KSPN2 News May 18, 2026

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:21]Tonight's headlines are brought to you by McDonald's and Mariana's Coffee.

[00:00:28]Good evening, Commonwealth, and thanks for watching the Channel 2 News. I'm Dan Shore. Sakura Holstead is on assignment.

[00:00:35]So, let's take a look at tonight's top stories. An update on the status of water and power for the island of Saipan.

[00:00:45]Also tonight, teams continue to distribute supplies to those in need.

[00:00:52]and a public school commissioner and a former Senate President throw their proverbial hats into the coming gubinatorial race.

[00:01:03]Stay with us. These stories and more are next.

[00:01:27]Hey, >> drinks aren't new at McDonald's coffee until they are.

[00:01:37]>> All new drinks are here.

[00:01:43]I love marionette coffee. Come join me for a cup. I think you would be really happy.

[00:01:59]I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse.

[00:02:03]Bring your friends in for the best night out at Godfather's Bar in Gavin.

[00:02:08]Sing along to your favorite hits with live music from the Jigalos.

[00:02:14]Godfathers has daily food and drink specials like Taco Tuesdays.

[00:02:20]The best pizza on island every day of the week. Located on Palm Street in Gavin.

[00:02:53]Heat. Heat.

[00:03:14]Had a day tiwami and good evening commonwealth. You are watching the channel 2 news on May the 18th from our studios high up on Capitol Hill.

[00:03:26]Yin and yang are ancient Chinese philosophical concepts that describe contrary forces that may be complimementaryary and in the natural world.

[00:03:40]Yin and yang may define the natural world, but the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation has some news that may also be complimentary, but can only be described as good news and bad news. The good news, Jonathan Kamacho, electrical engineer, CU.

[00:03:57]>> Yeah. So, at least uh in regards to power, um since Friday, the last update we had was the energization of feeder 7. This is up north from Tanapek all the way up to the Asthma water wells. So, those uh main primary lines are now energized and the water wells in that location is uh on CUC's power grid.

[00:04:18]>> Water distribution is also in the process of restoration. Joel Hoffner, Water Division Cu.

[00:04:24]>> We continue to struggle in the north up in Marpy. Um we're losing a lot of water. Um we have crews up there today fixing two leaks that are fairly substantial. So Asthma Tulis pretty much has 24-hour water. Um it's the higher elevations in Sanroi and Tanape that have limited amount of water.

[00:04:48]uh the main villages, the lower areas within those areas, they are receiving um some sort of pressure watered um 24 hours. So, we're just we're trying to get everybody back to normal up there and it's taking a little longer than we anticipated.

[00:05:12]And the bad news on Friday an announcement arrived about fuel adjustment increases. Kevin Watson, CUC executive director.

[00:05:22]>> It was also announced this weekend that the power rates are doubling.

[00:05:29]Why? Well, mainly due to the war in Iran. Fuel prices worldwide uh have risen. You can drive to one of the gas pumps and see that the price has increased over two months ago. The price had increased in March and we uh the did not increase it. Uh it stayed at 24 which was an uh artificial ceiling put on by CPU. They have since uh lifted that and and approved the rate increase from 24 cents to 44. Uh CUC is still uh paying more than that. The price is has uh increased again from 44 to 60, but we did not impose that upon the public yet.

[00:06:28]>> Yes, CUC is appealing to FEMA and the US Department of War for help. You know, we were we were asking for improvements in our power plants and and hardening of the power even prior to the typhoon hitting us. We had to postpone a a meeting we had with Department of War uh where we were asking for funding uh to to help uh the antiquated power plants and hardening of the the transmission distribution. COC again was appealing to FEMA for solar solutions prior to SLAU.

[00:07:08]>> Well, you know, I wish I could uh have a solution. Uh and long term, I think we will stabilize and probably reduce the rates. It's going to take, you know, uh time to get the the solar farms uh started and and completed. uh that will have an effect so that we can you know reduce the amount of fuel being burned at the power plants.

[00:07:37]>> There will undoubtedly be more super typhoons arriving in the coming years.

[00:07:42]How do we prepare >> as we harden our system? We become more and more prepared at least in the distribution side. Um in regards to the generation side, it's right now we're just working with temporary repairs, temporary power. Um, a permanent solution I guess would be discussed later with FEMA.

[00:08:03]>> Sinaku recovery efforts continue.

[00:08:08]On Friday morning, organizations unite to continue to serve a community in need.

[00:08:14]500 sales, project of NMC, SYPan Fire Department, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and others convene at the Roundhouse in Gapan.

[00:08:27]>> All right, on the count of three, Mariana Strong. One, two, three.

[00:08:32]>> MARIANA.

[00:08:36]>> Have fun, guys.

[00:08:37]>> Cody Foreman of 500 sales. So today we're distributing water and uh MREs, boxes, cases per households to uh all the families in need in uh in Gualarai, Gapan, Chinatown, Puerto Rico, and Sarukasi area.

[00:08:54]>> These teams joined together to offer aid this past Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

[00:09:00]>> We've helped a lot of people in need.

[00:09:02]Like we've seen many parts of the community that still don't have houses, still don't have tents. So, we're happy to give them water and food.

[00:09:10]>> 500 Sales is fortunate that their sailing canoes survive the typhoon.

[00:09:15]>> Yeah, the boats are okay. And also, we're running a special where if you have like water tank like the 250 gallons, you can bring it into the boatyard and then we'll help the community. We're fix it up for free, the fiberglass and all that.

[00:09:26]>> Oh, nice.

[00:09:27]>> So, we're trying to help the community as much as we can. The teams traveled throughout the island delivering MREs and water to people who have yet to receive any aid.

[00:09:37]>> Very happy. Thank you.

[00:09:39]>> Vincent Castro and Justice Aldon from NMC Project PROA. Well, honestly, I just like having the opportunity just to help out the community cuz I live in an area where I feel like we've gotten a lot of things already and I just feel that, you know, it's not that it's like a duty, but it's just like I feel like I should be helping people who have less than I do right now.

[00:10:01]>> Yeah.

[00:10:02]>> Yeah. Same for me. I just want to be out there in the community. I want to be there to help others, especially uh right now everybody's going through hard times. So just being there for people who really need the help is, you know, it's it's a good thing to be out here and do these kind of services. So yeah, I'm glad to be here.

[00:10:17]>> Just keep looking up. We have it's getting better. So far, a lot of places you see have have power. So one step at a time and we'll get there.

[00:10:26]>> We've been resilient before and we'll be resilient now.

[00:10:28]>> Yes.

[00:10:28]>> Be Miranda strong.

[00:10:30]>> Yeah. Um I hope you guys are all doing well. I know times are hard, but as a community, we can get through this together. And you know, it's good to show up for each other.

[00:10:41]>> Fred Sato, public information officer for DPS, responds to questions of public safety posts in Laku.

[00:10:50]After a disaster like Sin Laku, the threat of lawlessness can run rampant in a community, but in Saipan, not so much.

[00:11:00]>> There is crime. Um we are getting a lot of calls of uh disturbance calls ranging from whether people are burning creating smoke. Um we are getting calls of generator noise.

[00:11:18]>> Okay.

[00:11:18]>> Um you know there there's just they're not major crimes.

[00:11:24]>> Yes, there is petty theft. Sato says in the evening hours in areas with no power. Laundry lines being robbed have been reported. On May the 11th, there was one fatality reported. So on May 11th, uh 11:35 a.m. in the morning, we received a call of a auto pedestrian uh incident in Cobblerville uh by the former Sunnyside restaurant.

[00:11:54]Um so uh when officers responded um they discovered that a 75year-old male was lying unconscious uh near the former establishment with visible injuries.

[00:12:09]>> According to reports the 75year-old male victim was kneeling down collecting water at a water station when his companion, a 66year-old male, accidentally backed his SUV into the victim. Um, so right now the person or the victim, 75year-old was pronounced uh deceased by the uh physician at the ER.

[00:12:34]Um, it's still an active investigation.

[00:12:37]>> The operator of the vehicle has fully cooperated with authorities, passed a breathalyzer test, and now awaits completion of the investigation.

[00:12:48]As the CNMI settles into Typhoon Slaka recovery, the new storm of election season has officially begun.

[00:12:58]>> On Saturday, PSS Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Kamacho and former Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero officially threw their hats into the political ring. They are running for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively. Today we meet.

[00:13:15]We officially announced on Saturday our candidacy for governor, lieutenant governor of uh this beautiful Commonwealth of the Northern Marana Islands. Um and uh you know we now enter into the race seeking uh the support, the trust and confidence of our community and um allowing us to be given that opportunity to uh to lead the way in the recovery. Already announced gubanatorial candidates are former governor Ralph Torres with principal Benjamin Jones Jr. and Congressman BJ Atau with Edmund Villa Gomez. The Kamacho delay on Guerrero plan to run was hatched well before Slaku. So the announcement was delayed until the islands were well into the process of recovery.

[00:14:05]We decided we were going to do this for the people because we are at a time when um and I kept saying on Saturday the time is now, right? Uh the time was not now because of in the middle of recovery. The time is now because after this uh thing and then the election in November, we got to get real. We got to get into the type of recovery that we have put on our platform.

[00:14:29]>> Their platform is setting the course for long-term results.

[00:14:33]>> It's not a secret. We have an economic downturn and there's a lot of folks that are are struggling out there and we want to be there to help them and kind of lift those spirits up, lift the conditions of those folks through the strategic um planning that we're starting to do.

[00:14:48]>> It's very simple. You know, we we've witnessed a lot of um conditions in our Commonwealth, not just today, but in prior years and many years back. And for the longest time, we've always been looking for that stability for a government, for a people, for a better economy, a better life. And so coming together, um, this is very humbling because we are very confident that we could steer this commonwealth into the right direction. We need to make the private sector strong. We need to build that economy out there because the government cannot function without a strong private sector. That's just a reality. That's how business is run. The government collects revenues from the private sector. the government collects payroll taxes from every person that is working, right? And so therefore, we need to also focus on making sure that that and that particular sector of the economy is very strong.

[00:15:36]>> That's the only way that we could improve our livelihood here in the Commonwealth and that's throughout the entire Cinema Sipon Road, Tenyan and the Northern Islands.

[00:15:43]>> You have to make sure the government is right sized for the for its mission and that mission of regulating that economy.

[00:15:50]Um and this we're at this point where it is at a at a at a uh downturn and we have to kind of pick it back up. So you have to also rightsize the government.

[00:15:59]Now you cannot just go in and start chopping away off the government, right?

[00:16:04]You have to provide the opportunity for people because this is people business, right? It's not about anything other than about the people. when politics in the late uh in the past uh few years put into play and and they just uh kept the inflated government to be the way it is and had no vision and clarity on where the economy was going to be. That becomes a problem and that's why we have to be very careful in in really kind of understanding how you rightsize that for the current economic condition and then try to get the economic conditions to go back up and then make sure that the the government is also rightsized along the way. But because it's about people, we have to make sure that we're still protecting those folks uh as we rightsize to make sure that there's opportunities for them. Kamacho and Delean Guerrero are currently running unaffiliated but may ask the Democratic party for support along the way.

[00:17:00]Boa, there is more news coming up right after the short break.

[00:17:15]Yap like you've never yapped before with all new drinks only at McDonald's here on the remote and beautiful island of Saipan. A mysterious species gathers outside Gold's Gym. Some say they come seeking strength. Others say they heard there were protein shakes. But let's be honest, these aren't just goats. They are the goats. And even the goats know you don't become the greatest of all time by skipping leg day. And when you're done, refuel at the Shake Cafe.

[00:18:00]Coffee, smoothies, shakes, everything except goat milk. Please stop asking.

[00:18:06]Gold's Jim Saipan. Be the goat. No goats were harmed for this message.

[00:18:22]Welcome to Mariana's Beach Resort. And now, welcome to Mariana's Coffee.

[00:18:27]Indulge in the rich, smooth taste of classic coffee or treat yourself to one of our signature creations with the best coffee roasted right here in Saipan.

[00:18:39]Craving something fun? Try our cracking marshmallow milkshake or one of our refreshing milk teas. Stay cool with locally grown lemongrass lemonade, the perfect tropical twist.

[00:18:54]Pair your drink with our delicious cakes, dessert, sandwiches, and salads freshly made just for you.

[00:19:01]And with super fast Wi-Fi, it's the perfect place to work or unwind.

[00:19:08]Mariana's Coffee at Mariana's Beach Resort, where great coffee meets great style.

[00:19:28]Welcome back. You are watching the Monday night edition of the Channel 2 News. Let's talk about preservation. A father sets out to help his son settle into new environments.

[00:19:40]Welcome to Saipan.

[00:19:43]at Saipan International. Mike Marcato has just returned from Guam.

[00:19:48]>> Yeah, I was just looking for apartments for my son. My son's going to UOG, committing to UOG. So, you're out there looking for apartments.

[00:19:56]>> Mike's son is about to graduate from Mount Carmel High School.

[00:20:00]>> Uh he's going to do uh physical therapy and then eventually commission as an officer uh through the ROC program in Guam.

[00:20:07]>> Okay. So, you guys are just in Guam kind of just scouting.

[00:20:09]>> Yeah, just scouting. Mike noticed minimal typhoon damage in Guam.

[00:20:14]>> No, actually no signs that I've seen in Guam. However, the people I talked to uh they're very um concerned about uh us in Saipan and you know it's very nice of them. I I see a lot of people in um social media trying to help out um us here in Saipan in Tinyan uh from Guam.

[00:20:34]So that's a big thank you to our Guant uh brothers and sisters and uh most especially to uh the GPA. Thank you guys.

[00:20:44]>> There are a myriad of people living and arriving on Saipan working to preserve homes and businesses. There are also people living and arriving working to preserve island culture and history.

[00:20:57]Lenny Leon is director of the NMI Museum.

[00:21:00]>> Yeah. So this was my first typhoon at the end of my museum and this was definitely you know um a learning process for me and there are things as somebody who's not an engineer could see now that needs to be improved you know so that's step that we are looking at long-term solutions for I'm at the airport the Sipen airport to pick up uh somebody from the National Park Service out of Washington state and She was deployed out here through FEMA and through um what is called the ESF11 cultural and natural resources uh response, right? Um yeah, she'll be here uh for about a month or up to a month to really help us out at the museum in our recovery.

[00:21:52]>> Lisa Kramer is museum curator arriving from Klondike, Washington.

[00:21:57]>> It is incredibly important. Obviously, it's most important to take care of the health and safety of people, but the cultural materials are the touchstones.

[00:22:09]They are what help us recover uh emotionally and mentally after disasters, and they help us connect us across time. It's it's so incredibly important. Those are the real evidence of what we and our ancestors have been through and they help direct our future and our descendants, what we've learned and how they are going to plan for their future.

[00:22:36]>> Anything else you'd like to say?

[00:22:39]>> I am delighted to be here. I wish it wasn't for such a a difficult event, but I've been really impressed with the people that I've met so far. Everybody's just incredibly upbeat and I think you guys are you know what you're doing. You you know how how to come together.

[00:23:00]>> The preservation of a family's continuity or an island's entire cultural history requires detail, desire, and dedication. Welcome back.

[00:23:11]Welcome home. Welcome to Saipan.

[00:23:17]Whether you agree or not, the Adidllet twins may be the second most important set of identical twins on the island.

[00:23:25]>> The Idlit twins coming out of the National Weather Service field office in Guam says we'll see more weather systems in 2026 and can expect a drier season leading into 2027.

[00:23:37]Landon Idet explains how the El Nino weather pattern affects our region.

[00:23:41]Yeah, definitely things are in shift and that's uh the driving factor for our typhoon seasons and expectations in the annual basis. The El Nino cycle uh influences that. So during leninia years we relax most of the tropical cyclones they start forming in our region but develop in the Philippine Sea but in El Nino years the warmer waters over near the Marshall Islands near the date line and across the tropical central Pacific.

[00:24:07]things develop farther to our east and that means where they start forming in eastern Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, they start to become stronger systems as they come into our region. Uh so that puts Guam and the Mariana Islands and the Cinema all in the crosshairs for more activity.

[00:24:21]>> He shares how that affects the Marianas this year into the next.

[00:24:26]>> With El Nino emerging, we could see a lot more activity for tropical cyclones this year, but following 2027, we could see a much drier dry season in 2027. So that makes uh water shortages, water rationing, drought conditions could be a concern across the region, including Micronia, but also wildfires. And so we have to keep wildfires and drought in the back of our minds as we go into 2027 cuz all the debris, all the trees that have been downed from the typhoon, it's going to be drying out over the next several months and then we go into dry season and they become great burning embers. Brandon Idlet shares the dangers of the dry season to come while keeping in mind the latter part of the El Nino year ahead.

[00:25:07]>> Looking at a lot of the fire data from the past 15 years across Saipan, you see fires reported and reported throughout the year, but it's in the wet season.

[00:25:18]Most of these fires are reported as a quarter acre. They're quickly contained and as a minimally reportable size, but you start seeing those 100 plus acre fires, the thousand acre plus fires in the February, March, April time frame when we see the the maximum uh average trade wind speed, but also that accumulation of dryness over weeks and months at mounts and those are going to be the concerns. And so that's going to be the messaging as we head into the late winter into December, January time frame. But uh for now, the big concern is is that potential for more tropical cyclones and uh especially in the the fall months, the wet season.

[00:26:01]>> Well, here's the weather. Tonight is forecast to have a 40% chance of isolated showers with mild breezes and low temperatures of around 78°.

[00:26:11]Tomorrow, Tuesday, bodess to be lovely.

[00:26:14]CNMI with only a 20% chance of rainfall with mild breezes and high temperatures of around 87 degrees inviting us to wave hello in the water or on the land.

[00:26:27]Well, that is news, weather, CNMI. We will see you again on Wednesday.

[00:26:54]Heat. Heat.