Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández By THE STAR STAFF Popular Democratic Party Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández on Wednesday criticized House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez for ordering a halt to a legislative investigation into alleged irregularities at island vehicle inspection centers. “This decision does not serve the best interests of the people, nor the House of Representatives’ institutional obligation to oversee the government with independence and rigor,” Vare

By THE STAR STAFF Presenter Alexandra Fuentes; former leader and emblematic figure of Puerto Rican basketball, Flor Meléndez; sacred music singers Lourdes Toledo and Samuel Hernández; and actor Willie Denton will each have a street named after them in Cidra as part of the celebration of the 217th anniversary of the founding of the municipality, Mayor Delvis J. Pagán Clavijo announced Wednesday. “This will be a town celebration for Cidra’s 217th anniversary, and within that fr

By THE STAR STAFF The Administration for Child Support (ASUME by its acronym in Spanish) and the Courts Administration Office signed a collaborative agreement on Wednesday to expedite the judicial handling of child support cases through digital access to up-to-date information from the ASUME portal. “This agreement directly impacts participants in the system because it shortens response times in child support cases and allows decisions to be made based on current information

District VI (Guayama) Sen. Rafael Santos Ortiz has maintained communication with Puerto Rico Police Superintendent Joseph González Falcón in order to learn details about the actions underway in response to a rash of homicides in Coamo over the past month. By THE STAR STAFF District VI (Guayama) Sen. Rafael “Rafy” Santos Ortiz expressed his concern on Tuesday regarding recent homicides reported in the municipality of Coamo, while also calling for citizen collaboration. “Coamo

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez By THE STAR STAFF Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez announced that the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) has endorsed House Bill 1207, which legally allows municipalities to enter into agreements with the private operator of the island’s electric power transmission and distribution network for the installation, repair, maintenance, and modernization o

By THE STAR STAFF LUMA Energy, the private operator of Puerto Rico’s electric power transmission and distribution system, is moving forward with a new phase of grid‑modernization efforts, installing advanced automated equipment across the system to reduce outage times and improve service reliability for tens of thousands of customers. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of broader federal support for rebuilding and strengthening the island’

La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech Fernández Domenech denies conflicts in sweeping Senate inquiry By THE STAR STAFF La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech Fernández on Tuesday delivered a forceful defense of his conduct in government, submitting a 64‑page response to the Puerto Rico Senate after an unprecedented interpellation and more than 200 follow‑up questions focused heavily on his former lobbying firm, Politank Corp. In a letter addressed to Senate P

By THE STAR STAFF Ruth Concepción, the president of the Association of Providers of Services Under Provisional Remedies, warned Tuesday that recent actions by the Puerto Rico Department of Education (DE) could sharply restrict access to therapy services for students in special education, raising alarm among parents who rely on the court‑ordered mechanism. Concepción said the provisional remedy system was created precisely because the DE lacked the capacity to provide essentia

Gabriel Rodríguez Velázquez will compete in the 2026 Miss Universe Puerto Rico pageant. (Facebook via Kings of A&R) By THE STAR STAFF Miss Universe Puerto Rico has announced that Gabriel Rodríguez Velázquez will compete in its 2026 national pageant, marking the second time an openly trans woman has entered the competition. Rodríguez Velázquez follows Daniela Arroyo González, who broke ground in 2023 as the first trans contestant in the island’s Miss Universe franchise. Pagean

Reps. Héctor Ferrer Santiago and Domingo Torres García By THE STAR STAFF Rep. Héctor Ferrer Santiago, the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) minority leader in the lower chamber of the island Legislature, joined by Rep. Domingo Torres García, the alternate minority leader, on Monday questioned the true intentions of the New Progressive Party (NPP) legislative majority regarding their decision to hold an executive session concerning House Bill (HB) 1115, a measure that they said w