FLASHBACK – November 10, 2011

Nov. 10, 1999

Koban operations scaled down due to funding woes

Due to the limited number of police officers on Saipan, the Department of Public Safety has scaled down its operation in the island’s tourist district, according to Clyde Norita, DPS assistant chief of the Office for Special Services. DPS no longer assigns police officers to regularly man the Koban in Garapan, especially on weekdays, for almost seven months now. The task of assigning police officers in the area was recently transferred to Boating Safety Commissioner Edward A. Cepeda. At least two to three men from the Boating Safety visit the Koban in the evening from 6:00 p.m. until the business establishments close around 2:00 a.m.

CNMI’s airports, seaports are Y2K ready

The airport and the seaport systems for Saipan, Tinian and Rota are now Y2K compliant after months of upgrading, ruling out any possibility of a computer shutdown brought about by the millennium bug, according to Carlos H. Salas, executive director of the Commonwealth Ports Authority. “We are fully prepared to meet the new millennium with confidence,” he said. CPA had to beat a deadline set by the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that airport operations has updated its systems when the computers are set to fail in the year 2000. The millennium bug could jeopardize airport operations because it may fail to fix dates, calculate transactions and perform other operations.

Nov. 10, 2000

Teno vetoes toxic compensation bill

Due to failure by the Senate to immediately act on his request for recall, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday was forced to veto legislation allowing island residents to seek damages for injuries and loss resulting from exposure to toxic substances. The lower house on Tuesday recalled from the governor’s office HB 12-177, otherwise known as “Toxic Substances Exposure Compensation Act,” in an attempt to save it from the veto. Since the measure could become a law by this weekend without the Senate action and Mr. Tenorio’s signature, the governor said he had no choice but to disapprove it.

BOR eyes regs for entry of postsecondary institutions

The Northern Marianas College Board of Regents formed yesterday a special committee tasked to oversee the development of policies that would set its postsecondary institution regulatory powers in effect. The BOR Programs Committee has been assigned to lead the process under the guidance of experts who would assist the policy makers in the formulation of concrete rules that would serve as working regulations in screening entities aiming to establish college institutions in the CNMI. The initiative came in the wake of concerns expressed by a private institution, the Eucon International School, who earlier on lamented the lack of existing regulations that would expedite their application to offer postsecondary courses in the CNMI.

Nov. 10, 2002

Senate seeks memorial park transfer

The Senate is seeking the transfer of the Rota Veterans Memorial Park to the control of the Division of Veterans Affairs Office, as expressed in a resolution the upper House adopted Friday. The park-which sits on lot numbers 229 R81 and 229 R84 on Rota-is currently maintained by the Board of Public Lands. Senate President Paul A. Mangloña, author of Senate Resolution 13-29, is requesting BPL to designate the piece of public property to the Veterans Affairs Office, the entity charged to provide services to CNMI’s war veterans. SR 13-29 expresses the need to safeguard the important memorial site for future generations.

DLNR: No objection to detonation

The Division of Fish and Wildlife and its federal counterpart-the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-have approved the detonation of live vintage ordnance on Rota, contrary to an earlier statement issued by Mayor Benjamin Manglona. The Department of Lands and Natural Resources pointed this out in a statement, saying that the agencies, together with other Commonwealth offices, had to propose a new detonation site because the old one-the Mochong area-may have potential impact on the coastal area and coral reefs. The new site is in As Matomos, which is adjacent to the parcel of land proposed by the USFWS as designated critical habitat for endangered Marianas crow.