By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) has denied requests by LUMA Energy to extend the deadline for submitting comments on proposed regulations governing municipal participation in public lighting connected to the electrical grid, ruling that the utility will have sufficient opportunity to weigh in during the formal regulatory process. In a resolution and order issued March 26, the PREB informed stakeholders that it had completed a draft of the Regulation for

Visits from the mega cruise ship Hero of the Seas in 2027-28 are expected to generate an estimated $3 million in economic impact through passenger and crew spending. By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR) announced the arrival of Royal Caribbean International’s new mega cruise ship Hero of the Seas, which is scheduled to make five ports of call to the island beginning in late 2027. The visits are expected to generate an estimated $3 million in economic impac

Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla is slated for some $8 million in infrastructure improvements. (Wikipedia) By THE STAR STAFF The island government has approved an $8.6 million budget increase for the Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), aimed at funding infrastructure projects at José Aponte de la Torre Regional Airport in Ceiba and Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla. The announcement was made Wednesday by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, alon

Alayra Figueroa González, associate secretary of special education By THE STAR STAFF Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés announced on Wednesday a series of specialized training sessions in conflict mediation for 74 instructional facilitators in the Special Education Program, with the aim of improving case management and strengthening dialogue between families and school teams. “Through this initiative, we equip our staff with practical tools to handle disagreements in a t

By THE STAR STAFF District 4 (Mayagüez-Aguadilla) Sen. Karen Román Rodríguez introduced a measure this week to address, at its root, the problem of the rise in family conflicts, community disputes and emotional crises that escalate into violence. The bill proposes creating a pilot program for mediation and spiritual support in police stations, integrating mediators and chaplains to intervene in situations before they escalate. “The reality is that many cases don’t begin as cr

Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes emphasized that funding for the rock revetment project has been available since November of last year, but state-level permitting remains a critical pending step in addressing coastal erosion in Parcelas Suárez. By THE STAR STAFF Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes announced Wednesday that the municipality has received official authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to carry out rock revetment projects -- commonly referred

The court emphasized that litigants cannot challenge an administrative process they never attempted to use. By THE STAR STAFF A Puerto Rico appellate court has overturned a February ruling that barred the government from requiring journalists to present a Department of State press credential to attend press conferences at La Fortaleza, concluding that the trial court acted prematurely and without following required procedures and that the dispute amounted to little more than

Cataño Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo By THE STAR STAFF Cataño Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo announced on Tuesday that the municipality has closed its 2024-2025 Single Audit for the Community Development Block Grant-State program with no pending findings, according to a communication from the island Housing Department. “This result is no coincidence; it is the product of an administration that has instilled order, discipline, and real execution in the management of federal funds,” A

Last month, House Vice Speaker Ángel Peña Ramírez and Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés announced a recommended transfer of $100,000 to support the operations of the Christian School for Autism and Mentoring Children of Puerto Rico in Las Piedras. By THE STAR STAFF The island House of Representatives has implemented a series of historic initiatives aimed at improving the services received by children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including unprecedented

Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve By THE STAR STAFF Independent Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve announced Monday night that she has formally requested that Gov. Jenniffer González Colón repeal an executive order banning so-called conversion therapies for minors. The executive order, OE-2019-016, was signed in 2019 by former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares and prohibits the practice of conversion therapies on individuals under the age of 18. In a statement posted on social media, Rodríguez