Archive - Apr 21, 2012

Former chief engineer Rolando Ong Vano, of the New Zealand based fishing vessel San Nikunau, pleaded guilty Tuesday at the federal court in Washington D.C. to violating the federal Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).

Vano served as the chief engineer on the vessel owned by Sanford Ltd., during several fishing trips to the South Pacific between March 2006 and July 2011. Vano is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 7 before U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell.

On March 21, 1969 (the date of the Vernal Equinox) a large group of San Francisco's young concerned citizens crossed over to the northern side of the Golden Gate Bridge and precisely at daylight celebrated an event meant to draw attention to the pollution and unbridled greed that was destroying the Earth's resources.

“The most promising words ever written on the maps of human knowledge are “terra incognita,”—unknown Territory.” (Daniel J. Boorstin, Historian)

Yesterday morning, more than 100 Special Athletes with as many volunteers, parents and families were participants in the first local Special Olympics competition in at least thirty years. 

Children and adults with special needs competed in 10 different Track and Field events: the 25 meter walk, 100 meter walk, 25 meter run, 50 meter run, 100 meter run, 200 meter run, 50 meter walk, 100 meter relay, softball throw and tennis ball throw. Parents, friends and aiga cheered the Special Athletes on.

A lack of communication between the Samoa Shipping Corporation, owners of the Lady Naomi inter island ferry, ASG Flag Day officials and Lano village, who participated in the Flag Day festivities, resulted in forty-one of the village group sleeping at the Fagatogo inter island dock after they were not allowed to board the Lady Naomi yesterday morning.

Malaeulu Amoni, a ranking chief of Lano who led the group, told Samoa News yesterday morning he was really saddened when some of Lano group was not allowed to board the vessel.

In a feasibility study on a cigarette tax stamp program in American Samoa, the report also looked at the issue dealing with cigarettes purchased from the PX military exchange store in Tafuna, which are exempt from local and federal excise taxes.

The study, commissioned by the American Samoa Community Cancer Network and released last year, points out that cigarettes purchased from the PX (the Army and Air Force Exchange System military store) have been identified as a likely a source of casually smuggled cigarettes in the territory.

SAMUSU RUGBY PLAYERS CLOTHES, SHOES ETC; STOLEN 

The rugby players from Samusu Aleipata who departed Thursday morning left without their shopping from the day before, to take to Samoa.

According to police, two young men are accused of breaking into a home in Ili’ili where the rugby players were staying, and removed clothes, shoes, cash and other items valued at more than $700.

It was a Danielson family reunion when Dan Danielson returned to the territory recently with his family, to distribute more wheelchairs for the territory.

This photo was taken following their lunch on Saturday, April 14, 2012. The Danielson families in American Samoa thank Dan Danielson, his dad, sister and brother for their efforts to help the people of American Samoa.

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa -—The remote location of soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion in American Samoa have always presented a readiness challenge to the Army. While there have usually been plenty of volunteers to serve in the Army Reserve there, keeping them medically ready for deployment is a challenge. Yearly dental exams are required by the Army, and there is already a shortage of qualified dentists on the island.
        

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service earlier this month released a scientific status review and a draft management report for initial review and comment by the public and other important stakeholders.

The review and draft report are part of an ongoing court-ordered process to assess 82 species of coral from the Caribbean and Pacific for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These materials do not represent any final or proposed decision, and the important feedback received through the public review and comment will help inform any proposed findings.