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Del. Gregorio 'Kilili' Camacho Sablan

Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago, on March 16, 1972, a young couple in the Northern Mariana Islands, Abed E. Younis and Maria Paz Castro Younis, wrote, edited, printed, and distributed the very first issue of the Marianas Variety News & Views, now the oldest local newspaper on our islands.

The Variety provides its readers with extensive local news and views. It also carries reports of the region, the United States, the world, as well as interesting and in-depth feature stories and a thought-provoking opinion section.

These days, the community served by the Variety has expanded beyond the shores of the Northern Marianas. The paper is published and circulated locally, regionally, nationally, internationally, and online. For its journalistic excellence, the Variety is the winner of numerous awards.

The Variety is also a strong community partner, contributing to numerous nonprofit organizations, events and activities, and encouraging those interested in the business and craft of journalism and publishing.

Please join me in congratulating Abed and Paz Younis, their family, and all of their past and current employees and colleagues at the Marianas Variety News & Views for the newspaper's 40 years of service to our community.