Flashback November 12, 1999-2004

[B]November 12, 1999

Scrap 80MW power project
[/B] Former Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio yesterday called for the scrapping of the controversial Saipan power project, saying the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. should not award the contract as the island does not need additional power generation. “CUC should stop it. It should no longer continue,” he said in an interview.

[B]EPA to conduct independent test on PCB[/B]

Due to growing concerns on the impact of polychlorinated biphenyls on the people’s health and environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it will conduct its own assessment of Tanapag village to determine if the area is free from the contamination of the cancer-causing chemical. “We hope to make it as expansive as possible and get it done as soon as we can although it could still take a year to process the results,” said Norman Lovelace, manager for Pacific Insular Area Program, U.S. EPA.

[B]November 12, 2001

Agencies probe biohazard scare[/B]

Law enforcement agencies are investigating Thursday’s biohazard scare, in a bid to bring to justice those responsible for the threatening acts against members of the community. The US Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Public Safety and the US Postal Service Inspection Service have launched their joint investigations, underscoring on the serious nature of the criminal offense called “threatening mailing.”

[B]Homestead project feared to cause water problems[/B]

The proposed Tanapag Heights Homestead may provide new homes to people in the CNMI but it may also create a problem—the contamination of groundwater due to the lack of a sewer system. This was pointed out by the Tanapag Action Group, which is currently lobbying at the Legislature to stop the homestead project in Tanapag until a sewer system is put in place at the site.

[B]November 12, 2002

GHLI gets $600K more [/B]

The CNMI government has infused an additional $600,000 to the Retirement Fund’s Group Health and Life Insurance Program in efforts to prevent another major payment problem with its third party administrator, Hawaii Pacific Medical Referral. Public Health Secretary James U. Hofschneider said in an interview yesterday that the government decided to put in the additional amount on top of the regular monthly remittance to the GHLI amounting to $500,000.

[B]Hawaii hospitals welcome back NMI patients[/B]

Beginning last week, Hawaii-based medical providers have resumed accepting referral patients from the Commonwealth, including those covered under the Group Health and Life Insurance Program. Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente gave this assurance, in the wake of the payment made last week by Group Health to its third-party administrator, the Hawaii Medical Referral Program.

[B]November 12, 2003

Labor OKs late filing fees[/B]

The Department of Labor has adopted an emergency regulation that provides for the charging of late submission of work permit applications. The emergency policy took effect last Friday.

[B]‘CNMI is Japanese travelers’ first choice’[/B]

Nearly all (95%) of Japanese visitors in July chose the CNMI as their first choice of destination. Majority of the Japanese tourists visiting the CNMI are high-income earners, with most of them indicating that the islands were their first choice for destination. Saipan, Tinian and Rota also ranked first as the most popular destination of choice among Japanese visitors who had also gone to Hawaii, Guam, Australia and Okinawa, Japan.

[B]November 12, 2004

Higher fuel surcharge in ‘05[/B]

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. admitted on Wednesday that the proposed 3.5-cent fuel surcharge, if adopted in December, could be at least 5.5 cents per kilowatt-hour by January 2005. During Wednesday night’s sparsely attended public hearing at the Multi-Purpose Center, acting CUC comptroller Ed Williams said all electric customers will be charged an additional 3.5 cents per kwh in December.