Flashback — Nov. 1999-November 2001

Rota rejects casino plan[/B]

The people of Rota thumbed down Saturday a local initiative that would have paved the way for the establishment of a casino industry in the island-municipality. Unofficial results showed that only 486 voted in favor of the proposed local law, way below the required two-thirds of the 902 votes cast. Likewise, the proposed amendment to the Tinian Casino Gaming Act of 1989 was rejected by the local people in Tinian as only 564 voted “yes” to the initiative. Tinian needed 730 votes of the 1,095 votes cast to be approved.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has sought the assistance and cooperation of the private sector in his plan to welcome the new millennium with a grand celebration aimed at drawing tourists into the Northern Marianas. So far, a proposal to light the stretch of Beach Road from the American Memorial Park to the PIC has been approved by the Marianas Visitors Authority as part of the celebration. There is no information yet on how the CNMI plans to mark the millennium on Dec. 31, although administration officials are trying to identify funding to finance other projects.
[B] Nov. 8, 2000

NMC beefs up computer literacy programs[/B]

The Northern Marianas College this month is introducing short-term computer literacy courses in efforts to better acquaint the community with latest computer applications and programs that would keep them at par with the new demands in the information age. The college will be offering starting tomorrow a session on the basics of Excel, the Microsoft spreadsheet program, which would tackle the essentials in using worksheets, formulas for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and percentages and how to link data to Microsoft Word documents.

The First Hawaiian Bank – Gualo Rai Branch displayed its commitment to help improve the quality of postsecondary education in the CNMI by making a $1,000.00 donation to Northern Marianas College (NMC) last week. By doing so, First Hawaiian Bank has joined the ranks of concerned private businesses which have chosen to show their community support by contributing valuable financial assistance to NMC, while earning an Education Tax Credit under Public Law 10-73. First Hawaiian Bank is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, a bank holding company with total assets of $16.7 billion whose principal subsidiaries are two full-service community banks, Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Bank.

Value added tax proposed amid crisis[/B]

The Division of Solid Waste Management is proposing the implementation of a value added tax, which will be assessed on all consumer products, to defray funding deficits for the eventual closure of the Puerto Rico Dumpsite. According to Solid Waste Program Manager Alberta Carpenter, funding constraint has impaired the immediate closure of the dumpsite. She said the implemented tipping fees will partially subsidize the cost of solid waste operations at the new landfill. However, these funds won’t be enough to cover the cost as Capital Improvement Project funds are expected to run out soon. In a presentation made at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Carpenter discussed the proposed Environmental Beautification Tax, a value added tax to be assessed to all consumer products at the point of entry into the Northern Marianas.

Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association Executive Director Richard A. Pierce greeted with enthusiasm and optimism the October 29, 2001 U.S. District Court’s decision which granted in part and denied in part the defendant’s motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit. The case, originally filed on January 14, 1999, had been mired in procedural battles waged while plaintiffs’ counsel fought the transfer of the matter to the U.S. District Court located on Saipan. The defendants’ motion to dismiss gave the court its first opportunity to comment upon the plaintiffs’ theories of recovery. The Court’s decision spells further trouble for plaintiffs’ beleaguered team.