NEWS BRIEFS – June 29, 2020

Quake hits San Jose

At 3:03pm on June 27 2020, a report of a 4.9-magnitude earthquake occurred 88 kilometers south-southeast of San Jose in the Northern Mariana Islands. Currently, there are no tsunami warnings or advisories that were issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. For more information, contact the CNMI EOC State Warning Point at 237-8000. (PR)

Andersen Air Force Base to host Military Exercise

ASAN, Guam—Andersen Air Force Base is scheduled to host a U.S. military training exercise in the coming days that will consist of several military aircraft operating in the airspace near Andersen AFB and A. B. Won Pat International Airport. 
Residents near Andersen AFB, A. B. Won Pat International Airport, and in the surrounding areas should not be alarmed if they see or hear increased airspace activity over the next several days, as a result of the exercise.
This exercise and other training events support military readiness and are critical to developing the skills needed to respond to operational missions throughout the Indo-Pacific region. (PR)

MCS to transition to GSuite for employees and students


Mount Carmel School has acquired the Education GSuite and will provide its employees and students Gmail’s using the domain “@mcsknights.com.”
Education GSuite offers educational productivity tools built for teaching and learning. GSuite is a free service for educational institutions.
“We’re happy to have finally acquired GSuite for our school community,” said MCS president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero. “Not only will it promote more technical support and resources for our faculty and staff but this also contributes to our college-preparatory program for our students.” 
MCS plans to transition faculty, staff, and students to GSuite for school year 2020-2021. (PR)

Financial aid deadlines this week

Northern Marianas College is reminding students and community members to apply for financial aid before the fast-approaching deadlines:
• CNMI Scholarship deadline: July 1, 2020
• SHEFA deadline: July 1, 2020
• FAFSA (Up to $3,198 for fall 2020): For priority consideration, submit your application by June 30, 2020. However, students may still fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid after the priority deadline.

For assistance:
• For any questions about the CNMI Scholarship program, email awards@cnmischolarship.net or visit www.cnmischolarship.net to apply.
• For any questions about the Saipan Higher Education Financial Aid program, email saipanshefa@gmail.com or visit www.saipanshefa.net to apply.
• FAFSA: Visit www.fafsa.gov and complete the form from any internet capable device (Indicate NMC as a school choice by entering school code 015746); or, for help with accessing Pell grants or filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, contact the NMC Financial Aid Office at fao@marianas.edu.
• Need any help with filling out any of the forms? Contact the NMC Financial Aid Office at 237-6791/2/3/4 or email fao@marianas.edu for assistance.
Visit www.marianas.edu to access information about enrolling at NMC in the fall or to register for classes. You can also contact the NMC admissions office by emailing admissions@marianas.edu or call (670) 237-6768/6771. (PR)

PUA applications only available at DOL Office on Capitol Hill

Effective immediately, the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library will no longer be an application center for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program.
All PUA applications and inquiries will be handled directly by CNMI Department of Labor staff.
Copies of the PUA applications may be picked up from the DOL office on Capitol Hill, building 1334, located on Ascension Drive. The DOL office is open from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, all visitors to the DOL office are required to wear a face mask and to keep your distance as instructed by DOL staff.
CNMI DOL upgraded its hiremarianas.com portal, a Virtual One-Stop System used by DOL’s Workforce Investment Agency to register, track, and manage its clients, to incorporate the modules needed for PUA/FPUC functions. The system is used both regionally and nationally and has advanced security measures with a strong focus on date confidentiality, availability, and integrity.
In the event that you may need alternative means of assistance, and are not able to access hiremarianas.com or need more information, email info@puamarianas.com or call one of the PUA/FPUC hotline numbers: 670-989-9090, 670-989-9084, 670-989-9081, 670-989-9092, 670-989-9089, 670-989-9083, 670-989-9080, 670-989-9093, 670-989-9000 (Tinian), or 670-989-9001/9097 (Rota). (PR)