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Heitkamp, Hoeven seek answers to latest death of a child at Spirit Lake
An angry Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said she confronted federal and tribal officials Tuesday and demanded answers to what led to the “mysterious death” of a 3-year-old girl Thursday on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.
RELATED CONTENTAuthorities not commenting on investigation into death of 3-year-old on Spirit Lake Reservation
Neither the U.S. attorney’s office nor the FBI has released the name of the child, who apparently lived with a relative near St. Michael, N.D., but an FBI spokesman said it continues to be investigated as “a mysterious death.”
RELATED CONTENTHeitkamp bill to tax online sales hits snag in House 
The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee announced Thursday that he did not expect the Senate-passed Marketplace Fairness Act to pass the House, which one advocacy group celebrated as effectively killing the bill that Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., pushed through the Senate last month.
RELATED CONTENTLittle Owl trial delayed: Former Spirit Lake official charged in domestic incident in Grand Forks 
The trial of Mark Little Owl, former director of social services for Spirit Lake Nation, on charges stemming from a domestic disturbance in Grand Forks last summer, has been postponed to Aug. 8.
RELATED CONTENTSummer job: UND law student to join Standing Rock prosecutors in first-ever partnership 
For the first time, one of the UND Law School students fanning out to summer externships with judges, courts and other parts of the legal system will join a tribal court, at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
RELATED CONTENTIn South Dakota, tribes fault state for undermining federal law aimed at saving kids and culture 
As child advocates wrestle with abuse and protection issues at the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota, controversy has flared in neighboring South Dakota over what some allege is systematic violation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
Former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., stays busy, including writing thriller novels 
In “Gridlock,” a political thriller due out in July, one of the novel’s main characters — a genius scientist with the dark good looks of actress Lara Flynn Boyle — drives out to the western North Dakota ranch of a friend, Ashley Borden, “brash” reporter for the Bismarck Tribune.
RELATED CONTENTNickname a saga stretching decades 
Revered by many but offensive to some American Indians, UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname and Indian head logo were retired last year after a long and sometimes bitter fight.
Appeals court turns aside Spirit Lake committee’s effort to save Fighting Sioux nickname 
In what may well be the final chapter in the long, contentious fight over UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today affirmed a lower court’s judgment against the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe in its effort to save the nickname.
RELATED CONTENTChallenge in Spirit Lake council election may delay effort to oust chairman 
Spirit Lake’s Tribal Council gained two new members today, but tribal officials have set aside results in the race for Fort Totten District representative and scheduled a new election.
RELATED CONTENTColumns
UND draws high number of veterans 
Drawn by the new post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which pays for tuition, books and many living expenses, hundreds of recent Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are attending UND.
RELATED CONTENTRemaining Larson brother writes letter: ‘You took Bill’s billfold’ 
Carl remembers sibling who died last month of exposure
Carl Larson, 95, sits at his kitchen table these days and writes.
Mostly, he writes thank-you notes to people who sent flowers, wrote letters or signed cards of sympathy for the loss of his brother Bill, 98, who died of exposure last month after wandering from the farm home they shared outside Oklee, Minn.
