Puerto Rico News Digest for June 28, 2018

PUERTO RICAN SOCIALIST HEADED TO CONGRESS?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Tuesday night victory over congressman Joe Crowley in the Democratic Party primary election for New York's 14th House District puts the young victor of Puerto Rican descent within striking distance of becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Ocasio-Cortez, who was outspent by Crowley during the campaign by a ratio of 10 to 1, has espoused democratic socialist ideas and was able to garner strong grassroots support in the 14th district, which includes parts of The Bronx and Queens. As her congressional district is solidly Democratic, Ocasio-Cortez is the favorite to win the seat in November's general election.

MAN SHOT TO DEATH FOUND IN OROCOVIS

As reported by El Vocero, a murder was reported shortly before 10 PM last night on road PR-156, in the Las Marianas sector of the mountain town of Orocovis. A 911 call alerted police to the shooting, and upon arriving, they found the body of 35 year old Edwin López Rosario, who was a local resident. The victim had been shot several times in different parts of his body.

NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT WORKERS DROPS BY OVER 12K

From El Nuevo Dia:

"In one year, the number of public servants in Puerto Rico was reduced by 12,033 workers, according to the most recent Registry of Occupied Positions prepared by the Office of the Comptroller. This figure  represents a 6 percent decrease in the government's workforce..."

LAW 80 FIGHT CONTINUES BETWEEN GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE

From Caribbean Business:

"Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Thursday that dialogue over the repeal of Act 80 of 1976–on compensation for dismissals without just cause–remains open. “I want to reach a resolution that benefits the people of Puerto Rico. And I will use all the mechanisms that are available: Call for an extraordinary session,  dialogue or whatever to be able to find a solution that can comply with the agreement [with the island’s fiscal oversight board]. I hope all colleagues are willing to have that conversation,” the governor told the media..."

TRANSPORTATION DEPT TO OFFER SERVICES THROUGH APP

From News Is My Business:

"The Puerto Rico Department of Transportation has launched the CESCO Digital Mobile application to enable users to conduct transactions that until Monday could only be done in person at Driver Services Centers (CESCO,) the Treasury Department or via complicated websites. The tool was developed by students from the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló confirmed upon unveiling the new mobile technology..."

Five Indicted For Moving Coke And Money Between NY And PR

U.S. Attorney's Office

San Juan

Press Release

August 24, 2016

SAN JUAN, PR – This morning, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Force (OCEDTF) dismantled a drug trafficking organization responsi-
ble for the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and drug
money between Puerto Rico and the Continental United States, announced
United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The Drug Enforce-
ment Administration (DEA) is in charge of the investigation with the colla-
boration of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security In-
vestigations (ICE-HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

On August 23, 2016, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment
charging five individuals with participating in a conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute cocaine between the year 2009 through December 2013.
The defendants are: José G. Herrera-Olavarría, a.k.a. “Pito”; Richard Rodrí-
guez-Heredia; Luis Rodolfo Mejía, a.k.a. “Tripa”; Emilio J. González-Espi-
nal, a.k.a. “Buster”; and Cessy Martínez-Lantigua, wife of Herrera-Olavarría.

The investigation leading to today’s arrests uncovered that members of this
organization traveled on commercial flights that departed from the Luis Mu-
ñoz Marín International Airport (LMMIA) to the continental United States
with kilograms of cocaine concealed inside suitcases. According to the indic-
tment, the defendants and co-conspirators also mailed controlled substances
to the continental United States.

The indictment alleges that the defendants sold the controlled substances in
the continental United States and would have the profits from the sales sent
back to Puerto Rico.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney José A.
Contreras.

If found guilty, the defendants are facing terms of imprisonment from 10 years
to life. Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A def-
endant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case was investigated by agents from the Organized Crime Drug Enforce-
ment Task Force (OCDETF) that investigates South American-based drug tra-
fficking organizations responsible for the movement of multi-kilogram quanti-
ties of narcotics using the Caribbean as a transshipment point for further distri-
bution to the United States. The initiative is composed of DEA, HSI, FBI, US
Coast Guard, US Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and PRPD's
Joint Forces for Rapid Action.

The Airport Investigations and Tactical Team (AirTAT) operates in the District
of Puerto Rico as an OCDEFT strategic initiative that is part of the National Air-
port Initiative. It is a multi-agency, co-located task force that includes DEA, HSI,
FBI, USPIS, CBP - Office of Field Operations, and ATF. AirTAT also works clo-
sely with the Police of Puerto Rico. AirTAT’s mission is to identify, locate, disr-
upt, dismantle, and prosecute TCOs and their operatives using the Luis Muñoz
Marín International Airport (LMMIA), the Fernando Luis Rivas Dominicci Air-
port (FLRDA), and airport peripherals as platforms to smuggle narcotics, weap-
ons, human cargo, counterfeit documents, illicit proceeds, and other contraband
through these critical airport infrastructures.

We Follow-Up With 'Violet Descends' Author Angel Fuentes

Several months ago, we talked to Puerto Rico-born author Angel Fuentes about his
sci-fi/fantasy novel, Violet Descends. Never one to rest on his laurels, Mr. Fuentes
has been busy at work ever since on a variety of projects. We sat down again with
him this week to catch up on what it is that he has been slaving over since the suc-
ccesful release of his first novel...

What have you been up to since the publication 
of Violet Descends? 

I spent about eight months promoting the book
online and at conventions. I'm also trying to find
better venues to get the book in people's hands.
Still working on it.  On the creative side, in addi-
tion to writing the next book of the Seven Lights
saga,  I've returned to writing comics.


What can we expect as you continue to tell the 
story of the Seven Lights Saga?

The next book is called Transient of the Stars. It's
about angels and space and aliens (Whaaat?!) It
will be a shorter novel than Violet Descends. Ho-
pefully, it should come out by the end of this year
or early 2017.


You've been very involved in comic writing, editing and publishing through 
the years, mostly with your own RBA Studios, but have concentrated more 
on prose the last few years. Are you getting back into comics now?

Yessir! I love comics. It's a collaborative medium and obviously it's visuals make
the story more immediate. Right now, my artist friends Ivonne Falcon and Wilfre-
do Lopez and I are giving the final touches to a Black Angel one shot special co-
ming out on August 1st  It will contain two comic stories and one prose in addition
to a preview of something else we'll be promoting soon. All of this will be FREE
for download through my site www.panicopress.com and ireadbooks.com.


Where do you see the Seven Lights Saga going in the long  term?

I see the Seven Lights as a multimedia franchise that will make me and Ivonne
rich beyond our wildest dreams! Lol!

Actually, I want to explore this creationist based world Ivonne and I created in
terms of themes and genres and maybe ask some questions about the role of God
and religion in modern society. On my next book, for example, I mix up my ange-
lic mythology with the possible existence of aliens, and how religious belief can
be undone by the discovery of the unknown.  Genre speaking, this new book will
play more as an alien invasion story rather than the apocalyptic fantasy that was
Violet Descends.


Which character, or characters, are you intending to focus more on in your 
future work?

The prose book, Transient of the Stars, will focus more on Zadkiel, also known as
Blue. He is the angel of progress and invention, and a space nut. However, his an-
gelic beliefs are question when he discovers there's something out there other than
angels, demons and humans.

On the comic side, the Black Angel comic will focus on Azrael, the angel of death,
her origins, and a vision with a small taste of things to come.

You've been in New York for a few years 
now, but surely you've kept up with the 
troubling situation in Puerto Rico. What is 
your take on the current economic and social 
crisis on the island?

Polititians in congress may be hiding behind
the excuse that PR's Government has been ne-
gligent to avoid helping out, but PR is a part of
the United States and it is inevitable that anyth-
ing that disrupts Puerto Rico's economy will aff-
ect US economy too. The time to take action is
now.


If you could work with one author or artist, 
dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Oh, that's easy. Grant Morrison.  He's an author that goes way beyond convention
and takes imagination on a whole new level. To some people his work may seem a
bit too out there, but there is always a logic to his madness. The way he influences
my work is by showing me I can go anywhere with these concepts I've come up
with. I would love to see what he would do with my angels, specially Goldie.


Where can people learn more about your work and what to expect next?

Angels of the Seven Lights on Facebook @emoangelviolet on Twitter and
www.panicopress.com.

Puerto Rico News Digest For November 6, 2015

GOV. FILES BILL TO OVERHAUL PREPA

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla on Thursday submitted a bill
to the legislature that proposes a sweeping overhaul of the Puerto Rico Elec-
tric Power Authority, with the goal of “providing clean and reliable energy
at the lowest possible cost.” The 159-page PREPA Revitalization Act pro-
poses: Enhancements to governance processes so that PREPA..."

25,000 TO GET ENERGY BILL HELP

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi announced Wednesday that, for
the third consecutive fi scal year, Puerto Rico will receive over $15 million
from the federal government to help island families pay their electricity bills
as a result of a change in the funding formula that he secured for the comm-
onwealth and the other U.S. territories in late 2013..."

NYC POLS JOIN PR HEALTH CARE RALLY

From Caribbean Business:

"Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi announced Wednesday that, for the
third consecutive fi scal year, Puerto Rico will receive over $15 million from
the federal government to help island families pay their electricity bills as a re-
sult of a change in the funding formula that he secured for the commonwealth
and the other U.S. territories in late 2013..."

20 MIGRANTS CAUGHT ON PR'S WEST COAST

From Caribbean News Now:

"US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol, air interdiction ag-
ents and Puerto Rico Police officers have apprehended 20 undocumented mi-
grants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic during the process of disem-
barking near the coastal town of Aguada...”

Puerto Rico News Digest For October 12, 2015

TODAY IS COLUMBUS DAY

Today, October 12, is Columbus Day (Día de la Raza). Federal and co-
mmonwealth government offices are closed today. There is no school or
mail delivery, and most financial institutions are closed for the day. The
day commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in America. In some
places, it is seen as a day to celebrate the native peoples of the Americas.

US SENATORS URGE CHAPTER 9 ACCESS

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Twelve U.S. senators, including the top Democrat on the Senate Judici-
ary Committee (Patrick Leahy of Vermont) and the top Democrat on the
Judiciary panel subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the bankruptcy
code (Chris Coons of Delaware) on Thursday wrote Senate Judiciary Co-
mmittee Chairman Charles Grassley a letter seeking a hearing on S. 1774
/H.R. 870, companion bills that would give Puerto Rico access to Chapter
9 bankruptcy protections equal to that of the 50 states..."

POLICE INVESTIGATE TRIPLE KILLING IN BAR

From Caribbean Business:

"Puerto Rico police say three men have been killed and four other people
wounded in a San Juan bar shooting. Sgt. Omayra Arnaldi Vélez says ab-
out 20 people were inside the El Regreso bar in the Hato Rey district when
the shooting took place at about 2:24 a.m. Sunday. She says police have not
yet established a motive or identified the three dead, who were men between
the ages of 20 and 30..."

CUOMO SENDS MEDICAID EXPERT TO PR

From Syracuse.com:

"Gov. Andrew Cuomo is sending his top Medicaid official to Puerto Rico
today, the administration's second trip in two months to help improve the
commonwealth's healthcare system. Cuomo announced Sunday the group
would visit Puerto Rico from Oct. 12 to 14. People on the trip include Lt.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, Secretary of State Cesar Perales, Health..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For August 31, 2015

RESERVOIR LEVELS GO UP AGAIN

Rains produced by Tropical Storm Erika and a low pressure  system that
passed over the island yesterday have helped  boost water levels at the
Carraízo and La Plata reservoirs. La Plata, the reservoir most affected by
the drought, was  up seven centimeters this morning. Carraízo increased
by 4 centimeters, with a total gain over the last several days of 2.67 me-
ters. Due to the increase, the water rationing plan for users served by Ca-
rraízo has been changed to two days without service and one day with wa-
ter from the recent three-days-off/one-day-on plan. The rationing plan for
users served by La Plata remains unchanged.

ERIKA LEAVES $20M IN AGRICULTURE LOSSES

From Caribbean Business:

After estimating preliminary losses at about $6 million in damaged agricul-
tural crops after Tropical Storm Erika’s passage through the island, these
estimates have soared to as much as $20 million, according to Puerto Rico
Agriculture Secretary Myrna Comas. Among the most damaged crops, par-
ticularly due to Erika’s winds, are plantains and bananas, while losses have
also been reported in coffee and orange plantations. Affected municipalities
include Yabucoa, Maunabo, Salinas, Adjuntas, Lares, Maricao and other
towns in the island’s mountainous region. Erika also ruined hydroponic
greenhouses and other shade-house projects.

CUOMO TO LEAD PR ECONOMIC DELEGATION

From NY Daily News:

In the midst of the economic crisis in Puerto Rico, Gov. Cuomo is set to ann-
ounce he’ll soon be leading a delegation to the troubled island,  sources tell the
Daily News. The “solidarity” trip is expected to take place in early September
and involve a group of “financial experts” and elected leaders, including City
Council Speaker and Puerto Rico native Melissa Mark-Viverito, said one sour-
ce familiar with the developing plans. “New York is home to more Puerto Ri-
cans than any other state in the country, and the governor believes we have a
responsibility to support our  friends in times of need,” the source said.

PUERTO RICO DELAYS FISCAL PLAN

From Reuters: