Archive - May 2012 - Article (News Story)

Thirty American Samoans graduated Saturday after completing three months of job skills training on Guam. The group was displaced when a 2009 tsunami caused the closure of two American Samoa tuna canning plants.

The American Samoans came to Guam to learn the construction trade, and some of them hope to land jobs here.

Although Guam's job market is tight, with about 1,000 jobs lost in the construction industry within the past year, yesterday's graduates focused on celebrating their achievement.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Crowds gathered along San Francisco's waterfront Sunday, while San Francisco Bay was crowded with pleasure boats, tug boats and other vessels as the city celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to flock to the area to enjoy a number of events taking place along a section of waterfront stretching from Fort Point south of the bridge to Pier 39 along The Embarcadero.

much Washington can say," said Toby Jones, an expert on Bahraini affairs at Rutgers University. "There's just too much at stake for U.S. interests."

This is the slow-drip anger building up among the protesters led by Bahrain's Shiite majority.

Their demands began last year with calls for a greater say in the country's affairs, which are tightly run by the ruling Sunni dynasty. The protest cries gradually sharpened to urge for the downfall of the Western-backed king and his inner circle.

America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.

“The opportunity for brotherhood presents itself every time you meet a Human Being.”

Just in time for the three-day Memorial Day weekend and high school graduation season, the Treasury Department released yesterday batch #10 of tax refunds for those who qualify.

Tax Office manager Melvin Joseph said the total amount of refund checks released yesterday comes to $489,670 - which is $183,776 for local and $305,894 for the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), funded by the U.S. Internal Revenue Services. This refund batch is for those who filed up to Apr. 4.

Tonga has closed the fishing of sea cucumbers for three years to allow the stock to recover from overfishing and illegal fishing.

The Matangi Tonga website reports the ministry’s director, Dr Vailala Matoto, saying that sea cucumber fishing is unsustainable at its current rate.

He says the government will revise the management plan and conduct an assessment of stock levels in two years’ time.

Dr Matoto says an earlier 10-year moratorium allowed levels to recover but since it was lifted in 2008 people have failed to harvest sustainably.

Chief Election Officer Soliai Tuipine has decided to open the Election Office in Tafuna for a half-day on Monday, Memorial Day, which is a local and federal government holiday,

The office will open from 8:a.m to 12 noon “due to the high volume of unregistered and purged voters,” said Soliai yesterday. “Eligible voters that have not been able to register because of work hours and other commitments— here is your chance to come in and register.”

A female post office employee, Lamala Lorraine Tufele, accused of using her position with the United States Post Office (USPS) to gain access to a package with ATM cards she allegedly used without authorization, has denied the charges against her.

Tufele is charged with two counts of stealing and is held on $10,000 bail. Each stealing count, a class C felony, carries a jail term of up to seven years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, a fine equal to twice the amount gain from commission of said crime up to the maximum of $20,00 or both fine and imprisonment.

Twenty one brave Segaulas are more than ready to become what they want to become in life! There was resounding applause from all when they called the graduates, one by one, to receive their diplomas during the Manu’a High School Class of 2012 graduation yesterday morning.