Gusting winds and heavy rains grounded ferry travels between the main islands today, Thursday 16 January 2020.
Safety concerns for the travelling public and the crew forced the Samoa Shipping Corporation to cancel all travels.
The 5.00am weather advisory from the Met Office for the day noted an ‘….active convergence zone continues to remain within the vicinity of Samoa with heavy downpour and gusty activities.’
The Seventh Day Adventist Church College, Lalovaea, school dux award of 2019 went to 18-year-old Commerce student, Angellyn Fa’aleiua.
Her coveted academic award was presented at the school prize giving today at Lalovaea.
The annual end of the year event was postponed from last year 2019 by the measles epidemic and it was combined from primary up to the college levels.
Samoa Rugby Union is determined to increase women’s participation in rugby around the country, in keeping with World Rugby edict of actively promoting and improving women’s rugby around the rugby playing world.
With that in mind, SRU rugby development division, has this week called for entries for its first women’s tournament for the start of the decade.
After twenty years, Brother Kevin O`Malley returns to Samoa. He has been appointed President of St. Joseph`s College, as well as the CEO of the College`s Governance Board. Initially the positions will be on a part-time basis until his current contract with the Catholic Education Office in American Samoa is completed in early July, 2020.
A combined team of Samoan overseas general practitioners, surgeons and anesthetists, mostly from New Zealand, are rounding up their final week of a two weeks voluntary help out at the TTM Hospital to give the local staff a working break.
Consulting surgeon in Adelaide, Australia, Leafitaitu Dr Jimmy Eteuati is at the 7-member team
His team is the second to follow in on a two weeks voluntary work arrangement under the Samoan Doctors Worldwide Volunteer Service (SDWVS).
...where the sight of a car being pushed out of the inter-island ferry is not new. Happens all the time when vehicles, for as many reasons as you care to count with your fingers will stall inside the boat
Deidre Fanene
The photo of the young mother of a dead baby whose body was found at the Mulifanua Wharf recently is not to made public.
The allegations in the King Faipopo court hearing that reopened in detail the assassination of the late Minister of Works, Luagalau Levaula Kamu, is shameful at the very least.
The oldest sister of 20-year-old Miracle Iva Aileone, is mourning the loss of her little brother, who was allegedly beaten to death on the evening of Easter Sunday in Fasitoo Uta.
The Satuimalufilufi village council of ‘ali’i ma faipule’ is calling a ‘fono’ today to consider appropriate actions on the assault of a woman who could lose an eye from a serious stabbing wound.
After twenty years, Brother Kevin O`Malley returns to Samoa. He has been appointed President of St. Joseph`s College, as well as the CEO of the College`s Governance Board. Initially the positions will be on a part-time basis until his current contract with the Catholic Education Office in American Samoa is completed in early July, 2020.
A combined team of Samoan overseas general practitioners, surgeons and anesthetists, mostly from New Zealand, are rounding up their final week of a two weeks voluntary help out at the TTM Hospital to give the local staff a working break.
Consulting surgeon in Adelaide, Australia, Leafitaitu Dr Jimmy Eteuati is at the 7-member team
His team is the second to follow in on a two weeks voluntary work arrangement under the Samoan Doctors Worldwide Volunteer Service (SDWVS).
Schools will simply close down and all exams cancelled in any future health epidemic similar to the measles outbreak of last November and December 2019.
There is no Plan B to be set for major exams as far as the Education Minister, Loau Keneti Sio, is concerned, when it comes to any deadly disease that kills children.
Key end of year exams like the SSLC and SSC were cancelled and schools closed early for health safety reasons when the measles virus turned viral.
The Samoa Shipping Maritime Academy is closing its doors in a planned merge with the National University Maritime School to get underway with start of the first semester for the New Year.
The NUS deputy Vice Chancellor, Peseta Desmond Lee Hang confirmed the merge.
A Mt. Vaea resident, is not giving up protest at safety risks for families in the vicinity of the mountainside location of the fireworks, during the recent New Year midnight celebration.
Logona Paul Meredith, lives at his family home next to the selected location of the fireworks.
He circulated a protest petition from families on the mountain-side to stop the fireworks but was unsuccessful in doing so.
PRESS RELEASE : The Ministry of Health had not authorized the $40 tala fee and was also not aware that staff had unilaterally impose the fee to acquire the vaccination records for school enrolment.
As a result, Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri had instructed staff members to cease any fees immediately charged when informed of the situation last Friday.
Deidre Fanene
Registered transgender nurse and midwife, Tiara Tuulua, will never forget dealing with pregnant women during the measles outbreak
The 33 year old who had been a registered nurse since 2009 added the measles epidemic as a second lifetime experience, of a natural disaster she was directly involved with.
The holiday season shortage of cooking gas in Savai’i ended during the week with the scheduled monthly shipment by the Samoa Shipping Corporation for the big island.
One of the regular suppliers from Apia, BOC Gas, explained the shortage on only one special trip a month scheduled by the Shipping Corporation for cooking gas.
A supplier spokesman said there are other reasons that include peak sales at this time of the year, always for the months December and January.
Deidre Fanene
A street vendor is looking forward to what this year has for him.
Jay Semo has had a tough life at a young age and is no stranger to most of the people in Apia especially the businesses.
There was also a time when the Samoa Victim Support Group took him into the shelter and offered him a place to live, after he ran away from home because he was being abused.
Deidre Fanene
The family of a young 39 year old father, are grieving his passing after his body was laid to rest at his home residence at Leauva’a during the week.
His death has left his loving wife uncertain about her young family as she too is still under intensive care treatment from the virus at the TTM Hospital.
The late Paulo Leota is one of the last two people to die from the epidemic; the second was a 3 months old baby of Matautu and Fagae’e, Savaii.
Deidre Fanene
Members of the Judiciary and the staff of the Ministry of Justice are keeping the court rooms at Mulinu’u moving again for the New Year 2020.
A prayer service at the start of the week to officially drag in the new workload, rolled off the new lineup of matters for the Supreme Court, District Court and the Lands and Titles Court to deal with.
The 2020 Week of Prayer and Fasting officially ended on Friday with a church service at the Mt. Vaea Prayer House.
More importantly, the annual tradition is now 30 years old, started in the aftermath of the Cyclones Ofa and Valerie in 1990-1991 respectively.
The major damages the natural disasters left behind in Samoa in lives and moreso in the national economy, led to the undertaking for divine protection.
Press Release : On 22 November 2019, The Hon. Tuilaepa Dr. Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of the Independent St ate of Samoa called for all Samoan health professionals to assist Samoa in whatever way possible during the time of national emergency with the measles epidemic in Samoa.
Teams of overseas medical professionals doing voluntary work for the measles epidemic in Samoa have included a group of doctors who stood out as siblings from one family.
Doctors Sarah, Sebastian, Miriam and Mosese are brothers and sisters in a family of 9, five of them doctors – 2 sisters and 3 brothers, all based in New Zealand.
One of the doctor brothers, Luke, missed out from volunteering in Samoa because he was needed for work commitment at home.
The Marist Old Pupils Association, MOPA, executive and senior association members paid tribute to former President, Moananu Ioane Filemu, who was laid to rest yesterday.
Moananu passed away from ill health at 68.
“ He was a leader and a humble person as well, his last name Filemu says it all,” Tuala Farani Chan Tung said in eulogy at the family service on Thursday.
“But in the words of a well-known quotation, “a bend is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.”
Hmmm….now that is quite an interesting one coming from the acting CJ Vui.
Now what international airline carrier would call up a young family, booked on a flight out of the country, to ask if they can let the children fly out first?
For some reason they cannot travel together, so the parents will have to follow in the next flight the following day.
Unless you don’t want an education for your children, get them vaccinated as it is so decreed.
If you’re going to raise stink about rights and freedom of choice, you are perfectly within your basic human rights to do so.
Stand by your rights and proclaim to the heavens your freedom of choice.
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.