Two Japan International Cooperation Agency volunteers left last month with many good things to say after 18 months in the Marshall Islands. Asked by the Journal for their “take aways” after teaching in Majuro public elementary schools over two school years, Rairok Elementary teacher Chikako Kato was quick to respond: “People’s kindness and the students’ […]
Airport parking is a mess and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future as construction gets moving on what is now the “former” parking lot. With the main parking lot at Amata Kabua International Airport fenced off as of last week, airport customers are parking just about anywhere they can find a space. […]
GIFF JOHNSON Bank of Marshall Islands teller operations and the loan department moved out of the main branch three weeks ago and remain displaced due to fuel odors pervading the bank from leakage at the nearby RRE gas station. “The source of the BOMI odor incident is confirmed as a leak in RRE’s underground fuel […]
The RMIS Jelmae, Sea Patrol’s new patrol vessel, arrived to a big welcome ceremony at Delap Dock Wednesday afternoon this week. Captain Dennis Jibas and his crew sailed the vessel from Australia over the past 10 days. The vessel was funded by the Australian government as part of its Pacific Patrol Boat program.
The US-Israel assaults on Iran and Iran’s response have set world fuel prices skyrocketing. Fuel stations in Majuro — both the Mobil-supplies stations and Pacific International Inc. — raised their prices two times in the past three weeks. The Mobil stations went from under seven dollars per gallon for both gas and diesel to $7.65 […]
Friday March 13 was a big day for the Utrok community: It marked the first distribution of food purchased through the Compact of Free Association’s Extraordinary Needs Distribution program. Known as “END,” the Compact Trust Fund-funded program is injecting $20 million to 11 atolls and single islands, including Utrok. Utrok Nitijela Member Hiroshi Yamamura and […]
GIFF JOHNSON There is often a disconnect between international donors and the potential recipients who need development aid which makes it impossible for funding to be delivered. This can be for a variety of reasons, but often — particularly for small island nations such as RMI — the donors may have one set of priorities, […]
Power consumers money will now buy less each time they purchase cash power, following MEC’s third tariff increase over the past 18 months. The latest rate hike went into effect on February 9. It was not announced in a public way other than a post on the MEC website. While the company puts out media […]
GIFF JOHNSON A modest new photograph book featuring images of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau has been published by the prolific photojournalist Floyd K. Takeuchi of Honolulu. The book, “7 Degrees North,” is the author’s “love letter to…a time when nature’s beauty defined the day, and to a proud people, who lived pretty much […]
GIFF JOHNSON The multiple drug busts and discovery of “narco boats” washed into Pacific Islands demonstrates that the Pacific — and in particular the South Pacific — is a highway for drug distribution to Australia and New Zealand. From the beginning of January through February 12, law enforcement officials have confiscated over 14 tons of […]
