Flashback October 17, 2000-2002

[B]OCTOBER 17, 2000

Garment manufacturers see tough times ahead[/B]

Saipan’s largest industry told Commonwealth government leaders this week that they expect rough times ahead as decreases in orders from garment buyers, rising costs of doing business, and labor difficulties are making business extremely tough for Saipan’s garment factories. These concerns were raised in a round table forum between members of the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association (SGMA), Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, Senate President Paul A. Manglona, and Speaker of the House Benigno R. Fitial.

[B]AGO warns legal action vs. EPA[/B]

The Office of the Attorney General has warned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IX that it will take legal action against the federal agency if it fails to order the Department of Army to post signs and fence the 18 areas in the village to protect residents from the polychlorinated biphenyl contamination. According to Assistant Attorney General Murphy Peterson, the CNMI government will not hesitate to impose a fine of $25,000 per day for every violation in accordance with applicable laws if EPA ignores the directive.

[B]Court rejects Puerto Ricans’ bid to vote in presidential elections[/B] [B]BOSTON[/B]—A federal appeals court Friday ruled that residents of Puerto Rico can’t vote in presidential elections unless the island territory becomes a state or the Constitution is amended. The ruling overturns a lower-court decision that said Puerto Rico’s 2.4 million voters had the right to cast presidential ballots. The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cited Article II of the Constitution, which says that only states can send electors to the Electoral College. Voters in the District of Columbia were granted presidential voting rights in 1961 by the 23rd Amendment.

[B]OCTOBER 17, 2001

Anthrax scare reaches NMI[/B]

Panic gripped post office employees in Capitol Hill yesterday after a lady attendant spotted a suspicious-looking package, prompting her to call the Emergency Management Office. A white, powdery substance leaked from the package when the employee pulled out a box at the USPS in Capitol Hill, said Emergency Management Office Director Gregorio Deleon Guerrero.

[B]DPH prepared vs anthrax spread[/B]

The local health department is prepared to treat anthrax cases just like any state in the US with its ready supply of antibiotics called ciproflaxin. The Department of Public Health has assured it is trained to respond to such cases, especially after undergoing a preparedness drill that dealt with measures against anthrax last June. “Just as any county or state, we are prepared. We have antibiotics typically-used to treat the disease. Ciproflaxin is a good medicine that treats both the skin and lung forms of the disease,” said DPH Medical Director Dr. Richard Brostrom yesterday.

[B]Tourist arrivals at an all-time low[/B]

The Marianas Visitors Authority recorded an all-time low of less than 30,000 visitors in September 2001, representing a 35.56 percent drop from the same month last year. Last month’s arrival figure translates to a loss of some 15,000 tourists, or more than 17,000 visitors when compared with August 2001.

[B]OCTOBER 17, 2002

Better 911 access mulled [/B]

Emergency response in the Northern Marianas is seen to approach exact science through a sophisticated telecommunications system that would allow authorities to view the exact addresses of persons dialing 911 for emergency assistance. The system, proposed under a House bill penned by Rep. Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero, would only work, however, once the CNMI’s street-naming project comes to completion.

[B]NMI’s location plays vital role for US[/B]

The Northern Marianas’ location is strategic to the United States such that it can be tapped to assist U.S. forces in any military strike against Iraq in case a shooting war begins. However, the CNMI is not yet being asked to assist the U.S. in any military action, the Commonwealth Ports Authority said yesterday.