Puerto Rico News Digest For July 17, 2017

WEEKEND BLOODBATH

12 DEAD BETWEEN FRIDAY AND SUNDAY ACROSS PUERTO RICO

Twelve people across Puerto Rico died in suspected homicides between Friday morning and Sunday morning, according to police. Three separate murders were registered in Río Piedras, Humacao and the Hato Rey area of San Juan on Friday. The Humacao victim has been identified as 27-year-old Luis O. Fontanez  López. On Saturday, one murder each took place in Toa Alta and in the Puerto Nuevo section of San Juan. In the Toa Alta case, three masked men in a white car gunned down Ángel Joel Vázquez Hernández age 34, killing him. The victim's 13-year-old daughter was also injured in the brazen attack. Later that day, a decomposing body was found in a field in Caguas, near Road 175.

On Sunday, two young men were executed just past midnight near the Liborio Ortiz housing project in Aibonito, while another man was shot to death less than two hours later at a basketball court in the Piñones sector of  the town of Loíza. The victim was identified as César Orlando González Correa, age 32. He had just left a niece's birthday party at the court; several individuals followed him out to the facility's parking lot and shot him with various firearms, including an assault rifle, over 70 times. Another murder took place at 3:28 that same morning in Ponce, where the bullet-riddled body of  Walter Sánchez de Jesús was found inside a car.

Daylight provided no respite from the parade of horrors, as a woman's body was found in a field close to 10:00 AM on the grounds of Maria Auxiliadora Church in Santurce's gritty Cantera neighborhood. The victim's body showed signs of head trauma, and a bloodied cinderblock was found nearby. Scarcely half an hour after this gruesome discovery, a bullet-riddled body was found inside a white Acura SUV in the Jardines de Country Club neighborhood of Carolina. The victim was identified as Eduardo Luis Mercedes Carrión, a 27-year-old man from San Juan. The murder tally for the year now totals 361, one more than at this time last year.

ECONOMIC CRISIS HITS MAYAGÜEZ ZOO

From Caribbean Business:

"The economic crisis afflicting Puerto Rico for the last decade has also taken a toll on the island’s only zoo, with critics saying it is sorely understaffed and struggling to care for its animals on a limited budget..."

EPA PROPOSES CLEANUP FOR UTUADO SUPERFUND SITE

From News Is My Business:

"The U.S. Environmental Protection is proposing a cleanup plan to address sources of chemical contamination at the Papelera Puertorriqueña Inc. Superfund site, a paper and plastic goods manufacturer in Utuado, the agency confirmed..."

BOARD APPROVES LIQUIDATION OF GDB

From Reuters:

"Puerto Rico's financial oversight board late on Friday approved a plan to wind down the island's Government Development Bank (GDB), bringing the defunct fiscal agent a step closer to settling more than $5 billion in debt..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For March 6, 2017

NINE PEOPLE MURDERED OVER WEEKEND

As reported by El Nuevo Dia, nine people were murdered across Puerto Rico this
past weekend, starting shortly after midnight on Friday in Maunabo, where Pedro
Alexis León Amaro, age 25, was killed by three individuals who attempted to steal
his car as he arrived at his home. Then, at 4:10 AM on Friday, police found the body
of  23-year old Javier E. Torres Torres in front of a building in the April Garden hou-
sing project of Las Piedras. The body had been riddled with bullets. Also on Friday,
shortly past noon, a 911 call alerted authorities to a burnt out vehicle on Road 155
in Vega Baja, which had two charred bodies in the trunk. The bodies have yet to be
identified.

Early on Saturday morning, a shootout in Isla Verde, Carolina, preceded the finding
of the bodies of two dead men, Rafael Albandoz Colón and José R. Sanjurjo Rivera.
Both were inside a 2008 Toyota Tundra. Several other people were injured in the
shootout. Early on Sunday morning, a citizen in the town of Florida reported to po-
lice a dead  body lying on the pavement of Road 140 in the Perol disctrict of town.
The unidentified victim was partially burnt and had his or her hands tied behind the
back. Later that morning, the body of an unidentified man who had apparently been
shot to death was found on Road PR-198 in Humacao. The victim may have been 20
to 25 years old. The weekend's carnage brings Puerto Rico's murder total for the year
so far to 119, one less than the 120 reported at this time in 2016.

GOVERNOR RAISES PUBLIC SECTOR MINIMUM WAGE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares signed an executive order Thursday to increase
the minimum wage in the public sector and in government construction contracts.
The mandate dictates that by July 1, the minimum wage of employees of central
government agencies will increase from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour. The order also es-
tablishes that any government contractor in the construction industry will have to
issue a certification that the minimum wage of its employees is equal with that of
employees of the Puerto Rico government. The minimum wage will also rise from
$7.25 to $8.25 in the government contractor sector..."

PR COMPANY BIDS TO BUILD TRUMP'S BORDER WALL

From Telesur:

"On Friday, Puerto Rico-based company, San Diego Project Management PCS, ap-
plied to build the wall in response to government calls for proposals. The company
– headquartered in Luquillo, east of San Juan, Puerto Rico – is competing with do-
zens of other construction and engineering firms to win the contract for the wall,
according to Puerto Rican media outlet Primera Hora. Patrick Balcazar, head and
founder of San Diego Project Management PCS, confirmed that his company did
indeed submit a proposal to compete for the contract for the wall, which has been
estimated to cost between  US$10 and $22 billion..."

PLANNING BOARD: PR GDP IS DOWN 1.1%

From News Is My Business:

"The Puerto Rico Planning Board revised the island’s macroeconomic data for the
end of fiscal 2016, reflecting a decrease in the Gross Domestic Product of 1.1 per-
cent. In addition, agency President María del C. Gordillo said the review of the GDP
at constant prices for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 fell 1.8 percent and 0.7 percent res-
pectively. “These data represent the behavior of the economy of Puerto Rico and give
 us a clear picture of where our economy is, which helps the government and private
sector in making its determinations,” she said..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For March 14, 2016

NINE MURDERS OVER THE WEEKEND

Nine people were murdered over this past weekend across Puerto Rico,
with four of the crimes occurring in the Ponce area. Carlos Joel Rodríguez,
age 21, was shot to death at around 12:34 on Sunday morning in Ponce. Ro-
dríguez lived in the Pedro J. Rosaly housing project. As it happened, two
men, Marcel Jonel Cosme Torres and Kendall Cordero Rentas, were both
shot to death at around 4:45 this morning at the nearby Happy Liquor Sto-
re, as reported by El Nuevo Dia. Cosme also lived at the Rosaly housing
project. Ponce's fourth murder for the weekend was that of José Antonio
Vargas, age 42, whose bullet-riddled body was found in the Vistamar sec-
tor of El Tuque.

In Corozal, 29 year old José Cruz Cruz was shot to death during a dispute
with an individual at a business late Sunday night. In Isabela, 24 year old
Jailián Varela Colón was shot and died in front of a Church's Chicken at the
Plaza Isabela mall on Sunday. At 3:40 AM on Saturday, Alex Manuel Báez
Rodríguez was shot to death in Puerto Nuevo, while an unidentified man
was executed at around 8:40 PM on Saturday at the Las Dalias housing pro-
ject in Río Piedras. Meanwhile, 42 year old  Miguel González Figueroa was
shot and killed as he rode a horse in the town of Florida. The weekend's first
killing was that of José Torre Ruiz, age 45, who was allegedly shot by his ne-
phew Kevin Mercado Torres on Friday night in a residence in Guánica. The
weekend's bloodshed brings the number of murders in Puerto Rico so far in
2016 to 125, 19 more than at this time last year.

TEACHER'S UNION WARNS ON PENSIONS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The Puerto Rico Teachers Federation on Thursday warned that the Teachers
Retirement System could be on the brink of collapse, leaving thousands of re-
tired educators in “misery while leaving active teachers in uncertainty.” “It has
been alleged that the [Teacher’s] Retirement System could collapse by 2017,”
Teachers Federation President Mercedes Martínez said...Among the situation
affecting the Teacher’s Retirement Systems, according to the union, are among
others: Law 160 of 2013, which was “the most recent effort to destroy the exis-
tence of the retirement system as we know it,” and the proposed Fiscal Control
Board, which will have “the clear intention of cutting the pensions of already
retired educators and denying retirement to active teachers, just as happened
in Detroit...”

ROSELLO PROPOSES GOV'T "CREDIT EXCHANGE"

From Caribbean Business:

"Following the news about hospitals having their electricity cut due to debts
to the Electric Power Authority, Dr. Ricardo Rosselló, gubernatorial candidate
for the New Progressive Party, has proposed a government credit exchange in
which, “if a supplier does not receive payment [by the government] within 60
days, it can use the debt as payment at another agency.” The candidate explai-
ned that “in the case of hospitals…the truth is these have not paid because the
central government has not paid them. Under my proposal, the services paid to
the hospital can be used to pay the power bill...”

PR STARTUPS TAKE PART IN SXSW

From News Is My Business:

"A delegation of five Puerto Rican startups are participating technological 

innovation event South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive in Austin, Texas 

this week, supported by Puerto Rico Trade and Export and the Small Business 

Administration. Trade and Export Executive Director Francisco Chévere the 

group will have the opportunity to present their business ideas to the audience

of this renowned event in the Innovation Latin America category on Tuesday. 

The five local companies participating  are: Campodata Inc, Celero Health So-

lutions, Digital Media Creations, Space Rhino Games and Tix.By..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For February 1, 2016

SEVEN MURDERS OVER THE WEEKEND

Several killings over the weekend have driven the murder total in Puerto
Rico for the month of January to a total of 50. In Fajardo,  37-year-old Elis
M. Iglesia Rivera was shot to death at a pub around 10 PM on Sunday night.
A second man was injured in that shooting. Earlier that day, an anonymous
tip alerted Police to the murder of 26-year-old Ángel Núñez Hernández, who
was found dead on road PR-852 in Trujillo Alto. The other five killings regis-
tered this past weekend occured in Canóvanas, Cidra, Gurabo and Río Piedras,
where two murders were reported.

POLICE ARREST THREE IN PROSECUTOR MURDER

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Puerto Rico police arrested three suspects and are looking for a fourth in the
murder of San Juan prosecutor Francelis Ortiz Pagán, officials announced Thurs-
day. The motive of the murder was an attempted carjacking, said Police Super-
intendent José Caldero. The authorities declined to identify the suspects in cus-
tody until charges were formally filed in court, Caldero said. The fourth suspect
has been identified as Rafael Aponte Peña. Ortiz Pagán was shot once in the face
and once in the back when she arrived at her Río Grande home in a white Mini
Cooper just after midnight on Tuesday, Jan. 19..."

PR RELEASES DEBT RESTRUCTURING PLAN

From Caribbean Business:

"As previously anticipated by Caribbean Business, the Puerto Rico government
has made public its debt-restructuring plan, a voluntary exchange proposal that
would reduce the commonwealth’s tax-supported debt from $49.2 billion to $26.5
billion and provide debt-service relief during the next few years, according to a
government statement released Monday morning. The commonwealth is now pro-
posing to creditors that they exchange their existing bonds for two new types of
security: a base bond, with a fixed interest rate and an amortization schedule; and
a “growth bond,” which is payable only if government revenues exceed certain
levels. The new securities would also provide enhanced credit protections, such
as a commonwealth guarantee and statutory liens and pledges with respect  to cer-
tain revenues..."

US HOUSE HOLDS PR HEARING TOMORROW

From News Is My Business:

"The U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs
Committee will hold an oversight hearing on Feb. 2 to provide commentary on
a possible solution to the Puerto Rican debt crisis, emphasizing on improved
management policies and long-term sustainability...Witnesses will testify at this
hearing about the serious immediate challenges facing Puerto Rico and explore
possible short-term and long-term solutions, according to the memo the commi-
ttee chaired by Republican Rep. Don Young..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For October 9, 2015

MURDERS IN SAN JUAN AND CAGUAS

As reported today by El Nuevo Dia, two murders have been  registered
this Friday morning, one each in San Juan and Caguas. In San Juan, a
man in his early 20s was shot to death in a business on Jose De Diego
Avenue in the Puerto Nuevo area at around 6:25 AM. Meanwhile, three
individuals reached  a bakery on Degetau Avenue in Caguas around 6:27
AM.  One man came in with a bullet wound, a woman was unhurt and
a dead man sat in their car. The injured man had gone into the bakery to
call for help. Police closed Degetau, Turabo Avenue and road PR-156 in
order to investigate the incident. No motives are yet known for either
killing.

WATER RESERVOIRS SEE MODEST INCREASE 

Recent rains brought to Puerto Rico by a tropical wave helped raise
water levels at most of the island's reservoirs. The Carraízo reservoir,
which serves part of the San Juan metro area, rose by nine centime-
ters, leaving the level at 38.47 meters this morning. However, the La
Plata reservoir, which also serves the San Juan area, did not see a le-
vel increase overnight. Users served by La Plata are still under a 24-
hour water rationing plan.

PR RESTRUCTURES EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

From Caribbean Business:

"More than 600 employees from the Puerto Rico Education Department
will be transferred to other divisions and agencies in a push to reorganize
the government. Public Affairs Secretary Jesús Manuel Ortiz said Thurs-
day that more than 400 workers will be placed in administrative positions
at public schools. The remainder will have administrative jobs at the police
department to free some 1,200 officers from desk duties and allow them to
return to the street..."

PIERLUISI FILES BILL FOR LOAN GUARANTEES

From News Is My Business:

"Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi introduced a bill Thursday that
would authorize the U.S. Treasury Department to guarantee repayment
of principal and interest on bonds to be issued in the future by the island’s
bond-issuing public entities, but only if the agency certifies that the co-
mmonwealth has “demonstrated meaningful improvement in managing
its public finances.” The “Puerto Rico Financial Improvement and Bond
Guarantee Act of 2015” would require any Puerto Rico bonds guaranteed
by Treasury to be used solely to meet urgent short-term financing needs
like Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes, to make capital expenditures t
that promote long-term economic growth (as opposed to operating expen-
ditures), or to refinance its existing bond debt at a lower interest rate..."

BOND DENIED TO ACCUSED HUSBAND-KILLER

From 680 News:

"A federal judge on Thursday denied bond to a Puerto Rican woman accu-
sed of offering a hit man $3 million to kill her wealthy Canadian husband.
Aurea Vazquez Rijos pleaded not guilty and was ordered to remain in jail
until her trial, which is scheduled to start Oct. 27. Vazquez arrived in Puer-
to Rico in late September after a court in Spain ordered her extradition. Att-
ending Thursday’s hearing was Vazquez’s mother, who was given custody
of her daughter’s baby, who was born in Spain..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For August 24, 2015

SIX MURDERS OVER THE WEEKEND

The murder total for 2015 went up to 357 this weekend, as six killings
were reported across the island, which is 88 murders less than at this
time last year. The first murder happened in Hato Rey's Manuel A. Pe-
rez housing project, where Edwin Giovanni Vázquez Feliciano, 26, was
shot to death in front of a store on Friday night. On Saturday, 34-year-
old business owner Nolis Mercedes de la Paula was chased and shot to
death on road  PR-988 in Luquillo by presumed robbers. Juan José Nú-
ñez Cotto, 35, was killed around 2:00 AM on Saturday behind a Gulf
gas station in Santurce. Nearly $600 in cash and a bag with white pow-
der residue where found in his car.

Another murder occured near the flea market in Salinas, where 68-year-
old Wilfredo García Feliciano was apparently shot, and six shell casings
were recovered at the scene. The weekend's fifth murder occured at 12:30
AM on Sunday, as Luis Rafael Cruz Mejías was killed by intruders in his
 house. The most recent murder was registered Sunday afternoon in the
Las Monjas neighborhood of San Juan, but the victim has not yet been
identified.

DANNY FIZZLES OUT, NOW A DEPRESSION

Tropical Storm Danny weakened into a tropical depression overnight, with
maximum sustained winds decreasing to 35 mph. The system ismoving to
the west at 12 mph, and as of 8:00 AM was located at 15.9N 61.5W, about
20 miles south of the island of Guadeloupe. Saba and St. Eustatius are still
under a Tropical Storm Warning, but all other tropical storm watches and
warnings have been discontinued. Danny is expected to pass over 60 miles
south of Ponce, Puerto Rico tomorrow morning, and may dump 2-4 inches
of rain over parts of the island. Danny will likely weaken even further by
then, and break up over the western Caribbean.

VARIOUS SECTORS DEMAND CABOTAGE REPEAL

From Caribbean Business:

Forty organizations representing various Puerto Rico sectors joined the
Junta de Voluntades group Saturday to ask the U.S. government to repeal
the cabotage laws. "We have formed an organization to continue to work
on this claim, which we will present to the federal government and the
entire world," said Mark Anthony Bimbela, president of the Bar Associa-
tion, where the meeting took place. Bimbela acknowledged that the group
comprises people who have different ideologies but who are in agreement
on the issue of cabotage laws. The petition by political, business, academic,
religious, civil and worker unions, as well as industry organizations, forma-
lly requests the federal government to repeal the application  of Section 27
of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly referred to as the Jones
Act, on Puerto Rico.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FALLS TO 11.9%

From Fox News Latino:

Puerto Rico's unemployment rate fell to 11.9 percent in July, down 0.70 

percent from the previous month, the Labor Department said. The unem-

ployment rate has fallen by 1.8 percent since July 2014, the department 

said in a statement. The island's labor force participation rate was at 39.5 

percent last month, down 0.20 percent from June and 0.10 percent relati-

ve to July 2014.

Puerto Rico News Digest For February 19, 2015

THREE DEAD IN COROZAL SHOOTINGS

According to El Nuevo Dia, three individuals died last night as

a result of two separate shootings in the central rural town of 

Corozal. The town's mayor, Sergio Torres Torres, states that he

believed the shootings were related to a "quarrel among groups",

but no clear motive has emerged yet. Juan Eddie Rosado Burgos, 

age 28, was shot in front of a business in the Maria del Carmen

neighborhood at 9:11 PM, while a 24 year old man was wounded in

the same incident. Two hours later, another shooting broke out

in front of another business in the Enrique Landrón housing 

project. Jonathan Avilés Adorno, age 25, and Nuvia Vázquez 

Estrada, age 30, died as a result of that shooting, while two

others were injured. Police are investigating.

PR-CUBA FLIGHTS TO BEGIN THIS SUMMER

From Caribbean Business:

Puerto Rico Secretary of State David Bernier said a company involved 

in tourism is preparing to offer some 12 non-stop charter flights from the 

island to Cuba this summer. Bernier said Turismo Tony Pérez will provide 

charter flights to those who fit into the 12 categories established by the 

U.S., which include trips dedicated to culture, education and religion among 

others.

TOURIST DIES WHILE SURFING IN PR

From The Seattle Times:

A 28-year-old tourist from Washington state died while surfing 

along Puerto Rico’s west coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.

Travis Forney lived in North Bend and had flown to Puerto Rico on 

Feb. 15, according to his Facebook page. He worked as a construction 

manager for Huber Architects in Seattle, the company’s president, 

Kevin Huber, told The Associated Press.

HOUSE SPEAKER DEFENDS TAX REFORM

From The San Juan Daily Star:

House Speaker Jaime Perelló hit the airwaves Tuesday to defend the 

proposed Tax Reform and the implementation of a 16 percent value-

added tax (IVA by its Spanish acronym) “because the new tax system 

will bring much needed fi nancial relief to island’s salaried middle 

class.” In a radio interview, Perelló said that citizens’ various 

concerns, specifi cally private schools not being exempt from paying 

the IVA, will be considered during public hearings. Another concern 

is having to pay the IVA for a medical appointment, a cost that is

usually paid by health insurance providers, sometimes in total, while 

other times patients pay a low deductible.

FEDS ANNOUNCE GREEN ENERGY FUNDING

From News Is My Business:

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday that rural 

agricultural producers and small business owners across the mainland 

and Puerto Rico can now apply for resources to purchase and install 

renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements.

These efforts help farmers, ranchers and other small business owners 

save money on their energy bills, reduce the country’s dependence on 

foreign oil, support the clean energy economy, and cut carbon 

pollution. The 2014 Farm Bill makes the resources possible.

Puerto Rico News Digest For January 26, 2015

FIVE MURDERS OVER THE WEEKEND

El Nuevo Dia reports that five murders were reported in Puerto Rico
between Friday night and Sunday morning, increasing the murder rate
so far in 2015 to 37, 10 less than at this time last year. Two of the
victims were killed in a double homicide in Santurce on Sunday
morning,  while another man was shot to death in Ponce on Saturday
night. A man was killed in Humacao and another man was shot to
death in Loiza on Friday night.

ATTORNEY SUES FOR RIGHT TO US VOTE 

From The San Juan Daily Star:

Attorney Gregorio Igartúa is pressing on with a constitutional
rights lawsuit that seeks to obtain for Puerto Ricans the right
to vote in Congressional elections as he opposed a U.S. Justice
Department motion to dismiss the case, contending that settled
law, international treaties and voting rights require the courts
to deal with his request. Igartúa, who in the past fi led lawsuits
seeking the presidential vote, wants the courts to follow the law
and appoint a three-judge panel to decide the controversy as sti-
pulated in the law, noting that the courts have the obligation to
deal with the request because it involves fundamental rights,
instead of allowing the matter to be decided by the political
process as the U.S. government wants.

ARECIBO OBSERVATORY TO STUDY ASTEROID

From Fox News Latino:

Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, home to one of the world's largest
radio telescopes, will try to obtain information on asteroid 2004 BL86
this week, the Caribbean Astronomical Society said. The asteroid is
expected to pass relatively close to the Earth on Monday.

Asteroid 2004 BL86, which has a diameter of nearly 700 meters (2,295
feet), will be about 1.2 million kilometers (745,647 miles) from the
Earth on Monday, with the best viewing time around noon (1620 GMT)
in Puerto Rico.

OLIVE GARDEN TO OPEN 3RD PR LOCATION

From News Is My Business:

Restaurants Operators Inc., owners of the Olive Garden franchise in
Puerto Rico, announced Wednesday the start of construction of its
third restaurant, representing a $3 million investment in the
northern town of Barceloneta.

The eatery will have more than 8,000 square-feet of space — enough
for 250 guests — and will generate more than 300 direct and indirect
jobs during its development, construction and operational phases.

PR SCORES WINS AT WORLD SERIES OF BOXING

From World Boxing News:

Although the pedigree of Puerto Rican boxing is highly distinguished,
few boxing insiders were tipping the Puerto Rico Hurricanes much
success  in their debut World Series of Boxing season, but the new
Franchise remain undefeated after an away win against Argentina
Condors.

Their 3-2 victory in Buenos Aires comes after another win of the same
scoreline against Rafako Hussars Poland, while Argentina Condors are
still yet to taste victory in Group B.

Flyweight (52 kg) Jeyvier Cintrón Ocasio is one of Puerto Rico's most
promising boxing talents, and he won his WSB debut on all three score-
cards against Argentina's Cristian Alan Choque Chambi. The Hurricanes
roared in match number two, where Lightweight (60 kg)  Jose Rosario
won an even wider points victory over Brian Ivan Nunez.