FLASHBACK – Mar. 15, 2012

Mar. 15, 1999

CPA satisfied with $20M bond rating

Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos H. Salas said he is satisfied with the BBB minus rating given by Fitch/IBCA to the $20 million airport bond. The bond rating, which came out on March 9, has at least prevented the current interest rate of 6.25 percent from increasing to 6.70 percent. Salas said this would also entice investors to buy the bonds from current bondholder the Franklin Fund. However, the ports authority is still awaiting the investment grade rating for the $33 million seaport bond. Salas has expressed concern that the delay may have something to do with the projected drop in orders from garment manufacturers here in connection with the $1 billion lawsuit filed by garment workers against manufacturers and buyers.

Panel kicks off public hearings on FAS measure

The House of Representatives begins today a series of public hearing on a proposed legislation that will restrict the stay of citizens of the Freely Associated States on the CNMI as part of the effort to gather views from residents worried over their growing strain on public funds and infrastructure. A hearing is scheduled by a joint panel comprised of the committees on Federal and Foreign Relations as well as Labor and Immigration at 7 p.m. tonight at the Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe, according to a statement. Several island officials have been invited to the town meeting which comes on the heels of mounting support for the proposal from government agencies that have expressed concern on the impact of unrestrained entry of FAS citizens into the Northern Marianas.

Mar. 15, 2000

Proposed one-stop permitting office opposed

The Coastal Resources Management Office has opposed a plan to establish a One-Stop Building Permit Center because it will not be feasible for a broad-based multi-jurisdictional regulatory authority setup currently existing in the CNMI. A proposed measure introduced by Rep. William S. Torres has sought the creation of a One-Stop Center to reduce the bureaucracy and cause unnecessary delays in acquiring building permits in various government agencies. Several efforts have been made which even led to the creation of task forces to look into the possibility of changing the current permitting system which has been widely criticized for being too bureaucratic.

Funding for Tinian airport identified

Everything has been set for the much-delayed rehabilitation of the West Tinian International Airport runway except for the technical aspects of the construction which is now under review by the Federal Aviation Administration. Ports Authority officials said necessary funds for the rehabilitation of the Tinian air transport facility have already been identified. The entire project was estimated to cost $20 million. FAA has granted close to $10 million in total funding for the construction of the new Tinian airport runway while the CNMI government allocated nearly $10 million in Capital Improvement Project funds for the Tinian air transport facility under the provision of Public Law 11-79.

Mar. 15, 2003

Torres: WASC was misinformed

Saipan Rep. Stanley Torres sees the recent warning of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges about the Northern Marianas College’ accreditation status as “bureaucratic bullying” based on misinformed statements, “which were most likely groomed” by NMC president Kenneth E. Wright. In his March 13, 2003 letter, addressed to WASC executive director for Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Barbara A. Beno, Torres said that Beno’s “finger-pointing” was “most disconcerting.” “Regarding your recent warnings and solicited ultimatum.I find your misinformed statements, which were most likely groomed by Mr. Wright, to be filled with half-truths and bureaucratic bullying. Furthermore, I find your political finger-pointing at the CNMI Civil Service Commission and indirectly at our CNMI Legislature and Public Auditor to be most disconcerting,” the lawmaker said.

’Regulate tinting of vehicle windows’

Rep. Benjamin B. Seman has legislated a proposal that seeks to ban extremely heavy tinting on vehicle windows–blamed for a number of auto-pedestrian accidents that have sometimes led to serious injuries and even fatalities. House Bill 13-262 or the Pedestrian Protection Act proposes to regulate tinting in vehicles, with emphasis on prohibiting extremely heavy or mirrored tinting. The bill’s proponent is convinced that pitch dark tinting poses a public hazard in that it limits the amount of light that passes through the vehicle window, thereby impairing the driver’s ability to see the roadway clearly, especially at night.