Tribe to Appeal

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The Cherokee Nation's attorney general says he'll appeal a federal decision to place casino land of a rival tribe into trust, a move that recognizes the parcel as Indian land. Attorney General Todd Hembree says Monday's decision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to place roughly 2 acres into trust is not supported by law. The decision will keep the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees' namesake casino open in Tahlequah. A federal judge had given the tribe, which claims about 15,000 members, until the last day of July to win the status. The UKB, which is based in Tahlequah along with the much larger Cherokee Nation, has tried for decades to secure the land where it has operated the casino. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.