PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 $1.00 A ‘wear all blue’ day photo — Manulele SPED — that was posted on the ASCCC Facebook page last year in promoting colorectal cancer awareness. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and the American Samoa Community Cancer Coalition is asking you take a picture or two, this Friday, Mar. 2nd, while C M wearing BLUE, and send it to them Y K — to help promote awareness. See story inside for details. [Courtesy photo] ONLINE @ SAMOANEWS.COM DAILY CIRCULATION 7,000 Governor submits request for a US Update: Manu’a’s Store Presidential major disaster electrocution incident declaration on Feb. 25 — case still open BTW: YOU NEED TO USE YOUR NAME ON YOUR ID WHEN ASKING FOR HELP LOCAL JERSEY CORP. ALSO CONTESTING by Samoa News staff been completed, and made part of the governor’s PROPOSED OSHA FINES OF MORE THAN $17K ov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has sub- request for a major disaster declaration for fed- mitted a request for a US Presiden- eral assistance. by Fili Sagapolutele Gtial major disaster declaration, which Specifi c details of the governor’s request are Samoa News Correspondent would pave the way for federal aid to American not immediately available and the time frame of he local company alleged to have been contracted for Samoa in the wake of Tropical Storm Gita that when a decision would be made by the US Presi- crane service for a project at Manu’a’s Store at the hit the territory on Feb. 9th. dent is unknown. Tafuna Industrial Park, where three men were electro- In its 6p.m bulletin on Feb. 26th, the Emer- EOC is asking the public to be patient as T cuted and died early last year, has contested the proposed fi nes of gency Operations Center said the governor’s American Samoa awaits a response from the fed- more than $17,000 imposed by the US Occupational Safety and request was signed Feb. 25th and transmitted to eral government to the governor’s request. Health Administration (OSHA). the Region 9 offi ce of the US Federal Emergency Additionally, FEMA’s program to fi le claims Last September, Samoa News reported that Manu’a’s Inc., Management Agency (FEMA) in California, for federal assistance is not available at this dba Manu’a Store, was contesting fi ve violations — four of them which has received it already and it is being time — as this too awaits the fed government’s “serious” — and proposed fi nes of more than $35,000. The case routed to Washington D.C. response. is still open. (See Samoa News Sept. 14, 2017 edition for details.) American Samoa is currently under a presi- The public is also reminded to contact your Samoa News has found that according to OHSA’s public dential emergency declaration, which allows village pulenu’u at the Offi ce of Samoan Affairs records, Jersey Corporation — with location of the incident: for limited direct federal assistance to the local (633-5201) or EOC (699-3800) if your home suf- Tafuna Industrial Park, Tafuna Manu’a’s Store — has three pro- government. fered damages from Gita and an assessment has posed violations, and two are labeled “serious” — with a pro- The initial joint federal and local govern- not been completed. posed fi ne of $8,873 for each of the serious violations. ment’s post-Gita damage assessments of indi- The three violations, in which one is considered “other” with vidual homes and public infrastructure have (Continued on page 6) no fi ne, were issued June 19, 2017. According to OSHA, a bureau within the US Department of Labor, the company contested the proposed violations and fi nes on July 13, 2017, and the case remains open. “This matter is ongoing and because of it, we cannot pro- vide any further details or information at this moment,” said Jose C M Carnevali, USDOL spokesman for the department’s Region 9 Y K Offi ce, in response to Samoa News inquiries. (Continued on page 12) Young man from Amanave joins the military but aims to return home and give back Page 2 Kruse grants a second chance to a young father convicted of burglary Page 3 Welcome to the three Nu`uuli Vocational Tech High School students who are participating in the Tatala i tua ali’i na maua i ai fualaau ‘school to work’ program at Carl’s Jr. e students, Tumema Simiti, Larry Purcell and Tiara Men- fa’asaina i le fale faatali pasi i Tafuna doza come in three days a week a er school and work 3-hour shi s as part of the program. Carl’s Junior is happy to provide uniforms and on-the-job training for these students. Le Lali -9 [courtesy photo] Page 2 samoa news, Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Young man from Amanave joins the military but aims to return home and give back by Blue Chen-Fruean Samoa News Correspondent At 27, Ryan Taifane has his life plan laid out. And in less than two months, he will be tackling his fi rst hurdle: boot camp. The future military offi cer told Samoa News yesterday that his goal is “to go off island and make something of myself - do something that matters.” A 2008 graduate of Leone High School, Taifane became the fi rst person in fi ve years to be sworn in, locally, as an offi cer candidate. The momen- tous occasion took place at the Konelio Pele Army Reserve Center in Tafuna earlier this month, in the presence of his family and friends. Over a telephone interview with Samoa News yesterday, the Amanave resident said he would be departing the terri- tory in April, heading to Fort Leanord Wood, Missouri for basic military training. After- wards, he will move on to Fort Benning, Georgia for Advanced Individual Training (AIT). From there, Taifane will be shuffl ed to Offi cer Candidate Amanave native Ryan Taifane (center) with local US Army recruiters SFC Kenny Tran and 1SGT Josh Polonowski a er Taifane School (OCS) and then branch was o cially sworn in at the Konelio Pele Army Reserve Center earlier this month. Taifane is the rst Samoan in ve years to be training where he will receive sworn in locally as an o cer candidate. See story for details. [photo: LF] orders for his new assignment. children: Susana, Matthew, and Taifane did as he was told. exercise science. Taifane is the fi fth child of There’s so much training and Ryan. After high school, he attended He aspires to someday get Niualama and the late Apefa’i schooling involved in the pro- In addition, he has also the American Samoa Com- his masters degree in the same Taifane of Amanave and Poloa. cess of pursuing his dreams but been working out, training, and munity College (ASCC) and fi eld and even become certifi ed He has four brothers and two Taifane is ready to take on the he’s even gotten himself in to graduated with an Associate of so he can return home and help sisters, none of whom are in the challenge. “I want to grow as a bodybuilding. Arts degree in 2011. He went the local community. military. person, using the military to get When asked if being a mili- on to the University of Hawaii, “There’s a lot of potential “This is special for me, it done,” he said. “The ultimate tary service member is some- Manoa and completed his Bach- here but no certifi ed trainers to because I am the fi rst person in goal is to come back home and thing he always wanted to be, elor of Arts degree program in show kids how to do it, what to my immediate family to join the give back to the island.” Taifane giggled and revealed kinesiology from UH Hilo last eat, how to work out,” he said, service,” he shared. In prepping himself men- that he had originally planned year. adding that one of the things he Taifane is going in on active tally and physically for military to join the US Marine Corps Taifane was able to com- has in mind is to return home duty status and his initial con- life, Taifane has been spending straight out of high school but plete all three kinesiology con- and possibly work for the VA tract is for 8 years. quality time with his wife, “my mom said no, go to college centrations: sports medicine and (Veterans’ Affairs) in the area Ellison Moliga and their three fi rst.” therapy; health promotion; and of physical therapy. ank You What’s in the IV bag? Studies EFKAS VAtia Rae Winning Numbers show safer option than saline By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, 1. #25755 9. #10267 AP Chief Medical Writer 2. #13504 10. #20811 New research calls into ques- 3. #06288 tion what’s in those IV bags 11. #22927 that nearly every hospitalized 4. #03229 12. #11968 patient gets. 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