Saipan Tribune

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Saturday, October 27, 2012

FLASHBACK - Oct. 27, 2012

Oct. 27, 1999

Govt prepares list of projects for $30M loan

The government is expected to receive within the next few weeks the initial batch of the $30 million loan it has secured from Bank of Guam to finance various infrastructure projects on the island, officials said yesterday. Mike Sablan, special advisor for finance and budget, and Rep. Karl T. Reyes, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, have begun mapping out a plan on how to tap the forthcoming funds as requested by bank officials. "We are working very closely with the Legislature on a drawdown schedule," Sablan told reporters. This plan will include a list of priority projects as well as the amount and release schedule of money necessary to start construction.

Garment managers seek apology from DPS chief

The association of resident managers of the island's garment manufacturing firms has demanded a retraction from Public Safety Commissioner Charles W. Ingram who claimed that 99 percent of women engaged in illegal sex trade on Saipan are garment factory workers. In a letter to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, some 25 resident managers of the association expressed concern over "thoughtless and offensive comments" made by Ingram which they said slandered the industry's local and guest workers. While Ingram has sent a letter of apology to SGMA executive director Richard Pierce, "it did little more except to create publicity."

Oct. 27, 2000

Govt, CUC still at loggerheads over unpaid bills

More than a month since opening talks to hammer out a deal on the government's mounting utility debt, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and the Department of Finance have yet to reach settlement on disputed billings. But CUC Board Chair Jesus T. Guerrero expressed optimism that an agreement could be forged soon amid efforts by both parties to reconcile the records. "We're still trying to work out our differences [with] the ones they are disputing," he told in an interview. Utility officials have acknowledged the "inaccuracies," although they have not specified the questionable billings.

NMHC eyes completion of Koblerville project in Feb.

The Northern Marianas Housing Corporation is confident all 45 home units that are now being erected in Koblerville Village will be ready for occupancy by February 2001, a little over a year since construction started in late 1999. Housing Manager Diana Crisostimo disclosed majority of the units have already been pre-qualified to interested families and that NMHC expects to officially award the units soon after construction work is completed early next year. "Construction is progressing very well and we have already pre-qualified more than half of the applicants who have submitted application for the units. We have received over 50 applications but not everybody are eligible or qualified," she pointed out.

Oct. 27, 2002

Heinz appeals for approval of HB 13-126

House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider appealed to the administration to give House Bill 13-126 a chance, following efforts by the Executive Branch to resolve issues surrounding Public Law 13-1, or the measure defining government positions exempt from civil service. HB 13-126, legislation crafted to address loopholes in PL 13-1, has passed both the House and the Senate without amendments. The administration, however, has yet to act on the measure. “Until it’s signed into law and have it applied, and we see what obstacles HB 13-26 generates, we can only argue on the basis of theoretical application of 126,” the Speaker said Friday.

EPA requests proposal for brownfields grant awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting proposals for national brownfields assessment, revolving loan fund and cleanup grants. These grants are part of the new Small Business Liability Relief and brownfields Revitalization Act signed by President Bush in January 2002 to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize Brownfield sites. As part of his FY2003 budget request, the President has called for a doubling of money for the brownfields program to $200 million. Brownfields are abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.