By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico’s government procurement process is facing renewed scrutiny after the federally appointed Financial Oversight and Management Board flagged systemic flaws that undermine transparency and market competition. The oversight board’s latest report to Congress cites outdated practices, weak controls, and a lack of professional training as key obstacles to fiscal responsibility. According to the report, many agencies still rely on paper-based procurement

The Financial Oversight and Management Board, in its recent report to Congress, cautions that without robust fiscal guardrails, Puerto Rico risks reverting to the chronic deficits that previously contributed to its financial crisis. By THE STAR STAFF Although the Financial Oversight and Management Board is winding down its supervision over Puerto Rico’s finances, officials have cautioned that, without robust fiscal guardrails, the island risks reverting to the chronic deficit

Fourth-year students at Josefa del Río Guerrero High School in Morovis engaged with writer Mayra Santos Febres in an exercise on “how to express feelings and transform them into creative writing,” as the author explained it. (Israel Morales) By THE STAR STAFF Writer Mayra Santos Febres appeared before fourth-year students at Josefa del Río Guerrero High School in Morovis this week to talk about the art of writing, and tell them about her most recent publication “La Otra Julia

A Parcelas Suárez community leader made an urgent appeal to the island government to take immediate and coordinated action after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved coastal erosion mitigation work in the Loíza neighborhood. (Israel Morales) By THE STAR STAFF The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has approved coastal erosion mitigation work on 10th Street in the Parcelas Suárez community, Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes announced Wednesday. “Initially, we will focus

By THE STAR STAFF The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an uncommon international security notice for the San Juan Flight Information Region (TJZS), which includes Puerto Rico and surrounding Caribbean areas. The advisory warns of a “potentially hazardous situation” in the region’s airspace. Designated as NOTAM KICZ A0010/25, the alert urges all civilian aircraft to exercise “extreme caution” due to a sharp rise in “state aircraft operations.” The notice t

Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres, right, said cases handled by the Specialized Unit for Elder Abuse cannot be dismissed due to lack of interest on the part of the victim and will require the presence of a prosecutor at all procedural stages. (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón) By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced Wednesday the creation of the Specialized Unit for Elder Abuse, a structure that will operate in all 13 prosecutor’s offices to addres

By THE STAR STAFF The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) delegation in the Senate recently held a press conference to address what it regards as several pressing issues as the second ordinary session came to a close. “Once again, the country has been left waiting for unfulfilled promises from Governor Jenniffer González Colón,” Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, the PDP minority leader in the upper chamber, said at the start of the conference. “We are witnessing how the leadership cris

By THE STAR STAFF Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez announced on Tuesday the start of the reconstruction process for a dock used by members of the Ranger Corps on the offshore island municipality of Culebra. With an investment of $926,359.44 in funds mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the new facility in the San Ildefonso area of ​​Culebra will be used for the rangers’ maritime operations, including preventive