Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres By THE STAR STAFF Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres announced Thursday that the agency’s Economic Crimes Division has filed criminal charges against 16 individuals involved in a scheme to misappropriate $30,000 in insurance checks belonging to apartment owners in Plaza del Palmar Condominium in Guaynabo. According to the investigation, the condominium administrators, Víctor Emanuel Vázquez Ortiz and Yessika Delimar Mártir Irizarry,

Dr. José Caraballo-Cueto is a professor in the Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. By THE STAR STAFF Research by a University of Puerto Rico professor has found that poverty sharply increases the risk of school dropout among students with specific learning disabilities, especially when economic hardship and disability overlap. The study, published in the Journal of Disability Policy Studies, analyzed more than 2.4 m

A study published by Medicina/Salud Publica challenges the traditional view of abandonment as an intentional act. Social worker and gerontologist Erika Colón Ortega, who led the study, said many families are willing to care for their older loved ones but lack the financial resources or suitable housing to support people discharged from hospitals with disabilities or long-term care needs. (www.arecibo.inter.edu) Study spotlights socioeconomic factors, challenges traditional vi

The Financial Oversight and Management Board emphasized that the revised fiscal year 2026 budget is separate from the fiscal year 2027 budget, which it had previously certified. By THE STAR STAFF Contrary to Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s characterization, the commonwealth budget that took effect Wednesday was certified by the Financial Oversight and Management Board, not approved by the Puerto Rico government. As a result, the government cannot yet count the budget as one o

Public Safety Secretary Arthur Garffer, flanked by other island government officials, speaks on Wednesday at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, where an alliance of businesses, artists and organizations sent the first of several flights from Puerto Rico to Venezuela carrying nearly 7,000 pounds of earthquake relief supplies. (Facebook via Departmento de Seguridad Pública) By THE STAR STAFF An alliance of businesses, artists and organizations sent the first of

Energy Czar and Public-Private Partnerships Authority Executive Director Josué Colón Ortiz accompanied Gov. Jenniffer González Colón and Ports Authority Executive Director Norberto Negrón Díaz on Wednesday in announcing the start of maintenance dredging in Las Mareas Bay in Guayama. The project will enable an increase in the cargo capacity of vessels, reduce the number of trips required, and promote more efficient operations for Puerto Rico’s energy system by protecting the c

By THE STAR STAFF Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres announced Wednesday that the Caguas Prosecutor’s Office filed criminal charges against Isabelo Santana Casul, 44, for engaging in a pattern of sexual assault and abuse against two minors in Gurabo. Prosecutors filed 12 charges against the defendant, including incest, lewd acts, sexual assault through intimidation and violence, use of an air gun in the commission of the crime of sexual assault and a pattern of physical a

Genera PR plans to repurpose the Yabucoa Power Plant site with a 40‑megawatt battery energy storage system, a project already reflected in the the current Integrated Resource Plan and approved by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau early in 2024. (genera-pr.com) By THE STAR STAFF Genera PR LLC has submitted its formal plan to retire two aging gas turbine units at the Yabucoa Power Plant, following a directive issued by the Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A) ear

By THE STAR STAFF Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Senate Minority Leader Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz said Wednesday that Senate Resolution 556 has been filed to order the Senate Government Committee to investigate questions surrounding the possible awarding of a $38 million professional services contract funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, known as TANF, to NOLA Education LLC, a Louisiana-based company. The proposed investigation centers on repo

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) could face severe penalties for failing to comply with a potable water service agreement it reached with the municipality of San Juan. In a motion submitted Wednesday against the public corporation, San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo asked the court that in the absence of reliable and consistent drinking water service, a special commissioner be appointed to ensure complianc