Flashback April 14, 1999-2003

[B]April 14, 1999

School money cut[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has moved closer to overhauling the government’s scholarship program after he signed a law imposing a cap on the financial aid that will be granted to on and off-island students for post secondary education. Under Public Law 11-77, which amends the scholarship act put in place in 1990, financial assistance to students enrolled in Northern Marianas College or in universities in the United States or its territories will be pegged at $15,000 annually per student.

[B]NMC board votes to restructure[/B]

The Northern Marianas College board approved yesterday a restructring plan for a leaner top-level management team. The approval clears the way for issuing 90-day notices to vice presidents and other key positions. The restructured bureaucracy retains only one vice president, from three, and three deans. The downsizing was necessary to bring the college in line with budget limits in fiscal 2000.

[B]CPA mulls over airline incentives
[/B] The Commonwealth Ports Authority is studying the possibility of providing incentives to all airlines in a move to stimulate traffic and revive the ailing tourism economy, said Carlos H. Salas, executive director. “We are making an analysis right now to quantify the incentives that we must give,” he said. The ports authority is looking at reducing the landing fees and passenger facility charge for existing airlines that will increase their seating capacity and carriers that will service new destinations.

[B]April 14, 2000

DOF moves deadline for tax filing[/B]

The Revenue and Taxation Division is giving Northern Marianas taxpayers more time to prepare their income tax returns by moving the deadline for the filing of the 1999 ITRs to April 17, 2000, the finance department disclosed yesterday. The Department of Finance normally moves the last day of filing ITRs to the next working day when the deadline falls on a weekend. In this year’s case, April 15 fell on a Saturday.

[B]Economic difficulties hinder $60M bond float[/B]

Economic difficulties and higher prevailing interest rates are obstructing the prompt flotation of the tax-exempt $60 million municipal bond, which drag the completion of major infrastructure projects in the Northern Marianas. Development Authority Board Chair John S. Tenorio said the government had to postpone the flotation of the municipal bond from March to June 2000 due to the higher interest rate prevailing in the U.S. market.

[B]BOE wants discretionary power over PSS CIP funds[/B]

Education officials yesterday scorched actions taken by some members of the Legislature regarding measures that were introduced and passed despite the absence of consultation meetings with the Board. At the same time, members of the Board of Education stressed that the Public School System be given discretionary authority in expending funds for school-related capital infrastructure projects in order to arrest snags in its prompt completion.

[B]April 14, 2003

NMC to restrict nursing program from foreign students[/B]

The Northern Marianas College remains committed to pursuing its Pacific Gateway project but it would limit its international enrolment to the English program. NMC president Kenneth E. Wright said the college would concentrate primarily on teaching English, indicating that not all NMC programs-particularly the expensive ones like Nursing-would be opened to foreign students.

[B]DOF stops Marianas Lottery raffle promo
[/B] Due to some legal concerns raised by the Attorney General’s Office, the Marianas Lottery was prevented from going ahead with its planned raffle draw for the brand new 2003 Ford Ranger pick up truck. Marianas Lottery GM Marie Coleman sought to assure its customers, though, that the raffle draw may still push through as local lottery officials are set to meet this week with Department of Finance to iron out any glitches in the raffle promotion.