By THE STAR STAFF The extent of the drought in Puerto Rico decreased over the past week, dropping from 75.2% to 69.1% of the territory, according to the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, based on data valid as of Tuesday, Sept. 8. The report shows that extreme drought also receded and now affects 39.5% of Puerto Rico, down from the 41% recorded the previous week. Severe drought decreased from 21.3% to 18.3% of the territory. Moderate drought currently covers 11.3%

From June to August, more than 558,000 passengers used the ferry services in Puerto Rico, an increase of more than 13% compared to the same period last year. By THE STAR STAFF The Integrated Transportation Authority (ATI by its initials in Spanish), in conjunction with Puerto Rico Ferry, on Thursday announced record growth in the number of passengers who used the maritime transportation system from June to August of this year. During the three-month period, more than 558,000

By THE STAR STAFF LUMA Energy, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and private developer Energiza LLC submitted a joint verified status report to the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) this week confirming that physical construction of Energiza’s proposed 528‑megawatt (MW) generation facility has not yet begun and remains at zero percent completion. Tuesday’s filing was made within a five‑day extension granted to PREPA after the agency requested additional time to

A Treasury Department employee who pleaded guilty to participating in a bribery scheme admitted to using his privileged access to agency systems to submit false information in exchange for bribes, thereby erasing tax debts, evading taxes and misappropriating funds. By THE STAR STAFF A Treasury Department employee pleaded guilty to participating in a bribery scheme in which he received payments to eliminate taxes owed by individuals and businesses -- a case that caused an est

By THE STAR STAFF The State Elections Commission (SEC) held a drawing on Wednesday to determine ballot positions for the New Progressive Party (NPP) special election scheduled for Sept. 27 to select the new mayor of Cataño. “The State Elections Commission is committed to guaranteeing voters an orderly, secure, and reliable process, just as we have done in the two previous special elections held during this election cycle,” SEC Commissioner Jorge Rivera Rueda said in a written

Former Sen. Migdalia González Arroyo Calls for transfer to municipality By THE STAR STAFF Former Mayagüez district senator Migdalia González Arroyo urged the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) on Wednesday to publicly clarify the status of the former Mayagüez Zoo, which has remained closed and deteriorating for years. González Arroyo, who serves as vice president of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), said the agency has shown “no interest” in advancing

Jennifer Marie Torres Castro was slain on June 24. (Facebook via Jennifer Marie Torres Castro) By THE STAR STAFF Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres announced on Wednesday that a 67-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly causing the death of 36-year-old nurse Jennifer Marie Torres Castro -- who died on June 24 in Caguas -- through mechanical asphyxiation and severe bodily trauma. “From the very beginning, the Caguas Prosecutor’s Office and the

Dr. Pablo Menéndez Lázaro advised the island government during the 2015 drought. (imed.isid.org) By THE STAR STAFF A former member of Puerto Rico’s Drought Committee is warning that cloud‑seeding remains an unreliable and largely unproven tool for the island, even as the government has restarted operations over the Carraízo and La Plata reservoir basins to confront an intensifying water crisis. Dr. Pablo Menéndez Lázaro, who advised the government during the 2015 drought, sai

Melissa Rivera Roena, general manager of ManpowerGroup Puerto Rico, said the island now ranks 13th among 42 countries measured in the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, a drop of 12 positions from the previous quarter. By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico’s employers expect a net hiring outlook of 34% for the October-December quarter, a result that reflects both a significant year-over-year increase and a notable slowdown compared with the previous quarter, according to the la

Jobadiah “Jhoby” Sinclair Weeks, who appeared as a signatory for Enchanted Rock in documents tied to a cancelled temporary power generation project, is cooperating with a federal probe into the matter, sources said. (Facebook via Politics Puerto Rico 2.0) By THE STAR STAFF The federal probe into the now-cancelled Power Expectations temporary energy production contract is focusing on whether intermediaries, such as consultants, broke the law, according to sources, which did no