Puerto Rico News Digest For July 20, 2016

MAN CONVICTED FOR CARJACKINGS AND MURDER

From US Attorney's Office:

Today, Carmelo Velázquez-Aponte a.k.a. “Boty,” was found guilty of four
carjackings, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence
(carjacking), and possession of a stolen firearm...According to the testimony
on June 18, 2011, the defendant stole the licensed firearm belonging to Rich-
ardson Mieses-Pimental and his vehicle, and then executed him. After that
event, Velázquez-Aponte committed other carjackings. During his attempt to
escape his arrest on June 20, 2011, he also stole a police officer’s gun and shot
a Police officer. The defendant also stole a police cruiser and engaged in two
other shootouts with police officers, until he was arrested. The defendant fired
the stolen weapons at the police officers..."

PREPA CUTS POWER AT HOUSING PROJECTS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"In keeping with the eff ort to collect unpaid bills, the Public Housing
Administration (AVP by its Spanish acronym) announced Monday that
during the past week electrical service has been suspended to clients in
public housing projects in the regions of Mayagüez, Arecibo, Caguas
and Ponce. The AVP also announced that more than 30,000 public hou-
sing residents are late in paying their electricity bills. The heavily indeb-
ted Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) said nearly 170 cus-
tomers were affected by Monday’s action..."

UPR PROFESSOR SKEPTICAL OF NALED SPRAYING

From Caribbean Business:


"The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has exaggerated the risk levels
associated with the Zika virus to justify the aerial spraying of the insecti-
cide Naled over Puerto Rico, a University of Puerto Rico (UPR) profes-
sor said Tuesday. Cruz María Nazario, a professor in the Department of
Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Puerto Rico Medical
Sciences campus, accused the CDC of a lack of scientific rigorousness,
following CDC statements that allegedly overstate the risk for pregnant
women with the Zika virus of having babies with microcephaly. “The le-
vel of risk that has been employed to put fear in communities is wrong,”
said the UPR professor during a press conference in which other academ-
ics and politicians discussed the dangers of Naled, a substance that has
been banned for several years in the European Union..."

PIERLUISI: TASK FORCE CHAIR TO BE NAMED

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner in Washington, Pedro Pierluisi, said
Tuesday that U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan could name the lawmaker who
will steer the work of the Puerto Rico Congressional Task Force this week.
With that person in place, the Task Force created by the Puerto Rico Oversi-
ght,  Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) will begin wor-
king in a more formal manner, he said. The eight Congressional lawmakers
who will sit on the Task Force — Pierluisi, Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ),
Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Sen. Marco Rubio
(R-FL), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sen. Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), and Sen.
Bill Nelson (D-FL) — were announced last week, and have been communi-
cating informally since, Pierluisi added..."