Puerto Rico

Supreme Court: Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Control Board Has ‘Sovereign Immunity’

On Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Puerto Rico’s unelected fiscal control board has “sovereign immunity” and does not have to answer journalists’ requests for government documents.

  • May 12, 2023
  • 10:50 AM

How Will Puerto Rico’s Private Energy System Deal With Climate Change?

With rising temperatures and the increasing threat of tropical storms due to climate change menacing Puerto Rico, many fear the islands’ access to electrical power will only worsen under privatization.

  • May 11, 2023
  • 3:11 PM

Puerto Rican Pastor Spews Hatred From the Pulpit (OPINION)

During a recent “sermon,” the head pastor of an evangelical church in Puerto Rico denounced people of color as racist, slammed the LGBT community, and complained that the Black actress starring in Disney’s remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ was ugly.

  • May 9, 2023
  • 3:04 PM

In Puerto Rico, ‘Historic Moment’ for Labor Movement

Like many firsts of May in the past, this year’s May Day will see workers and activists around the world take to the streets to demand greater labor rights and protections. In Puerto Rico, they will also be condemning displacement and environmental destruction.

  • Apr 28, 2023
  • 1:47 PM

‘Losing Puerto Rico’ Campaign Launched to Abolish Act 22 (OPINION)

The Losing Puerto Rico media project launched a multimedia campaign to focus attention on an obscure and one-of-a-kind tax loophole that allows rich Americans to move to Puerto Rico and avoid paying most of their taxes.

  • Apr 26, 2023
  • 3:24 PM

Letter to Congress Pushes for Puerto Rico’s Food Security, Sovereignty (OPINION)

The Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago has sent a letter to Congress requesting that at least half of the funds allocated for Puerto Rico’s Nutritional Assistance Program be directed to supporting the island’s farmers and promoting greater self-sufficiency.

  • Apr 25, 2023
  • 3:32 PM

Puerto Rico Governor’s Cousins, Campaign Managers Plead Guilty of Embezzlement

Two cousins of Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $4 million in federal funds meant for public housing. Brothers Walter Pierluisi Isern and Eduardo Pierluisi Isern pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges in federal court in San Juan Thursday morning.

  • Apr 14, 2023
  • 11:05 AM

Puerto Rico Mayor Under Investigation for Campaign Financing

A Puerto Rican mayor is under investigation for allegedly requesting donations from trusted employees to pay off campaign debt.

  • Apr 13, 2023
  • 1:27 PM

French Authorities, FBI Raid Art Museum in Old San Juan

French authorities, with the help of the FBI, raided the offices of the Michèle Vasarely Foundation in Old San Juan on Tuesday. The raid reportedly concerned the whereabouts of $40 million worth of art created by Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely.

  • Apr 12, 2023
  • 12:48 PM

Public Nuisances or Private Business?

Twenty-two mayors across Puerto Rico have delegated the process of declaring structures as public nuisances to a private firm, a practice that has led to many of the original property owners being deprived of fair compensation.

  • Apr 4, 2023
  • 1:50 PM

Private Development Projects Threaten Geography, Population of San Juan Bay Area

When looking at the proposals for the area that begins in Old San Juan and connects with Puerta de Tierra, Isla Grande, Miramar, Santurce and Condado, the creation of a corridor promoted by private companies for the rich and tourists is evident.

  • Mar 27, 2023
  • 3:16 PM

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

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