CNMI

Emphasizing that the CNMI must create real opportunities for its graduates, Lawrence Camacho and Edith Deleon Guerrero launched their independent gubernatorial ticket on May 16 with a pledge to rebuild the workforce and stabilize the economy.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide $6.2 million to the Northern Mariana Islands to help reduce exposure to lead in drinking water, officials announced Thursday.

The Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission’s decision to nearly double the Fuel Adjustment Charge has sparked immediate public outrage, with many residents calling the timing insensitive as the community continues to recover from Super Typhoon Sinlaku’s widespread damage and prolonged power and water disruptions.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved a little more than $2 million in disaster loans for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as Typhoon Sinlaku recovery efforts continue, according to SBA Public Affairs Specialist Raenada Mason.

CNMI Delegate Kimberlyn King‑Hinds delivered an urgent appeal on the U.S. House floor Thursday, warning that the Commonwealth’s aging infrastructure, fragile economy and slow‑moving federal policies have left the islands dangerously exposed — a vulnerability laid bare by the devastation of Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

CUC files $75 million reimbursement request with FEMA; Watson says utility is fronting recovery costs without timeline for federal payment

A new federal report warns that the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands could face serious economic and workforce disruptions if the CNMI‑Only Transitional Worker (CW‑1) visa program ends as scheduled in 2029 without a replacement system in place.

The CNMI became the second state or territory in the nation to fully execute its BEAD subgrant awards May 13, finalizing a $31.3 million agreement with IT&E to deploy a buried fiber network across the islands.

FEMA has approved 1,670 disaster assistance applications for CNMI survivors, releasing $5.5 million in individual assistance as of May 12, according to FEMA External Affairs Officer Veronica Verde.

Samaritan’s Purse medical director Lauren Ralston says the organization’s field hospital will treat anyone who walks in — “no questions asked” — as teams continue providing free medical care across Saipan in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku.