Bryan presses for energy, healthcare, and economic growth at federal IGIA session
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. (D) of the United States Virgin Islands joined federal officials and territorial leaders in Washington for the United States Department of the Interior’s Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) Mid-Year Plenary Session, where he urged...
Google Trends in the US territories: August 2025
Welcome back to our monthly series examining the top Google Trends in Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Trends data is an unbiased sample of Google search data. It’s anonymized (no one is...
Evertec’s domination of Puerto Rico’s economy, in context
Evertec, Inc., based in San Juan, is a tech and financial services company that is vital to Puerto Rico’s economy. Founded in 1998, it began under the conglomerate banking institution Banco Popular. In 2013, it became independent and was listed on the New York Stock...
Politician Profile: David Apatang
David Apatang (I) has been the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since July 2025. Before his term as governor, he led a long career both in the army and the public sector. This article is an overview of Apatang’s background, accomplishments, and impact. It also...
#TBT: September 25, 2025
Dutch privateer Boudewijn Hendricksz attacks San Juan on September 25, 1625, and resides in La Fortaleza. Unsuccessful in capturing El Morro, Hendrickzs collected all of the wealth from the civilian homes and burned San Juan and San Juan de la Cruz to the ground...
American Samoa receives $250,000 grant for audit help
On August 30, 2025, Delegate Amata Coleman Radewagen (R) of American Samoa stated that the territory will receive $250,000 from the US Office of Insular Affairs. The money will help the Treasury Department examine how public money is used. Radewagen thanked former...
Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found – archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt
By Justin Dunnavant, University of California, Los Angeles “For a long time now, a large number of [escaped slaves] have established themselves on lofty Maroon Hill in the mountains toward the west end of the island [of St. Croix]. … They are there protected by the...
Delegates reintroduce SSI Equality Act to expand benefits to all islands
On July 29, 2025, the Congressional representatives of Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa reintroduced the bipartisan Supplemental Security Income Equality Act to Congress. The act’s purpose is to expand the benefits of...
Public Integrity Task Force targets Northern Mariana Islands officials in corruption probe
Three Northern Mariana Islands officials were charged with corruption and misuse of public funds on August 21, 2025. Lieutenant Governor Dennis Mendiola and Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Response official Justin Paul Mizutani face misconduct and theft...
#TBT: September 18, 2025
From September to October 1895, Andrew Jenson toured the Samoan islands, including American Samoa, as part of his extensive 1895-1897 world tour to gather historical data for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wrote of the natives being "kind and...
