Rep. Ramón Torres Cruz By THE STAR STAFF A Puerto Rican lawmaker is sounding the alarm over a federal policy he says could upend how thousands of island residents, along with soldiers, students and diplomats abroad, cast their ballots in the next election cycle. Popular Democratic Party Rep. Ramón Torres Cruz said in a radio interview (NotiUno 630) on Monday that President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order tightening mail‑in voting rules may have sweeping consequences f

Ángel Figueroa Jaramillo, second from right, president of the Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union, argues that although the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority was dismantled during the privatization process, the components needed to rebuild the operation as a public entity still exist. By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico has the personnel, assets and technical expertise needed to bring the island’s electric power transmission and distribution system back under public

Aguirre power station in Salinas, site of a planned 400-megawatt temporary emergency power facility whose cancelled contract is the subject of a legal dispute between energy supplier Power Expectations and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. By THE STAR STAFF Power Expectations LLC is calling for a formal investigation into what it describes as a pattern of improper conduct, conflicts of interest, and potential corporate espionage involving attorney Javier Vázquez Moral

According to a 2026 analysis by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Puerto Rico paid $919.7 million in tariffs in 2025, nearly four times the $236.6 million recorded the previous year. (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics) By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico absorbed one of its steepest tariff shocks in more than a decade last year, as federal trade policies under President Donald Trump dramatically reshaped the cost of importing goods into the island, according to a report fr

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