TOP STORIES OF 2015

1. Saipan’s struggles with Soudelor

Just days before it became the most powerful cyclone of 2015, Typhoon Soudelor tore through Saipan near midnight of Aug. 2, leaving behind a trail of destruction in its path and most of the island paralyzed.

Many were caught off guard, with the level of devastation not seen in decades since Super Typhoon Kim and Typhoon Jean hit the Marianas.

Soudelor’s strength was unexpected as it rapidly intensified when it approached the Marianas. From what was forecasted as a bearable Category 2, Soudelor was later reclassified as a ferocious Category 4 cyclone, with over-water wind intensity of 130 miles per hour and typical peak gust of 165 mph.

There were no fatalities, though a number of people sustained injuries and were brought to the hospital.

“I think it is commendable here that there was no loss of life. This was a serious event,” Federal Emergency Management Agency federal coordinating officer Stephen M. DeBlasio Sr. said in an interview prior to his departure on Dec. 19. “I think it just represents a very resilient community, a very resilient government that supports their citizens and they know when to ask for help and they did.”

Before the worst hours, about 150 individuals took to shelters but this number blew up to over 400 as many houses were affected and more shelter sites had to be opened to accommodate families.

According to the American Red Cross, almost 3,000 houses sustained damage based on their assessment around the island. Of the total affected, 356 houses were completely destroyed, 1,250 suffered major damage while 1,264 had minor damage.

Soudelor left the Commonwealth powerless, figuratively and literally. The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. suffered much damage not only with power distribution but also with power generation. Around 400 wooden power poles, 200 transformers, and hundreds of meters of lines were damaged.

There was also no water supply for the entire island, soon after the typhoon and people scrambled for supplies, especially gas.

The airports and seaports also suffered damage and were unable to operate or had limited operations for some time.

President Barack Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the CNMI on Aug. 5, opening up a number of federal assistance to the island and to some extent, to Tinian as well.

FEMA, together with hundreds of federal representatives and off-island volunteers, arrived on island to assist with the relief and recovery operations. These include the U.S Department of Defense with the Marines and the Navy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Preparedness, Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

DeBlasio estimated that $100 million to 120 million will be spent by FEMA when they’re finished with the disaster response.

Over 8,000 heads of households registered with FEMA for assistance, with 4,821 getting approved. To date, almost $2.5 million was given out by FEMA under the individual and households program. It has also obligated more than $1.3 million to public assistance. More federal dollars in the form of reimbursements and grants are expected to come in.

Unity in the community

Despite the hardship the residents went through, Soudelor also unified the people in the community. Aside from non-government and non-profit organizations on and off island, various groups formed to take the lead in volunteering to help those most in need such as United4Saipan and the Community Outreach Recovery Effort.

Eventually, a long-term umbrella organization named Commonwealth Advocates for Recovery Efforts was formed to pool together resources and respond to the unmet needs of victims.

Unmet needs

Almost five months after the disaster, scars of what Soudelor left behind is still evident in the community—physically as well as in the lives of residents.

Although debris cleanup has been ongoing since the first days of the disaster, there are still large debris and trash that need to be picked up. Some damaged houses and establishments have yet to start rebuilding.

“It is difficult to determine a specific percentage of those still with unmet needs from the total number affected. The way and degree to which people were affected varied and is a challenge to quantify. However, we are working closely with our partners at the Red Cross who are running the Immediate Disaster Case Management Program,” CARE executive director Jenny Hegland said.

“At this time, the greatest number of unmet needs are related to housing, repair, and rebuilding assistance,” she added.

More resilient

For FEMA, the response has been challenging and rewarding and has given them lessons.

“It’s been a rewarding and sometimes challenging situation. Just the geography from being on island is very challenging,” DeBlasio said. “We’ve come up with some ways that maybe we can expedite that a bit the next time around by maybe just having a barge dedicated to us.”

DeBlasio hopes CNMI would be more resilient should future storms come along our way.

“My desire is to know that when we leave here, and the recovery continues, that there will be a lot of consideration for mitigating the potential to experience the same type of devastation. I certainly know that the infrastructure, the power infrastructure has been hardened with new poles,” DeBlasio said. “You would not have the same impact if the same storm, Soudelor, came through tomorrow. You would not have the devastation that we experienced here. And hopefully, the same will apply as they build back the housing infrastructure and they apply these mitigation concepts and techniques so that we will become stronger and more resilient in the future.” (Frauleine Villanueva-Dizon)

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2. Gov. Eloy S. Inos dies

Gov. Eloy S. Inos died Tuesday morning after a protracted battle with diabetes, making him the only CNMI governor to pass away while in office. He was 66 years old.

Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres, who took over the reins of government, is now the youngest ever to serve as CNMI governor. He was immediately sworn in before noon Tuesday in a private ceremony at the Office of the Governor. A public swearing in was held later in the afternoon at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center.

Administration officials said yesterday that Torres would be flying off-island on Friday to Seattle, Washington, to be with the family of Inos. Torres has expressed his desire to accompany Inos’ body back to the Commonwealth for a state funeral, tentatively set next Saturday, Jan. 9, officials said.

Law enforcement officials and the administration are currently working out the logistics for the state funeral at Mount Carmel Cathedral, and the arrival of off-island dignitaries like the governor of Guam.

Press secretary Ivan Blanco said yesterday they expect to officially confirm a date for the funeral today, Thursday, as they wait confirmation from Inos’ family. Blanco also extended thanks to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who has expressed his condolences and has offered to help facilitate Inos’ arrival.

Cabinet members at a meeting yesterday were asked to be present at the Saipan airport when Inos’ remains arrive. Right now, Mass is being held at Mount Carmel at 6am every morning.

Inos died in a Seattle, Washington hospital on Monday, mainland time. Despite initial signs of improvement after a surgery earlier this year, his condition deteriorated, the administration said in a statement Tuesday.

Inos will be remembered as a father figure, mentor, and meticulous mathematician and friend, who cared and thought deeply about the betterment of the Commonwealth, according to multiple interviews with lawmakers, Cabinet, and other officials. (Dennis B. Chan)

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3. Network blackout in CNMI

In early July, the CNMI suffered a massive networks communications blackout when IT&E’s fiber optic cable between Saipan and Tinian sustained a “cut”—damage that the telecommunications officials blamed on the wear and tear of passing typhoons and inclement weather. The blackout caused major airline flights to be cancelled, bank and credit card transactions to halt, and opened up weeks of agonizingly slow Internet speed.

The telecommunications firm slowly brought back some services with temporary backup measures and the cable was repaired weeks later when the CS Durable, a repair ship from Taiwan, arrived to fix the cable break near the coast and close to the shore of the Coral Ocean Point. Normal Internet speeds resumed on the wee hours of July 27, a Monday morning.

Up to now, there is still no hard amount on how much the CNMI lost in terms of revenue and other damage from this incident. (Dennis B. Chan)

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4. Fitial pleads guilty; sentence commuted

Benigno R. Fitial resigned as governor on Feb. 20, 2013, just days after the House of Representatives impeached him on charges of corruption, felony, and neglect of duty, but it was in 2015 when he finally threw in the towel to put an end to the criminal case filed against him.

In May 2015—exactly 12 months after the CNMI government, through special prosecutor George Hasselback, filed the criminal charges—the 69-year-old Fitial pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and conspiracy to commit theft of services, making him the first convicted chief executive of the Commonwealth.

Fitial made the plea while in Makati, Philippines, where he has been receiving medical treatment. He appeared at the hearing in the U.S. District Court for the NMI via teleconference.

The offense of misconduct in public office refers to Fitial’s actions related to the temporary departure of a Chinese female prisoner from the Department of Corrections in Susupe to massage him at his house on Jan. 8, 2010.

Conspiracy to commit theft of services charge refers to Fitial’s role related to former attorney general Edward T. Buckingham’s efforts to evade lawful service of process during his departure from the Commonwealth at the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport on Aug. 3 or 4, 2012.

Fitial’s counsel, Stephen Nutting, said Fitial decided to plead guilty because he understood the kind of toll the case is putting on his family. He said Fitial wanted to do what he could to put an end to this as painlessly as possible for all concerned.

Last June 23, Wiseman imposed a one-year prison sentence. Fitial was supposed to start serving his prison term last July 6, but the late governor Eloy S. Inos, at the recommendation of the Board of Parole, commuted the prison term the day before. (Ferdie de la Torre)

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5. First Saipan casino opens

Best Sunshine International, Ltd. launched Saipan’s first and only live-gaming casino on Nov. 28. The casino, intended as a training facility and located within the T Galleria in Garapan, has been open since July 27 but held its grand opening in November to cocktails, Chinese lion dances, Refaulawasch performers, and live music, with a host of government officials and business leaders attending.

Best Sunshine, which holds an exclusive casino licensing agreement on Saipan, is currently building a casino resort in the former Samoa housing center in Garapan, and also plans to complete their $7 billion investment in the northern end of island in the coveted estate around Marpi. (Dennis B. Chan)

6. Lighting problem, others plague airport

Saipan’s Francisco C. Ada International Airport was plagued with a number of problems this year, forcing them operate on limited capacities on several occasions.

Just this month, the airport’s runway and taxiway were left in the dark for several days due to the electrical problems.

On Nov. 28, fire broke out in one of the airport’s hand holes. The Commonwealth Ports Authority couldn’t determine the cause of the fire. Only daytime operations were allowed for about four days. Approximately 6,000 linear feet of cable was pulled to re-energize the lights.

Prior to the mishap, the CPA board just approved the hiring for an electrician during their November board meeting in Rota.

Last Dec. 18, the airport went back to daytime operations when only 30 percent of their runway was lit. CPA had to shut down the entire electrical system to preserve and avoid burning out the airport’s entire electrical system. CPA said one possible cause may have been from rodents in the electrical conduits.

In August, CPA also had to limit the airport’s operation after one of its firefighting trucks went down for maintenance, forcing CPA to restrict the sizes of planes that could land to match their reduced response capacity.

The airport was also badly affected by Typhoon Soudelor in August, which caused hundreds of thousands of additional expenses.

In July, airport operations also suffered because of the islandwide network outage. (Frauleine Michelle Villanueva-Dizon)

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7. Tinian Dynasty casino shuts its doors

The Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino closed its doors on Aug. 14, with management blaming the lack of tourists in the wake of the devastation of Typhoon Soudelor. It had announced a reopening date of Dec. 15 but that day came and went with the casino still shuttered.

The revenues generated by the casino operations are seen as a lifeline for employees who rely on the Dynasty for employment, and whose employment with the municipality is supported by casino revenues. That meant more than 100 employees were laid off, and the closure effected the non-renewal of jobs at the Municipality of Tinian, according to Tinian Mayor Joey San Nicolas in August.

The casino owners have also not complied with the submission of all requested documents and investigation fees, according to regulators, the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission.

Two weeks after the casino closed, the hotel announced that in early September it would shut down its hotel and restaurants operations as well, but later that month reversed its decision. (Dennis B. Chan)

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8Navy orders more studies for plans

The U.S. Department of Navy conceded in October to public and agency concern over the large-scale training and bombing ranges on Pagan and Tinian. The Navy ordered a new round of studies—as part of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA—for impacts to coral on Tinian and Pagan, and impacts to the groundwater aquifer of Tinian.

The announcement came on the heels of formal comments from the Environmental Protection Agency who declared that the Navy had not discussed “vulnerability” of the Tinian aquifer to contamination. The Navy’s analysis did not fully consider the highly permeable Marianas limestone, which underlies most of the project area on Tinian, the EPA said.

On corals, the Navy’s plans to permanently remove more than 10 acres of coral on Tinian to construct assault vehicle landing ramps would result in “high-magnitude, severe impacts to coral reefs and marine habitat,” the EPA said, with another 10.3 acres for indirect impacts.

Data omissions have been said to mar the Navy’s environmental impact studies, and local agencies and government consultants believe the military’s designations of “less than significant” impacts to water quality, among many others, on Tinian and Pagan must be changed. (Dennis B. Chan)

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9. DPL opens bid for Mariana Resort lot; resort assigns lease to Best Sunshine

Saipan casino owner Best Sunshine International, Ltd. was assigned a piece of prime Marpi property in the Mariana Resort and Spa lands earlier this month, after Kan Pacific—the owners of the Marpi resort—stuck a deal with the casino to assign the remaining years of its lease, which expires in 2018, to the casino.

The move backtracked on the public fervor the resort had been raising after the Department of Public Lands announced in June that competitive bids would now be the rule for all expiring public land leases. Hotel officials said then that they were shocked by the news and said they were led to believe by DPL their lease would be extended. Following some testy back and forth correspondence that surfaced in local newspapers about the decision—DPL claimed they were constitutionally mandated to seek bids, Kan Pacific said this would be breach of contract with government—Kan Pacific held a rally in November that drew hundreds in support of a new lease. DPL opened the bid a week later, and several weeks after that, Kan Pacific and Best Sunshine announced they would be working together “to bring the Commonwealth into a new era.” (Dennis B. Chan)

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10. Two homicides in a row stun NMI

The first ever two homicides in a row stunned the community last April 21 when news broke out that James Patrick Deleon Guerrero, a security guard, was fatally shot by a masked man during an attempted robbery at Royal Poker in Afetnas, a day after police discovered that Ana Maria Limes was killed in her house in Oleai.

As of yesterday, the killer of Deleon Guerrero has yet to be identified. Many suggested that the Department of Public Safety release the video footage of the incident to identify the gunman. DPS has yet to release the footage.

As of yesterday, Sylvester Rogopes Sablan, the husband of Limes tagged as the person of interest in her murder, has yet to be charged in this case. Sablan is facing “ice” and criminal trespass charges.

Sablan’s counsel is relying upon the defense of insanity at the time when the defendant committed the alleged crime in connection with criminal trespass and possession of methamphetamine or “ice” charges.

Deleon Guerrero, 39, was shot in the back and was found dead inside the restroom of the poker arcade, where he tried to hide from the armed suspect.

The male suspect was described as about 5’6” to 5’8” tall, wearing a black mask covering his face and military fatigue and gloves.

Although there have been two double homicide cases on Saipan in the past, this was the first time that two homicides occurred in a row in the CNMI.

Police investigation revealed that the poker arcade’s female cashier saw the masked suspect walk in and fire a handgun at Deleon Guerrero.

Deleon Guerrero ran toward the bathroom, while the cashier hid under the booth. Two more shots were fired, then the suspect fled the scene.

In Limes’ murder, the former staff assistant of Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan was found dead inside her house. Department of Public Safety’s 911 dispatch received a call of a suspicious bloody room at the residence of Limes in San Jose or Oleai Village.

Patrol officers were dispatched and found the body at the entrance to the living room door. Limes showed signs of being deceased for some time, with fatal injuries to the head.

Limes was a regular cultural dance performer at the annual Flame Tree Festival. (Ferdie de la Torre)

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11. Storeowner, diving instructor still missing

The community became alarmed with the mysterious and separate disappearances of Saipan Fresh Market Zhi Yuan Li and scuba diving instructor Mei Hua Zhao in 2015.

As of yesterday Li and Zhao remained missing, despite thousands of dollars in monetary rewards offered by family members and friends.

In Li’s case, police recovered Zhi Yuan Li’s Toyota Tacoma pickup truck the day after his family reported his disappearance. It was found abandoned on a dirt road between Ladder Beach and Obyan Beach.

In Zhao’s case, she was reported missing last Oct. 19. The following day, her Toyota Tacoma was found by her friends parked behind Joker’s Bar in Garapan.

The mystery of Li’s disappearance came in the wake of the murder of his uncle, Hai Ren Li, in 2014.

In Zhao’s case, her last communication with her husband, Guang Zhe Xuan, owner of Go Pro Diving, was last Oct. 19. At that time, Xuan was on Tinian while his wife was reportedly in Gualo Rai after she had just finished a diving excursion with customers.

Zhao, 25, was reported missing the following day.

Last February, then-Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres discussed with federal law enforcement officials efforts to combat drugs and crimes in the CNMI as well as the mysterious disappearance of store owner Li and the murder of his uncle, Hai Ren Li.

Li, 43, was reportedly last seen on Jan. 17 at 11am, seeing a friend at an “accounting office” near a tire shop in Puerto Rico. His family reported his disappearance to police that day at 7:56pm.

A family member has offered a $50,000 cash reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the location of the storeowner—dead or alive. (Ferdie de la Torre)

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12Huge ‘ice’ busts

The year saw more Chinese nationals arrested for trafficking methamphetamine or “ice.” But it was also the period in which joint and federal local law enforcers made the biggest drug bust in CNMI history with the arrest of two Chinese nationals over the shipment of $4.3 million worth of “ice.”

A few months later, three more Chinese nationals were arrested over alleged another shipment of $850,000 worth of “ice.”

The separate cases against the suspects are now pending in the U.S. District Court for the NMI. No bail was imposed on all defendants.

Yuliu Liu and Zhenlin Fang, two overstaying Chinese male tourists, were arrested in July after the seizure of a shipment of over 10,700 grams of methamphetamine or “ice” worth between $3.2 million and $4.3 million that was concealed in an air-compressor aboard a container from Guangzhou, China.

Customs inspectors recovered plastic packages of “ice” weighing approximately 23 lbs or 10,617 grams, while joint local and federal investigators seized 130 grams of “ice” from Liu’s residence in Chalan Piao during a follow-up operation.

On July 17, 2015, during a routine inspection of a shipping container from Guangzhou, China, a CNMI Customs inspector noticed an air-compressor listed to a “Han Lu” that appeared to have been tampered with. Using a fiber optic camera to look inside the tank, Customs inspectors saw a package containing a crystal-like substance that later tested presumptive positive for “ice.”

In the second drug bust, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agents arrested in December three Chinese nationals after the CNMI Division of Customs seized 4.9 lbs of methamphetamine or “ice” worth $850,000 last Dec. 2. Arrested were Xi Huang, Shicheng Cai, and Zhaopeng Chen.

According to Customs, the recovery of the 4.9 lbs of “ice” happened during routine inspection of a 40-foot container from Guangzhou, China, at the Port of Saipan last Dec. 2.

The container had several consignees and was brought in by Sunleader, a cargo consolidating company on Saipan. One of the consignees brought in nine five-gallon paint containers, and one was found to have three plastic bags that contained the drug. (Ferdie de la Torre)

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13Aero Dolphins national champs 2nd time

For the second time in a span of three years, Marianas High School’s Aeronautical Dolphins bested Real World Design Challenge competitors from all over the United States and U.S. territories to bag a $50,000 scholarship from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, presenting their design via teleconference in November and receiving word of their victory within days.

The winning team consists of junior and senior students: project manager Ann Margaret Norcio, mission planner Matthew Cao, project mathematician Masrur Alam, marketing specialist Edna Nisola, simulations engineer Jun Young Kim, and design engineer Robert Malate. They are led by MHS mathematics teacher and coach John Raulerson, with team collaboration between professionals in aero-structures, aero-dynamics, mechanical engineering, and pilot industries.

The 2015 National Real World Design Challenge was to design an unmanned aircraft system capable of targeted dispersal of fluid pesticides—a design process of three phases that the students started in April.

The unmanned aircraft system, named Skywalker, produces extremely coarse droplets suitable for wind speeds of up to 20 mph using an extended spray broom that compensates for any geographical variables on a crop field of sweet potatoes, a system whose use equals up to $15.5 million in net cash flow after five years of use.

The onslaught of Typhoon Soudelor as well as the breakdown of the undersea fiber optic cable forced the team to work longer hours to make up for lost time.

Raulerson expressed that hard work and endurance allowed them to prevail and come this far, adding that the accomplishment was a major win for this small island in the Pacific. (Daisy Demapan)

14. Brutal attack on Dr. Claassens

The peaceful island of Rota was rocked with the news that William Kapono Mathewson allegedly beat up and stabbed Dr. Francois Claassens with a fishing spear in the neck last April 4.

The brutal attack happened in the backyard of Claassens’ house in Teneto Village. Mathewson’s house is located near the doctor’s residence.

Claassens has miraculously recovered from his injuries.

Mathewson was immediately arrested, but as of yesterday, there were still no word whether the Office of the Public Defender has been able to seek an expert psychiatrist who can examine Mathewson.

The conference on the status regarding finding an expert psychiatrist has been postponed several times. The case is not moving forward because until now he has yet to be examined by a psychiatrist.

Last April 29, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho granted the request of assistant public defender Michael Sato to appoint a psychiatrist who will examine Mathewson.

In requesting for a psychiatrist, Sato disclosed that Mathewson will rely upon the defense of insanity at the time when he committed the alleged crime.
Mathewson, 43, a farmer/fisherman, allegedly stabbed the 60-year-old Claassens in the neck with a fishing spear and clubbed him on the head with a big pot and chain. (Ferdie de la Torre)

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15. Body of missing Jack found

Traina Suda Jack, 18, was last seen in San Antonio on Oct. 22, 2014. Her body was recovered about seven months later, on May 11, in a jungle area about 15 feet from the shoulder of the road across the Torres Farm near Obyan Beach.

It was a cattle manager who saw her remains.

No one has been arrested in Jack’s death. The cause of her death has yet to be established.

A source said microscopic analysis on bone fragments from the skull failed to determine Jack’s cause of death.

Guam chief medical examiner Dr. Aurelio Espinola positively identified the remains as that of Jack’s, using a photograph that showed her dental features.

Police also recovered from the scene short pants, bra, and wristband that has the word “MUSIC.” Jack’s father and his sister identified the items as belonging to Jack.

Espinola’s autopsy did not reveal any type of identifiable trauma on the bones such as fracture, stab, or gunshot.

The family and relatives later buried Jack’s remains at the Tanapag Cemetery. The family urged the killer to surrender to authorities and appealed to the Department of Public Safety to continue their investigation. (Ferdie de la Torre)