Craig tribe gets Alaska's first federal land trust

KETCHIKAN (AP) About an acre owned by the Craig Tribal Association will be the first Alaska Native land to go into trust with the federal government.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced the decision Friday, reported the Ketchikan Daily News.

“It’s a historic day for the Craig Tribal Association and for all tribes in Alaska,” said Clinton Cook Sr., president of the Craig Tribal Association. “It’s a biggie.”

A July court decision ended a long-standing practice barring Alaska Native land from going into trust.

“The elimination of the `Alaska exception’ to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ l...