By THE STAR STAFF House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez said the Financial Oversight and Management Board’s certification of Puerto Rico’s fiscal year 2026-2027 consolidated budget marks another step toward the federal entity’s eventual departure from the island. “The Board’s approval of the government’s consolidated budget, the second consecutive certification in two years, demonstrates our commitment to meeting the established fiscal requirements,” Méndez said. “We now need

By THE STAR STAFF The executive director of the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3), Eduardo Soria Rivera, together with Culebra Mayor Edilberto “Junito” Romero Llovet, inspected the start of reconstruction work on nine municipal roads damaged by Hurricane Fiona. The roads will be rehabilitated through a combined federal and state investment totaling $3.5 million, aimed at strengthening safety, connectivity, and resilience across the island munic

On May 7, a power outage in Cataño caused by a traffic accident damaged multiple utility poles. LUMA Energy responded to the incident, but under the new bill, similar situations could be handled through agreements with private contractors hired by municipalities. By THE STAR STAFF The Senate approved House Bill 1207, authored by House President Carlos “Johnny” Méndez, with a vote of 24-2, which makes it possible for municipalities to make agreements with the private operator

By THE STAR STAFF The San Juan delegation of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday denounced what it described as a pattern of fiscal negligence in the capital city’s government following the approval of a $323.7 million bond issue by the Financial Oversight and Management Board. According to PDP leaders, $209 million of the bond issue will be used to refinance debts dating back to 2007 and later years, a move they said shifts the burden of repayment onto future genera

A new ASSMCA study found that youth homelessness and housing instability are significantly more widespread on the island than previously documented. By THE STAR STAFF Homelessness among young people in Puerto Rico appears to be far more widespread than previously documented, with a new government count identifying 204 youths between the ages of 18 and 24 who are either homeless or living in unstable housing conditions. The first Count of Homeless Youth conducted in Puerto

By THE STAR STAFF LUMA Energy has launched a new WhatsApp channel (https://shorturl.at/njoWu) where it will share frequent updates on work being carried out across the island, as well as other relevant information to keep customers informed. Through this platform, residents will be able to quickly and directly access information on planned upgrades, modernization projects, infrastructure maintenance, scheduled outages related to system improvements in each municipality, opera

Secretary of State Rosachely Rivera Santana met with government agencies, the National Guard, the Ports Authority, and partner entities to coordinate next steps in Puerto Rico’s humanitarian response for communities affected by earthquakes in Venezuela. By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Department of State has begun coordinating humanitarian aid efforts for victims of the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, as the U.S. territory establishes collection centers and deploys emergen

Secretary of the Governorship Francisco Domenech By THE STAR STAFF LUMA Energy escalated its confrontation with the González Colón administration on Thursday, alleging that it has preliminary evidence that Secretary of the Governorship Francisco Domenech pressured officials to expedite the cancellation of the company’s contract and to promote the search for a replacement operator. The claim was made by LUMA attorney Fran Torres Viada during an interview on Nación Z, where he

The Senate approved a $13.18 billion budget for fiscal year 2026–2027 to fund government operations across all branches. By THE STAR STAFF The Senate has approved, with amendments, House Joint Resolution 356 (A‑117), an administration measure that allocates $13.1805 billion from the General Fund to cover the operational expenses of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. During the presentation of the budget report, the c

The Comptroller of Puerto Rico, Carmen Vega Fournier (center), backed legislative measures to strengthen oversight powers and modernize the government contract registration system. By THE STAR STAFF The Comptroller of Puerto Rico, Carmen Vega Fournier, favored a package of legislative measures aimed at strengthening the oversight capabilities of the Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico (OCPR), improving audit processes and modernizing the government contract registration