Journal 12/18/1987
P1 Rongelap homecoming
It was a special kind of homecoming for seven Rongelap men who had not set foot on their home island since 1985, when they moved to Mejatto Island in Kwajalein Atoll. The visit was part of the beginning of an effort to evaluate the radiation levels on Rongelap Island and begin planning future resettlement of the atoll. RepMar Chief Secretary Oscar deBrum, Cabinet official Pete Oliver, Department of Energy and Holmes and Narver officials accompanied Rongelap Senator Jeton Anjain, Billiet Edmond and five councilmen from Mejatto on the trip.
P1 Court ‘ministers’ a no-no
High Court Chief Justice AD Tennekone issued a ruling last week that will bar any Cabinet minister from practicing law in the Marshall Islands. Tennekone said the practice of law by government ministers risks conflict of interest and threatens the independence of the Marshall Islands court system.
P20 Brand-X big winner
It was a playoff marked by comebacks and upsets, but in the end regular season champion Ace couldn’t hold its lead in the final minutes of game five, losing the game and the championship to upset-minded Brand-X. In game five, Ace jumped on Brand-X for a 31-19 halftime lead behind the hot shooting of Hackney and Danny: The Wase brothers teamed for 21 of their team’s first half points. But Brand-X was not to be outdone. The team came alive in the third, with Ranley and Ebin Peter leading the Brand-X explosion. The game went to overtime and neither team scored until the last few seconds. Kembar Peter was fouled and tossed in both free throws with just three second remaining, giving Brand-X the game 54-52.
Journal 12/17/1999
P3 Census shocker: Only 50,865 in RMI
The 1999 census conducted in the Marshall Islands shows a “remarkable decline in the national growth rate,” which is attributed largely to out-migration of Marshallese since the Compact began in 1986, and differing methods used for counting in the 1980 and 1988 census, according to the just-released preliminary results. The 50,865 living in Marshall Islands is an increase of 7,485 from the 1988 census, but “is way below the expected figure for the year, which is between 55,000 and 60,000 persons.”
P11 Majuro’s bash will get coverage
Majuro’s millennium-welcoming block party will get high visibility with the anticipated arrival of a film team from Hawaii on New Year’s Eve for filming the celebration and airing it on Hawaii television. Don Hess, one of the organizers of the block party, told last week’s Chamber of Commerce meeting at RRE that the committee has already lined up six bands and three jeptas to dance and sing the night away.
Journal 12/17/2010
P14 Jaluit runners dash to Kwajalein
Jaluit High School teacher Chris Zablocki and three members of the JHS running club — Peter Robert, Casey Katlong and Harrington Torelik — competed in the annual marathon running race at Kwajalein this week. They were sponsored by several Kwajalein residents, and the National Olympic Committee and the Marshall Islands Athletic Federation supported the trip.
P23 Thanks, bank!
Bank of Marshall Islands Jaluit staff Sylvester Amram and Neri Lomae operate a small but busy office in Jabor. They are connected via email to the Majuro BOMI branch, allowing them to communicate and facilitate banking business, including deposits and loans. Last month, the bank showed its versatility by also assisting in a non-banking area. A Jaluit High School teacher and three students wanted to compete in a marathon race on Kwajalein, but the students didn’t have identification cards needed by the Army. No problem. The bank made them BOMI photo ID cards, scanned them and emailed them to the Majuro branch, from where they were forwarded to the Marshall Islands Athletic Federation, which handled getting the athletes to Kwajalein.