PUERTO RICO ZIKA CASES SEE BIG JUMP
From The San Juan Daily Star:
"Health Secretary Ana Ríus announced Friday that for the epidemiological week
number 30 some 1,914 new cases of Zika were confirmed in the island, for a total
of 10,690 accumulated cases since the virus first arrived in Puerto Rico. The new
data includes 134 pregnant women for a total of 1,035. In addition, two more peo-
ple have been hospitalized for a total of 90 and there are three new cases of Guilla-
in-Barré syndrome for a total of 30 confirmed cases in laboratories. “We have in
our hands the necessary tools to avoid being infected with the Zika virus,” Ríus
said in a written statement. “Even if we don’t feel sick, we need to protect our-
selves..."
MURDERS IN AGUAS BUENAS & LAS PIEDRAS
As reported by El Nuevo Dia, a man between 20 and 25 years of age was murde-
red on road PR-173 in Aguas Buenas. The killing was reported at around 2:50 AM
this morning, and police found the body 15 minutes later. The man, of approxima-
tely 140 pounds, with black hair and beard, has yet to be identified. A second mur-
der was reported at approximately 5:50 AM on road PR-916 in Las Piedras. A 911
call alerted police to a bleeding person in the area. Police found the body minutes
later.
DONAHUE GETS $6.7M CONTRACT EXTENSION
From Caribbean Business:
"On the heels of what was described as a rather drawn-out meeting punctuated
by several sticking points, the Puerto Rico Electric Authority’s (Prepa) board vo-
ted to extend the contract of AlixPartners, headed by Lisa Donahue, to the tune
of $6.713 million. The contract, which was due to expire Aug. 15, will be exten-
ded through Dec. 15. “The deal is broken down with half the money for restruc-
turing-related work and the other half for operational related improvements,” said
one source with knowledge of negotiations. The restructuring work involves ma-
naging and reporting cash, working out all of the structure for the Special Purch-
ase Vehicle (SPV) and Prepa rate cases, continued implementation of creditor
deals and potential negotiations..."
MEDICAL POT INDUSTRY GROWS IN PR
From News Is My Business:
"...Already, more than two-dozen companies have applied for operational licen-
ses and others are expected to follow suit. One potential job creation opportunity
on the horizon is a high-tech system for “safe and consistent” cannabis cultivat-
ion that a U.S. firm is developing with the idea of possibly carrying out the pro-
duct assembly on the island, according to César Cordero Krüger, CEO of Grow-
blox Sciences Puerto Rico, LLC, a subsidiary of Las Vegas-based Growblox Sci-
ences, Inc., which is spearheading the technology..."
