By THE STAR STAFF The island Family Department announced a new phase of federal assistance that will provide up to $1,000 to households with overdue electric bills, an effort aimed at easing the financial strain on thousands of low‑income families. The initiative, funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and administered by the Administration for the Socioeconomic Development of the Family (ADSEF), will begin with the automatic distributio

Lolimar Escudero Rodríguez, public policy attorney for the ACLU of Puerto Rico By THE STAR STAFF The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico has reiterated its strong opposition to House Bill 25 (PC 25), warning that the proposed measure to redefine the island’s maritime-terrestrial zone disproportionately favors private development at the expense of the public interest and constitutional environmental protections. During a recent public hearing, the organization

The state of emergency declaration, formalized through Executive Order 2026‑27, aims to accelerate mitigation and protection efforts as erosion intensifies and encroaches on homes, public infrastructure and natural resources. (Israel Morales) By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón has declared a state of emergency in response to worsening coastal erosion threatening the Parcelas Suárez sector of Loíza and several communities along Puerto Rico’s northern shoreline. Th

By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico will become the first U.S. territory to participate in the National Voluntary Self‑Exclusion Program (NVSEP), a unified system that allows individuals to bar themselves from multiple gambling operators through a single registration. The information was provided by iGaming Business (IGB), an established source of information for the regulated global gaming industry, citing the island’s gaming regulator this week. The Puerto Rico Gaming Commission