BY DANIEL M. PEREZ
Journal Staff
TAMUNING, Guam — The Department of Public Health and Social Services confirmed two new laboratory-confirmed cases of Pertussis, bringing the total number of confirmed cases for 2026 to 13. Theresa C. Arriola, director of DPHSS, announced that epidemiologic investigation and contact tracing efforts are underway to determine the source of exposure.
The department is urging the community to remain current on vaccinations, noting that the respiratory infection is highly contagious and particularly dangerous for infants.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona sentenced a mother and daughter in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for their roles in a procurement fraud and money laundering scheme targeting the Public School System.
Shawn N. Anderson, United States attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Clarissa Adlawan was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment, while Giselle Butalid received 18 months. The court ordered the defendants to be jointly and severally liable for $548,788 in restitution after they used their company, One Legacy LLC, to pocket payments for "ghost" purchases of educational materials.
Anderson noted that terms of imprisonment were necessary because the fraud deprived children of educational resources.
Simultaneously, the CNMI Joint Information Center reported ongoing recovery operations following the impacts of Typhoon Sinlaku. Personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Small Business Administration are carrying out community assessments across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
As of May 11, 15,624 customers in Saipan remain without power as the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. works to energize primary lines, with several feeders currently at 0% or 30% capacity. While water production in Saipan has reached 80%, Tinian’s power grid remains 100% offline with 1,059 customers affected. Rota has achieved 100% water and power production, though the Port of Saipan remains restricted to commercial traffic and the Saipan airport is limited to daylight operations.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with CNMI HSEM and FEMA, will start residential debris removal in southern Saipan, moving north toward Marpi over the next six weeks. mbj
Journal Staff
TAMUNING, Guam — The Department of Public Health and Social Services confirmed two new laboratory-confirmed cases of Pertussis, bringing the total number of confirmed cases for 2026 to 13. Theresa C. Arriola, director of DPHSS, announced that epidemiologic investigation and contact tracing efforts are underway to determine the source of exposure.
The department is urging the community to remain current on vaccinations, noting that the respiratory infection is highly contagious and particularly dangerous for infants.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona sentenced a mother and daughter in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for their roles in a procurement fraud and money laundering scheme targeting the Public School System.
Shawn N. Anderson, United States attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Clarissa Adlawan was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment, while Giselle Butalid received 18 months. The court ordered the defendants to be jointly and severally liable for $548,788 in restitution after they used their company, One Legacy LLC, to pocket payments for "ghost" purchases of educational materials.
Anderson noted that terms of imprisonment were necessary because the fraud deprived children of educational resources.
Simultaneously, the CNMI Joint Information Center reported ongoing recovery operations following the impacts of Typhoon Sinlaku. Personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Small Business Administration are carrying out community assessments across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
As of May 11, 15,624 customers in Saipan remain without power as the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. works to energize primary lines, with several feeders currently at 0% or 30% capacity. While water production in Saipan has reached 80%, Tinian’s power grid remains 100% offline with 1,059 customers affected. Rota has achieved 100% water and power production, though the Port of Saipan remains restricted to commercial traffic and the Saipan airport is limited to daylight operations.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with CNMI HSEM and FEMA, will start residential debris removal in southern Saipan, moving north toward Marpi over the next six weeks. mbj
