Rosely Hernández, executive director of the Beef Industry Promotion Fund, and Agriculture Secretary Irving Rodríguez Torres Also distributes more than 100 tablets to boost efficiency By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture announced two major initiatives Tuesday aimed at modernizing the island’s agricultural sector, including the rollout of a cattle traceability system and the delivery of more than 100 electronic tablets to agronomists and inspectors. Publ

Municipal Revenue Collections Center Executive Director Javier García Cintrón By THE STAR STAFF Municipal Revenue Collections Center (CRIM by its acronym in Spanish) Executive Director Javier García Cintrón outlined several new initiatives Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the Mayors Federation in Gurabo but did not say whether property taxes will be raised. García Cintrón said the agency is advancing projects aimed at improving property tax records and taxpayer services ac

Johnny Rodríguez Ortiz, president of the PREPA Retirees Association By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) charges customers $1.92 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to fund its Employees Retirement System. However, PREPA only pays out the amount needed each month for its 12,000 pension beneficiaries and keeps the rest, according to Johnny Rodríguez Ortiz, president of PREPA’s Retirees Association. If PREPA contributed the full amount collected, the retiremen

By THE STAR STAFF As part of its citizen dialogue and education initiatives on health and civic issues, the Citizen Alliance for Puerto Rico (ACPR by its initials in Spanish) will hold its February Lunch Meeting today starting at noon at D’Paellas Restaurant in Hato Rey. This year’s event will feature a keynote address by prominent Puerto Rican physician and researcher Dr. Fernando Cabanillas, who will present on the topic “Chronic Stress: The Invisible Epidemic of the 21st

Fabiola Quiñones, a student at Miguel A. Julia Collazo Specialized School of Fine Arts in Cayey, said opportunities such as the municipally sponsored Urban Planning Contest “allow young people to express how we would like our city to develop over the years.” (Facebook via Cayey Ciudad Verde) By THE STAR STAFF The Municipality of Cayey began the week by welcoming students from various public schools who participated in the conference on the Ninth Urban Planning Contest “Urban

By THE STAR STAFF The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday approved the final plan to remove the barge Defiant, which has been grounded since Feb. 9 on the rocks off Castillo San Felipe del Morro, at the entrance to the port of San Juan. “Our operational priority is to protect the maritime transportation system and ensure that the channel remains safe and open,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ray López in a written statement. The removal will take place during high tide, once logistical arrangements a

Haydeliz Ramírez Natal, founder of At Home Education Center & Afterschool Corp. By THE STAR STAFF Amid an increasingly intense debate about the impact of school stress, academic overload and anxiety in childhood, a story born from the personal experience of a Puerto Rican mother is now consolidating itself as an innovative and sustainable educational proposal. A decade ago, facing the challenges of raising her children alone while pursuing her career, Haydeliz Ramírez Natal b

Vocational schools from Cayey, Comerío, Guayama, Aguas Buenas, Cidra and Aibonito participated in the Second Culinary Festival 2026, as well as schools specialized in fine arts and music in the Caguas educational region. By THE STAR STAFF The Department of Education, through the Regional Educational Office (ORE) of Caguas, and the Municipality of Cidra held the Second Culinary Festival 2026 over the weekend, an initiative that highlighted the student talent in the department’

By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has asked the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) to dismiss the ongoing electricity rate review case while courts resolve a series of legal challenges seeking to invalidate LUMA Energy’s indefinitely extended supplemental contract. In a filing submitted as part of a motion for reconsideration of a $25,000 administrative fine imposed for missing a deadline to answer initial rate‑design filings, PREPA argued that

Miguel A. Ortiz Serrano, president of the Puerto Rico Fishermen and Marine Defenders Federation By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Fishermen and Marine Defenders Federation (FEPDEMAR by its acronym in Spanish) has criticized the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) for delays in renewing fishing licenses, leaving “dozens of” fishermen unable to work and earn a living for their families. The ongoing delays are especially frustrating now that the Lenten seaso