Archive - Feb 13, 2012 - Article (News Story)

The 2012 Taumafai Basketball League just concluded its inaugural season this past Saturday at the Tafuna High School gymnasium, where the league played all of its games.

Last Saturday saw the crowning of the league’s first champions, when the team of the #2 seeded Leone walked away with the first the ever trophy in the Taumafai Basketball League, defeating the #1 seeded Mesepa Sonics in a high flying, hard fought battle by a score of 48-32.

“Ua o se galu e fa’afua ‘ae le fati”

The word impeachment surfaced in the Senate on Friday last week while Senators were discussing Governor Togiola T.A Tulafono’s letter to the Fono leaders, informing them that he had vetoed the $1.6 million bill to help the financially strapped LBJ Hospital, for which $800,000 had been allocated to the hospital.

It was not clear whether the advice from some senators to look at possible impeachment of the governor and also to seek assistance from the Department of Interior came when the Senate heard that the governor vetoed their $1.6 million bill for the hospital.

A call to revisit a Senate resolution to establish the Senate Investigative Committee that had been introduced in the Senate in 2009, was passed by the Senate last week after a long discussion.

The call was announced by Senate President Gaoteote Palaie Tofau after the Senate session last week, when he asked senators to stay behind so that they could discuss this issue.

Governor Togiola Tulafono has given the LBJ Hospital Authority and Hospital Board up to Wednesday, saying that if there is no indication to end the layoff of 274 staff members and change the higher fees which are already in place, he will dissolve the hospital board and transfer the hospital back under the government’s wing.

That was the message from the governor during his radio program over the weekend, which was delivered in Samoan, as is the usual for his program.

Gov. Togiola Tulafono has vetoed the $1.6 million appropriation bill which provides $800,000 to the LBJ Medical Center and the rest of the money as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) matching funds for the 2009 disaster.

The most pressing issue for the Fono was to get some additional funding to the hospital and Togiola, in his letter to the Fono leadership disapproving the bill, says he is “keenly aware of the financial crisis that has befallen” the hospital.

The Department of Public Safety has placed in custody several juveniles in connection with the burglary of the Pacific Sales Warehouse in Tafuna two weeks ago. The arrests were made over the weekend, and a government official told Samoa News there are two adults involved, aside from the juveniles in this matter.

FA’AFEAI FA’AFEAI aka TI

A 48-year old man, whose residence the Vice and Narcotics Division raided last Thursday will make his initial appearance before the District Court this morning.

Fa’afeai Fa’afeai who has been in police custody since last week is held on bail of $50,000. He’s facing charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession with intent to distribute, which are both felonies.

MARRIAGE AGE BILL REJECTED BY SENATE

The Senate rejected in second reading last week a House bill that would increase the marriage age of a female after the Senate committee  heard testimony from a church minister who told senators that the current law is sufficient because it would require a parent or guardian's consent for a young girl wanting to marry.

Two local officials confirmed yesterday that the military buildup in Guam will shrink to 4,700 Marines.

Arthur Clark, Gov. Eddie Calvo's director of policy, said he was given the official number by Navy Undersecretary Robert Work in a conference call. Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said in a press release that she, too, expects that number after her discussions with the undersecretary.