SAN JUAN – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $28.8 million in additional funds to Puerto Rico to cover costs related to Hurricane María. These awards bring the amount of funds obligated under FEMA’s Public Assistance program to $5.3 billion, the agency said today. The latest grants approved are as follows: Nearly $16 […]
Category: La Fortaleza News
Puerto Rico Governor Says Federal Workers Don’t Have To Pay Power and Water Bills During Shutdown
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló said today that the island’s government-owned utility companies will suspend water and electricity bills for federal employees affected by the partial government shutdown — the longest in U.S. history. In a statement, Rosselló said his government was issuing a moratorium on collections by Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority […]
Puerto Ricans Feel Federal Government Ambushed Them With Cockfighting Ban
SAN JUAN — Thursday was a somber day at the Cockfighting Club of San Juan. The rows and rows of cubbies that usually house up to 80 roosters waiting to fight were mostly empty. On this day, only 26 birds were on display. Miguel Ortiz, a regular at the club since it opened in 1954, […]
Rossello Sends Out $85 Million In Christmas Bonuses Despite Federal Warnings Not To
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico dispersed millions of dollars in holiday bonuses to government workers on Wednesday despite a warning from its federally appointed oversight board that doing so could harm the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth’s ability to make payroll later in the current fiscal year. Governor Ricardo Rossello’s office announced that Christmas bonuses totaling $85.3 […]
REPORT: Hurricane Maria Cost Puerto Rico $43 Billion In Lost Revenues
SAN JUAN — A report from Puerto Rico’s government says Hurricane Maria had a $43 billion impact on the U.S. territory’s economy, $1 billion more than originally estimated. The Puerto Rico Planning Board’s report says its calculations took into account millions of dollars received so far in federal hurricane recovery funds and insurance money. Overall, […]
New Puerto Rico Fiscal Plan Approved Today; Rossello Says It Is Too Austere
SAN JUAN — A federal control board has approved a five-year fiscal plan for Puerto Rico, though Gov. Ricardo Rossello warns it’s too austere and will affect government services. The economic blueprint approved today aims to help pull the U.S. commonwealth out of an economic crisis following a 12-year slump and devastation caused by last […]
Puerto Rico Open For Tourism Business Despite ‘Mixed-Bag’ Recovery, Rossello Says
NEW YORK — Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello flew to New York this week on a mission: persuade potential tourists that the hurricane-ravaged island was ready for their return. But Puerto Rico’s recovery from last year’s Hurricane Maria has been a “mixed bag,” Rossello told Reuters on Thursday, acknowledging that the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth, while […]
Oversight Board Reaches Deal on Fiscal Plan … Rosselló Won’t Give Christmas Bonuses
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico and its federally appointed oversight board have reached a deal to avoid litigation over much-needed economic overhauls in the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth. Governor Ricardo Rosselló and the island’s legislature agreed to repeal protections that make it difficult for private-sector employers to fire workers at will, in hopes of spurring on-island […]
Puerto Rico Governor Details How $1.5 Billion in Federal Hurricane Relief Aid Will Be Used
[ad name=”HTML-68″] [wpedon id=”23995″ align=”left”] SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s governor has released a plan that outlines how his administration will use $1.5 billion in federal funds to help the U.S. commonwealth recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Ricardo Rossello said today that at least $817 million will go to rebuilding single-family homes, and another […]
Puerto Rico Federal Oversight Board to Meet This Thursday to Certify Fiscal Plan
SAN JUAN — The oversight board for Puerto Rico, created by Congress, will hold public hearings on Thursday and Friday to certify revised fiscal plans for the commonwealth, the board said today. The board is expected to approve plans for the commonwealth, as well as the island’s utility, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), and […]