Flashback September 25, 2000

[B]September 25, 2000

Senate fires legal counsel
[/B] TINIAN—Senate legal counsel Steve Woodruff will have to look for another job when he returns from an off-island trip paid by the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. The reason? Frustrated senators on Friday fired him for leaving behind his work in the upper house to focus on his other job at CUC, which hired him temporarily to assist the board in the negotiation for the Saipan’s 60-megawatt power project.

[B]Teno okays creation of free trade zones[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio on Friday finally gave his approval to an ambitious plan to create free trade zones in the CNMI in a bid to lift the sagging economy, but urged the Legislature to correct several provisions he has found troubling. This is the second time such concern was raised which the governor pointed out early this year when he vetoed the first proposal.

[B]Officials anticipate growth in Tinian economy[/B]

TINIAN—Emotions ran high during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new airport runway here as government officials and business leaders project significant growth in the island’s slumbering economy once the project is completed in 18 months. Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio said the construction, as well as the completion, of the new West Tinian International Airport runway is sure to bring numerous economic benefits that will bring the CNMI closer to its goal of sustainable development and self-reliance.

[B]September 25, 2001

Warning up against mad cow disease[/B]

Import restrictions have been imposed against the entry of beef products into the CNMI following confirmed reports on the presence of mad cow disease in neighboring Japan. The Department of Lands and Natural Resources yesterday released a notice, informing the public of the disease which was found in one, five-year-old dairy cow in Chiba Prefecture in Japan early this month.

[B]50 percent drop in shipping activities seen[/B]

Major wholesalers and retailers in the Northern Marianas have started downsizing their orders for basic goods and other merchandise due to the significant drop in overall demand. This will translate to a 50-percent reduction in shipping-related activities that is also anticipated to impact other business sectors in the CNMI, according to Alex Sablan, Association of Seaport Tenants and Operators of Saipan president. Sablan said that consumer demand for a wide range of goods and commodities have dropped, forcing wholesalers and retailers to drastically cut the volume of the merchandise they ordered abroad.

[B]Gov’t moves to stop disruption in services[/B]

Faced with the possible plunge in tourism revenues, CNMI officials are now focusing their efforts on ways to sustain the present revenue level of the government to ensure that essential services will not be disrupted. Rep. Antonio M. Camacho, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said that present efforts being undertaken by the government aim to maintain the current level of revenue being generated.

[B]September 25, 2002

11 NMC officials terminated[/B]

Eleven managers and directors of the Northern Marianas College were terminated yesterday following the implementation of a campus-wide reorganization initiated by newly appointed president Kenneth Wright, PhD. Based on the NMC’s “Organization Redesign Plan,” which was approved by the NMC Board of Regents during its regular meeting Tuesday, 11 posts have to be removed to effect change and ensure efficiency in the college.

[B]House to discuss NMC reorganization[/B]

Some senior employees adversely affected by the Northern Marianas College’s reorganization yesterday sought the audience of House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider to request for the House’s intervention. After listening to the grievances of the employees who were still reeling from what they viewed as an “abrupt” decision by the college, Hofschneider reportedly decided to call a meeting to give the NMC administration the opportunity to air its side of the story.

[B]OPM recalls termination notices[/B]

Some 280 government employees who are below the level of division directors and have been given advance termination notices can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Office of Personnel Management was prevailed upon to withdraw the notices. Personnel Director Juan I. Tenorio clarified, though, that the advance termination notice is still in effect for the 32 division directors who are civil service status but are occupying excepted service positions.