Journal 12/21/1973
P1 The lawyers… Lawyers for the people of Roi Namur in Kwajalein Atoll have filed a suit in the Trust Territory High Court in Majuro which charges that Marshalls District Attorney Russell Walker and Trust Territory Attorney General Richard Miyamoto are withholding certain documents, files and information which defendant Walker compiled during the period he acted as attorney for the people. The suit is being advanced by Micronesian Legal Services Corporation attorneys, who represented the people of Roi Namur in their claim for compensation from the US Army for continued use of the islands.
P1 …The Indian chiefs The people of Bikini are taking the Trust Territory government to court to have the government removed as trustee of the $300,000 Bikini Trust Fund. In a civil action filed last week, the Bikinians charged that the government has mismanaged the fund and continuously failed to give the people an adequate accounting of the actual disbursements from the fund.
P3 Good news for the Marshalls Shigeru Wase and Malal Naiser of Acme Importers were seen earlier this week on the LCU they reconditioned in Guam after purchasing the partially submerged vessel. Acme will soon be given the fuel necessary to deliver the boat to the Marshalls. What would Acme be if it wasn’t for Shigeru?
Journal 12/18/1992
P4 Radar men A visitor to one of our more isolated outer atolls has come up with a new name for free loaders. You know, the guys who always show up just as you’ve lit a cigarette to bum one off you, and the guys who never make a pot of coffee themselves but somehow — like built in radar — they just know when someone has got a fresh pot of coffee on the fire and troop over for a cup. Course you can’t tell the guys to take a hike: it’s just not the system here. Anyway, this friend of ours coined a new name for these guys: he calls them the “coffee mechanics.” Just as you’re about to take the first sip of your coffee, here come the coffee mechanics to get theirs.
P6 Majuro Chamber elects new boss The new president of the Majuro Chamber of Commerce says he wants to foster a cooperative and productive relationship between the public and private sectors on Majuro. Peter Gigante, Majuro division manager for RRE, told the Journal: “I feel a more active role on the part of private businesses is needed.
P15 Alik wants pros, cons on table Jaluit Atoll Senator Alik Alik said the Marshalls Environmental Protection Authority should require public hearings to be held on waste proposals for the Marshalls. “People should be given the opportunity to find out about these projects,” he told the Journal. “The EPA should set up public meetings to explain the pros and cons. This has not been done.” He was referring to both the proposed use of petroleum-contaminated soil for the Kwajalein causeway and a proposal for an industrial waste plant on Likiep.
P20 Get a whiff of Christmas spirit — after dark There is a flavor to the pre-Christmas days we’re now experiencing in Majuro that can only be experienced after the sun goes down. We can tell it’s Christmas time: the flickering and flashing lights have gone up, jeptas are practicing late into the nights for the Big Day, and platoons of kids are out roaming the streets to soak in this month-long bash. Many of the jeptas congregate at a Delap or Demon town or Rita residence with a “backyard” about the size of a large garage sandwiched in between a dozen houses. By about 9 or 9:30 in the evening, generally a majority of the 50 or more dancers have arrived. At least there are enough to get the program into motion. A crowd quickly gathers and late jepta members fill in the empty dance spots almost as if they were waiting nearby in the shadows for the start whistle.
Journal 12/12/2003
P3 Loeak, Katjang tied for Nitijela The tabulation of votes for the Ailinglaplap Nitijela race between incumbent Senator Chris Loeak and challenger Katzuo Katjang has been like a basketball game that keeps going into additional overtime periods. And just as it appeared there was a result — a tie — after the “final” four vote count on Tuesday night, on Wednesday two additional “claim” votes were discovered. The final score, before the discovery of the two claim votes: 544 to 544. Electoral officials were preparing to verify, before possibly counting, the two votes just as the Journal went to press.