Steele: GOP investing on Guam

REPUBLICAN National Committee Chairman Michael Steele made a historic appearance Tuesday night on Guam and urged supporters to deliver a victory this Nov. 2 general elections saying GOP is making an investment on the territory, which along with other U.S. insular areas, sealed his position via a decisive bloc vote.

2 senators question GEC over spoiled ballots

Senators Rory Respicio and Adolpho Palacios Sr. are asking the Guam Election Commission to explain how more than 14 percent of the ballots cast in the recently concluded primary were spoiled.

Operation Valiant Shield brings unexpected surge of business for Guam

A joint military exercise scheduled to begin within two weeks is bringing in so many military visitors to Guam that car rentals and hotels are all booked up.

Docks in state of disrepair

THE Port Authority of Guam warned yesterday that the docks around the island are in a state of disrepair and its annual subsidy for its maintenance is no longer enough which would justify their proposal to charge a passenger surcharge fee of $1 per head among boat owners.

GCC's College Access & Project AIM Get More Money To Help Middle, High School & College Students

Guam- Two programs out of the Guam Community College (GCC) have each received an increase in funding to continue helping middle, high school and college students further their education.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded $1.5 million to the College Access Challenge Grant Program (CACGP), as well as Project AIM over the next 5 years. Program Coordinator Millie Afaisen says the money not only allows them to double the amount of tutors for middle and high school students, it also increases the college grant aid from $500 to $1,000 for high school seniors.

“From $330,000 last year to $1.5 million this year is a really big jump” said Afaisen. “Not only are we able to provide more services and benefits to the students, we are also able to provide supplemental material resources, basic school supplies- pencils, pens, papers, things that a lot of people, you know, take for granted.”

The College Access program also works hand in hand with Project AIM to help students excel in their lives. Director Christine Sison says the $1.5 million dollars will help them provide more support services for a certain bracket of college students at GCC. She adds Project AIM's next 5 year cycle will be an exciting one.

“The students are now able to continue using tutoring services or for those that are new applicants, can use the tutoring, as well as mentorship or academic advising, as well as getting laptop loans or book loans...whatever they may need...and of course, exposure to cultural activities” said Sison.

A College Access information workshop from 7 pm to 9 pm is being held tonight at the Agana Heights Senior Citizens center for parents and middle and high school students. Another workshop will also be held in Yigo on September 14. For more information on both of GCC's programs, log on to guamcc.edu . You can also call the College Access Challenge Grant Program at (671) 735-5565 and Project AIM at (671) 735-5594 .

Judge Barcinas Issues Temporary Restraining Order Blocking Tiyan Land Swap Law
Guam - Superior Court Judge Arthur Barcinas this morning [Wednesday] issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Ancestral Land Trust Commission from carrying out the Tiyan Land Swap Law.

The Judge acted at the request of Attorney Curtis Van de Veld who has filed a class action lawsuit seeking to block implementation of P.L. 158 arguing that it is inorganic and unconstitutional.

The new law gives the bulk of ancestral lands to just 10% of the trust members.

Read the Temporary Restraining Order

The restraining order issued by the Judge specifically enjoins "each member of the Commissioners of the Guam Ancestral Lands Commission" from transferring any part of the 582 acre property that makes up the old FAA site in Finegayan and they have also been restrained from transferring any of the 395 acres site in the Andy South, or Marbo area.

The Ancestral Land Commission had called a meeting this afternoon at 2pm to approve the transfer of  both of those properties into a special trust for the benefit of the Tiyan Landowners.

Van de Veld initially filed his class action suit in District Court but re-filed it in Superior Court after District Court Judge Francis Tydingco-Gatewood rejected a request for a restraining order saying she lacked jurisdiction.

However, Judge Barcinas had no qualms about jurisdiction. Van de Veld said that the Judge ruled that there was a substantial likelihood that the suit will prevail on the merits. And the Judge agreed with Van de Veld that the plaintiffs he represents could "suffer irreparable injury" if the law were carried out.harm if an imminent thereat of irreparable injury 

The class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a group of dispossessed Ancestral Land Trust members who were left out of the Tiyan Land Swap Law.

A hearing on the merits of the lawsuit is set for September 22.

NAVFAC Awards $40M Construction Management Contract to SSFM
Guam - Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Marianas awarded a $40 million maximum capacity firm-fixed-price indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract to SSFM International, Inc., a small business of Honolulu, Hawaii for construction management services on Guam.
“Small business firms are the backbone of America’s workforce, and we are pleased that vital construction management services for Navy Guam projects will be delivered by a qualified small business,” said NAVFAC Marianas Executive Officer, Cmdr. Cheryl Hansen.      

The work to be performed includes construction oversight and quality assurance services to support U.S. Military construction projects and associated efforts undertaken by NAVFAC Marianas.

“With the operational tempo of NAVFAC Marianas trending upwards, this construction management services contract allows us to continue to meet the steady growth that we are experiencing today and expect in future years,” added Hansen.

The contractor will provide services including construction oversight engineer services; quality assurance technician services; construction contractor schedule review; cost estimating services; construction safety oversight; and constructability reviews.

The contract includes one base period and four option years, and is expected to be completed by September 2015.  This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 15 proposals received.

GEC Board Certifies Primary Election Results; Spoiled Ballots To Be Reviewed Oct. 7

Guam- The Guam Election Commission (GEC) Board of Directors did certify the unofficial results and the candidates that will advance to the General Election on Tuesday. However, they were extremely concerned with the amount of spoiled ballots cast.

Most of Tuesday's meeting centered on questions by the members on what caused over 4,100 ballots to be voided. GEC Legal Counsel Roland Mantanona advised the board they had fulfilled their duties and should certify the results, if they are satisfied with the accuracy. He also said once certified, by law, the ballots can be re-opened 30 days after certification to be reviewed for statistical purposes.

The board eventually took Mantanona's advice and certified the results. Members will now come back on October 7 to re-open the sealed ballots and figure out what caused ballots to be spoiled.

The GEC Officials also passed motions to call for investigations of precinct officials that were absent during the primary and disrupted the election process. Board Member Joseph Mesa says those precinct officials should be held accountable because they were under oath to carry out their duties.

An investigation will also be launched on a claim by a voter that she was given a marked ballot in a northern precinct. In addition, members voted to call all precinct officials together to discuss any concerns they have before the General Election.

The GEC board will be meeting next Wednesday, September 15 at 4 pm to review who filed for the Guam Education Policy Board (GEPB) for the General Election and matters with the Consolidated Commission on Utilities (CCU).

They also will be discussing the GEC's rental issue during executive session because of ligation concerns.

 

 

U.S. Dept. of Energy Officials Tour GCC Learning Center
Guam - U.S. Department of Energy officials visited Guam Community College on August 27 to check on the construction of the College’s new Learning Resource Center, the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified government of Guam building. Cathy Iverson, Branch Chief of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Eileen Yoshinaka, who is on contract with USDOE from Lockheed Martin, toured the LRC building along with Lucy Kono and Richard Diego from the Guam Energy Office. Iverson and Yoshinaka were visiting agencies on Guam and Saipan to observe how US DOE funds dispersed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) are being invested.

[Photo caption: L to R: Juanita Sgambellluri, GCC library technician supervisor, Cathy Iverson, US Dept. of Energy branch chief, Eileen Yoshinaka, USDOE consultant, and Dr. Ray Somera, GCC academic vice president, tour GCC's new Learning Resource Center now under construction. The LRC, scheduled to open in December, is the government of Guam's first LEED-certified building.]

Iverson said she was very impressed with the LEED features being included in the construction. GCC’s Learning Resource Center is scheduled to open in December.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. A LEED designation provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. The USGBC web site notes that LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

GCC offers LEED courses online through the USGBC via its Continuing Education Office. Call 735-5574 for more information.

Pangelinan to draft new CLTC policies
It's back to the drawing board for the Chamorro Land Trust Commission's rules and regulations.

Judge grants TRO against Lands Commission
Saying dispossessed ancestral landowners would suffer irreparable injury, Superior Court Judge Arthur Barcinas granted a temporary restraining order requested in a class action lawsuit against the Ancestral Lands Commission.

Korean gold medal swimmer trains on Guam
In swimming, Korean Olympic Gold Medalist Tae Hwan Park is here on island training with fellow team members at the Leo Palace Resort.

Shirley's hoops league tips-off for 11th time
In basketball news, the 11th Annual Shirley's Basketball League tipped-off last night with 3 games taking place at the Tamuning Gym.

Yigo hosts Time Attack 4 Autocross
The Time Attack 4 Autocross was held on the main parking lot of the Guam International Raceway in Yigo. Most of the participants were first timers to autocross.