The U.S. District Court for the NMI dismissed with prejudice a complaint of an inmate who alleged maltreatment and inhumane conditions at the Department of Corrections.

Dismissal with prejudice means Jesse James Babauta Camacho can no longer re-file his complaint in court.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona closed the case.

Last Sept. 18, the court dismissed Camacho’s complaint, but gave him 30 days to amend it. That same day, the court’s clerk mailed the dismissal order to Camacho at the DOC.

More than 30 days have passed, and an amended complaint has not been filed.

Camacho filed the complaint pro se or without a lawyer. He complained that there is no physician or nurse at DOC, medicines are inconsistent and missing, inmates get skin diseases from their uniforms because of how the washers clean the uniforms, among other things.

The court allowed Camacho to amend his complaint last year as he never named which officials he was suing.
Camacho also filed a separate complaint, claiming that he is now a disabled person after he underwent heart surgery in November 2017. He blamed a DOC official and a DOC officer for allegedly causing the delay in his medical treatment.

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Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang is reminding the public to remember the meaning of Easter Sunday this weekend—as an opportunity to renew one’s faith and as a new beginning.

“I encourage everyone to reflect on actions and decisions we have made and ask for clear guidance and strength from the Lord,” he said in a Good Friday message his office released yesterday. “Each one of us makes our community. A community of peace, understanding, respect, perseverance, humility, and love is what everyone should aspire to maintain and preserve.”

Apatang added that Easter is a time to reflect on past actions and decisions for clear guidance and strength.

“In recent past, we saw ourselves come a long way, despite the chaotic and very difficult period everyone went through as we picked up the pieces after Super Typhoon Soudelor and Super Typhoon Yutu,” he said. “We are here today because of our commitment to each other to lend a helping hand to those who dearly need it.”

“This Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we must all come together and strengthen the bonds that hold us together as a caring and loving community, and promise to continue this commitment in perpetuity,” he said.

The Saipan Mayor’s Office took the lead in preparing the Mt. Tapochau road for today’s pilgrims, who will walk up the mountain.

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Juniors learn how to stitch their own embroidery into their clothes as part of Mount Carmel School’s annual Mini-Course Week. (MCS Photos)

Cooking. Painting. Stitching. These are just a few of the dozens of alternative courses that were taught this past week at Mount Carmel School as part of Mini-Course Week.

In its 23rd year at the school, Mini-Course Week gives junior high and high school teachers and students a chance to take a break from traditional academic instruction and dabble in hobbies and interests that engage students in hands-on learning.

This year’s mini-courses is the sixth and last year for senior and Student Council officer Rosa Castro, who has looked forward to the week every year. “I really enjoyed this year’s mini-course!  I learned new Japanese dishes and painting on the canvas’ was cool,” she said. “It’s a bittersweet moment because I always look forward to this week during the school year and I’m a bit sad that it’s our last mini-course.”

School president Galvin Deleon Guerrero is very happy that the school has continued Mini-Course Week for more than two decades. “Mini-Course Week is a great way to expand our understanding of schooling to include things that people are passionate about,” said Deleon Guerrero. “And it’s great to see everyone having fun while learning.

Mini-Course Week featured a wide array unique courses, including rosary making, computer coding, lollipop making, knitting, basic farming, and filmmaking. (PR)

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Wilma Atalig-Fejeran of the Office of the Public Auditor has passed the exam to gain the designation of Certified Fraud Examiner by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

She joins an elite group of professionals who are committed to protecting the global economy by exposing fraud and implementing procedures to prevent it from happening in the first place.

In order to become a CFE, Atalig-Fejeran has met a stringent set of criteria and passed a rigorous exam administered by the ACFE while also agreeing to abide by the CFE Code of Professional Ethics.

Atalig-Fejeran has also demonstrated knowledge in four areas critical to the fight against fraud: fraudulent financial transactions, fraud prevention and deterrence, legal elements of fraud, and fraud investigation.

The preparation materials and exam itself were made accessible to Atalig-Fejeran through a technical assistance grant from the Department of the Interior. OPA applied for and was awarded the grant in 2015.

Wilma Atalig-Fejeran

Atalig-Fejeran has been employed with OPA since October 2003. She started as an administrative assistant, but later began work as an intern analyst with OPA’s former Ethics and Compliance Division. In 2006, Atalig-Fejeran received her Associate of Applied Sciences in Business Administration with an emphasis in Computer Applications with cum laude honors. Later, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the Northern Marianas College in May 2009, where she was a magna cum laude.

Atalig-Fejeran is now an audit senior in the Audit Unit. Aside from in-house training at OPA, Atalig-Fejeran also attended a two-week training program called the Lakewood Experience sponsored by the Office of the Inspector General in Lakewood, Colorado in June 2016 as well as various trainings offered by the Association of Pacific Island Public Auditors and the USA Graduate School.

The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education, with more than 85,000 members.

CFE designees represent the highest standards held by the association and possess expertise in all aspects of the anti-fraud profession. CFEs have the ability to: examine data and records to detect and trace fraudulent transactions; interview suspects to obtain information and confessions; write investigation reports; advise clients as to their findings; testify at trial; understand the law as it relates to fraud and fraud investigations; and identify the underlying factors that motivate individuals to commit fraud. CFEs on six continents have investigated more than a million suspected cases of civil and criminal fraud. (PR)

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied yesterday two petitions for rehearing of a motion for sentence reduction requested by former businessman Bert Douglas Montgomery, who was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2003 for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the Bank of Saipan.

Ninth Circuit Judges William C. Canby Jr., A. Wallace Tashima, and Michelle T. Friedland said the panel has also voted to deny Montgomery’s petition for panel rehearing.

Canby, Tashima, and Friedland said the full court has been advised of Montgomery’s petition for rehearing en banc and no judge has requested a vote on whether to rehear the matter.

An en banc refers to a session in which a case is heard before all the judges of the court. A panel hearing is heard before the court’s selected judges.

The Ninth Circuit judges also denied Montgomery’s motion challenging the constitutionality of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

“No further filings will be entertained in this closed case,” the judges said.

Last December, the 9th Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court for the NMI’s order that denied Montgomery’s motion to have his sentence reduced.

Montgomery appealed pro se or without a lawyer.

In December 2013, then-U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson imposed a 20-year prison term on Montgomery for a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of wire fraud: deprivation of honest services, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and three counts of money laundering.

Munson ordered Montgomery to pay jointly with his two co-defendants $5.2million in restitution to Bank of Saipan and $109,980 to Michelle Hom, a bank customer.

One of Montgomery’s co-defendants killed himself in August 2003.

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ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam—The Guam-based “Island Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 responded to a mariner in distress aboard M/V APL Saipan on April 17.
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam notified HSC-25 that the mariner aboard M/V APL Saipan sustained injuries from an explosion that occurred onboard the ship in the engine room.

The HSC-25 alert search and rescue led by aircraft commander Lt. Gabriel Pogliano was on scene within 35 minutes of the initial call from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam.

“When I received the medevac request with the patient’s condition, I knew time was of the essence,” said Pogliano. “My instinct was to get on scene as soon as possible to give the patient the best chance of survival.”

The crew was unable to land on the ship upon arriving due to its structure and quickly found an area to lower SAR medical technician Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richard Derrick to assess the patient and provide immediate care.

“The ability to get him safely aboard the ship is a testament to the skill of our hoist operator, [Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 1st Class] William Medlin, and my copilot Lt. j.g. Luke Stanley,” said Pogliano.

The rough seas, winds and a high hover requirement made it unsafe to hoist a rescue litter to the aircraft. The SAR crew decided to leave Derrick on the Saipan to provide care until the ship could return to Guam.

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richard Derrick, assigned to the Island Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 speaks with a medical representative.
(U.S. NAVY/ HSC 25)

“The moment I made it on deck my primary focus was the care and safety of the mariner,” said Derrick. “Given the confidence of my training and access to medical care within ship’s company, I felt it was best suited to stay onboard until the ship could port in Guam.”

The incident was the 10th emergency call to HSC-25 by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam in 2019 to date, and the 5th call in the last 4 weeks.

“The last month has been extremely active with medevac and rescue requests from the U.S. Coast Guard,” said HSC-25 commanding officer Cmdr. Frank Loforti. “The Island Knights are honored to have the opportunity to make a difference. I would also be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to thank the team. We have the finest Sailors in the fleet and the credit goes to them for making sure our aircraft are always ready.”

HSC-25 provides a multi-mission rotary wing capability for units in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations and maintains a Guam-based 24-hour search and rescue and medical evacuation capability, directly supporting U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Region Marianas. HSC-25 is the Navy’s only forward-deployed MH-60S expeditionary squadron. (PR)

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HAGÅTÑA, Guam—Natural resource professional Tammy Summers has been hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the new refuge manager for the Guam National Wildlife Refuge and superintendent for the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

Summers will provide leadership for the conservation management activities on both the Refuge and in the Monument, including continuing to support important partnerships in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

The approximately 1,217-acre Guam National Wildlife Refuge protects the limestone and coastal forests, and nearshore coral reefs and waters essential for native wildlife like the endangered Haggan betde (green sea turtle), threatened Fanihi (Mariana fruit bat), and endangered Hayun lagu (Serianthes nelsonii tree). The Ritidian Unit, home to Puntan Litekyan, welcomes visitors to explore the roughly two miles worth of trails, visit latte stone and other cultural sites, or stop by the visitor center. 

Designated a monument in 2009, the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument includes both the Mariana Trench and the Mariana Arc of Fire National Wildlife Refuges. The 95,216 acres of protected lands and waters of the Monument include submerged lands and volcanic sites, unique coral formations and marine species found nowhere else on Earth.

“I am incredibly humbled, honored and excited to continue collaborating with stakeholders and community members of the CNMI and Guam in this new capacity,” said Summers.

Summers has spent over 10 years in the Mariana Archipelago working as a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration affiliate studying sea turtles and, most recently, as a natural resource marine specialist for Naval Facilities Marianas. She has also served as an aquatic preserve manager for the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, St. Joseph Bay, and Alligator Harbor in the Florida Panhandle. Summers then served two years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and national park and marine reserve project coordinator in Bacalar Chico, Ambergris Caye, Belize

She received a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and a B.S. in Ecology from the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne and a Master of Natural Resource and Environmental Management degree from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. She also received a certificate in International Cultural Studies from the UH East-West Center with an emphasis on the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Summers began her tenure with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on April 14. (PR)

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The Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture believes that April is the best month to hold the annual Flame Tree Arts Festival and intends to hold the festival this month moving forward.

CCAC executive director Parker Yobei said the annual Flame Tree Arts Festival would continue to be held every April, the time when the flame tree flowers are starting to go into full bloom on Saipan.

Yobei noted in an interview that he was commenting on a previous Marianas Visitors Authority board’s suggestion to move the annual Flame Tree Arts Festival to around June.

He said the CCAC had already tried holding the arts festival in June but, based on sales and participation, April is most ideal.

“We are going to stick to April because…it just didn’t work out for the artists and for the business side [of the festival],” he said. “I understand that the flame trees are in full bloom [around June] but it is actually in the month of April is when the first flower blooms.”

At the same time, holding the festival in June could possibly hinder Liberation Day planning. Liberation Day usually falls on July 4 every year.

“It just wouldn’t work out. We [would be] competing with other community activities. In February we have the Pika Festival on Tinian and March has the Women’s Month festivities, so April is just right for the Flame Tree Arts Festival,” he said.

The 38th Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival, held from April 11, 2019, through April 14, 2019, on Saipan according to Yobei saw the highest number of artist-participants.

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House Speaker Blas Jonathan T. Attao (R-Saipan) said each member of the Legislature are allocated $90,000 every fiscal year, which gives them a monthly budget of $7,500. Sadly, that $7,500 monthly allocation—that they use to pay for their personnel and staff and daily operations—will be reduced for the remainder of fiscal year 2019.

Attao said this was what the Office of Management and Budget told them when they recently met with Virginia Villagomez, the OMB special assistant. “The allocation [for the Legislature] is in the budget. …the budget for each member as per [fiscal year] 2019 budget allotment is just like 2018. It’s $90,000 per member. Nothing more than that. There are no other funds that are on the side to get additional funds from.”

Attao gave this clarification to belie information that says contrary. “That’s for the whole [fiscal year]. That’s all under the operations so we can pay for personnel and use money for our daily operations. That’s it, there’s no additional money contrary to what other people out there say. We live within those means and it will decrease further after the cuts.”

The Legislature, in separate responses by Attao and Senate President Victor B. Hocog (R-Rota) to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ communication, said they would comply with the administration’s implementation of a 5-percent reduction in their appropriations. “The House and Senate actions will be coordinated to assure constitutional requirements of equal allocations to each member.”

On the House side, Attao said he and the other 19 members have different ways of paying their staff and office spending. “Some may pay $3,000 or $4,000 in personnel costs; it depends on the member you ask. Every single member of the Legislature has to get the exact amount of money, because that is in the [CNMI] Constitution.”

Attao said, however, that even if they agreed to the cuts for the rest of fiscal year 2019, the Executive Branch should inform them ahead of time and not implement it abruptly without prior information. “The cuts will be for the rest of the [fiscal year]. Technically, we already started with the cuts at 5 percent. But, when they did it…we told them, ‘You can’t do that.’”

He explained that the Legislature, just like the Northern Marianas College and the Public School System, the money to pay for their personnel and other staff expenses are included in the operational budget allocated to them every year and that their staff have contracts with each of them. “That’s why we cannot breach our contracts that we already signed. We have to go back and revisit our contracts and fix them.”

Attao said that he’s telling the other members to plan ahead until things return to normal. “We’re going to be in the position that this is going to continue.

He added that the Legislature and OMB reached an agreement where they would get the same allotment of $7,500. “We will get the allotment so we can take care of our personnel and work out their contracts.

“We’re getting the same amount in April. But, it will be a bigger cut in May [and so forth]. The cuts are already happening, but we’re going to have to get money from the subsequent year or months to put it into this month.”

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The Department of Public Safety’s evidence room that was destroyed back in 2015 as a result of the onslaught of Super Typhoon Soudelor has not seen any improvement in the past three years.

The Office of the Public Auditor will be inspecting DPS’ evidence room in June and, according to DPS Commissioner Robert Guerrero, there has been nothing done in terms of its recovery.

The last inspection was done back in 2015.

“For the last three years, it’s the same findings it’s always been. Nothing has been done since Soudelor,” he said.

Guerrero said that he has already voiced his frustrations about the matter and has even brought up the issue with higher-ups but nothing has been done. With Guerrero as the DPS chief, that effectively means the Office of the Governor.

“Until that gets fixed, I will continue to bring it up,” Guerrero said.

Aside from the evidence room, Guerrero said that OPA also cited five other issues with DPS but they have all been resolved.

“We resolved all the OPA findings. Out of five or six that were found, we resolved all of it except for that one [the evidence room] and if we don’t get that building fixed, that problem will remain as a finding,” he said.

Guerrero said that funding is not the issue because it should be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the responsibility to rebuild the facility lies with the Office of the Governor.

“I don’t believe [it’s a funding issues]. It was destroyed by Soudelor so that’s a FEMA issue and, from my understanding, the money is there. Unfortunately, we don’t take care of the procurement or services or materials to fix the building so that’s where the problem exist. The authority to act on that is under the Governor’s Office directly,” he said.

Currently, the DPS fitness room has been serving as the temporary DPS evidence room.

“We need that [evidence room]. Right now, the facility that’s being occupied as an evidence room [is] actually the physical fitness facility for our officers and their families,” he said.

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A woman who was sentenced last year to two years of probation for lying in a passport application for her daughter was discovered to have traveled to Guam twice without notifying the U.S. Probation Office—a violation of the terms of her supervised release.

Because of this, U.S. probation officer Gregory F. Arriola has asked that Bernieann Taitingfong Rahman be made to explain before the U.S. District Court for the NMI. Without a credible explanation, Rahman runs the risk of having her supervised release revoked or modified.

Rahman was convicted of lying on Aug. 3, 2018, and was sentenced to two years of probation with conditions. Her probation is set to expire on Aug. 2, 2020.

According to Arriola, Rahman failed to submit monthly supervision reports for October, November, and December in 2018, and in January 2019. Rahman also submitted late reports for March and April 2019.

When Rahman failed to show up at the U.S. Probation Office in April, Arriola said he and probation officer Juanette David-Atalig attempted to contact Rahman, without success.

On April 10, 2019, Arriola said he received information that Rahman had gone to Guam on Feb. 10, 2019, and returned on March 12, 2019. He also got information that Rahman had also gone to Guam on March 14, 2019, and returned to Saipan on April 11, 2019. Both travels were supposedly for work-related matters but Arriola noted that Rahman is jobless.

Last April 11, Arriola visited Rahman at her home and confronted her about her travels to Guam. She allegedly admitted it and apologized for leaving Saipan without proper authorization, explaining that she went to visit someone in Guam, and to attend a funeral service for her goddaughter.

She explained that she did not make a request with the U.S. Probation Office because she was “scared” that her travel request would not be approved.

Arriola said he called the person with whom Rahman stayed with in Guam to verify Rahman’s story. He said that person confirmed that Rahman was with him in Guam and that he paid for her airfare when she visited him in February and March 2019, but the person does not recall Rahman attending a funeral while in Guam.

When presented with this information, Arriola said, Rahman admitted lying about it and apologized.

He said Rahman also wants to leave Saipan because she is having issues in her household and wants to escape her problems and relocate to Guam to find a job.

Arriola said that Rahman already paid her $100 special assessment fee last December and that she is currently working on completing her 100 hours of community service.

In March 2018, Rahman pleaded guilty to lying in a DS-11 application for U.S. passport as part of a plea deal. Rahman filed the DS-11 on July 6, 2017, on behalf of her daughter, omitting the name of her daughter’s father in the application.

On Aug. 16, 2017, Rahman told Diplomatic Security Service resident agent-in-charge Marc Weinstock and special agent Joseph Kramer that she omitted the father’s name because, at the time, the only birth certificate she had of her daughter also omitted the father’s name. This was a lie.

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A police officer who has been accused of stealing snacks at a local gas station pled not guilty to the charges yesterday.

Police officer Koji Maurice Taisacan, 29, through his lawyer, Charles McDonald, pled not guilty before Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan.

McDonald waived the formal reading of Taisacan’s rights, the charges against Taisacan, and Taisacan’s right to a speedy trial.

McDonald also verbally filed a request for discovery for the materials the prosecution has to charge Taisacan with.

Bogdan set a status conference in Taisacan’s case on July 17 at 9am.

According to the allegation, Taisacan took candy bars and drinks, with a value of less than $250, from a Shell gas station in Susupe without paying for the items on June 12, 2018. The gas station is owned by Delta Management.

Office of the Attorney General’s Robert Glass, who represented the government, said that the charge of theft is punishable by up to five years imprisonment with a fine of $5,000.

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The Office of the Attorney General is opposing a motion to exclude the testimony of a female minor who was allegedly sexually abused by a 28-year-old man.

Assistant attorney general Frances T. Demapan said the issue as to whether or not pretrial investigative techniques influenced a child witness’ memory “is a question of reliability, which speaks to the witness’s credibility, not competency to testify.”

“Such issues should be presented to the trier of fact for a determination and should not require an evidentiary hearing held in advance of trial,” said Demapan in the government’s request to deny Peter Orren Aldan’s motion to exclude the testimony of the child.

Aldan, through counsel, claims the girl’s testimony was a result of suggestive or coercive interview techniques.

Demapan said Aldan has failed to make an initial showing that the girl’s memory may have been tainted through suggestive or coercive interview tactics.

The prosecutor said a detective follow-up interview with the child’s mother, less than three hours after the incident, also fails to show the use of any suggestive or coercive interviewing techniques.

According to a police report, the mother stated that she walked in on Aldan on the bed with her daughter last Jan. 4. The mother said she saw Aldan pull his hand off the girl’s pants, so she raised her voice, asking him what he was doing. The mother said her child told her that Aldan touched her inappropriately. Aldan denied the allegation.

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There will be a scheduled water service interruption in the areas of Airport Road Dandan, Lower Dandan, Chalan Monsignor Martinez Road, As Lito, portions of As Perdido, Saint Jude Church, and portions of Adobu Drive in Koblerville and Tottotville this Friday, April 26, lasting from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

The purpose of the water service interruption is to allow Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s water operations personnel to perform repairs on a damaged 6-inch transmission water line on Airport Road in Dandan.

As a result of the repair, a more reliable water system will be provided to the community. Customers in the affected areas should expect restoration of water services soon after.

For the safety of our men and women working at the site, motorists are advised to proceed with caution when traveling through the area or to take alternative routes. The northbound lane fronting Hawthorne CAT’s warehouse on Airport Road in Dandan will be closed.

For more information, contact the CUC Customer Call Center (664-4282) or monitor CUC’s Facebook page for the latest updates (https://www.facebook.comlCommonwealthUtilitiesCorporationl). (PR)

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CNMI Museum executive director Danny Aquino cites an administrative law in disputing a claim that he is an exempt employee and should not receive overtime pay for emergency services rendered following Super Typhoon Yutu in late October 2018.

Aquino said that he and his wife, Saipan Mayor’s Office field operations director Joann Aquino, are usually exempted from overtime pay. However, he said that, in times of emergency, the administration reserves the authority to pay them overtime. He cited 5 CFR 551.211(F)(2)(ii) for this.

That law states that: “Regardless of an employee’s grade or equivalent level, the agency may determine that an emergency exists that directly threatens human life or safety, serious damage to property, or serious disruption of an activity, and there is no one other recourse other than to assign qualified employees to temporarily perform work or duties in connection with the emergency. In such designated emergency an exempt employee can become non-exempt for any work week in which the employee primary duties for the period of emergency work are non-exempt.”

Danny Aquino’s primary duty is to run the CNMI Museum; however, he became involved in debris removal in response to Super Typhoon Yutu’s devastation.

“I was directly involved in debris recovery with the Saipan Mayor’s Office before the governor’s directive on Jan. 24, 2019, during the governor’s directive, and after the directive. I was assigned to the field…working under the hot sun and extreme weather,” Danny Aquino said in a statement.

“I did not spend the holidays with my mom or my family as originally planned before Super Typhoon Yutu caused catastrophic damage. Our home was destroyed [and] personal belongings, clothing, children’s photos—all were lost,” he said.

He noted that he and his crew, which are all CNMI Museum staff, worked at least six days a week to remove debris “to restore some degree of normalcy to affected families” around Saipan. “I worked extremely hard and tried my best to load as many dump trucks efficiently.”

Aquino issued the statement in response to Rep. Edwin K. Propst’s (Ind-Saipan) and Rep. Ivan A. Blanco’s (R-Saipan) comments when the former blasted those who allegedly received their overtime paychecks ahead of others while also questioning those who received overtime pay while exempt, like Cabinet members.

No access to timekeeping

Danny Aquino further disputed the claim of being included on a list of people who allegedly received their overtime pay in advance. He noted that, in order to receive any overtime compensation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, one must input Labor forms and FEMA forms on a daily basis.

He noted that time cards are certified and timesheets are prepared only through the timekeeper; documents forwarded are first inspected by another agency; approved timesheets are forwarded to the Finance Department for inspection and inputting; and that checks are printed depending on the availability of funds.

“No one has access to print their own recovery checks. In addition, we were paid the same time as all others from the Saipan Mayor’s Office and we are still waiting for other pay periods,” Danny Aquino said, adding that Joann Aquino’s overtime pay was one of the last five to be handed out in the Saipan Mayor’s Office.

Joann Aquino’s role in the Saipan Mayor’s Office is to disseminate commands from the office to the teams through radio. She assists with coordinating the teams during the debris pickup efforts and even represents the Saipan Mayor’s Office during emergency meetings.

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Grace Christian Academy’s Bridge Capital Annual Art Contest winners have their picture taken at the school’s Raymond S. Kinsella Library.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Three Grace Christian Academy students won big cash prizes at this year’s Bridge Capital LLC art contest.

Two GCA students won in the ages 11-and-under category. First place went to 5th grader Alyssa Kim, who won $750, while 4th grader Alvin Han won second place and a $500 cash prize.

In the student category, Cheng Si Conrad Bao, a 9th grade student at GCA, won second place with a $1,000 cash prize.

The winners were announced during the first day of the Flame Tree Arts Festival last April 12, 2019.

Kim’s entry, called “Paradise,” is a painting of a colorful parrot and a beautiful Bird of Paradise flower. Hans did a very detailed “Legend of Saipan” painting inside a turtle image. Bao submitted his project in Environmental Science under Geri Rodgers titled “Dancing Lady” using recycled materials such as paper and plastic trash bag for the ballerina’s tutu.

This was the Bridge Capital’s ninth year of the art competition, which is open to all ages in different categories.

Out of the over 340 entries this year, over 100 were from GCA students, especially from Kindergarten to elementary for ages 11-and-under category, whose artwork were done during art classes under Esther Manzano.

Bridge Capital LLC chief executive officer John Baldwin said that the goal of the annual competition is to give artists a chance to show their work, show their talent and to reward them for having the courage to produce works of art.

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The U.S. government is suing a construction company to collect on $39,849 in penalties slapped against it for alleged violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws in 2013 and 2016.

The U.S. government, through assistant U.S. attorney Jessica F. Wessling, asked the U.S. District Court for the NMI to hold NorthPac Corp. liable to pay $21,876.31 in the first violation and $17,972.88 in the second violation, for a total of $39,849.19 as of April 10, 2019, plus interest and costs.

Saipan Tribune was still awaiting NorthPac Corp.’s comments as of press time.

According to Wessling in the complaint, OSHA first cited NorthPac for numerous OSHA violations and penalized it after an inspection of its job site at the Army Reserve Center’s partition fence project in Puerto Rico in 2013.

NorthPac contested the penalties, sat down with OSHA, then came to an agreement about the disputed citations, penalties, and abatement dates.

OSHA says nothing came out of that and, about three months later, it sent a collection letter to the company and demanded the immediate payment of $16,036.

Wessling said that, as of the date of the OSHA complaint, NorthPac has not paid any amount of the penalty assessed for the 2013 violations in the amount of $21,876, including interest and delinquency fee.

In the other case, OSHA again cited NorthPac for alleged numerous violations in 2016 after an inspection of its job site at the Northern Marianas College on Saipan.

Again, NorthPac contested the citations and the proposed penalties.

Wessling said that on Oct. 21, 2016, an OSHA official emailed NorthPac with a proposed settlement agreement that reduced the penalty and grouped the repeat violations into one penalty. NorthPac allegedly did not respond to the email.

In November 2017, the OSHA Commission issued its decision holding that the standards were violated and that the company was in default and the citations were affirmed in their entirety.

Up to now, NorthPac has not paid any amount of the $17,972, despite demand.

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Newly confirmed Commonwealth Zoning Board member Ignacio Demapan, fifth left, joins members of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation for a group photo during a recess in yesterday’s session at the House chamber on Capital Hill. (Jon Perez)

Ignacio Demapan looks forward to begin work with the Commonwealth Zoning Board so he could review the backlog of applications caused by the board having no quorum for almost two months.

The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation unanimously confirmed Demapan’s appointment to the board during yesterday’s session at the House of Representatives chamber on Capital Hill. All 17 members present voted in the affirmative.

The Zoning Board had seven members but failed to reach a quorum after board chair Diego Blanco resigned early this year. Mariana Taitano, Joe Ayuyu Jr., and Patrick Reyes are the current members before Demapan’s appointment and confirmation.

“With my confirmation, there’s now a quorum. There are seven seats on the board and [there are] four of us now,” said Demapan. “I’m glad that I’ve got confirmed finally. I would like to extend my respect and appreciation to the governor and lt. governor.”

The SNILD’s Judiciary and Governmental Operations will schedule another public meeting to hear the community’s opinion on Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ two other nominees to the board, Tatiana Babauta and former representative Francisco C. Aguon.

Torres earlier withdrew Vicente Sablan’s nomination.

Demapan expressed concerns about the backlog, saying he supports development and investments.

“It is my intention to have a meeting with the other board members so that we could address the backlog of issues and applications,” said Demapan, who is a former representative in the 4th Legislature under the leadership of former speaker Vicente Sablan.

He said that addressing all pending applications must be the first priority as the islands continue to recover from the devastation of Super Typhoon Yutu.

“I would like to assist the investors who have pending applications. At the same time, I would also like to assist the general public to sustain our culture and traditions. I would like to make sure we address the issues with respect to zoning regulations and try to assist the applicants.”

Demapan brings to the board his years of being a licensed real estate broker. “I’m a resident executive for the [CNMI] Office of Indigenous Affairs Office and I am also a licensed real estate broker. So, I am pretty well eligible with respect to issues [on zoning and development].”

Torres said getting a quorum for the Zoning Board is important for the CNMI’s economy. “We have a lot of recovery issues that needs to move forward.”

“There are a lot of business that are asking for permits and, of course, nothing moves without zoning. So, I urge that we have these nominees [be confirmed] and that they [SNILD] act on it.”

Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang also showed his support for Demapan. “I’ve known him personally. He can be trusted and depended on. You can rely on him as far as work ethic is concerned.”

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From left, Angel Mendoza, Hyatt Regency Saipan graphic artist; Rosalyn Quintanilla, Hyatt Regency Saipan rooms director; Nick Nishikawa, Hyatt Regency Saipan general manager; Marian Aldan-Pierce, T Galleria Saipan president; Seiji Shindo, Hyatt’s assistant director of Food & Beverage; Ty Pauling Hyatt’s director of Food & Beverage; and Zenn Tomokane, executive sous chef. (Contributed Photo)

As a platinum sponsor for the 23rd Charity Golf Classic, T-Galleria has donated $3,000 cash and in-kind items to the Hyatt Regency Saipan.

The donation will aid this year’s beneficiaries: the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam and CNMI, 500 Sails, NMI Rollers Basketball Association, Isla Montessori School, and 4H Marianas.

Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

500 Sails seeks to revive traditional Chamorro and Carolinian proa (canoe) construction and sailing;

NMI Rollers Basketball Association promotes the sport of basketball among the CNMI youth.

Isla Montessori School seeks to blur the boundaries between the community and institutional schooling.

4H Marianas promotes agriculture, healthy living, environmental and outdoor learning, STEM, indigenous culture, and creative arts learning within the youth of the CNMI.

Hyatt Regency Saipan will host its 23rd Annual Charity Golf Classic at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort’s west course on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Registration for the sold-out event opens at 6:30am and shotgun start is at 7:30am. For more information contact 1 (670) 234-1234 Ext. 26.

“On behalf of Hyatt Regency Saipan, we would like to express our appreciation to T-Galleria’s generous donation in contributing to make it possible to deliver our charity golf classic’s mission in impacting our community and enhancing the lives of others. Our goal is for every volunteer to have fun and memorable experience while giving back to the community,” said Hyatt Regency Saipan general manager Nick K. Nishikawa. (PR)

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From left, Ty Pauling, Hyatt Regency Saipan Food & Beverage director; Angel Mendoza, Hyatt Regency Saipan graphic artist; Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc.’s Trenton Lillemon, Samantha Sikayun, Jacqueline Teregeyo, Jane Madarang, and Jessica Sablan, and Zenn Tomokane, Hyatt Regency Saipan executive sous chef.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Pacifica Insurance Underwriter, Inc. had presented Hyatt Regency Saipan a $1,000 cash and a $10,000 hole-in-one prize for the upcoming 23rd Annual Charity Golf Classic.

The donation from Pacifica Insurance will aid this year’s beneficiaries: the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam and CNMI, 500 Sails, NMI Rollers Basketball Association, Isla Montessori School, and 4H Marianas.

Shirley Sablan, Pacifica Insurance Underwriter president and chief operations officer said, “We appreciate all that Hyatt Regency Saipan has done for our community throughout the years. It is only right that we continue to support their charitable golf tournaments. Encouraging all golfers to tee-off with our friends from the Hyatt for a good cause.”

In turn, Rosalyn Quintanilla, rooms director at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, said, “Pacifica Insurance Underwriters has been a great partner of Hyatt Regency Saipan and sponsor of the Charity Golf Classic. The community’s growth and positive advancements are a direct result of the local businesses’ generous and humble partnerships and we are grateful for their continued support.”

Pacifica Insurance Underwriters is an insurance broker agency that was created in the early ’70s. (PR)

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