People & Events

The meeting was attended by more than 80 registered voters, long-time guest workers and those who recently turned 18 years old.

Registration for membership is ongoing. Members were assigned to invite and register potential partners of the coalition.

Gus Loste was elected as the chairman of the organizing committee, Nory Pamintuan is the secretary and Emi Pamintuan will serve as the public information officer.

The coalition agreed to conduct a voter registration drive for all eligible ethnic voters to enhance and quantify the number of its membership.

The coalition also plans to educate its members of their rights and privileges in governance and in the community.

A CNMI-wide registration and membership campaign is also planned for Rota and Tinian so that every ethnic minority will be aware that a legitimate group is here to stand for their rights, recognition and equality.

The coalition will also serve as a support group to all American ethnic minorities and other nationalities.

The coalition hopes to achieve a united front for American ethnic minorities in the CNMI, and plans to affiliate with Guam and U.S. mainland ethnic minority organizations.

The next meeting of the coalition starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Filipino Workers Resource Center at the former Nauru Bldg in Susupe.

Grey invited to speak on preparation for federalization

(SHRM) — The Society for Human Resource Management has asked Melvin L. Grey, director of immigration for the CNMI, to speak on how businesses can prepare for the federalization of local immigration.

The meeting will be held at the Charley’s Cabaret of the Pacific Islands Club, on Thursday, July 17.

Doors open at 11:15 a.m. for registration. Cost for members is $15 and $20 for non-members. Cost includes lunch. Reservations are requested.

E-mail Frannie T. Salas at [email protected], Polly Deleon Guerrero at [email protected], or call Tommy Kennington at 234-7976.

With the implementation of federal immigration around the corner, many businesses in the CNMI are unprepared for the disruption that the new law will bring.

Business owners as well as human resource professionals will need to prepare effective strategies to minimize federalization’s profound impact on their organizations.

With the fragile economic conditions also facing the CNMI, there is a need to educate the community on how to prepare for the new immigration system.

Palau president to visit Saipan

(Palau Consulate-CNMI) — This is to inform all Palauans residing in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. will be visiting Saipan to meet all Palauans in the CNMI on July 12, Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Carolinian utt in Garapan.

For more information, call the Palau Consulate at 235-6804.

(DFW) — The Division of Fish and Wildlife has made available once again two popular posters of the birds of the CNMI and Guam — “Forest and Land Birds of the CNMI and Guam” and “Seabirds of the CNMI and Guam.”

The CNMI has 14 native birds, 10 of which are endemic — meaning they are seen only in the Mariana islands and nowhere else in the world.

Five of the endemic species are considered endangered of extinction.

Bird watching, or “birding” as it is known throughout the international community, is a great family activity in the summer while children are out of school.

The posters can assist with bird identification by sight. Once birds are known by sight they can be observed to learn each of their individual songs.

Birding is best done in the morning before 10 a.m. and in the evening after 4:30 when it it’s cooler as birds are more active at these times.

The two bird posters are available at the Division of Fish and Wildlife office in Lower Base.

(DEQ) — The Division of Environmental Quality will hold an informative training and outreach presentation covering recent changes, amendments and updates to the spill prevention, control and countermeasures, or SPCC, regulation.

The training and outreach presentation will be held on Monday, July 2, at the Coastal Resources Management Office from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

SPCC applies to facilities that have an aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 gallons or a completely buried storage capacity greater than 42,000 gallons.

For more information, call J.P. Flores of DEQ at 664-8500/01.

Muna takes command of Engineer Company at Fort Knox

FORT KNOX, Kentucky —Standing proudly before 280 soldiers, friends and family members, Capt. Alfred M. Muna from the CNMI took command of the 76th Engineer Company (Steel Hammers) of the 19th Engineer Battalion at Fort Knox, Kentucky on July 1.

Muna graduated from the University of Guam earning a bachelors of science degree in criminal justice. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2001.

His military education includes the engineer officer basic course and the engineer captain career course.

His duty assignments include service with the 20th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas from April 2002 to June 2005.

He also served as a mechanized engineer platoon leader for 16 months with B Company and the assault and obstacle platoon leader for nine months with C Company.

While the A&O platoon leader for C Company, he was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom II from March 2004 to March 2005.

In Jan. 2006, Muna became the Battalion S4 or logistics officer immediately upon arriving to the newly activated 19th Engineer Battalion.

In Aug. 2006, he deployed with the battalion as the S4 for 15 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and subsequently stationed to Fort Knox in Nov. 2007.

Muna’s military awards and decorations include the Combat Action Badge, Airborne Parachutist Badge, Army Commendation Medal (3 OLC), National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon (2 NUM).

He is married to Grace Alvarez of Dededo, Guam. They have two children, Alfred Jr., 8, and Gabriella, 5.

Among the friends and family members from the CNMI and the U.S. mainland who made the journey to Fort Knox to attend the change of command ceremony were Muna’s parents, retired Sgt. Major Jesus C. and Dorothea C. Muna of Saipan, his sister Geraldine M. Mendiola with her husband SFC/E-7 Mark A. Mendiola and sons Mark Jr. and Michael, and sister Caroline and her husband Jered Lutu and daughter Jaydin. Ed Pangelinan, a good family friend, also attended.

“Our people in the CNMI join me in extending our congratulations and best wishes upon your assumption of duty and responsibility as the company commander for the Steel Hammers at Fort Knox. We thank you for your service to our great nation, and applaud your accomplishments with the U.S. Army,” said Resident Rep. Pedro A. Tenorio.

Red flag raised at 19 sites

(DEQ) — The Division of Environmental Quality has raised the red flag at 19 sites on Saipan and advises the public not to fish or swim within 300 feet of these locations for the next 48 hours or until otherwise notified.

Samples collected from Tanapag Meeting Hall, DPW Channel Bridge, S. Puerto Rico Dump, Smiling Cove Marina, American Memorial Park, Samoa Housing, Hafa-Adai Hotel, Hafa-Adai Drainage, Garapan Fishing Dock, World Resort, Sugar Dock, CK Dist #2 Drainage, CK Dist #4 Drainage, Chalan Piao Beach, Hopwood School Beach, San Antonio Beach, Pacific Islands Club Beach, San Antonio Lift Station, and Jefferies Beach on Saipan contained excessive concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria — enterococci — that exceeded the CNMI’s Marine Water Quality Standards.

These bacteria can indicate the presence of human and animal waste in the water. However, studies have shown that storm water runoff in tropical environments may also contain these bacteria from the natural environment, which may not be directly associated with public health concerns.

Rota beach waters were sampled this week and were assigned green flags.

DEQ analyzes samples of marine recreational and storm drainage water from 50 locations on Saipan, 10 on Tinian, 12 on Rota and 11 samples from the shore surrounding Managaha.

The agency welcomes all inquiries as to the quality of the beach water andtThe public is encouraged to contact DEQ at 664-8500 with any questions concerning this matter.

(BEH) — The Bureau of Environmental Health conducted sanitary inspections in June 2008 on the following retails, eating and drinking establishments and their grades are as follows:

Grade A

Grade B

Grade C

* (facility closure date)

** (establishment re-opening date)

There may have been changes to these grades since this information was released.

For update information, call the Bureau of Environmental Health at 664-4870 or fax 664-4871.

State of the Judiciary Address today

THE Senate and the House of Representatives will hold a joint session today for the State of the Judiciary Address that will be delivered by CNMI Supreme Court Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan.

The address will start at 10 a.m. in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the Honorable Jesus P. Mafnas Memorial Building on Capital Hill.

Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, R-Saipan, and Senate President Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, are inviting the public to get an update and hear the status report of the judiciary.