UNIVERSITY OF Hr'\WAII LIBRARY I I arianas %riet.r:~ -_ I Micronesia's Leading Newspaper Since 1972 - - ~ews Class action plaintiffs AG certifies Rota to appeal to 9th Circq.it By Ferdie de la Torre Variety News Staff THE LEGAL team representing the workers who filed a class action casino initiative against 22 garment factories in the CNMI will appeal to the US Court By Louie C. Alonso of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit the decision of federal court Judge Variety News Staff Alex R. Munson dismissing the case. THE INITIATIVE seeking to es­ Lawyer Mark B. Hanson in a telephone interview yesterday said tablish casino gaming in the First plaintiffs are in the process of filing a notice of appeal_ from Senatorial District has officially Munson's ruling and will request an expedited decision from the made it on the ballot for the gen­ Ninth Circuit. eral elections this coming No­ To preserve the status quo pending a decisi~n on appeal before the vember. Ninth Circuit, plaintiffs filed yesterday a motion in US District Court This after the Attorney for the NMI seeking an extension of the stay of Munson's dismissal General's Office certified the pe­ order longer than 45 days, said Hanson, a member of Timothy H. tition submitted by the Munici­ Skinner's Law Offices representing 23 Does (plaintiffs). pality of Rota to put casino legal­ Skinner filed the class action against22 garment factories alleging ization to a vote. that the companies involved have violated the Fair Labor Standards_ Act and the CNMI Minimum Wage and Hour Act, among other Acting Attorney General Maya Maya Kara Benjamin T. Manglona Kara said the Rota initiative has things. met the requirements under the what I intend to do. I was elected given in support of scholarships," Defendant Advanced Textile moved the court to dismiss the CNMI constitution for it to be to improve the standard of living the mayor said. complaint as to the unnamed plaintiffs while the remaining defen­ included in the ballot. and that's what the casino would The casino proposal encourages Continued .on page 12 The petition, added Kara, con­ do." that up to 75 percent of the casino tained the requisite numberof sig­ Manglona and other Rota lead­ workforce be local citizens and natures, which have, been duly ers along with a task force have that investors must pay a federal verified and checked. drafted a gambling law that "both minimum wage. Variety News Staff did, making the ultimate sacrifice Pleased with the AG's deci­ protects the people and prov ides Benefits built into the proposed HAGA TNA--Looking happy and. to make the people of Guam free," sion, Rota Mayor Benjamin T. substantial revenues to benefit the local law, Manglona said, are proud, Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez Gutierrez said during the tradi­ Manglona issued a statement cit­ residents." "generous." joined hundreds of people yester­ tional annual Liberation Parade. ing the benefits of the proposal. The proposed law calls for a The casino licensee must de­ day in celebrating the 55th anni­ Guam is truly America in Asia, "Our main objective .with the small casino administration which posit $20 million in an irrevo­ versary of Guam's liberation from the governor added, and the is­ casino is self-reliance. Itwill bring will give one-third of its gam­ cable trust fund for the benefit of Japanese occupation. land is exercising American de­ economic growth to our people," bling tax revenues to the CNMI the Rota people. "I talked to most of the return­ mocracy, thanks to the efforts that Manglona said. · central government. Investors, Manglona said, are ing liberators on a one-to-one ba­ the liberators made. He added: "The people elected "We will dedicate a 'royalty' to required to put a minimum in­ sis and I told them that the cel­ "Also, we must never forget the me with instructions to energize assist individuals and needy fami­ vestment of $30 million into the ebration this afternoon is al I about sacrifices made not only by the the Rota economy. And that's lies. Some portions must (be) Continued on page 12 them and what their comrades Continued on page 12 ICPAdraws l First men on the moon m~et President Cl1nton ' l "near to Y2K: ('/• ! I /'• ' I i compliance fill \i By Aldwin R. Fajardo Variety News Staff TECHNOLOGICAL compli­ ance of vital systems to pre­ vent potential intem1ptions in both airport and harbor opera­ tions at the tum of the century has been put in place, with only one system now being umrk-,,,1 '11 :1r-r-nrdin11 to r'nm- ,· 2-)JARIANAS ·v i\RIETY NEWS· AND VIEWS-IBURSDA Y--JULy· 22'. i 999 THURSDA•Y,.JUL y 22; 1999 '"·MARIANAS VARiEl'Y NEWS •AND vIEwg-3 JFK Jr., plane· wreckage found Young seeks I testimony WASHINGTON (AP) - The from the ocean floor. divers now is to locate and re­ than-nonnal rate of 700 feet per said. By Zaldy Dandan But in late spring, as negative wreckage ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr.'s · The heightened activity took covertheremainingvictims," said minute. Pearce would not speculate on Variety Associate Editor publicity about the CNMI's gar­ airplane was located yesterday, place after ships from the Navy, the official, speaking on a condi: About 20 miles from the air­ the damage caused by such a crash, THE CHAIR of the US House administration's policies toward ment industry intensified, the with Kennedy's body still aboard, Coast Guard and National tion of anonymity. port, the plane started turning to but said: 'Tm sure you can draw committee that has jurisdiction the CNMI, Young earlier blamed Resources chair announced that off the coast of Martha's Vine­ Oceanographic and Atmospheric Government sources said the right and climbing back to a conclusion by the debris we've over the CNMI and other insular executive branch departments and he will conduct a hearing on the yard. Mass., according to senior Administration spent Tuesday Kennedy family aides and friends 2,600 feet. been bringing in, which is frag­ areas is inviting the common­ agencies for their supposed fail­ commonwealth's labor and im­ government sources. night [Wednesday here] scouring were in New York, planning a After leveling off, it flew for a mented." wealth I.eadership to present testi­ ure to enforce applicable federal migration policies. - '"They've got the fuselage and a site 7 1/2 miles southwest of the memorial service for all three vic­ short time before beginning an­ On the fourth full day of the mony during an oversight hear­ laws in the Northern Marianas. Young's Senate counterpart, John Kennedy's in it," a govern­ Martha's Vineyard coast, a spot tims, perhaps on Saturday. other tum to the right and starting search, the FAA acknow !edged it ing on September I 6. The Clinton administration, for Energy and Natural Resources ment source with firsthand knowl­ that investigators had speculated Several experienced pilots who "a rapid rate of descent" that may was asked in a phone call from an Congressman Don Young (R­ its part, blames the CNMl's con­ Committee Chair Frank H. edge of the investigation told The was the likely splash point for the flew into the Vineyard on Friday have exceeded 5,000 feet per intern at the Martha's Vineyard Alaska), in separate letters to the tinued control over its immigra­ Murkowski (R-Alask), has also Associated Press. plane. night said the.hazy skies and dark­ minute, or about IO times faster airport to help locate the plane administration, Resident Rep. tion and minimum wage poli­ scheduled a public hearing in There was no immediate infor­ It crashed while carrying ness were challenging even for than normal. Friday night. Juan N. Babauta and the presid­ cies for the "widespread labor, August on legislation he intro­ mation about the bodies of Kennedy, 38, his wife, Carolyn them. The descent was 3,000 feet per The caller, 21-year-old Adam ing officers of the Legislature, immigration, trade and human duced-S. 1052 and not S. I 025 Kennedy's wife and sister-in-law, Bessette Kennedy, 33, and her Kennedy obtained his pilot's minute faster than what would be Budd, expressed no great urgency said the hearing will be on the rights abuses" occurring here. as earlier reported-which would who also were on board the plane sister Lauren Bessette, 34. · license in April 1998. a stressful approach for even the as he telephoned an FAA station enforcement of federal laws and Don Young Key congressional Demo­ Juan N. Babauta extend federal immigration law when it crashed Friday night. The fuselage was located over­ At a briefing Tuesday, Robert most experienced flier, experts Continued on page 22 the use of federal funds in the crats, among them Young's mi­ to the CNMI. Pearce, who is heading the inves­ Jim Hall. chairman of the Na­ night by a remote diving vehicle Northern Marianas. the use of federal funds by federal nority counterpart on Resources, legislation in the I 05th Con­ Due to the local economy's tional Transportation Safety equipped with a robotic camera, tigation for the National Trans­ He said the hearing will focus departments for the enforcement California's George Miller, are gress, has been "nagging" dependence on the importation of Board. and Coast Guard Rear according to a senior administra­ portation Safety Board, gave a South Korea decides against on the adequacy of the enforce­ of federal laws in the CNMI and pushing for "federal takeover" Young to hold a hearing on alien workers paid below the fed­ Adm.