Alum Proud to Give Back to Native American Community
10/9/2019 9:10:15 AM

As a member of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, Devon L. Lomayesva ’99, Chief Judge of the Intertribal Court of Southern California, and a practicing Indian law attorney is passionate about giving back to her community.
“The Native American community still suffers from the effects of historical mistreatment,” says Lomayesva. “That is proven out in the high rates of substance abuse, suicide, drop-out rates, single parents, and high rates of juvenile delinquency and foster care placements.”
Lomayesva’s passion for giving back to her tribal community started when she became involved with Native American student groups as an undergraduate at Grossmont Jr. College and San Diego State University (SDSU), where she graduated with a BA in History. This passion was further enhanced at California Western, as Lomayesva explains, “I’ve always appreciated the fact that California Western encouraged clerkships and volunteering. Dean Linda Dews and former Director of Minority Affairs Carol Rogers were great advocates and always there to offer resources for the development of our student life and careers.”
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Yakama Nation calls for removal of Columbia River dams
Monday, October 14, 2019
News from the Yakama Nation.

YAKAMA NATION AGENCY, YAKAMA RESERVATION – On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, October 14, 2019, the Yakama Nation and Lummi Nation hosted a press conference urging the removal of the lower Columbia River dams as part of a broader call for federal repudiation of the offensive doctrine of Christian discovery, which the United States uses to justify federal actions that impair the rights of Native Nations. The press conference took place this morning at Celilo Park near Celilo Village, Oregon.
“The false religious doctrine of Christian discovery was used by the United States to perpetuate crimes of genocide and forced displacement against Native Peoples. The Columbia River dams were built on this false legal foundation, and decimated the Yakama Nation’s fisheries, traditional foods, and cultural sites,” said Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman JoDe Goudy. “On behalf of the Yakama Nation and those things that cannot speak for themselves, I call on the United States to reject the doctrine of Christian discovery and immediately remove the Bonneville Dam, Dalles Dam, and John Day Dam.”
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UW College of Law Plans Events on Wind River Uranium Contamination, Herrera v. Wyoming
By University of Wyoming News uwyo.edu/uw/news
Tuesday, October 15, 201

The University of Wyoming College of Law is set to host two public events this month focusing on the timely American Indian topics of water contamination on the Wind River Indian Reservation and a Crow hunting rights case recently decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“At the College of Law, we strive to serve our students and the state with relevant legal information that will help them understand current events,” says Professor Jason Robison. “This knowledge helps to create an educated population that can better engage with the legal system.”
On Tuesday, October 15, Itzchak Kornfeld, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will deliver a presentation, titled “The Human Right to Water on the Wind River Indian Reservation.” He will discuss the legacy of contaminated groundwater left by the Susquehanna-Western uranium mill near Riverton, and ask whether Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho American citizens have a right to uncontaminated water. The panel takes place from 7-9 p.m. in Room 178 of the College of Law Building.
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CBD products are flying off the shelves — so why are banks so reluctant to offer financing?
“It’s not great for business to have all these stops and starts. It’s really hard to project what we’re going to do. We can’t estimate sales,” said one cannabis practitioner who sells CBD products online.
Oct. 17, 2019, 1:34 PM PDT
By Martha C. White

While a majority of states have legalized or decriminalized recreational marijuana use, and the 2018 Farm Bill gave legal status to growers and sellers of hemp, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I drug at the federal level — which means most financial services providers won’t do business with marijuana-related ventures.
However, a California visit last week by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., raised hopes among marijuana and CBD purveyors that access to mainstream financial services could be coming.
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