Flashback October 13, 1999-2002

[B]October 13, 1999

Prison guards get stern warning from Teno[/B]

Stunned by the escape of three inmates from the Division of Corrections, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday met with Public Safety Commissioner Charles Ingram and prison chief Gregory F. Castro to assess prison conditions following the fourth jailbreak in less than two years. At the same time, he issued stern warning to officers and jail guards to be more careful next time in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.

[B]CDA: Delay selection of contractor for power project[/B]

Commonwealth Development Authority Board Chairman Juan S. Tenorio has asked the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. to postpone indefinitely the selection of a company that will build the 80-megawatt power plant until after CUC has made an assessment of the power demand on Saipan. In a letter to Timothy P. Villagomez, executive director of the utilities firm, Tenorio warned CUC against embarking on a financial commitment which it may not be able to justify.

[B]CNMI awaits money for Tinian operations[/B]

Funds from a reimbursement by the federal government on expenditures incurred from detaining and repatriating illegal Chinese immigrants will be reinstated to the operational budget of departments and agencies involved in the Tinian operations. Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio said he has yet to check the Department of Finance to find out if the payment amounting to $754,000 from the U.S. Department of Interior has arrived, although he said federal officials assured him the money would be sent upon signing of the agreement.

[B]October 13, 2000

On budget review: Teno says it’s up to the Legislature[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio is keeping his hands off the legislative process of deliberating the fiscal budget which is expected to suffer long delays again as the House and the Senate lock horns on the proposed $221.66 million spending package. The local chief executive said yesterday he would not lift a finger to press lawmakers to immediately approve the FY 2001 budget even though the new fiscal year already started on Oct. 1.

[B]Australian carrier gears up for nonstop Saipan flights[/B]

Australia-based carrier Micronesian Air is gearing up for its proposed nonstop flights between Sydney and Saipan in four months as it completed securing a new aircraft for the new route, Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas disclosed yesterday. In an interview with reporters, Mr. Salas said he has recently received a telephone call from Micronesian Air president Rex Banks informing him that the aircraft for the Sydney-Saipan route has already been secured by the carrier.

[B]Cemetery will reopen Monday—U.S. Army Corps[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio was assured yesterday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that Cemetery 2 will be reopened to the public on Oct. 16 to allow residents visit the gravesites in time for All Soul’s Day. The Environmental Chemical Corp., project contractor of the Army Corps, has been carrying out a cleanup of the cemetery which has been found to have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl contamination.

[B]October 13, 2002

Tourism weaknesses identified[/B]

The Strategic Economic Development Council has listed down some of the most prevalent factors that hinder the further growth of the Commonwealth’s tourism industry. The SEDC, during a recent presentation, included the rising number of petty crimes committed against the islands’ tourists as one of the most domineering weaknesses of the Northern Marianas as a prime tourist destination.

[B]Hanging out with the Teen Talk Live! cast[/B]

Put together a group of eloquent teenagers with different, yet somewhat similar backgrounds, and you have the power of gab-at its best-soaring through the radio airwaves. It does take an expert to do what they do and true enough, who would be more qualified to talk about teen culture than teens themselves?