It was a week dominated by federal engagement, legal battles, and community milestones across the Marianas and Guam, with developments moving simultaneously in Washington, D.C., Taipei, Hagåtña, and Saipan.
CNMI
Governor David M. Apatang returned from Washington Friday after leading what participants described as the most unified federal engagement the CNMI has undertaken in years. The trip produced four to five working groups with 30-day reporting deadlines covering finance, immigration, labor, tourism, air service, and military affairs. The sobering headline from Secretary of Finance Tracy Norita: no second round of direct federal funding is coming, but a multi-year framework is being built. Apatang held his first extended media availability since returning on Wednesday, keeping the press conference tightly focused on the D.C. trip while declining to address the firing of two prominent government officials by Acting Governor Dennis Mendiola during his absence.
The same day Apatang briefed reporters on Saipan, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was on Capitol Hill telling the House Judiciary Committee that she had just met with the CNMI governor and that the islands want their visa waiver program back, but must first come into compliance with security concerns. Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin used his questioning time to raise birth tourism and Chinese national entry through the Marianas, while the CNMI delegation was simultaneously on record citing a 0.25 percent overstay rate under EVS-TAP and pushing back on what they called misinformation circulating in Washington.
On the public safety front, the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence issued a statement addressing community concerns over reports of non-consensual AI-generated images of students, calling on parents to have early and ongoing conversations with their children about digital safety, consent, and boundaries. The 24/7 Karidat Victim Hotline remains available at (670) 234-5100.
The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation issued an advisory warning residents in the Sadog Tasi and Puerto Rico areas to expect a temporary sewer odor Monday, March 9, during routine startup of the digester aerator unit at the Sadog Tasi Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The 26th Annual CNMI High School Mock Trial Competition got underway Thursday and Friday at the U.S. Courthouse in Gualo Rai, with seven schools from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota competing for the right to represent the Commonwealth at nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, in May.
On the soccer pitch, Marianas High School claimed the ISL High School Girls Division championship for school year 2025-26, with Aubrey White earning both MVP and Golden Boot honors. Saipan International School finished as runner-up and Saipan Southern High School took third.
Guam
Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Guam Wednesday asking justices to issue a declaratory judgment clarifying whether the Guam Legislature can apply statutes in a way that effectively blocks her from carrying out her Organic Act duty to establish and maintain public hospitals. The petition, filed as Case No. CRQ 26001, arises directly from the ongoing effort to build new hospital infrastructure in Mangilao using federal funds, and argues that a specific power granted by Congress to the governor cannot be nullified by generally applicable local statutes. The governor is asking the court to expedite the matter, warning that federal funding deadlines are approaching.
On the air service front, Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Joshua Tenorio wrote directly to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on February 27 requesting his government’s support in revitalizing and expanding air service between Korea and Guam. The letter cited 380,918 Korean visitors to Guam in 2025, including a 42 percent year-over-year surge in December arrivals.
In Washington, Congressman James Moylan and Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds introduced H.R. 7229, the Territorial SBA Loan Guaranty Adjustment Act of 2026, which would raise federal SBA loan guarantees from the current 75 to 85 percent range to 90 percent for small businesses in U.S. territories, aiming to make capital more accessible in island economies where geographic isolation and higher costs already make lending a riskier proposition.
As DFS Guam prepares to permanently close on March 31, the Guam Department of Labor co-hosted a job fair Friday at the DFS Galleria with 27 employers on hand for displaced workers. GDOL’s rapid response team has been working alongside DFS human resources since the November 2025 closure announcement to help affected employees with resume development, job matching, and training referrals.
Also this week, the Guam SNIP Clinic celebrated its 10,000th spay and neuter surgery since restarting operations in 2022, with a former stray named Sono serving as the milestone patient. Governor Leon Guerrero departed for Taiwan Tuesday on a trade and investment mission with stops including China Airlines leadership and hydroponic agriculture company Moss Creek, with Kaohsiung as the final destination.
All stories referenced in this week’s wrap are available in full at nminewsservice.com.
