Community Briefs – November 28, 2011

Effective Nov. 23, 2011, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation’s Immunization Clinic, located at the Commonwealth Health Center on Lower Navy Hill, will open five days a week, Monday to Friday, from 7:30am to 4:30pm, including lunch hours, primarily to accommodate students in need of their required immunizations for school entrance, as mandated by Public Law 6-10.

Public Law 6-10 requires all school children to be up to date with required immunizations prior to enrolling in any public or private school in the CNMI. Parents are urged to comply with this mandate and to contact the Immunization Program for further assistance.

Furthermore, parents of children who are not enrolled in school yet are also urged to make sure their children are up to date with all their immunizations and to visit the Immunization Clinic or any private clinic, including Tinian Health Center and Rota Health Center if their children are not fully immunized with their required shots. No appointment is necessary at the CHC Immunization Clinic and all vaccines are provided at no cost.

For more information, contact the Immunization Clinic at 236-8745 or 236-8708/80/81. (PR)

SANTA RITA, Guam—The U.S. Navy will conduct training at Warning Area 517 (W-517) on Nov. 29 and 30 from 8am to 5pm. The U.S. Air Force, meanwhile, will conduct training on the island of Farallon de Medinilla on Dec. 1, from 7am to 10pm, and on Dec. 2-3, from 7am to 6pm.

The public-especially fishermen, commercial pilots, and marine tour operators-are advised to stay clear from the area during the times and dates indicated.

W-517 is an irregular shaped polygon comprising of 14,000 nautical square miles of airspace that begins south of Guam and extends south-southwest in international waters. The general location of the training on the island of Farallon de Medinilla training area will be on a 10-nautical mile radius on all quadrants. For more information, contact the Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs Office at (671) 349-4055/3209. (PR)

Motorists are being urged to be particularly cautious when driving on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 3, when the CNMI hosts the 5th Annual Hell of the Marianas Century Cycle.

In a notice issued by Pacific Islands Club, it said that cyclists will be riding in packs from 6:30am to 9:30am on the northbound lane of Isa Drive near San Vicente, Papago, Kagman and Capital Hill.

There will be cones to indicate the bike lane as well as DPS officers and official media vehicles. If motorists can circumvent these portions of Isa Drive in the morning, it will prevent heavy traffic congestion and enhance safety for all.

For additional safety measures, the public is being encouraged to restrain their dogs in the morning along the route. The 100km (62-mile) course takes racers from PIC through Koblerville to the Airport, past Herman’s Bakery through San Vicente, Papago, down to Lao Lao Golf Course entrance and back, down to Kingfisher Golf Links and back, down Capital Hill, to the top of San Roque’s Radar Station, to Suicide Cliff, Bird Island Lookout, the Grotto, Banzai Cliff, to American Memorial Park, and back to PIC.

Approximately 200 cyclists are expected to race in this international event with professionals from Australia, Russia, Korea, Japan, Guam, and Saipan.

“Drivers, please be careful as more bicyclists will be riding on the roads training from now until Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011,” the notice said. (PR)

Palau Community Association will be holding an important meeting on Dec. 3, 9am at Navy Hill for the 16th state president officers and all Palauans in the islands are invited. For more information, call Felisa Brel at 989-2735 or PCA president Rufino Aguon at 483-6232. (PR)