William-Jose Velez Gonzalez

Pasquines covers the news of the United States territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, ancestral homelands of the Taíno, Chamorro, and Samoan peoples. We are produced by a team all over the world but are headquartered in Washington, DC, on the ancestral lands of the Anacostans (Nacotchtank) and the neighboring Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples.

William-José Vélez González is a native from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and a graduate from Florida International University in biomedical engineering, engineering management, and international relations. A designer with a strong interest in science, policy, and innovation, he previously served as the national executive vice president of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association.

Super Typhoon Bavi made landfall over the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam on July 6, 2026, delivering a direct strike to the small island of Rota with sustained winds around 180 miles per hour—the strongest storm to ever hit the island—and leaving tens of thousands without power, water, or fuel across the region. No fatalities or injuries were reported anywhere in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands after the Category 5 storm’s passage. The timing is significant.