Local News
![Former Customs Office supervisor, Sefulu Maifea making his way to the TCF van after he was sentenced by the court to serve 28 months in jail for stealing over $11,000 from the American Samoa Government. [photo: AF]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Maifea_0939.jpg?itok=_jvE2Fmd "Former Customs Office supervisor, Sefulu Maifea making his way to the TCF van after he was sentenced by the court to serve 28 months in jail for stealing over $11,000 from the American Samoa Government. [photo: AF]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The former Customs Office supervisor who breached the trust of the American Samoa Government (ASG) when he embezzled over $11,000 he was supposed to deposit with the Treasury Department — is going to jail.
Sefulu Maifea was sentenced by the High Court last week to serve...
![[SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/AM%20Samoa%20HC_117.jpeg?itok=qPGJUfLz "[SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — An elderly woman from Pago Pago has being charged with one count of tampering with a witness, a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, and a fine up to $5,000, or both.
Mao Uele, who is out on a $5,000 surety bond made her initial appearance before...
![Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale [SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/AG_0824_4.jpg?itok=qQke-iov "Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale [SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale departed American Samoa late last week for the United Nation Decolonization Committee’s 2018 Pacific Regional Seminar at St. George’s, Grenada, which is located in the Caribbean with a population of about 33,000 people.
The seminar...
![Secretary of Samoan Affairs, Mauga Tasi Asuega. [SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Mauga%200523_1.jpg?itok=xwY0sw3g "Secretary of Samoan Affairs, Mauga Tasi Asuega. [SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Office of Samoan Affairs will be spearheading a public awareness campaign to education the community on the veto override amendment to the local Constitution before the November general election.
The amendment was approved before the close of the 3rd Regulation session...
![Afa Fuimaono outside of the Court after he was sentenced last Friday for using a machete to strike another man three times during a land dispute in December of last year. During sentencing, Chief Justice Michael Kruse pointed out that sadly the land belongs to neither men — yet the incident has had such a negative impact on both men's lives. [photo by AF]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Afa%20Fuimaono_0940.jpg?itok=1RGokuBt "Afa Fuimaono outside of the Court after he was sentenced last Friday for using a machete to strike another man three times during a land dispute in December of last year. During sentencing, Chief Justice Michael Kruse pointed out that sadly the land belongs to neither men — yet the incident has had such a negative impact on both men's lives. [photo by AF]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — “There are many non violent ways to mediate disagreements that can occur from land disputes in American Samoa, and a machete is not one of them.”
This was the statement assistant attorney general Woodrow Pengelly gave to the Judges during the sentencing of a 48-year-old...
![Justina Tavana and Natalia Seufale [photo: Blue Chen-Fruean]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/rheumatic%20heart%20disease%20team.jpg?itok=SQRVXD3U "Justina Tavana and Natalia Seufale [photo: Blue Chen-Fruean]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Justina Tavana and Natalia Seufale travelled with the Rheumatic Relief Program team from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, that visited the territory last week, offering free screening for a disease that is becoming prevalent on the island.
Last year,...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — As of Monday this past week, the US Small Business Administration had approved 212 disaster loan applications for businesses and residents that were impacted by Tropical Storm Gita, says SBA public information officer, Yolanda Stokes.
The approved low interest loan...
![ASG Commerce Department director, Keniseli Lafaele [SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Lafaele%206495_13.jpg?itok=YopmaByz "ASG Commerce Department director, Keniseli Lafaele [SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 2017 Economic Census, which is carried out every five years, officially got underway this past week as the US Census Bureau began notifying businesses nationwide by mail with instructions on how to complete the survey online.
According to the Census Bureau, only...
![A cook arranges his roast pork, duck and chicken offerings at the Food Loft, Woodlands, Singapore. [photo: Barry Markowitz, 5/1/18]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Singapore%20food.jpg?itok=VF4SnuRS "A cook arranges his roast pork, duck and chicken offerings at the Food Loft, Woodlands, Singapore. [photo: Barry Markowitz, 5/1/18]")
SINGAPORE — Singapore is a delight in so many ways. As an island nation near the equator, Singapore has much in common with our Samoas.
Always of interest to Samoans is food. In the modern Samoan mindset with the diabetes and high blood pressure epidemics, Singapore is a wonderful role model.
On...
![Luki Te'etai Tuitasi and the crew from Public Works are shown in the Oct 2017 Samoa News file photo preparing the area in front of the Jean P. Hayden Museum, for the construction of a new 2-story structure that will provide more storage, office and display space for the Jean P. Hayden Museum. [photo: Blue Chen-Fruean]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/museum%20copy_1.jpg?itok=qZFYeOag "Luki Te'etai Tuitasi and the crew from Public Works are shown in the Oct 2017 Samoa News file photo preparing the area in front of the Jean P. Hayden Museum, for the construction of a new 2-story structure that will provide more storage, office and display space for the Jean P. Hayden Museum. [photo: Blue Chen-Fruean]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Jean P. Hayden Museum, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, will be getting a much needed facelift after the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office (ASHPO) got the green light to reprogram $50,000 from its FY 2016 grant funding to carry...