As the National Weather Service (NWS) in San Juan upgraded the alert level to an extreme heat warning for most urban and coastal areas of Puerto Rico through the afternoon on Wednesday, the island government’s Drought Committee held its weekly meeting to review current drought conditions in Puerto Rico and the impact of the strengthening El Niño phenomenon, as well as to take preventive measures to safeguard the water supply. Participants in the meeting included Puerto Rico A

Popular Democratic Party Secretary General Manuel Calderón Cerame By THE STAR STAFF Popular Democratic Party (PDP) officials intensified their criticism of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) on Wednesday, arguing that newly examined fundraising records show an outsized reliance on anonymous and cash donations and reinforce the need for stricter campaign‑finance rules. PIP President Juan Dalmau Ramírez said that unlike the PDP, the PIP does not engage in political inves

Community organizations presented formal testimony to the San Juan City Assembly opposing a proposed 90‑year concession for a multi-story parking garage on public coastal land at the Third Millennium Park, arguing that the project would permanently alter one of San Juan’s most important recreational and environmental assets. (www.discoverpuertorico.com) By THE STAR STAFF Community organizations Escambrón Unido and Sierra Club Puerto Rico urged the San Juan City Assembly on We

An aerial view of Flamenco Beach, at right, in Culebra. A new satellite data-based study ranks the beach as the world’s fourth best. (Wikipedia/Breezy Baldwin) By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico has earned a major global distinction: Beach.com has named Flamenco Beach in the offshore island municipality of Culebra as the fourth best beach in the world in a pioneering, satellite- and data-driven ranking. Rather than relying solely on editors’ subjective selections or travelers’ pre