While acknowledging that national emergencies may trigger legitimate price adjustments, Moylan questioned the “timing of the increase in local pricing, the coordination of a price change between merchants, amount of price increase and its duration.”

By Pacific Island Times News Staff With fuel prices predicted to surge amid the escalating war in Iran, Sen. Will Parkinson is proposing a new energy credit program to mitigate the impact of a predicted energy crisis and subsequent power rate hike amid the escalating war in Iran. The proposal would continue the power credit program that has previously delivered direct relief to Guam households during periods of severe cost of living pressure, Parkinson said. Working families

Prices displayed at the Shell gas station in Gualo Rai. Photo by Bryan Manabat By Bryan Manabat Saipan —The CNMI is bracing for prohibitive consumer costs as gas prices continue to surge, driven by global market volatility tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and tightening fuel supplies in Asia. On Saipan, motorists have seen fuel prices jump to $6.36 a gallon for regular gasoline, $6.81 for Supreme and $8.28 for diesel since the conflict intensified. Mobil Oil

The labor department noted that although Guam has reached the largest number of H-2B workers in 30 years, the volume of projects exceeds the local availability of skilled workers.

By Pacific Island Times News Staff The Trump administration is looking into easing restrictions imposed by the Jones Act amid escalating war in Iran that threatens the global fuel supply. The 100-year-old statute requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be carried on ships that are U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed. It limits the number of tankers domestic shippers can use. "In the interest of national defense, the White House is considering waiving the Jones Act f

By Bryan Manabat, For Pacific Island Times Warning of “grave threats” posed by the Chinese Communist Party, 34 House Republicans are urging federal agencies to halt visa‑free travel for Chinese nationals to the Northern Mariana Islands, arguing that the programs have been used to obtain U.S. citizenship through birth tourism. The renewed call for policy review marks an escalation in Washington’s push to restrict Chinese travel to the CNMI. It follows similar warnings issued

By Jeffrey Teruel United Airlines' western Pacific hub on Guam recently welcomed the first Guam-based Boeing 737 MAX 8. The first scheduled flight with the MAX from the island is scheduled on May 1. In a LinkedIn post on March 5, David Kinzelman, United's chief customer officer and senior vice president for airport operations, reported the first of 10 737 MAX 8s arrived at the Guam Antonio B Won Pat International Airport. Featuring a photo of the aircraft's arrival at the gat

According to the recently released supplemental environmental impact statement for the Mariana Islands Training and Testing Study Area, proposed changes in training activities range from individual tasks to large-scale exercises, aimed at enhancing the U.S. forces’ capability to “meet modern operational needs and standards.”

“With billions of dollars in federal and private investments tied to military buildup and infrastructure development, the construction industry on Guam and across Micronesia is facing sustained demand for trained professionals in project management, cost estimation, scheduling, safety oversight and site operations,” it added.

By Pacific Island Times News Staff The National Weather Service  Guam Weather Forecast Office reported a busy weather pattern across the western North Pacific with two tropical disturbances, Invest 95W near Yap and Invest 96W east of Saipan. The weather office said the system is expected to strengthen into a tropical depression as it moves northeast. As currently forecast, 95W will track through, or near the Marianas to the northwest, in the coming days. Periods of heavy rai

The U.S. Air Force has petitioned the high court to reexamine the Ninth Circuit Court’s 2025 ruling, which held that the National Environmental Policy Act applies to the military’s open burning and open detonation at Tarague Beach.

Sen. Jesse A. Lujan wrote to President Donald J. Trump requesting an emergency Jones Act waiver for Guam-bound fuel shipments, while congressional candidate Mary Camacho Torres called on the Federal Trade Commission to review gasoline pricing on island. Jesse Lujan Meanwhile, Sen. William Parkinson is proposing to tap idle government funds for a new six-month power credit program to ease consumer burden posed by a looming energy crisis.