1. travel
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Buckle up!
Fatalities CraSHES
1
LOCAL HIGHWAYS
01-01-15 to date
202
LOCAL HIGHWAYS
01-01-15 to date
office of highway safety
Captains reject idea
of 2 heats, with just
9 fautasi in race… 4
C
M
Y
K
GALEA’I: E le faigata
Fono ona su kovana
ma le malo… 17
ASCC students get firsthand experience researching
the local marine environment during the Quantitative
Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques (QUEST)
training held during spring
break. (See story inside for
[courtesy photo]
details.)
online @ samoanews.com
Daily Circulation 7,000
PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA
Governor looks to AG for
next step in LVPA battle
Says DOI should have more input on issue
by Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News Correspondent
Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has directed Attorney General
Talauega Eleasalo Ale to look at the next step American Samoa
can take on the issue of the Large Vessel Protected Area,
which is reserved for local alia, but has been recommended to
be amended to allow for fishing by the longliner fleet.
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
earlier this month approved an LVPA amendment which would
allow longliners to fish seaward of 12 nautical miles, with the
provision that the measure be reviewed annually. The measure
is subject to approval by the U.S.Commerce Secretary.
During the cabinet meeting last Thursday, the governor
called the Council’s vote to amend the LVPA “one of the most
critical issues for the government” — adding that the Fono
had approved the Senate concurrent resolution which stands
together with the governor in opposing the amendment.
“It’s not that we don’t want longliners to fish in this zone,
but it’s a matter of preserving the 50 mile zone for our people,”
Lolo told directors. “We are in the process of developing new
fishing alias — super alias, so to speak. And we hope that we
can retain the 50 mile zone so that our people can have access
to the fishing grounds within the 50 miles.”
While the Council is against maintaining the 50 mile zone
of the LVPA, the governor said, “we maintain our position...
and I’ve asked the Attorney General to start looking into steps
as to what to do next in order for us to maintain that position.”
(Continued on page 14)
C
M
Y
K
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
$1.00
FLAG DAY PREPS
2015
Community service in partnership with
GHC Reid Co., Ltd - Your Family of Fine Beverages
& Samoa News - “We’re here for you”
Teena Kapeteni finagalo o le
ali’i kovana e faalua tuuga
“Tasi le Sa o Nu’uuli i lenei tausaga”
tusia Ausage Fausia
Ua teena e kapeteni o Sa i le atunu’u ua
lautogia mo Faigamea i le Tai o lenei tausaga,
le finagalo o le ali’i kovana ia Lolo Matalasi
Moliga, ina ia vaelua le tuuga fautasi o le fu’a i
ni tuuga se lua, ina ia fa’amalieina le maimoa a
le atunu’u i le aso o le tuuga fautasi.
Na taua e kapeteni ma sui o Sa e valu i se
fonotaga fa’apitoa sa valaauina e le Komiti o
le tuuga fautasi ananafi e fa’apea, e mafua ona
vaelua tuuga fautasi o le fu’a, pe afai e tele ni
va’a e tausinio i le tuuga, ma mana’omia ai loa
le vaelua o le tuuga i vaega e lua, ina ia fa’a
faigofie ona fa’atonutonu le tuuga aemaise ai o
le saogalemu o auva’a i tai i le sami.
Na fa’ailoa e le afioga a Lualemaga E. Faoa
o le ta’ita’ifono o le komiti o le tuuga fautasi e
fa’apea, e ui o lea ua taoto le fautuaga mai le
afioga i le ali’i kovana, peita’i e le faia to’atasi e le
komiti se fa’aiuga, ae lafo atu i kapeteni ma sui o
afioaga pe latou te lagolagoina le fautuaga pe leai.
Na fa’ailoa e Lolo i le fonotaga a le kapeneta
i le vaiaso na te’a nei e fa’apea, o le manaia o
tuuga fautasi o le sisiga fu’a, ia lua ni tuuga ina
ia fa’amalieina ai le maimoa ma le tapuaiga a
le atunu’u. Na taua e Lolo e fa’apea, e le fetaui
i afioga ma au va’a le alu o le ta’i tolu masina
o koleni, ae o o atu i le aso o le tuuga e na o le
30 minute e tutu’u ai, e le fa’amalieina fo’i le
(Faaauau itulau 14)
New $20 departure fee
proposed in bill by gov’t
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu, Samoa News Reporter
The Lolo and Lemanu administration is proposing another
money bill, and this time it’s the adoption of a $20 clearance fee
for all passengers boarding common carriers who are departing
from Pago Pago International Airport and the Port.
In a letter to Fono leaders, the governor pointed out that
American Samoa is in a unique position, “quite distinct from
any other of the states and territories. We control and manage
our own borders and do so, at our own expense,” he explained.
According to the letter, Lolo stated that this comes at a cost
to the territory that is not faced by any other jurisdiction. Elsewhere, the cost of border control is borne by the United States
government, he said. “The cost of providing these services has
been absorbed by the government for many years, placing an
increased burden upon all of the taxpayers. We believe the cost
of these services should be assumed, in part at least, by the traveling public that is making use of them.”
Lolo further stated that for these reasons, the administration is proposing the adoption of a $20 clearance fee to be
levied upon all departing passengers boarding common carriers
(Continued on page 15)
A very important question was asked by the principal of Matatula Elementary, Mrs. Tino
Roberts, for all students present in the hall from Level 4-8,
“Hands up — those who want our school to have a Green House and to farm for our subsistence?” The student’s answer is shown in this photograph taken in the presence of five lecturers
from ASCC Land Grant CNR & Agriculture, EMS and ASEPA who occupied their first four
periods yesterday morning. The principal, teachers and students of Matatula Elementary have
[photo: Leua Aiono Frost]
requested a Green House Project on campus through their PTA.
Page 2
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Marine Science
students at ASCC
embark on QUEST
over spring break
By Kelley Anderson Tagarino, ASCC CNR & UH Sea Grant
STRANGE BUT TRUE
By Samantha Weaver
✖ It was Senator Eugene McCarthy who made the following sage observation: “Being in
politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game,
and dumb enough to think it’s important.”
✖ In 1916, the town of Erwin, Tennessee, used a train’s derrick car to hang an elephant
for the crime of murder.
✖ Your hands and feet have more sweat glands than any other part of your body.
✖ You might be surprised to learn that Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United
States, didn’t vote in a single presidential election until his own name was on the ballot.
✖ If you leave a faucet running for a single minute, approximately 3 to 5 gallons of water
will be washed down the drain.
✖ It was the spring of 1936, and John Steinbeck was working on his novel “Of Mice and
Men.” He was also working on training his new puppy, Toby. The training evidently wasn’t
going well; one day, Toby chewed up half of Steinbeck’s handwritten manuscript -- the only
copy. The author took the setback pretty well, it seems: A few days after the incident, he
wrote to a friend, “I was pretty mad but the poor little fellow may have been acting critically.
I didn’t want to ruin a good dog on a [manuscript] I’m not sure is good at all. He only got an
ordinary spanking with his punishment flyswatter.”
✖ It’s been reported that Elvis Presley knew by heart every word spoken in the film
“Patton.”
✖ If you’re like 7 percent of American workers, you had a job at McDonald’s at some
point in your life.
✖ According to ancient Chinese medical practice, doctors only got paid once their
patients became healthy again.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • Thought for the Day • • • • • • • • • • • • •
“Hell is a half-filled auditorium.” — Robert Frost
(ANSWERs on page 14)
If you could make the ocean your classroom, would
you? Students in the ASCC Marine Science Program have.
As part of the MSC 280, Marine Science Special Projects
course, five ASCC students gave up their spring break to
participate in the Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques (QUEST) field course, held from March
9-14, in Nu’uuli.
The ASCC students were joined by two ASCC faculty
Jameson Newtson, Kelley Anderson Tagarino, and members
of the University of Hawaii Marine Option Program leadership. Local agency staff donated their time to help students in
QUEST gain new skills in monitoring the health of our coral
reefs and reef fish. By the end of the week, each participant
reported improvements in their skills and knowledge of the
marine environment.
“Each QUEST participant has made incredible strides in
their in-water skills as well as data management and analysis
skills – including their understanding of the theory behind
these surveys,” stated instructor Newtson. “QUEST is a critical step towards building capacity in coastal management in
American Samoa.”
This year, two past QUEST students participated as team
leaders, acting as mentors and guiding the first-year QUEST
students through the week of intensive studies.
When Agnes Gatai, a team leader, was asked if QUEST
was more challenging as a student or a team leader, she
responded, “Definitely as a team leader. Having to teach and
explain these methods and data analysis was challenging,
but it really helped me understand it all better and gave me
leadership experience.”
Alaese Tauofe, a new QUEST student, said, “I really
enjoyed QUEST – it was hard but also fun. Thanks to the
ASCC QUEST, I am looking forward to continuing my education in marine science and when I am done, working for a local
resource management agency where I can help improve my
island’s reefs and fisheries.”
The American Samoa QUEST is modeled after the highly
successful course of the same name offered by the University
of Hawai‘i at Hilo. The American Samoa QUEST has students
using snorkels and masks rather than SCUBA gear as is done
at the University of Hawaii.
Though the gear is different, the methods and science
learned are the same. Students spend the week studying
methods for counting fish, algae, corals, and other invertebrates. After studying each method, they take to the water,
working in groups to collect data to answer a research question
each group comes up with. These data are then analyzed and
presented by each group at
the end of the week. The intense workload of this field
course led the American Samoa students to push themselves to
learn many new techniques in a short period of time. Instead of
staying up late partying over spring break, students stayed up
late analyzing data – and enjoyed it!
Partners from the ASCC CNR, NOAA National Marine
Fisheries, National Park of American Samoa, Department of
Marine and Wildlife Resources, Department of Commerce,
Coral Reef Advisory Group, National Marine Sanctuary of
AS, NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, and the University of Hawaii Marine Option Program assisted in teaching the
methods and in conducting in-water surveys.
Several local agencies donated time, materials, and services to make QUEST possible. These include the Office of
the Governor, ASCC CNR, UH Manoa Marine Option Program, NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, and Nu’uuli
Village. On behalf of the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant
College Program and the American Samoa Community College and CNR, the instructors sincerely thank these sponsors
for making QUEST possible.
The QUEST course will continue to be offered every year
over Spring Break. Those interested in participating as students or sponsors can contact Kelley Anderson Tagarino
at 699-3353 (office) or 258-2967 (cell) or at KelleyAT@
Hawaii.edu on email, or via post mail at P.O. Box 2609 for
more information
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 3
Before action on $$$
bills, Senate wants
ASG workforce info
by Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News Correspondent
Before the Senate makes any decisions on tax bills submitted
by the administration, Sen. Galea’i Tuufuli says it’s important
that senators receive testimony from Human Resources director
Sonny Thompson on the current status of personnel costs and
total workforce since the start of fiscal year 2015, which commenced Oct. 30, 2014.
Galeai had requested a hearing on this issue early last week
and the Senate Budget and Appropriation Committee chairman,
Sen. Laolagi F.S. Vaeo scheduled it for 8a.m. last Friday. However, the hearing was canceled and the Senate was informed that
Thompson was attending an urgent meeting that same morning at
the Governor’s Office.
During last Friday’s Senate session Galeai suggested that the
committee make a new hearing date for Thompson— who is now
scheduled to appear on Wednesday (tomorrow).
Galeai informed senators that the administration has proposed
many tax revenue bills “but I believe the Senate first needs to find
out as to where the government stands with its current workforce,
compared to what was approved in the FY 2015 budget.”
He says the government is only into the first six-months of the
fiscal year and there are already reports about the government
having money problems with the General Fund. Additionally,
senators have received reports about many new people being hired
in government since the start of the new fiscal year.
Before the Senate makes any final decisions on the administration’s revenue bills— many of them tax bills — Galeai says senators should get a better understanding about these issues, because
local revenues and federal grants are reportedly being used to pay
the salaries of newly hired people.
Galeai said he wants to see a Human Resources report outlining the number of workers hired by local funds, grants and other
funding sources, budgeted in FY 2015 and the same information
as of the end of last week. He says the governor has voiced concerns over directors who have delayed drawing down grants, and
it looks like the government is using all local revenues to cover
these grants, without a solid effort to get federal funds first.
Senate President Gaoteote Tofau Palaie agreed with Galeai’s concerns and said that there are only a limited number of Fono days left,
but the governor has submitted several tax bills, which the Senate
should have a full understanding of before any final decision is made
on each measure. (As of yesterday, there are only ten-session days
left in the current 1st regular session of the 34th Legislature).
Gaoteote said with these many revenue bills, ASG directors
should appear before the Senate to testify, especially for the fact that
sufficient notice was given to the administration about this hearing.
“Unless senators get a better understanding of these measures,
there will be no action on these revenue bills,” Gaoteote said.
Gaoteote noted that the Senate continues to show respect for
the executive branch and understands there are times when an
emergency situation arises, in which a director is unable to attend
a scheduled hearing. He asked the senators to have patience and
work together with the administration on these issues.
Woman’s appeal for kidney
donor on window pays off
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman’s decision to seek a kidney donor by putting a personal plea in bright
yellow letters on her car has paid off.
Christine Royles of South Portland, who suffered kidney failure
because of an autoimmune disease, went on the national waiting
list to find a donor, but decided to take matters into her own hands.
The 24-year-old waitress and mother of a 2-year-old boy
painted an appeal on her car’s rear window, along with a phone
number, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Josh Dall-Leighton, a 30-year-old corrections officer from
Windham and a father of three, saw the message during an outing
with his family.
“I just looked at my wife and said, ‘I have to try,’” he said.
After learning he was a potential match, the two met face to face
last week. Final testing should be completed in a few weeks, and
surgery is tentatively scheduled for May.
People in need of an organ transplant are increasingly expanding
their search beyond the national donor list and family members
and friends, said Sean Roach, spokesman for the National Kidney
Foundation.
Royles said she’s lucky.
“I’m shocked that someone is going to do this for me,” she said.
“The fact that someone with a young family is going to take time
off work to help some random person is unbelievable to me.”
Chief Operating Officer of BlueSky Communications Rep. Puleleiite Tufele Li’amatua and Rev.
Father Aselemo Aselemo Jr. from Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Parish stood by the roadside waving at
passing vehicles last week. The two were special guests during a brief ceremony held in Laulii Fou last
Friday to officially mark the closing of Developmental Disability Awareness Month.
Teachers and students from Laulii Elementary School’s levels 6,7, and 8 were up bright and early
to carry out the special ‘wave’.
Posters with different messages like “honk for disability” and “We Love SPED (Special Education)”
were displayed as the public showed their support by beeping their horns and waving at the kids.
March was proclaimed by Lt. Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga as Developmental Disability Awareness Month. “The goals of this territory properly include providing individuals with developmental
disabilities the opportunities and support to make informed choices and decisions,” Lemanu said.
[photo: B. Chen-Fruean]
Human Resource Department, Tafuna
PO Box PPB, Pago Pago
American Samoa 96799
Phone No: (684) 699-3033
Fax No: (684) 699-3046
Email: [email protected]
American Samoa
Power Authority
PUBLIC JOB POSTING
Position Title
Department
Division
Position Type
Reports To
GIS/ Mapping Technician III
ESD
ASPA
Posting Date
Deadline
Pay Rate
Career Service – 12 months probation
ESD Manager
March 31, 2015
4:00 PM, April 6, 2015
$11,84 - $14,78 per hour/
$24,627-$30,747 per year
Job Grade/Status H/4/A - H/6/C- Non Exempt
Major Duties & Responsibilities
The primary objective is to perform as an assistant electrical maintenance technician in the installation, maintenance
and repair of water distribution electrical fixtures, apparatus, circuitry and control equipment; to contribute to safe
working conditions at all times; to aid the reliability and efficiency of water activities in sustaining and expanding a
reliable water system; to aid the balancing of the hydraulic system in providing clean, safe potable water to every
community within the territory of American Samoa.
MinimumR equirements
Education
Experience
Skills, Abilities,
Job Requirements
Bachelor’s Degree in Surveying, GIS, Engineering or similar technology
Minimum of 2 years in GIS, Surveying, AutoCAD, Drafting, Information System, & Photo Interpretation,
and Mapping; Proven ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions including special
project development on request. ArcGIS experience including but not limited to constructing polygons
using coordination geometry, heads up digitizing over imagery, mxd project creation, use and
manipulation of geodatabases.
Skilled in: Interpreting land descriptions, maps, drawings, charts, plans, survey records, and aerial
photos; Reading, understanding interpreting and applying relevant rules, ordinances, codes and
regulations; Operating a personal computer utilizing a variety of specialized and standard software;
Working within deadlines to complete projects and assignments; Specific capability to operate ArcGIS
desktop software for preparing Cadastral maps, maintaining such maps, along with the ability to
analyze data, and prepare map products while developing and maintaining GIS data sets.
Ability to: Operate a variety of technical tools and equipment, such as calculator, camera, drafting
instruments, measuring devices, etc.; Interpret, identify, assess, or diagnose a variety of instructions or
information furnished in written , oral, diagram, or schedule form and plan approached that respond
to problems or challenges; To prioritize work and research information to complete work
independently; multitask duties; To read legal descriptions, deeds, plat book, maps, and software
procedures manuals; Interpreting land descriptions, maps, drawings, charts, plans, survey records,
and aerial photos;
Qualified applicants: please submit a completed ASPA Employment Application with a copy of your resume to
ASPA (address listed above) by the deadline listed above. Please attach copies of credentials and transcripts.
Candidates selected for hire must pass examinations (when applicable), pre-employment clearances & test
negative on pre-employment drug test. ASPA reserves the right to waive education and experience requirements
as necessary.
No phone inquiries accepted.
An Equal Opportunity Employer * A Drug Free Workplace
Page 4
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Flag Day 2015 preps
underway, including
Island Wide cleanup
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu
Samoa News Reporter
At the cabinet meeting last week, Governor Lolo suggested
to the Flag Day Committee to hold two heats for the fautasi
race, and then have the final race on Thursday, the day before
the territory’s 115th Flag Day. In response, Western District
Governor, Lualemaga Faoa said that he would speak with the
captains about the request.
However, Lualemaga noted that the Governor had wanted
Flag Day to be a one day event and dedicated to the Veterans
who served and are currently serving.
The suggestion for a two-heat fautasi race, with a different
day for the final race, has since not been honored by the fautasi captains (see elsewhere for story for full details).
However, the Flag Day program will kick off April 12,
2015, with the annual service in the afternoon, and then a
whole week of festivities.
There will also be a trade fair between the two Samoas
hosted by the Department of Commerce on Friday evening.
For Flag Day, Friday, April 17, numerous guests have been
invited to attend and some of them have confirmed their attendance, while others have not, says Governor’s Chief of Staff
Fiu Johnny Saelua.
At the cabinet meeting, he noted that those who have confirmed their participation are his highness Samoa’s Head of
State; Samoa’s Prime Minister; the Indonesian Ambassador
to the US; the head of Tokelau, Ulu o Tokelau; the High Commissioner for Niue to New Zealand, and the New Zealand
High Commissioner in Samoa.
The first performers for the Pese and Siva will be from
Manu’a tele — Olosega/Sili — followed by the villages of
Masausi/Sailele, then Nua and Seetaga.
Following the three districts, there will be the siva ma pesa
performed by the Veterans, and then the Don Bosco crew will
give the finale performance of the day.
ISLAND WIDE CLEAN UP
The last island wide clean up will be Friday, April 10,
according to the Island Wide Clean-Up Committee (IWCC),
Chairman, Utu Abe Malae.
He pointed out during the cabinet meeting last week that
before then, businesses and building owners are asked to
power wash or remove mold and mildew from buildings in
clear view of the roads.
There will be Flag Day welcome banners installed at the
airport, Utulei and elsewhere.
Regarding decorations, the theme colors are red, white and
blue and ASG employees were urged to please decorate their
areas and “do not paint the rocks.”
Utu pointed out that the people continue to litter. ”Education, outreach, Power Point presentations, radio ads—they
can only go so far,” he said. “You need enforcement and the
police are the enforcers.”
At the cabinet meeting, Utu also asked the Deputy DPS
Commissioner Vaimaga Maiava to please patrol the area
between McDonald’s and the School Lunch buildings because
of the trash that accumulates there.
“Big improvements are noticeable in Pago Pago Harbor
and the Pala Lagoon,” he said.
“It’s noticeable right after a rainstorm… fewer white styrofoam pieces floating in the ocean.”
ASPA also urges the public to join them every Wednesday
morning, when they meet at ASPA and designate an area
where they walk along the roadside to clean up litter.
© Osini Faleatasi Inc. reserves all rights.
dba Samoa News is published Monday through Friday,
except for some local and federal holidays.
Please send correspondences to: OF, dba Samoa News,
Box 909, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799.
Telephone at (684) 633-5599 • Fax at (684) 633-4864
Email advertisements to [email protected]
Email the newsroom at [email protected]
Normal business hours are Mon. thru Fri. 8am to 5pm.
Permission to reproduce editorial and/or advertisements,
in whole or in part, is required. Please address such requests
to the Publisher at the address provided above.
Please visit samoanews.com for weekend updates.
Captains reject idea of 2 heats,
with just nine fautasi in race…
Translated by Samoa News staff
Now that only nine fautasi will be competing in the 2015 Fautasi Race regatta, the captains
and representatives of villages who have boats in the race have rejected Gov. Lolo Matalasi
Moliga’s recommendation to hold two fautasi races.
Captains and village representatives who attended a fautasi committee meeting yesterday at
the Office of Samoan Affairs contend that the only reason for two ‘heats’ is when there are a
lot of fautasi in the race and two races are necessary to ensure the safety at sea of all boats and
crew members as well as making it easier for the committee to control the race.
At last week Thursday’s cabinet meeting, Lolo recommended to the Fautasi Race Committee, chaired by Lualemaga Faoa, who is also the Western District Governor, to hold two
races to ensure that the community enjoys the fautasi race, saying that this is always the main
event of any Flag Day celebration.
He also said that it’s not fair for fautasi teams to be training for many weeks leading up to
the race, which then lasts only 30 minutes. He says such a short race is not so wonderful to the
people who watch and enjoy fautasi races.
At yesterday’s fautasi meeting, Lualemaga noted the governor’s recommendation but added
that the Fautasi Committee does not make such a final decision by itself. He then asked those
in the meeting for their views on holding two races.
Gaoteote Tofau Palaie, captain of the Fuao fautasi from Vatia, noted that all teams have
already picked papers, which selected their lanes for the race. He said that he would support
two heats if there were 12 boats registered because two races would make it easy to control
such a race but there are now only nine confirmed fautasi (previously, ten were confirmed).
Now it’s only appropriate and right to have only one race, said Gaoteote, who is also the
Senate President.
And if the governor wants to ensure that the community enjoys the fautasi race, Gaoteote
called on the public to come out to the shoreline during fautasi practice to watch as each fautasi
team will show their talents during these practice runs.
Other captains and village representatives agreed with Gaoteote.
(Samoa News notes that not at yesterday’s meeting were representatives for the Fetu o le
Afiafi fautasi from Fagaalu and the Segavao II fautasi from Samoa. The latter boat, skipper and
crew are expected to arrive in the territory on Apr. 9.)
Fagasoaia Leafaitafea, who represents Manulele Tausala I of Nu’uuli, officially informed
the meeting that the second boat from Nu’uuli will not race this year, although it has already
paid the $300 registration fee. (It’s not immediately clear if the village will get a refund.)
Paopaoailua J. Fiaui, representing Paepaeulupoo II of Aua agreed with only one race,
especially with only nine fautasi. However, he added that if the governor wants two races,
then each race should get monetary prizes — a statement that brought laughter from those
attending the meeting.
Gaoteote asked the Fautasi Committee if the governor had made a decision on whether there
is a registration fee of $300 for this year’s race. He said all fautasi have paid this money and if
the registration is free, than the money needs to be refunded.
Lualemaga responded that the governor is firm on the decision that the registration fee is
$300, which is a big decrease from the original fee of $1,000.
While no date is set yet, the Fautasi Committee plans to call another meeting soon to finalize
the time of the race, which is currently set for Apr. 16, a day before Apr. 17, the official Flag
Day ceremony.
(See Samoan version of this story on today’s front page under the banner of 2015 Flag
Day Preps, brought to you in Community Service in partnership with GHC Reid, Co. Ltd., and
Samoa News.)
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 5
The Dept. of Agriculture launching Import Tennessee pastor, son
Substitution Initiative marketing campaign who saved three boys
Encourages community to “Buy Local”
(PRESS RELEASE) —Tafuna, American
Samoa – March 25, 2015 – The ASG Department of Agriculture officially launched its Import
Substitution Initiative marketing campaign this
month in an effort to increase community awareness and participation in addressing food security
of the Territory and to support the work of the
local farming community.
“Having recently witnessed the labor dispute
and work slowdown at the west coast ports, the
people of American Samoa felt first hand the
impact of importing almost all of its food products from off island.” said ASG Dept. of Agriculture Director Lealao Purcell.
“Food security is everyone’s concern. Our
Department has been working with the farming
community for years to support their efforts to
grow more produce locally, to further diversify
their crops, and to reduce the need to import produce that can be grown on island.
“However, with recent events still very fresh
in everyone’s mind, we felt that now was the
perfect time to reassert ourselves and enlist the
entire community’s help in supporting our local
farmers.
“When we opt to ‘buy local’ first, this sends a
clear and direct message to our farmers that their
produce is in demand.
“This leads to more production, higher quality
produce, improved consistency, more farms and
farming, and of course a reduction in imported
produce.”
According to the Department of Agriculture,
the primary objective of the Import Substitution
Initiative is to introduce, educate, train, and promote the production of specific highly imported
and highly consumed specialty crops (produce)
within the local farming community.
The ultimate goal of the initiative is to reduce
the quantity of imported produce, improve the
food security position of the Territory, and to
increase the economic opportunities of local
farmers.
Import substitution has long been an effective tool in supporting local economies. Despite
the need to significantly improve in this area,
Director Purcell insists it is never too late to
strive for better results. “Our economy needs the
help that import substitution can supply.”
“Simply put, our local economy is like a
bucket of water. The bucket represents our island
economy; the water represents the money in our
economy. Our goal is to increase the amount of
water coming in and reduce the amount of water
going out.
In every economy, this process is dynamic.
There will always be holes in our bucket,
allowing for money to flow outward. It is our
goal to plug those holes and slow [it down], if not
eliminate the money from leaving our island.”
said Director Purcell.
“One way we can effectively accomplish this
and support our local economy is to reduce the
need to import fruits & vegetables. Let’s “Buy
Local” first, and keep the money here at home.”
The Department of Agriculture currently
provides training and other resources to assist
farmers with improving the productivity of their
farms, better diversifying their crops, aligning
the farmers efforts with market demand, and connecting producers with buyers.
For more information on the ASG Department of Agriculture’s Import Substitution Initiative, call 699-9272 or follow the Buy Local Fruits
& Vegetables campaign at www.facebook.com/
BuyLocalAmericanSamoa.
among Carnegie Heroes
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Tennessee pastor and his son are
among 20 people being honored with medals and cash from the
Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Heroes Fund Commission.
The Rev. Neil Crass and his son, Hunter O’Neil Crass, helped
when three 14-year-old boys broke through the ice covering the
Emory River in Harriman, Tennessee, on Feb. 1, 2014.
The pastor and his son, also from Harriman, drove to the scene
after learning of the mishap and used their three-person, 15-foot
aluminum motor boat to reach the boys, who were clinging to a
buoy. They took aboard a firefighter who had been breaking the
ice to clear a path toward the boys.
When they reached the boys, they hauled them into the boat
and then surrendered their coats to them.
The elder Crass was 43 at the time; his son was 19.
Three people being honored died during rescue attempts.
Jonathan Michael Davis, 29, of South Euclid, Ohio, died
helping rescue a 9-year-old boy from drowning in a Lake Erie
inlet in Cleveland, Ohio, in August 2013. Philip Scholz, 35, of
Pleasanton, California, died when he was hit by a commuter train
while pulling a man from the tracks in Santa Clara, California, in
January 2014. The other man hit by the train survived. And Matthew Ray Hattaway, 25, of Bossier City, Louisiana, died trying to
rescue a 14-year-old boy from drowning in the Gulf of Mexico off
Fort Morgan, Alabama in June 2013.
The hero awards, which will be formally announced Tuesday,
honor those who risk their lives for others.
The other 15 winners are from Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah and
Wisconsin.
The Carnegie Hero awards are named for Pittsburgh steel
magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was inspired
by stories of heroism during a coal mine disaster that killed 181
people, including a miner and an engineer who died trying to
rescue others.
The commission investigates stories of heroism and awards
medals and cash several times a year. It has given away nearly
$37 million to 9,757 awardees or their families since 1904.
Page 6
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
A new asphalt plant is now open in the territory. Pictured is the new asphalt machine now up and running in Tafuna. ICON Pacific Construction Inc. is now
[photo: B. Chen-Fruean]
ready to provide asphalt services for the people and government of American Samoa. (Read story in Community Briefs for more details).
Local hotel owners offer
views, recommendations
on a proposed room tax
Why target one industry, they ask
by B. Chen, Samoa News Correspondent
NMSAS ECO-TOUR DEMO ADVENTURE A BIG HIT
More than 150 people — young and old— took part in the first Eco-Tour Adventure held at the
Fagatele Bay in Futiga this past Saturday.
The event was hosted by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS)
as part of its Get Into Your Sanctuary (GYIS) program.
Some of the people who were in attendance are local residents who had never visited Fagatele
Bay until this past weekend. Most say they look forward to taking their families there someday to
enjoy the beautiful scenery.
An umu demonstration was carried out and everyone in attendance received a wealth of helpful
information about the area from tour guides who have knowledge of the site. Activities such as
basket weaving were conducted and sparked a lot of interest — and smiles.
The GIYS program aims to highlight a different unit of the NMSAS every month during the
duration of eight months, and the next tour will be held in Aunu’u in April.
NEW ASPHALT PLANT OPENS
A new asphalt plant has opened in the Tafuna area, owned and operated by ICON Pacific Construction Inc.
The company produced their first asphalt mix last Wednesday.
Company co-owner Jim Higgins told Samoa News that their first mix was used as a sample in
the yard and “it came out good!”
As of last Friday, the company had yet to secure a local project but with everything ready to go,
it’s only a matter of time.
Before this new asphalt plant opened for business, McConnell Dowell was the only producer of
asphalt mix in the territory, making them the go-to place for road work.
Higgins said they covered a small patch of driveway to the entrance of Manumalo Baptist
Academy in Malaeimi to test out the product and they were satisfied with the results.
He added that testing is ongoing for raw materials like oil and mix.
He said a sample of their asphalt was collected by an independent laboratory from Hawai’i
(Construction Laboratories) who have set up shop locally to carry out testing for the American
Samoa Government, as well as Michels Corporation and the American Samoa Power Authority.
by Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News Correspondent
Tradewinds Hotel has offered two major recommendations to
counter the Lolo Administration’s proposed 5% room, or occupancy tax, which affects hotels, motels, and other lodging places
in the territory.
Hotel official Olataga Toa offered the recommendations in a
written statement, which included the reason for the hotel’s opposition to the proposed tax. The statement was presented to the
Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee as the company’s
official position on the measure, which Toa says is an unfair tax
because it targets only the hotel/motel industry in the territory.
In its recommendation, Tradewinds calls for a comprehensive
study of the impact the tax will have on the tourism industry. “Especially when tourism has been highlighted earlier in the administration’s term as one of the prioritized industries to develop,” it says.
Tradewinds says the results of such a study should be presented
and opened up for discussion with industry members and with the
public. A bill would then be introduced— or not— based on such
a discussion. And if warranted, and a bill is presented and passed,
Tradewinds then recommends a longer lead time from the date of the
bill being passed, until its effective date, to allow for all computer
upgrades, staff training and an updating of all necessary room rates
to all hotel and other partners off island to ensure a smooth transition.
Toa told the Senate hearing that additional operating costs will
be incurred by the hotels as they will need to upgrade computer
software and train their staff. It will also need to revise commission rates to wholesalers and retailers off island.
Sadie’s By the Sea owner Tom Drabble verbally suggested a
sales tax, which he said would be a fair tax for every segment
of the community, with everyone paying the tax and not just one
industry. (See Samoa News editions, Mar. 26 and Mar. 27).
The Senate committee has not yet made a decision on the bill,
with only two weeks left in the current session. During the committee hearing, only Sen. Leatualevao Asifoa publicly stated that he
supports the bill, saying that visitors have to pay something to help
the government. He also said that this bill is long overdue, arguing
that when local residents travel off island they have no choice but
to pay room taxes in places such as a Samoa and Hawai’i.
Meanwhile the House last Friday passed in third and final
reading its identical version of the bill, which went through first
reading in the Senate yesterday. The House only heard from ASG
witnesses during a hearing last Wednesday, where several faipule
voiced their strong support of the measure.
However, there was also a call for testimony from the American
Samoa Visitors Bureau on the impact of the bill on the tourism
industry. (see yesterday’s edition for details on the House hearing.)
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 7
AYFS Coupon Cards have arrived!
$10/card gets you savings from 18 local businesses!
Support our local
businesses and save
$$$! Buy your card
now!
Call 770-AYFS
731-1570 or
770-0529
THANK YOU
to the following companies
who are participating this year!
- Sir Amos Car Rental - Photogenix
- Dorothy’s Beauty Salon
- Evalani’s
- Xscape Body Care
- Off Da Rock Tattoos
- Lalelei’s
- BookWorm books
- Double Zs Burger
- 3439 Footwear - Island Pizza
- Moochetta’s
- Koko Beans
- Steven & Son’s
Cards sold at participating businesses:
* Niu Born/Sports Domain (Nu’uuli Laufou Center)
* Herbn’ Juice (Nu’uuli-Behind Laufou)
* Downtown Coffee Brew (Fagatogo Square)
* Pritchard’s Bakery (Leone)
* Tony’s Construction/
Partyville Rentals (Tafuna)
All for the kids!
Pilots Andre Boschberg, center left, and Bertrand Piccard, at right, pose for photos with their
solar powered plane in a hangar at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The Solar Impulse 2 landed in Chongqing
early Tuesday after a 20-hour, 1,375-kilometer (854 mile) flight from Mandalay, Myanmar, on
(AP Photo)
the fifth leg of the plane’s attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Yap Island in western Pacific
under typhoon warning
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A typhoon
warning has been issued for Yap Island in the
Federated States of Micronesia in the western
Pacific Ocean.
The National Weather Service said in a statement that residents could experience winds of
74 mph or higher from Typhoon Maysak early
Wednesday morning. Located about 2,500 miles
southwest of Hawaii, the Federated States of
Micronesia consists of 607 islands with a population of about 107,000.
Japan began administrating the islands under
a League of Nations mandate in 1920. That ended
with World War II, and Micronesia became part
of the U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands. It attained independence under
a Compact of Free Association with the United
States in 1986.
Man accused in Ferguson police
shooting to seek lower bond
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — The attorney for
a man accused of shooting two police officers
during a Ferguson demonstration says he’ll seek
a lower bond for his client.
Twenty-year-old Jeffrey Williams is scheduled for a St. Louis County court appearance
Tuesday on charges of felony assault, armed
criminal action and a weapons offense.
Williams’ attorney, Jerryl Christmas, told The
Associated Press on Monday he’ll ask a judge to
reduce Williams’ bond from $300,000 cash-only.
Williams is accused of wounding the officers on March 12, during an early morning rally
sparked by the resignation of Ferguson’s police
chief. Both officers are expected to recover.
Prosecutors allege Williams told investigators
he fired a gun but was aiming at someone else.
Christmas says his client never fired a weapon
that day and the shooter remains at large.
Man pays fine and avoids jail
for missing jury duty 11 times
SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania man has paid a $500 fine to avoid being
jailed for missing jury duty 11 times in the last
two years. Somerset County Judge D. Gregory
Geary told 32-year-old Owen Fazenbaker III that
he’d spend a week in jail if he didn’t pay the fine.
Fazenbaker paid on Friday.
Fazenbaker was arrested March 23 when he
showed up at the courthouse for a child custody
hearing and sheriff’s deputies arrested him on a
warrant for missing jury duty.
Under the law, the judge could have sentenced
Fazenbaker to a $500 fine and 10 days in jail for
each time he had missed jury duty.
The Stoystown man says he’ll respond to jury
summonses in the future.
Police — Man who drank 36
beers crashes into Utah house
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Authorities say
the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the
side of a house in Salt Lake City acknowledged
drinking 36 beers and doing cocaine. A probable
cause statement says Bernabe Urcino-Saldago
told police what he had consumed after he failed
a field sobriety test early Monday.
The 39-year-old was arrested on suspicion
of DUI, negligent collision and driving without
a license. No one was hurt in the early morning
crash at a house on Salt Lake City’s west side,
near Rosewood Park.
The Associated Press sought comment on the
arrest from Urcino-Saldago but could not verify
whether he had a listed telephone number or an
attorney.
21 killed when bus goes
off cliff in Peruvian Andes
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Authorities say 21 people
were killed and 38 seriously injured when a bus
veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in
Peru’s southeastern Andes Mountains.
It is the second deadly road accident in Peru
in a week. Last Monday, 38 people died and
84 were injured when three buses and a truck
collided on the South American country’s main
coastal highway.
The latest accident took place on Monday in
Ayacucho province.
The bus fell into a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot)
deep ravine, Col. Orfiles Bravo told local media.
He said the cause of the accident was still not
known. He said the bus was reduced to “a mass
of twisted metal.”
Justices reject appeal by
U.S. flag-wearing students
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court
has denied an appeal from former California high
school students who were ordered to turn their
American flag T-shirts inside out during a celebration of the Cinco de Mayo holiday at school.
The justices did not comment Monday in
leaving in place an appellate ruling that found
that school officials acted appropriately because
their concerns about racial violence outweighed
students’ freedom of expression rights. Administrators feared the American-flag shirts would
enflame the passions of Latino students celebrating the Mexican holiday.
The onetime students at Live Oak High School
in Morgan Hill, California, argued that school
officials gave a “heckler’s veto” to the objecting
students.
The brother and sister who won a landmark
Vietnam era student speech case at the Supreme
Court also supported the appeal.
(Continued on page 10)
Help Wanted
Lucky 777 Restaurant in Nu’uuli is seeking a
ASSISTANT CHIEF COOK & BAKER with more
than 3 years experience. Must be Bilingual
(English & Samoan). Please call 252-0726.
FOR SALE BY OWNER
2008 Ford F450 Lariat Super Duty V8
4x4 Diesel with Gooseneck Hitch
Serious buyers may contact John at 731-4510 for
full details and any other inquiries
HelpW anted
Tip Top Sop in Nu’uuli is seeking a
SALESPERSON with experience in repairing
computers. Must be Bilingual (English &
Samoan). Call 254-9009
NOTICE FOR SEPARATION AGREEMENT
TO Members of the LEOTA Family and to all whom these present may come!
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SANELE ALESANA & WEI LI M. ALESANA of PAGO PAGO has
offered for recording in this office an instrument in writing which seeks to separate a certain
structure which is or to be erected, on land VAIPITO, allegedly belonging to LEOTA FAMILY of the
village of PAGO PAGO. Said land VAIPITO is situated in or near the village of PAGO PAGO in the
County of MAOPUTASI, Island of TUTUILA, American Samoa.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that any interested person may object to the recording of such
instrument by filing in the Territorial Registar’s Office in Fagatogo, a written objection to the
recording of said instrument. Any objections thereto must be filed with in 30 days from the date of
posting of this notice.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if no such objections are filed within the said 30 day period,
the instrument will be recorded and shall be valid and binding on all persons. The said instrument
may be examined at any time at the Territorial Registrar’s Office.
POSTED: MARCH 10, 2015 thru APRIL 9, 2015
SIGNED:
Taito S.B. White, Territorial Registrar
FA’AALIGA O LE FEAGAIGA MO SE TU’U’ESEINA
I tagata o le aiga sa LEOTA, ma i latou uma e silasila ma lauiloaina lenei fa’aaliga!
O le fa’aaliga lenei ona o SANELE ALESANA & WEI LI M. ALESANA o le nu’u o PAGO PAGO ua ia
fa’aulufaleina mai i lenei ofisa se feagaiga tusitusi e fa’ailoa ai se mana’oga fia tu’u’eseina o se fale
ua/po o le a, fa’atuina i luga o le fanua o VAIPITO e fa’asino i le aiga sa LEOTA, o le nu’u o PAGO
PAGO. O lenei fanua e totonu pe latalata ane i le nu’u o PAGO PAGO, itumalo o MAOPUTASI, ile
motu o TUTUILA, Amerika Samoa.
O le fa’aaliga fo’i e fa’apea, so o se tasi e iai sona aia i lenei mata’upu e mafai ona fa’atu’i’iese
ile fa’amauina o lenei feagaiga pe a auina mai i le ofisa ole Resitara o le Teritori of Amerika Samoa i
Fagatogo, sana fa’atu’ese tusitusia. O fa’atu’iesega uma lava e ao ona fa’aulufaleina mai i totonu o
aso e 30 faitauina mai i le aso na faíaalia ai lenei fa’aaliga.
Afai ole a leai se fa’atu’i’esega e fa’aulufaleina i totonu o aso 30 e pei ona ta’ua i luga, o le a
03/17 & 03/31/15
fa’amauina loa lenei feagaiga e taualoaina ma ‘a’afia ai tagata uma.
Page 8
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Man arrested for public
peace disturbance has
outstanding warrants
3-year old robbery cases come to light
by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu, Samoa News Reporter
Freddie Fa’aoso Viliamu was arrested on a public peace disturbance charge last week and when he appeared in court, it was
discovered that he had two outstanding arrest warrants from 2012
— both involving charges of robbery.
The first case against Viliamu charges him with second degree
robbery, which carries a jail term from five to 15 years, and a
stealing charge, which is punishable up to seven years in jail, a fine
of up to $20,000, or both fine and jail time. In this matter, Viliamu
is being held on bail of $30,000.
According to the government’s case, in July 2012 police
received a report from the police station about a robbery.
The store owner informed the police that two men had walked
into her store, opened the cash register and taken about $600.
Both suspects, according to the store owner covered their faces
as if they were “ninjas”. Police spoke to several witnesses who
placed Viliamu and his co-defendant at the scene. It’s unclear if
the government has charged a co-defendant in this matter.
The second case against Viliamu charges him with two counts
of receiving or disposing of stolen property. Each charge carries a
jail term of up to seven years, and a fine of up to $5,000. Bail for
Viliamu in this case is $10,000. In January 2012, the Leone High
School principal informed the police about a classroom that had been
broken into and some items had been stolen. Among the items taken,
it’s alleged that five iMac computers were missing along with five
keyboards and five hard drives that belonged to the teacher.
According to the government’s case, the police spoke to the
suspect in the case, who confirmed that he and three other men had
stolen the computers from LHS. He alleged that three of the computers had been given to Viliamu. Police spoke to the Villiamu
who admitted that he had sold two computers from the high school
to two people, and received $120. Court filings say police spoke to
one of the families who had the third computer and they confirmed
they had bought one of the computers for $60.
Viliamu will be arraigned in the High Court tomorrow, as he has
waived his rights for a preliminary examination in both cases.
C
M
Y
K
C
M
Y
K
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 9
A Celebration of Life
Lemasani Siliva Tapopo Satele Lili’o
C
M
Y
K
Iopu 1: 21 “Na foaiina mai e le Alii, ua aveeseina foi e le Alii, ia
faamanuia le Suafa o le Alii.”
Salamo 23: 1-2 “O le Alii, o lo’u leoleo mamoe o ia; e leai se mea ou te
mativa ai; na te ave a’u i le mea e i ai le vao mu’a ou te taoto ai. Na te
ta’ita’i ia te a’u i tafatafa o vai e tafe lemu; na te faafoisia mai lo’u agaga;
na te ta’ita’i ia te a’u i ala o le amiotonu ona o lona suafa.”
C
M
Y
K
FUNERAL PROGRAM
FAMILY SERVICE - Wednesday, April 1, 2015
6:00 pm
LBJ Chapel
FUNERAL SERVICE - Friday, April 3, 2015
6:00am
8:00am
11:00am
LBJ Chapel
CCCAS Alao
Burial in Tafuna
Forever In Our Hearts,
Children & Grandchildren
Page 10
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Surplus symbols: How
many state bugs and
beans do we need?
Gendarme Bruno Hermignies stands by a bulldozer clearing a path to the crash site near
Seyne-les-Alpes, France, Monday, March 30, 2015.
European investigators are focusing on the psychological state of a 27-year-old German copilot who prosecutors say deliberately flew a Germanwings plane carrying 150 people into a
(AP Photo/Claude Paris, Pool)
mountain, a French police official said Monday. ➧ NEWS IN BRIEF…
California man jailed twice in a
weekend for drunken driving
SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California was arrested twice in one weekend on
suspicion of drunken driving. The Santa Rosa
Press Democrat reports Monday that 55-yearold Donald Flinn was arrested Friday night and
booked into Sonoma County Jail on $30,000 bail.
He was also arrested on suspicion of cruelty to a
child during that traffic stop.
Jail processor Chris Amador says he posted
bailed Saturday morning and was released.
Authorities said Flinn was back in jail Saturday night after he was brought in again on
suspicion of drunken driving. He spent Saturday
night in jail and was released Sunday morning
after posting $10,000 bail. Flinn was not immediately available for comment Monday.
Man decorating family grave
is killed by falling headstone
THROOP, Pa. (AP) — Police say a Pennsylvania man decorating a relative’s grave for Easter
with his wife has been killed after a headstone fell
on him. Police say 74-year-old Stephan Woytack
was struck in the head Monday at Saint Joseph’s
Cemetery in nearby Throop.
A cemetery caretaker tells WNEP-TV that the
Scranton couple visits the grave several times a
year and ties a cross to it each year.
Caretaker Ed Kubilus says the bases of headstones often sink when the ground thaws, making
them susceptible to tipping over. Throop is about
5 miles northeast of downtown Scranton.
Solar-powered plane lands in
China on round-the-world flight
BEIJING (AP) — A groundbreaking solarpowered plane successfully flew from Myanmar
to central China Tuesday as part of an round-theworld journey promoting renewable energy use.
The organizers of the Solar Impulse 2 flight wrote
in a statement that the plane landed in Chongqing,
China, at 1:35 a.m. Tuesday, after leaving Mandalay, Myanmar, more than 20 hours earlier.
Two Swiss pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre
Borschberg, are flying the state-of-the-art plane,
which is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells
on its wings. They are attempting the first ever
round-the-world flight by a solar-powered plane.
The statement said the pilots had to make a steep
climb to cross mountainous terrain in southern
China. The pilots wore oxygen masks in the unpressurized cockpit, where temperatures dropped to 20
degrees below zero Celsius. The Solar Impulse 2
started its journey from Abu Dhabi on March 9 and
made four stops before arriving in China. It flies
next to the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing before
heading to Hawaii on its five-month trip.
Continued from page 7
SUV crashes into Long Island
storefront, killing customer
GREAT NECK, N.Y. (AP) — Police say an
SUV pulling into a parking space has barreled
through a New York storefront, killing a customer. A second customer and a store employee
also suffered minor injuries Monday in the Long
Island crash. Nassau County police say the
victim, 66-year-old Lizabeth Sbarr, was waiting
to be served at the AT&T store in Great Neck.
Inspector Kenneth Lack tells Newsday the
driver was pulling into a parking spot when she
went through the store’s glass exterior around
10:50 a.m. Lack says the crash appears to be
accidental and no criminal charges are expected.
Bystanders lifted the SUV to free the woman.
She was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly
after 1 p.m.
Kerry pizza: Savvy restaurateur cashes in on nuke talks
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Whether
or not Secretary of State John Kerry succeeds at
nuclear talks in Lausanne with Iran, his name will
live on in this lakeside Swiss city — as a pizza.
Garnished with chicken, bacon, onions and
rocket salad, the “John Kerry mini-pizza” went
on sale Monday at an eatery as part of a menu that
includes a small salad and a desert. The price? 18
Swiss francs — just over $18.
Proprietor Francoise Tribolet says she thinks
the offering will be popular, although it is too early
to tell just a few hours after it went on sale. Asked
why the name, she says “because he’s here.” Tribolet says the pizza will join other — full-size —
pizzas on the permanent menu named after President Barack Obama and other statesmen.
Court says lawyer’s brief
absence doesn’t merit a retrial
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court
says a Michigan man convicted of murder and
armed robbery does not deserve a new trial even
though his lawyer was absent for 10 minutes
during the original trial.
The justices ruled Monday in favor of Michigan officials who want to stop a new trial for
Cory Donald, one of three defendants convicted
in the 2005 shooting death of Mohamed Makki.
Michigan state courts rejected Donald’s claim
that his lawyer was ineffective.
But a federal court ruled that the absence
occurred at a critical stage during testimony that
implicated his co-defendants. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.
In an unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court
said there was no harm to Donald since the testimony was irrelevant to his theory of the case.
(Continued on page 11)
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Maine celebrates its Whoopie
pies. North Carolinians proudly dance their Shag. In Kansas,
even dirt is official: Harney silt loam is the state soil.
So was it really out of line when a group of fourth graders
asked their lawmakers last month to make the red-tailed hawk
New Hampshire’s state raptor?
Some legislators insisted on shooting down the kids’ hawk
idea to show they had more important work to do, only to be
labeled insensitive bullies.
“We already have a state bird. But now do we need a state
raptor? Isn’t that a bird?” said Rep. Christy Bartlett, a Democrat
from Concord who accused her colleagues of caving to the kids.
Also raising eyebrows was the lesson Republican Rep.
Warren Groen gave the 9 and 10-year-olds, when he said the
hawk would make a better mascot for Planned Parenthood, since
it rips its prey apart “limb by limb.”
More than 70 more state symbols have been proposed
across the 50 states this year, many proposed by students.
They would name everything from the official Alaska state
hostess (Miss Alaska, duh!) to Wyoming’s official legendary
creature, the jackalope. (Alas, the jackalope passed the House
but died in the Senate.)
Massachusetts alone is considering nine symbol bills this
year, including an official form of tai chi.
Sometimes, the kids learn civics.
Sometimes, it’s the lawmakers who get schooled.
A third-grader’s effort to name the Columbian Mammoth as
South Carolina’s official fossil got held up by several lawmakers
who wanted to declare that God made mammoths on Day Six.
She stuck to her scientific principles until the fossil was recognized without the creation language last year.
In Boise, 14-year-old Ilah Hickman lobbied since he was 9
on behalf of the Idaho Giant Salamander, only to be thwarted
by lawmakers worried about protecting another species. The last
doubters were outvoted last week, sending the bill to the governor for his signature.
New Hampshire already boasts — take a deep breath now —
an official tree, bird, dog, animal, insect, amphibian, butterfly,
saltwater fish, freshwater fish, rock, mineral, gem and tartan.
“We have to stop these and tell the teacher, ‘I know you
want to mean well and you want to encourage your kids and
you should, but you shouldn’t be taking up our precious time,’”
said State Rep. John Burt. He hosts Hot Dog Day on the statehouse lawn to raise money for charity each year, and poked fun
at himself by telling lawmakers they’d soon be picking an official state hot dog.
The raptor bill’s sponsor, Democrat Rep. Renny Cushing,
later apologized to the students and teachers for his colleagues’
behavior.
“I told them it’s not always like this here ... that we’re really
not as mean and cranky as we were that day,” Cushing said.
New Hampshire’s symbol list is far from the lengthiest:
Oklahoma has 45, including five state foods, including the state
bean, black eyed peas; and six separate meals — among them,
chicken-fried steak.
The mammoth gave South Carolina 51.
Whose idea was this, anyway?
According to State Symbols USA, the naming game started
when a “National Garland of Flowers” created for the 1893
Chicago World’s Fair inspired states to adopt official floral
emblems.
High school social studies teacher Dave Alcox sympathizes
with the lawmakers.
He teaches civic engagement, and says it’s vital to get young
people involved, but these bills can take time, so has kids invite
lawmakers or the governor to speak to a class, or attend a forum
with Supreme Court justices.
“You try to balance that ‘let’s have a teachable moment,’
versus ‘let’s not try to tie up too much time,’” he said.
New Hampshire’s lawmakers aren’t alone in trying to draw
a line: Missouri is considering a bill to limit its symbols to 28.
That would sadden fans of “Jim The Wonder Dog,” a champion Llewellyn setter who was said to be able to pick the winner
of the Kentucky Derby or World Series in the 1930s.
Yes, Missouri already has an official “historical dog,”
Old Drum.
But it doesn’t have an official “Wonder Dog.”
And don’t give up on that raptor just yet: New Hampshire
Democrat Jeff Woodburn says he’ll revisit the hawk’s nomination, when the Senate debates designating the bobcat as New
Hampshire’s official wildcat.
US agents charged with
stealing digital currency
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two former federal agents were
charged with fraud in the theft of digital currency during an investigation into an online black market known as Silk Road that let
users buy and sell drugs and other illegal items, authorities said
Monday. Former U.S. Secret Service special agent Shaun W.
Bridges, 32, of Laurel, Maryland, appeared in federal court in San
Francisco but didn’t enter a plea.
He has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering.
He was later released on $500,000 unsecured bond. His attorney,
Steven Levin, declined to comment.
Bridges is accused of diverting more than $800,000 in digital
currency to his personal account after gaining control of the funds
during the Silk Road investigation.
The complaint alleges that Bridges placed the assets into a
now-defunct digital currency exchange in Japan then wired funds
into one of his personal investment accounts in the U.S.
The criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in
San Francisco on Wednesday and unsealed Monday.
Carl M. Force, 46, of Baltimore, a former special agent with the
Drug Enforcement Administration, also has been charged in the case.
He was expected to make an appearance in court Monday and remain
in custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday. His attorney
Ivan Bates did not immediately returns calls for comment. Force
worked undercover and was tasked with establishing communications with a target of the investigation, Ross William Ulbricht, who
was convicted of seven drug and conspiracy charges in February.
Ulbricht was accused of creating the multimillion-dollar marketplace for illegal drugs and other contraband and adopting the
alias Dread Pirate Roberts, a character from the movie “Princess
Bride.” The website promised its buyers and sellers anonymity by
using encryption and bitcoins.
Force is charged with wire fraud, theft of government property,
money laundering and conflict of interest. The complaint alleges
that Force used fake online personas and engaged in complex bitcoin transactions to steal from the government and Ulbricht.
Investigators say Force solicited and received digital currency as part of the investigation but failed to report the funds and
instead transferred the currency to his personal account. In one
such transaction, Force sold information about the government’s
investigation to Ulbricht, authorities say. The complaint also
alleges that Force invested in and worked for a digital currency
exchange company while still employed by the DEA. He directed
the company to freeze a customer’s account and then transferred
the account funds to his personal account, it says.
Police: Missing college athlete
died on a Los Angeles freeway
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A University of California, Berkeley,
soccer player who disappeared after leaving a weekend party was
killed by a car as he ran across a Los Angeles freeway, police
said Monday. The 19-year-old freshman, Eloi (eh-loy) Vasquez,
died early Saturday on eastbound Interstate 10 about a mile from
the University of Southern California after he was seen leaving a
fraternity party, the California Highway Patrol said.
A woman said a man ran in front of her and she was unable
to avoid hitting him, said Officer Edgar Figueroa, a CHP
spokesman. The man was struck just east of Vermont Avenue.
The investigation was ongoing. Vasquez was pronounced dead
at the scene. He was not carrying identification, which set off a
missing persons search until the coroner identified him.
Vasquez, who was on spring break in Los Angeles, had left
the party to take a walk with no money and no wallet, family and
police said. His mother, Wendy Margolin, said he later called a
friend, telling her he was lost and in trouble.
Figueroa did not know if Vasquez had alcohol or drugs in
his system. Toxicology screens to detect substances usually take
weeks to complete. The family had offered a $100,000 reward
for information about his whereabouts.
“Needless to say, we are heartbroken, we are devastated
upon finding out this news,” Wesley Mallette, associate athletic
director at the Berkeley campus, said at a news conference.
“Eloi Vasquez was a wonderful young man, a fantastic student athlete, dedicated and devoted to everything he did.”
Vasquez’s soccer teammates at Cal were informed of his
death at a meeting that lasted more than an hour.
Vasquez had traveled with other teammates to Southern
California for the break and was supposed to return Monday to
resume the semester, coach Kevin Grimes said. “Eloi was a wonderful teammate. He was very close to all of his players. Our
guys are grieving pretty hard right now,” Grimes said.
Vasquez, a freshman midfielder, had hurt his knee during the
year and was still recovering from surgery in December.
A handful of complications, including the lack of any ID card,
kept authorities from identifying Vasquez and kept the missing
persons case alive into Monday.
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 11
Supporters of opposition candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress
(APC) party celebrate by wheel-spinning motorcycles what they said was the senatorial win in
Kano Central district of APC candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Kano, northern Nigeria
Monday, March 30, 2015. Nigerians are waiting in hope and fear for results of the most tightly
(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
contested presidential election in the nation’s turbulent history.
➧ NEWS IN BRIEF…
four-year-old girl rides Philly
bus searching for 3 a.m. snack
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 4-year-old Philadelphia girl has been returned safely to her parents after slipping out of her house at 3 a.m. and
getting on a transit bus in search of a snack.
Bus driver Harlan Jenifer said the girl swung
her legs as she chanted, “All I want is a slushie.”
Surveillance video showed the preschooler
sitting on the bus early Friday, chatting to other
passengers. Jenifer stopped the bus and called
police. The police took the girl to a hospital,
where she was reunited with her mother.
The girl’s father, Timothy Ridgeway, says,
“Thank God for the bus driver stopping.”
Authorities say the girl’s family didn’t know
she woke up and unlocked the back door before
starting her trek through a downpour early Friday.
Officials don’t plan to file charges.
the Porbeagle shark may be
listed as endangered species
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal regulators say they are reviewing the status of the porbeagle shark to determine if listing the species
under the Endangered Species Act is warranted.
Porbeagle sharks are popular as meat and with
game fishermen. Regulators say the animals are
threatened by the shark fin trade and bycatch
from other fisheries. The International Union for
Conservation of Nature lists them as vulnerable.
The National Marine Fisheries Service says
it is responding to a recent court order and new
information about the sharks. The service says it
will compile information for a status report that
will then be independently peer reviewed.
Porbeagle sharks are found in the North
Atlantic Ocean, Southern Hemisphere and Mediterranean. A decision on whether to list the sharks
as endangered should be made by December.
Prince William starts work as
helicopter ambulance pilot
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Prince William has started his new job — working as air
ambulance helicopter pilot. Kensington Palace
says William began work Monday for Bond Air
Services, a helicopter operator that serves East
Anglian Air Ambulance. He will undertake job
training in the next few months — including simulator, aircraft and in-flight skills training — and
start piloting missions in the summer.
William, 32, passed his Air Transport Pilot’s
License exams in March, completing 14 written
exams on subjects such as the principles of flight
and navigation. The second-in-line to the throne
will work with medics responding to emergencies ranging from road accidents to heart attacks.
The stint will be William’s main job, although
he will also continue to take on royal duties and
engagements both in Britain and overseas.
Continued from page 10
Officials: Pizza shop burglar
steals 100 candy bars, cookies
PLEASANTVILLE, Pa. (AP) — State police
in northwestern Pennsylvania are looking for a
burglar who just may have some cavities — or, at
least, a sweet tooth.
Troopers from Franklin say whoever broke
into Corky’s Pizza Shop overnight Friday into
Saturday stole more than 100 chocolate bars and
eight chocolate chip cookies.
The shop is in the tiny borough of Pleasantville in Armstrong County, about 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The candy bars were larger fundraiser-type
bars from Daffin’s Candy in Sharon.
Utah governor OKs bill making
cockfighting a felony offense
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s Republican governor has signed a bill that makes cockfighting a felony after repeat offenses. The measure signed by Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday
makes cockfighting a misdemeanor on the first
and second offenses and a felony on the third.
Lawmakers killed a similar measure two years
in a row but accepted the version proposed by
Democratic Sen. Gene Davis, of Salt Lake City,
this year. Davis said cockfighting is a felony in
all other Western states.
He argued that Utah has become a magnet for
the sport because it is only a misdemeanor. The
practice is considered animal cruelty by many.
Opponents of the bill say the punishment is
out of proportion with the crime.
Guinea shuts border with Sierra
Leone in an effort to end Ebola
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Guinea closed
its border with Sierra Leone on Monday as part
of new efforts to stamp out Ebola, an official said.
The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa
has killed more than 10,300 people, mostly in
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Liberia currently has no Ebola patients, and Sierra Leone
has seen a fairly steady decline in cases in recent
weeks. But the disease remains stubbornly
entrenched in Guinea more than a year after the
outbreak started and authorities are now ramping
up efforts to eliminate the disease.
Guinean President Alpha Conde announced
this weekend that emergency measures would be
“reinforced” for a 45-day period in five districts,
including some along the border with Sierra
Leone. The decision to close the border was made
in the context of those new measures, according
to Cmdr. Mamadou Alpha Barry, spokesman for
the national gendarmerie.
Previously, Guinean authorities had monitored people crossing into the country for symptoms of the disease.
(Continued on page 12)
Page 12
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
In this Tuesday, March 24, 2015 photo, tourists ride horses in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan. The country’s tourism industry, backed by the government, is now
trying to lure visitors with price cuts, including the waiving of some airport fees. But a quick recovery appears doubtful as neighboring Syria and Iraq sink deeper
(AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
into violence and Islamic State militants continue to control large areas of both countries.
➧ NEWS IN BRIEF…
Continued from page 11
Climbing temperatures end
Southern California ski season
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Ski lifts are coming to an
early stop in Southern California.
Climbing temperatures and a lack of snow have ended the ski
season at the Bear Mountain and Snow Summit resorts.
Even at 7,000 feet elevation, temperatures over the weekend
threatened to hit 70 degrees.
California Ski Industry Association executive director Bob
Roberts tells the Press-Enterprise of Riverside that California
resorts are ending the fourth consecutive season of below-average
snowfall. Roberts says it’s the first time he can recall four consecutive years when snowfall levels dipped dramatically. The
National Ski Areas Association says skier visits plunged nearly 28
percent from the previous season at California, Nevada and Arizona resorts. California is in the midst of a long-running drought.
Ohio officer dies after
funeral procession crash
CINCINNATI (AP) — A 63-year-old veteran Ohio police
officer has died from injuries suffered when his motorcycle was
hit by a car while he was escorting a funeral procession.
Witnesses say a driver turned into the procession Saturday afternoon, sending George Brooks into the air before he hit the pavement. Brooks was hospitalized in critical condition, and the Hamilton County Coroner’s office reports that he died Sunday night.
Witnesses said Brooks had his lights and siren on when the
crash happened near downtown Cincinnati.
Police say they haven’t filed charges against the automobile
driver, but are continuing to investigate. Brooks was a 25-year
police veteran when he retired in 2005 from the Forest Park police
department in suburban Cincinnati.
Wartime land mines kill 5 Iranian
border guards and a shepherd
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV says two land mines
left over from the 1980s Iraq-Iran war have killed five Iranian
border guards and a female shepherd near the Iraqi border.
The TV says the guards were on a regular patrol Monday near
the Iranian border town of Qasr-e Shirin, about 540 kilometers
(340 miles) west of the capital, Tehran, when one of the mines
went off. The second explosion, which killed the woman shepherd, was also in the same area on Monday. Such explosions occasionally take place and to this day cause casualties.
Iran says it has defused millions of land mines that Iraqi forces
planted during the 1980-88 conflict that former Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein waged against Iran. The eight-year-long war
killed more than a million people on both sides.
(Continued on page 13)
Ancient Petra sees few visitors
as tourism in Jordan declines
PETRA, Jordan (AP) — It’s high season in
Petra, an ancient city hewn from rose-colored
rock and Jordan’s biggest tourist draw. Yet
nearby hotels stand virtually empty these days
and only a trickle of tourists make their way
through a landmark canyon to the Treasury
building where scenes of one of the “Indiana
Jones” movies were filmed.
Petra’s slump is part of a sharp decline in
tourism as Jordan’s economy pays a price for
regional turbulence and its high-profile role in
the U.S.-led battle against Islamic State militants
next door.
Jordan’s involvement in the anti-Islamic State
coalition drew worldwide attention earlier this
year, when it stepped up airstrikes against targets
in Syria after the militants burned to death a Jordanian fighter pilot in a cage.
With the harrowing images, war seemed to
come closer and tourism suffered, even as the
kingdom tried to maintain its traditional image as
an oasis of calm in a violent region. Video of the
pilot’s immolation, released by the militants in
February, led to a surge in cancellations of hotel
bookings in Jordan, tourism officials said.
The tourism industry, backed by the government, is now trying to lure visitors with price
cuts, including waiving some airport fees. But a
quick recovery appears doubtful as neighboring
Syria and Iraq sink deeper into violence and
Islamic State militants continue to control large
areas of both countries.
“We are not optimistic for 2015,” said Ahmad
Amarat, manager of the 95-room Kings’ Way
Hotel near Petra, which closed four months ago
after an average occupancy rate of 28 percent for
2014, compared to 95 percent in 2010.
The tourism troubles are just one of a series
of challenges Jordan’s economy has faced since
the outbreak of the Arab Spring uprisings in
2011, even though the kingdom experienced
little unrest.
“The instability in the region affected the
economic indicators, mainly tourism, as well
as foreign direct investment,” said government
spokesman Mohammed al-Momani. At the
same time, hundreds of thousands of refugees
from Syria’s civil war, now in its fifth year, have
strained public services.
Still, Jordan’s economy is doing slightly
better than the regional average, with 3.4 percent
growth projected for 2015, compared to 1.2 percent growth achieved across the Middle East and
North Africa in 2014, the World Bank said.
Before the Arab Spring, Jordan’s tourism
industry was going strong, with 8.2 million visitors in 2010. By 2013, that number had dropped
to 5.4 million, according to the World Bank.
The decline accelerated this year, with the
number of overnight visitors down by 50 percent in the first two months of 2015, said Abdel
Al Razzaq Arabiyat, managing director of the
Jordan Tourism Board.
The slump threatens thousands of tourism
jobs, a loss Jordan can ill afford. The official
unemployment rate is close to 12 percent, though
actual joblessness is believed to much higher,
especially among young Jordanians, creating
potentially fertile ground for extremism.
In Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site,
the number of annual visitors dropped from
800,000 in 2010 to 400,000 last year, said Yassar
al-Majali, general manager of the Jordan Hotel
Association.
About half of the visitors currently come for
day trips, rather than staying overnight, he said.
In Wadi Mousa, a town of 25,000 closest
to Petra, 10 of 38 hotels were forced to close,
including nine in the past year, while others have
scaled back staff, said Khaled Nawafleh, head of
the Petra Hotel Association.
The town has lost 1,500 tourism jobs, he said.
Hussam Hamadeen, a 37-year-old father of
three, lost his job as a reception clerk after the
Kings’ Way Hotel closed. He unsuccessfully
looked for work in two other tourist areas — the
capital, Amman, 250 kilometers (155 miles) to
the north, and in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, 130
kilometers (80 miles) to the south.
(Continued on page 26)
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 13
➧ NEWS IN BRIEF…
Continued from page 12
Palestinians, Israeli Arabs mark ‘Land Day’
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians and Arab citizens of Israel
have marked “Land Day,” an annual day of protest against what
they say are discriminatory land policies by Israel.
About 2,000 protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted
slogans Monday in the northern Israeli town of Deir Hanna. Several hundred also demonstrated in the southern Bedouin town of
Rahat and several dozen in east Jerusalem.
Land Day is marked annually on March 30 and commemorates
the day in 1976 when Israeli security forces shot and killed six
Palestinians during demonstrations. Arab citizens make up 20 percent of Israel’s population. Equality is guaranteed by Israeli law,
but many Arabs complain of discrimination. This year’s Land Day
comes after a bitter election campaign. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu warned of Arabs heading to the polls in “droves.”
Pentagon chief backs concept
of a joint Arab military force
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter is
endorsing the Arab League’s plan to form a joint military force.
Details on how such a force would operate are thin. But the
agreement announced Sunday is a telling sign of a new determination among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and their allies to intervene
aggressively in regional hotspots.
In remarks Monday during a visit to Fort Drum, New York,
Carter called the planned joint force “a good thing.”
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the U.S. was
waiting to see the exact structure and operational mandate of the
joint force. Arab League officials said a full proposal is to be presented within four months.
Cliffhanger in early returns
from Nigeria presidential vote
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — In a cliffhanger of an election, early
returns Monday night from half the states showed Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and former military dictator Muhammadu
Buhari almost even. The U.S. and Britain warned of “disturbing
indications” that the tally could be subject to political interference.
Counting stopped just before midnight Monday with Jonathan winning nine states and the tiny Federal Capital Territory
to Buhari’s nine states. But Buhari won many more votes — 8.5
million to Jonathan’s 6.48. Another 18 states — including Lagos
which has the biggest number of voters of any state — still have to
send results to the counting center in Abuja.
Jury awards $38.5 million-plus
in fatal shooting at plant
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The families of two women killed
by a co-worker at a northeast Philadelphia plant 4½ years ago
were awarded $38.5 million in punitive damages from a security
guard firm on Monday. The decision by the Common Pleas Court
panel came in the suit filed against U.S. Security Associates Inc. of
Georgia in the September 2010 shooting deaths at the Kraft Foods
plant. A separate panel earlier ordered the firm to pay more than
$8 million in compensatory damages.
LaTonya Brown, 36, and Tanya Wilson, 47, were killed and
another employee wounded by a deluded employee who thought coworkers were spraying her with toxic chemicals, according to authorities. Yvonne Hiller, 48, who is serving two life terms in the slayings,
had been suspended after making violent, profanity-laced threats but
returned minutes later with a loaded .357 Magnum. Attorneys for the
families said security guards failed to protect employees during the
rampage. Attorney Shanin Specter said in a statement that the verdict
sends a message that company guards “can’t simply run away in the
middle of the crisis. They actually have to act like security guards.”
Marathon bombing jurors see
autopsy photos, prosecutors rest
BOSTON (AP) — Prosecutors rested their case against Boston
Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Monday after jurors in
his federal death penalty trial saw gruesome autopsy photos and
heard a medical examiner describe the devastating injuries suffered by an 8-year-old boy killed in the 2013 terror attack. But
Tsarnaev’s lawyers began their defense by quickly trying to show
that his older brother was the mastermind of the plan to detonate
pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the famous race.
One of the first witnesses called by the defense was a data analyst who said Tsarnaev’s cellphone was being used in southeastern
Massachusetts — where he was attending college — while pressure cookers were being purchased north of Boston more than two
months before the bombing. The analyst also testified that large
quantities of BBs were purchased a little over a month before the
attack in two Wal-Mart stores in New Hampshire, at a time when
Tsarnaev’s cellphone was again being used near UMass-Dartmouth.
The defense has made it clear from the first day of testimony
on March 4 — when his lawyer admitted he participated in the
bombings — that their strategy is not to win an acquittal but to
save Tsarnaev from the death penalty by arguing that his brother,
Tamerlan, was largely responsible for the bombings.
Prosecutors ended their case on an emotional note. At least
three jurors cried and wiped their eyes with tissues as they looked
at photos of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who went to watch the
marathon with his parents and siblings on April 15, 2013, and was
killed when the second of two bombs exploded near the finish line.
(Continued on page 15)
Palestinian protesters throw stones toward Israeli army soldiers in front of the Israeli settlement
of Beitar Illit during clashes that erupted following a protest marking Land Day, in the village of
Wadi Fukin, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, March 30, 2015. Land Day commemorates riots on March 30, 1976, when six people were killed during a protest by Israeli Arabs whose
(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
property was annexed in northern Israel to expand Jewish communities.
AMERICAN SAMOA
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Institutional Effectiveness
EMPLOYMENTO PPORTUNITY
Position Title:
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Employment Status:
Full Time 12 months (Career Service)
General Description:
The Administrative Assistant provides professional administrative services for Institutional
Effectiveness (IE) and other duties as required. The incumbent performs routine clerical and
administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing
paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers. The successful candidate should be
proficient in the use of Excel to input data, verify data, store and retrieve data, possess computer
knowledge and skills in designing and formatting data report templates; work well with faculty,
staff and administration in survey distribution and collection; possess strong writing and reporting
skills, maintain data security; and follow ethical guidelines for record keeping and reporting.
Other qualifications are knowledge of logging incoming and outgoing data, and the ability to work
efficiently with utmost regard to quality and accuracy. The incumbent will manage the archiving of
all institutional data and storage, coordinate paperwork and tracking for all purchase requisitions
(quotes & orders), manages office inventory and supplies, coordinate service calls and schedule
facility maintenance and equipment repairs with vendors.
Responsibilities and Duties:
• Coordinate and provides all administrative housekeeping;
• Establishes and maintains variety of files and records, including appropriation of records;
• Reviews and prepares documents relative to personnel, procurement and/or fiscal
transactions, and provides appropriate follow-up services;
• Compiles reports for update status or specific tasks as requested;
• Prepares and processes travel authorizations and documents, and makes other appropriate
arrangements;
• Acts as liaison for the Divisional Head with operating personnel of the office or organization
on scheduling meetings, deadlines and administrative matters;
• Maintains adequate level of office and other supplies, and maintains inventory records;
• Receives, records and directs accordingly incoming and outgoing correspondences;
• Maintains data security and follows ethical guidelines for record keeping and reporting;
• Demonstrates professionalism, commitment and is able to manage other tasks as defined
by the Director of IE relevant to its mission.
Minimum Qualifications:
ÿ Some College or Associate’s Degree and at least one year of direct related experience.
Must be able to speak both English and Samoan.
Salary:
GS 11/1-5 $11,869.00 - $14,469.00.
Application Deadline: Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Applications are available from American Samoa Community College, Human Resources Office at
699-9155 Ext. 477/335/403 or email Lipena Samuelu at mailto:[email protected] .
“An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
And A Drug-Free Workplace”
Page 14
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Ni isi o kapeteni o Sa ua lautogia mo le tuuga fautasi o le fu’a i lenei tausaga, i se fonotaga sa
[ata: AF]
faia i le potu fono a le Ofisa o Mataupu Tau Samoa i le taeao ananafi.
➧ Teena Kapeteni finagalo o le ali’i kovana…
Mai itulau 1
maimoa a le atunu’u.
Saunoa le kapeteni o le Fuao mai Vatia ia
Gaoteote Palaie Tofau e fa’apea, e le faigofie
le finagalo o le ali’i kovana, ona o lea ua mae’a
ona se’i pepa, ua sauni fo’i Sa mo le tuuga.
Sa ia taua fo’i e fa’apea, na te lagolagoina le
lua o tuuga pe afai e 12 va’a o lo o tausinio, ina ia
mautinoa ai e faigofie ona fa’atonutonu le tuuga
mo le fu’a, ae talu ai o lea ua fa’aitiitia i le 9 fautasi e tausinio, ua talafeagai ai le tasi o le tuuga.
“Ae afai o le finagalo o le ali’i kovana ia
fa’amalieina le maimoa a le atunu’u, o le talosaga la i le atunu’u, amata nei ona maimoa i
aoga a Sa ta’itasi o lo o faia i afiafi, a o lea o le
a matou fuli e fai fa’alelei aoga pei lava o lea ua
fai le tuuga, ina ia fa’amalieina le maimoaga a
le atunu’u”, o le saunoaga lea a Gaoteote na tali
e ai sui o le fonotaga.
Na tau fai lagolagoina uma e kapeteni ma sui
o fautasi uma sa auai i le fonotaga le finagalo
o Gaoteote, e aofia ai Nu’uuli, Aua, Leone,
Manu’a, Fagasa ma Pago Pago. E leai se sui o le
Fetu o le Afiafi mai Fagaalu na auai i le fonotaga.
A o le i saunoa Fagasoaia Lealaitafea e fai
ma sui o le Manulele Tausala I i le fonotaga,
sa ia fa’amalulu i le komiti ina ua le mafai ona
tausinio le isi va’a a le afioga o Nuuuli, e ui o lea
ua mae’a ona totogi le lesitala e $300.
Saunoa Fagasoaia e fa’apea, e sili atu le tasi
o le tuuga e faigofie ai le tuuga o le fu’a, nai lo
le vaelua ma tele ai le faigata.
Na taumafai le Sui Failautusi o le Ofisa o
Mataupu Tau Samoa ia Tuiagamoa Tavai e
fa’amanino atili le finagalo o le ali’i kovana
na mafua ai ona a’e se manatu e fa’a lua tuuga
o le fu’a, ina ia fa’amalieina ai le silasila a le
atunu’u.
Ae na saunoa Paopaoailua J. Fiaui le na fai
ma sui o le Paepaeulupoo II mai Aua e fa’apea,
e tasi le mafua’aga e ala ai ona fa’alua tuuga
fautasi, pe afai lea e tele va’a e tutu’u, ae talu
ai e na o le 9 Sa ua fa’amaonia mo le tuuga, ua
talafeagai ai le tasi o le tuuga.
“Ae afai e finagalo le kovana e fa’a lua
tuuga, e tatau fo’i la ona tofu lava le tuuga ma le
fa’ailoga tupe”, o le saunoaga lea a Paopao na
tali e ai fo’i le au usufono.
Na toe saunoa Gaoteote e fa’apea, o le isi itu
e le talafeagai ai le fa’a lua o tuuga, afai e o
uma va’a saoasaoa i le isi tuuga, ona le paleni
lea o Sa o le a lautogia i le taimi e saili ai le
siamupini.
Na fa’ai’u le saunoaga a Gaoteote i lona fesiligia lea o Lualemaga, pe ua i ai se fuafuaga a
le kovana ma le komiti e tutu’u fua fautasi mo
lenei tausaga, ae toe fa’afo’i atu le ta’i $300 lea
ua mae’a ona totogi mo le lesitala, ae na soisoi
Lualemaga ma saunoa e fa’apea, “e leai, o lea
fo’i ua mautu le fa’aiuga a le komiti, o le a
fa’atumauina pea le lesitala e $300”.
O le fonotaga mulimuli a le komiti ma kapeteni a o lumana’i ai le tuuga, o le a fa’amautu ai
loa tulafono mo le taimi o le tuuga.
Feso’ota’i mai i le tusitala ia
[email protected]
➧ Governor looks to the AG for next step…
Continued from page 1
Lolo went on to point out that the U.S. Interior Department, which has federal jurisdiction
over American Samoa, should be the one to
have a lot of say on this issue.
He says that for any federal agency to step in
and impose rules and regulations “against our
resources” they should go through DOI.
“We have a very fragile economic base and
we’re hoping that by keeping this 50 mile zone,
it will help our people have access to these
fishing grounds,” he said.
“We’re hoping that this issue of economic
development using that zone will bring some
new revenues into our government and that’s
the whole thing we’re trying to do.”
According to the governor, the 50 mile zone
“is an economic argument” for the people of
American Samoa and nothing else.
FONO RESOLUTION
In a vote of 12-2 in the House last Friday, the
House approved the Senate Concurrent Resolution calling on the Western Pacific Regional
Fishery Management Council to maintain the
current 50 miles of the LVPA.
Tautai-O-Samoa Longline & Fishing Association president Christinna Lutu-Sanchez
expressed her ‘faafetai tele’ to the members of
the Fono — both in the Senate and House —
who “recognize the importance of the longline
fleet to our economy and the participation of
our local American Samoans in this industry.”
“While many others have stood by us and
have made statements to support ALL American
Samoans, U.S. citizens and American Samoan
residents that are in the fishing industry, the two
members who voted NO, in disagreement of the
language of the resolution, were [House] Reps.
Toeaina Autele and Atalina Asifoa,” she said.
“We sincerely appreciate their stance and the
risk that they have taken to go against political
pressures so that they stand for ALL fishermen,
boat owners and the fishing industry in its
entirety and not just a select few.”
Tautai Association represents close to 40
longliners — including U.S-flagged longliners
and foreign vessels — and all operate out of
American Samoa.
The only difference is that the U.S-flagged
fleet fish in the U.S/American Samoa EEZ and
the others fish in other Pacific islands EEZs
such as the Cook Islands, said Lutu-Sanchez.
“So we all operate out of here, we all fuel
our boats here, buy bait locally, buy all supplies, food, lube oil, gear, and equipment here
in American Samoa and do all repairs here in
American Samoa,” she said at the time.
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 15
➧ NEWS IN BRIEF…
US to pledge up to 28 percent
emission cut in global treaty
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States
will pledge Tuesday to cut its greenhouse gas
emissions up to 28 percent as part of a global
treaty aimed at preventing the worst effects of
climate change, according to individuals briefed
on the White House’s plans.
The Obama administration’s contribution to
the treaty, which world leaders expect to finalize
in December, codifies a commitment President
Barack Obama first made late last year in Beijing, when he announced a joint U.S.-China climate deal that raised global hopes that developed
and developing nations can come together to
fight climate change.
The U.S. proposal has drawn intense interest
around the world. Most nations will miss Tuesday’s informal deadline to convey their contributions to the U.N. — only the EU, Switzerland and
Mexico unveiled their pledges before the U.S. By
announcing its commitment early, the U.S. hopes
to dial up the political pressure on other countries
to take equally ambitious steps to cut emissions.
In the works for years, the treaty is set to be
finalized in Paris in December. If it’s successful,
it will mark the first time all nations — not just
wealthier ones like the U.S. — will have agreed
to do something about climate change.
Singapore charges teen for
video attacking Lee, Christianity
SINGAPORE (AP) — A court in Singapore
on Tuesday charged a teenager over a video he
posted online that was critical of the nation’s late
founder and Christianity.
In the eight-minute clip that was posted on
YouTube, 16-year-old Amos Yee Pang Sang
said that Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime
minister, and Jesus Christ were both “malicious,”
among other disparaging comments. The video
has been taken off Yee’s YouTube channel, but
copies continue to circulate on social media.
Yee was arrested Sunday, the same day the
country held an elaborate state funeral for Lee,
who died March 23 at age 91. He was charged
Tuesday with three offenses — two for insulting
Christianity and the late statesman, and another
for allegedly transmitting online an “obscene
representation,” according to court documents.
Yee, who had previously made local headlines
with his controversial and opinionated videos,
could face jail time of up to three years if found
guilty. He was freed on bail, but has been ordered
to stop posting any content online pending the
outcome of his case.
Continued from page 13
Taiwan to join China-led regional
bank, Japan says “just not now”
TOKYO (AP) — Japan has no plan as of now to
join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank, its government spokesman said Tuesday,
while Taiwan announced it would apply for membership, joining dozens of countries in signing up
to an initiative opposed by Washington. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that
Japan, the world’s No. 3 economy, is still seeking
answers about how the regional financing institution would be governed. “As of today, Japan will
not join AIIB and a clear explanation has not been
received from China,” Suga said.
The U.S. has found itself isolated in its resistance to the bank, with more than 40 countries
including major allies in Asia and Europe moving
to join. Washington maintains that the Beijingbased regional bank should work in partnership
with existing institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, which by convention is headed by
a Japanese official, and the U.S.-dominated World
Bank and International Monetary Fund. It contends
the bank might extend credit without adequate
environmental, labor and social safeguards.
Beijing set a March 31 deadline for founding
members to express interest in joining the AIIB.
Taiwan’s Finance Ministry issued a notice
Tuesday saying it was applying to join, following
earlier comments by leaders in favor of the idea.
court rejects church appeal
over use of public school
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court
has again rejected an appeal from a small evangelical church in the Bronx seeking to overturn
New York City’s ban on after-hours religious
worship services at public schools.
The justices did not comment Monday in
siding with the city’s Department of Education
in a long-running fight over the separation of
church and state in the nation’s largest public
school system.
The Bronx Household of Faith held Sunday
services at P.S. 15 for 12 years, until last summer
when the church completed its own building near
the school. But the church said it still needs extra
space for events that include religious services.
The Supreme Court has twice before rejected the
church’s appeal in a lawsuit spanning 18 years.
The city said it risked blurring church-state
separation if it allowed worship services in
public schools, although New York Mayor Bill
de Blasio has been more supportive of allowing
faith organizations to use the city’s schools than
was his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg.
➧ New $20 departure fee…
Continued from page 1
departing the Port and the Airport.
“In principle, this would apply to the Lady Naomi and
other ferry boats operating internationally, and to scheduled or
unscheduled passenger air carriers operating internationally.”
According to the governor, this proposal is not intended to
encompass ships or airplanes not engaged in the routine carriage
of passenger traffic, and “it does not apply to transportation to
Manu’a.”
“We think it’s fair and reasonable that the consumers of these
extraordinary services should contribute to the cost of providing
these services.” he stated.
Of note, the Senate has recently told the government that
until they get more information concerning ASG’s current
workforce — costs and amount of people employed, including
new hires — they will not be working on any of the proposed
revenue bills from ASG.
(See story inside today’s issue)
BILL — According to the proposed measure, the $20 fee shall
be collected by the common carrier whether by ocean or air transport and remitted to the Treasurer on the 15th of every month.
The method of reporting passenger count and making remittances
shall occur in such form and manner as may be determined from
time to time by the Treasurer, according to the measure.
The proposed bill shall not apply to the passengers of cruise
ships, or to the crews of commercial cargo, commercial fishing
or scientific research vessels, nor to aircrews (pilots and flight
attendants), nor to persons departing on yachts.
Also, it’s not applied to US or foreign government naval
vessels or military or diplomatic aircraft, nor to transient, non
scheduled aircraft calling at the airport or transit passengers on
common carriers not exiting the departure lounge.
Skyview, Inc.
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Cs Sausages 10lb.............................$14.95
Cs Nongshim Bowl Saimin...................$ 9.95
SAIMIN PKG....................................$ 4.95
Cs WATER 500ml..............................$ 6.95
Cs Ocean Queen Mackerel & Peleiupu....$36.95
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AUA & FAGAITUA 644-5000 / 622-5000
NOTICE FOR SEPARATION AGREEMENT
TO Members of the LUALEMAGA Family and to all whom these present may come!
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that TUUFUE SUISUI & FEAGIAI TUA of AASU FOU has offered for
recording in this office an instrument in writing which seeks to separate a certain structure which
is or to be erected, on land OLOTELE allegedly belonging to LUALEMAGA FAMILY of the village of
AASU FOU. Said land OLOTELE is situated in or near the village of AASU FOU in the County of
LEASINA, Island of TUTUILA, American Samoa.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that any interested person may object to the recording of such
instrument by filing in the Territorial Registar’s Office in Fagatogo, a written objection to the
recording of said instrument. Any objections thereto must be filed with in 30 days from the date
of posting of this notice.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if no such objections are filed within the said 30 day period,
the instrument will be recorded and shall be valid and binding on all persons. The said
instrument may be examined at any time at the Territorial Registrar’s Office.
POSTED:
MARCH 10, 2015 thru APRIL 9, 2015
SIGNED:
Taito S.B. White, Territorial Registrar
FA’AALIGA O LE FEAGAIGA MO SE TU’U’ESEINA
I tagata o le aiga sa LUALEMAGA, ma i latou uma e silasila ma lauiloaina lenei fa’aaliga!
O le fa’aaliga lenei ona o TUUFUE SUISUI & FEAGIAI TUA o le nu’u o AASU FOU ua ia
fa’aulufaleina mai i lenei ofisa se feagaiga tusitusi e fa’ailoa ai se mana’oga fia tu’u’eseina o se fale
ua/po o le a, fa’atuina i luga o le fanua o OLOTELE e fa’asino i le aiga sa LUALEMAGA, o le nu’u o
AASU FOU. O lenei fanua e totonu pe latalata ane i le nu’u o AASU FOU, itumalo o LEASINA, ile
motu o TUTUILA, Amerika Samoa.
O le fa’aaliga fo’i e fa’apea, so o se tasi e iai sona aia i lenei mata’upu e mafai ona fa’atu’i’iese
ile fa’amauina o lenei feagaiga pe a auina mai i le ofisa ole Resitara o le Teritori of Amerika Samoa
i Fagatogo, sana fa’atu’ese tusitusia. O fa’atu’iesega uma lava e ao ona fa’aulufaleina mai i totonu
o aso e 30 faitauina mai i le aso na faíaalia ai lenei fa’aaliga.
Afai ole a leai se fa’atu’i’esega e fa’aulufaleina i totonu o aso 30 e pei ona ta’ua i luga, o le a
fa’amauina loa lenei feagaiga e taualoaina ma ‘a’afia ai tagata uma.
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le le fa’atinoina o a latou tiute e fa’amalosia ai tulafono i le itu
tau tupe a le atunu’u ma le malo, ae mafua ona fa’atuatuai le
Fono, o le tulaga i le ava fatafata i le va fa’ata’ita’i.
O lea saunoaga a Galea’i, na tu’uina atu lea i le susuga a
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a le malo i se iloiloga sa fa’atautaia e le Komiti o le Paketi a le
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Atina’e i tausaga ua mavae, lea ua finagalo le faigamalo a Lolo
ma Lemanu e faia se suiga i lea tulafono.
O le fa’aiuga lava o le iloiloga, na fesiligia ai loa e Galeai ia le
Teutupe e fa’atatau i le mataupu e uiga i tupe (payouts) sa totogi
atu e le faigamalo a Togiola ma Faoa i fa’atonusili ma ni isi o
tagata sa galulue fa’a konekarate i le fa’aiuga o le latou nofoaiga
i le 2012.
Na fautuaina e Galeai ia le teutupe, ina ia toe talanoa i
le ali’i kovana ma fa’amanatu i ai lana saunoaga sa faia i le
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Page 18
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Molia se ali’i i le
talepe fale ma
le gaoi i le 2012
tusia Ausage Fausia
O le tinou lea o le pupula ma le fa’alogo a le fanau ina ia talanoa mai sui lautogia mo le folasaga fa’apitoa a le CNR ASCC Land Grant e tusa o “Vaila’au e fa’aaoga tatau mo fa’ato’aga!”
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MAUA LE ALI’I LONA FA SA TAU SAILI E LEOLEO
O le vaiaso na te’a nei na pu’e fa’apagota ai e leoleo le ali’i e to’afa i ai i latou o lo o masalomia,
i le fa’alavelave lea na tafana le ofisa o leoleo i Leone i le masina o Novame 2014.
O le ali’i mulimuli sa tau saili e leoleo, o Solia Mosegi, po o JOE Palagi e pei ona silafia ai o ia e
le to’atele, o lo o tu’uaia i moliaga mama e tolu, ma sa ia teena uma ia moliaga ina ua tula’i i luma o
le fa’amasinoga fa’aitumalo i le aso Lulu na te’a nei.
O moliaga e tolu o lo o tu’uaia ai Mosegi e aofia ai moliaga e lua o lona fesoasoani lea i se tasi i le
fa’atinoina o le solitulafono o le fa’ao’olima i le tulaga lua, atoa ai ma le moliaga o lona fesoasoani e
fa’atupu le moliaga o le fa’aleaga meatotino.
Na taua e ni molimau i leoleo e pei ona taua i fa’amaumauga a le fa’amasinoga o Mosegi sa ia
aveina le ta’avale lea o lo o tu’uaia na fa’ataunu’uina ai le solitulafono.
O lo o tu’uaia fa’atasi Mosegi ma isi ali’i e to’alua o Tuliese Taliu ma Sinapati Tu’ufa’anatu i
moliaga mama e tolu, se’i vagana ai Manu Lefatia o lo o tu’uaia i moliaga mamafa e tolu.
O i latou e to’afa e aofia ai Mosegi, Taliu, Lefatia ma Tu’ufa’anati.
O lo o taofia uma i le toese i Tafuna ia Mosegi ma isi ali’i e to’atolu na pue fa’apagota muamua e
leoleo, e aunoa ma se tupe ua fa’atulaga e tatala ai i latou i tua.
TALIA LE TALOSAGA A LEPUIAI ALLEN MAYER
O le vaiaso ua te’a na talia ai e le fa’amasinoga maualuga se talosaga na fa’aulu e le ali’i sa avea
ma pule o le kamupani va’a a le Pacific Shipping Services (PSA), mo se avanoa e tatala ai o ia i tua e
faigaluega, a o tuli ai lona fa’asalaga fa’a falepuipui i le toese i Tafuna mo le umi e 20 masina. I le aso
na lau ai le fa’asalaga a le susuga a Lepuiai Allen Mayer, sa fa’ailoa i ai e le fa’amasinoga e fa’apea,
e mafai ona iloilo e le fa’amasinoga sana talosaga mo se avanoa e tatala ai o ia i tua e faigaluega, pe
afai na te fa’amautuina atu i le fa’amasinoga, ua i ai se galuega mautu e faigaluega mo’i ai. E tusa ai
o le talosaga a Lepuiai i le fa’amasinoga, o le kamupani o le American Asia Pacific lea e fa’atautaia
e se tasi o ana uo, o le kamupani lea o le a galue ai o ia.
O isi tuutuuga o le nofovaavaaia e 7 tausaga a Mayer sa tu’uina atu e le fa’amasinoga, o lona totogiina lea o le tupe e silia i le $180,000 aga’i i le PSA, ma ia aua fo’i ne’i ona toe solia se tulafono a
le malo. Na ta’usala Mayer i le moliaga o lona ave fa’agaoi lea o ni mea totino sa tu’uina atu i lalo o
lana vaavaaia, ina ua ia ave fa’agaoi le silia i le $200,000 mai tupe a le PSA, i taimi a’o avea ai o ia
ma pule o le lala a le kamupani i Amerika Samoa.
NOFOVAAVAAIA LE ALI’I NA FA’AO’OLIMA I LONA TO’ALUA
O le ali’i e 32 tausaga le matua mai Vaitogi lea na tu’uaia e le malo i lona fa’ao’olima lea i lona
to’alua i le amataga o le tausaga nei, ua fa’anofovaavaaia e le fa’amasinoga fa’aitumalo mo le 18
masina, ina ua ta’usala o ia i le moliaga mama o le fa’atupu vevesi i totonu o lona aiga, i lalo o se
maliliega sa latou sainia mal e malo ma talia fo’i e le fa’amasinoga.
Na taua i le maliliega se talosaga a le malo, ina ia nofovaavaaia lenei ali’i, ae aua ne’i tu’uina atu o
ia i le falepuipui. Na fa’aalia e le fa’amasinoga i le ali’i ua ta’usala e fa’apea, e le o se mea lelei lona
fa’aoolima i lona to’alua a’o ‘ona, e le iloa lava se mea matuia e ono tula’i mai ai, ona sili atu lea ona
mamafa se moliaga e molia ai o iae le malo.
Na fautua le ali’i fa’amasino ia Elvis Patea i le ali’i lea e fa’apea, e tatau ona fa’aalu sa’o ana tupe i
mea e tausi ai lona aiga, ae le o le ‘ava malosi e leai se mea aoga e maua mai ai, se’i vagana ai le loka
i le falepuipui atoa ai ma le fa’alumaina.. Ua poloaina fo’i e le fa’amasinoga le ua molia na te totogi
le salatupe e $125, fa’asa ona ia toe tagofia le ava malosi, a ia auai i ni aoaoga e fesoasoani ai i le ita
atoa ai ma a’afiaga o le ‘ava malosi. O le fa’alavelave lenei na tofu atu i le ofisa o leoleo i Tafuna, ina
ua logo e ni aiga tuai leoleo mo se fesoasoani, ina ua latou fa’alogoina le ee mai o le to’alua a le ali’i
ua molia i totonu o le fale, o lo o fasi e le ua molia.
Na taunu’u leoleo ma latou maua atu ai le fafine i luma o le potu malolo, ma ona foliga o lo o
manu’a, ae ua leai le ua moia, ua sola ese mai le fale. Ina ua fesiligia e leoleo le fafine na a’afia, sa ia
fa’amatala uma loa i ai le mea sa tupu, ma aga’i atu ai loa leoleo e saili le ua molia, ma maua atu ai i
le fale o lana uo, ma pu’e fa’apagota mai ai loa.
O le taeao ananafi na fa’atoa tula’i ai i luma o le fa’amasinoga
fa’aitumalo se ali’i talavou, ua tu’uaia i le talepe fale ma le gaoi,
atoa ai ma lona taliaina o ni oloa sa ave fa’agaoi ese isi tagata i
le 2012.
E lua mataupu eseese lea ua molia ai e le malo le ali’i o Freddie
Fa’aoso Viliamu.
O le mataupu muamua lea o lo o masalomia na tula’i mai i le
aso 19 Ianuari 2012, o lo o tu’uaia ai o ia i moliaga mamafa e lua,
o lona taliaina lea o ni oloa sa ave fa’agaoi e se isi tagata, ma e
$10,000 le tupe lea ua poloaina e le fa’amasinoga e totogi, ona
fa’atoa mafai lea ona tatala o ia i tua.
O le mataupu lona lua o lo o tu’uaia ai o ia i moliaga mamafa
e lua, le moliaga o le talepe fale i le tulaga lua atoa ai ma le
moliaga o le gaoi, ma o lo o taofia pea o ia i le toese i Tafuna,
se’i vagana ua ia totogi le $20,000 ona fa’atoa mafai lea ona
tatala o ia i tua.
E pei ona faatulaga e le faamasinoga e $30,000 le aofai o le
tupe atoa e totogi ona mafai lea ona tatala i tua ia Viliamu.
MATAUPU MUAMUA
O le mataupu muamua e pei ona tu’uaia ai le ali’i o Vilimu, na
tula’i mai i le aso 19 Ianuari 2012, ina ua logo e le pule aoga a le
aoga maualuga a Leone le ofisa o leoleo mo se fesoasoani, ina ua
maitauina le talepe e ni tagata o le ofisa a le aoga ae gaoi masini
komipiuta sa i ai.
Ina ua fesiligia e leoleo ia Viliamu e tusa ai o lenei mataupu,
sa ia ta’utino ai e fa’apea, i se taimi o le aso 10 Ianuari 2012, sa
talanoa atu ai se ali’i e igoa ia Mu Matu’u ia te ia, pe mafai ona
fesoasoani atu ia te ia i le fa’atauina atu o ni masini koipiuta, le
ituaiga o le iMac computers o lo o ia te ia.
Na alu le ali’i ua molia ma saili ni tagata na te fa’atauina atu ai
masini komipiuta ma i’u ai loa i lona fa’atauina atu o ia masini i
le tau e $120 mo masini uma e lua, ma o ia masini ua toe maua e
leoleo ma toe fa’afo’i atu i le aoga i Leone.
MATAUPU LONA LUA
O le mataupu lona lua e pei ona tu’uaia ai Viliamu, na tula’i
mai i le vaveao o le aso 20 Ianuari 2012 ina ua logo e se fafine
Asia le ofisa o leoleo mo se fesoasoani, i ni ali’i se to’alua na
osofaia lona faleoloa i Leone, ae gaoi le $600 sa i totonu o le
masini tupe.
Na fa’amatala e le fafine i leoleo e fa’apea, na fa’ateia o ia
ina ua ulufale atu ni ali’i se to’alua e fusi uma foliga i totonu o le
faleoloa, ma la taumafai loa e tatala le masini tupe, ae o le taimi lea
o lo o tu ai i luma o le masini tupe ma si’i lana pepe.
Na mafai e le au ali’i talepe fale e to’alua na ulufale i le faleoloa ona fa’ataunu’u le la osofaiga, ma la gaoia ai le tupe e $600
mai totonu o le masini tupe ma sosola ese loa mai le faleoloa i le
taimi lava lea.
O ni molimau sa mafai ona fesiligia e leoleo e uiga i lenei
mataupu, sa taua ai e se molimau i leoleo lona iloaina lelei o
ali’i e to’alua n osofaia le faleolo, e masani lelei ai fo’i i totonu o
le atuu’u.
Na taua e le isi molimau e fa’apea, sa ia iloaina le taimi na ulufale ai ali’i e to’alua o lo o fusi foliga i totonu o le faleoloa, e lei
umi ae ona vaaia loa le ie sa fusi ai foliga o le isi ali’i ua pau ese,
ma ia iloa atu ai ona foliga, o ia o Freddie Fa’aoso Viliamu.
E to’alua isi molimau sa la matamata i ata sa pu’eina i le masini
pu’eata a le faleoloa, ma la fa’ailoa ai i leoleo, o se tasi o ali’i o lo
o i totonu o le masini pu’eata a le faleoloa, o Viliamu, la te masani
lelei ai lava i ona uiga fa’apea ai lana savali.
Feso’ota’i mai i le tusitala ia [email protected]
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 19
O se va’aiga i le taeao fiafia ananafi a le fanau a’oga a Matatula Elementary aua ua a’e manumalo se tasi o latou fanoga, e fia fa’atuina se latou fa’ato’aga e tausia
[ata: Leua Aiono Frost]
fa’apitoa e i latou ma latou faia’oga i totonu o le latou lotoa. Tapena Matatula Elementary mo le saogalemu i fa’ato’aga
tusia: Leua Aiono Frost
Ona o tapenaga amata a a le aoga a Matatula Elementary ua
latou naunau e fa’atuina se latou “Green House” po’o se eleele e
fa’atuina ai e i latou se fa’ato’aga fa’apitoa, o lea ua talosaga ai
le fesoasoani mai le vaega o Laufanua Fa’asao [Land Grant] a le
Kolisi Tu’ufa’atasi.
O le sao o le a lautogia mo le vaega a le ASCC Land Grant o
le mua’i a’oa’oina lea o fanau i ala e lelei ai ona toto la’au ‘aina
i eleele ma fa’afailele ina ia maua ai fua lelei mo le tausami a le
aiga, ma fa’atau atu nisi mo se vaega tupe maua a le aiga atoa.
Peita’i, e lalamua i mea uma, o le tausia lea o le saogalemu o le
soifua o tagata uma mai auupega e fa’aaogaina i le fa’atautaiga o
fa’aeleeleaga a le atunu’u fa’apea ma le saogalemu o mea uma mai
le fa’aaogaina o vaila’au eseese e fa’aleleia ai fua o fa’ato’aga.
O sui iloga o le Land Grant sa malaga atu, o Amio Mavaega
Luvu ma nisi o vaega eseese sa latou talosagaina o latou sao e
fa’atino i a’oa’oga fa’apitoa i le fanau a’oga. E afua mai le Vasega
4 se’ia o’o i le Vasega 8, sa fa’apotopoto mo le a’oa’oga fa’apitoa
lea mo le taimi amata.
Ina ua mae’a le 30 minute muamua o le a’oa’oga, sa tatala loa i
potu a’oga le fanau, ae tofu ai sui o vaega ta’itasi, ASEPA, EMS,
ma le ASCC Land Grant CNR ma Fa’ato’aga.
O sui lautogia e ta’ita’ia nei vaega ta’itasi e aofia ai le susuga
Tunaimati’a Alfred Peters mai le vaega Fa’ato’aga a le Land Grant
lea sa gafa ma le fa’amalamalamaina o le fanau i le taua o lou iloa
fa’aaoga le vaila’au mo lona fa’amoemoe na gaosia ai, taimi e
fa’aaogaina ai, ma le aofa’i po’o le tele o le vaila’au e fa’aaogaina.
I potu a’oga o nei vasega e fa sa vaevaeina i ai le fanau, sa
tofusia i latou ma le matata e fa’atautaia ai. O le tasi vasega o
le ASEPA, lea sa latou fa’apupula ala ua tulimata’ia e le latou
matagaluega ina ia taofiofi mai le so’ona fa’aaoga solo o vaila’au
eseese i laufanua, vaitafe ma le sami. Afai fo’i ua fa’aleagaina se
vaitafe ma ogasami ona o siama leaga e ono lamatia ai le soifua
maloloina, e le tatau i le fanau ona ta’e’ele ai, ae alo ese ai.
(Faaauau itulau 26)
Human Resource Department, Tafuna
PO Box PPB, Pago Pago
American Samoa 96799
Phone No: (684) 699-3033
Fax No: (684) 699-3046
Email: [email protected]
American Samoa
Power Authority
PUBLIC JOB POSTING
(Previous applicants need not re-apply)
Position Title
Department
Division
Position Type
Reports To
Water Electrical Maintenance Technician I Posting Date
March 31, 2015
Electrical Maintenance
4:00 PM, April 6, 2015
Water
Deadline
Pay Rate
Career Service – 12 months probation
$6,45-$8.89 per hour/
$13,407-$18,491.20
Water Electrical Maintenance Foreman Grade
C/1/A-D/6/A; Non-Exempt
Major Duties & Responsibilities
The primary objective is to perform as an assistant electrical maintenance technician in the installation,
maintenance and repair of water distribution electrical fixtures, apparatus, circuitry and control equipment;
to contribute to safe working conditions at all times; to aid the reliability and efficiency of water activities in
sustaining and expanding a reliable water system; to aid the balancing of the hydraulic system in providing
clean, safe potable water to every community within the territory of American Samoa.
MinimumR equirements
Education
High School diploma or equivalent.
Experience
At least one (1) year experience with installation, maintenance and repair of electrical
equipment, systems, motors, electrical controls, panels, boxes, switches and circuits etc.
Skills, Abilities,
Job Requirements
Ability to: understand and carry out oral and written instructions in both English and
Samoan; trouble shoot electrical problems and defects; repair or replace faulty electrical
equipment and apparatus.
Work involves standing, walking, stooping, bending, climbing and kneeling; occasional
medium lifting may be required.
Qualified applicants: please submit a completed ASPA Employment Application with a copy of your resume to
ASPA tafuna (address listed above) by the deadline listed above. Please attach copies of credentials and transcripts.
Candidates selected for hire must pass examinations (when applicable), pre-employment clearances & test
negative on pre-employment drug test. ASPA reserves the right to waive education and experience requirements as
necessary.
No phone inquiries accepted.
An Equal Opportunity Employer * A Drug Free Workplace
Page 20
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
tusia Ausage Fausia
PASIA I’UGAFONO FA’ATUMAU
AI OGASAMI FAGOTA ATUNU’U
Ua pasia nei e le Fono Faitulafono le i’ugafono malilie fa’atasi
a le Senate, e talosagaina ai le Fono Fa’afoe o Faiga Faiva i le
Pasefika ina ia fa’atumau pea i le 50 maila le mamao o ogasami
puipuia o Amerika Samoa mai fagotaga, ina ua pasia e le maota o
sui lenei i’ugafono i le vaiaso na te’a nei i le palota e 12-2.
E ui i ni finagalo mai ni isi o faipule sa atagia mai ai le le
lagolagoina o lenei i’ugafono, peita’i na pasia lava le i’ugafono e
lagolagoina ai le fa’amoemoe o le kovana ma le atunu’u atoa, ina
ia fa’atumauina pea le mamao o ogasami fa’asao o le atunu’u o lo
o i ai. O le lua vaiaso talu ai na faia ai le fa’aiuga a le Fono Fa’afoe
o Faiga Faiva a le Pasefika, i sana fonotaga sa faia i Hawai’i, e
suia ai le mamao o ogasami fa’asao a Amerika Samoa mai le 50
maila o lo o i ai, i le 12 maila e pei ona latou suia i ai.
E tele finagalo fa’ase’a mai ta’ita’i o le fono e aofia ai afioga i
Senatoa ma ni isi o faipule, i le le talafeagai o le fa’aiuga ua faia e
le Fono Fa’afoe o Faiga Faiva a le Pasefika, e ui o lea o lo o tete’e
malosi Amerika Samoa i lea suiga.
O le agaga o le i’ugafono a le senate, ia fa’atumauina pea le
50% o ogasami fa’asao a le atunu’u, o iina o lo o fa’alagolago i ai
faiga faiva a va’a fagota alia.
PASIA MAOTA SUI PILI FA’AE’E
AI LAFOGA 5% I FALETALIMALO
E ui i le tete’e o le aufai pisinisi faletalimalo i le lafoga e 5% a
le malo, peita’i o le vaiaso na te’a nei na pasia ai e le maota o sui la
latou pili e pasia ai le lafoga fa’ae’e mo faletalimalo, ma ua taoto
atu nei i le Senate lea tulafono taufa’aofi mo sa latou fa’aiuga.
O le agaga o le faigamalo e pei ona saunoa le Teutupe ia Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a e fa’apea, o le tupe lea ua fa’amoemoe e maua
mai i le lafoga e 5%, o le a fesoasoani e fa’aleleia ai manaoga i le
malae va’alele i Tafuna, lea e mumu lava i tausaga tupe ta’itasi lana
tupe fa’asoasoa, ma aumai ai loa e le malo tupe mai le teugatupe
lautele a le malo e tau fa’atumu ai le paketi a le malae va’alele.
A o le i pasia e le maota o sui la latou tulafono lea i le vaiaso
na te’a nei, sa fa’aalia e ni isi o faipule lo latou popole tele, ina
ne’i avea le lafoga lea ma itu e afaina ai le atina’e tau turisi i
Amerika Samoma, peita’i na fa’amalamalama e molimau a le
malo e fa’apea, o le to’atele o tagata o lo o malaga mai ma aumau
i faletalimalo i le atunu’u, o tagata faigaluega a le feterale, sui o le
militeli atoa ai ma tagata faipisinisi, ae to’aitiiti lava tagata turisi.
Feso’ota’i mai i le tusitala ia [email protected]
Prosecutor getting more time to
file in Guam hot-car death case
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Arguments in a case against
a Guam couple charged in the hot-car death of their infant son
have been delayed after a prosecutor said he “neglected” to file
his opposition to a defense motion seeking dismissal of the case.
Judge Anita Sukola is giving prosecutors until Friday to
file their response to a Feb. 20 motion by defense attorney
Howard Trapp, the Pacific Daily News, a Guam newspaper,
reported. Arguments in the matter were originally scheduled to
take place Monday.
Trapp is seeking dismissal of all charges against Shawn Travis
Llagas Cruz and Victoria Lynn Siaotong in connection with the
August 2014 death of their 4-month-old son.
The couple is charged with negligent homicide, child abuse
and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle.
Court documents say the parents both assumed someone else
took the infant out of the car. The documents say they later realized the child wasn’t in the house, and they found him in the car.
Court documents said the baby had suffered burns and was
foaming at the mouth and whimpering when found he was found.
The infant had a pulse and was breathing.
“Shawn concluded the infant was going to be OK, so he did
not call 911 nor did they take the infant to the hospital,” court
documents said.
The baby stopped breathing 15 minutes later, according to
prosecutors. The father called emergency services.
The baby was pronounced dead less than 30 minutes later.
In his filing seeking dismissal of the case, Trapp said the
charges don’t adequately state the facts of the charges faced by
the couple. For example, prosecutors allege in the indictment
that the couple committed negligent homicide through criminal
negligence.
Trapp said those words don’t give enough information to arrive
at any conclusion of guilt.
“With what criminal negligence did defendants commit negligent homicide?” Trapp wrote in the motion. “The indictment
simply does not say. It contains no such information whatsoever.”
TAUASO LE ALOFA
[E toe fa’atalofa atu i paaga masani a le tatou
polokalame i lenei vaiaso, malo le soifua manuia,
ae o le toe soso’oina atu lea o le tatou polokalame
fa’asolo, lea na gata mai i le vaiaso na te’a nei i
le taimi lea ua mae’a ai ona logo Koso ma ana uo
i uta, o lea ua saili le aiga o Keli e fasi ia te ia.]
E fai lava felafolafoaiga a le aiga o Keli i le
taimi lea, ae na o le nofo lava o le tama’ita’i o
Silia ma ona loimata e le matu, a o nofo pea lava
i le ulu o le moega o Keli ma milimili lona ulu ma
fai atu i ai ana upu, “Keli, afai lava ua agaleaga
lo’u kuagage ia ke oe, aua eke popole ai, aua o
a’u, ou ke le koe alu ese ma oe seia oo mai le oki
..” O upu ia na taia ai le fa’alogo a le tina o Keli,
ma mafua ai ona talosaga le olomatua i lona aiga,
aemaise fanau a ona uso ma ona tuagane, ina ia
alolofa fa’ateletele gese lo lato ita ia Koso, se’i
mae’a lelei le taotoga o si ana tama ma se’i vaai
po o le a se taunuuga.
O le vaveao lava i le aso lea na taunu’u ai Keli
i le falema’i, na toso ai loa i tua i le potu tipi tipi
e foma’i Sapani e to’atolu sa tiute i le po lea, mo
le fa’ataunu’uina o lona taotoga, lea ua fuafua e 5
itula le umi, ae ua nonofo tapua’i uma atu le aiga
i fafo ma tatalo, ina ia manuia le taotoga o Keli.
Sei o tatou liliu atu lava i totonu o le nu’u ma
le tulaga ua o o i ai le tamaititi o Koso. Ua le mautonu mafaufau o le aiga o Koso i le taimi lea, e fai
o le popole i le saogalemu o Koso, ae ua latou le
iloa fo’i se faaiuga e fai i le tamaitai o Silia lea ua
nofonofo i le falema’i ia Keli. O le fautuaga malosi
a matua o Koso i tagata o le aiga, aua ne’i alu se isi
i le falema’i ia Silia, tu’u ai pea ina ne’i tula’i mai
se fa’alavelave ona sili lea ona matuia se isi mea e
tula’i mai. Na tete’i matua o Koso ina ua malama
a’e le taeao, ae salalau le tala ua le iloa poo fea sola
i ai Koso, ua soo uma fo’i fanua o le aiga o tau saili
i ai le tamaititi, ua le maua lava, e masalomia ai ua
sola i luga o le mauga e lafi lilo ai.
Talofa e, na lilo i le ulugali’i o se tulaga lea e
o o i ai le mafutaga a Koso ma Keli, e le i iloa fo’i
e tali mai fa’apea Keli i le alofa sa fai atu e Koso
ia te ia, o le la feoa’i lea ma le tuafafine o Koso.
Tailo fo’i i le mafatia o le loto o le tina o Keli pe
tutusa ma le mafatia lea ua fetaia’i ma le tina o
Koso i le taimi lea, ina ua ia maua le tala ua le iloa
po o ea ua sola ausulusulu i ai si ana taa. Ua nofo
ma loimata le fafine, a tagi e le malie lona loto, ua
le iloa pe ita pe alofa, ua sa’i ma tagi tautala, “aga
iloa e kula’i mai se mea fa’apea i la’u kama, ou ke
le kaliaiga Keli i lo’u aiga ...” Na motu fa’afuase’i
le tagi tautala a le fafine ina ua po po e le toeaina
lona tua ma fai atu i ai, “se aua eke loko vaivai,
saugi ka o i le falema’i e asi Keli, o le kaimi legei,
e le kakau oga kakou kaumafai e saili se auala
e kaui ma sui aku ai ia Keli, o le auala e foia ai
fa’afikauli makuia ua kukupu mai, o le loko maualalo ma le fa’amagalo”. Ua malie le loto o le fafine
i le fautuaga a lona toalua, ma ua la sauni ai loa e
malaga atu i le falema’i e asi Keli o lo o taoto ai.
OLAGA POLOGA
[E toe fa’atalofa atu i uo ma paaga masani a le tatou polokalame i le amataga o lenei vaiaso,
malo le onosa’i i faiva ma tiute, ae alo ma loa, o le toe soso’oina lenei o le tatou polokalame
fa’asolo o le Olaga Pologa, lea na gata mai i le vaiaso na te’a nei i le taimi lea ua amata ai ona
taape ta’itasi ese atu le to’atele sa tumu tumu i le fale o le ulugali’i o Semisi ma Sei.]
Ua amata ona taape ta’itasi ese atu le toatele lea sa tumutumu i le fale o le aiga o Semisi ma Sei,
ae ua aga’i atu fo’i le ulugalii ma le latou aiga i totonu o le fale e fa’atalanoa le fa’alavelave e pei
ona tula’i mai. Ua pei lava e lua ni vaega o lo o i totonu o le fale i le taimi lea, o Semiti ma lona
to’alua o Sei le isi itu o le fale, ae o le tuafafine o Semisi ma lana fanau teine e to’alua atoa ai ma
le tamaititi o Lami le isi itu o le fale. Ua fai si umi talu ona taunu’u le aiga i totonu o le fale, ona
nofonofo ai lava lea e leai ma se isi e gagana i se upu. O le fafine o Sei i le taimi lea, matua tumu
lava lona loto i le ita ma le fa’ali’i, e le o fia tilotilo fo’i i le itu lea e saofafa’i mai ai le tuafafine o
Semisi ma lana fanau, ae ese lava le itulagai lea o lo o fa’asagasaga i ai.
O le tamaloa o Semisi i le taimi lea, ua le maua sona manatu, e fai o le le fiafia i le mea sa tupu, ae
o lo o popole fo’i lona loto ina ne’i fai se fa’aiuga a le nu’u fa’asaga i lona aiga i le mea sa tupu, ona
pau lea o le mamafa o le avega ia te ia. A o sa o mea uma i totonu o le fale i le afiafi lea, na fa’afuase’i
ona fa’alogoina e le aiga le leo o le tamaititi o Lami ua talanoa mai ma le mafatia o lona loto.
“Semisi ma Sei, ou ke fa’akoese aku i le mea sa kupu i legei afiafi, ou ke iloa o lo’u fa’alogo gaka
ma lo’u le usika’i lea ga mafua ai ona kula’i mai le vevesi i legei afiafi, o le mea lea ou ke fa’akoese aku
ai ia ke oulua o’u makua, fa’amagalo a’u la oualua kama e ko’akasi”, o le fa’amatalaga lea a Lami na
motu fa’afuase’i ina ua tau le mafai ona fai se upu i le maligi tele o ona loimata, ma ua vaaia ai fo’i le
fetagisi o le aiga i le fa’amatalaga a le tamaititi sa fai, ona aapa atu lea o le isi tama teine a le tuafafine
a Semisi ua fusi mai le tamaititi o Lami ma tagi atu ai fo’i ma ia, ona fa’apea atu lea o ana upu i lona
uncle o Semisi ma lona to’alua, “Uncle Semisi, o lea ua lua fa’alogo i le fa’amakalaga a si lua kama e
ko’akasi, ou ke iloa e i ai se kaimi e avaku ai se kala a lo’u kiga, ae o se lagoga o makou gei le fagau,
fa’amolemole Sei, alofa fa’alelei ia Lami, ua lua fa’afofoga mai i lana fa’amakalaga, e le o i ai soga
magaku e ka’u ese o ia ma oulua, o oulual ava o oga makua, fa’amolemole Sei, ia e kausi ma le alofa ia
Lami, aua afai e leai, o le iuga o makou e gogofo ma Lami ma saili ai soga lumaga’i maguia”.
E le i uma lelei aku le fa’amakalaga a le tama teine a le tuafafine a Semisi ae fa’aufase’i loa le
oso atu o le fafine o Sei ma lona leo saua ma ona foliga ita ma fa’apea atu i le tama’ita’i, “Vaai oe,
eke le kaukala i le mea lega, e ke le faakogua maia maua ma le kuagage o lou kiga i le mea ma ke
faia, pau lava lau mea e fai, o le gofo ma fa’alogo lelei ou kaliga i le fa’akoguga e avaku ...”
Tala i Vavau o Samoa
POGAI O ISI IGOA I AANA MA FAASALELEAGA
O se tasi lenei o Vavau a Samoa e i le
mafua’aga o igoa o ni isi o nu’u i le Faasaleleaga
i Savai’i.
Na faaauau mai pea le taua ma ua oo atu i le
ogaeleele lea ua igoa nei o Salefo’i, ona fai atu
loa lea o le soaseu a le alii, “ta foi ia e faaauau
le ta seuga ua lava lena taua, ae na tali atu i ai le
alii e faapea, “e sa ona ta toe fo’i leaga o lea ua
ta latalata atu i le aai, ae sili ona e faamalosi mai
pea e tau le taua.”
Fai mai le talitonuga a Faasaleleaga, o iina na
faatoa maua ai le igoa o le auala o “Salefo’i”, lea
e oo mai lava i aso nei o lo o faaaogaina pea e
tagata o le nuu.
O le isi igoa sa maua ai i le taua lea, o le fasi
ogaeleele e taua o “Matagalu.” Na mafua ona
maua lea fanua fai mai le tala, e fetaui lava le a’e
atu o Letufuga i le a’ega ae ona vaaia atu galu o le
sami, ona ia faapea lea i lona soatau, “ua ou iloa
atu i o’u mata galu o le sami o lo o fafati mai.”
Fai mai ua matua tele le fasi a Letufuga ma
ua sulu le toatele o tagata A’ana i le sami, ae o
le taimi lea o lo o fetamo’ea’i solo le alii i uta i
le vao, ae fetaui ma le iloa atu e le Tuia’ana, ona
fesili lea o le Tuia’ana i lana autau, “O ai le la e
ma’alo solo ane i le vaomatua,?” ae alu atu le tali
a tagata na sulu solo i le fia ola, “Se o Letufuga,”
fai mai o iina na faatoa maua ai loa se tasi o upu
a le atunuu, “O Letufugama’alo’alomaivao,” e
faamanatu ai le taimi na vaaia ai le alii o ma’alo
solo ane i le vaomatua. O iina fo’i na maua ai ma
le igoa o le isi tama’i motu o Nu’unefu, e faamanatu ai le taimi na nenefu ai le sami ina ua sulu i
ai autau a A’ana i le fia ola.
Fai mai le tala, e latalata atu loa Letufuga i le
vaega tonu i tai o lo o tu mai ai le Tuia’ana, ae
tula’i loa le Tuia’ana ma faapea atu ia Letufuga,
(Faaauau itulau 26)
US offer for climate
treaty: Up to 28 percent emissions cut
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a highly anticipated announcement, the United States will offer a roughly 28 percent emissions
cut as its contribution to a major global climate treaty nearing
the final stages of negotiation, according to people briefed on the
White House’s plans.
The U.S. plans to announce its commitment Tuesday, the
informal deadline for nations to submit their contributions to the
United Nations. Although the goal of 26 percent to 28 percent
by 2025 isn’t new — President Barack Obama first unveiled it
last year during a trip to Beijing — the U.S. proposal has drawn
intense interest from the vast majority of countries that have yet to
announce how deeply they’ll pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of the treaty.
Obama’s pledge constitutes the opening offer by the U.S. as
world leaders strive to reach a climate deal powerful and ambitious enough to prevent the worst effects of climate change. In
the works for years, the treaty is set to be finalized in Paris in
December. If it’s successful, it will mark the first time all nations
— not just wealthier ones like the U.S. — will have agreed to do
something about climate change.
As part of its proposal, known to climate negotiators as an
Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, the U.S. will also
assert that its contribution is both ambitious and fair, said the individuals briefed on the U.S. proposal, who requested anonymity
because the proposal hasn’t been announced.
What metrics the U.S. will use to back up that claim is not yet
clear. The European Union, one of the first parties to submit its
contribution, pointed to per capita reductions in emissions to show
how it is cutting its carbon footprint. But emissions per capita are
far higher in the U.S., making it an inconvenient measure for the
U.S. to use to show progress.
Instead, the U.S. is expected to focus on the fact that the Obama
administration has ramped up the rate of emissions reductions
nearly twofold. Early in his presidency, Obama committed to cut
U.S. emissions 17 percent by 2020; his subsequent goal for 2025
pushes it to 28 percent. The White House declined to comment.
The U.S. and other developed countries have been aggressively pressing developing nations to step up on climate change
— especially those like China and India that are heavily reliant on
dirtier sources of energy.
Obama has described his strategy as “leading by example” and
has sought to use the steps he’s already taken to cut emissions to
ramp up pressure on other countries to do the same.
But poorer countries have traditionally balked, arguing their
more modest means make reductions more of an imposition and
pointing out that historically, they’re responsible for just a small
fraction of the heat-trapping gases that industrialized countries
have been pumping into the atmosphere for decades. So when
Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping both committed to
curbing emissions in a joint announcement in November, environmentalists hailed it as a sign that reluctant nations like China
were finally getting on board.
“People know that domestically, we’re moving forward,” U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy
said Monday at a luncheon hosted by Politico. She pointed to the
U.S.-China pact as Exhibit A. “If the two biggest polluters and the
two biggest greenhouse gas polluters can get together, and two
biggest economies, then we’re going to be OK moving into Paris,
and we should have momentum behind our backs.”
Although all nations were asked to submit their climate targets
by the end-of-March target date, only a handful of countries are
expected to meet it. In addition to the U.S., the EU and Switzerland, Mexico unveiled a pledge last week to cut greenhouse gases
and short-lived climate pollutants 25 percent by 2030, drawing
praise from the White House and from environmental advocates.
How will the U.S. meet its goal? The Obama administration has
avoided putting hard numbers on the size of emissions reductions
it expects from specific steps the U.S. is taking. In its submission,
the EU listed specific economic sectors — such as transportation,
energy and manufacturing — where it expects major reductions,
and named the specific greenhouse gases it plans to cut.
In contrast, the U.S. is expected to point broadly to the steps
it is taking under the climate action plan Obama announced in
2013, such as new rules requiring sweeping cuts from new and
existing power plants, stricter emissions limits for cars and trucks,
and initiatives targeting specific greenhouse gases like methane
and hydrofluorocarbons.
Many of those steps ordered by Obama face major legal challenges and intense political opposition, raising the risk that they
could be undermined or even discarded once Obama leaves office
in 2017. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said
the U.S. couldn’t meet Obama’s target even if his domestic climate plan were fully implemented.
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 21
This Friday, March 27, 2015 photo shows a display at the visitors center at the New Hampshire
State House showing many of the state symbols voted in by the legislature over the years, in Concord, N.H. The display includes the state flower, lilac; state tree, white birch; bird, purple finch;
dog, Chinook; animal, white tail deer; amphibian, spotted newt; butterfly, Karner blue; and fruit,
pumpkin. Earlier this month New Hampshire shot down as frivolous a group of fourth-graders’
(AP Photo/Jim Cole)
effort to name the red-tailed hawk the official raptor of the state. Judicial Branch
American Samoa Government
ANNOUNCEMENT
POSITION VACANCIES
The Judicial Branch of the American Samoa Government announces the following
vacancies in the High Court and District Court of American Samoa.
COURT TRANSLATOR/DEPUTY PROBATION OFFICER (1 Vacancy)
Act as an assistant or deputy to the Chief Translator/Probation Officer in all work
relating to providing language translation services of English and Samoan.
Candidate must demonstrate verbal and written proficiency in both English and
Samoan languages. Candidate must demonstrate a knowledge of the judicial
system and court proceedings/practices. Probation Officer duties include taking
an oath of office to enforce the orders of the court and those as described by
American Samoa statute or regulation. Applicant must have a Bachelor’s Degree in
social work from an accredited college/university. Five(5) years work experience
in probation work or a related field may be used to off-set the academic
requirements. Must have a valid driver’s license. Salary range begins at $26,140
and may be adjusted based on qualifications.
Applications for this position vacancy are available at the Clerk’s Window at the
High Court of American Samoa. All applications must be returned to the
Administrator at the High Court building by no later than 4:00 p.m., Friday, April
3rd, 2015. Contact Enele Seumanutafa at 633-1261 or 633-1150 for information.
Page 22
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Saunia: L.A.F./Naenae
Productions
Indian spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi, center left,
hugs to bless a devotee during a prayer meeting in New Delhi,
India, Monday, March 30, 2015.
Known among her followers as “Amma,” which means
“mother” in several Indian languages, Amritanandamayi has
devotees in India and the rest of the world. She is also popularly
(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
known as the Hugging Saint.
MOLIMAU TAMAITAI
FAASAGA I LE FAATONU O LE SAVALI
O le vaiaso ua te’a na faagasolo ai iloiloga o le faamasinoga o le alii Faatonu o le
nusipepa o le Savali, le susuga
Tupuola Terry Tavita, lea o
lo o molia i moliaga o le faaoolima mataga, ma sa molimau
ai le tamaitai na faaulu lana tagi
faasaga ia Tupuola, o Maria
Livisitone Kolio.
O lea tamaitai sa faigaluega
ai i le Savali i polokalama a le
Iunivesete Aoao o Samoa ma le
malo ina ia maua ai le avanoa
o le fanau aoga e mataitu ai le
faatinoina o galuega i matagaluega eseese a le malo.
Na molimau lea tamaitai e
faapea, sa taumafai Tupuola e
tagotago ia te ia i se uiga faafeusuaiga, e ala i le tago i le pito
i luga o ona vae.
Fai mai a ia, e faalua ona
tupu lea tulaga i totonu o le
taavale a le Savali, ma sa fesili
atu Tupuola ia te ia poo a ni ona
lagona i ana gaioiga o lo o fai
atu ia te ia. Sa tali lea tamaitai,
“na o le inoino lava le lagona e
oo mai ia te a’u i au gaioiga o
lo o faia.”
Na faaalia foi e lea tamaitai i
le Faamasinoga e faapea, sa fai
atu Tupuola ia te ia ina ua la foi
ane mai Aleisa la te o i lona fale
la te faiaiga ai.
E faalua ona faia e Tupuola
o ia gaioiga o le aso sa la o ai
e lipotia le saofai a le alii fusu
lauiloa o Joseph Parker.
Fai mai a ia, sa faatu e
Tupuola le taavale ae tagotago
atu foi o ia i le pito i luga o ona
vae, ae sa ia taofia.
Ina ua toe faaauau le la
faigamalaga, sa afe Tupuola
i faletalimalo e lua ma sa ia
taumafai e maua se potu la te
malolo ai. I se tasi o ia faletalimalo, sa fai ane le pule e $30 le
tau e faaaoga ai se tasi o faleoo.
Peitai, na o le $20 le tupe a
Tupuola sa i ai, ae sa ia manao
i se faleoo e i ai ni pupuni. Ina
ua la oo i Lalomanu, sa afe le
taavale i se nofoaga i tua o le
auala ma sa fai ane Tupuola la
te malolo iina. Ina ua faamoe e
Tupuola lana nofoa, sa oso ese
le tamaitai mai le taavale.
Sa iu ina toe faaola e
Tupuola le taavale ma sa la toe
o ese mai lea nofoaga. Ina ua
oo atu i Aufaga, sa tuu ai loa e
Tupuola o ia ma le faamatalaga
e sue atu sona auala leaga e i ai
ana galuega o lo o fia fai i Apia.
Sa maua le auala o lea tamaitai
i nisi o le au tusitala sa i ai i
lena aso i le saofai a le susuga
Joseph Parker.
TULIMATAI E INGA
FUSUAGA FAAPITOA
O se tasi o fuafuaga o le a
atili toatele ai tagata e asiasi
mai i Samoa mo le taaloga
faitaulia muamua a le Manu
Samoa ma le Olopeleki o le
a faia i laufanua o Samoa i le
masina o Iulai o le tausaga nei,
o fusuaga faapitoa i le va o tama
taaalo tuai o le Manu Samoa ma
le Olopeleki.
O lea taamilosaga faapitoa o
lo o faamoemoe e faataunuuina
i le po o le aso 7 o Iulai, ao loma
le taaloga i le aso 8 o Iulai.
O lo o tuufaatasia lea faamoemoe e se tasi o tama taalo
tuai sa taalo i le Manu Samoa
faapea le Olopeleki, le susuga
Tuigamala Vaaiga Tuigamala,
po o “Inga the Winger” e pei
ona lauiloa ai o ia i Niu Sila ma
le lalolagi atoa.
Ua valoia e Tuigamala, o le
a toatele atu tagata e asiasi mai
i Samoa nai lo o le vaitaimi o
le fono a atumotu laiti tau atiae
o le lalolagi, lea sa talimalo ai
Samoa i le tausaga na tea nei.
Fai mai a ia, o le a faalauiloa
mulimuli suafa o tama taalo
tuai a ia au e lua o le a iloilo
i totonu o le maea ao loma lea
taaloga faitaulia.
Na saunoa Tuigamala, e le o
popole le iuni lakapi ma tagata
(Faaauau itulau 26)
C
M
Y
K
C
M
Y
K
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 23
In Loving Memory of
TAUFANUU IFOPO-SAMATUA
a Beloved Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister and Aunty
Sunset:
March 23, 2015
Sunrise:
January 21, 1974
C
M
Y
K
FUNERAL PROGRAM
C
M
Y
K
Sunday, April 5, 2015
12:00 Noon
1:00pm
8:00pm
LBJ Chapel
Families & Friends’ Service @ SDA, Vaitogi Church
Viewing in Vaitogi at Samatua Guesthouse (Paepaetele)
Depart for Ifopo Residence in Tafuna
Monday, April 6, 2015
6:00am
10:00am - 12:00 Noon
Final Farewells at Samatua Guesthouse (Paepaetele), Vaitogi
Final Services @ SDA Vaitogi Church
Burial will follow immediately in Tafuna
FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
Solomona Siaumau Samatua, Children and Family
Page 24
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
British Prime Minister and Conservative party leader David Cameron gives a speech at a
General Election Rally at The Corsham School in Chippenham, south west England on Monday,
March 30, 2015. British Prime Minister David Cameron paid a courtesy call on Queen Elizabeth
II, then launched a most uncourteous attack on his main political rival as campaigning formally
(AP Photo / LEON NEAL, POOL)
began Monday in the most unpredictable U.K. election in decades.
NSA: Car smashes into police
vehicle at Fort Meade; 1 dead
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Two men
dressed as women smashed a stolen car into a
police vehicle after they disobeyed commands at
the closely guarded gates of the National Security Agency on Monday, prompting police to
open fire.
One of the men died, the other was injured
and a police officer also was taken to a hospital.
Details remained unclear hours later.
Initial images from the scene showed emergency workers loading the uniformed officer
into an ambulance.
Nearby were a dark-colored SUV and an
SUV emblazoned with “NSA Police,” both
heavily damaged.
It was not known why the men wound up at
the gate at Fort Meade, a sprawling military post
that houses the National Security Agency, or
why they did not obey orders from NSA police.
Fort Meade is just off Interstate 295 between
Baltimore and Washington.
The men were dressed as women, said a senior
defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized
to discuss an ongoing case. It also was unclear
exactly what the men were wearing.
The NSA said in a news release that investigators have not yet determined how the man
in the vehicle died, and the conditions of the
wounded man and officer were not disclosed.
An agency officer gave the driver “routine instructions for safely exiting the secure
campus,” but the driver disobeyed them, the
release said.
The driver then accelerated toward a police
vehicle blocking the road, and police then
opened fire.
An FBI spokeswoman said earlier in the day
that the incident was not believed to be linked to
terrorism.
The NSA said the incident was contained to
the perimeter of the secure campus.
The car that rammed the police vehicle had
been stolen Monday morning from a hotel in
Jessup, Maryland, said Mary Phelan, a spokeswoman for the Howard County Police Depart-
ment. She declined to name the hotel, citing the
ongoing investigation, or release any further
details, referring all questions to the FBI.
A strip of hotels, motels and other businesses
is less than 10 miles from Fort Meade in Jessup.
The FBI is investigating and working with the
U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland to determine
if federal charges are warranted, FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson said in an email.
It’s not the first time someone has disobeyed
orders at an NSA gate. In July, a man failed to
obey an NSA officer’s command to stop as he
approached a checkpoint. The man drove away,
injuring an NSA officer and nearly striking a
barricade. He was later arrested.
Earlier this month, police captured a man
accused of firing at a building on the NSA
campus. The man, who was also accused of
shooting at vehicles, told police he heard voices.
Fort Meade also is home to the Defense Information Systems Agency and the U.S. Cyber
Command.
About 11,000 military personnel and about
29,000 civilian employees work on the property.
The NSA’s presence is clearly visible in the
area, with large satellite dishes and glass and
steel buildings rising from the tree line.
Chain link fences marked with restricted
access signs and topped with barbed wire run
along the perimeter of the campus.
Posted signs inform drivers of various exits
for the NSA and Fort Meade, including one for
deliveries, another for the visitors center and one
designated only for employees.
Jon Reinach, owner of Fort Meade Auto
Center, said people sometimes stop by his service center asking for directions.
Truck drivers sometimes also have to drop
off their assistants at his shop because they don’t
have proper identification to get past security.
“A lot of people come in here trying to find
their way to Fort Meade,” Reinach said, adding
that he’s heard of people going through the
wrong security entrance, but “usually they’ll
pull over to a waiting area and they usually
do check out.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
French eye cockpit entry and
psychological screening rules
PARIS (AP) — French aviation investigators said Tuesday
they will examine “systemic weaknesses” like cockpit entry rules
and psychological screening procedures that could have led to the
Germanwings plane crash — issues that could affect the worldwide aviation industry.
Lufthansa, meanwhile, said its insurers had set aside $300 million to deal with possible fallout from the March 24 crash.
The announcement by the French aviation agency BEA signaled the latest re-think about airline procedures in the wake of
the Germanwings crash, which jolted an aviation industry already
reeling after one passenger plane disappeared into an ocean and
another was shot out of the sky over war-torn eastern Ukraine.
Authorities say Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who in
the past had been treated for suicidal tendencies, locked his captain out of the cockpit before deliberately crashing the Airbus 320
into a mountain in the French Alps. All the 150 people aboard
Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf were killed that day.
BEA said it aims to provide a “detailed analysis” of the Germanwings cockpit voice recorder and any other flight data — but
it also plans to widen its search to examine issues that could be
problematic for all airlines.
The agency is studying both psychological screening procedures and rules applied to entering and leaving the cockpit, as well
as cockpit door locking systems.
Teens taunting passersby wounded by shooter
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police say two teenagers were shot
in a California State University, Los Angeles, parking lot after
taunting passers-by while driving in their van during the weekend.
The shooting Sunday that authorities suspect involved gang
members left a 14-year-old with a stomach wound, while an
18-year-old was hit in the hand. The Los Angeles Times reported
Monday that the teens are listed in stable condition at a local hospital. Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Peter Gamino tells the
newspaper that “somebody took offense to what they were saying”
as they drove around East Los Angeles and opened fire. The
shooting will be investigated by the university’s police department.
Wild rhino chased into forest
after deadly rampage in Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Forest officers and tamed elephants have chased a wild rhino back to the forest after it killed
a woman and injured seven people in a rampage through a city
in southern Nepal. The Makwanpur District Administration office
said Tuesday that the rhino was chased into the forest during the
night, hours after it terrorized residents in Hetauda, a city of about
135,000 people. The animal charged into the city from the jungle
Monday morning and chased people around a downtown market
and bus station, even entering a hospital.
A 61-year-old woman was fatally gored during the rampage.
People honked car horns and beat drums to drive away the
animal, but were unsuccessful. The rhino was not hurt.
a 10-foot, 300-pound metal
rooster goes missing in Athens
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Police are searching for whoever made
off with Rocket the Rusty Rooster, a 10-foot-tall, 300-pound metal
sculpture stolen from its perch outside an Athens business.
Lexington Vintage owner Bonnie Harris tells CBS 46 that she’s
saddened by the crime, believed to have happened Friday night or
Saturday morning. Harris said the rooster attracted attention to the
store, which opened in November.
Athens-Clarke County police say the estimated value of the
Bunyanesque artwork is $3,000, meaning that whoever stole it
could face a felony. Harris tells The Athens Banner-Herald that
the rooster’s installation two weeks ago involved anchoring the
big bird in the ground with rebar stakes. She said her husband
thinks some type of tool was used to cut Rusty away because part
of one foot was left in the ground.
Spain — Police arrest family,
say children were to join jihad
MADRID (AP) — The Interior Ministry says police have
arrested four members of a family, including two minors who
were allegedly about to travel to Syria to become jihadi fighters.
A ministry statement said a couple and two boys, both aged
under 16, were arrested in the northeastern city of Badalona, near
Barcelona. The boys were suspected of planning to travel Tuesday
to Syria, via Morocco and Turkey.
The ministry said authorities believe another son of the couple
joined the Islamic State group in Syria and died last year.
The statement said the two minors had left school in Spain to
study the Quran in Morocco.
Details of the family’s identity were not released.
Spain has arrested dozens of suspected jihadist militants and
recruiters in recent years.
(Continued on page 25)
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 25
➧ NEWS IN BRIEF…
Continued from page 24
Knight Foundation to fund
32 projects to improve cities
WASHINGTON (AP) — A foundation is awarding grants to
32 innovative projects working to improve cities, totaling $5 million in funding. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is
announcing Tuesday that the Knight Cities Challenge will award
grants in 12 cities from more than 7,000 proposals. The program
was announced in September 2014.
The winning projects range from combating blight in Detroit
to installing porch swings in public places in Charlotte, North
Carolina. In Detroit, one group will receive funding to create a
“Brand Camp” to help create compelling brands and websites for
businesses in underserved neighborhoods. In Miami, the foundation will fund a Science Barge that holds a floating sustainable
farm. And in Philadelphia, an Immigrant Innovation Hub will give
entrepreneurs low-cost space to help revitalize neighborhoods.
Carter says US policy on
Iran-backed forces will hold
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter says
that when Iraqi security forces carry their counteroffensive beyond
the current battle for Tikrit, the U.S. will continue to insist that Iranian-backed Shiite militias not participate. In remarks Monday at
Fort Drum, New York, Carter said the coalition must ensure it is
working only with forces under Iraqi government control as Iraqi
ground troops seek to retake territory held by the Islamic State group.
The U.S. last week began to provide Iraqi forces with intelligence from U.S. aerial surveillance and to launch airstrikes in support of the battle for Tikrit. It did so on condition that the Iranianbacked Shiite militias not participate. Carter said that condition
will continue to apply as the fight shifts beyond Tikrit.
lawmaker loses assignment
over abortion comments
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Post reports a Republican state
lawmaker has lost a committee position as punishment for remarks
he made about the case of a Colorado woman who allegedly cut an
unborn child from her mother’s belly.
Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso was quoted by the newspaper Monday as saying he removed fellow Republican Gordon
Klingenschmitt from the Health, Insurance and Environment
Committee because he believed disciplinary action was necessary.
Last week, Dynel Lane, who had told her husband she was pregnant, was charged with attempted first-degree murder.
She was accused of cutting a baby girl, whom the coroner said
never lived outside the womb, from an 8-month-pregnant woman,
who survived. Klingenschmitt has called the attack God’s curse on
the country for tolerating abortion. Critics have called those comments exploitative.
‘Bernie’ case prosecutor seeks
recusal, says he’s a witness
CARTHAGE, Texas (AP) — The Texas district attorney who
was to prosecute for a second time the man whose murder conviction
inspired the movie “Bernie” has asked to recuse himself on the eve
of a pretrial hearing, saying he’s become a witness. In a motion filed
Monday in state district court in Carthage, Danny Buck Davidson
asked to recuse himself and other prosecutors in his Panola County
District Attorney’s Office from the Bernie Tiede case.
Tiede was convicted of killing wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent
and storing her body in a freezer. He was released from prison
after a judge agreed to reduce his sentence. Davidson agreed the
former mortician was wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment.
Davidson did not specify how he was a witness.
Roadside bomb kills seven
Afghans in eastern province
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A deputy official says a roadside bombing in a remote province in eastern Afghanistan has
killed seven people, all members of the same family.
The deputy police chief in Ghazni province says the bombing
took place on Monday afternoon in Andar district. Asadullah
Ensafi says the mini bus the family was riding in struck the bomb
and all seven people from the family died — three women, three
children and a man. No one immediately claimed responsibility
for the attack but Ensafi blamed the Taliban. It was the third such
roadside bombing this month in Ghazni province.
Roadside bombs have been a weapon of choice for Taliban
insurgents for many years, and are often used to target officials
and members of the security forces but also kill many civilians.
France’s Senate debates
punishing prostitutes’ customers
PARIS (AP) — A French bill which aims to make it illegal to
buy sex is being turned upside down by the Senate, led by the conservative opposition.
The bill was approved by France’s Socialist-dominated lower
house of Parliament in 2013 amid heated debate. Supporters argue
it would help fight human trafficking networks, while opponents
defend those who buy sex from France’s 40,000 prostitutes.
Prostitution is currently legal in France, but prostitutes are often
arrested and charged for soliciting in public, which is prohibited.
Brothels, pimping, and the sale of sex by minors is also illegal.
The proposed bill aims to introduce a 1,500-euro (about $1,620)
fine for buyers and decriminalize soliciting.
Colonel Geoffrey Godbold, the Common Cryer and Serjeant-at-Arms of the City of London,
centre, announces the summoning of a new Parliament following the dissolution of Parliament,
(AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
from the steps of the Royal Exchange in London, Monday, March 30, 2015.
AMERICAN SAMOA GOVERNMENT
OFFICE OF PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR THE DISABLED
“Ofisa e Puipuia ma Fa’afinaua Aia o i latou e iai Manaoga Faapitoa”
PO BOX 3937, PAGO PAGO AMERICAN SAMOA 96799
PHONE: (684) 699-2441, 2442, 2443 FAX: (684) 699-7286 email:[email protected]
ASO FAAPITOA MO LE FAALAUILOAINA O
MATAUPU TAU I LE PUIPUIGA O LE AIA O E IAI
MANAOGA FAAPITOA, 15 APERILA 2015
E taalo atu, ma le faaaloalo i le mamalu o le atunuu ia tatou auai faatasi ai i le faalauiloaina
o ni mataupu tau i le puipuiga o le aia o e iai manaoga faapitoa (ADA) i le aso ua taua i luga.
O le a faamalamalamaina ai le tele o mataupu o loo tuu fesili ai le toatele e uiga i faatulafonoina o pakaga mo e iai manaoga faapitoa. Faamoemoe o lou auai mai o le a manino
ai i le tele o mataupu ma tatou galulue faatasi ai e puipui aia mo e iai lenei manaoga faapitoa.
O le a faataunuu lenei fonotaga i le Aso 15, Aperila i le Potu fono o le Ofisa Palota i Tafuna.
O lenei tulafono e mafai ona maua e le mamalu ole atunuu mai le Ofisa e Puipuia ma
Fa’afinaua Aia o i latou e iai Manaoga Faapitoa. E talosaga atu lenei matagaluega ma le
fa’aaloalo i ni manatu fa’aalia po’o ni fa’amatalaga e fa’atatau i lenei ripoti. E mafai ona tusi
ma lafo, imeli [email protected], pe fa’ao’o mai i le matagaluega a le OPAD ae le’i atoa le 30 o
aso talu ona faia lenei fa’asalalauga, ile OPAD,
Ofisa e Puipuia ma Fa’afinaua Aia o i latou e iai Manaoga Faapitoa P.O Box 3937, Pago
Pago American Samoa 96799. Mo nisi fa’amatalaga auiliili, fa’amolemole fa’afesootai le
Sui Faatonu Brian Thompson ole OPAD ile 699-2441.
PUBLIC HEARING ON AN ADDITION TO THE
AMERICAN SAMOA ADMINISTRATIVE CODE (ASAC)
PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY
The Office of Protection and Advocacy for the Disabled (OPAD) will be holding a Public
Hearing on an addition to the American Samoa Administrative Code (ASAC) Parking for
Persons with a Disability. The Proposed additions are available to the public at the OPAD
office in Tafuna or email: [email protected] OPAD invites public comments on the proposed ASAC
Rule. Comments must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the first published date of
this notice.
DATE: April 15, 2015 TIME: 9:00am
PLACE: Election Office Conference Room
Submit comments to the OPAD office or by mail to OPAD Parking for Persons with a
Disability, P.O Box 3937, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799. For more information, please
contact Brian Thompson, Deputy Director at 699-2441
Page 26
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
➧ E le faigata Fono…
Mai itulau 17
Saunoa atili Galea’i e fa’apea, ua avea le ova o tupe mai le
afu o tagata totogi lafoga sa totogi atu i le ‘payouts’ ma itu ua
fa’aletonu ai tupe a le malo i tausaga ua mavae, ma ua tatau i
le faigamalo o lo o i ai nei ona toe saili se auala e toe ao mai ai
tupe nei.
“E le faigata i le Fono Faitulafono ona ave le kovana ma le
faigamalo i le fa’amasinoga, i le le fa’atinoina o a outou tiute i
lalo o le tulafono, peita’i e le manana’o le fono e fai le tulaga
lea, ona o le manatu atu fo’i i la tatou va nonofo, e tatau la ona e
fautua i le kovana ina ia toe silasila toto’a i le mataupu lea”, o le
isi lea saunoaga a Galea’i i le teutupe.
Saunoa atili Galea’i e fa’apea, e to’atele naua tagata o le
atunu’u o lo o tu’u fesili atu ia te ia, po o fea ua fai aga’i i ai le
mataupu e fa’atatau i tupe sa totogi i le ‘payouts’.
“E le gata i le atunu’u lenei mataupu, o le mafua’aga lena o le
latou tu’itu’i mai pea i le Fono”, o le isi lea saunoaga a Galea’i,
ma ia fautuaina ai loa le teutupe, o le taimi lelei lava lenei e amata
ao ai loa e le malo tupe nei, o lea ua tulaga fa’aletonu tupe maua
a le malo.
Saunoa Galea’i, e le laititi le tupe sa fa’aalu i le ‘payouts’ o
lo o fesiligia nei, lea e ova i le $1miliona, ma o ia tupe, “o tupe a
tagata totogi lafoga e tatau ona toe fa’afo’i i le malo”.
Feso’ota’i mai i le tusitala ia [email protected]
In this Tuesday, March 24, 2015 photo, Jordanian royal desert forces stand guard in front of Al
Khazneh, Arabic for the Treasury, the most dramatic of many facades carved into the mountains,
in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan.
It’s high season in Petra, the ancient city hewn from rose-colored rock and Jordan’s biggest
tourist draw.
Yet nearby hotels stand virtually empty these days and only a trickle of tourists make their way
through a landmark canyon to the Treasury building where scenes of one of the “Indiana Jones”
(AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
movies were filmed. ➧ Ancient Petra sees few visitors…
Continued from page 12
Now he’s at home, using up his savings.
“Everyone here is doing the same, and we don’t
know what will happen in a few months when
we run out of money,” he said.
Nawafleh said he is keeping his Amra Palace
Hotel open for now, even though just 20 percent
of the rooms are occupied, compared to 60 percent last March.
The Petra Visitors’ Center, with souvenir
shops arranged around a square, is typically
jammed at this time of the year.
On a recent day this week, only a few dozen
people walked around the plaza, where the
“Indiana Jones Gift Shop” references a more
recent chapter in Petra’s history — the filming of
scenes of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”
in the late 1980s.
Some of the individual travelers, including
two Americans teaching at an international
school in Saudi Arabia, said living in the region
helped put security concerns into proportion.
“Sometimes it seems things are getting more
hyped up. I am not scared to be in Jordan, and I
am not scared to be in Saudi, either,” said one
of the teachers, 35-year-old Tracy Redding of
Chicago.
Noor Muqadam, 47, originally from Mumbai,
India, but based in Dubai, said he had booked
a Petra trip in January, before the video of the
immolation of the Jordanian pilot was posted
online.
After the video he got worried but Jordanian
colleagues at work assured him the country is
safe, he said.
Jordan’s government has been trying harder
to bring back tourists.
Fees and travel taxes at the airport in Aqaba
have been waived to lure back charter flights
and discount airlines, said al-Majali of the hotel
association.
In recent years, Israeli tour operators offering
lower prices had won some of the Jordan business, with tourists flying to Eilat, the Israeli
port next to Aqaba, and taking day trips to Petra,
he said.
The national carrier, Royal Jordanian, this
week promised discounts on some fares, targeting potential visitors from Europe and the
Gulf Arab states.
The tourism board, meanwhile, took dozens
of travel writers and bloggers on a junket this
week, with Jordan’s Queen Rania welcoming
the group.
But Amarat, the manager of the shuttered
Kings’ Way Hotel, said a quick turnaround is
unlikely.
“Let’s say what is going on in Syria stopped
today and they get rid of Islamic State today,”
he said, standing in the deserted hotel lobby
filled with stacked dining room chairs.
“People will not start coming back the next
month.”
➧ Tapena Matatula Elementary…
Mai itulau 19
O le isi vasega lona lua, o le vasega a le Saogalemu o Mea Taumafa, e pei o fua fa’ato’aga o
totoina, ia mautinoa ua fa’aaoga vaila’au e tineia ai manu nini’i fa’alafua e pei ona fa’atonuina i fagu
o vaila’au o fa’atau mai.
“Ia va’ai i fa’atonuga o le fa’aaogaina o nei vaila’au ta’itasi, taimi e tatau ona fa’aaoga ai vaila’au,
ma tele fo’i e ao ina fa’aaogaina. Manatua, a ova, ua afaina fua o na fa’ato’aga, ua le tatau ona
tausamia e le atunu’u,” o se tasi nei o fautuaga i le fanau.
Ua fa’ailoa mai fo’i e le tama’ita’i pule a’oga, Mrs Tino Roberts, “O lo ua mae’a fa’aulu le talosaga a le matou a’oga i le PTA ma le DOE e fia fa’atino e le fanau se fa’ato’aga e toto i totonu o fale
‘Green House.’’
O lea poloketi ua fa’ailoa mai e fia mautinoa le mae’a lelei i le tausaga a’oga nei, ae a tuai, e
amatalia i le tausaga a’oga fou, ma o tapenaga la nei e ao ina muamua fai, e iloa ai ua nofo sauni
le fanau a’oga ma matou faia’oga, i lea poloketi e matua taua lava i le ola a’e o fanau talavou
i totonu o nu’u ma afio’aga e lava le eleele e faia ai fa’aeleeleaga, ma e tua fo’i i fa’ato’aga le
tausiga o aiga.
Le afioga i le ali’i senatoa ia Galea’i M. Tu’ufuli.
➧ Vavau O Samoa…
[ata: AF]
Mai itulau 20
“Letufuga e, o Letufuga Pule Oe, o Letufuga To’atama’i oe, o
Letufuga Alofa oe, alala ia i lalo ua e toa, ua e malo, o lo’u afafine
lalelei lenei o Faauluulumaga I o le a avatu lua te nonofo e fai ma
togiola ia a’u ma o’u tagata.” Fai mai o iina na maua ai le igoa o
le atalii o Letufuga ia Faauluulumaga I, le tama o Alalatoa ma le
teine o Fitimale’ula, ma faasolo mai ai lava lea o le gafa seia oo
mai ia Salamasina le ulua’i tupu tafa’ifa a Samoa, ma faasolo atu
ai lava lea o le gafa seia oo i le taimi na usu ai Fuimaono ia Oilau,
faaee le gafa o Tupua Fuiavailili na saesae laufa’i ai Tumua.
O le faaiuga lena o le tatou tala i nisi o Vavau a le atunuu.
Soifua.
➧ TALA MAI SAMOA…
Mai itulau 22
o Samoa i le aso ua atofaina mo lea taaloga.
Pau le mea taua, ua taunuu ona malaga mai le Olopeleki e
fetaui ma le Manu i ona laufanua.
FALEPUIPUI I LE FAIAIGA FAASOLITULAFONO
E ui i lipoti lelei mai le Ofisa Faanofovaavaaia o lo o lagolagoina ai ia Uili Kalolo ma Pati Mata’u, ae sa faia le faaiuga a
le afioga Faamasino Sili Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu, e tatau
lava ona tuuina atu ni faasalaga faafalepuipui ia i laua ona o le
tuga o a la solitulafono.
Mo le silafia, o Uili Kalolo ma Pati Mata’u o lo o molia i lo la
ulufale faasolitulafono i le fale o se ulugalii i se tasi o afioaga i le
itumalo Fagaloa, lea sa la faiaiga faamalosi ai i le toalua o se tasi
o alii o lea afioaga.
Na faaalia e faapea, o le tama na aafia, o le tausoga a se tasi o
taulelea ua molia.
Ua faasalaina nei Uili Kalolo i le 6 tausaga ma masina e 10 i
le falepuipui, ao Pati Mata’u e 4 tausaga ma ma masina e luau a
faasala a ii le toese.
Fight over religious
objection proposals
shifts to Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The fight over “religious
freedom” proposals facing increasing criticism from businesses and advocates who call them a license to discriminate
against gays and lesbians has shifted toward Arkansas, which
was poised to become the second state this year to enact such a
measure.
A final vote could come as early as Tuesday in the state House
on the proposal that would prohibit state and local government
from infringing on someone’s religious beliefs without a “compelling” reason.
Unlike Indiana — where Republicans were working on
adding language to clarify the state’s recently enacted law after
a firestorm of protests — Arkansas lawmakers said they weren’t
seeking to modify the measure.
“There’s not really any place to make any changes now,”
Republican Rep. Bob Ballinger of Hindsville said about his proposal. “If there are questions in two years we can fix it.”
Hundreds of protesters filled Arkansas’ Capitol to oppose the
measure, holding signs that read “Discrimination is not a Christian Value” and “Discrimination is a Disease,” and chanting
“Shame on You” at Ballinger after the measure was endorsed by
a House committee.
“I believe that many people will want to flee the state and
many people will want to avoid our state,” said Rita Jernigan, a
protester and one of the lead plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ gay marriage ban.
“I think it will hit us hard everywhere. I feel like we’re moving
backwards rather than being a progressive state.”
The protests echo the backlash in Indiana, where Republican
Gov. Mike Pence signed a similar bill into law last week.
Some companies and organizations have canceled future travel
to Indiana or halted expansion plans in the state, and Republican
legislative leaders said they are working on adding language to
Indiana’s law to make it clear that the measure does not allow
discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Similar proposals have been introduced in more than a dozen
states, patterned after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration
Act of 1993.
Nineteen other states have similar laws on the books.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who had expressed reservations about unintended consequences of an earlier version of the
bill, has said he’ll sign the current measure into law.
“If this bill reaches my desk in similar form as to what has
been passed in 20 other states then I will sign it, but I am pleased
that the Legislature is continuing to look at ways to assure balance and fairness in the legislation,” Hutchinson said in a statement Monday.
Sexual orientation and gender identity are not included
in Arkansas’ anti-discrimination protections. Last month,
Hutchinson allowed a measure to go into law that prevented local
governments from including such protections in their anti-discrimination ordinances.
Opponents of the bill hoped to target Hutchinson’s promise to
be a “jobs governor” made during his successful bid last year for
the state’s top office.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, has run ads in Silicon
Valley aimed at the same technology firms Hutchinson has said
he wants to lure to Arkansas.
Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post
over the weekend opposing the Arkansas and Indiana measures,
while retail giant Wal-Mart has said the proposal sends the wrong
message about its home state.
Little Rock-based data services company Acxiom also urged
Hutchinson to veto the bill, saying the measure would enable discrimination and open the state up to ridicule.
“This bill is at direct odds with your position that ‘Arkansas is
open for business,’” CEO Scott Howe and Executive Vice President Jerry C. Jones wrote Monday in a letter to the governor.
In Indiana, the fallout has ranged from the public-employee
union known as AFSCME canceling a planned women’s conference in Indianapolis this year because of the law to the band
Wilco saying it was canceling a May performance.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an open letter to
Indiana corporations saying Virginia is a business-friendly
state that does “not discriminate against our friends and neighbors,” while Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent letters to more
than a dozen Indiana businesses, urging them to relocate to a
“welcoming place to people of all races, faiths and countries of
origin.”
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 27
USDA Farm Service Agency
American Samoa Field Office
Pago Plaza, Suite 213
PO Box 3661
Pago Pago, AS 96799
PUBLIC JOB POSTING
Position Title:
Loss Adjuster
PostingD ate: Monday, March 31, 2015
Position Type:
Independent Contractor
Deadline:
Monday, April 14, 2015
ExpectedH rs:
7-15 hrs per month
PayR ange:
$10.00/hr for orientation,
$18.00/hour following
successfull training
certification
Minimum
Requirements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Must be a US Citizen or US National
Must have significant Math skills
Have some agriculture background
Own your own vehicle. Will be reimbursed for mileage.
Must be able to pay fare to the Manu’a Islands. Travel
advancements will not be made however you will be reimbursed
for travel fees.
JobD esciption:
A Loss Adjuster is an independent contractor who will visit farms
for the purpose of inspecting, measuring and appraising
agricultural crops. A Loss Adjuster will also ensure compliance
with acreage and production reporting requirements. Training will
bep rovided.
Application packets are available at the USDA Farm Service Agency, American Samoa Field
Office located at the Pago Plaza Building, Suite 213, 633-1031 ext 127 or 126. Completed
applications must be submitted in person by close of business Monday, April 14, 2015.
USDA in equal opportunity provider and employer.
Saudi-led forces strike rebels
in Yemen and blockade ports
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Saudi-led naval
forces imposed a blockade on Yemen’s ports as
coalition airstrikes on Monday repelled an advance
on the southern port city of Aden by Shiite rebels
and forces loyal to a former president, in what
appeared to be the most intense day of fighting
since the air campaign began five days ago.
The move to block ports appeared aimed at
preventing the rebels, known as Houthis, from
rearming, and comes after the coalition achieved
full control of the skies and bombed a number of
rebel-held airports. The rebels are supported by
Iran, but both Iran and the Houthis deny Tehran
has armed them.
As night fell, intense explosions could be
heard throughout the rebel-held capital Sanaa,
where warplanes had carried out strikes since the
early morning. Military officials from both sides
of the conflict said that airstrikes were targeting
areas east and south of the third largest city of
Taiz, as well as its airport, while naval artillery
and airstrikes hit coastal areas east of Aden.
“It’s like an earthquake,” Sanaa resident Ammar
Ahmed said by telephone. “Never in my life have
I heard such explosions or heard such raids.” He
said he could hear missiles whistling through the
air and see flames rising from a military area in the
southern neighborhood of Faj Attan, where Scud
missiles are believed to be stored.
Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, the coalition
spokesman, told reporters in Riyadh that naval
forces are blocking the movement of ships to
prevent weapons and fighters from entering or
leaving Yemen. He said they had not yet intercepted anything.
The airstrikes have targeted at least nine of
Yemen’s 21 provinces and have prevented the
Houthis from reaching Aden, the former capital
of the once-independent south, where President
Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi declared a temporary
capital after fleeing rebel-controlled Sanaa.
Hadi, who was a close U.S. ally against a
powerful local al-Qaida affiliate, fled the country
last week, but remains Yemen’s internationally
recognized leader. The U.S. has provided support
to the Saudi-led coalition but is not carrying out
direct military action.
The conflict marks a major escalation in the
regional struggle for influence between Saudi
Arabia and Iran, which also back rival sides in
Syria’s civil war. Arab leaders unveiled plans
Sunday to form a joint military intervention
force, which could raise tensions further.
Asiri said much of the airstrikes on Sunday
and Monday focused on slowing the Houthi
advance on Aden. He said the Houthis tried to
fire ballistic missiles on Monday but that they
malfunctioned. Warplanes then struck the force
that had tried to launch them, he said, without
providing further details.
The Houthis’ TV network said the coalition
bombed a displaced persons camp in the northern
rebel stronghold of Saada, killing 40 people. Doctors Without Borders tweeted that 29 people from
a displaced persons camp were dead on arrival at
a hospital it supports and that it treated two dozen
injured, among them women and children.
However, witnesses told The Associated Press
that the camp — used to house people displaced
by an earlier conflict that ended five years ago —
is now occupied by Houthi forces and that most
of those killed were fighters.
When asked about the allegations, Asiri said
the Houthi fighters operate among civilians. It
was not immediately possible to resolve the conflicting accounts.
The Houthis and security forces loyal to
former President Ali Abdullah Saleh had earlier
launched a fresh offensive against Aden, shelling
it and battling local militias, but were pushed
back by at least two airstrikes, security officials
said. Saleh stepped down following a 2011 Arab
Spring uprising, but has maintained wide influence through loyalists in the security forces.
Yemeni security officials say the combined
force of Houthis and Saleh loyalists is positioned
about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Aden, near
the southern city of Zinjibar. The rebels have used
artillery to target pro-Hadi militias known as the
Popular Committees. Battles are also underway
near the airport. Fighting in the area continued
late into the night.
Emboldened by the airstrikes, the Popular
Committees have largely held their ground in
Aden province and still control most of the city.
The death toll from the ground fighting in
Aden since Thursday has reached at least 86, with
some 600 people wounded, according to AbdelNasser al-Wali, head of a local medical center.
The strikes in Sanaa have targeted militants,
jets, air defense systems and Scud missile launch
pads that could threaten Saudi Arabia.
Page 28
samoa news, Tuesday, March 31, 2015
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