FLASHBACK January 10, 2001-2003

House joins fight against abortion[/B]

In a strong statement advocating pro-life, the House of Representatives is set to adopt a resolution supporting a month-long campaign by various church organizations on the islands against abortion. The House leadership will be part of the efforts to raise awareness in the community on the need to safeguard the life on a mother’s womb, according to House Floor Leader Oscar M. Babauta. Different church groups have joined hands to mark January as “Celebration of Life Month” with various activities, including a prayer vigil and a march to be held next weekend.

Police investigators are set to begin questioning the remaining shareholders of Long City Traders Corp. to shed light on the savings scam that victimized hundreds of garment factory workers on the island. This developed as Kwan Y. Chung, 53, the biggest shareholder of Long City Traders, has reportedly fled Saipan. Long City Traders is a jewelry shop that also offers financial services. Garment factory workers were duped into depositing their money to the company in exchange for higher interest rate. Due to the huge number of garment factory workers who were victimized by the savings scam, police gave out questionnaires to the garment establishments to be distributed to their employees to facilitate the gathering of information, according to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Rose Ada.

Pierce shuns conditional lifting of hiring ban[/B]

Sen. Joaquin G. Adriano’s proposal to raise the CNMI’s minimum wage in exchange for the lifting of the moratorium on the hiring of nonresident workers is a “recipe for disaster.” Thus said Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Richard Pierce, who added that the Chamber has already made clear its positions on both the moratorium issue and the increase in wage levels in the CNMI. “The Chamber wants the moratorium lifted and we are against any real cost in the operations of our businesses at this time,” said Pierce. “I believe that [Adriano’s] idea to exchange increased costs to businesses in exchange for the lifting of the moratorium is a ‘recipe for disaster.’”

The United States Department of Transportation disclosed yesterday that it has started recruiting federal security directors who will oversee security operations in various airports across America. US-DOT Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said the hiring of federal security directors who will oversee security at the nation’s top airports as part of the new Transportation Security Administration has begun. He said a federal security director will lead security operations at each airport, including passenger and baggage and cargo screening, as well as protection of aircraft and secured airport areas.

$1M disaster checks out[/B]

Good news to Rota residents: Federal disaster checks are already out in the mail. The Federal Emergency Management Agency disclosed yesterday that it has released checks amounting to over $1 million in individual assistance to Rota residents. The money is part of the over $1.4 million that FEMA has already approved for release to Rota residents for housing and other needs assistance, said FEMA public information officer Josie Pritchard. Of this amount, FEMA has granted some $656,000 for housing assistance, while other needs assistance has already reached $760,000. A total of 408 residents have filed their application for disaster aid with the federal agency. Some 273 residents have already trooped to FEMA’s disaster recovery center on Rota, Pritchard said.

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce wholeheartedly supports and endorses the proposed legislative initiative to reduce local CNMI government expenditures by reducing the number of hours of service provided by government employees. Chamber president Richard A. Pierce said that, since he assumed the Chamber post, we have been pleading with the local government authorities to look at its largest expenditure cost, its payroll.” Pierce added that the Chamber understands the political ramifications of a move like this, “but we cannot stress enough the admiration we hold for those House members that have proposed this measure to rescue the government from financial insolvency.”