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Community Briefs

18 CRUISE SHIPS SET TO CALL INTO PORT NEXT YEAR

 

The American Samoa Visitor’s Bureau (ASVB) has indicated that a total of 18 cruise ships from seven cruise lines will be arriving in the territory next year between January and October.

 

According to the ASVB, Regent Seven Seas' ship “Mariner” will disembark on its maiden voyage and arrive in the territory on Christmas Eve, December 24, carrying up to 700 passengers and a crew of 445 as part of an 18-night Christmas and New Year cruise from Pape'ete, French Polynesian with stops in Auckland, New Zealand; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; and Suva, Fiji.

 

Of the seven cruise companies, Princess Cruises make up the bulk of the visiting ships with seven calling into port, followed by America Holland Line and Oceania Cruises each having three ship calls. There will be two ships from P&O Cruises and one ship visit each by Regent Seven Seas, Cunard, and Costa Cruises.

 

In addition to the Mariner, the Costa Luminosa will also be making its maiden voyage on October 26.

 

October 2015 will be the busiest cruise ship month for the territory, with six ships scheduled to dock at the Fagatogo wharf.

 

JROTC CADET CHALLENGE

 

The first event for this school year’s JROTC cadet challenge took place at the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tafuna last Friday. Five local high schools — Leone, Samoana, Kanana Fou, Tafuna, and Faga’itua—participated. The event was hosted by the Vikings and included five timed events.

 

The next event, the air rifle competition, is scheduled for Friday, December 5 at the SFC Konelio Pele Army Reserve Center, and will be hosted by Tafuna High School.

 

The third and final event for school year 2014-2015 is the drill competition that will take place in April. It is hopeful that Manu’a High School, which wasn’t represented during last week’s event, will be able to take part in the remaining two portions of the JROTC cadet challenge.

 

IT’S THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF KEEP AMERICAN SAMOA BEAUTIFUL

 

Last month marked the first year anniversary of the Keep American Samoa Beautiful (KASB) campaign, spearheaded by the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA).

 

A total of 31 groups— including church organizations, businesses, youth groups, families, government agencies/departments, and school clubs—signed up for the challenge when the program was initiated, and 28 groups stuck it out to the end.

 

KASB program coordinator and Solid Waste Program chief Ioane Tomanogi told the Samoa News yesterday that data submitted by ten of the groups provided a ‘snapshot’ of the territory’s littering problem, with top contenders being aluminum cans, cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and food wrappers.

 

The goal of the KASB program, according to an initial interview with Tomanogi, “is to beautify the island, protect coral reefs, and keep the environment clean, in addition to adopting a stream or roadside area for the duration of the year.”

 

A meeting with new and returning ‘adopters’ was held yesterday at the AS-EPA Office in Utulei and about 20 people showed up, including ten new groups hoping to adopt a roadside or stream.

 

Tomanogi reports that telephone inquiries have also been received from people and groups expressing interest in being adopters for the next year.

 

“We need the help of the village people and the community,” he said earlier this year. “We want to give everyone a sense of ownership and get the message out. This is part of our outreach program, to educate people on why they need to stop littering. The key is our children. They need a sustainable environment and everyone needs to play a part in keeping our beautiful island free of trash.”

 

Those interested in being adopters and joining the movement to beautify the island can contact the AS-EPA directly at 633-2304.