Throughout the Puerto Rico National Guard’s Puerto Rico Youth ChalleNGe Academy program, participants will combine academic activities and physical conditioning with training in leadership, teamwork, emotional management, conflict resolution and community service. By THE STAR STAFF More than 230 young people began the 22-week residential program of the Puerto Rico Youth ChalleNGe Academy -- part of the Puerto Rico National Guard -- this week, as members of Class 27-01 at the

Puerto Rico Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés acknowledged this week that it may take several years before air-conditioning systems can be uniformly installed in public school classrooms, citing major limitations in the electrical infrastructure of school campuses. Testifying before the House Education Committee on Wednesday, Ramos Parés agreed that public school students should have access to cooled

Israel Marrero Calderín, president of the Puerto Rican Workers Union By THE STAR STAFF Employees of GEMA Contractors Services, the company responsible for exterior cleaning and grounds maintenance at the San Juan Veterans Hospital, have voted overwhelmingly in favor of union representation by the Puerto Rican Workers Union (SPT by its initials in Spanish), Local 1996 SEIU. The vote, which was conducted over a two-week period, ended with 90% of ballots cast supporting union re

Xavier Divi and the team at V2A Consulting argued that Puerto Rico is already experiencing a period of economic stagnation. (v2aconsulting.com) By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico’s economic recovery is showing signs of fatigue, with economists warning that the island is entering 2027 facing an increasingly difficult mix of sluggish growth, rising costs and long-term demographic challenges despite continued strength in tourism and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The assessment emerge