Guam State News

Nightly rosaries prayed for late Monsignor Quitugua; parish to offer parking lot rosary

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Rosaries are being prayed in remembrance of the late Monsignor David I.A. Quitugua, who died Sept. 15 at the age of 84, according to the Archdiocese of Agaña.

Federal drug convict granted compassionate release

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Warren Antonio Lee, 51, won her fight in the District Court of Guam to get out of federal prison early.

GDOE to open application process for student laptops

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

The application process for the Guam Department of Education laptop distribution for secondary students is expected to launch at the end of next week, GDOE stated in a press release.

Cocos Island Resort burglarized during pandemic

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

It takes a boat and a boat operator to pull off a burglary and theft at Cocos Island Resort, which sits on tiny Cocos Island off the Merizo Pier, but that did not deter burglars.

Labor awarded $210K grant to detect PUA fraud

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

A $210,000 grant from the federal government aims to help the Guam Department of Labor prevent and detect fraud and identity theft, issues which have plagued the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programs on Guam and throughout the nation.

$4.5M in tax refunds processed

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

A total of 1,631 tax refund checks will arrive in the mail over the next few days.

Judiciary braces for reduced workweek

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

The Judiciary of Guam budget request was slashed by about $5.4 million for the upcoming fiscal year, resulting in plans for drastic cuts to the local courts' personnel and operational costs for fiscal year 2021.

2 more Guam deaths linked to COVID-19

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

The government of Guam on Friday night confirmed two more Guam lives have been lost in the fight against COVID-19.

Report: Possible drone intrusion near Guam's missile defense site

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

An incident report filed by security forces at Andersen Air Force Base describes an unauthorized drone intrusion on Northwest Field at Andersen Air Force Base in March 2019.

GHC targets month's end to open $714K mortgage relief aid

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

A $714,000 federal mortgage relief program for about 200 Guam families should have its application window open by the end of September, according to the Guam Housing Corp.

Judge frees more from quarantine

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

A mother and her two sons, in one case, and a man, in another case, were ordered released from quarantine following a Superior Court judge's decisions Friday afternoon.

2 more COVID-linked fatalities reported

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:38:47 +0000

The Joint Information Center was notified that Guam’s thirty-second and thirty-third COVID-19-related fatalities occurred.

At approximately 6:45 p.m. (ChST), a 92-year-old female with underlying health conditions passed away at the Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH). She was admitted to GMH on August 27 and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 upon admission.

At approximately 6:59 p.m. (ChST), a 56-year-old female with underlying health conditions passed away at the Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC). She was admitted to GRMC earlier today and was a known COVID-19 positive case.

“Our island suffers with each passing, and making these announcements will always be difficult for me. We are reminded of the fragility of life and are forced to confront our mortality. Losing a loved one is always hard and the pain is incomprehensible. Not only did this virus take them away from us, it has taken away moments they should have shared with their family and friends beside them,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “Jeff, Lt. Governor Josh, and I express our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families who have lost so much. You remain in our thoughts and prayers.”

COVID-19 test results are reported from multiple labs at varying times of the day. The Joint Information Center will report cumulative COVID-19 test results once a day, unless unavailable.

For information on COVID-19 cases, visit the COVID-19 Dashboard and Situation Report at http://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19/. The COVID-19 Dashboard is updated on business days.

GBHWC Crisis Hotline Available 24/7

The Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (GBHWC) has a Crisis Hotline that is available 24/7 at (671) 647-8833/4. For those feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed or are needing to talk to someone, GBHWC has experienced providers available and ready to assist the community with any heightened stress and anxiety experienced as a result of COVID-19.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit dphss.guam.gov or guamrecovery.com. For inquiries on COVID-19, contact 311 through a local number, or call the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.

-###-

The post 2 more COVID-linked fatalities reported appeared first on PNC News First.

2 more Guam deaths linked to COVID-19

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:38:00 +0000

The government of Guam on Friday night confirmed two more Guam lives have been lost in the fight against COVID-19.

Quarantine may be ‘relaxed’ to allow people to go home earlier

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:38:54 +0000

GovGuam’s passenger quarantining policy has been under heavy fire in recent days, with lawsuits, public complaints and even some in the medical community speaking out against it.

Dr. Hoa Nguyen, with the Governor’s Physicians Advisory Group, was on the air with Newstalk k57 defending the policy, saying many people weren’t abiding by their home-quarantine.

He says, however, that their team is moving forward with updating and relaxing the duration in the GovGuam so-called “QFAC” so people can go home earlier.

“We are pushing to see if we can push for the 7-day QFAC testing out, rather than 14-days. What I can tell you is we don’t like to keep people in the QFAC either, it’s just the safety and how to approach this thing in a way where we don’t continue to have a recurring surge like we have right now,” Dr. Nguyen said.

“It doesn’t mean that they go home and travel around. You still have to go home and quarantine for the remaining 7 days, so that it’s the full 14-days.”

Dr. Nguyen says the updated quarantining guidance is expected shortly from Public Health.

He says the department is working through the kinks and hoping to finish it up by the end of this month.

The post Quarantine may be ‘relaxed’ to allow people to go home earlier appeared first on PNC News First.

Judge orders Public Health to release more people from quarantine

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:29:36 +0000

There are a number of fed-up travelers in quarantine seeking release from what they described as being held against their will and late this afternoon, the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) was ordered to immediately release four individuals from the government quarantine facility.

Attorney Tom Fisher represents Sean Convento, who was quarantined off a flight from Seattle, Washington.

“When he arrived at the airport, he was thrown into involuntary confinement at the Westin Hotel. He was not informed that he had a right to a court-appointed attorney that he would not have to pay for,” says Fisher.

There was no petition filed by the Attorney General or DPHSS to keep him incarcerated beyond ten days and all of those things are requirements of the law. He has been held in confinement in a 120 square foot box for some 12 days and was never tested by Public Health, Fisher said.

In fact, Convento presented DPHSS with proof that he had tested negative for COVID-19 but according to Fisher, the department disregarded the test.

Superior Court Judge Elyze Iriarte noted the illegality of the government’s actions in the case and put her foot down.

“She said we are not going to put up with it. These are fundamental constitutional rights. And this gentlemen’s rights have been violated and we’re just not going to put up with it. Essentially and she ordered his release,” the lawyer said.

Fisher put the offer on the table telling the government that he would dismiss the petition if Convento was released, the government agreed.

Attorney Rachel Taimanao-Ayuyu represents Janela Cruz and her two sons. They were also granted their immediate release from the quarantine facility.

“The particular concern in that case was the government essentially strong-armed Mrs. Cruz into quarantine,” Fisher said, adding that she hadn’t traveled off-island, instead, she went to the airport to pick up her two children.

“Public Health in conjunction with the Guam Police Department and perhaps the Airport Police told her that we’re going to take your kids and may try to get CPS involved in this unless you agree to accompany your children into quarantine. So, of course, she didn’t have a choice,” Fisher said.

Four cases were heard simultaneously. The Cruz case and Convento case were heard and granted. Meanwhile, the Lang and Martinez cases are will continue tomorrow.

The post Judge orders Public Health to release more people from quarantine appeared first on PNC News First.

Workers in quarantine hotels fear for their health and safety

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:25:11 +0000

A hotel worker who works in one of the hotels used by GovGuam to quarantine people is worried about worker health and safety.

The hotel worker, who requested anonymity, shares concerns about co-workers and their families as there are no requirements for them to get tested for COVID-19 and they are still expected to come to work as long as they feel well enough to do so. This has led to concern and fear of the unknown as they’re aware that people with the virus could also be asymptomatic.

“It’s about businesses, smaller businesses. They require their employees to get tested before coming back to work. But where I work, there are a lot of people that come back to work but they don’t require us to get tested or provide opportunities to get tested,” the hotel worker said.

“I don’t know if this is of relevance but we’re feeding the people that are in quarantine who either have the virus or are just trying to do their mandated 14 days quarantine. As much as we provide the safety of food and sanitation, you know sometimes it slips up and we can’t all keep an eye on each other,” the worker said.

According to DPHSS spokesperson Janela Carrera, “The hotel is contracted by GovGuam. For that, we would defer to the management of the hotel as far as their requirements for testing. For DPHSS staff, we do testing based on risk.”

As of this news broadcast, we have reached out to the hotel and we will give an update as soon as they give a statement.

The post Workers in quarantine hotels fear for their health and safety appeared first on PNC News First.

Legal fees growing in Church bankruptcy case

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:07:37 +0000

The Archdiocese of Agana is racking up a hefty bill in legal expenses associated with its bankruptcy case filed in the District Court of Guam and this has raised some concerns.

The price tag for attorney services is now at about $827,000. This is the latest billing in the Archdiocese of Agana’s bankruptcy case

Fee applications were submitted by Stinson LLP, the law office of Paul Richler, Blank Rome LLP, Paterson Buchanan Fobes and Leitch, John C. Terlaje, and Elssasser Anderson Chtd.

Court documents show invoices for services performed from April 1 through July 31st and a 10 percent reduction of fees. But the costs are still in the hundreds of thousands.

Ford Elssasser and John Terlaje are charging roughly $209,000; Edwin Caldie of Stinson LLP sent a bill for services at nearly $380,000. Paul Richler, the Special Insurance counsel to the official committee, was granted allowance for about $12,000.

These invoices have been monitored closely by the Committee of Unsecured Creditors which expressed a shared concern with the federal court over the accruing legal expenses.

Leo Tudela, the committee’s chairman, formed a subcommittee to address this concern.

The subcommittee is tasked with reviewing and providing a detailed and timely report on the monthly invoices submitted by the attorneys.

The subcommittee even invited a representative from the United States Trustee’s office to attend the most recent meeting. The meeting confirmed that approval of these fees does not prevent the committee from objecting to the fees at the conclusion of the case.

While the committee has reservations, they did ask the court to set forth conditions for the approval of the current fees to include all attorneys providing invoices to the subcommittee for August and September.

A hearing to review the fee applications is set for Tuesday, September 21st.\

The post Legal fees growing in Church bankruptcy case appeared first on PNC News First.

Challenges continue in building a local healthcare workforce

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:57:03 +0000

A legislative virtual hearing this week shed light on the challenges faced by the island in building and sustaining a healthcare workforce for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University School of Nursing, for one, is operating on a limited number of professors. They are also faced with program limitations that are brought on by the pandemic.

Margaret Hattori-Uchima, the dean of the UOG School of Nursing, said that staff limitation also hinders them from pursuing health-related grants that could have been used to grow the nursing program.

While these challenges are there, she says they are unable to fill the demand and to open more slots in the nursing program at the university.

She also said there is a need to train and educate not just nurses but other allied professionals as well such as certified nursing assistants and caregivers.

She says the usual focus is on the nursing gap. But with nursing assistants, there is also a huge gap in care, particularly in the home setting.

There is also the hands-on aspect of the recertification program for CNAs and caregivers which pose a challenge with the social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said most of the home, private and privately-hired healthcare staff are actually caregivers and Certified Nursing Assistants.

{SOT 1_Louella Folder/091820_Margaret Hattori with Patti} {Margaret HATTORI-UCHIMA, Dean of the School of Nursing, University of Guam} [24]

“Yes, the RN shortage is just terrible. But we also have shortages with nursing assistants and caregivers. and even with rehab professionals. Lillian (Posadas-Perez) talked about respiratory therapists….people in ventilators need not just a nurse but a respiratory therapist,” Hattori-Uchima said.

Dr. Thomas Krise, UOG President, also spoke during the virtual hearing. He suggested reinvesting the money appropriated for travel nurses to the training and education of the local health workforce on island.

The post Challenges continue in building a local healthcare workforce appeared first on PNC News First.

Topasna under fire due to GHURA pay raises

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:54:44 +0000

Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority director Ray Topasna was on the defense live on air over K57 Friday morning about the pay raises that have his agency in the hot seat.

Topasna and GHURA as a whole have been under fire after their board approved a 4% pay raise for the director and deputy director.

On the air with K57’s Patti Arroyo Friday morning, Topasna says the issue is being blown out of proportion, saying that while the timing is clearly bad, nothing suspicious was actually done.

Basically, he says this is an optics issue, with so many on Guam suffering from losing income in the economic shutdown.

But Topasna says the GovGuam rules and regulations for employees state that based on performance reviews, anything above a satisfactory, warrants a pay increment.

In fact, he says the Legislature restored incremental pay raises for most, if not all of GovGuam, at the beginning of the fiscal year, and that many other employees have received pay bumps during the pandemic shutdown.

Nonetheless, Topasna said he instructed his staff not to process these raises.

“The board did nothing wrong. And I don’t want to give the impression that we’re backpedaling because the board did nothing wrong. There was no intent to process, the board did nothing wrong – it was a matter of procedure. We needed to get something done before it became suspect that we did something in a subsequent fiscal year that should have been done prior to,” Topasna said.

Topasna says the raise represented his review from the audit covering January 2019 to January 2020.

There’s a public GHURA board meeting next Friday, where Topasna says more light will be shed on the situation.

The post Topasna under fire due to GHURA pay raises appeared first on PNC News First.

Single mom with end-stage renal disease looking for kidney donor

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:46:14 +0000

24-year-old, single mother of two Christine Toves is fighting for her life but the battle is with time. She has end-stage renal disease and her kidneys are failing. But make no mistake, faith is not lost and her search for a living kidney donor continues. She speaks with PNC in hopes that sharing her story will help her find a match.

Christine’s search for a kidney took her from the village of Chalan Pago to Austin, Texas where she has been for the last two years. Almost three years ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that has now progressed into end-stage renal disease. The disease causes a build-up of proteins in the kidneys that over time leads to kidney failure.

“Just recently, my sister came out to Texas to be a living donor for the last three months but with the COVID we had to postpone. Waiting was really just eating me away and my sister was denied and, uh, well, she has kids herself so I was kind of okay with it because what if her kids need a kidney in the long run. I was just thinking of my nieces and my nephews but um … I’ve had a couple of my cousins wanting to donate their kidneys. My mom and dad also wanted to donate their kidneys to me. They were saying, just take it. But they can’t. The transplant center is not willing to risk my life like that in the long run. Like they really want to try to find the best match for me,” Toves said.

Without a match, Christine must undergo dialysis and the treatments are taking a toll on her petite body.

“My overall health right now is better than it used to be. But I’m losing a lot of weight and, yeah, because there’s so much fluid and this puts pressure on my heart. So sometimes it’s hard to breathe and, yeah, there’s some fluid in my lungs that they still need to get out. It could cause more health problems if it sits there over time and they don’t get all of it out,” Toves said.

She added: “It just affects me so deeply because my kids are so young and all they want to do is play and being, you know … The way I am with my kids, that’s all I want to do basically … to give them the best childhood they can have right now and it’s really hard … I’m just enjoying my time being alive and being around them while I can because at one point I thought I wasn’t. So this really really changed my perspective of life … just to be grateful for every day that I get and just be around and be present.”

If you would like to see if you are a match for Christine or for more information visit her page at Christine Needs A Kidney on Facebook.

The post Single mom with end-stage renal disease looking for kidney donor appeared first on PNC News First.

Illegal trash continues in Mangilao; mayor looks for alternative solutions

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:34:28 +0000

Last week, PNC aired a story about the cleanup at an illegal dumpsite at the Marbo Cave area. Today, the Mangilao mayor again found trash on the site, prompting him to speak out about possible solutions.

Mangliao mayor Allan Ungacta says that with Keptco, the company that’s constructing a solar farm near Marbo Cave, their lights and other security measures could help stop the illegal dumping.

“The solution is if there’s a CCTV camera in the area, that’s going to help and it’s also going to be beneficial to the community. With them installing it and more lighting around the area, I’m hoping it’ll deter some of the illegal trash activities,” the mayor said.

The other solutions Mayor Ungacta suggests would be more enforcement and education of the harms of illegal dumping through media.

The post Illegal trash continues in Mangilao; mayor looks for alternative solutions appeared first on PNC News First.

Radio personality discovers the joy of farming

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:26:17 +0000

During the government shutdown and her newfound spare time, Kamahli Roduk found ways to keep herself busy and picked up a hobby by starting her own backyard farm.

A mother of 2, radio on-air personality, and a one-to-one school aide at Jose Rios Middle School, Kamahli Roduk, also known as The Shark’s Kamahli Mahli, was always interested in growing vegetables but did not have any mentors growing up or the time to start out on her own.

But when the COVID lockdown happened and the community was ordered to stay at home, her routine changed.

After 20 years, Kamahli found time to start a garden in her backyard in Dededo. She started off with a couple of eggplants. From there, her interest and collection of vegetables grew, and she also started growing radish, carrots, lettuce, red kale, green onions, green beans, bell peppers, calamansi, and donne sali, the Guam boonie pepper seed.

Kamahli found it cool to grow your own food. She never understood why we purchase vegetables from the store when we can grow our own food.

In an interview with PNC, Kamahli mentions the benefits of farming and the importance of staying sustainable.

“So I like spending time outside, and, um, I think spending my time outside farming just calms me … makes me realize a lot of things and I get time to think about things … process things. And at the same time you are going to cultivate things that are going to benefit you later and just spend a little bit of time … just a little bit of love, just a little of all the good things,” she said.

Aside from farming, Kamahli also goes fishing at Paseo with family every once in a while to catch sea urchins and octopus. She plans to continue farming even when the government shutdown is over.

The post Radio personality discovers the joy of farming appeared first on PNC News First.

29 test positive for COVID-19; 1 more GDOE employee tests positive

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:13:16 +0000

The Joint Information Center reported 29 new COVID-19 positive cases as of 6:35 pm, Friday, Sept. 18.

Of the 29 recently reported cases, five cases were identified through contact tracing.

To date, there have been a total of 2,074 officially reported cases of COVID-19 with 31 deaths, 593 cases in active isolation, and 1,450 not in active isolation. Of those cases, 1,810 are classified as civilians and 264 are military service members.

COVID-19 test results are reported from multiple labs at varying times of the day. The Joint Information Center will report cumulative COVID-19 test results once a day, unless unavailable.

For information on COVID-19 cases, visit the COVID-19 Dashboard and Situation Report at http://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19/. The COVID-19 Dashboard is updated on business days.

Cumulative Results

The following breakdown provides cumulative COVID-19 test results reported to the Joint Information Center on Friday, September 18 and reflects results from Thursday, September 17:

Laboratory	New Cases Reported on Friday, September 18	Samples Tested on Thursday, September 17	Total Negative Tests (March 12 – September 18)	Total Confirmed Cases (March 12 – September 18, 2020)
Department of Public Health & Social Services (DPHSS) Guam Public Health Laboratory (GPHL)	18	184	23,220	945
Department of Defense (DoD)	1	36	6,429	450
Diagnostic Laboratory Services (DLS)	5	68	6,367	328
Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA) Laboratory	1	35	4,540	177
Guam National Guard (GUNG) Laboratory	0	0	17	0
Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC) Laboratory	3	39	2,287	104
Private Clinics	1	38	719	68
Other Laboratories	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
AS OF 6:35 PM, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020	Total Confirmed: 29	Total Samples Tested: 400	Total Negative Tests: 43,579	Total COVID-19 Cases: 2,074

Profiles of Confirmed Cases

STATUS

MEDICAL STATUS

GENDER

RESIDENTIAL LOCATION

TRAVEL HISTORY3

AGE GROUP

Civilian: 1,810

Military: 264

Stable: 552

Hospitalized1:

GMH: 40

ICU: 19

GRMC: 1

ICU: 0

Naval Hospital: 0

Released2: 1,450

Deaths: 31

Female: 924

Male: 1,150

North: 1,064

Central: 582

South: 323

Homeless: 04

Non-resident: 52

Dubai: 02

Japan: 01

Philippines: 20

Singapore: 01

U.S.: 104

Mexico: 01

Identified in Quarantine4: 101

90+: 05

80-89: 23

70-79: 62

60-69: 169

50-59: 298

40-49: 324

30-39: 430

20-29: 498

10-19: 172

0-9: 93

1Hospitalization rate is based on intake numbers reported to the JIC. This number may be subject to change.

2Some cases that were previously released from isolation have tested positive through follow-up testing

3Some cases traveled to more than one country

4Includes home/self-quarantine and quarantine in a Government of Guam facility

One Additional GDOE Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

On Friday, September 18, 2020, the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) confirmed that one additional employee from the GDOE Tiyan offices tested positive for COVID-19. This case was identified through contact tracing efforts.

The employee has not been in the office for several weeks. However, any identified areas of concern will be cleaned and disinfected as needed. GDOE employees will not have access to these areas until cleaning has been completed.

-###-

The post 29 test positive for COVID-19; 1 more GDOE employee tests positive appeared first on PNC News First.

Court orders DPHSS to release another passenger from government quarantine

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 08:04:00 +0000

Nightly rosaries prayed for late Monsignor Quitugua; parish to offer parking lot rosary

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:32:00 +0000

Rosaries are being prayed in remembrance of the late Monsignor David I.A. Quitugua who died on Sept. 15 at the age of 84, according to the Archdiocese of Agana.

Judge orders immediate release of mother, sons from quarantine

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:02:00 +0000

Superior Court of Guam Judge Elyze Iriarte late Friday granted Dededo resident Janella Cruz and her two sons request to be released from the government quarantine facility. This after her attorney Rachel Taimanao-Ayuyu asked the judge for a directed verdict…

Challenges continue in building a local healthcare workforce for Guam

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:33:03 +0000