Archive - Feb 14, 2012 - Article (News Story)

The Togiola administration has resubmitted to the Fono, with appropriate amendments, the $10 million supplemental bill to fund the LBJ Medical Center off-island medical referral program, while the bill to return the hospital back to the government was introduced in the House yesterday.

In his Feb. 9 letter, Gov. Togiola Tulafono thanked Senate President Gaoteote Tofau Palaie for the Feb. 7 letter that was in response to the governor’s letter of Jan.13 — which was when the the administration first submitted the $10 million bill.

Gov. Togiola Tulafono has vetoed the $60.37 million bill to fund the American Samoa Power Authority operation from Feb.1 to July 31, 2012 citing among other things, his concern over the revenue source to fund the supplemental appropriation.

The governor also addressed in his letter the much debated issue between the Fono and ASPA over ASPA’s claim that its board of directors has the authority to approve the annual budget and not the Fono.

SUPPLEMENTAL BILL

WASHINGTON (AP) -- When a president introduces a budget, there are always phantoms flitting around the room. President Barack Obama's spending plan sets loose a number of them.

It counts on phantom savings from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's underpinned by tax increases Republicans won't let happen and program cuts fellow Democrats in Congress are all but certain to block.

And it assumes rates of growth that the economy will have to become strikingly undead to achieve.

A look at three budget ghosts, sometimes known as gimmicks:

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MILAN (AP) -- Italian prosecutors asked the country's highest criminal court on Tuesday to reinstate the murder convictions of American Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend in the brutal slaying of a British student.

Perugia prosecutors filed the 112-page appeal, more than four months after an appeals court threw out the convictions against Knox, 24, and Raffaele Sollecito, 27.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Whitney Houston's funeral will be held Saturday in the church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child.

The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark said Tuesday that the funeral will be held at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark.

The funeral home said that no wake would be held and that there would be no public memorial at Newark's Prudential Center, the sports arena that the family had discussed as a possible venue.

There is a strange phenomena happening in the territory, as Myna birds, (also known as Mynah birds) — an invasive species in American Samoa — have been reported falling from the sky recently in the Nu’uuli area, with around twenty birds found dead.

Eight of the dead birds have been sent off to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Hawaii by the local Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), according to Alden Tagarino, the Wildlife Biologist at DMWR investigating the mystery of the unusual occurrence.

HONOLULU– Hawaiian Airlines has earned the first-ever aviation based carbon credits, having reduced its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 22,000 metric tons over the past six years using an innovative, eco-friendly engine washing technology developed by Pratt & Whitney.

A foreigner who applied and was hired to teach Agricultural studies at Saint Joseph’s College this year has been told to take leave until allegations of sexual harassment against him are cleared.

He was to have taught this subject in the lower levels; the Years 9 and Year10s. Director of Catholic Education Aeau Chris Hazelman said they were only made aware of the allegations against the man on Tuesday morning “at 8.30am or 9am”.

Wallace Salima is holding the head of a ‘turkey’ that he said was in one of the cases of turkey tails that his mother, Pule Salima purchased last Friday evening at one of the local grocery stores for their church barbecue fundraiser. “We called the store to tell them that we found something in one of the cases and they said for us to bring it back. But we wanted to stop by Samoa News first,” said Wallace Salima.

Chief Justice Michael Kruse warned government officials at a hearing on the status of the mental health facility last Friday that he’s going to hold someone in contempt if they don’t walk the walk. The High Court heard from government officials that a groundbreaking for the mental health facility, which would accommodate defendants who are civilly committed, is set for “sometime” in May.