Puerto Rico

Former Puerto Rican Mayor Found Guilty of Corruption

Ángel Pérez Otero, who was mayor of the northern city of Guaynabo, had been accused of accepting almost monthly payments of $5,000 for nearly two years in exchange for securing a more than $1 million road work contract for a local company.

  • Mar 23, 2023
  • 10:29 AM

The Tao of San Juan Uber Drivers (OPINION)

Moving back to Puerto Rico after 15 years of living on the West Coast can be difficult, but most locals are more than happy to help you fall in love with the island again.

  • Mar 22, 2023
  • 1:33 PM

Reforesting Mangrove Trees Could Prove Key to Storm Defense in Puerto Rico

During the last few decades, illegal construction projects have encroached on Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches, leading to the destruction of mangrove forests that protect the coastline from storms and rising sea levels.

  • Mar 20, 2023
  • 4:55 PM

Top Court Ruling Unleashes Permit Upheaval in Puerto Rico

A ruling by Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has thrown into limbo hundreds of thousands of business and construction permits issued by a U.S. territory already struggling to attract investors amid an economic crisis.

  • Mar 17, 2023
  • 10:28 AM

Privatized Power Grid Unlikely to Save Puerto Rico Customers From Disastrous Debt Restructuring Plan (OPINION)

It is time for the oversight board and the governor to give up the fantasy that the debt can be paid without harming Puerto Rico’s economy, pensioners, and electrical system recovery. Overly optimistic assumptions contributed to PREPA’s bankruptcy. More of the same will not solve its problems.

  • Mar 13, 2023
  • 6:07 PM

Puerto Rico Breaks World Record as Baseball Fans Go Blond

Puerto Rico on Friday broke the Guinness World record for the most hair dyed, with 192 men going blond to support the U.S. territory’s team vying to win the World Baseball Classic after finishing twice as runner-up.

  • Mar 13, 2023
  • 11:11 AM

‘Suavemente’: The Merengue War (A Latino USA Podcast)

Reporter Ezequiel Rodríguez Andino tells the story of merengue’s rise in Puerto Rico, the ripple effects of this “musical war,” and what it all tells us about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the people from its sister island, the Dominican Republic.

  • Mar 10, 2023
  • 12:54 PM

Officials to Transfer Animals, Drop Probe on Puerto Rico Zoo

Federal authorities said Wednesday they are dropping all investigations into Puerto Rico’s lone zoo where various species have died, saying the decision came after reaching an agreement with local officials to transfer the animals to sanctuaries on the U.S. mainland.

  • Mar 9, 2023
  • 10:49 AM

Jenniffer González Is More of the Same — and Probably Worse (OPINION)

González and Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, both of the ruling PNP, seemed united at a recent rally in San Juan, even as she schemes to replace him in 2024. If González is willing to stab her party’s president in the back to take his job, how far would she go to keep it?

  • Mar 8, 2023
  • 4:08 PM

Puerto Rico Senators Slam Governor After Court Rejects Labor Reform

Last week a federal judge nullified Puerto Rico’s Labor Reform Law approved only months ago, saying that Gov. Pedro Pierluisi did not provide evidence that the law would not impact the oversight board’s fiscal plan.

  • Mar 7, 2023
  • 12:21 PM

Puerto Rico Activists Tear Down Wall Built Illegally on Beach

On Saturday, hundreds of activists flooded Playa Almendros in Rincón, Puerto Rico to complete the demolition of a wall that was illegally built too close to the beach by a condo developer.

  • Mar 6, 2023
  • 1:00 PM

Puerto Rico Activists Sue to Stop Construction; Govt Agency Orders Land Restoration

On Wednesday, Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources ordered a developer that built illegally built on top of Cueva Las Golondrinas in Aguadilla must restore the area impacted by the construction.

  • Mar 2, 2023
  • 4:37 PM

On American Citizenship Day, Puerto Ricans Still Denied Federal Disability Benefits

In Puerto Rico, March 2 marks the anniversary of when, in 1917, the U.S. Congress granted U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the islands. But for some Puerto Ricans, American Citizenship Day is a grim reminder of their unequal citizenship rights.

  • Mar 2, 2023
  • 1:03 PM

69 Years After Puerto Ricans Attacked Congress, Colonialism Remains the Most Violent Conspiracy

Two years ago, U.S. citizens attacked the Capitol, committing a crime against their own government. Sixty-seven years before, Puerto Rican nationalists attacked the same building to denounce a crime —colonialism— committed by a government in which they had no meaningful rights or representation.

  • Mar 1, 2023
  • 2:18 PM

Months From Independence: What Would Albizu Do?

The third in a three-part series looking at the attempts made by Pedro Albizu Campos and other local leaders in Puerto Rico to hold a constitutional convention in 1936—the closest the archipelago has come to breaking free of U.S. colonial rule.

  • Feb 28, 2023
  • 5:30 PM

Puerto Rico to Close Lone Zoo After Years of Complaints

Puerto Rico’s government is closing the U.S. territory’s only zoo following years of suspected negligence, a lack of resources, and deaths of animals that were highlighted by activists.

  • Feb 28, 2023
  • 10:54 AM

Eco-Anxiety Motivates Puerto Rico Activists to Defend Environment

With miles of beaches and lush rainforest, Puerto Rico is often touted as a paradise for vacationers. But for the people who live there, rampant development and the worsening effects of climate change have bred a sense of ecological anxiety that drives many to fight for the environment.

  • Feb 27, 2023
  • 1:39 PM

Why Puerto Ricans for Statehood Remain Hostile Toward the Free Association Option (OPINION)

While experts and others do know that it is possible, desirable, and mutually beneficial to maintain U.S. citizenship in any sovereignty option, statehooders keep trying to misinform Puerto Ricans and policymakers in Washington.

  • Feb 23, 2023
  • 3:50 PM

Report: How Wall Street Relies on ‘Power Players’ for Vulture Fund Feeding Frenzy

A new report from progressive organizations reveals the web of lawyers, lobbyists, trade groups, and cultural institutions that vulture funds use to prey on debt-addled countries like Puerto Rico.

  • Feb 22, 2023
  • 4:00 PM

After Five Days, University of Puerto Rico Workers’ Strike Ends With Minimum Wage Raise

After a short five-day strike that closed access to most campuses, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Workers’ Union reached an agreement with the administration that should see workers’ salaries match the archipelago’s minimum wage of $8.50 per hour, rising to $9.50 on July 1.

  • Feb 21, 2023
  • 3:40 PM

Puerto Rico Judge Finds Golfer Guilty in Fatal Dog Shooting

A Puerto Rico judge on Thursday found a businessman guilty of animal abuse for fatally shooting a stray dog on a golf course nearly two years ago, noting the defendant did so not out of fear but because the animal was interrupting the game.

  • Feb 17, 2023
  • 10:46 AM

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