Environmental groups are pleased with the U.S. Navy's recently issued record of decision, which restricts live-fire training exercises on Tinian and leaves Pagan out of the picture. “We welcome the Navy’s decision to listen to our voices and to spare our island from highly destructive training. We will remain vigilant to ensure the Navy follows through on its new plan,” said Juanita Mendiola of Tinian Women Association.

A Rota resident looks over the ruins left by Typhoon Bavi. Photo by Brian Manabat By Bryan Manabat Songsong, Rota—When Aubry Hocog became the first woman—and the youngest—to serve as mayor in Rota’s history, she understood the weight of breaking two barriers at once. But nothing in her tenure, nor in the island’s recent memory, compared to the force of Super Typhoon Bavi, the most shattering storm to hit Rota in more than two decades. In the tense days before the storm barr

Federal authorities will strengthen the vetting process for Chinese tourists seeking to travel to the Northern Marianas under the visa waiver program, amid growing security concerns over the entry of travelers from the communist nation.