Jean Peña Payano, legislative affairs adviser at La Fortaleza (Facebook via Jean Peña Payano) By THE STAR STAFF Jean Peña Payano, the legislative affairs adviser at La Fortaleza, announced Thursday that the much-anticipated Tax Reform bill is scheduled to be filed during the next legislative session. Peña emphasized that the reform process has involved extensive discussions with the majority New Progressive Party caucus and Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja Rodríguez, along wi

Hannia Rivera Díaz, executive director of the Independent Consumer Protection Office (X via Oficina Independiente de Protección al Consumidor) By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) will begin hearings next Wednesday, Nov. 12, aimed at setting new basic electricity rates as mandated by Law 57 of 2014, known as the Energy Transformation and Relief Act. The Independent Consumer Protection Office (OIPC by its initials in Spanish), part of the Public Service Regul

Food Bank President Mari Jo Laborde By THE STAR STAFF Thirty-seven days into the federal government shutdown, the number of employees seeking food assistance is on the rise, according to Food Bank President Mari Jo Laborde. “Well, what we’ve been doing is working with management, whether from the union or the specific agency, to prevent non-federal employees from coming to the distribution and to ensure that all federal employees can participate,” Laborde told reporters. “We’

Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve By THE STAR STAFF Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve announced Thursday her departure from the conservative political party Proyecto Dignidad (Dignity Project) and affirmed that she will continue her legislative duties as an independent senator. “After careful and thoughtful reflection, I announce that I have left Proyecto Dignidad. As of today, I will serve as an independent senator,” Rodríguez Veve stated during a press conference. “As a matter of princip

By THE STAR STAFF Police have identified a woman found dead inside a vehicle on PR-815, kilometer 5.4, in the Mulita sector of the Nuevo neighborhood in Naranjito, as 55-year-old Hilda González González, a resident of Bayamón. According to authorities, a call to the station alerted them to an abandoned vehicle at the location. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found González’s body inside a 2025 Hyundai Elantra. She had a plastic bag over her head. Police stated that the c

The transformer to be installed at the Sabana Llana Transmission Center in Carolina, which officials say will be the largest ever seen in Puerto Rico, will directly impact more than 200,000 electrical energy customers. By THE STAR STAFF LUMA Energy announced Thursday the arrival of the largest and most powerful transformer in the history of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, a key development in the island’s ongoing energy infrastructure modernization. The transformer will be ins

Through a package of measures, the Puerto Rican Independence Party delegation in the Legislature is promoting, among other aspects, a transformation of the current health system through the establishment of a “National Health Insurance” with universal coverage under a single-payer model focused on the health of patients and not on the profits of insurance companies. By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) Secretary General Juan Dalmau Ramírez, along with the p

At a summit in the island Legislature, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s Cyber Crimes Division said it has received more than 500 complaints this year related to gender-based violence committed through electronic means, a number that is on track to surpass the 701 cases reported in 2024. By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s Cyber Crimes Division has received more than 500 complaints this year related to gender-based violence committed through electronic means. Auth