Senate REDW to Hear From CEDA, Finance, Commerce Friday on Two Business Bills
SAIPAN — The Senate Standing Committee on Resources, Economic Development and Workforce will meet Friday afternoon to deliberate on two business-related bills, with invited testimony from the heads of three agencies, Chairwoman Sen. Corina L. Magofna announced Tuesday.
Magofna Urges DPL to Expedite Pending Public Land Lease Applications, Citing Sinlaku, FAC Increase, and Proposed 20-Hour Work Week
SAIPAN – Senate Vice President Corina L. Magofna is urging the Department of Public Lands to prioritize and expedite action on pending public land lease applications, citing what she described as one of the most economically fragile periods in CNMI history.
Senate Cancels Fourth Special Session Scheduled for Thursday
SAIPAN – Senate President Karl R. King-Nabors has canceled the Fourth Special Session of the 24th Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature scheduled for Thursday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber at the Vice Speaker Jesus P. Mafnas Memorial Building on Capitol Hill.
Babauta Calls FAC Increase Illegal Under Sinlaku Price Freeze
SAIPAN – Senator Celina R. Babauta is calling on the governor, utility regulators and legal authorities to reverse what she says is an illegal Fuel Adjustment Charge increase, alleging that the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission and the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation violated an active executive order price freeze when CPUC voted Friday to lift the cap on the FAC.
CNMI Senate Calls Third Special Session for May 1; Agenda Includes Customs Division, Labor Relations, Tourism Recovery Funds
SAIPAN — The Senate of the Twenty-Fourth Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature will convene its Third Special Session on Friday, May 1, at 11 a.m. in the Senate Chamber at the Vice Speaker Jesus P. Mafnas Memorial Building on Capitol Hill, Senate President Karl R. King-Nabors announced Monday.
Ex-UN Official Backs Camacho, Calls AG Opposition Letter a ‘Hatchet Job’
SAIPAN — A former CNMI Public Defender who went on to serve with the United Nations has submitted a letter to the Senate EAGI Committee urging confirmation of Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho as Presiding Judge of the CNMI Superior Court, calling the Attorney General’s opposition letter a “hypocritical hatchet job” driven by overzealous prosecutors in his office.
Attorney General Urges Senate to Reject Judge Camacho’s Presiding Judge Nomination, Cites Pattern of Reversed Rulings in Serious Criminal Cases
SAIPAN — Attorney General Edward Manibusan has sent a formal letter to the CNMI Senate urging members to scrutinize Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho’s nomination to serve as Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, arguing that a pattern of reversed rulings in serious criminal cases raises legitimate concerns about his fitness for the role.
Op-Ed: A 99-Year Mistake: Why S.L.I. 24-03 Betrays Our Children’s Future
I write this not as an abstract policy analyst, but as a Refaluwasch son of Garapan who survived the flames of 1983. I was raised in my grandparents’ home—the same home that burned where my Grandmother and I (God rest her soul) was a victim of when I was a child, the same land that carried our family’s stories, our grief, and our resilience. That fire taught me what loss feels like. But what came after taught me something far more insidious: how our own people, desperate and trusting, can be convinced to sign away their birthright for pennies on the dollar.
Op-Ed: Where Is Our Humanity?
By any honest measure, humanity is defined by compassion, empathy, kindness, moral responsibility, and respect for the inherent dignity of others. It is our capacity to see one another fully, to choose care over cruelty, and to recognize that every life has value—even when doing so is inconvenient or uncomfortable. At its core, humanity affirms a simple truth: no one is less than human. Ever.
CNMI Senator Babauta Dissents on Budget Bill Over Illegal Spending, New Positions
Saipan — In a pointed floor speech that balanced gratitude with sharp criticism, CNMI Senator Celina Babauta cast a dissenting vote on the budget bill, warning that the Commonwealth cannot continue governing with “fantasy budgets” while federal oversight looms.