Journal 1/30/1987
P11 Jack replaces Ralph
Former Peace Corps Volunteer and Kili school teacher Jack Niedenthal has been appointed as acting liaison officer for the Kili/Bikini/Ejit local government. Mayor Tomaki Juda announced the appointment last week. He said that Niedenthal is very familiar with Bikini programs having lived and worked on Kili for the last three years. He replaces Ralph Waltz who is now in Majuro hospital.
Journal 1/29/1999
P1 Wrong island picked
The resettlement of Bikini Islanders in the mid-1970s on the former nuclear test site failed because the people were moved back to the wrong island, a former Atomic Energy Commission official said in an article published in a recent issue of Health Physics magazine. AEC scientists had recommended resettling Eneu Island — not Bikini Island — because it had radiation levels one-tenth of those on Bikini Island, said Tommy F. McCraw, who worked for 25 years with the Division of Operational Safety and the Office of Health and Environmental Research in the AEC.
P2 MBC confirms Ronnie as founding father
Just how many founding fathers are there? Tuesday night, the Marshalls Billfish Club at its annual general meeting changed from three to four by recognizing Ronnie Reimers as one of its founding fathers, adding his hame to the other three originals: Ramsey Reimers, Wally Milne and Tom Michaels.
P3 MIMRA beefing up fisheries enforcement
To improve marine enforcement capability, the Marshall Islands is sponsoring its first national fisheries observer training program next month. “We want to enhance our monitoring, control and surveillance of foreign fishing fleets in the Marshall Islands,” said MIMRA’s Glen Joseph.
P4 Fiji connection to continue
Air links between the Marshall Islands and Fiji will continue but Air Marshall Islands will provide service only on a portion of the route. There’ll be a twice weekly service to and from Fiji, via Tarawa, connecting with Air Nauru. AMI flew its last flight to Fiji this week, but will continue to fly to Tarawa so that passengers can connect with Air Nauru to Fiji.
P6 Racers
The explosion of interest in model canoe racing has led like-minded guys to form an organization known as the Riwut Club. This weekend, Saturday morning, they’re getting together at Danny Wase’s place in Woja to have a big race. Club secretary Waston Attari (who is a V7AB DJ when he’s not out sailing riwut) told us that Edinal Jorkan was elected president of the club, followed by VP Nokko Kabua and treasurer Jackson Ading.
Journal 1/29/2010
P5 Kelen on ship issues
Providing shipping service in the Marshall Islands is synonymous with putting out fires. With only four government vessels servicing the needs of 49 islands — which, by the way, include 91 different stops — and each vessel screaming for an overhaul, the current shipping situation is in itself a questionable venture any sane individual would not easily entertain. But this is not an option for the Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation. Testifying before Nitijela’s Committee of the Whole last Thursday, Shipping Corporation Board Chairman Alson Kelen provided sobering answers to a barrage of questions from Nitijela senators evidencing their dissatisfaction with shipping services in the Republic. “It all boils down to not having enough vessels and the ones we have are too old,” Kelen said.
P9 Copra production up in city centers
An indication of how economic times have changed in both Majuro and Kwajalein is evident from copra production figures from 2009. As recently as eight years ago, both atolls produced a negligible level of copra, with most people in Majuro and Kwajalein depending on government or private sector jobs to provide for their families. Copra making was an outer islands job. Not so anymore. Tobolar statistics show that Majuro copra makers produced 309.8 tons in 2009 — nearly 10 times the output in 2002. Kwajalein’s production was not as dramatic, but still greatly increased. In 2002, Kwajalein made 8.9 tons of copra. Last year, Kwajalein produced 51.3 tons.