Puerto Rico News Digest For May 29, 2018

THE VIOLENCE CONTINUES: MAN SHOT TO DEATH IN CAROLINA

As reported by El Vocero, a man was found shot to death early Tuesday morning on 73rd Street in the Villa Carolina neighborhood of the municipality of Carolina. The victim -- who remains unidentified -- was described as being dark-skinned, about 5 feet, nine inches tall and weighing approximately 140 pounds. He was dressed in a black shirt, red and white pants and black athletic shoes. An anonymous 911 call alerted police to the sound of gunshots in the area shortly after midnight. Police are investigating.

ROSSELLO AND BOARD DEFEND LABOR CHANGES

From El Nuevo Dia:

"Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares rejected yesterday that the repeal of the Unjust Dismissal Act (Law 80-1976) would leave the island´s working class in a vulnerable position, especially women and senior employees, because there are other labor laws to protect them..."

PREPA BUDGET FACES FIVE YEARS OF SHORTFALLS

From Caribbean Business:

"The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said Friday that the approved fiscal-recovery plan for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (Prepa) faces billions in financial risks that will hinder the transformation of the grid..."

PUERTO RICO RETAIL SALES GROW 6.7% FOR JANUARY

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico’s retail sales for the month of January 2018 totaled $2.8 billion, representing a 6.7 percent growth when compared to the same period in 2017, when total sales were $2.6 billion..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For February 11, 2018

BREAKING:

POWER OUT ACROSS NORTHERN PR

FIRE AT MONACILLOS STATION LEAVES THOUSANDS IN THE DARK

Photo: John Mudd, via Twitter.

Many parts of northern Puerto Rico, including large swaths of the San Juan metro area, were plunged into darkness on Sunday night, seemingly due to a fire at the Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica's Monacillos substation in Río Piedras. The failure at Monacillos may have created a domino effect which knocked other substations out of service. Per AEE, the San Juan and Palo Seco power plants are currently offline. 

According to both El Nuevo Día and power utility customers on social media, sectors of the following municipalities have been affected: San Juan, Carolina, Trujillo Alto, Guaynabo, Caguas, Camuy, Hatillo, Manatí, Arecibo,  Río Grande, Barceloneta and Luquillo. At this time, the cause of the fire is unknown. AEE sources have stated that it could take as long as 16 hours for power to return to most of the affected areas. Follow our Twitter feed for the latest.

ROSSELLO AND GONZALEZ ANNOUNCE RECOVERY FUNDS

From Caribbean Business: 

"Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, along with Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González announced an allocation of $16 billion in federal funds for the island’s recovery after Hurricane Maria. This appropriation is part of budget legislation approved by Congress and signed Friday by President Donald Trump..."

MALL OF SAN JUAN TO MAKE $10M FOR 2018

From News Is My Business:

"Taubman Centers Inc., owners and operators of The Mall of San Juan, anticipated Friday that they will generate $10 million of net operating income (NOI) from that asset in 2018, some of which may come from sources other than sales activities..."

PR SENDS ATHLETE TO WINTER OLYMPICS

From Time: 

"Carrying Puerto Rico’s flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea, Flaherty beamed as the first representative for Puerto Rico at the Games since 1998, when it sent another alpine skier and two-man and four-man bobsled teams to Nagano, Japan."

Puerto Rico News Digest for December 21, 2017

WHITE HOUSE SAYS TAX BILL WON'T HURT PR

From Caribbean Business:

"Sweeping tax code changes aimed at keeping U.S. companies from shifting profits offshore to avoid taxes will not affect the battered economy of Puerto Rico, a senior White House official said on Wednesday. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló has said the provisions in a new tax bill passed by Congress could prompt drug and medical device manufacturers to leave the island territory, which is considered a foreign jurisdiction for tax purposes..."

GOVERNOR RETURNS TO CONGRESS FOR TALKS

From El Nuevo Dia:

"Governor Ricardo Rosselló will begin negotiations in Washington today in a second attempt seeking to insert Puerto Rico into the recently approved tax reform..."

FEMA: MORE THAN $870 MILLION GIVEN TO STORM SURVIVORS

From News Is My Business:

"More than $870 million in federal funds has been provided to Puerto Rico survivors of Hurricanes Irma and María, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said. This includes money paid out in FEMA grants, U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans and National  Flood Insurance Policy claims..."

STRANDED ANIMALS RESCUED FROM PUERTO RICO

From Patch.com

"It was a happy day in Westhampton Sunday as 130 animals landed safely after being rescued from Puerto Rico. The rescue mission was conducted by the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons. "This is our biggest rescue to date," ARF representatives said..."

Hurricane Maria Aftermath

TRASHED

PUERTO RICO STARTS TO DIG OUT FROM MARIA'S WRATH

After taking a direct hit from the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Puerto Rico in nearly nine decades, the island begins the long, arduous process of rebuilding. Category five storm Maria left behind catastrophic damage across Puerto Rico, especially in the southeast, center and center-north of the main island. Nearly all of Puerto Rico has been left without power, and countless structures have been left without roofs, while others have been totally destroyed. Flooding, especially near rivers, has been massive.

A federal emergency has been declared for Puerto Rico, but the recovery will take a long time. The extent of human casualties, if any, is still unclear.

Hurricane Maria Coverage

OH, GOD...NOW WHAT?!?

DANGEROUS HURRICANE MARIA THREATENS PR

Hurricane Maria is expected to go through Puerto Rico, entering from the southeast, on Wednesday morning, even as the island is still dealing with the aftermath of its brush with Hurricane Irma little over a week ago. The latest National Hurricane Center bulletin is available below. Please keep checking our Twitter feed (featured below, after the bulletin) for the latest hurricane news.

BULLETIN
Hurricane Maria Advisory Number  16
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL       AL152017
1100 PM AST Tue Sep 19 2017

...EYE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MARIA
NEARING ST. CROIX...
...CORE EXPECTED TO REACH SOUTHEASTERN PUERTO RICO WEDNESDAY
MORNING...


SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...17.3N 64.7W
ABOUT 30 MI...45 KM SSE OF ST. CROIX
ABOUT 120 MI...190 KM SE OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...175 MPH...280 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 300 DEGREES AT 10 MPH...17 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...909 MB...26.85 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
* U.S. Virgin Islands
* British Virgin Islands
* Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques
* Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata

From our Twitter feed: