Albany, NY, May 21, 2013 — Fresh off a deal with the Oneida Nation, Governor Cuomo stood with chiefs of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe this afternoon to announced a deal to resolve gaming issues that affect the North Country.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, May 15, 2013 — A prominent voice from the early days of North Country Public Radio has died. Louis T.K. Cook, of Akwesasne, was the late night host of "Jazz Waves" in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Cook also educated listeners - and producers at this radio station - about native political and cultural issues with his series, "You Are On Indian Land". Cook is remembered here at the station as full of life and was known as a wild guy.

His cousin, Ray Cook, who is now Op/Ed editor at Indian Country Today Media Network, says he owes his career in media to Louie Cook. He describes Cook as a natural teacher. "He was an artist in the traditional form," says Ray Cook. "He believed in the power of music and how it can soothe the soul and he always treasured the stories that he recorded and the people he talked to when he was in the production mode."

Louis T.K. Cook died Monday from injuries he suffered in a car crash last week on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. He had been working with a not-for-profit there that helps families on the reservation build and maintain gardens.  Go to full article

May 10, 2013 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo, joined by union and business leaders, and representatives from county governments, offered more details of a plan to build three new gambling casinos.
The governor says he wants to limit the locations to upstate regions for now, to prop up the failing economy. He says upstate needs jobs like it needs "oxygen". And he says having a downstate location would devalue the upstate centers.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Mar 28, 2013 — Alcoa and Reynolds Metals will pay almost $20 million to restore habitat and wildlife on the St. Lawrence River near Massena. The settlement ends a more than 20-year-old lawsuit spearheaded by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Jan 11, 2013 — First Nations chiefs are meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa today. The meeting is a response to months of protests by a grassroots aboriginal group called Idle No More.

The group is demanding the government address issues such as poverty, land claims, and profits from natural resources.

As Karen Kelly reports from Ottawa, it may be difficult for today's meeting to soothe decades of discontent.  Go to full article

Cornwall, ON, Jan 07, 2013 — Akwesasne Mohawks sent the Canadian government a message of native unity on Saturday. Hundreds of people marched across the two bridges from Massena, NY, to Cornwall, Ontario. Several tribal chiefs were among the marchers.

The demonstration was part of a movement called "Idle No More" that's swept across Canada. It protests legislation that many First Nation people say threatens their land and water.

The protest closed the border crossing for several hours. Despite a history of clashes with border officials, the march was a peaceful, family affair, full of drumming and singing.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Oct 04, 2012 — The St. Regis Mohawks say the federal government's plan to clean up toxic chemicals from the Grasse River has improved, but it's still not good enough. The Alcoa aluminum plant in Massena dumped cancer-causing PCBs into the river before they were banned in the 1970s.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Jun 20, 2012 — The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, near Massena, is hosting a day devoted to the game of lacrosse. The event, at Generations Park in Hogansburg, will include some of the best Mohawk lacrosse players, demonstrations, workshops, art exhibits and a couple of field lacrosse games. As part of National Aboriginal Day on Thursday, the game's more serious and spiritual role in indigenous cultures will be explored. Todd Moe spoke with Peter Garrow, chairman of the "Our History, Our Game" event. He says it's being organized by members of the Akwesasne Lacrosse Hall of Fame, who want to pass on their skills and knowledge to a new generation.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Mar 08, 2012 — A Mohawk veterans group wants the federal government to recognize the contributions of "code talkers" during the D-Day invasion of Europe during World War Two. The Navajo "code talkers" were the largest group of Native Americans during the 1940's to use their language skills in the south Pacific against the Japanese.

Jeffrey Whelan, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Veterans Affairs Committee, says many other tribes participated as "code talkers" during the war. He says the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council has sent a letter of request to the U.S. Mint to develop a Congressional Medal for nine veterans at Akwesasne who used their native language to confuse the Germans.  Go to full article

Cornwall, ON, Sep 02, 2010 — The temporary border checkpoint in Cornwall will remain in place another year. Canada had said it wanted a permanent solution by now. The port of entry was moved last year when Akwesasne Mohawks protested border officers being armed. As David Sommerstein reports, a return to the original checkpoint on Cornwall Island seems unlikely.  Go to full article