Gov. Jenniffer González Colón By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón has signed into law four Senate bills, enacting measures that strengthen navigation safety laws, clarify forensic investigation procedures, protect religious activities, and recognize human trafficking victims. The new laws, all sponsored by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and co-authored by various legislators, amend existing statutes to close legal gaps and align Puerto Rico’s legal framewor

Aguas Buenas was hard-hit by flooding from torrential rains earlier this year. By THE STAR STAFF Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Orlando C. Rivera Berríos announced earlier this week an interagency transfer of $882,169 from the fiscal year 2024 Emergency Reserve Fund to the Municipality of Aguas Buenas to address damages caused by flooding from torrential rains between April and May of this year. Although the municipality had received previous funds, an assessm

HIMA San Pablo Bayamón Hospital (Facebook via ASOCIACION DE HOSPITALES DE PUERTO RICO) By THE STAR STAFF The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico has approved a request to extend the maturity date of a $35 million bond issuance tied to the purchase and rehabilitation of HIMA San Pablo Bayamón Hospital. The extension, granted under Section 207 of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), moves the current maturity date from

Health Secretary Víctor Ramos Otero By THE STAR STAFF Health Secretary Víctor Ramos Otero has confirmed the closure of Hope Medical Center in Humacao due to non-compliance with legal and regulatory provisions, leaving 150 people without a job. The closing is part of a broader hospital crisis on the island stemming from persistent financial losses, delayed payments from insurance companies and staff shortages, leading to a precarious financial situation in 17 institutions. Ram

By THE STAR STAFF The Financial Oversight and Control Board approved the new liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreement between the Puerto Rico government and New Fortress Energy (NFE) on Thursday, following a review of the terms of the LNG Toll Agreement requested last week. “This new agreement that we reached with NFE and that the Board is approving today is part of the energy transformation we are promoting, which includes diversifying energy sources and ensuring continu

By THE STAR STAFF The Trump administration has escalated its fight over control of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, filing an appeal with the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. The appeal seeks to overturn a ruling by a federal judge in Puerto Rico that temporarily reinstated several former board members, finding that their removal violated due process under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), the 201

University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus Chancellor Myrna Quiñones Feliciano, left, and Lucy Crespo, CEO of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, sign an agreement to develop a graduate program in public health entomology at the Graduate School of Public Health. By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit and the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus signed an agreement Thursday to develop a graduate program in public health e

By THE STAR STAFF The preliminary hearing against Anthonieska Avilés Cabrera, who is charged with murder and weapons violations, was suspended Thursday at the Aibonito Judicial Center after her defense, led by attorneys Rocío Revelles and Athelyn Jiménez of the Legal Aid Society, filed a motion to dismiss alleging lack of jurisdiction. The defense presented the motion during the start of the necessity hearing, which was to assess whether a minor witness should testify via clo