By THE STAR STAFF The island government announced late last week a significant expansion of Carnival Corporation’s presence in Puerto Rico, marked by the arrival of new vessels at the Port of San Juan. “The expansion of Carnival Corporation’s operations in Puerto Rico reaffirms the cruise industry’s confidence in our island as a competitive destination within the Caribbean,” Governor Jenniffer González Colón said Friday. “This growth boosts economic activity, strengthens our

By THE STAR STAFF As part of its Autism Awareness Month initiatives, the Department of Education (DE) -- through its Associate Secretariat for Special Education -- held the First Autism Teachers’ Gathering over the weekend. The event, which took place at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico’s Ponce Campus, served as a professional development and training forum aimed at educators working directly with students on the autism spectrum. The forum brought together nearly

By THE STAR STAFF Vieques Mayor José “Junito” Corcino Acevedo thanked Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, as well as Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, for achieving the historic allocation of $1,028,745.64 directed to the rehabilitation of state road PR-200 East in the offshore island municipality. In a press release, the mayor highlighted that the “reconstruction and reconditioning of PR-200 East, one of the most used filming routes

With an investment of $491,285.75, the construction of a modern gabion retaining structure in Lajas’ Estancias de Lajas community will now begin. By THE STAR STAFF With the purpose of preventing the collapse of several residences in the Estancias de Lajas community, Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, along with District 21 (Yauco, Guánica, Lajas, Sabana Grande, Maricao and Las Marías) Rep. Omayra Martínez Vázquez and Lajas Mayor

The U.S.-flagged liquefied natural gas carrier America Energy docks at the EcoEléctrica power generation facility in Peñuelas. (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón) By THE STAR STAFF Crowley has marked the first anniversary of operations of American Energy, the first U.S.-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier dedicated exclusively to Puerto Rico, underscoring the company’s role in strengthening the island’s energy resilience and long‑term supply reliability. The miles

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez By THE STAR STAFF In an effort to ease costs for consumers, Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez announced on Thursday the filing of House Bill 1216, which would prohibit electronic payment processing fees from being calculated on the portion of a transaction corresponding to federal, state or municipal taxes within Puerto Rico’s territorial jurisdictio

Sen. Jeison Rosa Ramos (Facebook via Jeison Rosa Senador Mayagüez-Aguadilla) By THE STAR STAFF As part of Early Childhood Week, Sen. Jeison Rosa Ramos filed a measure on Thursday proposing the creation of a pilot program to integrate pre-kindergarten into the public education system in Puerto Rico as part of a strategy to strengthen early childhood education. Senate Bill 1178 establishes a model of gradual implementation in public schools, with the aim of ensuring a structure

Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano By THE STAR STAFF Popular Democratic Party at-large Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano announced that the Office of Legislative Budget and Analysis (OPAL by its acronym in Spanish) has determined that exempting Christmas bonuses for public and private-sector employees from income tax withholdings would not negatively impact government revenues. Vargas Laureano said OPAL completed a technical and fiscal evaluation of her proposed legislation, whi

Flooding in Las Piedras on Thursday. Variable to unstable weather conditions are forecast to persist in Puerto Rico through Friday, bringing periods of showers and some thunderstorms -- particularly in the afternoon -- along with a localized risk of flooding. (Facebook via Oficina Municipal para el Manejo de Emergencias de Las Piedras) By THE STAR STAFF Variable to unstable weather conditions will persist through Friday, bringing periods of showers and some thunderstorms -- p

Energy Czar Josué Colón Ortiz By THE STAR STAFF Josué Colón Ortiz, the island’s energy czar, is rejecting claims that a decision this week by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) amounts to a hidden electricity rate increase, insisting instead that the measure represents a redistribution of costs intended to ensure fairness across the system. Responding to questions from the press about whether the PREB’s Resolution and Order was effectively a rate hike, the energy czar said