Puerto Rico News Digest For May 16, 2016

BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGNS IN PR

From Caribbean Business:

"The Vermont senator is expected to present an economic recovery plan for 

the island on Monday and talk about the crisis’ impact on its education and 

health systems. He will hold a town hall meeting at the Fundación Luis Mu-

ñoz Marín in San Juan at 9 a.m., go to the Juan Ponce de León School in Gu-

aynabo at 3 p.m. and then speak at an event at the University of Puerto Rico’s 

Río Piedras Campus at 7 p.m. His visit comes a day before former U.S. Presi-

dent Bill Clinton arrives to campaign for wife Hillary Clinton. The island “fa-

ces enormous problems,” with poverty and unemployment rates that are “much 

too high,” Bloomberg quoted the senator as saying. “And meanwhile, the vultu-

re capitalists on Wall Street are trying to get a hundred percent back on their 

bonds at a time when so many of the children and the people of this island are 

suffering...”

TEACHERS' UNION REJECTS EVALUATION PLAN

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Members of the National Union of Educators and Education Workers (UNE-
TE by its Spanish acronym) on Thursday rejected the agreement the Teachers
Association had reportedly arrived at with the secretary of Education with res-
pect to using the results of the META-PR tests to evaluate teachers. “Recent
statements by the secretary of Education indicated that he would impose a per-
centage -- around 20 percent -- of the evaluation of the teacher based on the re-
sults of the tests, and has the approval of the Teachers Association,” said Virgi-
lio Vázquez, librarian and vice president of UNETE. “This is unacceptable be-
cause the Association must not arrive at an agreement with management that
will be used to fire teachers.”

IBERIA REESTABLISHES DIRECT CONNECTION

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico government officials welcomed Sunday the return of Spanish air-

line Iberia, which has resumed direct flights after a three-year absence. Iberia 

has scheduled three weekly direct flights between Madrid and San Juan through 

October, which will represent an economic boost for the island of $21.2 million, 

Tourism Co. Executive Director Ingrid Rivera-Rocafort said..."

BELTRAN 3RD PR PLAYER TO HIT 400 RUNS

From ESPN:

"Carlos Beltran belted career home run No. 400 on Sunday afternoon, which put 

the New York Yankees slugger in some rare company. The 39-year-old became 

the 54th player in major league history to reach that milestone and just the fourth 

switch-hitter. He joined fellow Yankee Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Chipper 

Jones...Beltran is only the third Puerto Rico-born player to hit 400, along with Car-

los Delgado and Juan Gonzalez..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For October 21, 2015

TOURIST DIES AFTER ZIP LINE FALL

From Yahoo! News:

"A 56-year-old cruise ship passenger from New Mexico has died after
falling from a zip line in Puerto Rico, police said Tuesday, prompting
calls for greater oversight of adventure tours in the U.S. territory. Poli-
ce said Marsha Boekeloo fell 20 feet (6 meters) from the line at the
Hacienda Campo Rico..."

COMMERCE SECRETARY CALLS CRITICS 'LOSERS'

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Alberto Bacó des-
cribed critics of Laws 20 and 22, which have helped lure wealthy Ame-
rican investors to Puerto Rico on the promise that they won’t pay taxes,
as “born losers.” “They are born that way. They are born losers..."

UNIONS PROTEST PREPA PRIVATIZATION

From Caribbean Business:

"Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's (Prepa) Alliance of Active &
Retired Employees and Irrigation & Electrical Workers Union (Utier
by its Spanish acronym) held a protest Tuesday along Condado's Dos
Hermanos Bridge to denounce government proposals to privatize..."

TOURISM INDUSTRY STILL HEALTHY

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico is $73 billion in the hole, a sustained drought recently
led to severe water shortages — at one point forcing some San Juan
residents to limit their showers to two a week — and potential rival
Cuba is about to open up the floodgates to U.S. visitors..."

PREPA CHIEF CONFIDENT ON BOND DEAL

From Bloomberg:

"Puerto Rico’s main electricity provider is confident it will reach a deal
with insurance companies that guarantee repayment on a portion of its
$8.3 billion of debt, the utility’s chief restructuring officer said..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For September 8, 2015

COP MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD

Police officer Miguel Pérez Ríos, age 32, was gunned down in cold blood
by four individuals early on Sunday morning near a Shell gas station on PR-
838 in Caimito. After repeatedly shooting him, the killers left the officer's
body sprawled on the pavement before fleeing the scene. The deceased lea-
ves  behind three children, plus another one that is expected to be born this
coming November. Pérez Ríos had reportedly received threats recently, li-
kely resulting from his activities as a police officer. An uncle told El Nuevo
Dia, "Because he threw so many people in jail, for drugs and things, people
had threatened to kill him". Pérez Ríos had been honored as "Officer of The
Year" on three separate occasions. Police are reportedly holding an individu-
al for questioning in relation to the murder.

UNIONS TO PROTEST IN FRONT OF CAPITOL

From Caribbean Business:

Multiple unions announced Monday they will march to the Puerto Ri-
co Capitol on Friday, at 3 p.m., against the government's fiscal adjust-
ment plan. Puerto Rican Workers Union (SPT by its Spanish initials)
President Roberto Pagán said a document leaked weeks ago belonging
to V2 Action, which provides consulting to the government's fiscal ad-
justment committee, proposes measures that affect workers, public ser-
vices and the University of Puerto Rico. The union president said "the
implementation of these measures will aggravate the economy, worsen
the quality of jobs, increase social inequality, degrade the environment
further and push more Puerto Ricans into exile."

LA FORTALEZA MUM ON RATE HIKE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

Public Aff airs Secretary Jesús Manuel Ortiz said the governor will
continue to give the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA)
free rein in its restructuring talks but did not say if it will support a
hike in power rates needed to bring the public corporation to sustai-
nability. “We have given them all the space they need without inter-
vening,” Ortiz said. “All we want is for them to negotiate a deal that
is good for the public corporation and the infrastructure.” Ortiz said
a proposed rate hike was not part of the negotiations. However, it is
part of PREPA’s recovery plan to put the utility on a sustainable path.

475,000 PR MINORS LIVE IN POVERTY

From Fox News Latino:

About 475,000 minors live in poverty in Puerto Rico, according to fi-
gures from the 2015 Kids Count Data Book and the Puerto Rico Youth
Development Institute, or IDJ. Seven of the 16 indicators measured by
the Kids Count Data Book worsened for Puerto Rico in comparison with
five years ago, IDJ executive director Xiomara Caro said. "In many of
these indicators, especially in those in the economic well-being category,
we're worse than Mississippi, which is the poorest state in the United Sta-
tes," said Caro regarding the study, which revealed that 83 percent of the
children in Puerto Rico live in zones of high poverty.

PR McDonald's Restaurants Join Union Petition

News Is My Business

Puerto Rican McDonald’s operators have joined a petition by the Service
Employees International Union submitted to the Federal Trade Commi-
ssion Monday to launch an investigation into the franchise sector and issue
recommendations for curbing ”abusive and predatory” practices by fran-
chisors in the $800 billion industry.

José Quijano, a former vice president at McDonald’s Corp. and current
McDonald’s franchisee from Puerto Rico, spoke on behalf of all Puerto Ri-
can McDonald’s operators about how McDonald’s franchisees on the island
collectively lost control of their businesses overnight in 2007 after the com-
pany unilaterally installed the South American investment firm Arcos Dora-
dos as the region’s new franchisor...[CONTINUE READING]