KPress Vol. 21 Iss. 08

Jaynes, Bill (2021-04-14). KPress Vol. 21 Iss. 08 (PDF) (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Kaselehlie Press.

• Has attachment: File:6VMDWFVM.pdf

Abstract: KPress Vol. 21 Iss. 08: NEWS: Micronesia Conservation Trust, in partnership with the FSM Department of Resources & Development, the Conservation Society of Pohnpei, The Nature Conservancy Micronesia, and U.S. scientific agencies including USFS and USGS, releases a five-year island-wide Mangrove Vulnerability Assessment for Pohnpei identifying dredging, landfill, pollution, and coastal development as immediate threats alongside long-term sea-level rise; FSM Congress extends the national COVID-19 public health emergency to May 31, 2021 under Congressional Resolution 21-252, maintaining border closures, quarantine rules, and cargo transshipment provisions while outlining phased repatriation planning tied to vaccination thresholds; FSM National Government announces May 13, 2021 as the first repatriation date for stranded medical patients, students, and diplomats, with President David Panuelo directing mandatory vaccination and continued 14-day quarantine protocols and coordination with U.S. CDC, HHS, and Department of Defense medical teams; litigation continues in FSM Supreme Court Civil Action 2021-007 challenging the constitutionality of the COVID-19 border closure, with Associate Justice Larry Wentworth scheduling hearings amid competing motions on justiciability, state authority, and civil-rights limitations; separate civil litigation (CA 2021-008) is filed against Bank of Guam by seven plaintiffs alleging improper handling of U.S. Treasury stimulus checks, asserting breach of contract, fiduciary duty, fraud, and conversion; Pohnpei Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Nakasone convicts four former Madolenihmw officials, including former magistrate Petrick Ringlen, on felony charges of grand larceny, embezzlement, and misconduct in public office tied to long-running illegal salary advances; Government of Japan, through Ambassador Sobashima Hidenobu, signs a $3.7 million grant for expansion of the FSM Fisheries and Maritime Institute in Yap, including new classrooms, dormitories, boats, and a training ship; Pacific Islands Health Officers Association and FSM/RMI health agencies launch climate-based dengue early-warning system development with U.S. State Department support; Japan provides a $177,088 grant for garbage trucks to Kolonia Town to restore weekly waste collection; Vital FSM Petroleum Corporation announces a $0.15 per gallon wholesale fuel price increase effective April 12, 2021 due to rising regional oil prices. OPINION / EDITORIAL: U.S. Ambassador Carmen G. Cantor marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a call for prevention, survivor support, and women’s economic empowerment, while a letter from FSM citizens stranded abroad urges President Panuelo to accelerate repatriation and family reunification.