Cover Page Legal HistorySports SearchPortable batteries delivered to residents of HormiguerosThe San Juan Daily StarApr 111 min readThe investment in 71 portable batteries and solar panels was made through an emergency fund received from the island government in response to the effects caused by the passage of Tropical Storm (later Hurricane) Ernesto through Puerto Rico last summer.By The Star Staff García Figueroa and the municipal administration on Thursday announced the acquisition and delivery of 71 portable batteries with solar panels as part of actions undertaken to mitigate the energy crisis impacting citizens of the western town The investment was made by way of an emergency fund received from the central government in response to the effects caused by the passage of Tropical Storm (later Hurricane) Ernesto through Puerto Rico last August The presentation took place in the conference room of the remodeled Miguel A Rivera School in Hormigueros’ Jagüitas neighborhood “This investment represents our commitment to the safety and well-being of each resident of Hormigueros,” the mayor said in his message “The delivery of these portable batteries was a concrete example of our effort to ensure that our communities had access to efficient and sustainable energy solutions.” García Figueroa added that his administration is “working to respond to the needs of our citizens.” “This project seeks to mitigate the burden of the energy crisis but also establishes a precedent of solidarity and commitment to the development and resilience of our region,” he said.” © 2025 The San Juan Daily Star - Puerto Rico SearchLawmaker pans resident commissioner’s sanctuary cities pitchThe San Juan Daily StarJan 311 min readRep José Aponte Hernández described as a “rookie idea” a proposal by Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera that municipalities with Popular Democratic Party (PDP)-led governments become “sanctuary cities” for people with undefined immigration status “The Resident Commissioner’s proposal to turn [PDP] municipalities into ‘sanctuaries’ for people who are in Puerto Rico illegally is a political stunt that only aims to get a headline,” the at-large legislator said in a written statement “What the Resident Commissioner is asking is for mayors to violate federal law to expose themselves to the administration of President Donald Trump ordering the freezing of federal funds in each of those municipalities as established by the executive order that will happen.” the statements of the Resident Commissioner as well as against the mayors he is pushing to violate the law,” Aponte added “I have not heard his colleagues with extra-liberal positions pushing anyone to violate the law as Hernández did with the ‘sanctuary cities’ proposal …” Hernández Rivera said “I will call the interim president of the Mayors Association to see if they can consider the [sanctuary cities] matter at tomorrow’s [Thursday’s] meeting.” Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Fashion and politics from Georgia-born designer Frankie Welch Take a virtual tour of Georgia's museums and galleries was one of a number of Latina writers who rose to prominence during the 1980s and 1990s Her stories about coming-of-age experiences in Puerto Rican communities outside of New York City and her poems and essays about cultural conflicts of immigrants to the U.S. mainland made Ortiz Cofer a leading literary interpreter of the U.S.–Puerto Rican experience. In 2010 she was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame Ortiz Cofer was born in 1952 in the small town of Hormigueros a semiurban municipality in the western part of the island came to the United States in 1956 and settled in Paterson As the daughter of a frequently absent military father stationed at Brooklyn’s Navy Yard and an uprooted mother nostalgic for her beloved island Ortiz Cofer spent portions of her childhood commuting between Hormigueros and Paterson Even though most of her schooling was in Paterson she lived for extended periods at her grandmother’s house in Puerto Rico and attended the local schools This back-and-forth movement between her two cultures became a vital part of her poetry and fiction There is a strong island presence in her narratives and the authenticity with which she captured life on the island is as powerful as her descriptions of the harsh realities of the Paterson community By her retirement in 2013 Cofer was Regents’ and Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing with whom she collaborated on several later publications After this successful debut as a fiction writer she continued to demonstrate her abilities in storytelling through short stories and personal essays which she declared “contains the essence of language,” and published two more collections Reaching for the Mainland (1995) and A Love Story Beginning in Spanish (2005) Ortiz Cofer claimed to have inherited the art of storytelling from her abuelita (“grandmother”) a fact suggested in the powerful attributes of the grandmother character who appears in The Line of the Sun and many of her other narratives “When my abuela sat us down to tell a story So early on I instinctively knew storytelling was a form of empowerment that the women in my family were passing on power from one generation to another through fables and stories They were teaching each other to cope with life in a world where women led restricted lives.” Ortiz Cofer’s most powerful characters are Puerto Rican women who try to break away from restrictive cultural and social conventions or who develop survival strategies to deal with the sexism in their own culture provides invaluable insights into the inner world of the author what motivated her writing and where she placed herself in terms of the American mainstream and U.S Her novel The Meaning of Consuelo (2003) explores language and communication: communication between the title character and her schizophrenic sister and personal essays describe the lives of Puerto Rican youths straddling the Puerto Rican culture of their parents and a mainland culture consumed by its own prejudices while asserting their own dignity and creative potential An Island Like You received the 1995 Reforma Pura Belpré Medal and was listed among the best books for young adults by the American Library Association Call Me María (2004) is a young adult novel chronicling a teenage girl’s move from Puerto Rico to New York City Her poignant memoir The Cruel Country recounts her return to Puerto Rico in 2011 to nurse her dying mother Ortiz Cofer drew from that experience a wide range of reflections on dying and cultural differences between the United States and Puerto Rico Due to a growing interest in her work in Puerto Rico and in other Spanish-speaking countries the University of Puerto Rico published La linea del sol (1996) a Spanish translation of her acclaimed novel The Line of the Sun The Fondo del Cultura Económica in Mexico published Una isla como tú (1997) The same year Arte Público Press released Bailando en silencio: Escenas de una niñez puertorriqueña (1997) Several of the author’s stories are also available in other languages Ortiz Cofer died on the family farm outside Louisville from cancer on December 30 "Judith Ortiz Cofer." New Georgia Encyclopedia https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/judith-ortiz-cofer-1952-2016/ from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/judith-ortiz-cofer-1952-2016/ “A MELUS Interview: Judith Ortiz Cofer,” MELUS 18 Judith Ortiz Cofer in the Classroom: A Woman in Front of the Sun (Urbana Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English was one of a number of Latina writers who rose to prominence during the 1980s and 1990s.… Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content Puerto Rican-born Judith Ortiz Cofer was the Regents' and Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Georgia Her works detailing Puerto Rican communities and cultural conflicts made her a leading literary interpreter of the U.S.-Puerto Rican experience Courtesy of University of Georgia Photographic Services The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder The poet Judith Ortiz Cofer reads her 2001 poem "Beans." traditional English and American literary giants had to be her models The writer Judith Ortiz Cofer explains how she can relate to the work of poet William Blake through her imagination and a sense of common humanity Ortiz Cofer considers the impact of her Puerto Rican and Southern identity as a self-defining philosophy in her early novels Ortiz Cofer discusses how she brings her experience as a poet to the page of the novel using words economically and out of the poetic sense of urgency Judith Ortiz Cofer describes how poetry works on the physical level as well as the intellectual level A former priest from the Diocese of Mayaguez who originally faced two felony charges of improper sexual behavior was sentenced on one of those charges on July 14 served as vicar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Montserrat in Hormigueros at the time of the complaint "McCoy Jordan was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being unanimously found guilty by a jury last June for committing lewd acts against a 14-year-old minor from 2013-2014 in the municipality of Hormigueros," read a June 14 press release from the Puerto Rico Department of Justice reportedly related to having "improperly touched private parts" of a 19-year-old was dismissed at the March preliminary hearing Mayaguez Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio took immediate action to remove McCoy Jordan from his post and suspend him from priestly ministry parochial vicar of the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat in Hormigueros has been suspended precautionarily due to a charge of improper conduct with a minor," said Bishop Corrada del Rio in a letter read in all weekend Masses Sept current pastor and rector at Our Lady of Montserrat McCoy Jordan took the victim out for meals and had the minor at his house for hot chocolate In July 2015 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ordered Bishop Corrada del Rio to hold an administrative penal process against McCoy Jordan "accused of having committed several serious crimes against the Sixth Commandment with minors and other serious crimes against the Sixth Commandment with adults." a priest of the Archdiocese of San Juan who works at the Diocese of Mayaguez by this decision is no longer clergy of the Catholic Church and cannot exercise any ministerial office in the same," said the formal decree issued by Bishop Corrada del Rio Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. 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Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions a daughter of the late Vincente and Eufemia Olivencia Ortiz Prior to her retirement she was employed by Jamestown General Hospital in the housekeeping department She was a member of Jehovah’s Witness Hispanic Congregation She enjoyed cooking and loved spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren Surviving are two children Celia (Andrew) Wilson and Osvaldo (Kim) Vazquez both of Jamestown; four granddaughters Ashlee (Matt) Fredrick of Jamestown Alexa (Eric Leathers) Vazquez of Pittsburgh Andraya (Vanessa Horton) Vazquez of Buffalo and Analese (Chris Zuffranieri) Wilson of Buffalo; three great grandchildren Andrew Staples-Fredrick Stella Fredrick and Colton Fredrick all of Jamestown and two brothers Robert (Elina) Ortiz and Rafael (Rosa) Ortiz both of Hormigueros She was preceded in death by her husband Juan Vazquez A private service and visitation will be held at the convenience of the family You may leave words of condolence at www.lindfuneralhome.com Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of New York | https://www.post-journal.com | PO Box 3386 resignsThe San Juan Daily StarFeb 121 min readBy The Star Staff (CFSE by its initials in Spanish) Administrator Noé Marcano Rivera has submitted his resignation letter The CFSE is responsible for providing workers’ compensation in the event of job-related injuries According to a published report by Teleonce Marcano submitted his resignation to Víctor Ramos Otero who is the chairman of the CFSE board of directors and the secretary of Health Marcano stated: “The CFSE has faced significant challenges over the past four years; however we have developed strategic plans at both the financial and administrative levels which have provided sustainable and effective solutions enabling us to tackle these challenges more robustly and positively.” “My journey within this corporation demonstrates my commitment to its growth,” he added “I acknowledge that the personnel of this corporation are essential in achieving its objectives.” Since his appointment as administrator in January 2024 Marcano has faced opposition to his management from various unions and some executives who is the current nominee to lead the corporation This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page SearchTwo new cruise ships visit Port of San Juan with an economic impact of $2.2 millionThe San Juan Daily StarDec 18 headed by Executive Director Carlos Mercado Santiago welcomed on Tuesday the cruise ships Scarlet Lady of Virgin Voyages and the Silver Ray of SilverSea Cruises whose joint arrival will generate an estimated economic impact of $2.2 million with capacity for 2,762 passengers and 1,150 crew members will make 10 visits to San Juan during the 2024-2025 season which represents a direct economic impact of some $2.1 million which will complete two visits this fiscal year will contribute about $130,000 to the local economy “The expansion of services and the inclusion of San Juan in the routes of these two specialized brands demonstrate the strength of our cruise sector and the attractiveness of Puerto Rico as a luxury and high-quality destination,” Mercado Santiago said in a written statement emphasized the importance of the arrival of luxury cruises to promote local business opportunities “This growth will allow entrepreneurs to expand their offerings with high-level services including the launch of premium options in the Port of San Juan aligned with emerging market trends,” she said which recently completed their season in the Mediterranean will make itineraries through the Caribbean and South America The Silver Ray will visit destinations such as Colombia SearchRoad connection project between San Juan & Bayamón underwayThe San Juan Daily StarFeb 271 min readTransportation & Public Works Secretary Edwin González Montalvo said the new connection will allow drivers on PR-18 to directly join PR-22 without having to cross Chardón Avenue which will reduce travel time and facilitate vehicular flow.By The Star Staff Jenniffer González Colón and Transportation & Public Works (DTOP) Secretary Edwin González Montalvo broke ground on Wednesday for the extension project from F.D Roosevelt Avenue (PR-23) to highway PR-22 in the direction of Bayamón aims to benefit thousands of drivers who travel through the area “This project will offer an additional lane on PR-22 toward Bayamón allowing for more agile traffic and reducing congestion at the intersection of Chardón Avenue,” the governor said at a press conference González Montalvo noted that the new connection will allow drivers on PR-18 to directly join PR-22 without having to cross Chardón Avenue which will reduce travel time and facilitate vehicular flow the work will include the expansion of the bridge over F.D the construction of a new access ramp and improvements to the pavement The DTOP secretary said the work will not affect the operation of the current exit during the construction process “We are focused on developing projects that alleviate vehicular congestion and improve mobility on the island,” González Montalvo said “This work is part of a larger strategy to optimize our road infrastructure and reduce citizens’ travel times.” Citzens were urged to drive with caution in construction areas reduce speed and follow traffic signs to ensure the safety of workers SearchMost of the Arecibo fatal overdose victims had fentanyl in bloodstreamThe San Juan Daily StarOct 18 20241 min readInstitute of Forensic Sciences Executive Director María Conte MillerBy The Star Staff The Institute of Forensic Sciences (ICF by its initials in Spanish) revealed Thursday that toxicology tests have shown that most of the recent overdose victims in Arecibo had fentanyl in their bloodstream ICF Executive Director María Conte Miller said most of the 10 overdose deaths reported in recent days in Arecibo tested positive for fentanyl in combination with other drugs “A special work plan was carried out between Monday and Tuesday to attend to these cases and confirm the preliminary tests carried out in the autopsy room as it was a multiple incidents of overdose deaths in a single municipality or region,” Conte Miller said in a written statement The island’s top forensics official said six of the victims tested positive for fentanyl mixed with cocaine; two tested positive for fentanyl mixed with xylazine; one tested positive for fentanyl cocaine and xylazine; and only one tested positive for cocaine The deaths revealed the widespread adulteration of cocaine with fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine it carries a high risk of overdose and can be lethal at the 2-milligram range The deaths are also being investigated by federal officials SearchNogales denounces ‘scandal’ in which not all votes will be countedThe San Juan Daily StarNov 14 20242 min readCitizen Victory Movement Rep Mariana Nogales MolinelliBy The Star Staff Mariana Nogales Molinelli on Wednesday thundered against State Elections Commission (SEC) Alternate Chairwoman Jessika Padilla Rivera who instructed SEC staff not to count the write-in votes for at-large House seats “It is incredible that the chairperson of the State Elections Commission has presented instructions contrary to the conversations with the commissioners,” the legislator stated in a video posted on her social networks and the scandal is going to be so big that the police should prepare to arrest me where she appeared upset by the instructions that she said were given in the SEC she said that within 30 minutes of having made the statements through the live video she would be presenting herself at SEC headquarters “You’re going to have to listen to me,” she said The post-election general scrutiny began Tuesday but the work was suspended due to a disagreement over the counting of the ballots the SEC instructions specify that only box 10 will be counted which corresponds to the at-large Senate seat in which at least 82,467 votes were counted and environmental activist Eliezer Molina faced each other Soto Aguilú of the New Progressive Party (NPP) who appears in the 11th and last position among those who would advance to occupy at-large seats even if it were awarded in full to Nogales Molinelli the 11th position was occupied by José Aponte Hernández of the NPP with 62,863 votes SearchIsland GOP chairman says party will appeal to Boricuas’ family valuesThe San Juan Daily StarSep 4 chairman of the Republican Party in Puerto RicoBy John McPhaul jpmcphaul1@gmail.com the Republican Party chairman in Puerto Rico said the national party intends to send the message to the 4,000,000 Puerto Rican voters in the United States that the GOP is the party of family values and we are going to appeal to them as the party of family values,” Cintrón said in an interview with the STAR the Democratic Party vice chair of Hispanic outreach said the party intended to send the message to Boricuas that Donald Trump is a danger to U.S Cintrón responded by saying “I respect her point of view but we are going to run as the party that offers good government and will bring economic prosperity to the people.” The GOP also plans to put Puerto Rican statehood front and center of the campaign who is also the New Progressive Party (NPP) point man on Republican Party affairs Even though the Republicans left statehood out of the party platform this year Cintrón insisted that the party remains committed to statehood “Statehood is mentioned prominently in the Republican Party Rules,” he said The rules state that Puerto Rico will have 20 delegates at the party convention but that if it becomes a state in the interim it will have delegates in the same proportion as other states Cintrón said Boricuas will have a clear choice between statehood represented by NPP candidate Jenniffer González Colón and independence represented by Juan Dalmau Ramírez of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) who is running for governor as part of an “Alliance” ticket with the Citizen Victory Movement Cintrón discounted the possibility that Popular Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate Jesús Manuel Ortiz González poses a threat Ortiz has consistently polled behind Dalmau that the PDP candidate for governor has polled behind the PIP candidate “This is the beginning of the end of the PDP,” Cintrón said “They still have support in pockets such as Carolina and Caguas but they have lost a lot of support at the island level,” he said SearchNew law gives gaming agents police powersThe San Juan Daily StarAug 30 which expands the powers of gaming agents and equates their powers to those of the police the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission is strengthening its security division to oversee the gaming industry on the island “Adopting this new statute allows us to reinforce the resources assigned to an important and growing economic sector to make Puerto Rico an ideal place to carry out these activities,” Gaming Commission Executive Director Juan Santaella Marchán said “The creation by law of a specialized body with law enforcement powers promotes an environment of greater confidence for players it promotes fair oversight of legal collection for the benefit of the public budget and the social contributions made by the gaming industry such as its contribution to the University of Puerto Rico and the Police retirement [system].” the new law amends Articles 1.3 and 2.2 of Law 81-2019 known as the Gaming Commission Law of the Government of Puerto Rico to redefine “gaming agent” by granting that title new powers including making arrests and handling situations that were previously only the responsibility of the police Other legal figures with the same functions are Natural Resources rangers and Treasury inspectors Santaella Marchán added that as part of the plan gaming agents will be trained by the Puerto Rico Police Academy in Gurabo Search2nd IVU exemption for school supplies to be in effect Friday & SaturdayThe San Juan Daily StarJan 82 min read“Sales of school materials and uniforms without the IVU relieve parents and guardians and boost economic activity,” Gov Jenniffer González Colón said.By The Star Staff Jenniffer González Colón announced Tuesday that the second period of sales and use tax (IVU by its acronym in Spanish) exemption for the purchase of school materials and uniforms for the second semester of the current school year “In keeping with our commitment to benefit families with their back-to-school purchases we inform all parents and guardians of students that the second sales period without the IVU on materials and uniforms will begin at 12 [a.m.] midnight on Friday they will be able to purchase everything they need to begin the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year.” The governor recommended checking the list of exempt materials and uniforms detailed in Internal Revenue Memo No available at the link https://hacienda.pr.gov/publicaciones/carta-circular-de-rentas-internas-num-24-12-cc-ri-24-12 The review is recommended so that the various relevant businesses are informed “The sales of school materials and uniforms without the IVU relieve parents and guardians and boost economic activity,” the governor added Memo 24-12 states that IVU-exempt items are school materials instructional school materials purchased at retail and computer storage media but are not limited to: folders; school bags; calculators; chalk; compasses; crayons; erasers; binders and accordion-type plastic and manila folders; glue and adhesive; markers; index cards and storage boxes; lunch boxes; paper products including loose-leaf paper construction paper and poster board; pencils and pencil boxes as well as other school supply boxes; pencil sharpeners; pens; protractors; rulers; and scissors Art or music school supplies and instructional school supplies are items typically used by students in art or music courses or in a course of study as a reference for learning the subject being taught The school uniform is the clothing that is specifically required by the educational institution to be worn by students and that cannot be used generally or continuously outside of school to replace ordinary clothing Also considered part of the school uniform are items of clothing and footwear that complement the uniform SearchPunta Salinas beach spa inaugurated after $1 million upgradeThe San Juan Daily StarAug 7 20242 min readRenovation work at Punta Salinas included improvements to the activity center infrastructure gazebos and lifeguard towers.By The Star Staff Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia on Tuesday inaugurated the facilities of the Punta Salinas beach resort in Toa Baja the first permanent construction project related to Hurricane Maria completed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) The total investment in the project exceeded $1 million with an allocation of $959,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “We continue to make efforts to improve the facilities of the most important resorts on our island,” Pierluisi said in a written statement “By investing in the infrastructure and maintenance of our resorts we promote a healthy and welcoming environment for all residents of Puerto Rico.” “As a result of the collaborative work between the municipality and our administration today I am pleased to announce the inauguration of the Punta Salinas beach resort as the first permanent work related to Hurricane Maria that has been completed by the DNER,” he added The work included improvements to the activity center infrastructure risk mitigation measures and building reinforcements were implemented for greater resilience along with the addition of four new all-terrain vehicles for surveillance and emergency management DNER Secretary Anaís Rodríguez Vega emphasized that the completion of the works “represents a significant advance for the DNER being the first project that we have completed in its entirety under FEMA funds.” “This initiative demonstrates our commitment not only to restoration but also to the improvement of key infrastructures for the enjoyment and well-being of our community,” she said Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) Executive Director Manuel A Laboy Rivera highlighted the measures implemented to strengthen the facility’s structures against future disasters “The reconstruction included reinforcement with sheet metal the installation of additional stainless steel screws and the construction of reinforced concrete for the columns,” said Laboy Rivera administered by the municipality of Toa Baja through an interagency agreement was transferred in 2022 with the endorsement of the federal government’s National Park Service and this year the agreement was extended for an additional 15 years Natural Resources and the entire interagency component that made this rehabilitation project possible,” Toa Baja Mayor Bernardo “Betito” Márquez said “We have worked together to maximize the socioeconomic development potential of this great treasure of our people.” Scientists capture first photos of extremely rare birds Scientists capture first photos of extremely rare birds [Please note: It has now been revealed that pictures of the recurve-billed bushbird were captured earlier than claimed by the American Bird Conservancy Pictures of the bird were apparently taken in 2004 in Venezuela Scientists have captured the first pictures of one of the world’s rarest birds: the recurve-billed bushbird (Clytoctantes alixii) a species found exclusively in bamboo forests of northeastern Colombia The photos were taken in the department of Santander by Adriana Tovar and Luis Eduardo Urueña of ProAves the Colombian partner of the American Bird Conservancy The recurve-billed bushbird was rediscovered in 2004 in Venezuela after a 40-year absence Scientists estimate that only a few dozen of the birds remain “Whenever a new bird species is found or a species that was thought to be lost is rediscovered it gives us all hope and encouragement” director of international programs at the American Bird Conservancy “But as more and more remote areas are being settled the bushbird reminds us how important it is to conserve as much natural habitat as we can Who knows what wonderful biodiversity is being destroyed before it has had a chance to be discovered?” The area of forest in Colombia were the bird was sighted in 2005 was declared an Important Bird Area in 2005 ProAves established the 250-acre Hormiguero de Torcoroma Bird Reserve to protect the Recurve-billed Bushbird and other endemic species ProAves also announced the first photos of the Perija Parakeet (Pyrrhura caeruleiceps) in the wild which has a distinctive blue nape and white breast is threatened by illegal bird traders and habitat disturbance and loss according to the American Bird Conservancy The Perija Parakeet is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] SearchDACO urged to probe tipping policies practiced by some restaurantsThe San Juan Daily StarAug 13 José Aponte Hernández has asked acting Consumer Affairs (DACO by its acronym in Spanish) Secretary Francisco González to expeditiously begin a series of orientation talks for restaurant owners in Puerto Rico on how to request a gratuity or tip when charging customers “The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated,” the veteran lawmaker said we have seen a surge in citizens expressing their dissatisfaction on social networks about the tipping practices of some restaurant owners and even 25 percent without offering the consumer the option of a 15 percent tip or no tip This is a clear violation of the current rules “We urge the acting secretary of the DACO to swiftly implement an orientation program for restaurant owners,” Aponte Hernández added “This program should comprehensively explain Rule 7 of the DACO’s Commercial Practices Regulation Number 9158 which clearly states that tipping is optional and that the consumer must be given that choice as the actions of some owners are putting both the waiter and the consumer in a difficult position This is a situation that should not exist.” The at-large New Progressive Party legislator said DACO learns about the aforementioned practices mainly through complaints the reality is that many consumers do not take the matter to the agency because they think it will take a long time for anything to be done about it “There are other ways to alert the department: through messages on the agency’s social media platforms Instagram and ‘X’,” the former House speaker said “Businesses cannot force any consumer to tip or assign them what amount to leave,” the agency said in a statement DACO said it has noticed that there are increasingly many electronic machines in businesses that already include tipping options of 15% Some of them allow the client to choose how much they want to leave that there are restaurant employees who earn less than the minimum wage under the expectation that the tips they receive for their work reach or exceed the minimum wage threshold the customer can file a complaint as established by Rule 7 of the Trade Practices Regulations which prohibits the imposition of tips on customers the business could receive up to $10,000 in fines and would have to return the tip SearchUPR Law School admits incarcerated student for first timeThe San Juan Daily StarSep 19 20243 min readMiguel Ángel Nieves DomínguezBy The Star Staff The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Río Piedras Campus and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) announced Wednesday the admission of a confined student to pursue studies leading to the academic degree of Juris Doctor Miguel Ángel Nieves Domínguez began studying at the UPR School of Law this semester as part of an agreement signed between the two institutions that makes university studies in law possible for a particular group of incarcerated individuals “Today we take a significant step in the history of our institution by demonstrating that education is a powerful tool for the transformation and rehabilitation of people deprived of their liberty,” UPR Río Piedras Campus Chancellor Dr Angélica Varela Llavona said in a written statement “This agreement not only reaffirms our commitment to social justice but also opens new doors of hope and opportunities for those seeking rehabilitation and reintegration into society.” Nieves Domínguez graduated from the first class of the University Studies Program for Confined Persons a project founded by Father Fernando Picó that continues today thanks largely to the efforts of Dr Edna Benítez Laborde of the General Studies Department School of Law Dean Vivian Neptune Rivera said “Miguel is a clear example of the power of education in rehabilitation.” “Aspiring to be a member of the legal profession and giving a voice to those who do not have one synthesizes his dreams and desires to work for real access to justice,” she said “Legal education is the key tool for achieving a more just and inclusive society Miguel’s studies at our school are the best example that aspirations and dreams can become reality when the necessary support is available and access to educational institutions is made possible.” The UPR’s agreement with the DCR will be valid until July 2029 and includes two additional admissions for August 2025 and 2026 Nieves Domínguez graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the General Studies program as part of a collaborative agreement with the DCR that establishes access for confined populations to the bachelor’s degree program as a support strategy in the rehabilitation process In January of this year he was admitted to the master’s degree in administration and cultural management He completed one semester in that degree program under Humanities Faculty during his undergraduate studies he participated in the Public Schools Liaison program in a special collaboration with the School of Law and took the Law School Admission Test Nieves Domínguez was admitted to the law school in August after fulfilling all the requirements and formal application procedures “… [S]tudying for a bachelor’s degree was a great challenge,” the law student said “The process was enriching and changed my worldview in the Master’s in Administration and Cultural Management I integrated knowledge that I can align toward social development I am studying at the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Law.” “My goal is to create opportunities for social inclusion for others as part of social transformation,” Nieves Domínguez said “University education is a tool that encourages human development through critical thinking This is an important moment for social transformation.” It was not until April of this year that the Central Office of Recovery Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) formalized in a letter the request for more funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to finance the elevation of 87 substations and transmission centers of the electrical grid that are in flood-prone areas One of them is the Las Acacias substation in Cabo Rojo which was underwater in August when Tropical Storm Ernesto passed near Puerto Rico Thousands of customers were left without electricity in parts of Cabo Rojo and Hormigueros for up to two days last August after the interruption of the energy services supplied by this substation whose elevation was estimated two years ago at nearly $7 million with mitigation funds the company in charge of the transmission and distribution of electricity in Puerto Rico told the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI) the total cost of the work to elevate the substations and transmission centers located in flood-prone areas LUMA only ruled out that each could be estimated at around the $7 million invested in elevating the substation Cataño limited himself to saying that the cost would be in the millions COR3 claims that in the methodology used to calculate the expenses for damages to the electrical system after Hurricane María in 2017 FEMA excluded “associated costs” for elevating these substations The associated costs of this omission include engineering services disconnection and reconnection of electrical service and the physical elevation of the substations FEMA assures that the available money can indeed cover those costs In the letter to FEMA Laboy Rivera states that these costs could negatively affect the ability to complete the agreed-upon work He told the CPI that the figure is “significant.” four years after the funds were obligated to repair these substations The obligation of funds is money committed by FEMA that is transferred to COR3 for disbursement “It’s not just the [elevation of the] substations; there are also [mitigation works on] the dams and reservoirs of the [Electric Power] Authority,” said Laboy Rivera referring to the Guajataca dam in Isabela and Guayabal in Juana Díaz the hydroelectric plants of Toro Negro in Villalba and Río Blanco in Naguabo and the irrigation canal systems of Isabela located in parts of the municipalities of Patillas When the CPI asked who is responsible for not including these costs the executive director of COR3 did not respond directly and only acknowledged that “many things could have been done differently.” He referred to FAASt which are the initials for what the federal agency called FEMA’s Accelerated Award Strategy a “pilot initiative that began in Puerto Rico.” “FAASt was implemented between 2019 and 2020 I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus it was something that had never been implemented in FEMA’s history I think there were many lessons learned after that FAASt obligation was made,” said Laboy Rivera The FAASt strategy essentially consisted of calculating the reconstruction funds for the grid through a statistically representative sampling of the damage to structures not all damaged structures were inspected after Hurricane María The results of the damages and costs from the sample were averaged and then a budget was calculated for all the grid reconstruction projects FEMA informed the CPI that only 81 substations were evaluated out of the 392 that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) claimed were damaged after the hurricane 17 of the 81 sampled facilities suffered severe flood-related damage,” FEMA added The federal agency has not yet responded to this request for more funds for the substations COR3 told the CPI that the request “is under evaluation by FEMA.” This issue was part of the agenda between senior FEMA officials and COR3 during a two-day meeting at the end of August at the FEMA Region 2 headquarters in New York While FEMA’s top officials evaluate COR3’s request FEMA’s alternate federal coordinator for Recovery in Puerto Rico told the CPI that no money will be added to the $9.457 billion (FAASt) “It’s a fixed fund,” said the official who participated in the meeting in New York along with David Warrington Puerto Rico has two central budgets totaling $17.057 billion from FEMA to reconstruct the electrical grid The second budget is about $7.6 billion for hazard mitigation “can be added to projects to restore disaster-damaged facilities and prevent future damages similar to those caused by the declared event.” FEMA informed COR3 about the availability of these funds in January 2023 “We are arguing that neither of those two budgets include [the costs of] elevating the substations in flood-prone areas and the mitigation of the dams and reservoirs of the [Electric Power] Authority,” Laboy Rivera said the elevation of the substations can be covered with the available $7.6 billion of mitigation funds He even said that this fund could increase for cost-effective substation elevation projects which was distributed among 148 electrical grid projects The electrical grid mitigation fund currently has a limit The PREPA is requesting at least $630 million just for the Guajataca and Guayabal dams administrator of the Office of Federal Funds at the PREPA the PREPA can apply to this fund for some dams This year, FEMA projected a budget deficit of nearly $7 billion. In August, the federal agency implemented restrictions when committing money, “which will delay the obligation of funds for long-term recovery and mitigation projects,” according to the Congressional Research Service Given this scenario — and considering that 310 grid-related projects are still under FEMA’s evaluation — the CPI asked LUMA if the funds would fall short for the elevation of the substations “It’s not that we’re running out of money; it’s that we can do more work,” said Juan Rodríguez vice president of Capital Programs at LUMA Energy Executives from LUMA and COR3 had to appear this Thursday before the U.S House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs under the Committee on Natural Resources to account for the state of the electrical grid in Puerto Rico amid the system’s instability and constant complaints from residential the company in charge of the electric generation systems and from the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau also appeared He added that the grid will be modernized with the FEMA funds already obligated “but there is so much need that extra allocations never hurt to be able to do other types of work.” The executive stressed that these funds do not directly impact LUMA customers’ rates “We have more than 20 substations currently under construction or that have already been worked on [with] a combination of federal funds and operational funds,” said Rodríguez None of those substation projects have been elevated One of the first to be elevated will be the one in Cataño they are waiting for equipment that has already been ordered but “it is taking two or even three years for this equipment to arrive,” he said which includes almost $7 million in mitigation funds to build it 27 projects related to substations had $553,220,534 in obligated funds for repairs The work to elevate substations can involve different solutions when there is no severe flooding in the area where the structure is located manager of LUMA’s substation design engineering group Another option could be the construction of a concrete platform LUMA is evaluating solutions with prefabricated equipment such as steel platforms or blocks that minimize the use of concrete If the repair and elevation costs are not cost-effective then a substation could be relocated to another area nine employees from the municipalities of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo and two from LUMA Energy were stranded on Highway 114 amid flooding and winds caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto To reach the Las Acacias substation to assess the damage LUMA personnel tried to get there in a truck from the Municipality of Hormigueros but became stranded amid the flooding since the Guanajibo River had overflowed its banks A second truck left from Cabo Rojo to assist them but had the same bad luck rescuers from Sabana Grande and National Guard personnel finally rescued them Foto suministrada por Sidmarie González Valentín Área inundada por la carretera 114 entre Hormigueros y Cabo Rojo permalink permalink permalink permalink (Flooded area along Highway 114 between Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo Photo provided by Sidmarie González Valentín) the water reached my neck,” explained Sidmarie González Valentín director of the Municipal Office for Emergency Management and Disaster Administration of Hormigueros When an atmospheric event brings a lot of rain Cabo Rojo Mayor Jorge Morales Wiscovitch said The structure is near the Viejo and Guanajibo rivers which collect water from Cabo Rojo and Hormigueros The mayor emphasized the urgency of working on this substation because “many people depend on electricity to live because they are connected to oxygen tanks Las Acacias will be relocated to higher ground in the Sabana Alta neighborhood in Cabo Rojo with new equipment and backup alternatives when the system fails Morales Wiscovitch said based on information provided by LUMA “They say this project takes two or three years to build,” he said on behalf of the Puerto Rico Mayors Federation and the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) to adjust permanent work projects with fixed cost estimates and to the execution schedule COR3 has asked FEMA on several occasions to update the fixed cost estimates given the current economic situation not only for the PRASA and municipalities but also for all reconstruction projects FEMA’s response is always the same: “It cannot be changed,” said Laboy Rivera and staffing shortages that reconstruction in Puerto Rico has faced FEMA refers to the agreements already signed the Stafford Act for Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance to subsidize large permanent work projects This public policy states that no further adjustments will be made once agreements are reached on the fixed cost estimate for the allocations If the final actual costs exceed those anticipated in the approved fixed cost sub-award FEMA will not authorize or disburse additional funds Maria: The Money Trail is a project of the Center for Investigative Journalism focused on putting the spotlight on the recovery process in Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and María in 2017 This initiative is possible with the support of the Puerto Rico Foundations Network Si tiene una solicitud de investigación, queja, aclaración, ‘orejita’, prueba, inquietud, u observación sobre alguna información publicada por el Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, escriba al correo electrónico [email protected] El CPI reconoce que el requisito fundamental para una verdadera democracia es que la ciudadanía esté bien informada y que existan entidades independientes con la capacidad de fiscalizar los poderes que accionan en la sociedad SearchGovernor in favor of extending DMO contract for another 10 yearsThe San Juan Daily StarAug 29 20243 min readPuerto Rico Tourism Company Executive Director Carlos Mercado SantiagoBy The Star Staff Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia said Wednesday that he is in favor of extending the Destination Market Organization (DMO) contract for an additional 10 years even though the current one has four years left Discover Puerto Rico requested that extension and so am I,,” the governor said at a press conference “The contract amendment is being drafted so that it can be granted.” that is actually a contract signed by the Tourism Company,” Pierluisi added “I am aware of it because I do know that Discover Puerto Rico requested that extension They are constantly promoting Puerto Rico for events and they are promoting Puerto Rico beyond 2028 So it is important for them to show that this entity has the support of the government of Puerto Rico and will be in operation again for an extended period of time So that is the reason for the extension request the amendment is signed and that Discover Puerto Rico the entity for the management of the district can continue to have the success it has had.” Regarding the criticisms that the request has drawn because we have had so many achievements that they speak for themselves,” he said “Representative Matos has had an agenda since Discover Puerto Rico was created But he has not managed to convince his peers in the Legislative Assembly and that is why the legislation he has presented has not been approved But I take his words and his criticisms under the premise that it is obvious he has lost all objectivity in this matter because again everything that has to do with tourism has been working excellently well and no one can refute it.” Puerto Rico Tourism Company Executive Director Carlos Mercado Santiago said: “Here there are periods in which it is difficult to negotiate when their viable operating contract has an expiration date.” there are also some spaces to terminate them at some point it is not understood that good service is being provided,” he said it seems that a vote of confidence is being given in the sense of extending the validity [of the contract] the terms are not being changed nor are benefits being added We are practically giving them a space so that they can go and negotiate on meetings and conventions directly The same thing happens to us when we deal with the issue of cruises since the airlines practically have these negotiations taking place for 24 to 36 months that is the space that the airline has been hanging on to It is rather a validity of terms; they are the same benefits and the same contractual relationship.” chairman of the Discover Puerto Rico board of directors warned that the island economy would lose a great opportunity to grow if the organization’s contract with the Tourism Company is not extended beyond 2028 “There are more than $52 million in events and conventions after 2028 that are already being put out to tender and if Discover Puerto Rico’s contract with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company is not extended beyond that year the Puerto Rican economy will lose a great opportunity to grow,” Suárez said in a written statement Suárez stressed that “the renewal is intended solely to benefit the more than 100,000 families who earn their living from tourism.” SearchBill promotes medical marijuana program at UPR UtuadoThe San Juan Daily StarMar 133 min readThe House Education Committee Tatiana Pérez Ramírez (third from left)By The Star Staff The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Utuado Campus is set to establish a program focused on medical marijuana research and cultivation contingent upon the passage of relevant legislation was discussed during a meeting of the House of Representatives Education Committee earlier this week Jorge Navarro Suárez and Héctor Ferrer Santiago Its aim is to amend the Medicinal Law (Law 42-2017) to permit the UPR to develop techniques for planting and managing both marijuana seeds and imported plants “This is a bill that requires greater attention so we will examine and evaluate information beyond the presentations from various agencies in order to produce a thorough report,” Pérez Ramírez said Tuesday he acknowledged the “worthy purpose” it could serve for the UPR particularly its potential to allow individuals interested in the medicinal cannabis industry to specialize in related studies and research He stated that the legislation could foster the advancement of professionals with expertise in medicinal cannabis cultivation addressing new opportunities generated by that growing market the chancellor opposed the measure due to the campus’ fiscal constraints and its limited budget which might not accommodate the implementation of the academic program as mandated Tapia Maldonado also raised concerns about the strict legal framework -- both state and federal -- regulating medicinal cannabis use in Puerto Rico along with the potential lack of support the legislation could receive from university authorities He noted that the institution must certify that it maintains a campus where drug and alcohol use is prohibited in order to receive federal funds as required by the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 he suggested that the UPR could pursue special licenses through the Drug Enforcement Administration for research involving controlled substances “The proposed project could have significant benefits that subject to a favorable evaluation of the issues outlined above could represent a positive and groundbreaking step for the University of Puerto Rico,” Tapia Maldonado said a more detailed study of the fiscal and regulatory implications of this measure is necessary.” Muñoz also expressed opposition to the measure noting in an explanatory memorandum that implementing a program “contrary to federal law” could jeopardize the university’s accreditation He added that approval of the bill would likely create an “adverse economic impact” on the institution and complicate the establishment of the program in a manner that is academically viable the proposal received support from the Acting Health Secretary Iris Cardona Gerena who described it as an “invaluable opportunity” to strengthen Puerto Rico’s agricultural and research industry The agency emphasized the importance of collaboration between the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Board and the private sector to ensure compliance with “the highest regulatory standards.” “With proper planning and a strong commitment from all parties involved this program has the potential to position Puerto Rico as a leader in the research and development of medicinal cannabis-derived medicines,” Cardona said who heads the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration describing it as an “essential strategy to advance the treatment of various health conditions and improve the quality of life for thousands of people.” SearchNonprofit aims to educate about septic system healthThe San Juan Daily StarAug 7 20242 min readThe leaders of Atma Connect of Puerto Rico a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating community resilience.By John McPhaul A community-based nonprofit organization aiming to create community resilience will launch a safe water project that aims to educate the public about septic system health “With ‘Alianzas para las aguas limpias’ [Alliances for Clean Water] we will bring together government and for-profit and nonprofit organizations all engaged in building a better septic system on the island,” said Ericka Marrero Atma CEO Meena Palancappan noted meanwhile that the project “is funded by an Environmental Protection Agency $500,000 cooperative agreement over two years.” * To expand and strengthen a Safe Water Quality Network of residents and health and environmental agencies as the engine to conduct a mass education campaign that mobilizes Puerto Ricans to come together and collaborate toward short and long-term solutions; tools and affordable and no-cost options for testing water and septic systems; * To assist homeowners and building owners in accessing public funding programs for septic system upgrades; * To engage academics and health professionals to collaborate on data-gathering to assess the health impact of contaminated water; * To collect lessons learned from the project to facilitate the engagement of residents in promoting impactful solutions that will ensure safe drinking water throughout the island One of the key goals of the project is to give people funds for free and low-cost upgrades of their septic systems “This project is an important step toward achieving safer water and greater climate resilience in Puerto Rico,” she said “We are honored to embark on this vital environmental justice work in partnership with residents and leaders on the island.” Atma will also conduct community workshops throughout the island to educate on septic tank health the nonprofit will launch a website on “How to check for your septic system’s health.” Atma has worked in Puerto Rico since 2017 on food security and climate resilience and for this project the organization is partnering with Asociación Enlace Asuntos Comunitarios de Sabana Seca along with the more than 50 community-based organizations in its network Another Atma project that is underway in Puerto Rico aims to reduce the impact of disasters by activating mutual aid through vetted peer-to-peer communication and creating peer-to-peer hazard alerts in local areas Atma also works on neighborhood resilience and on a “de la tierra a la mesa” (from the land to the table) project a community garden program in which the group endeavors to encourage “eat what you grow” programs taking advantage of elders’ food knowledge SearchPolaris acquires Punta Lima wind farm in NaguaboThe San Juan Daily StarNov 1 has entered into an Equity Capital Contribution Agreement (ECCA) with respect to Punta Lima Wind Farm LLC a wholly-owned subsidiary of Santander Bank N.A an operating 26-megawatt (MW) onshore wind farm located in Naguabo was reconstructed and recommissioned by Santander and has a 20-year power purchase agreement in place with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) The transaction is being completed using a tax-equity structure which will result in Polaris becoming the manager and operator of the project with a controlling equity interest and Santander retaining a tax equity interest in the project The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions which principally consist of approval of the acquisition by local regulatory bodies as well as the execution of a corresponding LLC agreement It is expected that those conditions will take some 90 days to finalize The total equity contribution of $20 million from Polaris will be subject to customary closing adjustments including working capital changes Polaris intends to use cash on hand to fund the equity contribution Santander Corporate & Investment Banking acted as sole financial adviser to Santander Bank N.A “This strategic acquisition further deploys Polaris capital into another jurisdiction while adding wind into our generation mix,” said Marc Murnaghan “We believe that this transaction provides attractive near-term returns to our shareholders as well as enhancing our growth opportunities significantly This includes the use of energy storage to provide competitively priced energy and grid stabilization services as well as exploring further strategic opportunities on the island given its stated future energy requirements.” “Santander is proud to have rebuilt the Punta Lima wind farm in Puerto Rico and is very pleased to be selling its interest to a specialist partner in Polaris,” said Nuno Andrade Santander Corporate & Investment Banking “It was the right thing to do to support the island’s clean energy efforts and we are very happy with this outcome.”By THE STAR STAFF “It was the right thing to do to support the island’s clean energy efforts and we are very happy with this outcome.” the OIG sets forth the historical background regarding Ojeda and the Macheteros and details the FBI’s planning for the Ojeda arrest operation I.   Historical Background Regarding Ojeda and the Macheteros Filiberto Ojeda Ríos and the Macheteros Filiberto Ojeda Ríos was born in Puerto Rico in 1933 According to FBI records and press accounts Ojeda spent several years in Cuba in the 1960s and received training from the Government of Cuba as an intelligence officer Ojeda returned to Puerto Rico in the mid-1960s and allegedly organized the Movimiento Independentista Revolucionario Armado a pro-independence group suspected of several bombing attacks on the mainland United States during 1970-1971 Ojeda allegedly fled to New York to avoid prosecution in Puerto Rico and helped to found the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (FALN) whose stated goal was an armed struggle for Puerto Rican independence The FALN was implicated in a series of bombings in the United States in the 1970s that killed six people and injured many more According to press accounts and FBI investigative files Ojeda returned to Puerto Rico in the mid-1970s and helped to organize the Ejército Popular Boricua also known as the “Macheteros” (Cane-Cutters) Ojeda was the leader of and spokesman for the Macheteros The publicly stated goal of the Macheteros is to obtain the independence of Puerto Rico by armed struggle against the United States government The FBI considers the Macheteros to be a terrorist organization A timeline of major events in the history of the Macheteros is provided in Figure 1 The Macheteros have claimed responsibility for various acts of violence in Puerto Rico as part of their armed struggle These acts included the murder of a police officer in Naguabo members of Macheteros attacked a United States Navy bus the Macheteros attacked four sailors from the U.S.S The Macheteros have also claimed responsibility for numerous bombings in Puerto Rico the Macheteros conducted eight bomb attacks against various federal facilities across Puerto Rico the organization used bombs to destroy nine U.S fighter aircraft at the Muniz Air National Guard Base in Carolina the Macheteros bombed three separate buildings of the Puerto Rico Electric Company the Macheteros fired a Light Anti-Tank Weapon (commonly called a LAW rocket) into the U.S the Macheteros fired a LAW rocket into a building that housed the U.S Marshals Service and other federal agencies in Old San Juan The Macheteros have conducted robberies to finance their activities including the theft of $7.1 million from a Wells Fargo facility in West Hartford The Wells Fargo robbery was one of the largest bank robberies in U.S the FBI conducted a large-scale operation in Puerto Rico to arrest Ojeda and other alleged members of the Macheteros in connection with the Wells Fargo robbery Because Ojeda’s conduct during the 1985 arrest operation was a significant factor in the FBI’s planning for the September 2005 arrest we will describe the 1985 arrest in detail According to contemporaneous FBI accounts of the incident a team of San Juan FBI and HRT agents converged on the apartment in Luquillo occupied by Ojeda and his wife at that time One of the agents made loud announcements in Spanish and English identifying the agents and declaring the FBI’s intention to execute an arrest and search warrant The knocking and announcements continued for several minutes without a response from inside the apartment The agents made a forced entry at 6:08 a.m Ojeda fired several shots at the agents from a position at the top of a staircase inside the apartment One of the shots ricocheted and struck an agent The injured agent was evacuated and the other agents took cover Ojeda fired more shots in rapid succession down the stairs and threatened to shoot anyone who attempted to climb them who demanded that the “leader of the FBI” come to the scene Ojeda agreed to allow his wife to leave the apartment The agents continued to urge Ojeda to surrender and instructed him to put his weapons down before descending the stairs Ojeda appeared at the base of the stairs holding a pistol in his left hand and an Uzi shoulder weapon in his right hand The agents instructed him in Spanish and English to drop his weapons The shot struck Ojeda’s pistol and knocked it from his hand Ojeda dropped the Uzi and was subdued by the agents Ojeda represented himself in his 1989 trial in Puerto Rico on the charge of assaulting the FBI officers during the arrest operation, arguing self defense. He was acquitted by a jury.14 Ojeda was released on bond pending trial in Connecticut on charges relating to the Wells Fargo robbery. On September 23, 1990, the anniversary of “El Grito de Lares,” Ojeda cut off his electronic monitoring device and announced that he had gone back underground to continue the struggle against the government of the United States.15 In doing so he violated the conditions of his release and became a federal fugitive The United States District Court in Connecticut issued an arrest warrant the next day Ojeda was tried in absentia in Connecticut and found guilty on 14 counts related to the Wells Fargo robbery Ojeda married Elma Beatríz Rosado Barbosa (Rosado) Later Activities of the Macheteros FBI files indicate that since Ojeda became a fugitive in 1990 the Macheteros have claimed credit for one act of violence: the detonation of an explosive device causing damage at the super aqueduct in Arecibo Ojeda has periodically been interviewed by members of the print and electronic media in Puerto Rico and his recorded speeches have been played at pro-independence rallies in these statements Ojeda has reiterated that the Macheteros remain active as an organization and has continued to advocate an “armed struggle” for Puerto Rican independence Ojeda issued a letter reacting strongly to an FBI “wanted” advertisement that included a photograph of his wife Ojeda described the Macheteros as “indestructible” and urged supporters to send him the names of FBI agents in Puerto Rico for future publication II.   The FBI Locates Ojeda in Hormigueros The Ojeda arrest operation was the culmination of a major investigative effort by the San Juan FBI that was led by Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Luis Fraticelli Shortly after becoming SAC for the San Juan FBI in April 2004 Fraticelli made the apprehension of Ojeda a major priority Fraticelli told the OIG that when he arrived in Puerto Rico the San Juan FBI had assigned the equivalent of about 1.6 full-time agents to the Macheteros investigation the San Juan FBI formed a Domestic Terrorism group the Domestic Terrorism Squad was staffed with 11 Special Agents and two Task Force Agents from the Police of Puerto Rico The Domestic Terrorism Squad was utilizing the entire San Juan FBI Special Operations Group (SOG) for surveillance of suspected Macheteros and other associates of Ojeda and the other fugitives the San Juan FBI agents concluded as a result of their investigation that Ojeda and his wife were likely living in a house located on a rural hillside in Hormigueros on the west side of the island of Puerto Rico (See Figure 2 – Map of Puerto Rico.) The FBI’s investigation also revealed the existence of a second house further up the hill on a dirt road Although the first house was considered the most likely location for Ojeda the San Juan FBI agents considered the possibility that the second house might also be associated with him The San Juan FBI designated the first house “House 1” or “Site 1,” and the second house “House 2” or “Site 2.” the San Juan FBI had not seen Ojeda at either house The San Juan FBI became concerned that the remote location and rugged terrain would make it difficult to confirm Ojeda’s presence at either of these houses using conventional surveillance techniques III.   The Request for the Assistance of the Hostage Rescue Team SAC Fraticelli told the OIG that the San Juan FBI was concerned that Ojeda would likely shoot it out with the FBI again and that Ojeda might use grenades or explosives He stated that the HRT had special expertise in dealing with such situations FBI Executive Assistant Director Grant Ashley who oversaw the division of which HRT is a part approved the San Juan FBI’s request for HRT assistance IV.   Background on the Hostage Rescue Team and the Critical Incident Response Group The HRT is a component of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), which was established to facilitate the “FBI’s rapid response to, and the management of, crisis incidents” by integrating tactical and investigative resources and expertise.18 Crisis incidents include terrorist activities CIRG is comprised of three branches: Operations Support and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime planning and oversight” during HRT deployments The Tactical Helicopter Unit provides aviation support Each squad has an Assault Team and a Sniper-Observer Team The squads rotate through three 60-day cycles of mission HRT trains for an array of missions in varied environments The specialized training includes hostage rescue and barricaded subjects V.   The HRT Advance Team Reconnaissance and Assessment HRT deployed an advance team to Puerto Rico to conduct reconnaissance and assessment regarding the proposed operation to locate and apprehend Ojeda The advance team included five agents from HRT and the Operations and Training Unit who later participated in the operation The advance team received a briefing from the San Juan FBI on September 15 regarding the history and current status of the FBI’s Macheteros investigation The briefing was conducted with a PowerPoint presentation that included biographical information about Ojeda and his criminal history a description of the physical environment where the operation would take place several pieces of recent intelligence obtained by the San Juan FBI concerning Ojeda’s wife and the target residences aerial photographs of the target residences and surrounding area Fraticelli stated during the briefing that the purpose of the operation was to conduct surveillance on the residences believed to be occupied by Ojeda and his wife and if Ojeda’s presence was established the advance team met with senior San Juan FBI management and several San Juan FBI agents and analysts to discuss the team’s observations from the survey as well as specific issues about the proposed mission including the sniper-observer team’s likely infiltration point and the duration the team could remain inserted Fraticelli decided to proceed with the operation using HRT resources VI.   Information Regarding the Neighbors One of the FBI’s most significant concerns about the operation was the San Juan FBI agents’ belief that the neighborhood surrounding the targeted residences was populated by Macheteros sympathizers Fraticelli told the OIG that this belief was based on the fact that a known member of the Macheteros owned the property on which the target residences were located and on the assumption that Ojeda would be hiding among people sympathetic to his cause Fraticelli stated that the possible presence of Macheteros sympathizers increased the risk of compromise and presented a potential security problem during any attempted arrest of Ojeda Several members of the HRT advance team told us that they recalled agents from the San Juan FBI expressing concern about sympathizers during the advance team’s visit, and that the advance team factored it into its assessment of the proposed mission. For example, SA Peter,21 the sniper-observer team leader told us that the combination of the residences he observed during the site survey relatively close to the target residence taken together with the concern about Macheteros sympathizers that was identified by the San Juan FBI were among the reasons he placed high importance on the sniper-observer team avoiding compromise the concern regarding the threat posed by potential sympathizers figured prominently in the planning of the operation and was a critical factor affecting the tactical decision-making as the operation unfolded VII.   The Operations Plans The final CONOP for the Ojeda operation was signed by SAC Fraticelli on September 21 although the elements of the plan had already been briefed to the HRT and San Juan FBI agents involved in the operation on September 20 The CONOP described the planned operation and the specific roles of HRT personnel and some San Juan FBI agents The CONOP called for HRT agents from two different Squads (Red and Gold) to make up the teams of sniper-observers and assaulters for the Ojeda operation In preparing for the operation, HRT gave color designations to the four sides of the Site 1 house. As shown in Figure 4, facing the house, the front side was designated “White,” the left side was designated “Green,” the right side was designated “Red,” and the rear side of the house was designated “Black.”23 The CONOP specified two critical phases of the operation: a surveillance phase involving the infiltration of a team of HRT sniper-observers with the objective of confirming Ojeda’s presence at Site 1 The CONOP provided that during the surveillance phase a team of six HRT sniper-observers would infiltrate the area of Site 1 by foot and establish surveillance of the residence with emphasis on collecting an image of Ojeda for transmission to the San Juan FBI in order to confirm his identity The sniper-observers would also collect other information relevant to a potential arrest operation such as determining the presence of vehicles and identifying the location and composition of “breach points” where the arresting agents could enter the house The CONOP also called for a Quick Reaction Force to be made up of HRT assaulters and San Juan FBI agents in 3 vehicles for each 12-hour shift during the surveillance phase The Quick Reaction Force would be stationed at a location a short (8-10 minute) drive from Site 1 The function of the Quick Reaction Force would be to extract the sniper-observers in the event of compromise and to be prepared for arrest contingencies the San Juan FBI Special Operations Group was assigned to provide vehicle surveillance at “choke points” where vehicles leaving from or coming to the residence were likely to pass the second critical phase of the operation would be the arrest phase The CONOP stated that: “[b]ased on the information to date appears to be the most likely arrest methods.” The CONOP did not provide any more detailed description of the arrest phase plans because specific plans would depend in large part on the results of the surveillance phase a separate Course of Action outline was generated by the Operations and Training Unit around the time the CONOP was finalized and was used to brief the agents for the operation This outline detailed various scenarios and contingencies for arresting Ojeda Course of Action #1 provided that if Ojeda was seen at the residence but did not leave the first course of action would be to wait for him to leave and conduct a vehicle stop and the second course of action would be to plan for a deliberate assault on the residence HRT Deputy Commander Steve24 told the OIG that HRT’s preference and primary focus was to make the arrest outside of the residence such as in a vehicle stop while Ojeda was leaving or approaching the residence Steve said that HRT hoped the sniper-observers would be able to report when Ojeda left the residence by car Several other HRT agents also stated that a vehicle stop was the preferred outcome and that a deliberate assault on the residence was the least favored course of action during the planning phase The San Juan FBI prepared a Surveillance Operation Plan for the Ojeda operation It cross-referenced the CONOP but provided additional details regarding the planned functions of various San Juan FBI personnel The Surveillance Operations Plan assigned various agents from the San Juan FBI to such post-arrest tasks as transporting Ojeda to Miami The Surveillance Operations Plan referenced a separate San Juan FBI SWAT Operations Plan but it appears that no such additional plan was ever prepared Both the CONOP and the San Juan FBI Surveillance Operation Plan summarized the DOJ Deadly Force Policy and stated that this policy would be in effect for the Ojeda operation As discussed in more detail in Chapter Five of this report that DOJ law enforcement officers may use deadly force “only when necessary when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person.” Consideration of the Surround and Call-Out Option and the San Juan FBI Surveillance Plan did not address a scenario in which the FBI would surround the Site 1 residence and call for Ojeda to surrender even as a least preferred course of action Fraticelli told the OIG that he wanted to avoid a standoff or barricaded subject scenario because he was concerned that Macheteros sympathizers would assemble near the scene in large numbers and that it would be difficult to control the situation Fraticelli told the OIG that he discussed the question of surrounding the residence with HRT Deputy Commander Steve who reminded him that during the 1985 arrest of Ojeda the FBI’s approach was to surround him and call for his surrender but that Ojeda responded by firing an automatic weapon at the FBI agents Fraticelli said that in light of this experience Steve recommended that speed was the best strategy for dealing with the arrest of Ojeda Steve told the OIG that an approach of calling for Ojeda’s surrender before attempting an arrest was rejected in the planning stage because of Ojeda’s history of violent resistance to law enforcement and the Macheteros’ history of using explosives and automatic weapons Two OTU agents told the OIG that Fraticelli made it clear from the beginning that he wanted to avoid a barricaded subject situation due to Ojeda’s history of violence and the possible presence of sympathizers in the area Steve and HRT Commander Craig26 both told the OIG that during the planning phase for the operation they decided not to utilize the CIRG Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU). Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Dennis,27 the Unit Chief for CNU told us that he heard about the Puerto Rico operation on September 19 and immediately contacted Craig to ask if he needed CNU to organize a full package of negotiators to be deployed with the team Craig said he told Dennis the negotiators were not needed because the operation was primarily a reconnaissance and surveillance mission Dennis told the OIG that he advised Craig that the San Juan FBI team of negotiators was relatively inexperienced and that Craig should not rely on inexperienced negotiators with a subject like Ojeda Dennis said he accepted Craig’s decision and informed his unit Steve told us that he declined CNU’s offer because HRT did not have enough information to justify bringing a CNU negotiator to Puerto Rico and because he knew that the San Juan FBI would have its own negotiators available for that purpose Fraticelli told the OIG that although he wanted to avoid a standoff so he made arrangements for two trained negotiators from the San Juan FBI to be available during the operation Discussions Regarding El Grito de Lares El Grito de Lares (The Cry of Lares) is an annual celebration held in Puerto Rico on September 23 to commemorate the 1868 revolt in the town of Lares against Spanish rule El Grito de Lares is an important holiday in Puerto Rico particularly among Puerto Ricans favoring independence which has been likened to the Fourth of July Fraticelli told the OIG that the date of the celebration was taken into account in planning the arrest operation because the San Juan FBI received intelligence that Ojeda might leave his residence and attend the celebration in the city of Lares Fraticelli said that Ojeda had in years past provided a recorded statement that was played at the celebration Ojeda’s possible attendance at a celebration in Lares presented an opportunity for a safe arrest away from the residence if the sniper-observer team was able to establish surveillance and detect Ojeda’s departure from Site 1 Several HRT agents told us that they were made aware of the event and the intelligence suggesting Ojeda might attend These agents also said they viewed the event as an opportunity for a safe arrest Preparations for Medical Emergencies HRT’s medical coordinator drafted a Medical Annex to the CONOP He also was responsible for placing the appropriate medical equipment and supplies with the Quick Reaction Force vehicles and on one of the helicopters that the Tactical Helicopter Unit planned to bring to Puerto Rico The medical coordinator told us that fairly early in the planning he learned that Ojeda had a cardiac condition He therefore positioned most of the medical equipment with the Quick Reaction Force and placed a defibrillator – an item not usually part of the medical package – in the Quick Reaction Force’s communications vehicle The defibrillator was placed with the communications vehicle because that vehicle would remain at a fixed location The medical preparations were otherwise typical of most HRT operations the Medical Annex included important contact information and the locations and capabilities of the nearest medical facilities Centro Medico Rio Piedras and Centro Medico Mayagüez The CONOP listed the Tactical Chain of Command from the top down as SAC Fraticelli, San Juan FBI ASAC Leslie, HRT Deputy Commander Steve, and HRT Red Squad Supervisor Doug.28 HRT’s Tactical Operations Center (TOC) was equipped with a secure satellite radio system to permit communications between the TOC Communications on the satellite system could be monitored at HRT headquarters in Quantico The CONOP called for the use of two Tactical Helicopter Unit helicopters for the operation: a Bell 412 which carried a crew of three (two pilots and a tactical air officer) plus seven passengers which carried two pilots plus a maximum of three passengers on external pods Both helicopters were equipped with fast rope rigs for dropping agents quickly without landing the aircraft The CONOP did not call for using the helicopters to transport agents to the scene for an arrest operation the helicopters’ planned function was to provide medical evacuation services in case of an injury and to evacuate Ojeda quickly after he was arrested The helicopters were also intended to be available to assist in command and control by relaying information to the commander at the TOC or by transporting him in the helicopter if needed The Tactical Helicopter Unit pilots flew the helicopters from Quantico to Aguadilla The leg of the trip from Miami to Aguadilla was originally planned for September 19 which at that time was a tropical storm forming in the Caribbean VIII.   Establishment and Organization of the HRT Tactical Operations Center and the San Juan FBI            Command Post in Aguadilla an advance party from HRT traveled from Virginia to a federal facility near Aguadilla approximately 25 miles from the target residences The advance team was responsible for establishing communications systems and infrastructure for the operation and coordinating with the San Juan FBI personnel supporting the operation HRT set up a Tactical Operations Center (TOC) in two rooms on the upper floor of a residence at the facility the TOC was staffed throughout the operation by HRT Deputy Commander Steve up to three agents from the Operations and Training Unit A written log was maintained by the Intelligence Analysts and other TOC personnel throughout the operation which recorded events and precise times as the operation unfolded (the “TOC Log”) The San Juan FBI set up a Command Post on the lower floor of the same building The San Juan FBI Command Post was staffed by SAC Fraticelli who was designated second in command in the CONOP) and various agents from the San Juan FBI Domestic Terrorism Squad A separate command post was established in the FBI’s offices in San Juan under the supervision of another ASAC   The Role of the Police of Puerto Rico in the Arrest Operation One issue that became controversial in the days after the operation was the extent to which the Police of Puerto Rico (POPR) had been given advance notice of the Ojeda arrest operation We determined that although the POPR was aware that the FBI had been attempting to locate Ojeda and had provided some assistance to the FBI in this effort the POPR did not have advance notice that the FBI had located Ojeda in Hormigueros The POPR also did not receive notice of the arrest operation until after the exchange of gunfire between Ojeda and HRT agents at which time POPR officers responded to the scene and established an outer security perimeter Fraticelli told the OIG that the POPR was aware prior to the September 2005 arrest operation that San Juan FBI had been actively attempting to locate Ojeda as part of its Macheteros investigation Fraticelli told us that he learned that POPR itself had previously investigated Ojeda and the Macheteros and had provided its work file on the investigation to the FBI on February 11 Fraticelli also stated that on February 14 potential POPR support for the FBI’s Macheteros investigation Fraticelli said that he obtained Toledo ’s approval to reassign the two POPR officers working with the FBI as task force agents to the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to work specifically on the Macheteros investigation Fraticelli told the OIG that he did not advise Toledo about the arrest operation or even that the San Juan FBI believed it had located Ojeda’s residence in Hormigueros Fraticelli said he did not do so because he wanted to keep the operation secret and limit the possibility of leaks to the public Fraticelli also said that he had met with Toledo on June 11 and told Toledo that the FBI was close to locating Ojeda He said that he told Toledo that the San Juan FBI would need POPR assistance with perimeter security in any arrest operation Fraticelli said Toledo was emphatic that he did not want to know any other details but that Fraticelli should call when the POPR was needed Toledo confirmed that the FBI did not inform the POPR of the arrest operation in advance and indicated that he thought the FBI was concerned about it being leaked by the POPR Toledo acknowledged that the POPR was generally aware that the San Juan FBI was attempting to locate and capture Ojeda but he stated that “we knew nothing about Hormigueros.” In light of Ojeda’s acquittal on the assault charges we recognize that there may be accounts of Ojeda’s actions during his 1985 arrest operation that differ from the contemporaneous accounts of FBI agents involved in the operation summarized above It is beyond the scope of the OIG’s review to resolve any factual disputes relating to Ojeda’s 1985 conduct The relevance for the OIG is how the FBI’s perception of this conduct affected the decisions it made with respect to his attempted arrest in 2005 the contemporaneous accounts by FBI agents involved in the 1985 operation are the best indication of the FBI’s understanding regarding Ojeda’s conduct at that time El Grito de Lares commemorates an unsuccessful revolt in Puerto Rico against Spain in 1868 and is a holiday of great significance to advocates of Puerto Rican independence According to news accounts Finca Birán was named after the Cuban birthplace of Fidel Castro a “sniper-observer” is an agent highly trained in marksmanship Deployed sniper-observer teams are responsible for collecting and relaying intelligence about a target See the FBI’s official website (www.fbi.gov) we use pseudonyms for lower-level FBI employees We identify throughout the report when a pseudonym is first used Appendix A identifies by position the pseudonyms we use in the report We have also provided to the Department of Justice and the FBI a key containing the pseudonyms and the real names of the FBI employees According to HRT training materials the TOC is the base of operations for all HRT activity during deployments “Peter” is a pseudonym This is the format for Raid Orders recommended in the FBI’s Manual of Investigative Operations and Guidelines Section 11 (Techniques and Mechanics of Arrest) which are standard for critical incident planning in the FBI provide a uniform frame of reference for communications regarding a target location “Steve” is a pseudonym “Andy” is a pseudonym “Craig” is a pseudonym “Dennis” is a pseudonym “Leslie,” “Steve,” and “Doug” are pseudonyms Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Recreational areas are neighborhood spaces to come together and when they’re not available community participation in the recovery processes becomes more difficult their importance goes beyond hosting a sporting event and they become shelters This has been the case in recent weeks at some municipal stadiums in the southern region turned into refuges for victims of the Jan The Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI in Spanish) confirmed that the destruction and neglect of Puerto Rico’s basketball courts and parks which persists almost two and a half years after Hurricane María hinder recreational activity to the point that it affects economically the sports and recreation sector and has forced communities federations and some municipalities to scramble to substitute or rescue at their own cost these spaces for social and athletic meets People still cannot use many of these public structures because the disbursement of most of the recovery funds for repairs hasn’t happened The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides provides funds for these purposes under “parks recreational facilities and others.” $36,035,293 have been obligated in funds for 33 towns and eight government agencies for 80 projects listed under the G-category (defined as Parks and Recreation) according to the Central Office for Recovery only 16 have received some sort of disbursement for work already done: Arroyo FEMA disbursed $1,439,643 under the G-category recreational areas and other facilities,” representing 4% of the total obligation for that category said the municipal baseball park hasn’t been used since the hurricane made landfall in September 2017 entering the island through the town he manages Although it is one of the island’s leading franchises in the Puerto Rican baseball circuit the “Azucareros de Yabucoa” have been unable to play at their Félix “Nacho” Millán Stadium during the past two Double-A baseball seasons Their local games in 2018 and 2019 were played at the municipal stadium owned by their regional archrivals the stadium is a priority in terms of providing recreational facilities to Yabucoa If the stadium is in a condition that merits that it be demolished why is FEMA evaluating its spotlights and paint?” Surillo-Ruiz said As part of FEMA’s mitigation protocols, the paint on structures for which funds are being requested is evaluated to determine if it contains lead For the “Azucareros” stadium to be eligible for demolition according to FEMA rules — as Surillo hopes — the calculated damage must be 50% or more of the property value the municipality’s hands are tied with that and other projects still awaiting for the obligation of FEMA funds He fears investing money from the municipal coffers that the federal agency may not reimburse later “You need those spaces where the community meets for sports and recreation It is important to close this chapter and that children have optimal facilities for sports and healthy living,” said the mayor of Loíza a total of 18 recreational facilities are waiting to be fixed Some places have been repaired or rebuilt thanks to donations from foundations and artists such as Marc Anthony and Bad Bunny the municipality is having problems with the Miguel Fuentes Stadium home of Double-A baseball team “Los Cocoteros” de Loíza Although the municipal administration restored that facility and contributed to fixing the electronic billboard the roof and stand seats still need repair “The Department of Sports and Recreation (DRD in Spanish) told us that FEMA was close to disbursing $1.7 million for the stadium,” Nazario-Fuentes said about a meeting in which the DRD’s deputy secretary told her about the future disbursement of recovery funds the mayor said she didn’t know when that money will be available and stopped the stadium’s repair work with municipal funds after she was promised the pending disbursement of FEMA funds The DRD confirmed Figueroa’s meeting with Nazario but said he did not know when the money promised to Loíza would be disbursed claiming that the transaction depended on FEMA slow as molasses,” said the Loíza official In contrast to the uncertainty Surillo-Ruiz and Nazario Fuentes are experiencing is confident that FEMA will obligate the recovery funds corresponding to all projects included in the municipal mitigation plan Bayamón was the first municipality that got FEMA approval for its mitigation plan the municipal government made 217 damage reports including facilities that fall under the G public assistance category “It’s unlikely that the projects that are already in the system won’t receive the funds The process is slow and so all municipalities are going to repair facilities at their own speed We believe all our projects will get approved,” Rivera-Cruz told the CPI Despite not having received the disbursement of recovery funds to repair or rebuild parks and recreational facilities Bayamón allocated municipal funds and began work on the rehabilitation of some buildings Some of these projects are the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum the Vaqueros Volleyball Complex and the community sports facilities in the Valencia sector For the fiscal year in which Hurricane Maria (2017-2018) occurred Yabucoa’s annual budget was $13,672,733 The eye of the powerful hurricane made landfall exactly along the coast of Yabucoa When FEMA was asked about the possibilities that municipalities would receive a reimbursement for those recreational projects in which repair work has already begun then director of external affairs of the agency in Puerto Rico said “it will reimburse the applicants for all eligible projects they have done in eligible facilities The applicant is responsible for providing the necessary documentation to support their claim.” One of FEMA’s requirements for those requesting these recovery funds is that insurance companies pay for 50% of the cost of repair In the event that the insurance does not cover that 50% it will be up to the government or municipal applicants to pay what the insurance does not cover there may be cases in which FEMA could determined Surillo-Ruiz believes that the time it is taking FEMA to evaluate large projects coupled with the refusal of some insurance companies to honor the claims from the municipalities He assured he submitted all documents that FEMA requested for the municipality’s projects in August 2018 “FEMA is still evaluating damages in large projects It’s going to take no less than five years,” said Surillo-Ruiz although the demolition and reconstruction of the municipal baseball stadium will cost between $8 million and $10 million That figure does not comply with the 50% rule that FEMA requires so the municipality will have to find the outstanding $2 million to $4 million The case of the Yabucoa stadium is an example of the many other sports facilities in many other municipalities where insurance companies have not responded adequately Wanda Vázquez-Garced announced the creation of the $100 million State Recovery Fund Account to finance “small” FEMA G-category projects Small projects are considered to be those with an estimated cost of up to $123,100 “This involves about 120 basketball courts Municipalities will be able to launch their projects with this new account,” Vázquez-Garced said in a press conference Only those projects that are already in the cost estimate phase are eligible approximately $55 million has already been committed for the first 1,316 projects Projects such as those needed in the Double-A baseball stadiums in Yabucoa and Loíza are not eligible for these funds because they exceed the small-project limit of $123,100 !function(e,i,n,s){var t="InfogramEmbeds",d=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement("script");o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js",d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,"infogram-async"); central government agencies have requested G-category recovery funds Among them is the Department of Sports and Recreation “I have always said that the hurricane affected all of the facilities because even if it was a cyclone fence that fell over then it’s a cyclone fence that I have to fix have a fence that fell over,” said DRD Secretary Adriana Sánchez-Parés to CPI Photo by Gabriel López Albarrán | Center for Investigative Jorunalism The Secretary of the Department of Recreation and Sports Adriana Sánchez Parés said that most of the country’s sports facilities were damaged by María 191 are in the agency’s initial group needing repair only five projects have funds obligated by FEMA These projects are the Mayagüez Terrace Soccer Complex Los Alamos Urbanization in San Sebastián and the Guánica Urban Park Only the Guánica project has received the recovery funds disbursement Like municipalities and other government agencies the DRD turned to the government General Fund for money to make repairs The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has been repairing light posts in parks and community centers such as NBA basketball player José Juan Barea’s foundation This aid allowed moving ahead on repairs while FEMA evaluates the DRD’s request for recovery funds certain recreational projects for which recovery funds are requested warrant that FEMA classify them as “A&E” (architectural and engineering design) due to their complexity and specialized design undergo an inspection that seeks to ensure that the repair or reconstruction will result in a better structure than the original has improved over time because we understand each other better This process was complicated while we established working relationship among all parties They’re all processes that are required to ensure that what is claimed is hurricane related that what’s needed is being what is being requested and that it will be used for those purposes,” said Sánchez Parés In addition to the challenges the DRD is facing to repair those facilities under its management a 2018 law shifted the management of the Puerto Rico National Parks Program to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA This change of authority over the National Park Program from one agency to another was criticized by the Central Federation of Workers (FCT who claimed that the DRNA was not efficient in prioritizing the rehabilitation and repair of recreational facilities it is now overseeing “It has been the worst thing that has happened to workers in recent years,” said FCT President Juan Cortés-Valle referring to the transfer of the DRD program to the DRNA former DRNA Secretary Tania Vázquez ignored employee requests to restore recreational spaces small inns (paradores) and the Cavernas del Río Camuy park “She (Vázquez) had no initiatives for the parks program to bounce back after Hurricane María What they want is for the program to eventually fail ,” said Cortés-Valle who suggested that government neglect responds to an agenda to privatize some of those very attractive recreational facilities Vázquez stepped down from the DRNA and the Environmental Quality Board in October amid accusations of irregularities in the contracting practices at both agencies “Actually the area that the National Parks Program covers is so specialized and so different that there will never be an agency that you can say ‘this is the only and most appropriate one to manage and oversee the national parks’” in response to the question of whether the transfer of the national parks to the DRNA was a wise decision “While it’s true that the nature of the public beaches is recreational and one could say that the Department of Sports and Recreation is the most ideal there is an environmental aspect of beach cleaning (and) maintenance that must go through the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources the appropriate [agency] is Natural Resources It also has an area related to vacation accommodations so you would say that [the Tourism Company] should handle it,” he said community and recreational leaders regret that the delay in recovery limits opportunities for young people leisure They mentioned the baseball field and park next to El Coquí Middle School on route PR-3 if the government removes what was left of the roof after the hurricane — which is the dangerous part of that sports complex as the CPI confirmed during a visit — the neighbors would assume the responsibility of removing the branches and debris from the basketball court and the baseball park grounds to use the facilities View of the indoor court next to El Coquí Middle School in Salinas you can’t play sports in that park that was mostly used for little leagues and softball This year we couldn’t play because the park is closed FEMA closed the El Coquí basketball court and it can’t be used It has to be demolished,” said Josué Clausell a member of the Jobos Bay Eco-development Initiative (IDEBAJO Danner and Clausell claims have been presented to government authorities and go hand in hand with recreational and sports community self-management strategies aware that they cannot depend on the arrival of recovery funds for their projects Danner has led a women’s volleyball project for girls and teenagers He currently runs an academy with 10 teams that play at the Las Margaritas community facilities The recreational leader stressed that the value of his project is to provide opportunities for teenagers What is being done here (in Salinas) at the sports facilities is for adults but just the ones used by adults,” Danner said His efforts have not been exempted from FEMA’s requirements for the use of the basketball court in Las Margaritas “An engineer had to go to the community to certify why FEMA did not want us there because the roof was bent The Mayor (Karilyn Bonilla-Colón) told us that the situation is that FEMA does not want to repair it; it wants it removed and re-installed,” said Danner who also explained that the federal agency allowed them to use the court but it must be monitored “daily,” in case any damage comes up that threatens the safety of the players and the public Community sport is not the only one hurt by the ravages of María have had to manage to keep athletics as a viable activity the Criollos de Caguas team in the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League held their local games at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan In the past two seasons they used the Gurabo municipal stadium given the delicate condition of the Solá Morales Stadium in Caguas The Caguas municipal government is currently working on repairing this facility The municipal administration aspires to have it ready in October 2020 The repair work is being done with a $5 million budget using municipal funds seven other Double-A Baseball League franchises will not be able to play in their municipal stadiums during the 2020 season that begins Feb The towns facing the same challenge are Peñuelas which plays at a smaller stadium in the town’s Candelero Arriba sector; San Lorenzo which played in Gurabo and will move to Juncos in 2020; Hatillo Sabana Grande and Guayanilla currently serve as shelters for people affected by the past month’s earthquakes one of the biggest challenges has been to coordinate games and training sessions in stadiums that are used by more than one team “It brought up the logistics of how to coordinate the games so that they don’t clash with each other There are times when they do bump into each other and we have to move the team that’s using another stadium to look for another one at least for that day to solve the situation It has to be a stadium where Double-A baseball is played This is semi-professional baseball and requires things that not all stadiums have,” said Pedro Vargas executive director of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation The logistics problem is compounded by the commercial aspect because it complicates the sale of billboard spaces in the case of teams that don’t have their own stadium “That has created problems because the people of that town that’s playing in another (stadium) and that’s often the complaint of the sponsors You’re not seeing some of the billboards,” said Vargas about the problem that has caused economic losses to franchise owners This situation forces to hold the games during the day Such is the case of the Manuel González Stadium in Salinas and the Pedro Román Stadium in Manati When describing the case of Los Montañeses de Utuado Vargas said “the people of Utuado and other towns had trouble getting to Jayuya because of road conditions People complained that the double game ended at 5:30 p.m Despite the geographical proximity, a trip between Utuado and Jayuya included, up until a few months ago, unlit roads and the absence of bridges that collapsed due to Hurricane María. Such was the case of the bridge on Ribas Dominicci Avenue on road PR-111. This structure connects the two towns and was reopened two years after its closure Photo by Leandro Fabrizi Ríos | Center for Investigative Journalism Salinas community leaders say some sports facilities In its report “Toward a fair recovery,” the NGO Puerto Rico Legal Aid states that the right to decent housing includes “having a safe with adequate access to essential services and community.” member of IDEBAJO and partner of Puerto Rico Legal Aid on the issue of fair recovery believes that athletics must be seen as a fundamental activity in the promotion of these essential services and community life there are young people focused and training because they have places to go and they have people in the community who are dedicated to offering those possibilities that otherwise wouldn’t be there But we’ve been approached by young people that have told us that as long as they don’t fix the basketball court and there are no recreational activities they ‘will be completely bored.’ In my experience They look for something to do,” warned Thomas He described the athletic and recreational activity as “a dynamic of being among young people and establishing relationships that will remain in the community in the long-run Many of the relationships I still have are with people I played basketball with.” the executive director of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation stressed the importance of sport in strengthening people’s sense of belonging to their communities and towns reviving the people’s pride and the local economy were the reasons for his organization to carry out the 2018 edition of the Double-A baseball season despite the precarious state of the sports infrastructure “We lowered the price of the tickets so that people could go Because we believed that despite the economic situation people were going through and we believed the people from those towns deserved a break within the situation and that they could go to see the games The players made sacrifices too,” Vargas said about the 2018 season Díaz Torres is a member of Report for America Si tiene una solicitud de investigación, queja, aclaración, ‘orejita’, prueba, inquietud, u observación sobre alguna información publicada por el Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, escriba al correo electrónico [email protected] Puerto Rico – A Puerto Rican nationalist wanted in a 1983 robbery of an armored truck in Connecticut was shot and killed by FBI agents in a shootout ending the fugitive’s 15 years on the run fired on the agents Friday from a farmhouse in the western Puerto Rican town of Hormigueros the special agent in charge of the FBI for the U.S “He opened the front door of his house and opened fire on the agents,” Fraticelli said at a news conference amid protests from pro-independence Puerto Ricans who accused the FBI of mishandling the arrest “We went to arrest him but when the gunfire started we had to defend ourselves,” he said The agents waited until midday Saturday to enter the farmhouse because they were unsure if there were explosives inside who had been staking out the farmhouse for four days waited for a team trained in detecting explosives to arrive from Virginia Fraticelli said the FBI tried to persuade Ojeda Rios to surrender but negotiations fell apart He said the nationalist had demanded that a reporter be present fearing the journalist could be taken hostage The armored car robbery of 22 years ago is considered an act of domestic terrorism because the money was used to fund activities by the Puerto Rican nationalist Macheteros Only about $80,000 of the $7 million has been recovered Ojeda Rios had been on the run since 1990 when he cut off an electronic monitoring bracelet and went into hiding while awaiting trial for the robbery of $7.2 million of the Wells Fargo depot in West Hartford Ojeda Rios was convicted in absentia in 1992 on charges of robbery conspiracy and transportation of stolen money and sentenced to 55 years in prison The FBI agents also arrested Ojeda Rios’ wife She was released without charge Saturday evening from a federal prison outside the capital of San Juan Puerto Ricans who have argued for decades about their island’s relationship with the United States were unified in criticizing the FBI’s handling of the arrest “I always said that when they went to arrest him they would have to kill him,” said Juan Mari Bras Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy We have detected that you are using an Adblock browser plugin to disable ads from loading on our website The revenue earned from advertising enables us to provide the quality content you are trying to reach on this website you can support the site by subscribing to the premium package which in turn will not only stop the ads from appearing on the site but also enable you to get many other additional benefits Weather of Arabia - Hurricane Fiona hit parts of Puerto Rico today leading to power outages in several areas and the occurrence of landslides and widespread flooding as the storm moved west towards the Dominican Republic while President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on the American island The entire island of Puerto Rico is without power as Hurricane #Fiona slams into the island with violent winds over 100 mph and catastrophic flooding Now nearly the entire island is under a flash flood warning A historically dangerous day. pic.twitter.com/7KA0Umyb0L — Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) September 18, 2022 “It's completely under water.” Puerto Rican pilot Carlos Benitez says as he flies over the town of Toa Baja a municipality that sits along the northern coast of the island Puerto Rico's national guard says, so far, 1,000 people have been rescued from floodwaters. #fiona pic.twitter.com/nzu6oqCmBm — Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) September 19, 2022 In addition to the complete power outage for the 3.3 million people living on the Caribbean island some health centers running on generators were also affected The health minister said the electrical systems at the San Juan hospital complex have since been restored The category 1 storm hit with strong winds (140 km/h) but one person was killed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe when his home was swept away by floods Ports in Puerto Rico were closed and flights from the island's main airport were cancelled Many roads were also closed and a highway bridge was washed away by floods in Ottoado in the central mountainous region of the island #Huracan #Fiona Imagenes del colapso de un puente en desde puerto rico. pic.twitter.com/sVAql5dEX6 — (@EarthquakeChil1) September 18, 2022 — David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 18, 2022 — Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) September 19, 2022 Puerto Rico's governor said schools and government agencies will remain closed on Monday Pedro Berluisi urged residents to seek shelter as soon as possible Siguen los rescates en Hormigueros, al oeste de PR. La cantidad de lluvia es histórica…y no se detiene. #Fiona pic.twitter.com/S3jGFToYA6 — Manuel Crespo (@manuelcrespotv) September 19, 2022 Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico only five years after Hurricane Maria - the worst in the island's history - which caused widespread destruction where electricity was restored to only about 10% of the population three weeks after the disaster Heavy rain and mudslides are also expected in the Dominican Republic as the hurricane advances to the northwest and parts of the southeastern Bahamas are also likely to be affected by early Tuesday Hurricane Fiona is the third of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season and is expected to become a Category 3 or higher storm -- in about 48 hours The Bahamian government has issued a tropical storm warning for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Climate Report: The Collapse of the Arctic Index and Its Impact on Weather Events in the Arab World and the World Severe tornadoes and floods threaten several states in the coming days Rain chances forecast for tonight and weather conditions for tomorrow Search and rescue teams in the Southern Region found the bodies of a Belgian mother and her son who went missing due to floods in Shobak District yesterday Download the app to receive weather notifications and more. 2024 16:09h.Share iconAn curved arrow pointing right.CompartirFacebook El nuevo juego de Microids nos ayuda a entender lo duro que es ser una hormiga exploración y estrategia en tiempo real en nuestras patas Microids es la encargada de resucitar esta propuesta y lo hace con un juego que no escatima en ambición Su objetivo es ofrecer una experiencia prácticamente fotorrealista en la que sintamos de verdad que estamos en un grupo de hormigas y que un simple bosque supone todo un universo plagado de desafíos y peligros La jugabilidad de Empire of the Ants empieza de manera sencilla Nosotros manejamos siempre a la hormiga 103.683 (con miles de hijas no querréis que la reina se invente un nombre para cada una una veterana del hormiguero que es de las primeras en despertar cuando llega la primera El bosque aún está comenzando a llenarse de vida tras el invierno buscar recursos y comunicarnos con nuestras hermanas para hacer que este reino de hormigas prospere y esté preparado para los peligros que puedan venir solo tenemos que manejar a 103.683 mientras explora un poco el territorio más cercano Podemos dejar pulsado el botón de salto para que la hormiga se propulse bastante lejos nuestro personaje se adhiere automáticamente a cualquier superficie aunque esté en posición vertical o incluso boca abajo puede que os lleve un tiempo acostumbraros al control cuando vais andando en vertical y hacia abajo o cuando os toque moveros por un techo si bien el mapa nos presentará diferentes oportunidades desde hallar a otras hormigas con las que hablar objetos "sorprendentes" (desde un balón de fútbol a una moneda) para investigar y catalogar o incluso rastros de feromonas que nos cuenten qué sucedió un tiempo atrás allí La exploración juega un papel importante en el desarrollo y suele ir acompañada de bastante plataformeo un pequeño charco supone un enemigo mortal por lo que ajustar bien los saltos de un tallo a otro acabará siendo muy importante calcular el salto con precisión os puede dar más de un dolor de cabeza también nos encontramos con otros seres vivos nos tocará cazar luciérnagas para obtener algo de sustento.. tenemos un momento de interludio en el que explorar y buscar tareas secundarias seremos transportados automáticamente al sitio de la misma y tendremos que cumplir la tarea que toque para que la historia avance Hasta ahora hemos visto una parte más "inofensiva" pero hay misiones en las que la aventura se transforma por completo en un juego de estrategia en tiempo real el objetivo suele ser defender nuestro hormiguero de otros atacantes aunque a veces seremos nosotros los que invadamos terreno ajeno para expandir nuestro reino Si bien en estos tramos mantendremos el control sobre 103.683 nuestro objetivo será comandar las diferentes "legiones" a nuestra disposición y mejorar nuestros efectivos desde el hormiguero con órdenes sencillas a base de señalar un lugar y pulsar un gatillo tenemos a las cabezonas hormigas guerreras que son más lentas pero muy agresivas; también podemos contar con unidades más pequeñas capaces de lanzar proyectiles o incluso a las eficaces obreras Cada unidad es efectiva contra otra y vulnerable contra la restante por lo que mantener un equilibrio de "piedra-papel-tijeras" es la clave para hacerse con la victoria podemos usar feromonas para volvernos más rápidos o agresivos y también podemos sacrificar comida a cambio de crear más rápido nuevas unidades Habrá que tomar decisiones rápidas en torno a dónde mandar a cada grupo de hormigas pero también acerca de cómo ir mejorando los hormigueros: podemos crear laboratorios que den con mejores fórmulas de defensa aumentar la eficacia de nuestras tropas o hasta aprender a colocar palos y baba para que el acceso a los hormigueros sea más complicado hasta el punto de que existe un modo multijugador online centrado solo en eso Podremos crear batallas de un hormiguero contra otro de tres bandos o una experiencia personalizada donde decidamos el terreno o las condiciones climatológicas Y es que el tiempo atmosférico será también crucial La aventura comenzará en primavera y por la mañana pero iremos avanzando por las estaciones y por momentos tramos del día No hay ciclo día-noche que vaya mutando en tiempo real sino que el momento del día será específico para cada misión Todo esto afectará a la dificultad de la misión: cuantas más inclemencias meteorológicas haya En la noche también podremos ver otras criaturas y la visión será más complicada aunque la hormiga tiene un "modo visión nocturna" que nos permite avanzar con una idea tan sencilla como presenciar la vida de un hormiguero se crea una aventura que por momentos es bastante emocionante: entablaremos amistades con otros hormigueros habrá misterios sobre catástrofes naturales.. Buena parte de la capacidad de atraparnos está en el llamativo despliegue gráfico Gracias a las mejoras de iluminación de Unreal Engine 5 vemos el mundo de las hormigas con unos efectos de luz desenfoques o detalle visual que asombran en los primeros compases de partida Movernos con nuestra hormiga junto a toda clase de insectos (recreados en sus movimientos y aspecto con una fidelidad que llega a dar algo de asquete Los entornos por los que nos movemos son pequeños pero eso ayuda a que realmente parezca que estamos mirando un bosque con una lupa: hojas Las texturas presentan una resolución muy alta y la propia resolución del juego también está por encima de 1080p pero es cierto que la fluidez gráfica se queda estancada en los 30 fps ya que no hay opción de elegir entre modo Calidad o Rendimiento Eso sí, en Tower Five, los creadores del juego, aseguran que el juego estará optimizado en PS5 Pro e irá a 60 fps estables la recreación del mundo tiene un enorme nivel de detalle lo cual demuestra cómo los desarrolladores han realizado escaneos 3D de entornos reales de los bosques de Francia y han dedicado tiempo a reproducir cada pata cada pelo de los "personajes" que aquí se nos presentan El objetivo es presentarnos una experiencia lo más realista posible (inspirada en el libro homónimo de Bernard Werber) aunque lógicamente se han tenido que tomar algunas "licencias" para que la jugabilidad tuviera sentido: las hormigas hablan entre ellas pero nos da que una hormiga normal no salta como 103.683 el apartado sonoro busca que nos sintamos del tamaño de una hormiga: cuando una abeja pasa a nuestro lado suena casi como el motor de un avión y las propias conversaciones de las hormigas (con subtítulos en castellano) se representan con unos inquietantes crujidos Cada pasito de nuestra heroína suena también para que sintamos cómo nos desplazamos a toda pastilla con muchos instrumentos de viento y cuerda para meternos en situación Empire of the Ants es una experiencia quizá menos ambiciosa en lo jugable que otras pero muy satisfactoria en lo que concierne a hacernos "sentir" que somos una hormiga Ver a nuestras hermanas llevando los alimentos en hilera sentir la tensión cuando se acerca un depredador.. Es muy interesante sumergirnos en el ciclo de la vida VALORACIÓN: Un equipo pequeño y una protagonista minúscula ha conseguido una experiencia grande pero que consigue enganchar a base de sencillas propuestas.LO MEJOR: Su detallada y hermosa recreación de la naturaleza La forma en que nos "pica" a explorar y conocer más.LO PEOR: Calcular los saltos o movernos boca abajo puede ser algo confuso y frustrante a veces.Plataformas: Conoce cómo trabajamos en HobbyConsolas Los zoocriaderos gozan en Venezuela del mismo estatus que los zoológicos y los acuarios y son cruciales para el rescate y la conservación de fauna silvestre Pero estos establecimientos podrían estar sirviendo para el tráfico ilícito de animales algunos de ellos vulnerables a la extinción Un caso prominente es el de Inversiones Alazán GAC C.A comercializa fuera del país un abultado número de especies Impidamos que el país se convierta en un desierto informativo Un ruido animal: eso fue lo que escucharon los dos agentes de la Policía Nacional Bolivariana del estado Portuguesa cuando se acercaron a auxiliar a un camión cava detenido a un costado de la autopista José Antonio Páez Ordenaron al piloto y al copiloto que abrieran la puerta posterior del vehículo Cuando apuntaron al interior con las linternas la sorpresa no pudo ser mayor.  El cargamento estaba conformado por 62 animales silvestres: nueve loros reales; 31 guacamayas (cuatro cara seca un rey zamuro y dos osos hormigueros gigantes o palmeros.  Los 62 animales silvestres viajaban dentro de 11 cajas de madera y tres cajones sellados con orificios en un recorrido de más de 800 kilómetros por carretera equivalentes a unas 13 horas dentro de la cabina posterior de un camión sin ventilación.  junto al rey zamuro y las guacamayas bandera y roja forman parte de la lista oficial de los animales vedados para la cacería los dos policías nacionales de Portuguesa no sospechaban que habían descubierto el primer eslabón de una presunta cadena internacional de tráfico de fauna silvestre que involucra a una empresa privada y a las autoridades en materia ambiental en Venezuela El tráfico de fauna silvestre en Venezuela es una de las mayores amenazas a la diversidad biológica de uno de los 10 países con mayor biodiversidad del planeta, alertan organizaciones ambientales Se trata del cuarto comercio ilícito global más grande después del narcotráfico la trata de personas y los productos falsificados según la Oficina de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE acrónimo de Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (Homeland Security) de Estados Unidos.  “El motor central del tráfico ilegal de animales silvestres radica en la demanda” reza la reciente campaña de la organización conservacionista Provita Y es cierto: en el mercado negro internacional aumentan las solicitudes de especies vivas para venderlas como mascotas exóticas así como la demanda de sus subproductos como pieles El Observatorio Venezolano de Derechos Humanos Ambientales (Ovdha) alerta sobre el creciente tráfico ilegal de fauna silvestre. En su informe de abril de 2022 la organización examina las razones de este fenómeno: por un lado la crisis humanitaria compleja lleva a las personas a capturar y vender animales silvestres como medio de subsistencia y está el aumento de la demanda de grupos criminales organizados con conexión internacional que se enriquecen con el negocio del transporte y comercialización de especies “En Venezuela no se conoce la verdadera magnitud del tráfico de especies porque la data prácticamente no existe Pero hay evidencias de que sí ocurre y es creciente Constituye un problema global que se ha convertido en una de las principales causas de destrucción de especies decomisados en Portuguesa en octubre de 2022 provenían de la Finca La Birmania Iban a ser trasladados hasta al Aeropuerto Internacional Simón Bolívar de Maiquetía el decomiso del camión y la detención de los tripulantes se destapó un cúmulo de irregularidades que contribuyen al “desequilibrio y amenazas a la supervivencia de especies” según reza la Ley de Protección a la fauna silvestre a la que apeló el Ministerio Público.  La guía de movilización de los animales firmada por la Dirección de Diversidad Biológica del Minec que mostraron los conductores a los policías y fiscales ambientales de Portuguesa no concordaba con la cantidad de especies transportadas Como credenciales adicionales, Edixon Arana portaba sendos carnés de empleado del Zoocriadero Alazán y del Instituto Nacional de Parques (Inparques) Sólo cinco guacamayas rojas llevaban los reglamentarios anillos identificativos con el nombre de Zoocriadero Alazán. Los 57 animales restantes no portaban ninguna marca de identificación que el Minec asigna de acuerdo a la especie sometida al plan de manejo y aprovechamiento comercial.  Ante la inexistencia de instrumentos identificatorios el técnico ambiental del Ministerio Público encargado del caso determinó que el loro real los animales serían producto de la caza furtiva y debían ser asumidos como contrabando.  celebrada el 21 de octubre de 2022 en un tribunal de Acarigua -junto a su ciudad gemela de Araure Arana y Carpio fueron imputados por los delitos de Caza Ilícita y Contrabando Agravado en la modalidad de Extracción de la Fauna Silvestre contemplados en la Ley Penal del Ambiente y Ley de Contrabando Cada delito implica penas de tres a cinco años de cárcel A ambos empleados del Zoocriadero Alazán le dictaron medidas cautelares sustitutivas de libertad bajo régimen de presentación ante el tribunal cada 30 días Venezuela exportó 34.883 ejemplares de fauna silvestre por un valor de 646.553 dólares Pero se trata de un subregistro; “la verdadera cifra es aún mayor" alertan expertos que prefieren mantener su nombre en reserva Venezuela es uno de los 170 países que suscribieron el Convenio Cites (Convención sobre el Comercio Internacional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora Silvestres) en 1973 como mecanismo para combatir el tráfico de especies en el mundo El sistema registra las especies que cada país miembro exporta e importa según el grado de vulnerabilidad y amenaza de peligro de extinción La supervisión en Venezuela corresponde a la Dirección de Diversidad Biológica del Ministerio de Ecosocialismo (Minec) La “mercancía animal” incautada en Portuguesa pertenecía al Centro de Cría de Especies de Fauna Silvestre y Exótica Alazán representado por Inversiones Alazán GAC C.A empresa privada registrada en 2017 en Táchira que estableció una “alianza comercial” con el Minec según el expediente que maneja el Ministerio Público sobre este caso En sus apariciones públicas y reseñas de la prensa oficialista no se detalla en qué consiste este acuerdo entre un privado y el Estado con aparentes intenciones conservacionistas.  Mientras las investigaciones del Ministerio Público siguen abiertas se sumó otro indicador del posible incumplimiento de las normativas ambientales para comercializar la fauna silvestre por parte de Inversiones Alazán GAC la Corte de Apelaciones del Tribunal de Control 3 del estado Portuguesa admitió la petición de paralizar de manera temporal el zoocriadero de Táchira para que la empresa demuestre la procedencia lícita de las especies y la aplicación de los parámetros adecuados para su venta El reclamo fue presentado cinco meses antes por las fiscales ambientales Wilmar del Valle Galindez Meléndez y Maritza del Carmen Lugo basándose en el artículo 8 de la Ley Penal del Ambiente Se solicitó una versión a las fiscales ambientales de Portuguesa Willmar Galindez y Maritza del Carmen Lugo Hasta el cierre de la edición no se había recibido respuesta.  Tras las imputaciones por contrabando y caza ilícita Inversiones Alazán GAC mantiene sus operaciones como si los señalamientos por la incautación in fraganti de las 62 especies en Portuguesa nunca hubiesen ocurrido ha recibido el reconocimiento presidencial por parte de Nicolás Maduro que el propio mandatario conduce todos los lunes para hablar de las bondades del programa de conservación del caimán del Orinoco en alianza con el Minec quien fue presentado como “especialista” y “doctor” del Zoocriadero Alazán explicó detalles del proceso de incubación de los cocodrilos venezolanos Con manos enguantadas tomó un pequeño reptil de seis meses y le implantó con una inyección un microchip que permite rastrearlo en ambientes naturales yo voy a hacer sufrir a este animalito… No se pongan a inventar La imputación por los delitos de contrabando agravado y caza ilícita tampoco detuvo las actividades de la finca La Birmania Se ubica a unos 190 kilómetros de San Cristóbal en una zona boscosa de Los Andes suroccidentales a la que no resulta fácil llegar por el estado de la carretera con el nombre de Zoocriadero Alazán y con un logo que incorpora el dibujo de una guacamaya sobre una herradura y las ocho estrellas de la bandera nacional despeja las dudas sobre lo que opera en el lugar Habitantes de la vecina población de Abejales dijeron que nunca han logrado entrar al “zoológico” porque sus dueños lo prohíben por consideraciones de seguridad de los animales Quienes sí han logrado conocerlo confirman que adentro de la finca hay “de todo” Conviven con corrales de ganado y una unidad de siembra que permanece vedada a cualquier visitante En un rincón se amontonan cajones de madera que sirven de jaulas para los traslados.  Los animales silvestres no se ofrecen a la venta Los encargados explican que muchos animales que llegan allí son producto de rescates También los hay que fueron trasladados por el convenio con el Ministerio de Ecosocialismo y otros que vienen “de gente que se cansa de tenerlos en su casa” La finca La Birmania es propiedad de José Pepe Ramírez hijo de uno de los fundadores de Abejales; este último fue dueño de 3.000 hectáreas de tierra que se repartieron entre los hijos tras su muerte Pepe convirtió el lote que le correspondía en zoocriadero Allí se encuentra la vivienda familiar que comparte con su esposa Antonio José Ramirez Varela es el presidente de Inversiones Alazán GAC Geraldin Birmania Ramírez de Aleta y Carlos José Ramírez Varela registraron la empresa el 8 de diciembre de 2017 en San Cristóbal Funciona como un zoocriadero para la “reproducción intercambio y aprovechamiento de aves y mamíferos exóticos” El mismo año en que Venezuela entró en hiperinflación los hermanos Ramírez abrieron esta empresa con un capital de 50 millones de bolívares (unos 15.000 dólares al cambio de diciembre de 2017) No aparece en el Registro Nacional de Contratistas (RCN) como obliga la Ley de Contrataciones Públicas.  Ciencia y Tecnología.  Desde 2021 forma parte de la nómina del Ministerio para las Comunas según su ficha del Instituto Venezolano de los Seguros Sociales (IVSS) Llamativo: en las cinco ocasiones en que ocupó cargos públicos la máxima autoridad tanto en la vicepresidencia como en los dos ministerios donde ha trabajado era Jorge Arreaza Monserrat quien ha ejercido diversos puestos altos en los gobiernos de Hugo Chávez -de quien fue yerno- y Nicolás Maduro.  en las instalaciones del Zoocriadero Patrulleros de Chávez ubicada en los linderos entre Guárico y Apure donde hoy en día funciona el zoocriadero. La historia de Puerto Miranda se inscribe dentro de la racha de las expropiaciones del sector agroalimentario que tuvo lugar entre 2007 y 2012 con el propósito de alcanzar la “soberanía alimentaria” cuyo objeto era la producción agropecuaria el 13 de enero de 2011 pasó a formar parte de la larga lista de empresas confiscadas perteneció al empresario Ricardo Fernández Barruecos quien inicialmente se benefició de sus vínculos con el gobierno de Hugo Chávez y luego fue procesado por la comisión de delitos bancarios Está adscrita al Ministerio de Agricultura Productiva y Tierra Inversiones Alazán GAC comenzó a posicionarse de manera pública en esa tan particular categoría de negocios desde 2021. El 2 de agosto de ese año, participó en el II Encuentro Nacional de Zoológicos, Zoocriaderos y Acuarios en el Zoológico de Caricuao en Caracas junto a instituciones conservacionistas de larga trayectoria los zoocriaderos habían obtenido el mismo estatus de los zoológicos y acuarios a través del decreto No 3.749,  por lo que cambió el nombre de la Fundación Nacional de Parques Zoológicos,  Zoocriaderos y Acuarios (Funzza) Algunos expertos consultados consideran que esta incorporación equipara favorablemente a las tres entidades como centros de conservación; otros lo interpretan como una maniobra para tener el control de toda la cadena con fines comerciales entendidos como los establecimientos para reproducir especies animales no domésticas con fines de consumo cumplen una función fundamental en la conservación de la fauna silvestre deben cumplir una serie de exigencias establecidas por el Minec para autorizar su funcionamiento medidas que para muchos ambientalistas quedan en entredicho con el ejemplo de la alianza entre Inversiones Alazán y Patrulleros de Chávez En todo caso, Inversiones Alazán GAC cuenta con el beneplácito de las autoridades ambientales, junto a las que se retrata. En noviembre de 2021, Ramírez recibió, al lado del ministro de Ecosocialismo, Josué Lorca, y de la entonces directora general de Diversidad Biológica, Carliz Díaz, 14 walabíes australianos y 2 grullas coronadas con el fin de “consolidar el Sistema Nacional de Zoológicos y Zoocriaderos” conformado por 18 zoológicos y seis zoocriaderos en el país que coordinan un programa de rescate del caimán del Orinoco Tenemos que cambiar. Una y mil veces me digo que la sociedad venezolana tenemos que cambiar. El concepto de zoológico en Venezuela debe cambiar. Muchas veces, sin darnos cuenta, mantenemos estructuras medievales como sociedad. Sigue en 🧵 pic.twitter.com/ADOLMnPow3 Inversiones Alazán GAC también exporta cientos de animales silvestres identificados como especies vulnerables por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (International Union for Conservation of Nature que coordina la Lista Roja de especies amenazadas en el mundo reyes zamuros y tucanes a República Dominicana Todas las aves fueron transportadas por vía aérea según bases de datos de comercio internacional como Pangiva Al mismo tiempo que Patrulleros de Chávez e Inversiones Alazán GAC liberaban en mayo de 2023 los primeros 175 caimanes del Orinoco del programa de rescate en el Hato San Francisco la misma compañía registrada en Táchira exportó 88 cotorras cariamarillas y 22 trompeteros.  En 2021, cuando Inversiones Alazán GAC apenas comenzaba a alzar vuelo como empresa aliada de programas conservacionistas en Venezuela, exportó a Bangladesh 130 aves exóticas según reportes de la Jefatura de Conservación de Bosques de ese país 30 tucanes pico de canoa y 50 tucanes arasarí cuellinegro provenientes de Venezuela estaba amparada bajo el apéndice II de la Convención sobre el Comercio Internacional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora Silvestres grado que identifica la posible amenaza de extinción de la especie si no se controla estrictamente su comercio.   La reportera de Armando.info solicitó entrevistas a Josué Lorca ministro de Ecosocialismo (Minec); Juan Carlos Santander Torres director general de Diversidad biológica del Minec; Carlis Diaz Zoocriaderos y Acuarios (Funzza); Juan Diego Ramírez Luna director de la Unidad Territorial para el Ecosocialismo (UTE) de Táchira; y Antonio Ramírez Varela En ningún caso se habían obtenido respuestas para incorporarlas al presente reportaje la funcionaria Carliz Díaz ofreció conceder una cita en fecha posterior; en caso de concretarse la entrevista Un entramado casi interminable de empresas construido con precisión de relojero dificulta seguir los pasos de un comerciante del oro venezolano devenido ganadero en Colombia Se libró de la redada emprendida por el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro contra las mafias mineras pero otros escándalos que han salpicado sus negocios incluyendo el reciente asesinato a manos de sicarios de dos de sus empleados van dejando algunas pistas de sus opacos mecanismos lucrativos Ya hay ganadores en la carrera por privatizar una de las joyas turísticas y ambientales de Venezuela Los mejores postores en la subasta del paraíso -que además es Parque Nacional- han resultado ser José Llavaneras y Victor Martins empresarios de bajo perfil que prácticamente tienen el control de las construcciones en los principales cayos del archipiélago a partir de la compra y remodelación de rancherías pero también se asoman en las concesiones de hospedaje de lujo que el gobierno licencia por doquier para apagar su sed de divisas No es el único proyecto turístico que se construye en la costa centro occidental de Venezuela pero sí el que más ha penetrado en el Refugio de Fauna Silvestre Cuare zonas protegidas por más de una decena de leyes y normas ambientales Crear la "nueva Punta Cana" es la ambición de su promotor un empresario español de gran calado con muchos socios militares Pero mientras llega la prosperidad prometida la primera manifestación del desarrollo es el dragado de un canal que pone en peligro a un ecosistema único Ni siquiera una orden de desalojo presidencial ha podido acabar con la invasión a la Reserva Forestal Caparo donde al menos 300 personas entraron a comienzos de este año y han arrasado con el bosque y los animales de la zona Científicos advierten que los ocupantes podrían dañar irreversiblemente el área en unos cuatro años mientras los campesinos de pueblos cercanos aseguran que grupos irregulares y la alcaldesa del municipio Zamora se cuentan entre los beneficiados de esa explotación Los llamados Paradise Papers abren una rendija para ver cómo hay bufetes de abogados y entidades de la banca que facilitan el crecimiento de una de las empresas de papel más grandes de Asia a pesar de un historial manchado de crímenes ambientales y conflictos sociales Hasta 30 veces se revaloriza el precio de un ejemplar de Carduelis cucullata desde los montes del estado Lara hasta los mercados globales de criadores y coleccionistas Conoce la lógica cruel del circuito que comercia ilegalmente –bajo amparo de la desidia y complicidad oficiales- con esta especie de ave Desde la invasión rusa de Ucrania en febrero de 2022 miles de civiles ucranianos de los territorios ocupados se han desvanecido en el aire Estos ‘prisioneros fantasmas’ son llevados por las fuerzas de ocupación a lugares de detención informales donde se les retiene fuera de todo marco legal y se les somete a torturas Algunos son trasladados al sistema penitenciario ruso donde languidecen sin cargos o cumplen condenas falsas Historias Prohibidas y sus colaboradores desvelan este sistema opaco destinado a descomponer la sociedad ucraniana una reportera se infiltró en los territorios de Ucrania ocupados por los militares del Kremlin y cayó prisionera casi de inmediato En febrero de 2025 volvió a Ucrania hecha cadáver con signos de tortura y algunos órganos removidos ¿Qué ocurrió entre una y otra fecha La historia del descenso de Viktoriia Roshchyna al infierno del sistema de prisiones de Vladimir Putin la siguieron 45 periodistas de un consorcio liderado por ‘Forbidden Stories’ y Armando.info la republica en exclusiva Desestimando las dificultades crónicas de abastecimiento en el país el régimen chavista participa de forma activa a través del Ministerio de Alimentación en las exportaciones de esta especie marina prohibidas desde 2017 de manera expresa en una normativa que busca garantizar la sustentabilidad de la industria pesquera local despachadas también por empresas privadas un gesto nada conservacionista que tiene menos de desprendimiento que de auxilio al aliado castrista Los recientes brotes de violencia en el departamento colombiano de Norte de Santander que incluyen los combates que se iniciaron en enero en la región del Catatumbo Pero esa podría ser una perspectiva errónea; en realidad los estados fronterizos de Zulia y Táchira dejaron de ser retaguardia o aliviadero para los grupos armados irregulares de Colombia sirven de lanzaderas para las operaciones guerrilleras como ya lo adelantaron informes confidenciales de inteligencia del vecino país consultados por primera vez para este reportaje El reciente hallazgo de un centro de cruel adiestramiento para sicarios del principal grupo del crimen organizado de Jalisco mantiene en vilo a la opinión pública mexicana Los fiscales llevaron esta semana a familiares de desaparecidos y a periodistas a un recorrido por el sitio la improvisada visita -concebida para controlar daños y alentar la narrativa oficial- aclaró poco y levantó más dudas En la génesis de los negocios de Alex Saab y Álvaro Pulido con el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro trabajó desde la trastienda como conector del tándem colombiano con una farmacéutica de India para vender medicamentos con marcados sobreprecios al régimen de Caracas Con una variedad de intereses y emprendimientos como en botica -también actúa en finanzas y bienes raíces- Rivas seguiría en el sector de las medicinas con su propia compañía Presidente de Inversiones Alazán GAC C.A que estableció una alianza comercial con el Ministerio de Ecosocialismo en 2021 Junto a sus hermanos Geraldin Birmania Ramírez de Aleta y Carlos José Ramírez Varela registraron la compañía el 8 de diciembre de 2017 en San Cristóbal Ha sido funcionario público en la Vicepresidencia de la República y el Ministerio para la Educación Universitaria Actualmente está en nómina del Ministerio de Comunas Ministro de Ecosocialismo y presidente del Instituto Nacional de Parques (Inparques) Antes de ser nombrado ministro el 22 de abril de 2021 por Nicolás Maduro se desempeñó como viceministro de Gestión Ecosocialista del Ambiente desde 2018 Presidenta de la Fundación de Zoológicos Era directora de Diversidad Biológica del Minec  en octubre de 2022 cuando fueron incautadas en Portuguesa las 62 especies de fauna silvestre del zoocriadero Inversiones Alazán GAC.  Falleció en funciones el 15 de abril de 2021.