Flashback — Jan. 2001-Jan. 2003

CRM OKs Splash Island relocation to Smiling Cove[/B]

The Coastal Resources Management Office has approved the application of Sea Ventures Island President Anthony Pellegrino to relocate Splash Island in the vicinity of Smiling Cove Marina and Micro Beach. However, CRM Acting Director Peter Barlas said the permission to proceed with the relocation is still pending until certain conditions have been met by the company. CRM approved the planned relocation on the condition that Splash Island will be positioned to avoid interference with fishing activities in the vicinity of Smiling Cove Marina and Micro Beach Point.

Electricians will install new equipment at the American Memorial Park tomorrow, seen to ultimately help organizers plan community and tourism events at the federal park. Throughout the American Memorial Park and the adjoining block, electricity runs through both underground and overhead cables. Long-term goals put electricity underground for pedestrian safety during community events at the park. While various government and community groups continue to plan and eventually build a complete underground system, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation this month will install switch gear that controls each section of electricity within the park and the Victoria Hotel block.

CPA lines up major airport, seaport projects for 2002[/B]

The September 11 terror attacks on the United States had changed the landscape of the Northern Marianas – from a thriving resort destination to a struggling economy pained by the persisting travel scare throughout the world. Despite the economic doldrums, though, the Commonwealth Ports Authority remains optimistic that the year 2002 will bear good fruits for the agency. CPA Board Chair Roman S. Palacios said the first months of the year will, however, prove challenging since it will also usher in a new administration.

The Division of Procurement and Supply made a final determination to award the contract for the construction of the Marpi Solid Waste Facility, as the government runs after time to put up an alternative dumpsite before Puerto Rico reaches its maximum capacity. A week after receiving the recommendation of a private evaluator, Procurement and Supply Director Herman S. Sablan decided in favor of the joint venture of Dick Pacific Corporation and Pacific Drilling Ltd. Sablan, in a notification of contract award addressed to the Public Auditor and the consortium’s competitor that included the joint venture of Western Equipment Inc. and DRC Pacific Corporation, affirmed the findings of the evaluator that the DPC/PDL was a responsible contractor and, therefore, entitled to local preference.

Ex-PSS employee Superior Court, NMHC, others
[/B] A retired employee of the Public School System who has suffered from brain damage has filed a lawsuit in federal court that not only seeks monetary relief from those she is suing but also seeks to test the legal system in the CNMI where both local and federal courts exist. Yonami Kochi, through lawyer Jane Mack of the Micronesian Legal Services Corp., has sued the CNMI Superior Court, Associate Judge Juan T. Lizama, the Northern Marianas Housing Corp., Triple J Saipan, Inc. and lawyer Michael White. In the civil case now with the U.S. District Court, Kochi said the defendants violated her civil rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution when Lizama signed an order that imposed a levy on her bank account that held her benefits from the NMI Retirement Fund.

Saddened by the shaky business climate that has taken its toll on some local businesses, Sen. Pete P. Reyes offered ways to save locally owned establishments by proposing to do away with volatile business policies. Before the CNMI can attract outside business investors to commit to the Northern Marianas, Reyes stressed the need to maintain the Commonwealth’s existing, locally built companies. “We need to demonstrate that we are business-friendly and we take care of businesses on the island. We need to make sure that investments are sufficiently protected and we have stable policies that are not going to change every time the wind blows,” Reyes told reporters yesterday