Journal 3/8/1985
P1 Rongelap wants US help to make evacuation humane Plans for the imminent evacuation of Rongelap Atoll are moving ahead, said Senator Jeton Anjain, who returned from the atoll last week. He will lead a delegation of people to Washington, DC next week where they will restate their earlier request for US Congressional assistance for the move to Rep. John Seiberling’s March 14 hearing.
P1 Three more banks stir questions Three more offshore banks registered in the Marshall Islands were recently added to the list of banks suspected of operating illegally in the United States. The US Comptroller of Currency cited three Marshall Islands banks that have been circulating “worthless” checks.
P1 Milk factory slated for Majuro RepMar officials have concluded an agreement with Danish dairy producers for the establishment of a milk factory in Majuro.
P4 Fun time All the Girl Scouts from the district center gathered together for a picnic at the MIHS gymnasium last Saturday. A good time was had by all with entertainment from each troop being the most fun.
Journal 3/7/1997
P1 MISSA finances govt operations More than $3.3 million in Social Security funds were used for government — non-Social Security — purchases during 1994 and 1995, according to the report of the Auditor General submitted to the Speaker last week. The audit raised questions about the fact that nearly two-thirds of these funds, $2.1 million, had not been paid back by the various ministries on whose behalf the funds were spent, meaning that “the amount (of money) available to fund future retirement benefits and basic health care benefits has been reduced.”
P4 Waste feasibility proposals on table The Marshall Islands government is considering two proposals for conducting feasibility studies in nuclear waste storage here, Foreign Minister Phillip Muller said.
P6 Another eyesore The new dump wasn’t even completed before it was opened to the public for use, and now garbage litters the roadside near the dump. On the bright side, you don’t have to get out of your car anymore to dump rubbish since the dump is so close to the road you can do a “drive-by.”
P11 Whistle blowers Six guys were given certificates for recently completing a basketball referees training and are now certified. The group includes Ted Carlan, Alex Maine, Mike Kilo, Ronnie Lakabung, James Kiluwe and Daniel Andrew. At the ceremony was Internal and Social Welfare staff Winjan Ritok and Sports and Recreation Director Charles Abraham.
Journal 3/7/2008
P12 RMI’s gift to Arkansas: Leprosy The news that there are nine Marshallese in Northwest Arkansas who have leprosy — accounting for the state’s ONLY leprosy cases — sparked widespread media attention in Arkansas newspapers last month, including dozens of comments posted on internet websites and blogs criticizing Marshallese and the US government for allowing them into the country. Arkansas deputy state health officer Joe Bates said recently that while nine Marshallese have been diagnosed with leprosy, “we think there are two to three times more cases of leprosy than we know about.”
P16 ‘H-bomb started war on ri Majol’ Speakers at Saturday’s well-attended Nuclear Victims and Survivors Remembrance Day ceremony said that while it is 62 years since the start of the first nuclear tests, there continue to be unresolved problems, particularly related to health, from radiation exposure.