Y._NIYfRSJ]Y O.f tlAWAII LIBRARY By Ferdie de la Torre sel Michael Dotts, said they would Variety News Staff have looked to entertain the pro­ THE SUPERIOR Court issued an posal, but relying on Torres y. order yesterday declaring as un­ particular steps toward these de­ and homesteaders. Tenorio, MPLT felt constrained constitutional the Home Financ­ sirable goals," Castro pointed out. Plaintiff claimed that the loan to reject it.· ing Act of 1996, a law that re­ NMHC sued MPLT and its would be in the public interest as . In Torres v. Tenorio, the lower quires the Marianas Public Land Trustees Juan S. Torres, Vicente it would raise the standard of liv­ court ruled that the governor in Trust to lend Northern Marianas M. Calvo, Maria H. Aguon, ing of low-income families and leasing public lands is held to a Housing Corporation $10 million Joaquin I. Pangelinan, and homesteaders and would have an strict fiduciary standard to "act as for home loans. Herman R. Guerrero for refusing · overall beneficial impact on the a reasonable prudent person would Presiding Judge Alexandro to sign the $JO-million loan in­ CNMI's economy. in the management of his own Castro ruled that MPLT Board of tended for low-income families MPLTTrustees, through coun- Continued on page 16. Trustees "must be free from be­ ing told with whom to invest, on the amount of the investment, and the interest rate to apply to a par­ ticular investment." Castro said MPLT must be in­ Alexandro Castro dependent to carry out its trust­ and the Governor for their joint ees' responsibility of making rea­ effort to provide much needed sonable, careful and prudent in­ assistance for low income home vestment of funds for the benefit purchasers," he said. of the people. "Without a constitutional "The goals of the Act are un­ amendment, however, neither the questionably praiseworthy and the legislative, the executive, nor the court commends the Legislature judicial branch may follow these MGM agrees to settle labor case for $lM By Zaldy Dandan Tenorio as saying that the Variety News Staff settlement "demonstrates to our MARIANAS Garment Manu­ critics that the CNMI govern­ facturing, Inc. has agreed to ment is perfectly capable of settle a 1992 lawsuit over al­ policing the garment industry leged violations of wage regu­ on Saipan." lations for close to a million Filed by the CNMI govern­ dollars, it was learned. ment in 1992, the lawsuit al­ Details of the settlement, re­ leged that MGM did not pay its BPL.·to. evict.·roadside. .,. tuna. vendors portedly the largest to be col­ workers the minimum wage, lected by the CNMI govern­ including overtime. By Jojo Dass plan, but added it can't be autho­ time along the roadway. ment, wi]l be announced to­ Further, MGM allegedly· Variety News Staff rized as such will require a "fair" "But for now, because the law day, Variety sources said. made illegal deductions from ROADSIDE tuna vendors plying rental fee chargeable to vendors. requires this process (of appraisal) The Office of the Governor the workers' paychecks. their trade on public land will be "We 're just doing our job... the we'll have to wait until we get a refused to comment, but a Phil Kaplan, who was the evicted by government and will (enforcement of) management formal ruling by the Board of media statement yesterday church's human rights advo­ • not be allowed back until a policy and use of public lands ... if any­ Public Land to allow it," she fur­ .from the law firm of O'Connor, cate at the time, mentioned on the matter has been ironed out, body is using public lands with­ ther said . Berman, Dotts & Bates con­ MGM's case in his article pub­ the Division of Public Lands said. out an authority, then they will Camacho said allowing road­ firmed the settlement, which lished in the July-August issue In an interview, Public Lands have to move out," she said. side vending on public land "is is for $996,000. of the Seattle-based Washing~ Director Bertha Camacho said "Like we 'II tell them (roadside something that we are consider­ It quoted Gov. Froilan C. Continued on page 16 government is considering a uni­ vendors) to maybe find a private ing but can't authorize yet. form roadside vending activity land that they can use in the mean- Continued on page 16 Court voids termination, Torres hangs on But Board will move to do it again, 'correctly' happy with the court's ruling. Farrell said Bellas made it By Ferdie de la Torre to the court order. clear that BOE has the power to Variety News Staff During a hearing, Superior terminate Torres' four-year con­ WILLIAM S. Torres retains his Court Associate Judge Timothy tract. post as the commissioner of edu­ Bellas ruled that the BOE has the "A week from now or IO days cation following a court decision power to terminate the contract of we (BOE Board) will just hold issued ye.sterday voiding the the Public School System com­ an open session to fire the com­ Board of Education's action to missioner. missioner," Farrell said. terminate his contract. Bellas, however, said BOE The BOE chairman said they But possibly not for long. should come up with such deci­ offered Torres a "lucrative" BOE Chairman Don A. Farrell sion in open session but not dur­ settlement, but the commis­ in an interview said the Board ing an executive or dosed-door sioner turned it down. will still terminate Torres' con­ meeting. Farrell refused to elaborate William Torres tract in an open session pursuant Both parties said they were Continued on page 1o . ,.i 2-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY- SEPTEMBER 18, 1997 TI-IURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1997-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-3 Clinton wants hike Senate declares contempt change: in cigarette prices mally ends any chonce a tobacco AGO to go erPa]rner deal could pass Congress this year. Republicans have made clear they would not t.ake up the complex By Zaldy Dandan is appropriate" once his office Cing told the Variety Tuesday Paul A. Manglona (R-Rota) ex­ legislation without a specific list of Variety News Staff receives the Senate certification that he has asked the Senate ser­ pressed concerns that AGO may demands· from Clinton, which he THE SENATE yesterday found' of Palmer's alleged contempt. geant-at-arms to arrest Palmer, "sit on" Palmer's case which, he says he will not provide Wednes- Tinian casino gaming commis­ "AGO can prosecute," he said. but the Senate legal counsel Steve added, "may dragon for months." day. · sion executive director Paul Despite being served a sub­ Woodruff yesterday cautioned He recommended a new sub­ But Clinton stressed d1at post­ . i Palmer in contempt, and has asked poena last Aug. 22, Palmer failed against it. poena to "drag" Palmer in . poning action doesn't mean a deal the Attorney General's Office to to show up during Monday's Sen­ He said though the Senate may Another member of the com­ isdead. · ·. ' prosecute the case in the Superior ate oversight hearing en the al­ have the power to ask its ser­ mittee, Minority Leader Eusebio ··we ought to get this legislation Court. leged irregularities in the opera­ geant-at-anns to arrest Palmer, A. Hocog (D-Rota), said those through Congress as quickly as we By a unanimous vote of the tions of the Tinian casino gaming "we would not want to violate cited for contempt by the court can," Clinton said Tuesday. ··1 seven members present, the Sen­ commission. anyone's civil rights." are usually put in jail. would hope that we can get all the ate adopted a committee report on In an interview with the Vari­ Woodruff instead advised that· He added, "Mr. Palmer is in parties to the lawsuit involved and the ongoing investigation of the ety, Palmer said his lawyer ad­ Palmer be served a new subpoena contempt of the Senate, isn 'the?" Bill Clinton Tinian gaming commission, cer­ vised him that the subpoena was that will "take away his excuses." Cing, shortly before the Senate to agree to it, but we have to do it Paul Palmer ByLAURANNEERGAARD right'" tifying Palmer's alleged contempt "grossly defective." Dunlap, for his part, said the session started, told the Variety W ASIIlNGTON(AP)-U.S.ciga­ Clinton will not cndor.;e the $ and "willful violation of the Jaw." But the chair of the Senate Senate sergeant-at-anns or any said. that "If I have my way, I'll arrest. rette makers may be headed for an 368 billion tobacco settlement that Israeli-Arab left wing lawmaker Hashem Maham(d, left, argues wi(h a settler Tuesday at the Ras al Amud Acting Attorney General Rob­ probe, Sen. David M. Cing (D­ police officer can arrest Palmer Majority Leader Thomas P. (Palmer) rightaway, but we have expensive congressional fight next state attorneys general and the to­ neighborhood in Arab East Jerusalem where Jewish settlers occupied two houses over the weekend: Israel, ert Dunlap, in an interview yes­ Tinian), said Palmer has "no ex­ for contempt. Villagomez (R-Saipan), who is a to go through due process." year, as P1esident Bill Ointon pre­ bacco indusll)· proposed in June as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried Tuesday to persuade the settlers to leave the houses, saying that terday, said he will "do whatever cuses." In voting for the report's adop­ member of the Senate investigat­ The gaming commission de­ their move was not good for Israel and not good for Jerusalem.