WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court this week rejected a bid to extend a federal program offering benefits to low-income elderly, blind and disabled people to residents of Puerto Rico, finding that Congress had the authority to prevent those living in the American territory from receiving the assistance. The justices ruled 8-1 in favor of […]
Category: La Fortaleza News
Puerto Rico Exits Bankruptcy After Grueling Debt Negotiation
Puerto Rico’s government is formally exiting bankruptcy after completing the largest public debt restructuring in U.S. history after announcing nearly seven years ago that it was unable to pay its more than $70 billion debt SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s government formally exited bankruptcy Tuesday, completing the largest public debt restructuring in U.S. history after […]
Puerto Rico To Increase Teachers’ Salaries By $1,000 A Month
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s governor announced Monday that all public school teachers will receive a temporary $1,000 monthly salary increase starting in July as he promised to make it permanent. The move comes just days after 70 percent of teachers left their classrooms and joined a protest to demand higher wages, better pensions and […]
Puerto Rico Rejiggers Travel Measures, Removing Negative COVID-19 Test Requirement for Vaccinated Travelers
SAN JUAN — Discover Puerto Rico, the Island’s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), is sharing updates for U.S. inbound travelers stemming from the local government’s latest Executive Order, announced yesterday. The order, which goes into effect on Monday, May 24th, includes modified restrictions such as the elimination of negative COVID-19 PCR molecular test requirements for fully vaccinated travelers […]
Puerto Rico To Open Vaccinations To All Amid COVID-19 Spike
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s governor announced this week that officials will start vaccinating all those 16 and older beginning Monday, prompting celebrations across the U.S. territory facing a spike in COVID-19 cases. Currently, only people 50 years and older as well as anyone 35 to 49 with chronic health conditions are authorized to receive […]
Puerto Rico Has A Newly Elected Governor Named Pedro Pierluisi
SAN JUAN — Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party won a majority of votes to become the U.S. commonwealth’s next governor, according to official preliminary results released late Saturday. Pierluisi received nearly 33 percent of votes compared with nearly 32 percent obtained by Carlos Delgado of the Popular Democratic Party, which supports […]
Puerto Ricans Left Without Electricity … The Day Before Tropical Storm Isaias Is Supposed To Strike
SAN JUAN — A day before potential Tropical Storm Isaias was expected to bring rains and winds to Puerto Rico, at least 400,000 customers throughout the island were left without power. The outage affected multiple municipalities — from cities in the metropolitan area such as San Juan and Guaynabo to the mountainous towns of Jayuya […]
Puerto Rico’s Governor Vázquez Faces Formal Corruption Probe, Impeachment
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s governor and other top officials on Monday became the official targets of an in-depth government investigation into recent corruption allegations. The U.S. commonwealth’s Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel agreed to probe the allegations against Governor Wanda Vázquez and others following a referral from the island’s Department of Justice that ended with […]
COVID-19: Puerto Rico Welcomes Tourists As Virus Surge Sows Lockdown Fears
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico officially reopened for tourists Wednesday, even as the U.S. commonwealth sees a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that threatens to undermine its early gains against the pandemic. Incoming passengers are now required to present a recent Covid-19 test or isolate themselves for 14 days. The new rules are designed to protect […]
Worsening Drought Forces State of Emergency In Puerto Rico … What Is USVI Doing?
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency effective Monday as a worsening drought creeps across the U.S. territory amid a coronavirus pandemic. Starting July 2, nearly 140,000 clients, including some in the capital of San Juan, will be without water for 24 hours every other day as part of strict rationing measures. […]