Isabela Mayor Miguel “Ricky” Méndez Pérez, left, signed a memorandum of understanding with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to strengthen ties and share projects of bilateral interest in the tourism, security and recycling sectors. By THE STAR STAFF Isabela Mayor Miguel “Ricky” Méndez Pérez was in Chicago this past weekend as a guest of the Puerto Rican diaspora community there, where a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with Mayor Brandon Johnson in order to strengthe

San Germán Mayor Virgilio Olivera (LinkedIn) By THE STAR STAFF San Germán Mayor Virgilio Olivera Olivera was appointed on Saturday in Sucre, Bolivia to a vice presidency of the Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and Associations of Local Governments (FLACMA) for the period 2026-2029. Olivera has also been appointed co-president of the Latin American Network of Cultural Heritage Cities, also from 2026 to 2029. “We accept these distinctions with immense pride

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, left, and José María Muriel Palomino, the consul general of Spain in Puerto Rico By THE STAR STAFF Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez held a meeting late last week with José María Muriel Palomino, the consul general of Spain in Puerto Rico, with the purpose of promoting the island as an investment destination and the creation of new economic developm

BY THE STAR STAFF Spokespersons for Aerostar Puerto Rico said operations at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in Carolina were continuing on Sunday while they monitored the effects of a temporary suspension of operations (ground stop) implemented in the afternoon at Miami International Airport (MIA). The monitoring followed an incident in which an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane, which had departed from San Juan, veered off the runway upon landing in Miami. As a resu

By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) has ordered Genera PR to turn over extensive financial and operational information within 10 days, citing concerns over the ongoing restructuring of New Fortress Energy (NFE), the parent company and contractual guarantor responsible for backing Genera’s performance under the island’s generation operation and maintenance agreement (OMA). In a detailed resolution and order issued Sept. 4, the regulator said it must assess w

By THE STAR STAFF The island Family Department (DF), led by Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes, along with the Administration for Families and Children (ADFAN by its acronym in Spanish) and its administrator, Wilma I. Ortiz, confirmed on Thursday the extension of the home aide services contract, which will allow in-home services for the elderly and disabled to continue while the corresponding administrative process is completed. The agency reiterated that it has taken the necessa

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston By THE STAR STAFF The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston has overturned a 2025 federal district court ruling that ordered Puerto Rico’s Demographic Registry to include an “X” gender marker on birth certificates, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced Thursday. The appellate decision supports the Puerto Rico government’s position that, under current local law, birth certificates will continue to reco

By THE STAR STAFF Extreme drought conditions spread this week across large sections of Puerto Rico’s southern coast and eastern region, with 75.2% of the territory experiencing some level of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor update released on Thursday. Data valid as of Sept. 1 show that 41% of Puerto Rico is experiencing extreme drought (category D3), a condition appearing primarily along a strip covering much of the island’s south and another extensive area in

By THE STAR STAFF The island Treasury Department said the government closed fiscal year 2026 with stronger-than-expected revenues, driven largely by higher income tax collections from corporations and individuals and a sharp increase in June receipts tied to manufacturing activity. Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja Rodríguez announced that net revenues to the General Fund reached $13.9 billion, an increase of $279.1 million compared with the previous fiscal year and well abov

Mary Zapata Acosta, former executive director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (Facebook via Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica) By THE STAR STAFF The governing board of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has accepted the resignation of the public corporation’s executive director, Mary Zapata Acosta. In an extraordinary meeting Thursday, board members unanimously accepted Zapata’s departure. As detailed, the engineer by profession presented the letter of