FLASHBACK – Feb. 25, 2012

Feb. 25, 1999

Executor of Hillbloom estate responds to orders

Russell K. Snow Jr., trust officer of the executor, stated that he “understands Judge Castro’s concerns regarding the amount of legal fees expended to administer the Estate,” according to a news release from the Bank of Saipan (executor) this week. In addition to the Executor’s attorneys, Mr. Snow points out that over $12 million in fees have already been paid to lawyers for the children of Larry Hillbloom and the Trust. The payments to the lawyers for the Hillbloom children alone are in excess of $8.5 million. This is in addition to a large percentage of the children’s share of the Estate that attorneys will also receive. “This is an amount of money which apparently is of concern to this Court.

NMC overspent funds

Rep. Heinz Hofschneider, chair of the House committee on Health, Education and Welfare, yesterday fired his most stinging attack so far against the Northern Marianas College over expenditures exceeding the spending level appropriated by the legislature to the institution. NMC President Agnes M. McPhetres also admitted for the first time of going beyond the budgeted amount in implementing programs, saying they have relied on the “commitment” of government officials promising to infuse more funds into the state college despite the tight financial shape of the CNMI. The committee took NMC to task for the reported current budget deficit in its vocational education program which, under the appropriation measure approved by the legislature, received about $1.3 million for fiscal year 1999.

Feb. 25, 2000

Livelihood vs hobby

Over the last 14 years, Manny Alvarez invested more than $500,000 on boat and jetski equipment in a business he knows best. But his dreams of building upon his family business was dimmed by a recent decision by the Marianas Visitors Authority to grant someone else the concession he now has in favor of another businessman who treats such venture as a “hobby.” Alvarez has lost his license to operate a tour boat concession in front of Dai-Ichi Hotel in Garapan to MAS Marine, a boardwake skiing operation owned and run by Van Le, a federal labor investigator here. Le denies it saying Alvarez lost his bid to another competitor.

MVA pushes for China market

Marianas Visitors Authority Board Chair Dave M. Sablan has asked Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to adopt the procedure followed by the U.S. Consulate in China in processing the travel documents of Chinese nationals who travel to the United States. In a move to facilitate the entry of selected Chinese nationals on the island, Mr. Sablan recommended to the governor to allow the initial entry of visitors from Guangzhou on a trial basis. A team of MVA officials led by MVA Managing Director Perry Tenorio, Marketing Manager Norman Berg and Mr. Sablan went to Hong Kong where they met with tour operators from the former British colony and Guangzhou.

Feb. 25, 2002

Substandard housing still common in NMI

More than 2,900 houses in the Northern Marianas do not have plumbing facilities and over 4,000 do not even have complete kitchen facilities. At the same time, of the 17,566 houses in the CNMI, at least 1,936 houses are still made of wood, with 1,751 found on Saipan, 110 on Tinian, 74 on Rota, and one on the Northern Islands. About 265 houses are constructed using materials other than concrete blocks and plywood. These were just some of the data contained in the Population and Housing Profile 2000 that was released by the US Department of Commerce Wednesday last week.

Retirement Fund opposes 2 bills

House Bills 13-7 and 13-28 may both be well-intentioned but the Board of Trustees of the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund foresees problems if both bills pass through the legislative mill. In light of this, the board has authorized acting Administrator Takeo George to write two separate letters to the 13th House of Representatives opposing the passage of both measures. During Friday’s board meeting-the Fund’s first since Gov. Juan N. Babauta rejected the courtesy resignation of four board members-all five trustees present agreed to oppose the passage of the two measures, saying they anticipate problems in enforcement.