Flashback — Feb. 2006-Feb. 2008

‘More NMI reservists bound for Iraq’[/B]

More U.S. Army reserve troops from the CNMI and Guam will be deployed to Iraq this summer, according to 9th U.S. Army Regional Readiness Command commander Brig. Gen. John Ma yesterday. Ma disclosed the U.S. Army’s plan to send more troops in his remark during a ceremony welcoming the members of Echo Company at Hyatt Regency Saipan. Ma, in an interview with the Saipan Tribune, said their 657 area support group based in Hawaii has been preparing for another deployment to Iraq.

The 9th U.S. Army Regional Readiness Command yesterday gave awards to NMI soldiers who completed their one-year mission in Iraq. Some civilians were also recognized for their volunteer works in supporting the troops. CNMI Army Reserve commander Maj. Franklin R. Babauta who led the 143-man Echo Company, was handed the bronze medal award for his “excellent performance as commander of the company” during the ceremony held at Hyatt Regency Saipan’s garden. Staff Sgt. Ignacio Palacios received the Purple Heart, a medal given to soldiers who were injured or wounded in the line of duty.
[B] February 6, 2007

‘Do away with the Saipan-da’[/B]

A senator has revived a call to replace “Saipan-da” as the mascot of the local tourism industry. Sen. Maria Frica T. Pangelinan, in a letter to the Marianas Visitors Authority, said it may be time to revisit how effective the mythological mascot is as a tool for promoting the islands as a tourist destination. The Saipan-da was developed for an advertising campaign created by the Tokyo-based advertising firm Dentsu 10 in 1997. The mascot resembles a panda bear with a rhinoceros horn; “sai” is the Japanese word for rhinoceros. Taken as a whole, the Japanese phrase “Saipan-da” is the less formal way of saying “Saipan desu,” which means, “It is Saipan.”

The Northern Marianas College has released a locally printed and published book called Island Ecology & Resource Management: Commonwealth Of the Northern Mariana Islands. According to NMC, a team of 16 authors, working in close collaboration with several CNMI and U.S. federal resource agencies, helped develop the book the past nine years. Contributing authors include Alan Davis, Peter Peshut, Scott Miller, Roger Church, Dr. Mac MacCarter, Michael Trianni, Scott Vogt, Katherine Miller, Jane Jackson, Dr. Aubrey Moore, Dr. Joaquin Tenorio, Dr. William Flood, Kaye Francis, John Jordan, Charles Schonder, and John Furey. Funds to develop and print the book, and contributions of both text and graphic materials, were donated from dozens of sources, each of whom is individually listed in the volume’s extensive dedication and acknowledgement pages.
[B] February 6, 2008

Palms Resort gives exotic birds to zoo
[/B] The Palms Resort Saipan had donated an array of exotic birds to the Saipan Zoo yesterday. According to Saipan Zoo owner Frank Aldan, between $18,000 and $20,000 worth of exotic birds were donated to his business yesterday. “I’m really excited that they’ve decided to donate these birds to the zoo. I’ve written letters before to when it was once Hotel Nikko, even offering to buy some of them. I was happy when they told me that they are willing to donate them instead,” Aldan said. Palms Resort Saipan general manager Ray Dela Cruz said that part of the reason Palms Resort decided to donate the birds is to establish a close working relationship with a locally owned zoo business.

There are no plans yet on what to do with the old adult prison facility in Susupe once all the inmates and detainees are transferred to the new prison. Department of Corrections Commissioner Lino Tenorio said that when everything is in order at the new correctional facility, they will bring the issue of the old facility to the attention of the governor. Tenorio said maybe the old facility will be returned back to the Division of Public Lands and have them decide what to do with it. Tenorio said another option is to come up with a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Public Safety if it wants it.