biomass plant planned near White Swan - Tribal biomass to fuel $80 million wood waste-to-energy 20-megawatt power plant.

Yakama: Ten fire-displaced families get relief

Yakama: Trail from Yakima to Mount Rainier park aims for June opening

Yakama: Families displaced by White Swan fire should be in new homes by Christmas

Umatilla-Yakama: Elk Hunt On Hanford Reach Controversial With Tribes

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

Yakama: Native sustainable communities to be Diversity Series topic

Yakama: All kidding aside, Hames’ work for the Yakama Nation was no joke

Yakama: Ex-tribal officer gets 19 months for harassment

Yakama: Former tribal officer sentenced in case over estranged wife

Yakama: White Swan trailer park owner ordered to repair housing

Yakama: Museum opens Vets exhibit

Yakama: Native American Journalists Association president resigns, saying group is in ‘financial ruin’

Yakama: Landlord will get notice to fix trailers in White Swan

Yakama: Zillah boat ramp reconstruction done, angler options might increase

Yakama: Controlled burns revitalize ecosystem

Yakama: Blind Hope | Wapato man learns to live without sight

Yakama: Government must do its job at trailer park

Yakama: Coho counts are jumping

Yakama: The Condit Dam Removal and Moving Forward in the White Salmon River

Yakama: Tribal bag takes long, winding route home

Tribal officer injured when other driver fails to yield

Yakama leader dies of injury sustained in ranch mishap

Spectacular Time-Lapse Video of Historic Dam Removal

Yakama Recognized for Environmentally Sound Solid Waste Handling

General Council Chairman Mose Squeochs passed yesterday

Husum Falls Becomes Focal Point After Condit Dam Goes Down

A White Salmon River free of Condit Dam is monumental for tribal elder, kayaker and a fish biologist

Man unconscious after ranch accident

Survivor: South Pacific

National forest branches out

Melvin Sampson to be honored Thursday