Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, head of the CNMI 902 team, strongly hinted yesterday that the local panel will unlikely agree to Washington's suggestion to discuss transition to federal immigration and minimum wage law as a way of addressing the concerns of the White House.

A proposed bill requiring pregnant women in the Northern Marianas to undergo a mandatory AIDS test drew opposition yesterday over potential legal problem to the island government.

A change in the open migration policy extended to citizens of the Freely Associated States will allow the CNMI government to deal with their growing population amid limited infrastructures and depleting public funds.

New motor vehicle sales declined 25 percent in 1998 compared to 1997 as many businesses in the CNMI closed shop due to the Asian economic problems.