cnmi | pactimes 2/16

News Feed

Federal public health emergency declared for Guam, CNMI

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has declared a public health emergency for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, unlocking federal support and allowing flexibility in implementing medical programs as they recover from Typhoon Bavi.

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33 minutes ago

El Niño is underway: A warming Pacific, a shifting storm belt and a region learning to read every cloud as a warning sign

Barely recovering from Supertyphoons Mawar and Sinlaku, island communities across the Marianas and Micronesia are bracing for extreme weather events supercharged by an El Niño predicted to be one of the strongest on record.

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4 days ago

THE PACIFIC

US proposes first deep-sea mining leases for American Samoa's seafloor

The bureau has marked 33 million acres of seabed near the eastern edge of American Samoa’s exclusive economic zone for the mining of polymetallic nodules, which are critical to the production of clean energy and military technologies.

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7 hours ago

Report: Pacific island countries struggle to meet vaccination targets

Despite their smaller populations, most Pacific countries are struggling to meet the 90-percent goal of vaccinating their children against deadly but preventable diseases, according to a joint World Health Organization-UNICEF report released Wednesday.

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1 day ago

INSIGHTS

LIFE & ARTS

Reducing Guam’s business privilege tax

In sum, the difficulty of reducing the BPT is not accidental. It is the predictable outcome of deliberate administrative choices that expanded spending to consume temporary increases, ensuring that returning to 4 percent would be politically costly and structurally disruptive.

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10 hours ago

What my father's clock remembers

For those of us who have never lived under occupation, it is difficult to imagine how quickly freedom can be taken away. My father’s story reminds me that freedom is never guaranteed.

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23 hours ago

Community Events: Lib Day fireworks; Meet the candidates; Art sale at ArtSpace

Guam to mark 82nd Liberation Day Guam Visitors Bureau will lead the celebration of Guam's 82nd Liberation during two special Tumon Night Market events featuring outstanding local and international entertainment, community activities, and Liberation Day fireworks. The festivities begin at the regularly scheduled Tumon Night Market on July 19 at Tumon Sands Plaza from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring live performances by The Corporation, Prominence, Guma' Taotao Kinahulo' Atdao Na

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1 day ago

Bookshelf: Son of foreign worker tells the story the CNMI tried to forget

Kelvin Rodeo grew up in the aisles of a small neighborhood store in Dan Dan, Saipan, surrounded by the hum of different languages, the rhythm of island life and the quiet contradictions of being an American citizen born to Filipino parents on Saipan.

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Jun 13

CNMI struggles to keep air service afloat amid flight cuts and competition with Guam

Saipan – The Northern Mariana Islands is facing flight service uncertainties due to a web of factors, just as the destination was starting to recover from the post-pandemic doldrums.

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Aug 21, 20254 min read

CNMI governor asks for extension of comment period for Tinian military plans, wants 50 cal machine guns off the table

Saipan residents asked questions regarding federal and defense matters during a town hall meeting with CNMI Del. Kimberly King-Hinds, who...

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Aug 15, 20252 min read

Green travel trend: Northern Marianas eyes ‘regenerative tourism’ brand

With the failed casino experiment now in the rearview mirror, the Northern Marianas sets its sights on a new tourism model, which leans toward green travel and abandons mass consumption.

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Aug 13, 20253 min read

Currently not making improvements: How the CNMI administration responds to challenges

At an economic forum hosted by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce more than two years ago, local economist Matthew Deleon Guerrero gave a presentation on the CNMI’s economic conditions. His assessment? The short answer: dismal. The long answer: painfully dismal.

By Zaldy Dandan

Aug 7, 20254 min read

How Gov. Palacios’ death recasts the Northern Marianas’ political terrain

David Apatang was sworn in by Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro as the CNMI's new governor on July 24, 2025 at the Governor's Office...

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Aug 5, 20254 min read

'He never stopped leading:' Gov. Palacios laid to rest

Local, regional, national, and Department of Defense leaders gathered Saturday to honor Palacios' life and legacy during a Commonwealth state funeral.

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Aug 4, 20252 min read