Puerto Rico News Digest For September 14, 2016

PR BEAUTY QUEEN HAS LAWSUIT DISMISSED

From BBC:

"A Puerto Rican beauty queen has lost her bid to reclaim her tiara taken from
her for poor behaviour. A judge ruled that Kristhielee Caride had violated the
terms of her contract as the island's representative for Miss Universe. She had
refused to attend a designated hair salon, and failed to appear on a TV progra-
mme because she said the traffic was too bad. Ms Caride was seeking $3m (£
2.25m) in damages from the organisers. The week-long court case has gripped
Puerto Rico. TV stations interrupted regular programming to show proceedings
in court and her testimony..."

SJ MAYOR ASKS GDB TO RETURN FUNDS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto proposed to seek a reconsideration
from Judge Aileen Navas Auger on the retention of $17.1 million by the Go-
vernment Development Bank (GDB) from the municipality of San Juan, at the
same time reiterating Monday her determination to resist the federal Puerto Ri-
co Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). “We are
going to ask for a reconsideration and then appeal,” the mayor told Inter News
Service (INS) about the multimillion-dollar retention of funds destined for ser-
vices for the residents of the capital city..."

BHATIA: PROMESA WON'T MEAN AXING GOV'T WORKERS

From Caribbean Business:

"Senate President Eduardo Bhatia said Tuesday that the Puerto Rico Oversight,
Management and Economic Stability Act (Promesa) “does not establish anywh-
ere” that government employees hired after May 4 or those who obtained their
permanent status after that date, could be let go, as previously stated by New Pro-
gressive Party (NPP) president and gubernatorial candidate Ricardo Rosselló. A-
ccording to the senatorial leader, the act establishes in Section 204 that the Fiscal
Management and Oversight Board created by Promesa could evaluate actions ta-
ken through legislation “that is contrary to the government’s ordinary course,” but
explained that in the case of permanent status granted to teachers, nurses and other
public employees who provide essential services, such cases fall under “ordinary
course” and hence do not have to be subject to employee dismissals..."

ISABELA SUN FARM STARTS PRODUCING ENERGY

From News Is My Business:

"Oriana Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Sonnedix Group, in partnership with Yaro-
tek, announced Tuesday it has commenced energization of the $160 million Oria-
na Solar Farm, a 45MW AC (58 MW) solar power plant in Isabela. With an inves-
tment in excess of $160 million, the construction of this renewable energy facility
created more than 1,000 direct jobs during construction, mostly residents of Isabe-
la and nearby communities..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For June 22, 2016

MAN ARRESTED FOR MOLOTOV COCKTAILS

From US Attorney's Office:

"United States Magistrate Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll authorized a criminal
complaint charging Noel D. Cruz-Torres (“Cruz-Torres”) with malicious use
of explosives...According to the information contained in the criminal com-
plaint and affidavit, on June 18, 2016, at approximately 3:30 am, someone
called 911 to report an explosion near DuPont Pioneer. When police and fire
fighters arrived, they saw a vehicle burning nearby. A security guard reported
that an individual was throwing Molotov cocktails at the building. The offic-
ers walked around the building and saw Cruz-Torres wearing a black t-shirt
wrapped around his face and carrying a black backpack. While police purs-
ued Cruz-Torres, he threw various Molotov cocktails at the officers. He also
threw another lit Molotov at the fire truck..."

BHATIA: UN RESOLUTION TO HAVE LITTLE EFFECT

From Caribbean Business:

"Puerto Rico Senate President Eduardo Bhatia said the resolution passed by
the United Nations, which reaffirms the island’s right to self-determination
and independence will have little or no effect. “Sadly, it is very little what the
UN can do to change the internal politics of the U.S.,” Bhatia, a leader within
the Popular Democratic Party, told reporters during an interview in the San Ju-
an Capitol. After expressing his respect for the international body, he said the
UN “hasn’t been very effective,” adding, “We have to be realistic. That forum
has not managed to move the U.S. in any way in the past 30 years..."

700K+ PR YOUTH LIVE IN HIGH-POVERTY AREAS

From News Is My Business:

"Children and youth in Puerto Rico continue to live in families facing enorm-
ous economic challenges, with some 84 percent residing in areas of extreme
poverty and the parents of more than half lacking full-time, year-round emp-
loyment. These and 14 other indicators of child well being are revealed in the
2016 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which is
represented in Puerto Rico by the Youth Development Institute (YDI), a Kids
Count network partner. “Traditionally we talk about the percentage of our ch-
ildren and youth who are living below the poverty line. In Puerto Rico, that is
58 percent of our kids,” said Gloriann Sacha Antonetty, communications dir-
ector of the YDI..."

PATAKI COULD SERVE ON FINANCIAL BOARD

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The seven-member Financial Oversight and Management Board that will be
appointed by the U.S. president as part of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Manage-
ment, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), could include former New
York governor George Pataki, the Bond Buyer reported Monday. Pataki has a
residence on the island, according to the daily municipal finance news outlet..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For December 11, 2015

BHATIA CONDEMNS GOP FISCAL BILL

From Caribbean Business:

"If Congress does not approve Chapter 9 protections for Puerto Rico
before the end of the year, Bhatia said that the commonwealth will
have to default on Jan. 1 and deal with the legal consequences.“The
proposals set forth by Republicans are not acceptable to anyone at
the moment. I think we have to reject them or amend them,” Bhatia
said in a radio interview. “There is a lot of work to be done during
this week and the next to amend that [bill], and obtain acceptable
proposals for Puerto Rico,” he added. The Puerto Rico Assistance
Act provides short-term tax relief to workers and makes $3 billion
in funds available to the commonwealth, but stops short of granting
the commonwealth access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection..."

PR SHOPLIFTING LOSSES AT $490M

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico retailers and the government are losing some $490 million
in annual revenue as a result of shoplifting and organized crime, mem-
bers of the Puerto Rico Marketing, Industry and Food Distribution Cham-
ber said Wednesday. The problem also affects consumers, who pay higher
prices as businesses attempt to compensate for the costs. A portion of tho-
se losses are also attributed to uncollected sales and use tax revenue that
the Puerto Rico Treasury Department is failing to receive..."

PREPA RESTRUCTURING EXTENSION EXPECTED

From San Juan Daily Star:

"As the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) secured another
extension from bondholders to get insurance companies to sign onto an
agreement to restructure the agency’s $8.2 billion of debt and for comm-
onwealth lawmakers to approve the proposal, financial analyst Daniel
Hanson said Wednesday that he is not surprised by the news. The agree-
ment extends termination dates on an earlier accord between PREPA and
investors owning about 35 percent of the agency’s bonds to Dec. 17, the
utility said in a statement. The pact, which was set to expire Thursday,
was extended for a third time since being signed last month..."

FIRST SAME SEX ADOPTION APPROVED

From Latin Correspondent:

"A court in Puerto Rico has allowed adoption by same-sex couples for
the first time in the country’s history. Judge Ladi Buono De Jesús today
answered Ángeles Judith Acosta Rodríguez’s request to adopt her partner
Carmen Milagros Vélez Vega’s biological child Juliana. The minor will
remain in the national registry under both women’s surnames, according
to Vanguardia.  This was the second time that the couple attempted the
claim..."

COMERIO TWITTER TROLL ARRESTED

From Fox News Latino:

"A Puerto Rico man accused of creating 300 Twitter accounts to harass
people online has been arrested in the first case of its kind for the U.S.
territory, authorities said Tuesday. The island's Justice Department said
27-year-old Omar Falcon Torres is suspected of operating under the na-
me "MedeaBot" for two years. He faces charges that include stalking,
misappropriation of identity and intimidating witnesses in part by send-
ing people "violent sexual imagery" and using violent language, authori-
ties said..."