The state of emergency declaration, formalized through Executive Order 2026‑27, aims to accelerate mitigation and protection efforts as erosion intensifies and encroaches on homes, public infrastructure and natural resources. (Israel Morales) By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón has declared a state of emergency in response to worsening coastal erosion threatening the Parcelas Suárez sector of Loíza and several communities along Puerto Rico’s northern shoreline. Th

By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico will become the first U.S. territory to participate in the National Voluntary Self‑Exclusion Program (NVSEP), a unified system that allows individuals to bar themselves from multiple gambling operators through a single registration. The information was provided by iGaming Business (IGB), an established source of information for the regulated global gaming industry, citing the island’s gaming regulator this week. The Puerto Rico Gaming Commission

By THE STAR STAFF University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (RUM by its acronym in Spanish) Interim Chancellor Miguel Muñoz Muñoz announced on Wednesday that the university administration and the General Student Council have reached agreements to conclude student protests and guarantee free access to the campus. “These agreements represent an important step for our university community,” Muñoz Muñoz said in written remarks. “We will continue to foster spaces for communication and

Department of Economic Development and Commerce Deputy Secretary Roberto Lefranc Fortuño By THE STAR STAFF Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its initials in Spanish) Deputy Secretary Roberto Lefranc Fortuño stated on Wednesday that the agency is continuing its operations following the resignation of former secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard. “At the DDEC, agency operations have not ceased. The resignations involve personnel who served as trust staff to

Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association Vice President Karen Mojica Franceschi By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA) is urging Gov. Jenniffer González Colón to swiftly appoint a permanent secretary to lead the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC), warning that continued uncertainty could undermine investor confidence at a critical moment for the island’s economy. PRMA Vice President Karen Mojica Franceschi said the abrupt leadershi

A Birling Capital Advisors report outlines a sweeping roadmap for the University of Puerto Rico after the Financial Oversight and Management Board issued a formal Notice of Violation declaring that UPR’s revised fiscal plan cannot be certified. By THE STAR STAFF The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is operating “with no margin at all” and must undertake a structural transformation over the next 13 months to secure its future, according to a new analysis by Birling Capital Advi

By THE STAR STAFF Businessman Pedro Rosaly was elected president of the Hecho en Puerto Rico (Made in Puerto Rico) Association on Tuesday, succeeding Mateo Cidre. “I feel deeply honored to assume the presidency of Hecho en Puerto Rico -- an iconic organization that, for over a century, has championed and promoted the talent, products, and services of our island,” Rosaly said in a written statement. Rosaly serves as president and CEO of Islandwide Group, a Puerto Rican company

Judicial Employees Association President Amircal Gerena Román By THE STAR STAFF Judicial Employees Association (AEJ by its initials in Spanish) President Amircal Gerena Román has requested that Office of Court Administration Director Sigfrido Steidel Figueroa implement remote work and reinstate the four-day workweek to ease the high cost of living faced by employees of the island judiciary due to the high cost of living, exacerbated by rising gasoline prices. In a letter sent

Sebastián Negrón Reichard resigned as secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce on Tuesday. His departure was accompanied by the resignations of more than 10 senior officials across the agency. By THE STAR STAFF Sebastián Negrón Reichard resigned as secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its acronym in Spanish) effective at noon Tuesday, a departure accompanied by the resignations of more than 10 senior officials acro

Former General Workers Union President Gerson Guzmán López (Facebook via Puerto Rico Online News) Some 300 labor cases before appeals panel are closed due to lack of action By THE STAR STAFF Former General Workers Union (UGT by its initials in Spanish) President Gerson Guzmán López earlier this week accused the union’s current leadership of “irresponsibility and incompetence” after it was confirmed that more than 300 labor cases filed on behalf of union members were closed fo