Puerto Rico News Digest For January 13, 2016

US SUPREME COURT TO MULL SOVEREIGNTY

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The U.S. Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday an important case on Puerto
Rico’s constitutional status, according to SCOTUSblog. “[The court] told law-
yers involved on Friday that they should come prepared  to talk about the Jus-
tices’ power to decide the case,” said the blog. “The Court’s jurisdiction had
been challenged in an amicus brief filed  in the case of Puerto Rico v. Sanchez
Valle.” Last month, Solicitor  General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. fi led the amicus
brief stating that  Puerto Rico could only exercise sovereignty if were a state
or an independent country..."

PR ENERGY ISSUES DISCUSSED IN US HOUSE

From Caribbean Business:

"Several energy-related issues affecting Puerto Rico, as well as challenges
ahead in tackling some of these, were discussed at the latest congressional
hearing on the commonwealth’s affairs, held Tuesday by the U.S. House
Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee. Issues regarding the troubled
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (Prepa) were extensively discussed,
along with the high energy bills island residents and businesses face... And
although subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn  (R., Co.) stressed at the
beginning of Tuesday’s hearing that the Chapter 9 federal bankruptcy topic
— and the Puerto Rico government’s push to secure from Congress access
to the statute — was not going to be subject of the hearing, some participants
took the opportunity to bring it to the discussion..."

SAN JUAN PRESIDENTIAL STATUES VANDALIZED

From Fox News Latino:

"As the sun rose Tuesday on the statues of U.S. presidents outside Puerto
Rico's capitol building, four of them were seen to be painted with aerosol,
an act of vandalism coinciding with a congressional hearing in Washington
that could be key to the island's ability to declare bankruptcy. The suspects,
of whom three have been arrested, sprayed red paint on the faces of Harry
Truman, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt,
police said in a statement. Those taken into custody were identified as Fran-
cisco Negron Aleman, Luis Ramon Bonano and Elvin Rodriguez Perales.
On the cement walkway of Paseo de los Presidentes linear park, inaugura-
ted in 2010, the vandals spray-painted the word "Asesinos" (Killers)..."

GAMESTOP CLOSING ALL PR STORES

From Attack Of The Fanboy:

"El Nuevo Dia reported that Gamestop is shutting down forever in Puerto
Rico. The report said: “The director of public relations for the company, Joy
Mooring, said that the operations of over 40 shops set on the island will con-
tinue as usual until its closure in March.” Sadly, this means over 400 emplo-
yees will lose their jobs later this year. The reason Gamestop is closing in
Puerto Rico is due to “present business challenges and increasing govern-
ment restrictions...”