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

By THE STAR STAFF Following complaints from a group of parents and athletes linked to the Canoeing Federation regarding allegations that a team coach has subjected, and continues to subject, several members -- including minors -- to a pattern of mistreatment during training, Rep. José Aponte Hernández and House Recreation and Sports Committee Chairman Luis “Josean” Jiménez Torres on Tuesday announced the filing of House Resolution 738. The measure, which was expected to be ap

By THE STAR STAFF The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico has taken significant action on two major public entities, imposing its own fiscal year (FY) 2027 budgets on both the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the Public Corporation for the Supervision and Insurance of Cooperatives (COSSEC by its acronym in Spanish) after determining that the government’s proposed spending plans failed to comply with the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic St

Robert Mujica, executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico By THE STAR STAFF The Financial Oversight and Management Board on Tuesday released a $3 billion offer to bondholders of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) in an attempt to resolve the public corporation’s bankruptcy under Title III of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, commonly known as PROMESA. “We have to resolve PREPA’s bankruptcy,”