Puerto Rico News Digest For July 29, 2016

TWO MURDERS REPORTED THIS MORNING

As reported by El Nuevo Día, two separate murders were registered in Puer-

to Rico this morning, with the first one occuring at around 12:52 AM at the 

Placita de Santurce in San Juan. After callers reported shots heard in the vic-

inity, Police found the body of 44-year old Mario Díaz Pérez, whose body was 

riddled with bullets. The second killing occured at around 8:11 AM this morn-

ing in the Barahona sector of Morovis, on Road PR-633. Police have yet to id-

entify the victim or release any other information. 

TROPICAL WAVE TO BRING WEEKEND RAIN

From Caribbean Business:

"The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami says a tropical wave, loca-

ted about 1200 miles east of the Lesser Antilles is moving westward at about 

25 mph. The associated shower activity is poorly organized, “and given the 

fast motion of the system any development should be slow to occur..." The 

chance of it forming into a tropical cyclone through the next 48 hours is low 

at 20 percent. Its formation chance through five days is still considered low 

but rises to 30 percent..."

PIP CANDIDATE DEFENDS PUBLIC EDUCATION

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) gubernatorial candidate María de
Lourdes Santiago said Wednesday that as part of her electoral proposal, pu-
blic education must become the great democratizing element  and the most
important investment of a society in which public schools are faced with a
systematic campaign of discrediting and abandonment. “The public Depart-
ment of Education has been the object of a systematic campaign of discredi-
ting to pave the way for privatization,” Santiago said in a press conference
at PIP headquarters in Hato Rey, in which she told of a shortage of materials
and books despite a $3.2 billion budget..."

TREASURY REPORTS 2% REVENUE INCREASE

From News Is My Business:

"The Puerto Rico Treasury Department collected some $9.1 billion in reve-

nue for the General Fund during Fiscal 2016, exceeding Fiscal 2015 numbers 

by $214.4 million or 2.4 percent, agency Secretary Juan Zaragoza-Gómez said. 

The increase was much greater considering that last year, there were revenues 

from legislative measures of nearly $468 million that were not recurrent for FY 

2015-16, he said. When comparing the revenue registered for the year to the re-

vised total estimate of $9.2 billion, the government achieved a 98.7 percent co-

llections rate..."