Journal 11/18/1977
P1 US courts reject Kwajalein case Marshall Islanders will get no help from the US Supreme Court in their claim that the Navy took Roi-Namur island from them without adequate payment for use in the Kwajalein Missile Range. The court declined to review a decision by the US Court of Claims, which found that a six-year statute of limitations barred any action.
P9 Enewetak clean up beings — finally A clean up effort to rid this former nuclear test site of radioactive debris finally got underway November 22, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. US Army soldiers are being used for the clean up that began on the northern island of Lujor, where twisted steel has been scattered throughout the island since nuclear weapons tests were halted in 1958. Work will follow on six other islets on Enewetak. The debris will be hauled to Runit Island for burial in a concrete slurry in a crater caused by one of the atomic blasts two decades ago.
Journal 11/22/1991
P1 Election Day passes into history Election Day broke from the east in a blustery mishmash of conflicting currents, accented with rain squals, and a sprinkling of puddles through Majuro. There was a sense of foreboding, as though some great god had been disturbed and all the little urchins were about to get what was due them. The main polling places downtown were relatively quiet in the early hours at least. The courthouse polling booth was quiet in comparison to what was really going on: Alele was on fire with activity. The crowd under Alele were casting their ballots for outer island seats and the crowd was considerable. Even out on the main road there was a busy flush of trucks and vans and cars with signs on them like “Likiep 1” or “Likiep 2” or “Wotje.” This was the hastily mustered transportation corps organized to get voters to the booth.
P3 Campaigners do last harrah With this being the last weekend before Monday’s election, the expected happened: a very big last hurrah issued from the expectant throats of voters and pols alike. The center storm of activity this last weekend was the downtown parking lot of Robert Reimers Enterprises, where a large makeshift platform and array of benches and tents served to host a banter of political rhetoric and engaging music for the Ralik Ratak Democratic Party. The Government Party had a caravan of over a hundred vehicles. Coming from Laura, the cars traveled to Rita and back again through the throng of RRDP supporters and other observers in the RRE area. Mili candidate Ben Chutaro, an RRDP member, took the opportunity of the passing caravan to pass out campaign literature. Here you had an opposition guy giving out opposition information to individuals participating in a political demonstration. So what did the passing drivers do? They simply accepted the papers and smiled a thank you. Howard Graves, the bureau chief for Associated Press, was on hand to witness the spectacle.
Journal 11/24/2000
P1 Eldon, Johnny close in Bikini election Tomaki Juda will be the new Senator representing Kili/Bikini/Ejit, according to unofficial results of the special election Tuesday. Juda, the former mayor, easily defeated Marilyn Lokebol, wife of the deceased KBE Senator Henchi Balos, whose seat was being filled by the special election. The mayor’s race was much tighter, with Eldon Note in the lead after the initial count and unofficial results were released Wednesday. Note was leading Johnny Johnson by 150 votes.
P7 NESS II set to emerge from bureaucratic mire Some local business people are wondering if the second government-sponsored National Economic and Social Summit will end up like the first, with few of the recommendations actually implemented. At the recent Chamber of Commerce meeting, the NESS being planned for next March was discussed. To date, four planning meetings have been held in preparation. It was noted that most of the first NESS recommendations were outstanding.