KPress Vol. 20 Iss. 06

Jaynes, Bill (2020-03-09). KPress Vol. 20 Iss. 06 (PDF) (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Kaselehlie Press.

• Has attachment: File:GQ6UINNE.pdf

Abstract: KPress Vol. 20 Iss. 06: NEWS coverage centers on a constitutional and electoral dispute in Pohnpei State, where the Legislature’s Credentials Committee, led by Speaker Ausen Lambert, refuses to seat Madolenihmw representative-elect Ricky Carl despite a Pohnpei State Supreme Court ruling affirming his residency; the Speaker declares the seat vacant and formally requests Governor Reed Oliver to call a special election, while Carl challenges the decision as a denial of due process and a petition circulates among Madolenihmw voters; FSM national politics focus on the 21st FSM Congress Fourth Special Session, where Vice President Yosiwo P. George and Senators Ferny Perman, Joseph Urusemal, Aren Palik, Paliknoa Welly, and others question the Executive Branch’s COVID-19 travel restrictions, treatment of Guam and Hawaiʻi, and economic fallout for tourism, with testimony from Justice Secretary Joses Gallen, Health Secretary Livingston Taulung, and macroeconomic adviser Rob Solomon outlining quarantine policy, fiscal impacts, and proposals to accelerate public infrastructure projects and consider tax relief or soft loans; public health reporting includes confirmation of FSM’s COVID-free status, donation of 21,000 surgical masks by the Tan Siu Lin Foundation via Health Secretary Taulung, and distribution planning across states; governance and oversight reporting highlights an audit by the Chuuk Office of the Public Auditor finding poor record-keeping and lack of a viable plan in the Chuuk State Debt Relief Fund, leaving roughly $13 million in liabilities inadequately documented; infrastructure coverage details island-wide power outages in Pohnpei caused by generator synchronization failures at the Nanpohnmal power plant, with PUC General Manager Nixon Anson explaining repairs, load-shedding measures, system capacity, and recommendations for household grounding and surge protection; education and climate policy reporting notes the College of Micronesia-FSM signing a letter of agreement with USAID’s Climate Ready program to host accredited resilience and project-management training; environmental and fisheries governance includes NORMA issuing an invitation to quote for fisheries monitoring drones under the World Bank-funded PROP program; OPINION / EDITORIAL content consists of a detailed medical Q&A by Dr. H. Christian Hong explaining COVID-19 transmission, symptoms, comparative mortality, prevention measures, and the rationale for FSM’s public-health precautions.