Puerto Rico News Digest For August 30, 2016

PERELLO RESIGNS AS HOUSE SPEAKER

From Caribbean Business:

"Jaime Perelló resigned from his position as Speaker of the Puerto Rico House
of Representatives Monday afternoon. He announced his resignation in the Ca-
pitol rotunda next to an original text of the Puerto Rico Constitution...Perelló
left his position after meeting with 16 lawmakers at the Capitol to discuss a tr-
ial underway in federal court of three former House employees under his dire-
ct supervision who were charged in a pay-for-play scheme to benefit the form-
er speaker’s fundraiser, Anaudi Hernández. During the trial Monday, Hernán-
dez said he raised more than $60,000 in cash for Perelló as part of a pyramid
scheme organized by attorney Irvin Faccio in which he was required to raise
$75,000 for the House leader..."

PUIG HEADS TO US OPEN AFTER GOLD MEDAL

From Bloomberg:

"Tennis player Monica Puig, who won the commonwealth’s first Olympic gold
medal in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month, competes Monday in her first match
this year at the U.S. Open in Queens, New York. Puig’s Olympic victory comes
amid dire Puerto Rico headlines of escalating debt, a broke pension system, a Zi-
ka outbreak, and a 10-year economic recession. Thousands of cheering fans gree-
ted her at the airport in San Juan when she arrived on Aug. 20, a week after her
win..."

BERNABE: AGRICULTURAL REFORM "URGENT"

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Working People’s Party (PPT by its Spanish acronym) Rafael Bernabe said
late last week that the destruction of the island’s agriculture has been one of the
greatest tragedies in Puerto Rico’s recent history. Speaking at a forum sponsored
by the Puerto Rico Agriculture Association during its annual assembly, Bernabe
laid out some of the PPT’s proposals for the agricultural sector. “It’s a scandal that
today we import 85 percent of our food and that with the ability to export much
more and having a much broader food industry, we don’t do the first, and we don’t
have the second,” he said, according to an Inter News Service report. He added that
the reconstruction of island agriculture, with an agro-ecological emphasis, “is an ur-
gent and crucial task...”

LIBERTY GOES SOLAR AT LUQUILLO HQ

From News Is My Business:

"Oak Leaf Solar X LLC, a Yarotek entity, has installed 2,444 solar panels at Li-
berty Puerto Rico’s facility in Luquillo, making the provider’s operations more
sustainable and “reaffirming the companies’ respective commitments to Puerto
Rico and the environment,” the company announced Monday. Liberty entered
into a long-term power purchase agreement to buy its solar power from Oak Le-
af Solar X, an independent power producer and developer focused on solar energy..."

Monica Puig Wins First Ever Gold Medal For PR

NPR

Bill Chappell

Puerto Rico now has its first Olympic gold medal, courtesy of tennis star
Monica Puig, who beat Germany's Angelique Kerber in the women's sin-
gles tournament at Rio's Summer Olympics Saturday.

"I"m speechless," a smiling Puig said after her historic win. "I wanted it
so bad."

"I never imagined in my wildest dreams that this would happen," Puig ad-
ded — and she said her experience in Rio de Janeiro has been like a dream.
She's looking forward, she said, to waking up tomorrow morning and seeing
her gold medal sitting on her bedside table...[CONTINUE READING]

Puerto Rico News Digest For March 16, 2015

ATHLETES INJURED DURING SHOOTOUT

Photo: Puerto Rico Police Dept.

From Yahoo News:

Two competitors in a Puerto Rico Ironman triathlon were injured by
gunfire exchanged between occupants  of two cars as they sped past
the bicycling part of the Sunday event in an  upscale area of the U.S.
island's capital. Puerto Rico police identified the  wounded compe-
titors as Wisconsin woman Liz Boivin, 26, and island  resident
Miguel Arroyo Ramos, 49.  Boivin was hit in the left calf while
three bullets struck Arroyo in the  left side while they raced on bi-
cycles through the San Juan district of  Miramar. The triathlon in-
volves biking, running and swimming.

OIL TAX HIKE WENT INTO EFFECT SUNDAY

The increase in the crude oil tax to $15.50 per barrel, colloquially 

known as "La Crudita", went into effect yesterday across Puerto Rico. 

Immediate rises in the price of gasoline were expected and have 

already been seen. But, as of Sunday afternoon, many gas stations 

across the island were still selling fuel at the "old price". However, 

across the board gas price hikes are inevitable and will likely start 

to be seen more consistently over the next few days.

GUAYANILLA MAYOR DENIES SEX ALLEGATIONS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

The suspended mayor of Guayanilla, Edgardo Arlequin Vélez,  on 

Thursday expressed hope he will be vindicated in the end  after the 

Special Independent Prosecutor (SIP) Panel suspended him last week 

from the mayoral seat for allegedly sexually harassing a municipal 

female employee. “All these  actions against me were based solely 

on statements by another party,” Arlequin Vélez said in a written 

statement. “I flatly deny the facts alleged against me. My family is 

accompanying me right now firmly and with serenity and  gratitude, 

and the people overwhelmingly have expressed solidarity with me. 

At the end of the process, I will prevail and continue to serve my 

people as usual.

TREASURY COLLECTIONS UP FOR FEBRUARY

From News Is My Business: 

The Puerto Rico Treasury Department collected $709.3 million in 

February for the General Fund, a figure that was up $39.4 million, 

or 5.9 percent when compared to the same month last year, and $6.5 

million, or 0.9 percent, below estimates. One of the main revenue 

drivers was $319 million collected in income taxes, which exceeded 

February 2014 collections by $35 million. All components of this 

category reflected increases when compared to February 2014.

WOMEN'S NAVY TENNIS TEAM TO PLAY IN PR

From Navy Sports:

The Navy women's tennis team (11-6) will open a three-match spring 

break trip in Puerto Rico on Monday against Augustana College (S.D.)

at 12:30 PM (ET). The Mids and the Vikings will meet in Palmas del 

Mar on the southeastern coast of  Puerto Rico. The Mids have won 

three straight matches and are coming off a 4-3 win over Delaware 

on Thursday. Navy has also recently defeated Towson, 5-2, and Marist, 

5-2.

For the latest headlines throughout the day, follow @ThePRMonitor
on Twitter.