Columnists

TWENTY-EIGHT years ago, the two biggest news items on island were the “federal takeover” bill introduced in the U.S. Congress by the new Republican leadership; and (drum roll please) the medical referral deficit amounting to $14.5 million — worth $27.8 million today. The then-Department of Public H…

I HAVE been described as old-fashioned.  Honestly, I do not know what to make of that. In my experience, that can be a good thing or bad.  See what I mean. Growing up, when my father said my music was just noise, I said he was old-fashioned.  That was a strange thing for me to say because I listen …

JAPAN created a vibrant economy in the NMI and the rest of the Micronesian islands that were formerly under the German flag (the Marshalls, Palau, the present-day FSM). “At first,” says historian Francis X. Hezel, SJ, “the Japanese Imperial Treasury supplied almost the entire administrative costs f…

THE truth about our former Godfather Governor is coming to light even before the State & Federal Courts can finish with him.  The sad part is that WE the People are the ones who will be stuck with the “tab” he left us to pay-off the tens-of-millions.  How could HSEM even be operating with a 123…

I DECIDED to pursue a third term in office with some hesitation. I shared that hesitation with my family of course and my colleagues. And I listened. I had to pause and reflect on the role and the duties and the responsibilities of the office. I look back at my eight years in office and I asked mys…

THE Grotto is one of the best dive sites on Saipan.  Not only can you dive the turquoise cavern itself, but once you swim out of the holes into the open sea, a new world emerges.  Off to the left is a great wall with caves and swim-throughs.  Straight ahead is a large, gently sloping aquatic field …

“GREATNESS can only be achieved when the opportunity presents itself,” and there are plenty of opportunities for greatness in the CNMI. For African-Americans who arrived in America as slaves, the opportunities for greatness where endless and the struggle for African-Americans to achieve Greatness i…

First place: Oleai Elementary School  Second place: Chacha Ocean View Middle School Third place: Kagman Elementary School THE Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers had the pleasure of welcoming new and returning participants to its second Christmas Decorating Contest in December 2022. As pa…

ON Jan. 9, 1978,  the newly born CNMI government held its inaugural ceremonies whose highlight was the swearing in of the first Commonwealth governor and lt. governor — Carlos S. Camacho and Francisco C. Ada. Temporary federal district court Judge Russell E. Smith administered the oath of office. I…

The following is the text of the inaugural address delivered by the CNMI’s new lt. governor on Monday at the multi-purpose center. GOOD morning, buenas dias, olomwaay, ohayo gozaimasu, joh-eun achim, magandang umaga. Thank you for joining Arnold Indalecio Palacios and me this morning to witness our…