With her sails filled with offshore winds, the Spanish Navy training vessel, Juan Sebastián de Elcano and its crew, passed Humåtak Bay during its departure from Guam on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
A Class Lounge owner Fidel Ferrer cleans a glass shield set up at his bar in upper Tumon, Feb. 23, 2021.
The Camp Blaz construction site in Dededo, March 21, 2021.
Darlene Castro, Chief Brodie Memorial Elementary School principal, receives the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine at Guam Regional Medical City in Dededo, Jan. 23, 2021.
Shiela Venus, Department of Public Health and Social Services licensed practical nurse, administers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Judiciary of Guam employee, Dennis Soriano, at the Southern Region Community Health Center vaccination clinic in Inarajan, Jan. 22, 2021.
Residents gather for a peaceful protest against Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s recent COVID-19 mandates, in front of the Guam Congress Building and Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña, Aug. 27, 2021.
Red Lobster restaurant at the Tumon Sands Plaza. Triple J Enterprises, Inc. announced the restaurant’s permanent closure in July 2021.
The Guam Police Department conducts a death investigation following the discovery of a deceased 61-year-old man at Vales Apartments in Santa Rita, Jan. 19, 2021.
Sierra Mendiola, 17, speaks with a healthcare professional before receiving her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Sinajana Community Center, May 3, 2021.
Families attend a distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP cards at the Micronesia Mall’s Center Court, Dededo, Aug. 9, 2021.
Police tape blocks off the scene of a murder investigation at the Mai’Ana Airport Plaza in Tamuning, June 7, 2021.
A long line of vehicles forms for the Department of Public Health and Social Services community COVID-19 drive-thru testing at the old carnival grounds in Tiyan, Barrigada, Aug. 30, 2021.
Police tape blocks off the area of an ongoing investigation into the death of former Humåtak mayor, Daniel Sanchez, in Humåtak, April 4, 2021.
The University of Guam Calvo Field House COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Mangilao, Nov. 6, 2021.
Sierra Mendiola, 17, speaks with a healthcare professional before receiving her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Sinajana Community Center, May 3, 2021.
A long line of vehicles forms for the Department of Public Health and Social Services community COVID-19 drive-thru testing at the old carnival grounds in Tiyan, Barrigada, Aug. 30, 2021.
The University of Guam Calvo Field House COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Mangilao, Nov. 6, 2021.
Editor’s Note: We spent the entirety of 2021 in a public health emergency, a situation that dominated news coverage and touched the lives of every person on the island. From gatherings that were scaled down and canceled, to vaccine mandates affecting workplaces and classes that were suspended, to jobs that were eliminated and lives that were lost. Scientists developed vaccines and treatments, but as new virus variants emerged, each step forward was met with another blow from the pandemic. Here’s a look at the top stories of 2021.
Although Guam was in Pandemic Condition of Readiness 1 when 2021 opened, there was a sense of hope as the national rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began.
The COVID Area Risk Score, or CAR Score, was 0.5, and — although more deaths would later be reclassified and added to the list — there were 122 COVID-19-related fatalities.
Shiela Venus, Department of Public Health and Social Services licensed practical nurse, administers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Judiciary of Guam employee, Dennis Soriano, at the Southern Region Community Health Center vaccination clinic in Inarajan, Jan. 22, 2021.
On Jan. 1, 2021, the island’s Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee was focused on getting health care workers and those 75 years and older vaccinated. Within a few days, eligibility criteria was extended to those 60 and older.
In mid-January, the governor declared the island in Pandemic Condition Of Readiness 2, or PCOR 2, allowing most activities to resume under moderate restrictions. Indoor dining was allowed at 50% and amusement parks, theaters and game rooms were allowed to open.
On Feb. 22, Guam went into PCOR 3, with bars and taverns opening up to 50% capacity and the return of non-contact sports.
As more vaccines became available, Operation Liberate Guam gained steam. With the help of the Guam National Guard, the island set a goal to have 80% of eligible adults vaccinated by Liberation Day, July 21.
On June 4, with the CAR Score at 0.5 and three people hospitalized, the governor announced, “Our COVID-related deaths have ceased. It has been 31 days since our last moment of silence.”
She also announced that, like many other communities around the nation, Guam would offer incentives for those who got vaccinated. For six weeks, the government and local businesses contributed incentives for the Vax ‘N Win program, with vehicles, cash and other goods as prizes.
Although Guam missed the July 21 goal, by July 30, 80% of eligible adults were vaccinated, and more restrictions were lifted.
But the celebration of “herd immunity” was short-lived.
The novel coronavirus had gradually mutated over the months, causing new strains to emerge. In the summer of 2021, a new variant, delta, began sweeping through the world. By early August, it was on Guam.
Hospitals saw an unusual number of “dead on arrival cases” and breakthrough cases were regularly reported. People who had been fully vaccinated were getting sick, ending up in the hospital and, in some cases, dying from COVID-19.
On Aug. 7, the governor mandated that all executive branch employees get fully vaccinated by Sept. 24.
“The delta variant and its mutations remain a real and imminent threat to our island, and the COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be our greatest defense,” she said.
Residents gather for a peaceful protest against Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s recent COVID-19 mandates, in front of the Guam Congress Building and Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña, Aug. 27, 2021.
On Aug. 11, in a statement confirming that the delta variant was on the island, the governor encourages “businesses and those hosting events to require vaccinations. This sends a strong message to patrons and attendees that we want to stay safe.”
On Aug. 20, that encouragement took the form of a mandate. Declaring that the island was fighting a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the governor ordered that patrons at restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters, food courts and sporting events show proof of vaccination before entering.
Darlene Castro, Chief Brodie Memorial Elementary School principal, receives the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine at Guam Regional Medical City in Dededo, Jan. 23, 2021.
Not everyone supported the governor’s initiatives. Protesters spoke out against mandatory masks and vaccine requirements.
The Guam Freedom Coalition held marches, rallies and a community forum to “promote accountability and transparency of the government while supporting the rights of people to act, move and live freely on Guam.”
The shutdown of tourism, along with frequent business closures and capacity restrictions, had an obvious impact on the economy in 2021.
“Basically, what we’ve endured is really catastrophic,” Guam Visitors Bureau Vice President Gerry Perez said during a Guam Chamber of Commerce forum in December.
Red Lobster restaurant at the Tumon Sands Plaza. Triple J Enterprises, Inc. announced the restaurant’s permanent closure in July 2021.
Perez told the Chamber that about 85% of Guam attractions and activities that were sold in Japan have been shuttered since March 2020, with five closed permanently. Some companies lost 80% of their business in 2020 compared with 2019, and earned no income at all in 2021.
The tourism industry was helped somewhat by military exercises, which brought service members to hotels and restaurants, and a program aimed at tourists from Asia dubbed “Air V&V,” for vaccination and vacation.
With the emergence of omicron late in the year, Japan reinstated strict entry requirements, making international travel difficult for its citizens. In other countries, a new round of COVID infections made the economy uncertain.
The economic impact of COVID extended beyond tourism. International supply chains were snarled and consumers coped with record inflation in stores. Prices increased for gas, food and utilities.
With schools either closed or not operating on five-day schedules, businesses that were open had a hard time finding workers as parents stayed home to care for children who were either out of class or attending online classes.
The pandemic’s effect on the economy was helped by an infusion of federal aid, extending to government, businesses and individuals.
A Class Lounge owner Fidel Ferrer cleans a glass shield set up at his bar in upper Tumon, Feb. 23, 2021.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which provided more than $900 a week to those who were out of work because of COVID-19, continued through early September. In an Oct. 25 news release, the Department of Revenue and Taxation announced it had processed more than $500 million in direct aid since the beginning of the pandemic through three rounds of Economic Impact Payments, Ayuda I Mangafa Help for Families, the All-RISE Program and the Advance Child Tax Credit Program for Guam residents.
Help also came in the form of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cards for students who missed free meals because schools were closed.
Schools closed when the pandemic first emerged in March 2020, and the education system has been disrupted ever since. The Guam Department of Education was ready to bring 90% of students back to school campuses in 2021, but after the surge in cases in August, campuses were closed and classes moved online for a few weeks. In late November, students returned to five-day-a-week classes. In September, Deputy Superintendent Joe Sanchez said student failure doubled since the start of the pandemic.
Families attend a distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP cards at the Micronesia Mall’s Center Court, Dededo, Aug. 9, 2021.
While COVID dominated the headlines, there were a number of other stories that were impactful and engaging on the island during 2021.
The Guam Police Department conducts a death investigation following the discovery of a deceased 61-year-old man at Vales Apartments in Santa Rita, Jan. 19, 2021.
There were a number of violent crimes that shocked Guam, beginning with a beheading in an apartment complex on the border of Hågat and Sånta Rita-Sumai on Jan. 28.
When Andrew Ray Castro’s wife left for work that morning, he was sitting in his wheelchair visiting with Donovan Allen Chargualaf Ornellas. At 2 p.m., Castro’s body was found in the wheelchair with his head removed.
According to charging documents, Ornellas told police he had used crystal methamphetamine at the apartment and felt compelled to kill Castro, removing his head with a knife and discarding it in a burned car in the jungle in Dededo.
Ornellas was charged with murder as a first-degree felony and aggravated assault as a second-degree felony.
Police tape blocks off the area of an ongoing investigation into the death of former Humåtak mayor, Daniel Sanchez, in Humåtak, April 4, 2021.
On April 3, Guam Police Department officers discovered the body of former Humåtak Mayor Daniel Sanchez at the home of 59-year-old Rudy Fergurgur Quinata in Humåtak. Quinata, along with 32-year-old Joyner Scott Sked, were later arrested in connection with the killing. Court documents stated Sanchez’s body had blunt-force trauma to the head and stab wounds to the front of his torso.
The two were charged with murder as a first-degree felony and aggravated assault as a second-degree felony. Sked also is being charged with the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. They were indicted by a grand jury April 15.
Days after the murder, the house where Sanchez’s body was found burned.
On April 15, Guam Police Department officers made an arrest in connection with the death of a man found along Swamp Road in Dededo. Matthew San Agustin Manibusan, 36, was arrested in the death of Joshua James Meno, 25.
In July, Manibusan was indicted on charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card.
On June 6, police were called to the Mai’Ana Airport Plaza, where they found Virginia Rose Peredo Laguana, 39, covered in blood, and a younger woman who was also stabbed.
Police tape blocks off the scene of a murder investigation at the Mai’Ana Airport Plaza in Tamuning, June 7, 2021.
John Richard Bass III, 27, told investigators he was in a relationship with Laguana, whom he was accused of stabbing to death, according to a magistrate’s complaint filed with Superior Court.
Bass was charged with murder as a first-degree felony and two counts of aggravated assault.
On Aug. 21, John Pinaula was found in Dededo lying on the ground with cuts and third-degree burns over a significant portion of his body. He was given a 5% chance of survival, and died on Oct. 27. Manuel Junior Cabrera Tedtaotao was arrested and charged in the case.
In November, a former gym trainer was charged in connection with the stabbing death of a radiologist who worked out at the gym. Akmal “AK” Khozhiev, 27, got into an argument over COVID-19 vaccines with radiologist Dr. Miran Ribati before allegedly choking and stabbing him with an animal bone. As Ribati tried to escape the attack, Khozhiev chased him and allegedly stabbed him later with a knife, charging documents state.
Two major cold cases were closed in 2021.
Nicholas Wayne Moore, 23, and Troy Ryan Damian, 32, were charged in the death of Michael Jose Castro, 28, who was reported missing eight months earlier.
Moore had relocated to Florida. He also was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution after the Superior Court of Guam issued an arrest warrant for murder, aggravated assault and the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. Deputy U.S. Marshals and U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force officers arrested Moore outside his apartment in Panama City Beach, Florida, May 27.
In October, three men — Donavan Carriaga, Curtis Blas and Brandon Flaherty — were arrested and charged in connection with the death of Adam Messier, who went missing in September 2017.
Charging documents accuse the men of beating Messier to death and disposing of the body.
The bodies of both Castro and Messier were discovered in Yigo after suspects were arrested.
Not all of the news from 2021 was sad.
After a year delay, Guam sent a team to the Olympics in Tokyo. Although safety precautions meant the celebration was very limited, with athletes leaving quickly after competition and the crowds of spectators absent, Team Guam was there.
Judoka Joshter Andrew and track-and-field athlete Regine Tugade-Watson served as flag-bearers and they were joined at the opening ceremonies by swimmers Jagger Stephens and Mineri Gomez. Wrestler Rckaela Aquino, Guam’s first female to qualify for the Olympics on merit, was there for the closing ceremony.
Construction of the Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz continued in 2021, and not without controversy, as land was cleared and more human remains were found on the property.
The Camp Blaz construction site in Dededo, March 21, 2021.
Public comment was opened as more structures were planned on the base, although some residents were concerned their voices weren’t being heard.
The construction at Camp Blaz contributed to federal spending on the island, which analysts said helped the island weather the economic damage caused by the pandemic.
In September, a $122 million contract for a multipurpose Marine Corps firing range on Northwest Field was awarded to Black Construction. The machine-gun range has been a contentious project as it has a large surface danger zone area and will restrict access to the northern part of the Ritidian wildlife refuge when in use.
In a move to restore village names to traditional CHamoru names, several southern villages were renamed in 2021.
In April, the village formerly known as Inarajan was officially changed to Inalåhan.
In August, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed a bill renaming other villages. Agat became Hågat; Umatac became Humåtak; Merizo became Malesso; Santa Rita became Sånta Rita-Sumai and Talofofo became Talo’fo’fo.
With her sails filled with offshore winds, the Spanish Navy training vessel, Juan Sebastián de Elcano and its crew, passed Humåtak Bay during its departure from Guam on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
The year 2021 marked the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s visit to Guam. To commemorate the event, the Spanish Navy tall ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano visited the island in late February as it completed the route of the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation.
“Participating in the commemoration of the circumnavigation and telling our story of the encounter with Magellan will ensure our people’s place in history as agents of our own political destiny,” the governor said at the time.
Although COVID-19 restrictions were in place and sailors from the ship couldn’t interact with the community, dignitaries participated in ceremonies, and the ship sailed past Humåtak Bay March 6 as it left for the Philippines.
After 50 years of corporate ownership, the Pacific Daily News returned to a local owner in April when former lieutenant governor, senator and local businessman Kaleo Moylan purchased the news organization.
“I am excited to begin a new era in local leadership of the island’s leading news and media organization,” Moylan said at the time. “My family and I grew up reading the PDN, as many in the community have. It is a privilege to be a part of the next evolution of that tradition.”
Moylan’s acquisition of the Pacific Daily News returned the media company to local ownership after 50 years of corporate stewardship by Gannett Co.
In November, Guam Healthcare Development Inc., owner of the 136-bed Guam Regional Medical City, announced plans to sell the hospital to the nonprofit Blue Continent Healthcare Guam Medical City.
The hospital announced it would add 50 more beds and will be better able to serve patients in the region.
In May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Guam could seek compensation from the Navy under the federal Superfund Act for cleanup costs related to the Ordot dump.
GovGuam sued the Navy in 2017, seeking fair and equitable compensation from the Navy as a “potentially responsible party” for the dump, which opened before World War II, while the island still was under a naval government. The military continued to use the dump for decades, even after it was turned over to the civilian government.
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