Journal 4/26/1985
P1 Airline shake-up Air Marshall Islands has its fifth manager in as many years, the board of directors announced Friday. Pilot John Slattebo has taken over the reigns of the airline from Tim Smith, who resigned last week after little more than a year as manager.
P11 Protect tax payer, not incompetent workers The rules of the Public Service Commission need radical change to protect the tax payer and not the incompetent employee, said an independent city management consultation after visiting Majuro and Ebeye. The alternative is that the government will be forced by the current regulations to “increasingly turn to the private sector to run governmental functions,” said Kennedy Shaw. After a three week tour of the Marshalls in March he said the Marshalls is “faced with what I would consider a very serious problem in terms of rules and regulations of the PSC which make it very difficult if not impossible to fire individuals who are incompetent or otherwise unwilling to efficiently carry out their duties.”
P16 Waiting for Solarz Congressman Stephen Solarz was here April 11 and 12. The evening before his departure, at a dinner at the Lanai hosted by President Kabua, Rep. Solarz delivered some extemporaneous remarks before dinner and told of a challenge that he had accepted from Chief Secretary Oscar deBrum to a tennis match the following morning. Solarz said he had seen the tennis court curing his tour of the island and noticed it was full of potholes. He said this would give the Chief Secretary an advantage because “Oscar will know which way the ball bounces.” Nevertheless, Rep. Solarz said he had accepted the challenge and if the Chief Secretary wins, “then we will pass the Compact as it is. But if the Chief Secretary loses, then maybe we will make a few changes in the Compact.” DeBrum accepted those terms and they were to meet at the tennis courts at 7am on April 12. It was raining quite hard that morning, but the Chief Secretary showed up at the appointed hour with his seconds, Carl Ingram and Remitaco. The Congressman did not show up at all, and the Chief Secretary claimed victory by default. He had a photo taken on the flooded court with his “handlers” and planned to take a copy of it with him to Washington when he left April 19 to present to Rep. Solarz along with his claim of victory.
Journal 4/25/1997
P14 College plans new campus The College of the Marshall Islands celebrated the fourth anniversary of its establishment as an independent college with a big weekend program. On Friday, CMI President Alfred Capelle announced that “we hope to establish a new campus for CMI that will give us additional space in which to expand.”
P15 Hawks rock and roll Six Rita Hawks scored in double figures to lead their team to a 131-36 romp over an out-manned Ebeye Home Boys team last Friday. The basketball game was the first major sports competition held at the new Educational/Cultural Center in Delap and an estimated 1,200 spectators crowded in to see the game. Bernard John scored 13 of his game high 21 points in the first half to lead the Hawks to a 69-18 halftime lead. Robert Pinho scored 19, Randy Graham added 15 and grabbed 11 rebounds, Waylon Muller scored 14, Albert Alik had 13 and Mike Kilo 10 to lead the run and gun Hawks. For the Home Boys, Albert Bejang led with eight and Junior Anjolok and Brandon Daniel each had five.
Journal 4/25/2008
P1 Three thumbs up Opening night, Tuesday, you could see a few first-night jitters in the opening dance by the cast of The Comedy of Errors. But once the actors and actresses hit their stride after the first minutes, the play took off into the outer region of hilarious.The opening night saw a brilliant performance by Baren Jordan as Antipholus of Laura and solid acting by his twin brother Sonny Whitehead as Antipholus of Rita. Julie Ittu was marvelous in the lead as Adriana, with incredulous expressions lighting up her face as one ridiculous development after another evolved. The twins Swigly Bilene (Dromio of Rita) and Niten Anni (Dromio of Laura) put on a show that would have made Laurel and Hardy envious.
P4 Taxis raise prices The latest price increase to hit Majuro is an impending rise in taxi fares. The Majuro Atoll Taxi Drivers Association announced that downtown fares will go up from 75 cents to $1 from Rita to the bridge. Other fares are up also.
P15 Airline adds fifth flight Continental Micronesia will add a fifth flight to its Majuro service starting June 10, bringing to two weekly non-stop flights from Guam. The regular Island Hopper Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule to Honolulu and Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday to Guam doesn’t change. The Majuro-Guam non-stop service is on a Tuesday-Wednesday and Saturday-Sunday schedule.