{"id":245619,"date":"2017-02-02T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T20:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=245619"},"modified":"2017-02-02T06:00:23","modified_gmt":"2017-02-01T20:00:23","slug":"island-snapshots-february-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Island Snapshots &#8211; February 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-245619 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/nmc-pix-35\/'>NMC-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-245622'>\n\t\t\t\tNMC PROGRAM \t    \t      \nNorthern Marianas College president Dr. Carmen Fernandez, center, in glasses, and Tinian Mayor Joey San Nicolas , sixth from right, pose for a group photo with about 40 government agency heads and employees from the departments of Public Safety, Finance, Labor, Land and Natural Resources, Public Lands, and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. on Tinian after a presentation about NMC\u2019s Prior Learning Assessment Program. The program awards college credit for demonstrable knowledge gained from workplace training programs, military service, and work experience. (Contributed Photo)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/nmc_1444-min-1\/'>NMC_1444-min-(1)<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-245742'>\n\t\t\t\tSTEM ADVOCATES\nNMC president Dr. Carmen Fernandez, seated right, meets with Dr. Vidalino Raatior, seated left, from the University of Hawaii\u2013Hilo to discuss initiatives that support the enrollment and success of college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Raatior is also the project manager for the Islands of Opportunity Alliance\u2013Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, which was established to help meet the needs of underserved STEM students within the Pacific region. Also in photo are, standing from left, Leo Pangelinan, NMC dean of Student Services; Dr. Alfredo DeTorres, NMC Natural Resources Management coordinator; and Dr. Brady Hammond, NMC Language and Humanities chairperson.\n(Contributed Photo)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/red-cross-leadership-pacific-islands-region\/'>Red-Cross-Leadership---Pacific-Islands-Region<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-245814'>\n\t\t\t\tCOURTESY VISIT  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        \nGov. Ralph DLG Torres, fourth left, meets with leaders of the Red Cross Pacific Islands Region and the local association after they paid a courtesy visit last week at the Governor\u2019s Office. (Contributed Photo)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/nmc-gym-pix\/'>NMC-gym-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-246337'>\n\t\t\t\tWORK STILL TO BE DONE \t\t\t\t\t      \nThe Northern Marianas College gymnasium as it looks today. The gym\u2019s floor, roof, and equipment are all damaged due to the rain brought by\u00a0August 2015\u2019s Typhoon Soudelor and the typhoons and showers that followed\u00a0\u00a0since then. The gym has since been closed to the public due to the\u00a0facility\u203as instability. (erwin Encinares)\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/nmdoa-pix\/'>NMDOA-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-246527'>\n\t\t\t\tLAULAU BEACH CLEANUP   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        \nMembers of the Northern Marianas Dive Operators Association and the Marianas Visitors Authority join forces to clean up Laulau Beach on Feb. 11, 2017, where they cut grass, cleared brush, and picked up trash and debris. NMDOA and the MVA jointly adopted the popular dive spot several years ago and conduct quarterly cleanups at the site. (MVA)                   \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/sergeant-aj-grant\/'>SERGEANT-AJ-GRANT<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-246543'>\n\t\t\t\tSCHOOL PRESENTATION  \nSgt. A. J. Grant gives a presentation to 6th graders of Seventh Day Adventist school on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.  (Demalynn S. Pagarao)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/toy-pix-2\/'>TOY-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-246602'>\n\t\t\t\tSENATE HONOR   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   \nKagman High School teacher Gerard van Gils, seventh right, receives a plaque from Senate President Arnold I. Palacios (R-Saipan) after the CNMI Senate honored him yesterday for his accomplishments in the educational community. Van Gils\u2019 programs like the Million Dollar Scholars have helped more than 20 KHS students earn scholarships in different colleges and universities in the U.S. mainland. Sen. Justo Quitugua (Ind-Saipan), left, noted the importance of continuing van Gils\u2019 initiatives and programs. (Contributed Photo)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/jrotc-pic\/'>JROTC-pic<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-246685'>\n\t\t\t\tDRILL COMPETITION \t         \nThis Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, at 8am to 3pm, there will be a CNMI State Drill Competition for all Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps units (Rota High School, Marianas High School, Tinian High School, Kagman High School, Saipan Southern High School) at MHS. All teams present will compete against one another. The winning teams will go to Sacramento, California for the Golden Bear 8th Brigade Western Championship Finals. (Contributed Photo)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/care-packages-pix\/'>Care-packages-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-246801'>\n\t\t\t\tCARE PACKAGES   \t\t\t\t\t\t   \nLiberation Day Royal Princess Coryn Monica Aguon Achas is assisted by a postal worker in sending off care packages for CNMI soldiers who are currently deployed.\u00a0 Organizers also acknowledged the help of Imperial Pacific International, Ltd., the U.S. Marshals Service, the Sablan-Magofna family, and various friends and families for their contributions. (Contributed Photo)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/nps-pix\/'>NPS-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-247001'>\n\t\t\t\tRESOURCE STUDY \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t       From left, National Parks Service representatives Jim Richardson, Anna Tamura, and Jean Boscacci talked yesterday about a special resources study they would do for Rota at the House chamber on Capital Hill. (Jon Perez)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/tourism-club-pix\/'>Tourism-Club-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-247056'>\n\t\t\t\tTOURISM MEETING                   \nThe Japan Marianas Tourism Club held its semi-annual meeting on Feb. 20, 2017, at Hyatt Regency Saipan.  JMTC is composed of private and public travel industry representatives and aims to strengthen tourism in the Marianas from Japan. Participating offices and organizations were: CNMI Office of the Lt. Governor, Consul of Japan, Northern Marianas Legislature, Marianas Visitors Authority, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, R&amp;C Tours, JTB World Vacations, H.I.S. Tokyo, KNT-CT Holdings, KNT Individual Tour Co. Ltd., Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Japan Saipan Travel Association. (Contributed Photo)\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/medical-referral-pix\/'>Medical-referral-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-247135'>\n\t\t\t\tMEDICAL REFERRAL \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            \nTaiwan Adventist Hospital representatives visit the House of Representatives yesterday to discuss the CNMI establishing a new medical referral site in Taipei. House Speaker Rafael S. Demapan, sixth from left, vice speaker Janet U. Maratita, fifth from left, House Commerce and Tourism Committee chair Rep. Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero, third from left, and Health Committee chair Rep. Jose I. Itibus welcomed the delegation yesterday at the speaker\u2019s conference room on Capitol Hill. (Jon Perez)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/island-snapshots-february-2017\/dog-control-pix\/'>Dog-control-pix<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-247274'>\n\t\t\t\tdog control program \t \t\t\t                    \nSaipan Mayor David Apatang receives a $4,710 donation on Feb. 15, 2017, at the Marianas Visitors Authority office for the dog control program.  The funds were raised from proceeds of the Marianas Sunset Fun Run in January 2017 and matched by the MVA.  Pictured from left are MVA Community Projects manager Martin Duenas, Apatang, MVA deputy managing director Judy Torres, and Animal Control Program director Spencer Marchadesch. (MVA)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":245622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fotogalleria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}