Local News
![Rendering of proposed new Fono Building [SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/fono%20bldg%20rendering_37.jpg?itok=3sPYGG9N "Rendering of proposed new Fono Building [SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The House of Representatives has approved a bill increasing members’ contributions to the American Samoa Employees Retirement Fund from 3% to 5%. The bill, which was only introduced on Tuesday was approved in second reading on Thursday and cleared final reading in the...
(New Zealand, 28 March 2018) - Six years after substantive work began on the U.S. Federally funded Fiber to the Home (FTTH) project in American Samoa, named the Broadband Linking the American Samoa Territory or BLAST project, the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority (ASTCA) is preparing to...
As we journey to the culmination of Holy Week, The Triduum of Easter: the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, may we as a Community of Christians reflect on God’s immense love for us. This Love whereby His only begotten Son was crucified to the Cross as atonement for our sins...
![Mutiny Vodka distilled in the State of Virginia from breadfruit flour from American Samoa in the South Pacific, initiated as a product from the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. [courtesy photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Breadfruit%20vodkaweb.jpg?itok=mGCDx6pt "Mutiny Vodka distilled in the State of Virginia from breadfruit flour from American Samoa in the South Pacific, initiated as a product from the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. [courtesy photo]")
Honolulu, HAWAII — Chef Todd Manley, a former Virginia chef and now restaurateur in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, recently visited Hawaii and was hosted by the Pacific Business Center Program (PBCP) on his way to and from American Samoa. Chef Manley, who imports breadfruit flour from various...
![[SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/AM%20Samoa%20HC_105.jpeg?itok=p9D2A1qT "[SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man, who was convicted in 2013 for unlawful drug possession, has been ordered to depart American Samoa and return to his home country for the duration of his 15-year probation sentence.
Filisi Setefano appeared in High Court last week for a probation violation hearing...
![Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross with President Donald Trump. Ross directed the Census Bureau, an agency within the Department of Commerce, to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. [Mark Wilson/Getty Images via Slate]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/trump%20n%20wilbur%20ross.jpeg?itok=Cbo5Atch "Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross with President Donald Trump. Ross directed the Census Bureau, an agency within the Department of Commerce, to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. [Mark Wilson/Getty Images via Slate]")
On Thursday, the Census Bureau sent Congress a complete list of the questions it plans to ask on the 2020 decennial census. The preview included the bureau’s new citizenship question, which may suppress the response rate in immigrant communities and provide states with data that could allow for a...
Anchorage, ALASKA — The defense attorney for Corina Ifopo, the American Samoa woman accused of filing false tax returns with the US Internal Revenue Service, argues that the defendant’s conduct should be viewed through the lens of the economic challenges in the territory, where many homes are...
![DOC director Keniseli Lafaele [SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/Lafaele%206495_11.jpg?itok=OOk1Vz-a "DOC director Keniseli Lafaele [SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — With non-compliance with local signage laws “getting out of hand”, the Commerce Department has launched a public awareness campaign to educate all sectors of the community on local laws which regulate putting up signs or billboards, says DOC director Keniseli Lafaele....
![[SN file photo]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/AM%20Samoa%20HC_104.jpeg?itok=1aOXqVz_ "[SN file photo]")
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Karisi Tiaalii has admitted to assaulting his girlfriend.
The 25-year-old was initially charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, felonious restraint, and felony stealing. But under a plea agreement with the government Tiaalii pled guilty to second-degree...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The deadline for submission of applications to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Public Assistance is only a few days away and Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga says it's important that the private sector — including businesses and non-profit...