C M Y K
C M Y K
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu Samoa News Reporter
The official list of the 27-man squad — split between 15 forwards and 12 backs — selected for the Manu Samoa team to play against the All Blacks next week Wednesday, July 8 in Apia, Samoa — in a history making match — was read out by Samoa’s Team Manager Namulauulu Sami Leota during the luncheon, hosted by the Samoa Rugby Union on Monday, June 29, in Samoa.
Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi exhorted Manu players during the luncheon in his special remarks to “do your utmost – play strong, play smart and win,” according to his speech provided by Samoa’s Press Secretariat.
Tuilaepa said “in the heat of battle, in the throes of competition on the field, facing your opposition; the right words are needed to steady the nerves, adjust tactics and set the play – to encourage greater effort and performance. It is all about encouragement for our players – to do your absolute best when the time comes.”
He encouraged the players in representing their small island nation, and recalled Samoa’s successful hosting of the SIDS Conference in 2014, noting it “was the product of many hands,
it was through successful partnerships with many of Samoa’s friends from within our country, it was the combined effort of all our people that was pivotal for its success.”
Tuilaepa stated, “We have a history-making event on our hands.”
Manu Samoa coach Stephen Betham was reported by the Samoa Observer as saying, “we know Samoa’s dreams for the Manu Samoa are a huge challenge, but we’re up for it and the boys are up for it.”
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Seen here is Samoa’s Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi shaking the hand of Manu Samoa’s Captain, Ofisa Treviranus, at the luncheon hosted by the Samoa Rugby Union, on Monday this week in Samoa, where the Manu Samoa squad that will play against the All Blacks next week in Samoa was officially announced. [Photo: Samoa’s Press Secretariat] online @ samoanews.Com
interview with Samoa News. The couple operates a local insurance business.
Roberts is highlighted in today’s 4th of July “spirit of freedom” feature. He is a Vietnam veteran and says he still remembers the ‘spilling of blood’ during the war. Throughout this week, Neil’s ACE Home Center is sponsoring features of people in the Territory who celebrate July 4th with the “spirit of freedom” in their hearts.
See Roberts story below. [photo: Leua Aiono Frost]
(Continued on page 14)
Manu Samoa team picked
for history-making match
pregnant wife…
Economists: Puerto
Rico needs right to
bankruptcy option
US heading to World
Cup final with 2-0 win
over Germany…
Fautua Tauiliili i Fitafita
tuai ina ia fa’amaoni pea
latou Tautoga…
10
B1
6
3
PN3 John Roberts —
Va’aia le oti ma le toto
masa’a: Taua i Vietnam
tusia: Leua Aiono FrostO le fautuaga a John ‘Sione’ Roberts, ua litaea mai i le U.S. Navy ma lana tautua i Vietnam, mo tupulaga talavou, a maua loa sou avanoa i le militeri, sapai ma agai i ai e tautua i vaega au a le malo tele.
Na soifua Roberts i lona afio’aga o Utulei, a’oga i le Samoana High ma fa’au’u ai i le tausaga e 1960,aga’i atu ma lona aiga atoa i Hawaii fa’aauau ai a’oga i le 1962 i aoga fa’apisinisi, a’o le’i masi’i ese atu lo latou aiga i Gardena, Kalefonia, ma fa’au’u ai i le El Camino Community College i le 1963.
O le 1963 lava na aumaia ai le avea’i a le fetarale i fanau tama uma i so’o se setete o le Amerika, ina ia ulufale e tali le vala’au mo le taua ua feagai ai le Iunaite Setete i totonu o le malo o Vietnam. “Na sosola nisi e to’atele o fanau tama ma fa’amautu i Kanata ma Mexico, peita’i, sa ou fa’alogoina, e i ai so’u sao e ao ina fa’atino mo le atunu’u ua nonofo mautu ai lo’u aiga, i o’u matua ma i matou le auuso ma tuafafine, o le to’atele e le’i fai aiga,” o se fa’amatalaga lea a Roberts.
“O le aso na ou lagona ai lea mea, na tu’ua sa’o atu lava le a’oga, o’u nofo lelei i luma o o’u matua, ma ou fa’ailoa atu ia i la’ua, ua ou fia alu e tali le vala’au ua fa’ao’o mai, ua ou iloa ua ou sauni.”
Ina ua fesiligia se lagona o ona matua, ae fa’ailoa mai e ia, “E le galo ia te a’u le tagi a lo’u tina, ma fai mai, ‘Oka tafefe, o le a e alu e oti mai i na taua!’ Peita’i sa lagona e lo’u tama, e tatau la’u filifiliga, ma sa la’ua sapaia la’u fa’ai’uga, ma ua fa’ao’o fo’i la’u fa’ai’uga i luma o si a’u ekalesia Mamona i lena a’ai, ina ua mae’a ona ou tauto i San Diego.”
“O se fa’amanuiaga sili sa o’u maua e ese mai o’u matua, ina ia fa’ae’e a’ao o Savea Aupiu Moe, le tama matua o le Ekalesia ma le to’atele o tagata Samoa i lena a’ai, ma fai mai, ‘Alu e tali le vala’au, e te le oti ai, ae e te fo’i mai, ua tele lou iloa. O le a e iloa ona puipui oe ma lou aiga, ae maise o le a e iloa mea uma o tapena e Amerika e ao ina faia e puipuia ai le ola o le to’atele.”
Na amatalia le Boot Camp i San Diego i le Naval Training Center ae fa’amautu i le va’a ua fa’aigoaina o le “Nimitz”. Mai San Diego amata loa ona folau i le nofoaga o le Navy i Subic Bay i Filipaina, e tatali ai le vala’au mai e uta atu e i latou o pomu ma so’o se ituaiga o pulufana o lo’o fa’aaogaina i le taua.
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HOlE fOUNd IN ENGINE Of SMAll PlANE THAT CRASHEd INTO HOUSE
PLAINVILLE, Mass. (AP) — There was internal damage to the engine of a small plane that crashed into a home and burned over the weekend, killing three people onboard, a federal safety investigator said.
National Transportation Safety Board investi-gator Doug Brazy said Tuesday that investiinvesti-gators found a hole in the engine’s crankcase but don’t know the cause. He said the engine will be exam-ined at a lab operated by its manufacturer.
The pilot had told air traffic control his engine was failing just before the crash in a Plainville neighborhood on Sunday evening.
Authorities have tentatively identified those killed as Dr. Joseph Richard Kalister, of Knox-ville, Tennessee; his wife, Betty Kalister; and their teenage daughter, Nicole Kalister. The daughter had been scheduled to attend a new-student orientation at Northeastern University in nearby Boston this week. Four people who lived in the house escaped unharmed.
Brazy said the single-engine Beechcraft plane was about 15 miles from the Norwood Airport, where it was headed, and had a cruising speed of about 200 mph before it went down. He said the plane wasn’t equipped with a flight data recorder, which wasn’t required, and investigators haven’t found helpful data on the plane’s instruments.
CONNECTICUT EASES PENAlTIES fOR MOST dRUG POSSESSION CRIMES
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s drug laws will go from some of the most draco-nian in the country to some of the most lenient this fall when most drug possession crimes are reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, a change that’s increasingly finding common ground between Democrats and Republicans.
Possession of small amounts of hard drugs including heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine — crimes that currently could land an offender in prison for up to seven years for a first offense — would be dialed back to a misdemeanor. And a mandatory two-year prison term for possessing drugs within 1,500 feet of a school — a law decried by civil liberties advocates as among the worst in the country — will be eliminated.
The legislation approved with bipartisan sup-port Monday is part of a movement in both lib-eral and conservative states to save hundreds of millions of dollars in prison costs by not incarcer-ating low-level, nonviolent offenders.
In May, Republican governors in Nebraska and Alabama signed new laws that will reduce future prison costs for each state by more than $300 million by not locking up so many people for committing minor crimes and possessing small amounts of drugs. Officials in several other states are considering similar measures.
Thirteen other states have classified posses-sion of small amounts of drugs as misdemeanors.
SERvICE HONORS lAST Of NINE CHARlESTON SHOOTING vICTIMS
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Public offi-cials paid tribute to longtime pastor Daniel L. Simmons Sr. in the last of the services for the nine victims of a shooting at a predominantly black Charleston church. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports the three-hour service for Simmons on Tuesday drew an overflow crowd at Greater St. Luke AME Church.
Gov. Nikki Haley said the pain of the shoot-ings won’t stop just because it’s the final service. Haley also told the audience that the Confederate flag will come down, adding that when it does, the families of the victims will be at peace.
Mayor Joe Riley suggested to the audience that a proposed International African American Museum will someday have an exhibit featuring the victims of the shootings at Emanuel AME Church.
PoliCE: 141 boDiES RECovERED fROM INdONESIA PlANE CRASH
MEDAN (AP) — The death toll from the crash of an air force transport plane in the Indonesian city of Medan jumped to more than 140 on Wednesday, indicating a growing list of victims from the neigh-borhood where the plane went down.
Police major A. Tarigan told TVOne that 141 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a residential area where the C-130 Hercules crashed shortly after takeoff on Tuesday. The air force says there were 122 people on the plane including military personnel and their families.
The crash of the aircraft, which had been in service since 1964, occurred only two minutes after it took off from Soewondo air force base in Medan on Sumatra. It plowed into a building that local media said contained shops and homes.
Witnesses said it was shooting flames and smoke before crashing. Air force chief Air Mar-shal Agus Supriatna has said the pilot told the control tower that he needed to turn back because of engine trouble and the plane crashed while turning right to return to the airport.
ChERyl bURkE, ThomaS RobERTS Won’T hoST miSS USa PaGEanT
(AP) — The Miss USA pageant has lost all of its co-hosts. “Dancing with the Stars’” Cheryl Burke and MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts said Tuesday they won’t take part in the July 12 pag-eant after Donald Trump made remarks about Mexicans while announcing his run for president.
On Monday, NBC said it would cancel its Miss USA coverage and part ways with Trump, with whom it owns the pageant. Last week, Univision canceled its Spanish simulcast following remarks Trump made in his recent presidential campaign kickoff speech that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the U.S. and are rapists.
Both co-hosts of the Univision telecast, Roselyn Sanchez and Cristian de la Fuente, also said they wouldn’t take part.
NOTICE FOR SEPARATION AGREEMENT
TO Members of the SA MALUIA Family and to all whom these present may come!
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that AIGA S. MALUIA & LETALATALA F. MALUIA of NUUULI has offered for recording in this office an instrument in writing which seeks to separate a certain structure which is or to be erected, on land ALANOA, allegedly belonging to SA MALUIA FAMILY of the village of NUUULI. Said land ALANOA is situated in or near the village of NUUULI in the County of ITUAU MALOSI, Island of TUTUILA, American Samoa.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that any interested person may object to the recording of such instru-ment by filing in the Territorial Registar’s Office in Fagatogo, a written objection to the recording of said instrument. Any objections thereto must be filed with in 30 days from the date of posting of this notice. NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if no such objections are filed within the said 30 day period, the instrument will be recorded and shall be valid and binding on all persons. The said instrument may be examined at any time at the Territorial Registrar’s Office.
POSTED: JUNE 22, 2015 thru JULY 22, 2015 SIGNED: Taito S.B. White, Territorial Registrar
FA’AALIGA O LE FEAGAIGA MO SE TU’U’ESEINA
I tagata o le aiga sa SA MALUIA, ma i latou uma e silasila ma lauiloaina lenei fa’aaliga!
O le fa’aaliga lenei ona o AIGA S. MALUIA & LETALATALA F. MALUIA o le nu’u o NUUULI ua ia fa’aulufaleina mai i lenei ofisa se feagaiga tusitusi e fa’ailoa ai se mana’oga fia tu’u’eseina o se fale ua/po o le a, fa’atuina i luga o le fanua o ALANOA e fa’asino i le aiga sa SA MALUIA, o le nu’u o NUUULI. O lenei fanua e totonu pe latalata ane i le nu’u o NUUULI, itumalo o ITUAU MALOSI, ile motu o TUTUILA, Amerika Samoa.
O le fa’aaliga fo’i e fa’apea, so o se tasi e iai sona aia i lenei mata’upu e mafai ona fa’atu’i’iese ile fa’amauina o lenei feagaiga pe a auina mai i le ofisa ole Resitara o le Teritori of Amerika Samoa i Fagatogo, sana fa’atu’ese tusitusia. O fa’atu’iesega uma lava e ao ona fa’aulufaleina mai i totonu o aso e 30 faitauina mai i le aso na faíaalia ai lenei fa’aaliga.
Afai ole a leai se fa’atu’i’esega e fa’aulufaleina i totonu o aso 30 e pei ona ta’ua i luga, o le a fa’amauina loa lenei feagaiga e taualoaina ma ‘a’afia ai tagata uma. 07/01 & 07/15/15
FinD ThE anSWER on PaGE 14
NEWS IN BRIEF
Say TRanSFER “WoUlD bE FaR fROM IdEAl” fOR THEIR ClIENTS
by Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News Correspondent
Defense attorneys for John Emil Kruse and his wife Elaine have objected to having the jurisdiction of their cases, currently under the federal court in Washington D.C., transferred to the Honolulu federal court, arguing that it’s not in accordance with federal law, and “would be far from ideal” for their clients, as they have put considerable effort in “developing a relationship of trust and understanding with them.” The Kruses were sentenced to home detention and probation on Feb.5 at the D.C. federal court after the pair pled guilty to converting government funds — Sec-tion 1602 money — for their personal and business use.
Court records say that supervisory jurisdiction of the couple’s sentence was to be transferred to the federal Probation Office in Honolulu, the closest one to American Samoa due to the lack of such a federal office in Pago Pago. But documents filed this week show that the federal Probation Office in D.C. has petitioned the federal court there to “transfer jurisdiction” of the Kruse’s case to the federal district of Hawai’i. (Specific details of the petition by the Probation Office are not public records.)
Federal prosecutors say it concurs with the petition to “transfer the jurisdiction” to the District of Hawai’i, but defense attorneys for the Kruses disagree. John Kruse is represented by Gregory S. Smith, while his wife’s attorney is G. Allen Dale.
In their joint motion filed June 30, the defense attorneys say the Kruses had previously indicated that they did not object to the transfer of “supervisory jurisdiction” of their sentence to Hawai’i, but objected to transfer of jurisdiction of the case itself.
“This court should retain jurisdiction over this case,” the defense said. They pointed to a provision of federal law in which courts have transferred jurisdiction to another district court where the probationer lives and is serving his probation, when the district court governing that location has accepted jurisdiction.
However, the defense argued that this provision of the law does not apply here. They pointed out that the locus of the criminal offense and the place where probation is served are the same loca-tion — American Samoa.
And the only “district court” for the “district” governing Amer-ican Samoa is the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia – not the District of Hawai’i, they argued.
Defense attorneys also pointed out that this case involved com-plexities – both factually and with respect to legal questions pre-sented at the Kruses’ sentencing.
Additionally, the defense and the court spent considerable time exploring those issues. Furthermore, substantial effort and analysis was invested, they said, and institutional memories of the proceedings and this court’s expectations exist.
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Notice for Proposed Registration of Matai Title
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to Section 6.0105 of the Revised Code of American Samoa that a claim of succession which has been filed with the Territorial Registrar’s office for the registration of the Matai Title TUANA’ITAU of the village of PAVA’IA’I by SEUTAATIA TOLUAOof the village of PAVA’IA’I, county of TUALAUTA, WESTERN District.
THE TERRITORIAL REGISTRAR is satisfied that the claim, petition by the family and certificate of the village chiefs are in proper form.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that anyone so desiring must file his counterclaim, or objection to the registration of this matai title with the Territorial Registrar Office before the expiration of 60 d ays from the date of posting. If no counterclaim, nor any objection is filed by the expiration of said 60 da ys, the matai title TUANAITAU shall be registered in the name of SEUTAATIA TOLUAO in accordance with the laws of American Samoa.
POSTED: MAY 26, 2015 thru JULY 27, 2015 SIGNED: Taito S.B. White, Territorial Registrar
Fa’aaliga o le Fia Fa’amauina o se Suafa Matai
O le fa’aaliga lenei ua faasalalauina e tusa ma le Maga 6.0105 o le tusi tulafono a Amerika Samoa, e pei ona suia, ona o le talosaga ua faaulufaleina mai i le Ofisa o le Resitara o Amerika Samoa, mo le fia faamauina o le suafa matai o TUANA’ITAU o le nu’u o PAVA’IA’I e SEUTA’ATIA TOLUAO o PAVA’IA’I faalupega o TUALAUTA, falelima i SISIFO.
Ua taliaina e le Resitara lea talosaga, faatasi ma le talosaga a le aiga faapea ma le tusi faamaonia mai matai o lea nu’u, ma ua i ai nei i teuga pepa a lea ofisa.
A i ai se tasi e faafinagaloina, ia faaulufaleina sana talosaga tete’e, po o sana faalavelave tusitu sia i le Ofisa o Resitara i totonu o aso e 60 mai le aso na faalauiloa ai lenei fa’aaliga. Afai o lea leai se talosaga tete’e, po’o se faalavelave foi e faaulufaleina mai i aso e 60 e pei ona taua i luga, o lea faamauina loa lea suafa matai i le igoa o SEUTA’ATIA TOLUAO e tusa ai ma aiaiga o le tulafono a Amerika Samoa. 06/01 & 07/01/15
This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
announced on March 23, 2015 that it will open a 90-day public comment period for the proposed rule to revise
the global green sea turtle listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) into 11 Distinct Population
Segments (DPSs). Today, we announce an extension of the comment period to July 27, 2015 and additional
public hearings. The Central South Pacific DPS includes turtles in American Samoa. The proposal would
change these turtles’ status from threatened to endangered. This revision will lead to more tailored and effective
management of the species and its diverse habitats across the globe. The extension and hearings will allow all
interested parties additional time and opportunity to comment on the proposed rule. The FWS and NOAA will
hold a public hearing in American Samoa during this time.
The public hearing will be held at:
American Samoa Community College Lecture Hall
American Samoa Community College
P.O. Box 2609
Pago Pago, AS 96799
Times: Doors Open at 5:30 p.m.
Public Hearing 6-8 pm
Date: Monday, July 6, 2015
For more information contact Joy Browning at 808/792-9400
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
NOAA Fisheries to Hold Public Hearings
on the Proposal to Revise the ESA Listing of
Green Turtles in American Samoa
Kruses’ lawyers object
to transferring case to
jurisdiction of Hawai’i
Police officer
charged with
assaulting his
pregnant wife
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu Samoa News ReporterA police officer made his ini-tial appearance on Monday in the District Court on charges of third degree assault and public peace disturbance on allegations that he assaulted his pregnant wife. He was summoned on misdemeanor charges, each one punishable with up to one year on jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both fine and jail time.
In the interest of protecting the victim’s identity Samoa News will not name the defen-dant in this case.
According to the govern-ment’s case, the incident alleg-edly occurred on April 21, 2015 where the defendant’s wife con-tacted the police for assistance regarding her husband, who she alleged had assaulted her. The wife told the police that she had contacted the defendant, who was on duty at the time, to bring food for their children.
Court records say the defen-dant, using a police vehicle, went home to drop off groceries and the victim walked him back to the police unit. Defendant’s daughter called over to the defendant for some money, and the defendant turned his back to go to the house, while the victim continued walking to the police vehicle. It’s alleged that the victim noticed a cellular phone in the police unit, and when she reached for the phone, defen-dant punched her in the head and tried to take the cellular phone away from her.
Court filings say that as the couple tussled over the phone, defendant allegedly pushed the victim to the ground causing her to roll down a short incline over hibiscus hedges. Victim at the time was three months pregnant. According to the government’s case, police arrived at the scene in Pava’ia’i and met with the victim, who informed the police what had allegedly transpired and she was then escorted to the Leone Police Substation to be treated for injuries.
Due to her condition, Emer-gency Medical Technicians (EMT) advised her to be exam-ined at the hospital Emergency Room, however she refused further treatment and asked for the Watch Commander as she wanted to file official charges against her husband.
Samoa News understands that the reason the matter was transferred to the Police Station in Leone is because the defen-dant was on duty at the time and working out of the Tafuna West Substation.
It’s alleged that the defendant was informed of the charges against him and was informed of his rights, after which he was booked and released by Lt. Maturo Ta’afua on the said date. (Continued on page 14)
On Thursday, June 25, 2015 the Troy & Theodora Polamalu Foundation, Fa’a Samoa Initiative — Medical Mission — visited Hope House. The couple, seen here, spent time with the residents of the hospice. Donations to the hospice included adult diapers, medical supplies, patient walkers, bed mattresses, blankets, pillows, office supplies and hospital furniture. [courtesy photo]
by Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News Correspondent Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has shared with Congresswoman Aumua Amata his prefer-ence on dealing with minimum wage, in which the federal government would provide a sub-sidy to help pay for the federally mandated wage hikes.
However, if it’s not feasible, the governor prefers the previous method, wherein local wages were determined by a special industry committee under the purview of the U.S. Labor Department (USDOL).
The minimum wage of the territory is set to rise on September 30, this year.
The governor’s federal subsidy suggestion was first revealed two weeks ago during a cabinet meeting, and yesterday Lolo made his sugges-tions known in a letter to the Congresswoman.
Since their last conversation on minimum wage, Lolo wrote “we have been working diligently to formulate a collective territorial-wide position to detail the financial impacts on the Territory should the moratorium on increases be lifted.”
Lolo says he has written to both canneries and the local Chamber of Commerce for their assessments of the impact of the minimum wage hike, along with asking for them to detail their mitigation strategies. (The next wage hike is set for Sept. 30)
“The minimum wage issue poses a dilemma,” he said. “From the workers’ perspective the hike in the minimum wage will provide financial relief from the growing cost of utilities, goods and services.”
However, from a business perspective, he said, the minimum wage hike will certainly increase their operating costs which will force them to either cut jobs or raise the price of goods and services to absorb the increase.
“This will become a vicious circle,” he said and noted that it has been “proven unequivo-cally that our economy’s current carrying capacity cannot support the Congressional mandate to raise wages until the federal min-imum is reached.”
The governor pointed out that the two can-neries are the lifeline of the territory’s economy, and the territory has already seen the devastating impact of irresponsible wage hikes when COS Samoa Packing left in 2009, due to its inability to absorb increases in the federal minimum wage.
Recognizing the narrow local economic base, Lolo said the government have been working to “attract minimum wage-immune companies” to
the territory to ease the financial impacts attrib-uted to the minimum wage hikes.
“There are in the pipeline potential major economic development projects that we feel will broaden our economic base,” he said but didn’t give any other details. “...however these developments will take one to two to three years before becoming operational.”
According to the governor, the obvious posi-tion to adopt is request the extension of the mora-torium for at least five years to allow American Samoa “to implement our economic development program aiming to broaden our economic base.”
“Taking this position, however, will add fur-ther financial burden to our people struggling to meet the rising cost of living,” he said. “On the other hand, job curtailment will result if the minimum wage moratorium is lifted.”
Additionally, economic shrinkage will happen as businesses adjust their operations to accommodate the hike in the minimum wage. “Unemployment will increase while the quality of life for our people deteriorates,” he said.
Lolo said that his preference is to support the minimum wage hike but only if the federal government subsidizes the increased wages resulting from ending the moratorium. “This will allow the territory to expand its economy by increasing consumption through increased wages,” he explained. “We anticipate that in five years... American Samoa will be able to wean itself from the federal subsidy.”
If the federal subsidy is not feasible, Lolo’s second option would be to revert back to the former biannual review method of determining the minimum wage by Industry Wage Commit-tees under the purview of USDOL.
In due course, Lolo said the government will forward for Amata’s review the final position on the federal minimum wage. Lolo also wants to get feedback from the Congresswoman on the federal subsidy issue.
OTHER ISSUES
“...it is our hope that you will champion our efforts to secure federal tax incentives sup-porting local investment,” Lolo said and noted that the federal 30(A) Tax Credit provision is ongoing, but access is limited to Star Kist. “The incentive should be open to every local and off-island investor,” he pointed out.
Lolo said there are also bilateral treaties being negotiated by the federal government which will impact American Samoa’s fishing industry, “and we humbly ask that you ensure that our position is heard and addressed.”
‘High Risk’ status
is removed from
two DHSS grants
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-LuamanuSamoa News Reporter
The high risk status for the Department of Human and Social Ser-vice’s two grants from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention has been removed.
In a statement issued by DHSS Director Taeaoafua Dr. Meki T. Solomona, he states that they received the official notification from Dan Spears, Director of the Office of Financial Advisory Services, that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services on Monday removed the ‘high risk’ notation.
He explained that SAMHSA removed the high risk classifica-tion as well as funding restricclassifica-tions for these two DHSS grants, and this action became effective on June 29, 2015.
Responding to Samoa News queries, DHSS Deputy Director, Muavaefa’atasi John Suisala explained that the two grants were placed under high risk following an audit as of September 30, 2010 which reported a combination of qualified and disclaimer of opinions on financial statements; significant failures in the opera-tion of internal controls within the general accounting of the Trea-sury Department (trial balances not closed or reconciled, unallow-able/questionable costs, lack of controls over spending of federal funds, payroll) and significant and repeated compliance findings.
According to the statement issued by Taeaoafua, the two grants include the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treat-ment (SBIRT) and the State Prevention Framework/Partnerships for Success (PFS).
“SBIRT is a five-year, $8.2 million project that integrates behav-ioral health and primary health care through universal alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment,” and its “services are carried out at the Department of Health Community Health Centers, LBJ Tropical Medical Center Emergency Room, and the DHSS WIC and Behavioral Health Services Divisions.”
PFS is a three-year, $1.9 million project that implements com-munity-level underage drinking prevention activities through local substance abuse prevention community coalitions and other com-munity/faith-based organizations. “The PFS project has received approval for an additional five-year, $3.9 million funding ending in the year 2020,” according to Taeaoafua.
He explained that for the past several years, DHSS worked very closely with SAMHSA to demonstrate that they have a strong financial management system that meets federal require-ments and expectations with the hope that it will remove funding restrictions placed on these two critically important grants.
“As a result, on June 25, 2015, the Office of Financial Advi-sory Services recommended the removal of these two grants from high-risk status on the basis that DHSS …has a financial man-agement system that is adequate to administer its federal funds”, which led to the final removal of the high-risk designation that was placed on these two grants.
Taeaoafua said, “I am very grateful to Dan Spears and his staff for this excellent news.” He continued, “…The removal of high-risk will significantly improve our ability to provide these much needed services for the community and achieve social change as intended by these two projects”.
He extended his gratitude and appreciation to the SAMHSA Administrator, Pamela Hyde; Director Dan Spears and Tran Bui of the Office of Financial Advisory Services; Eileen Bermudez and staff of the Division of Grants Management; Director Fran Harding and Damaris Richardson of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; Acting Director Daryl Kade and Reed Forman of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and ASG Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a and staff for their assistance and support in this effort.
He further thanked Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga and Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga for their continued support of DHSS.
Gov shares strategies for dealing with
minimum wage with Congresswoman
© OSiNi FaleaTaSi iNc. ReSeRVeS all RighTS.
dba Samoa News is published Monday through Friday, except for some local and federal holidays.
Please send correspondences to: OF, dba Samoa News, Box 909, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799.
Telephone at (684) 633-5599 • Fax at (684) 633-4864 Email advertisements to [email protected] Email the newsroom at [email protected] Normal business hours are Mon. thru Fri. 8am to 5pm. Permission to reproduce editorial and/or advertisements, in whole or in part, is required. Please address such requests to the Publisher at the address provided above.
NOTICE OF
FORECLOSURE SALE
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to A.S.C.A. §37.1105, that ANZ GUAM, INC. dba ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank intends to foreclose a mortgage, recorded in the Office of the Territorial Registrar in Native Land Title, Volume Number NLT 2 at page 300 on January 26, 2010, and that the property subject to the mortgage will be sold at public auction.
Property to be Sold on “AS IS BASIS”: All of the mortgagor’s interest in that certain real property of individually owned land, which include two residential structure, consisting of approximately 1.24 acres, more or less, situated in the village of Nuuuli, American Samoa and more particularly described as:
All of that certain real property lying in Land Square 29, Unit A, situated in the village of Nuuuli, County of Ituau, Eastern District, Island of Tutuila, American Samoa, being a portion of land known as “FANUAFOU”, more particularly described by metes and bounds as follows:
Beginning at an iron pin which has coordinates of X=252,643.74 and Y=293,474.45 based on American Samoa Datum of 1962.
Run thence southerly 100 18’ 00”, 46.95 feet to an iron pin. Thence 190 18’ 00”, 300.00 feet to an iron pin; Thence 280 18’ 00”, 200.00 feet to an iron pin; Thence 10 18’ 00”, 220.00 feet to an iron pin; thence 72 42’ 09”, 172.70 feet to the point of beginning.
Containing 1.24 acres more or less.
Date of Sale: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at the property, unless postponed or canceled by public announcement.
Location: The property is located in Nu’uuli. Minimum Bid: $200,000.00
Contact: For more information about this property, please contact David P. Vargas at the Law Offices of Rose Joneson Vargas, telephone number 699-2100, facsimile number 699-2105, or send an email message to [email protected].
ANZ GUAM, Inc. dba ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank reserves the right to reject any and all offers.
ThailanD aRRESTS TWo kEy hUman TRaFFiCkinG SUSPECTS
BANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand have arrested two men they say are key figures in a human trafficking ring that lures people to work on fishing boats in Indonesia and sells them to boat owners. Officials from Thailand’s Department of Special Investi-gation told a news conference Wednesday the men were “big fig-ures” in human trafficking syndicates in Samut Sakorn province, the country’s biggest fishing hub.
The men allegedly got middlemen to find workers at train sta-tions and other public places. The victims were duped and sold to boat owners for 30,000 baht ($900) per person and brought to work on fishing boats in Indonesia. The pair face charges including human trafficking and arbitrary detention.
The arrests were the latest following an Associated Press inves-tigation into slavery in Southeast Asia’s fishing industry.
STATUE Of CONfEdERATE GENERAl RobERT E. lEE vanDalizED in viRGinia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee has been vandalized in Virginia.
According to media reports, police received a report early Tuesday that the words “Black Lives Matter” had been painted on the base of the statue, which depicts Lee on horseback. A city crew had removed the painted words by noon.
The Confederate battle flag and other symbols of the confed-eracy have been the focus of debate since the June 17 massacre at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina.
The accused gunman had posed in photographs with the Con-federate battle flag.
Last week, vandals painted the same sentiment found on the Charlottesville statute on a monument in Richmond dedicated to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
SmokinG ban SEEmS CaUSE oF 15-hoUR aUSTRalian PRiSon RioT
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities on Wednesday ended a 15-hour prison riot involving up to 300 inmates in Melbourne suspected to have been triggered by a ban on smoking.
Rioters armed with pieces of wood lit fires in buildings, broke down an internal wall and smashed windows during the chaos, forcing 200 staff to evacuate, officials said. Riot police armed with batons and shields, dog squad units and critical incident officers with body armor and tear gas were sent to quell the riot.
Five prisoners required medical treatment for injuries including a broken jaw and dog bites following the riot at the Melbourne Remand Centre that ended around 3 a.m. local time ( 17:00 GMT Tuesday), Corrections Minister Wade Noonan said. The inmates have been transferred to other prisons while repairs begin, he said.
One prison officer required treatment for exposure to pepper spray and another three sustained minor injuries that were not the result of direct interaction with inmates, the Victoria state prison department said.
“I am deeply relieved that no-one was seriously injured,” Noonan told reporters. “This criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
Corrections Commissioner Jan Shuard said prisons across Victoria would remain locked down to avoid more riots as a state-wide tobacco ban took effect in prisons on Wednesday
GREnaDE-ShaPED PERFUmE boTTlE lEAdS TO COURTHOUSE EvACUATION
CINCINNATI (AP) — A suspicious item that prompted a Cincinnati courthouse evacuation turned out to be a perfume bottle shaped like a World War II grenade.
Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil told reporters that the bottle was shaped like a “pineapple” hand grenade and was in a woman’s suitcase. The building was evacuated around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and then closed for the rest of the day after a suspicious item was noted in a security screening.
Sheriff’s official Jim Knapp said earlier that something “didn’t look right” in the screening.
A bomb-sniffing dog was brought over, and authorities evacu-ated the courthouse based on its response.
Neil says that he isn’t sure what prompted the dog’s response. He says no charges are expected.
CUT CablES DiSRUPT noRThERn CAlIfORNIA PHONES, Tv SERvICE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Internet and phone services have been disrupted in some areas of Northern California after three major fiber optic cables were cut.
The FBI says vandalism early Tuesday at an Alameda County site caused outages reported along the Interstate 80 corridor from the San Francisco Bay Area through Sacramento to Auburn in the Sierra foothills. FBI spokesman Greg Wuthrich says it appears to be the latest in about a dozen acts of vandalism at San Francisco Bay Area locations in the last year.
Among the companies affected was Wave Broadband, which provides Internet, telephone and television links through the cables. Service providers Level 3 Communications and Zayo Group could not offer estimates of how many were affected.
The cities of Dixon, Rocklin and West Sacramento were among those suffering Internet outages.
In this June 29, 2015 photo, tourists visit a part of Hashima Island, commonly known as Gunkan-jima, which means ìBattleship Island,î off Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, southern Japan.
The island is one of 23 old industrial facilities seeking UNESCO’s recognition as world heritage “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” meant to illustrate Japan’s rapid transformation from a feudal farming society into an industrial power at the end of the 19th century.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is expected to approve the proposal during a meeting being held in Bonn, Germany, through July 9. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Continued from page 2
by Samoa News staff
DoG TRaPPinG bEGinS ThiS WEEk in TaFUna anD ThE haRboR aREa
The Department of Agriculture is announcing that it will be out trapping dogs which are roaming on government land in the Tafuna High School area and along the main road between Utulei and Pago Pago, beginning Tuesday, June 30, 2015. The public is asked not to touch the cages. Please do not feed or release the trapped animals, or put other dogs into the cages.
Trapped dogs that are not ill or dangerous will be held for 48 hours at the DoA Veterinary Clinic during which time owners may come to claim their dogs, weekdays between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. Claimed dogs will be spayed or neutered before they are released to their owners. Healthy dogs not claimed within 48 hours will be available for adoption. If you wish to adopt a dog, please call the Vet-erinary Clinic at 699-9445 or 699-2896 between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm and leave a message.
mElEiSEa vai FiliGa bEComES aCTinG ChiEF ElECTion oFFiCER
In a memo effective yesterday, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has appointed Meleisea Vai Filiga to assume the post of acting chief election officer, who oversees the Election Office.
Meleisea will serve on the post until a permanent Commissioner is appointed, said Lolo, who asked all ASG directors to extend the same courtesies to him as well as work collaboratively to provide support when assistance is requested. The post of Chief Election Office became vacant recently after Tuaolo Manaia Fruean stepped down to take up the Pago Pago Senatorial seat in the Fono. Tuaolo is expected to be sworn in when the Fono convenes on July 13 for the start of the second regular session of the 34th Legislature. A new appointment of a chief election officer is subject to Fono confirmation.
dOE ATHlETIC dIvISION PREPARES fOR NEW SCHOOl yEAR
In its fiscal year 2015 second quarter performance report, the Education Department says that the Athletics Division is encouraging students and reiterating the importance of education, sports and their value. It also says that the Division has organized the sports schedule for the upcoming school year. (Samoa News understands that the schedule will be released prior to the start of the new school year 2015- 2016). According to DOE, supplies for sports have been ordered and requests have been made for additional equipment to assist the the division. Additionally, training of sports personnel are ongoing and preparations are already underway for the Winter season sports.
This information on the Athletics Division will give lawmakers further understanding as to what’s happening with sports preparation for public schools, and some lawmakers plan to question DOE officials on the subject when the Fono convenes in two weeks time.
ASG GIvES ASSURANCE Of COMPlIANCE WITH fEd PRISON RAPE lAW
American Samoa has given the federal government assurance that the territory is committed to ending prison rape and working towards compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards, according to U.S. Justice Department documents.
Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga gave American Samoa’s assurance in documents submitted recently to USDOJ, which says that FY 2014 was the first year of implementing the PREA standards.
For FY 2015, USDOJ announced that 50 states and territories have committed to ending prison rape by submitting statements of compliance or assurances that they have committed to spend 5% of USDOJ grant funds to come into compliance. American Samoa is among the 39 jurisdictions — states and territories — that have given assurance of compliance. A total of ten states have been certi-fied to be in full compliance with PREA standards.
Lemanu, in his capacity as acting governor, signed American Samoa’s document on May 14, 2015, giving “assurance to utilize Department of Justice grants to achieve full compliance with the National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape”.
According to USDOJ, jurisdictions that are unwilling to commit USDOJ grant funds to implement the PREA standards are subject to the loss of 5% of certain USDOJ grant funds they would otherwise receive. The PREA standards took effect in 2012 and apply to federal, state and local confinement facilities, which include adult prisons and jails, juvenile facilities, lockups and community confinement facilities.
There are three USDOJ grant programs subject to the PREA statutory provision: Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program; Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Formula Grant Program; and the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) For-mula Grant Program. According to USDOJ documents, American Samoa has been allocated $54,703 in total for all three grants for FY 2014. (Details are available online at www.justice.gov)
USDOJ grants are administered locally by the Criminal Justice Planning Agency, which was awarded just over $10,000 for FY 2014 from PREA.
This Tuesday, June 30, 2015 photo shows the second hand of a clock at the one second mark in New York. On Tuesday, international timekeepers are tacking a second to the clock to compensate for a slightly slower Earth rotation. The leap second means clocks will move from 11:59:59 p.m. universal time to the odd reading of 11:59:60 p.m. before it hits midnight. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s financial future hung in limbo Tuesday as economists and officials warned that the U.S. territory could head down Greece’s path if it is not allowed to declare bankruptcy as it struggles with $72 billion in public debt.
The island prepared to close a troubled fiscal year amid intense investor scrutiny just hours before the first of several multimil-lion-dollar debt payments is due. It remained unclear whether the government would meet the roughly $400 million obligation due Wednesday, obtain yet another extension from creditors, or default.
Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla has said that the overall debt is unpayable and that he will seek a moratorium on payments, although it is still unknown whether bondholders will agree to that or opt to resolve the issue in court.
“The bombshells that have come down from Puerto Rico in the last two days have not been particularly well orchestrated,” said David Tawil, co-founder and portfolio manager of New York-based Maglan Capital. “You really don’t do those things without ... wanting to shock the market ... or preparing the market and gaining consensus.”
Unlike Greece, Puerto Rico cannot seek emergency financing from an institution because it’s a U.S. territory. Some economists say that leaves bankruptcy as the most financially sound alterna-tive, something U.S. rule do not now allow.
“Both are in desperate need of a solution, but neither can access the solution they’re asking for, which is a bankruptcy process,” said Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network.
He noted that if Puerto Rico were considered a developing country, it would be the eighth most heavily indebted country in the world. If the island does not obtain the right to declare bank-ruptcy, it will either restructure the debt or go into default, he said. “That’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s between a rock and a hard place in terms of how to move forward.”
Critics of allowing bankruptcy said that would be unfair to holders of Puerto Rico bonds.
The “proposed solution comes at the expense of seniors and retirees who invested in the island in good faith. Moreover, it does nothing to improve the reckless and even corrupt policies and prac-tices that have left the island all but bankrupt,” the 60 Plus Associa-tion, a Virginia-based senior rights group, said in a statement.
Puerto Rico’s governor plans to establish a team to come up with a fiscal and economic reform plan to help jumpstart the island’s economy, which has been in a recession for nearly nine years. The team has until Aug. 30 to develop the plan, which requires legisla-tive approval.
Some economists including LeCompte warned that imposing too many austerity measures could be detrimental.
“The reality is if you’re not going to grow your economy, it doesn’t matter how much you tighten your belt,” he said.
Like Greece, Puerto Rico can extend the life of its loans as well as try to get bondholders to agree to cut the debt by at least half, LeCompte said. Currently, 70 percent of Puerto Rico’s economic output goes toward paying debt, he said.
Bondholders might agree to Garcia’s plan given that it ben-efits them if the economy grows again, said Sergio Marxuach, policy director at the Center for the New Economy, a Puerto Rico-based think tank. And going to court could be a drawn-out process, he said.
“I’m not saying that they’ve become suddenly nuns, but there’s more of a willingness to negotiate,” he said of bondholders.
The White House says no one is contemplating a federal bailout of Puerto Rico, although it has urged Congress to consider changing the law to allow the island’s government and public agencies to seek bankruptcy protection under Chapter 9.
Puerto Rico might obtain that right if officials realize there is no other solution, said John Mousseau, fixed income director at Florida-based Cumberland Advisors.
“Some people say there’s nothing the federal government can do for Puerto Rico. That’s baloney. It’s clearly at some level a con-gressional problem that they’re doing nothing about,” he said.
Puerto Rico and Greece do share one disadvantage in fighting economic trouble: They can’t devalue their currencies to give their companies a price advantage in world markets and jump-start eco-nomic growth with exports. Puerto Rico uses the U.S. dollar and Greece is one of 19 countries that use the euro.
But Puerto Ricans have an edge over the Greeks in that their economy is fully integrated into the United States. The U.S. gov-ernment supports Puerto Rico with Social Security and Medicare payments; the Greeks don’t get nearly as much support from Euro-pean institutions.
“You’ve got a great deal of fiscal transfers that come from Washington that you don’t have in Greece,” said John Chambers, managing director of sovereign ratings at Standard & Poor’s Rat-ings Services.
Economists: Puerto
Rico needs right to
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu Samoa News Reporter
SEX CASE dISMISSEd
“The government has recently learned new information that prevents it from meeting its burden at trial,” says Assistant Attorney General Jessica Bargmann in her motion to dismiss their case against Yamasaki Bernard who is charged with rape, deviate sexual assault, sexual abuse first degree and burglary first degree, which are all felonies. The motion was filed earlier this month prior to the jury trial for this case.
The case was dismissed at the request of the government by Associate Justice Lyle L Rich-mond last Friday. Bernard is accused of raping a woman while holding a knife to her neck and has been held at the Tafuna Correctional Facility on bail of $100,000.
According to the dismissal motion, the sexual assaults happened between Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, 2011. It’s alleged that the first incident occurred on December 24, 2011, where the victim had a knife held to her throat and was raped by the defendant, who had broken into her locked bed-room and appeared intoxicated. “Defendant raped victim again the next night,” the government’s case alleges. According to the government’s case, on Dec. 25 2013, the second time the defendant allegedly raped the victim she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy on Sept. 7, 2012.
On June 20, 2014 defendant was criminally charged and the matter was scheduled for jury trial on June 29, 2015, however due to new infor-mation the government has received they cannot meet their burden at trial. Court filings say the defendant is a father of six from the indepen-dent state of Samoa. Defendant was released last Friday; he’s represented by Sharon Rancourt.
kRUSE iSSUES WaRRanT fOR IOSE JUNIOR lIAINA
Last Friday, June 26, 2015, Chief Justice Michael Kruse signed a bench warrant for Iose Junior Liaina, who failed to appear before the court for his probation revocation hearing. Liaina was sentenced in December 2012, having pled guilty to second degree burglary, admitting that he burglarized a family home in Leone.
Last month in June, the Probation Office filed a motion to the High Court that the defendant had violated his probation terms, wherein he did not visit the probation office once a month, as ordered by the court, nor had he paid the court ordered fine of $1,000, including the $665 that should have gone to the victim for restitution.
Kruse asked Public Defender Douglas Fiaui on the whereabouts of Liaina, and was told that they were unable to reach the defendant. Kruse asked openly in the courtroom if anyone knew the whereabouts of the defendant, and Chief Pro-bation Officer, Malcolm Polu stated that he had tried to contact him via the contact number he had for the defendant but was unsuccessful. Polu said he had visited where the defendant stayed previ-ously, but Liaina was no longer living in that area.
The chief probation officer also told the court that he has reached out to Immigration to deter-mine if defendant had left the island, however there is no information that Liaina has left island. Polu then took the stand and further informed the court that defendant’s last visit to the Probation office was in March 2013 and that he’s yet to pay the fine or restitution to the victim in this case.
According to the government’s case the defen-dant broke into a home in Leone on February 26, 2012 and took a play station three (PS3), a watch, and black leather Under Armor sport shoes.
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Stranded woman rescued
after giving birth in forest
OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities rescued a woman and her newborn baby after her family says she gave birth in a remote national forest in Northern California.U.S. Forest Service spokesman Chris French said Tuesday that a helicopter pilot responding to a brush fire Saturday first spotted a mother and an infant. Rescue workers on the ground whisked the pair to safety and they were taken to a hospital, French said.
French said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
“I cannot confirm the day of birth beyond that she reported to us she had been there for three days,” French said. “Also, her statement to us was that she gave birth at her vehicle within the forest. We did not witness the birth.”
Amber Pangborn, 35, was released from a hospital on Monday, her mother said. The infant, Marissa, remains at the University of California, Davis medical center. The medical center didn’t return a call inquiring about the infant’s condition. Pangborn’s mother, Dianna Williams, said the baby is “doing great.”
Williams said the infant weighs about four pounds. Williams said Pangborn underwent gastric bypass surgery before the birth, a procedure that sometimes results in the birth of underweight infants. Pangborn didn’t return repeated phone calls Tuesday to her Paradise, California, home.
According to Pangborn’s mother, her daughter was nine months pregnant and decided to visit an Oroville casino Wednesday to walk around in an attempt to induce labor.
Williams said her daughter was traveling to another area casino when she ended up on a remote road in the national forest and ran out of gas. There was no mobile phone reception, Williams said. Oroville is about 80 miles north of Sacramento.
Williams said her daughter told her she went into labor early Thursday morning, unrolled a sleeping bag and gave birth in her car’s backseat. Williams said Pangborn spent the next two days swatting away bees and insects, fearful of a bear attack. Mother and daughter survived on water and apples, Williams said.
On Saturday, Williams said Pangborn used a lighter, a can of hairspray and a can of oil to start a signal fire with the sleeping bag. “She is smart and tough,” Williams said. “I’m relieved it turned out all right.”
French of the Forest Service said the fire burned about a quarter of an acre before it was extinguished.
C M Y K
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Y K
Congratulations
Kerupi & Jennifer Fano Oloa
C M
Y K
C M
bUllDozER GETS bURiED in SanD, killinG WoRkER
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Firefighters say a bulldozer has been buried by an “ava-lanche” of sand at a Massachu-setts gravel site, killing a worker. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz identifies the construction company worker killed Tuesday as 65-year-old Whitman resident Charles Pace. Plymouth fire Chief Edward Bradley says about 12 feet of sand fell on Pace and the bull-dozer he was operating, “almost like an avalanche.”
Cruz says the accident hap-pened at a PA Landers Inc. sand and gravel site. The district attorney’s office, local police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion are investigating.
PA Landers says it has no comment because of the inves-tigation. The Hanover-based company says on its website it’s committed to “operational excel-lence, ethical business practices and unwavering courage in the face of adversity.”
MAN AdMITS HE CON-SPIREd TO TRAffIC THREATENEd TURTlES
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey man has admitted he kept turtles considered threatened under state law at his home and shipped them to buyers by tying the animals live in tube socks and packing them in boxes. Federal prosecutors say 48-year-old Patrick Elfers of Jersey City pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to traffic the threatened species. He faces up to five years in prison at his Sept. 29 sentencing.
Elfers admitted that from December 2011 through March 2014, he had various species, including spotted turtles, North American wood turtles and Eastern box turtles without the required permit. He advertised on wildlife trade websites and shipped turtles to buyers in New York state by tying them to restrict their movements and putting them in boxes unsuitable for the shipment of live animals.
COPS REPlACE TROOPS ON SECURITy dUTy
in biG Rio SlUm
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police in Rio de Janeiro have finished replacing more than 2,000 soldiers who have been stationed in the Mare complex of shantytowns to improve secu-rity and drive out the drug gangs that ruled the slum for decades. The replacement process started in April and the last troops withdrew Wednesday from the nearly 4 square miles covered by shanties of Mare. About 130,000 people live there.
Soldiers moved into Mare a little over a year ago as part of the “police pacification pro-gram” that began in 2008 to secure Rio before last year’s World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Shootouts have dropped since the pacifica-tion program began. But many residents complain of heavy-handed police tactics.
WHITE TEXAS MAN aDmiTS haTE-CRimE aTTaCk on blaCk man
HOUSTON (AP) — A white Houston-area man has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime for the surprise punching of an elderly black man.
In federal court in Houston on Tuesday, Conrad Alvin Bar-rett admitted to racial motiva-tion in the Nov. 24, 2013, attack on his 81-year-old victim.
Barrett used his cellphone to record the attack.
The 29-year-old Katy, Texas, man also recorded him-self questioning whether his attack on a black person would draw national attention.
After knocking the man to the ground, Barrett laughed, called out, “Knockout!” and ran to his vehicle.
The victim was hospitalized for several days for treatment of two jaw fractures.
Barrett could receive up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine when he’s sen-tenced Sept. 18.
TO CARE PROvIdERS
(AP) — From research dol-lars to free lunches and junkets, drug and medical device com-panies paid doctors and leading hospitals nearly $6.5 billion last year, according to government data posted Tuesday.
The latest update to the Open Payments database is part of an ongoing effort to highlight potential conflicts of interest in medicine. Unlike last year’s ini-tial version of the database, this one is much easier to use for consumers interested in looking up their own doctors.
Of the total payments, $3.2 billion represented research funding, about $2.6 billion was for other items and about $700 million represented investments and ownership stakes. Drug companies often recruit doctors to help with clinical trials and other research on medications.
About 80% of the total went to doctors, whose prescribing decisions affect the fortunes of drug and device manufacturers. Nearly 610,000 doctors received payments, as well as some 1,100 teaching hospitals.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Three men have been indicted in the brutal sexual assault and slaying of a teenage girl whose body was discovered inside a Baltimore home that had been intentionally set on fire.
Adonay Dixon, 23, John Childs, 20, and Raeshawn Rivers, 14, were indicted Tuesday on first-degree murder, first-degree rape, arson, kidnapping and other charges stemming from the death of 16-year-old Arnesha Bowers, a junior at Baltimore City Col-lege high school. If convicted, they could face life in prison.
According to authorities, the men broke into the home Bowers shared with her grandmother in northeast Baltimore, sexu-ally assaulted Bowers and then strangled her with an electrical cord before stealing electronics and setting the house ablaze. Authorities said Bowers knew her attackers. They said Childs had followed her home from a party and, after learning where she lived, returned with Dixon.
Baltimore Police Commis-sioner Anthony Batts on Tuesday called the crime “pure evil.”
OR lOSE fINANCIAl AId
WASHINGTON (AP) — New rules from the Educa-tion Department are going into effect for any college offering a career-training program: They have to prove their graduates earn enough money to repay their student loans.
Supporters say the rules are needed to rein in the for-profit college sector, which they say has preyed on low-income minorities because of their eli-gibility for federal student aid.
Backers of the industry say they are being unfairly targeted and that many public universi-ties wouldn’t be able to defend their degrees either under the new metrics.
Twenty years ago, trade schools started popping up on U.S. stock exchanges to maxi-mize profits. Since then, allega-tions of misconduct have been rampant.
For-profit schools consis-tently take in more federal loan money than nonprofit schools, despite enrolling a smaller number of students.
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tusia: Leua Aiono Frost
E lua aso o le vaiaso ua te’a - Iuni 24 & 25 - na fa’atautaia ai le kosi mo e uma e tomua mai e tali atu i le fa’asaoina o Ola o nisi e afaina ona o ni fa’alavelave fa’afuase’i fa’anatura pe o ni mea fo’i e afua ona o terarisi ma afaina tau le eletise ma le afi. I se vaega taua o lea a’oa’oga fa’apitoa sa pa’au mai ai le sui o le FEMA ina ia fa’asoa mai le sosia o ala eseese e mafai ona fa’atino ai tiute o le EMS, le tinei afi, ae maise le vaega o tagata sailia le aotelega o afaina o lo ua mae’a tu’ua e se fa’alavelave fa’afuase’i.
O se tasi lea o aoaoga na iloga le tumu o i latou o sui mai le vaega a le EMS, Leoleo ma le Tinei Afi a le Matagaluega o le Puipuiga o le Sao-galemu Lautele, Falema’i, TEMCO, Homeland Security, Ofisa o Fa’ato’aga; Ofisa o Uafu ma Malae Va’alele, US Coast Guard, DMWR, Public Works, ma le to’atele o i latou mai pisinisi tumaoti e aofia ai le Star Kist, Kamupani a le McConnell Dowell, Paramount Builders, Fletcher ma isi.
I se talanoaga ma le sui mai le Star Kist, sa ia fa’ailoa ai, “E tatau lava ona matua maua’a le iloa i gaoioiga e faia pe a tutupu ni mea fa’afuase’i, ae ia iloga, ua iloa ona oso tatau ma fa’asao le ola, e tuai atu le EMS ae vave le sosolo a se mu i totonu o le matou fo’i lotoa i fale tetele o lo’o tumutumu ai le aufaigaluega. E le mailoa lava mea e tutupu, ae o le numera tasi i mea uma, ia saogalemu le nofoaga e faigaluega ai tagata uma i taimi uma!” E to’afa i latou na auai mai le Star Kist e aofia ai ma le tama’ita’i o Sandy Satele. O se fa’amatalaga mai a Esther Savusa-Savini o le Homeland Secu-rity, sa ia fa’ailoa mai ai, “O le afua lea o le to’atele na’ua o tagata ua fa’atulaga e aofia i lenei aoaoga fa’apitoa, aua e mautinoa lava, e tutupu mea fa’apenei i le tatou atunu’u, ae ia lava tapena le atamai e mo’omia e o tatou tagata ua fili fa’apitoa mo tiute nei. O lo’o maua fo’i tusi pasi o i latou uma nei ua aofia i lenei a’oa’oga fa’apitoa.”
O nisi o mea taua lava o le aoaoga, o le fa’asaoina mai o tagata mai le afi, o nisi o le a numera tasi po’o le lua o latou mu, ae o le numera tolu sa fai si umi o le taimi o fa’amatala ma fa’ailoa mai le gaoioiga e faia pe afai ua numera tolu o latou mu ona o le fa’alavelave fa’afuase’i.
“Ia fa’aoga se nofoa e fa’anofo lelei ai le tagata o mu, ona fa’ato’a si’i lea o le nofoa i se
nofoaga o lo’o sefe ai pe afai o lo’o sasao pea le afi, ma fa’asolo atu ai i le EMS mo a latou gaoi-oiga e fa’ao’o vave atu ai le ma’i i le falema’i,” o nisi na o ituaiga tomai sa fa’asoa mai e le faia’oga o lena kosi mai le FEMA.
“Afai fo’i ua le maua se nofoa, a’o maua se tapo-leni mafiafia po’o ituaiga ie mafiafia, fa’asautualua le ie ma fa’ataoto ai le tagata ua mu tele lona tino, aua ne’i toe fa’aofua ae ia ufiufi i se ie e tasi, tu’u i le tapoleni ma toso le tapoleni e o’o i se nofoaga sefe ma avatu ai i le EMS mo togafitiga.”
O le tele o gaoioiga sa fa’atino fo’i mo le sa-ogalemu o le lautele pe afai e maua ni pomu e le’i pa, ia ese fo’i le fa’afoega o lena tautua, ma e tatau lava ona fa’aeteete tagata uma e tagofia nei atigi pomu aua e le o mautinoa lava po’o sao-galemu mai le pa pe leai.
O le isi vaega tele o nei aoaoga, ia lelei ona feso’ota’i fa’amaumauga ma fa’asalalauga i luga o alaleo, ina ia iloa patino mea o mo’omia ona fa’atino e le vasega o i latou ua mae’a a’otauina mo le lavea’iga o tagata, fa’amama le nofoaga o afaina mai nisi vaila’au o’ona e ono lamatia ai le soifua o tagata lautele ae maise le aufaigaluega fa’asao mo galuega lavea’i. Ua fa’atulaga fo’i itula faigaluega, e le tatau ona silia i le 12 itula o faigaluega pea se tasi, e tatau ona muta lava i le 8 itula ae peita’i, afai e tele na’ua se mo’omia, ona toe fa’aauau lea i le 12 itula, ae le tatau ona sili atu i lena umi. Ua fa’ailoa mai, a umi atu, ua le mafai lelei e le mafaufau o le tagata faigaluega, ona toe faia fa’ai’uga lelei mo le fa’asaoina o le soifua.
O le ave’esea mai o vaila’au o’ona ma e ono afaina ai le lautele, e ese fo’i lona kosi sa fa’atautaia i le aso Tofi ma le aso Faraile na te’a. O nei kosi ua fa’ailoa ai, e tatau ona le afaina le si’omaga ona ua le sa’o ona fa’atautaia ala e tia’i ai nei vaila’au o’ona mai le laufanua o afaina i le fa’alavelave.
E tatau e tagata uma o lo’o galulue i galu-ega lavea’i, ona iloa lelei foliga mai o vaila’au o’ona, atoa ai ma ala e tausia ai le saogalemu i le fe’avea’iga, fa’apea ma le lafoa’iga o nei mea o’ona. Ia mautu fo’i le iloa lelei, e le tatau ona afaina ai le si’omaga. Ina ua mae’a le a’oa’oga lenei sa fa’atautaia e Les Omens ma Forrest Adams, na taua’aoina tusi pasi ua agava’a ai i latou sa auai i le fa’asaoina o le ola o i latou e ono afaina i fa’alavelave fa’afuase’i e tutupu i le atunu’u.
Tali atu fa’asao ola i
fa’alavelave fa’afuase’i
tusia Ausage Fausia
Ua fautuaina e le Peresetene o le Asosi o Fitafita Tuai a le Navy ma le U.S Coast Guard, fitafita tuai uma mai vaega ‘au eseese a le malo tele o Amerika, o loo tautua i vaega eseese o le faigamalo a Amerika Samoa i le taimi nei, ina ia latou manatuaina pea la latou Tautoga sa faia i luma o le malo ma luma o le Atua, latou te tausi ma fa’amamalu i soo se tulafono i aso uma o lo latou soifua.
O lea fautuaga mai le afioga a Tauiliili Paopao Lauifi, o le Pere-setene o le Asosi o Fitafita Tuai a le Navy ma le U.S Coast Guard talu mai le 2001, sa tuuina mai lea i se fa’atalatalanoaga umi ma le Samoa News i le fa’aiuga o le vaiaso na te’a nei, ina ua fesiligia o ia i sona finagalo e tusa ai o ni isi o sui o fitafita tuai ua a’afia i le tulafono i le taimi nei.
“E le o le ituaiga tautua lea sa fa’atauto i matou i totonu o le malo ma luma o le Atua matou te ola ai,” o le saunoaga lea a Tauiliili ma lulu lona ao, i le le mautonu o lona finagalo i ripoti e fa’atatau i se tasi o fitafita tuai lea ua fa’asalaina nei e le fa’amasinoga feterale, e taofia i le falepuipui mo le umi e 22 masina, ina u
