“We recognize the park’s potential as a tool for environmental resilience, where community and intergenerational well-being are combined with inclusive economic development,” Cayey Mayor Rolando Ortiz Velázquez, right, said of the plan for a Great Urban Park in the municipality’s urban center. By THE STAR STAFF The proposed Great Urban Park, planned by the Cayey municipal administration for the urban area adjacent to the Ramón Frade León public square, offers several advantag

For residents and frequent visitors, the removal of mature trees has already altered the character of Old San Juan’s most iconic walkways, including the once-shaded Paseo La Princesa. (Wikipedia/P. Hughes) By THE STAR STAFF A growing public outcry over a government plan to cut down more than 50 trees between La Fortaleza and Castillo San Felipe del Morro has intensified in Old San Juan, where a digital petition surpassed 2,000 signatures as of Sunday, urging authorities to st

Despite acceptable readings in the most recent water quality report issued by San Juan Bay Estuary Program, a visible dark patch in the Condado Lagoon has revived longstanding concerns about contamination in the lagoon and nearby coastal areas. (estuario.org) By THE STAR STAFF A dark patch visible Sunday in the Condado Lagoon, near Aguadilla Street and the outfall area at Jaime Benítez Park, has raised fresh concerns among Condado residents, who in recent weeks have reported

Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority Executive Director Verónica Ferraiuoli Hornedo By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority will hold a solemn Memorial Day ceremony today at the Antiguo Casino in Old San Juan, honoring the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The event, led by the authority and its executive director, Verónica Ferraiuoli Hornedo, seeks to create a space for remembrance, reflection and grat

By THE STAR STAFF Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Executive Director Orlando Rivera Berríos said Thursday that the Financial Oversight and Management Board should be approving $100 million this week to cover payments to special education service academies. In a radio interview, Rivera stated that he is concerned about how a $5 billion budget for the Department of Education is facing such “pressing” needs, and that he will personally evaluate the use of resources within

The 1999 Law for the Protection and Conservation of the Karst Physiography of Puerto Rico was passed to recognize the unique value of the karst region and establish mechanisms to protect essential resources for Puerto Rico, including aquifers, caves, sinkholes and ecosystems. (Wikipedia) By THE STAR STAFF Environmental organization Citizens of the Karst (CDK) expressed concern this week over House Bill (HB) 1079, which they claim would weaken fundamental protections for one o

Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano By THE STAR STAFF Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano of the Popular Democratic Party announced the filing of House Bill 1287, a measure she introduced along with Dignity Project Rep. Lisie Burgos Muñiz to establish a mandatory and continuous system that guarantees the removal of deceased individuals from the voter registry within a maximum of 25 days. The legislators said the bill will be an effective tool for quickly cleaning up the voter regis

Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja Rodríguez By THE STAR STAFF Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja Rodríguez announced on Thursday the disbursement of $100.3 million in initial tax relief payments to 221,381 taxpayers. “We have already sent out a first batch of ‘Cheque para Ti’ [Check for You] payments to 221,381 taxpayers whose tax returns had already been processed and who met the requirements to receive the tax relief,” Pantoja Rodríguez said during a press conference. The trea

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón presented her fiscal year 2027 budget plan to the Financial Oversight and Management Board this week, highlighting what she described as one of Puerto Rico’s strongest periods of fiscal stability in recent years. By THE STAR STAFF With her public image battered by months of controversy and internal party friction, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón was expected at press time on Thursday to use her State of the Commonwealth address to reset the narrati

Ismael Guadalupe, seen here with Palestinian-American journalist Dena Takruri (Facebook Dena Takruri) By THE STAR STAFF For more than half a century, the name Ismael Guadalupe was synonymous with the fight for Vieques -- its land, its people, and its right to live free from the shadow of military occupation. On Thursday, his family announced that the revered community activist died at age 82, closing a chapter in Puerto Rico’s social movements but leaving behind a legacy that