GONZALO STRENGTHENS AS IT LEAVES PR
Hurricane Gonzalo is moving away from Puerto Rico this morning,
as it strengthens into a category 2 hurricane, and is expected to become
a major hurricane over the next several hours. As of 8:00 AM AST,
Gonzalo has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, and its center
was located about 200 miles northeast of San Juan, moving at 13
mph. Schools in the Humacao district are closed for at least today.
Some flooding and minor wind damage is likely to have happened,
but there are no reports of either as of yet. Governor Padilla admitted
that the island's government had not paid flood insurance premiums
to FEMA on behalf of indigent residents, but that he has ordered
that the payment be made.
UNKNOWN WHY EDUCATION WORKERS UNPAID
Education Department auditor Sonia Morales told El Nuevo Dia
that the reason why 1,400 Education Department employees did not
receive their paychecks via direct deposit during the latest pay period
is still unknown. "Right now, we're not focusing on the reasons that
kept the direct deposit payments from being made", said Morales,
adding that right now, they are more interested in making sure that
the employees in question get their checks. Union leader Emilio
Nieves said that "someone didn't do their job", and that an inves-
tigation needs to be conducted.
FIRE BREAKS OUT ON FLIGHT TO DOM. REP.
From Caribbean Business:
A fire broke out on a flight from Puerto Rico to the Dominican
Republic on Monday, leaving 13 people with minor injuries. The
Air Century charter flight from San Juan landed at the Punta Cana
airport shortly after 8:30 a.m.
GOP QUESTIONS MEDICARE OVERSIGHT IN PR
From Modern Healthcare:
Senior congressional Republicans have given CMS Administrator
Marilyn Tavenner until Nov. 24 to answer questions about whether
her agency is applying proper oversight of Medicaid spending in
Massachusetts and Puerto Rico.
In an Oct. 9 letter (PDF), House Energy and Commerce Committee
Chairman Fred Upton and Sen. Orrin Hatch outlined what they
considered to be troubling uses of federal Medicaid dollars in
the respective state and territory.
[...]
Also of concern to the GOP lawmakers is whether Puerto Rico's
current financial problems could lead to improper spending of
Medicaid funds. Recently the territory's bonds were downgraded
by Moody's and Fitch Ratings as a result of its debt and
pension obligations.
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