Archive - Mar 23, 2012 - Article (News Story)

The government is moving forward with a contact center training project that appears to be an expansion of the previous call center project. The Procurement Office approved last month the sole sourcing of a $4.7 million contract to the Hawai’i-based Native Hawaiian Holding Company (NHHC).

With an eye on fixing challenges they are facing in the areas of fish procurement and financial systems/controls, Dongwon Industries, the parent company of StarKist, has set into motion a series of executive changes at their U.S. StarKist offices in Pittsburg, effective March 26, according to an email dated March 19 to the StarKist Team from In-Soo Cho, President and CEO of StarKist.

Gov. Togiola Tulafono used his weekend radio program to explain why the Emergency Medical Service was transferred in October of 2008 from the LBJ Medical Center to the Department of Public Safety, and then returned back to the hospital effective Jan. 1 of this year.

Togiola touched on this issue again because EMS employees didn’t get paid on the government payday which was last week Monday. They only received their pay checks last Friday, after the Treasury Department transferred $135,000 to LBJ for EMS personnel.

Manu Samoa captain Mahonri Schwalger and his loyal troops complained loudly. The Samoa Rugby Union lent and widened its ears as it listened carefully.  The players had a lot to say. The union had plenty at stake.

ASCC is going “green” and to highlight that point, there will be a Fashion Show tomorrow evening, March 24, in the college gymnasium, whose theme will be "Recycling Redirected".

The purpose of the fashion show, according to Pearl Sheck, Miss American Samoa Community College, is to promote the "Go Green" theme of the year through the student’s fashion talents. Sheck calls it a major challenge in which four clubs will be competing.

Pago Pago, American Samoa—Local Meteorologist in charge of the Tafuna Weather Service Office, Leilua Mase Akapo was recognized last week at the 10th Annual Pacific Risk Management Ohana Conference in Honolulu for his leadership in the region in helping to develop and facilitate programs which help to save lives.

Dear Editor,

Recently we heard the familiar “sky is falling” rhetoric over the so-called “urgent need” for a $3 million loan to again bailout the financially mismanaged LBJ hospital.  Yet before leaving to attend to business elsewhere, the governor left orders with his lieutenants to only disburse half of the money.  So where is the urgency?

Sale Young, who’s been in the transportation business for close to 20 years, is strongly opposed to regulations being proposed by the Commerce Commission and the Department of Public Safety following a request from the US Department of Transportation, which provides federal funding to the DPS Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MSCAP).

The new DOC rules propose a requirement for aiga buses to have emergency exit doors at the rear end of the bus.

A ten year old lawsuit against the American Samoa Power Authority involving an ASPA truck that struck a boy in Aunu’u is now settled. The incident occurred some twelve years ago.

The lawsuit was filed by the boy’s parents Faimafili and Tulituli Upuese when their son, Raymond was 11 years old. Raymond, who is now 21 years old, has permanent injuries and disfigurement to his left foot and leg due to the accident.

The plaintiff’s were represented by Jennifer Joneson while Roy Hall Jr represented ASPA in this matter.

U.S. President Barack Obama has expressed condolences to the Tongan Royal Family and the people of Tonga over the passing of the late King George Tupou V, whose funeral service and burial has been moved to next Tuesday — which is a Monday in American Samoa.

King George Tupou V, who was 63, passed away over the weekend in Hong Kong en route to Tonga after being overseas since November.