Archive - Jan 22, 2012

FBI agent Andrew Gaddy and Pacific Products president Oscar Mayer were the first two federal government witnesses to testify in the trial of former local Department of Education official Paul Solofa at the federal court in Washington D.C.

The two witnesses testified Wednesday, the first day of the trial after a 12 member jury and two alternates were selected Tuesday. Presiding over the trial is U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton.

This is the same judge who presided in the Faoa-Tulifua trial in 2010.

Congressman Faleomavaega Eni announced Thursday that the US Treasury recently informed his office of $10.5 million being approved for American Samoa under the State Small Business Community Initiative (SSBCI).

The SSBCI program is one of two programs that Congress created through the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 to help small businesses gain access to new credit lines and critical capital that will spur job creation.

You may have noticed high school kids from Samoana high school, swimming in the water at the Utulei Beach Park during school hours, for the past couple of weeks... no worries though, as they are part of the pilot Physical Education (PE) class at SHS, ‘Ocean Swimming/Ocean Science PE class at Samoana High School.

Conducting and instructing this first Ocean Swimming/Ocean Science PE Class, is members of the Toa o le Tai (Ocean Heroes) program, with open water/marathon swimmer Bruckner Chase leading the way.

The National Park of American Samoa has relocated to their new headquarters and visitor center in the Pago Pago Harbor area. The facility now welcomes visitors at the MHJ Building (across from the Pago Way Gas Station) on the second floor.

NEW VISITOR’S GUIDE FOR AMERICAN SAMOA

The American Samoa Visitors’ Bureau has produced its first full visitor guide booklet for tourists to American Samoa which will be provided to the more than 1,000 passengers and crew arriving Monday onboard the cruise ship “Regatta”.

Police are currently investigating what they allege to be a marijuana substance found in a container that has been at the main dock since last week. Samoa News understands the container belongs to a family that recently moved to the territory from the U.S.

VILI ONEY

The Vice and Narcotics squad's latest drug raid at a Fagaima home earlier this week, resulted with Vili Oney facing a single count of unlawful possession of the controlled substance of marijuana, a felony that is punishable from five to ten years in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000. Oney, who is represented by the Public Defender’s office, appeared before the District Court Thursday morning. Oney is held in custody on a $20,000 bail.

The Samoa News website has been experiencing spam attacks from an unknown source over the last few days, according to our web technicians in the States.  It is not known at this time if it was a random attack or actually targeted at Samoa News.

Hopefully, the safeguards we are taking today and the hard work of our technical crew to get us back up will pay off and in a day or two we will be able to say the problem is solved.