The proclamation signing will take place at 10 a.m. at the governor’s office on Capital Hill in front of servicemembers.
Also present will be employers who also make the sacrifice when their employees are away on military service.
The proclamation is a reminder that men and women continue to put their lives on the line to honorably defend our freedom.
The sacrifice is shared by the entire community, especially families and employers and we need to recognize and appreciate their support.
Following the proclamation, a joint resolution will be presented by the CNMI Legislature.
ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. Its mission is to gain and maintain employer support of Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding employer support, increasing awareness of the law and resolving conflicts through mediation.
For more information, call Capt. Josephine Blas at 671-735-0456, or Rose Igitol at 670-287-1129.
(CEC) — The Commonwealth Election Commission says the last day for voter registration for the 2009 regular general election is today, Sept. 18.
Bring a copy of your birth certificate, current United States passport or naturalization documents if you have not provided us the commission with a copy. This is necessary to determine your citizenship and your eligibility to vote in the Northern Marianas.
Hours of operation: Sept. 17 and 18, 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Closed during lunch hour: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Any person qualified to vote may register at the Commission’s office at 1313, Anatahan Drive, Capital Hill, Saipan.
Eligible voters residing on Rota may register with Leilani I. Manglona or Josepha A. Barcinas.
Tinian residents may register with Jose P. Kiyoshi, Donald M. Hofschneider or Mary B. Diaz.
Residents of the islands north of Saipan may contact the commission via government radios maintained by the Emergency Management Office.
Eligible voters who are outside the commonwealth may go to www.votecnmi.gov.mp to download the required registration forms.
Eligible voters who are homebound and require assistance registering to vote may contact the commission for further information.
A person is eligible to vote who, on Nov. 7, is 18 years of age or older, is domiciled in the commonwealth, has resided in the commonwealth for 120 days prior to the day of the election, is not serving a sentence for a felony conviction, has not been declared by a court to be judicially insane, and is either a citizen or national of the United States as defined in the CNMI Constitution.
Previously registered voters who have failed to vote in the 2007 regular general election must re-register to be eligible to vote in the 2009 regular general election.
Anyone requiring voter registration information may call the Commission’s office at 664-VOTE (8683) or by sending electronic mail to [email protected] or through [email protected].
Pinwheels for peace
(WSR) — In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word.
On Sept. 21, 2009, William S. Reyes Elementary School plan to take part in an International art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace at the WSR campus.
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and El McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in world and their lives.
In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on Sept. 21 — there is approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world.
Last year, over 2.3 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,000 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and the South America.
Locally, W.S.R. Elementary School will be coordinating the Pinwheels for Peace project this year.
This project is non-political.
Peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war; it can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives, to peace of mind.
To each of us, peace can take a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: “a state of calm and serenity with no anxiety, the absences of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or group of people.
WSR Elementary School students will create pinwheels of all shapes and sizes-as part of the creation process, the students will write their thoughts about “war and peace, tolerance, living in harmony with others” on one side and on the other side, they will draw, paint, collage, etc. to visualize and express their feelings.
The students will “plant” their pinwheels in the ground on International Day of Peace as a public statement and art exhibit.
On Sept. 21, keep a lookout for the pinwheels; the spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the islands and the world!
Tilapia cook-off competition on Rota
(NMC) — The tilapia will take center stage on Oct. 9 as Northern Marianas College hosts the first-ever “Tilapia Cook-Off Competition” on Rota.
The competition is organized by NMC’s Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service’s Aquaculture and Fisheries Development program, which aims to advance public awareness, education, research, training and outreach in the fields of aquaculture and fisheries production.
According to Michael Ogo, aquaculture program coordinator, “The free competition is meant to encourage the consumption and production of homegrown tilapia, which is a very healthy source of protein.”
The competition also seeks to expand the tilapia’s use not only as local food source, but also as an opportunity for additional income.
“Small scale aquaculture farming for family consumption can be great help to the pockets of families on Rota during difficult economic times,” Ogo said. “It’s also a great way to promote life skills training, especially for our youth.”
The competition will take place at the Rota Roundhouse from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 9.
All non-professional chefs on Rota are invited to participate and to showcase their best recipe for homegrown tilapia.
There are separate categories for youths, 15-18 years old, and adults or those over 18.
The best three recipes in each category will win up to $150.
Each participant of this free competition will also have a chance to have his or her recipe showcased in a recipe book that NMC-CREES is planning to publish.
The event is supported by NMC-CREES’ Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program and 4-H Youth development programs.
WSTCO Feeds is a commercial sponsor, and the tilapia for the cook-off is provided by Nicolas Songsong and Joshua Calvo.
Registration will start on Monday, Sept. 21.
Registration forms should be faxed or delivered to NMC-CREES Rota no later than Monday, Oct. 5.
Participation is free for all. For more information and registration forms, contact Evelyn Mendiola or Dean Manglona at 532-9511.
The NMC-CREES Aquaculture and Fisheries Program is funded by the Smith-Lever program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
FCC approves assignment of KRNM licenses
(NMC) — The Federal Communications Commission recently approved Northern Marianas College’s application to assign its KRNM licenses to Guam-based Marianas Educational Media Services, which has offered to continue public radio format broadcasting in the CNMI.
NMC submitted its complete application to the FCC last July, after extensively reviewing it to ensure compliance with all applicable FCC requirements. Among other requirements, the college was asked to publicly announce its intent to reassign KRNM’s license for notification purposes and public comment back in July.
NMC will now be able to transfer KRNM’s 88.1 FM and 89.1 FM licenses to MEMS.
Since the college ceased subsidizing KRNM operations to focus its resources on its core academic programs, public radio services continued to be broadcasted through an agreement with KPRG, a non-profit radio station on Guam.
KPRG regularly airs “BBC World Service,” and programs from National Public Radio and Public Radio International, which feature programs such as “All Things Considered,” “World Café,” “Fresh Air,” “Blue Monday Micronesia,” and other radio shows.
HONOLULU (EPA) — In an effort to improve water quality and create jobs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $200,000 to the CNMI under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A total of $39 million will be awarded nationally to states and territories for Water Quality Management Planning grants, which will keep and create jobs to help prevent water pollution and protect human health and the environment.
“With this infusion of Recovery Act funding, CNMI will have more resources for high priority projects and the promotion of water and energy efficiency projects,” said Laura Yoshii, acting regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Pacific Southwest. “This funding will not only make it possible to focus on this critical work, it will also create and save CNMI jobs.”
Planning is an important step in EPA’s goal to improve water quality in America’s lakes, rivers and streams. WQMP grants support a broad range of activities, such as setting standards, monitoring the quality of the water, developing plans to restore polluted waters, and identifying ways to protect healthy waters from becoming polluted. States and territories are also encouraged to use these funds for more innovative planning activities like developing plans to adapt to climate change, analyzing trends in water availability and use, and creating low-impact development programs. Grants are awarded to state and territory agencies and some of the funds can be awarded to regional and interstate planning organizations.
President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on Feb. 17, 2009, and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.
For information on EPA’s implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit http://www.epa.gov/recovery/
(KKA) — The Kagman Komunidat Association would like to announce that Laolao Bay Golf Resort will be having a job fair at the Kagman Community Center on Sept. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Applications and resumes will be accepted for the different departments for Laolao’s new hotel.
Please bring your resumes and dress appropriately.
Chuuk hosts upgraded communication system
(PREL News) — Broadening the possibilities for distance learning instruction as well as emergency services anew communication system has been enabled for the use of the community of Chuuk.
The combined expertise of four institutions — Pan-Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite, University of Guam, Chuuk State School System and Pacific Resources for Education and Learning — was necessary to rehabilitate and relocate the equipment that was ultimately used on this satellite earth station.
The system is housed on the same grounds as the PREL service center in Eno and is currently operated and maintained by T.R. Mori.
