Local News
Washington, D.C. — Tuesday, Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata welcomed bipartisan House passage of the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act, sending it to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. The U.S. Senate had already passed the bill, S. 937, which is focused on stemming acts of hate and violence...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A Fuel Impact Assessment report conducted by the Morris Scanlan Service Inc., for the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce shows a loss in revenues for a majority of gas stations due to natural disasters and local COVID-19 restrictions placed on businesses — including gas...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The US Secretary of Interior, American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) and its director, Taotasi Archie Soliai, along with unnamed DMWR individuals and unnamed fishermen, are named as defendants in a new lawsuit filed in the federal court in...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A male passenger arrested for consuming alcohol on an aiga bus last month is now charged with violating local drug laws when police allegedly found drugs in his possession.
Taulaga Avia, 29, made his initial appearance in court three weeks ago.
Avia is charged with one...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man who is on probation for burglary and stealing is now back in court on another stealing allegation. Police arrested Maalona Soo, also known as Maa Soo two months ago just after he was released from the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF) after serving a 28-month...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Territorial Hazard Mitigation Council has put out a public call for all interested parties to submit proposals for Hazard Mitigation Projects. The call was made in a May 12th public letter from the council’s chairman, Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo V. Ale, who is the...
Washington, D.C. — American Samoa is to receive over $479 million ($479,135,254) in federal funds resulting from this year’s legislation known as the American Rescue Plan, according to Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata.
Uifa’atali noted that the U.S. Treasury announced this week that the funds from...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) executive director Wallon Young confirmed over the weekend that last Friday’s power outage, affected the entire island of Tutuila and provided an explanation as to the cause of the outage, which occurred around 7:48a.m.
The...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — US territories looking at independence from the United States, was one question of interest raised by a congressman, during last week’s remote U.S House Committee on Natural Resources, Insular Affairs hearing in which Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo V. Ale testified from...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 74th American Samoa Community College (ASCC) Commencement Ceremony will take place on Friday, May 21st beginning at 10 a.m. on the malae fronting the College’s Multi-Purpose Center.
As has become standard practice for ASCC Commencements, the Governor, the Board of...







![The Congresswoman is pictured here in conversation on the House floor before President Biden’s recent speech, which also announced the American Rescue Plan. [courtesy photo] Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata speaking with an unidentified woman](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/amata_in_conversation.jpg?itok=zCk73s2T)
![This photo provided by the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA), shows ASPA linemen repairing an unground transmission line last Friday, to get the power back on for Tutuila island customers. Last Friday’s power outage affected the entire island and depending where you were — lasted for anywhere to a 1/2 hour or 12 hours. [photo: ASPA] ASPA crew working to restore power last Friday](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/transmission_line_repairs.jpg?itok=uJDY6Yrt)
![“We have our communal land culture that provides that the land is for the native people of American Samoa,” Lt. Gov. Talauega explained. “That would automatically be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause, if the provisions of the [US] Constitution apply to American Samoa.” Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo V. Ale](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/talauega_testify_0.jpg?itok=HjPLW79r)
![Local attorney Lornalei Meredith Fanene will give the keynote address at the American Samoa Community College’s 74th Commencement Ceremony, which will take place this Friday, May 21st, beginning at 10 a.m. Meredith, herself an ASCC alumnus, Class of 2005, now heads her own law firm, Meredith Law, LLC. [courtesy photo] Local attorney Lornalei Meredith Fanene](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/ascc_meredith_spring_2021_graduation.jpg?itok=kmYGjIc0)