Cover Page Legal HistorySports SearchExperts stress prevention awareness following suicide death of young man in MaunaboThe San Juan Daily StarApr 113 min readMarta Rivera Plaza CEO of San Juan Capestrano Hospital System the hospital system’s medical directorBy The Star Staff Experts from the San Juan Capestrano Hospital System point to the need for citizens to rally around collective action to foster education and compassion for those facing suicidal thoughts Puerto Rico’s largest mental health care provider stated that the most effective way to prevent suicide is to be more aware of people who somehow change their behavior or significantly increase their medication dosages and to intervene promptly,” said Marta Rivera Plaza “We express our deepest solidarity with the Maunabo community and the loved ones of the 24-year-old young man who recently died by suicide This tragic event reminds us that suicide can touch any life and that talking about mental health remains urgent and necessary,” Statistical data reveals that from 2000 to January 2025 a total of 7,148 suicides have been reported in Puerto Rico The information collected indicates that 201 suicides were recorded in 2023 representing an increase compared to the 177 cases reported in 2022 The adjusted suicide rate for the period from 2020 to 2023 was between 5.7 and 6.0 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants Eighty-five percent of suicides occur in men with an adjusted rate of 16.0 per 100,000 inhabitants The San Juan-based hospital system offered data that reflects the urgent need to strengthen prevention and awareness efforts in communities such as the health regions of Aguadilla which have the highest suicide rates on the island “We offer our telephone number 1-888-967-4357 (24/7 Confidential Helpline) for those who need help Many young people live their emotional pain in silence Recognizing the signs and knowing that help is available can make the difference between life and death,” noted Dr a psychiatrist and San Juan Capestrano’s medical director or coworkers to suggest seeking professional help for all people who in some way present abnormal behaviors that they feel great guilt about something or that they are a burden to others is a warning sign to suggest or request help from a mental health professional.” “The symptoms of suicidal intent are multiple; however the most common are hearing a person express emptiness is a red flag for the intervention of a multidisciplinary team to address these problems.” Mental health experts point out that changing behavior often involves making a plan or researching ways to die people seek to distance themselves from friends or prepare a will; they do very risky things like driving extremely fast they eat or sleep too much or too little and they exhibit habits that increase their drug or alcohol use © 2025 The San Juan Daily Star - Puerto Rico The Higino Figueroa Villegas in Maunabo and Miguel Meléndez Muñoz in Cayey won the first Baseball5 School Tournament in Puerto Rico The Education Department and the Baseball Federation of Puerto Rico (FBPR) involved the Intermediate (11-14 years) and Superior (15-18 years) schools on the islands The championship started at the municipal level The winners competed in the Regional Championship and qualified for the finals The Recreo Ramón Frade square in Cayey hosted the Final Four events for the titles Maunabo won the Intermediate finals defeating the Ponce Eugenio Le Compte School 7-6 in extra innings The Toa Baja Basilio Milán and Cidra Luis Iglesias Schools also qualified for the Final Four Cayey outscored the Ponce Juan Serrallés School The Morovis Josefa del Rio and Juncos Isabel Flores Schools competed in the Final Four FBPR started a Baseball5 development programme in August 2023 and contested the first-ever National Championship on 25 May Sitemap Media Data Protection Contacts Avenue Général-Guisan, 45 CH-1009 Pully | Switzerland The WBSC is recognised as the sole competent authority in Baseball and Softball by the International Olympic Committee 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.” Rain showers early with clearing later at night Maunabo and Yabucoa have been awarded status among the 50 best places to travel the world in 2024 by Travel Lemming a U.S.-based online travel guide read by more than 10 million travelers and known for its focus on encouraging travelers to go “off the lemming path.” The annual list of 50 best places to travel highlights “emerging destinations and hidden gems around the world.” The Center for the Study of Economic Liberty at Arizona State University published the Doing… “Puerto Rico has many places to see and explore Maunabo’s and Yabucoa’s spectacular coastline and unique outdoor experiences are among the best on the Island They can create those awe moments for travelers looking for an authentic Boricua experience,” said Brad Dean “Sunrises at the Punta Tuna area in Maunabo are like no other scenic beauty and amazing beaches combine with a rich cultural heritage portrayed in the culinary offer and the town traditions are within our invitation to travelers to experience our island The article calls Maunabo a “hidden gem along Puerto Rico’s east coast.” It says that “intrepid travelers” will love Maunabo in particular and seafood-centric dining scene” are among its top attractions The site also describes Yabucoa a place where “history and nature come together,” and notes that travelers should explore ruins the top 10 places to travel in 2024 are: Yucatán the full list of 50 destinations includes 15 in Europe five in North America (besides the U.S.) and 17 in the United States its list “is filled with places perfect for longer trips and embracing a slower – and more sustainable – pace of travel.” The annual list is a collaborative project of the publication’s team of more than 35 travel writers and editors Travel Lemming’s local travel experts each nominate their favorite destinations for consideration by the publication’s editorial board Tickets to Puerto Rico bought from locations outside the island rose by 25% for the current fourth quarter of 2023 and by 53% for the first qu… Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: expertise to support leatherback sea turtle conservation and recovery efforts 2023) – Using cutting-edge drone technology and satellite tagging researchers are protecting endangered leatherback sea turtles in Puerto Rico with the help of expertise and funding from the New England Aquarium **PHOTOS AND VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE. CREDIT NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM, UNLESS NOTED** Dodge studies the behavior of leatherback turtles focusing on gathering data using innovative tools and techniques—including satellite tagging—to support conservation and recovery efforts for this endangered species Dodge has traveled down to Puerto Rico over the past several years working with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) and ATMAR to establish the first long-term satellite tagging project for leatherbacks in southeast Puerto Rico The team collects data on inter-nesting habitats (where leatherbacks swim between nesting events) identifies nesting beaches outside of monitored areas and tracks the post-nesting migrations of turtles to their northern foraging areas “Leatherbacks in Puerto Rico currently have no critical habitat protections There is almost no data to set those boundaries for coastal waters near important leatherback nesting beaches The New England Aquarium is working with DRNA and ATMAR to collect this data which can be used to protect leatherbacks during their critical breeding and nesting period,” said Dr Dodge traveled to Puerto Rico for seven days with a team of biologists from the Aquarium to work with ATMAR The team applied five satellite tags to nesting leatherback turtles on Playa California in Maunabo located in the southeastern end of the island ATMAR Founder and President Luis Crespo uses drone technology to monitor the beach at night The drone has a thermal camera and a visual camera that allows the scientists to efficiently search for the presence of leatherbacks allowing the research team to reach the turtles quickly once sighted Time is particularly important as the team only has a 10-minute window to apply the tags while a turtle lays her eggs The two-kilometer beach needs to be monitored every hour and the drone takes just 10 to 15 minutes to sweep the area The camera’s resolution allows scientists to collect detailed information at an altitude that does not disturb the turtles how far along the turtle is in her nesting process and even small metal flipper tags on her rear flippers It records both visual and infrared video simultaneously and allows us to spot the animals as they come out of the water,” Crespo said “We are looking not only for the leatherbacks but nest predators ATMAR has been working for more than 22 years to prevent poaching of leatherback nests as well as educate the local community about sea turtle conservation issues The organization’s work has eliminated poaching on the main nesting beaches in Maunabo thanks to regular patrols by ATMAR volunteers during leatherback nesting season The Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF) provided the funding for ATMAR to acquire the drone MCAF is a microgranting and fellowship program that addresses critical needs in the marine conservation field The program supports conservation leaders gathering key data on imperiled ocean animals and engaging communities through conservation projects These leaders are then equipped to create solutions that benefit ocean health as well as the livelihoods of local communities Data is already being transmitted from the turtles’ satellite tags the research team tagged two turtles that had been tagged previously in 2021 “Carmen” and “Noemi,” providing an opportunity to compare data from multiple years Since satellite tags typically last for a year or less this was a rare opportunity to collect multi-year data on individual turtles Leatherback turtle populations in the North Atlantic are undergoing dramatic and widespread nesting beach declines This reflects an overall global trend of leatherback decline in all ocean basins which is made up of leatherbacks from Puerto Rico and St While the nesting population in Maunabo has remained relatively stable and one of the most important nesting beaches in Puerto Rico this season marked a low year with only 150 nests so far; in previous years Scientists hope their tagging efforts will help explain these changing numbers and identify potential threats Leatherback research activities in Maunabo were authorized under DRNA Permit #2023-EPE-016 Pam Bechtold Snyder – psnyder@neaq.org While work continues slowly on restoring power the tremendous destruction has resulted in a cascade of further problems a decrease in neighborhood police presence and a resulting increase in violent crimes Reuters photographer Alvin Baez spent much of the past two weeks in Puerto Rico documenting what life is like for the survivors of Hurricane Maria who remain on the island months later We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com A collection of winning and honored images from this year’s nature-photo competition A collection of amazing recent images made with the Hubble Space Telescope Mourners of Pope Francis gathered at the Vatican scenes from the the second weekend of Coachella 2025 and landscapes of the Earth’s arctic and subarctic regions Puerto Rico — A light rain is falling A man leans over to grab his bulletproof vest off the back of a chair He pulls the heavy material over his arms and onto his shoulders while perspiration drips slowly down his face The body armor protects his 6-foot-2-inch frame But the 19-year police veteran says nothing can protect him from the nightmares of failed rescues and destroyed homes he has seen since Hurricane Maria last year devastated his island “Don’t confuse my tears as negative,” said Eleobadis Delgado who since Maria has declined job offers in Chicago that would move him closer to his children and grandchildren How a Ford dealership in Puerto Rico became a rescue site These sunflowers in Dearborn have personal meaning for Bill Ford Jr. After Maria: Winds are gone, storm lives on for people of Puerto Rico “I will not leave my countrymen,” he said pouring a bottle of chilled water over his head in 92-degree heat less to cool himself than to disrupt his crying slept in a hammock in the tattered remains of his home took shards of wood and metal and pieced together a single room in Maunabo a lush section of Puerto Rico known for mountains that usually provide a buffer against storms Maria destroyed every assumption that Puerto Ricans have made for hundreds of years His brother lives in a shell of a home next door A breeze carries the fresh ocean air.  some hotels have been restored to their grandeur in San Juan even after the government said this month power was restored across the island children run to their mothers and grandmothers asking whether the monster is coming back to hurt them charities and politicians have moved on to other priorities a charity financed by a share of Ford profits The global nonprofit invests in everything from inner-city Detroit education programs and South African housing to aid for victims of tsunamis This is the story of the emotional toll a massive disaster takes on the lives of Americans living on an island the size of Connecticut and a charity that won’t leave no matter what It is the story of lives shredded by trauma and lives saved with treatment Success is based on a model tried first in Detroit investing in human resources and pushing for collaboration among local and national charities results in better outcomes more quickly charities in Puerto Rico prefer not to discuss government or politics.  Basic requests for information about storm impact or its tie to suicides and an exodus of residents trigger a string of referrals among government agencies After months of clinging to an official death toll of 64 the Puerto Rican government in late August raised the official death toll to 2,975 or 62 percent more deadly than Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  Ricardo Roselló said the death toll may still be revised again “We never anticipated a scenario of zero communication zero highway access,” he said during a news conference things could’ve been handled differently." Maria is among the most destructive storms in U.S history and considered the worst natural disaster on record for Puerto Rico doing an estimated $100 billion in damage This was unlike anything anyone had experienced or imagined The damage included a financial blow to the government, still reeling from the Great Recession and teetering on bankruptcy. President Donald Trump responded to criticism of federal relief efforts by blaming the island's government.  mainland’s relationship to the island are a complicated mess the charity arm of one of America’s most iconic companies is changing what it means to deliver help and the kind of help delivered It goes beyond cars and trucks and water and food to professional care for the children and families and first responders provided food and water for months after Maria devastated Puerto Rico on Sept which sets aside about $60 million each year for the philanthropic arm also sent F-150 pickup trucks to carry aid to sites with washed-out roads But unlike other groups that have since left the island the Ford Fund has doubled down on its efforts under the direction of longtime President Jim Vella not only assigned a team to coordinate with the Salvation Army and multiple island charities it also began underwriting mental health workshops and counseling programs that served nearly 450 survivors from March to July in 14 towns Not just in good times but in bad times,' ” said Vella former chief of staff to Executive Chairman Bill Ford “People want to do business with a company that has a heart and soul and gives back and takes care not only of its community but people it serves. A lot of people say They can go days with no appetite and burst into tears for no reason reviving images that recur without warning “I don’t know if we’ll ever recover,” said Officer Delgado, his wife hugging him tightly in silence. “But slowly Now families tuck rosaries in front yard bushes near the skeletal remains of houses Vella can’t get that image out of his head after a series of visits who talk of their Catholic and evangelical Christian faith Votive candles burn in kitchens every single day images of Jesus line most living room walls and public graffiti often includes references to God — rocks painted with the message “Dios es Amor” — “God is love” — dot mountainsides Salvation Army aid workers pull vehicles to the side of the twisty roads so carsick volunteers can get out to vomit in the oppressive heat “My grandson would be in class and just lose touch He was catatonic,” said Carmen Maria Reyes a retired middle school science teacher from Aibonito since her daughter works full-time after a post-hurricane crime that took the life of a family member Counseling workshops made possible with Ford money have directly impacted her life and the lives of others “Our walls and roof are done being fixed The workshop has been a great help," Reyes said her radiologist daughter was working late at a hospital Money was scarce because banks were closed While Reyes' son-in-law waited for his wife he interrupted a holdup that resulted in his death and that of the assailant “We’re trying to get everything back in place,” Reyes said Ford not only subsidizes mental health programs but collaborates with other nonprofits to prevent overlapping services sending workers and money to support struggling families whose needs spiked after the hurricane Strength amid destructionBefore the hurricane Ford established support of family health programs of Toa Alta counts herself among the lucky residents She hasn’t had nightmares or feelings of desperation because of the strong support for young parents from Proyecto Nacer But then she describes a neighbor who is paralyzed with depression and physically unable to care for her daughter she can’t handle it,” Sosa said “And everybody gains weight from the stress Even when they’re not eating.” Trauma experts say weight gain is normal because a body’s physiology responds to crisis by changing chemistry Fear of abandonment makes everything worse has referred 381 families to the Salvation Army for help despite accepting nothing for herself 32, flew to Puerto Rico from her home in Bristol just weeks after the hurricane to volunteer for the Salvation Army She planned to stay weeks and instead hasn't left after months Her family worries about the dramatic life decision; Roy said she has never experienced so much kindness and love “People have breakdowns,” Roy said handing out bottled water one afternoon in late July She highlighted the case of a recently retired mechanical engineer who lost his wife “The man talks to himself a lot and calls us late at night no water and he received a check for $318.03 to rebuild his house The Ford Fund is working to transition from the past crisis to preparation for the next crisis “When I was down there just a few months ago there are still power outages for 48 to 72 hours at a time I don’t want people to lose hope," said Vella What if you need help one day and no one is there "I see a police officer working 12 hours a day and going home to a house without a roof A woman told me people won’t buy food that lasts for long because it will spoil when they lose power You look out over the hills and see blue tarps Beyond the company's existing partnerships on the island the Ford Fund has spent more than $1.2 million helping Puerto Rico over the past year Money has gone to outreach programs in schools churches and community centers throughout the island Recipients include CEO Jose Diaz on behalf of Centros Sor Isolina Ferre.  “It feels like the hugs we gave to every single family we went to visit had a greater effect than the water or the food that makes the difference,” said Diaz a chemical engineer who retired from Coca-Cola and Allergan Pharma and took the helm 17 years ago from a nun who founded the social services network He operates a $12-million system of prevention and education programs that since Maria has concentrated on relief services including workshops to help families put their lives together The bigger entity has devoted $2 million to mental health care with funding for post-hurricane counseling through the Center for Mobility coming mostly from the Ford Fund since March The client waiting list for help runs through December.  Diaz remains shocked by the dedication of Ford and Vella who also serves on a Salvation Army advisory board “We thought they’d give a car or a van I couldn’t believe it,” he said Outreach is relentless to find people who need help and don’t know where to go send me an angel,’ ” said Aida Millan The angel was a social worker funded by Ford: Lourdes Ortiz director of the Institute for Human Development to Fullness more commonly known as the Instituto para el Desarrollo Humano a Plenitud Army in Vietnam and died of cancer often associated with Agent Orange exposure when she went to the window to look outside the glass shattered and hurricane winds pinned her to the wall for minutes that seemed to last forever As is typical of post-traumatic stress disorder But her fear is intact as she continues counseling made possible by Ford I had no power and knocked on doors hoping someone would help me ‘Another night is going to be dark.' Day after day And I’d just cry,” Millan said “I have dreams of walking through falling trees and trying to help drowning children and giving away boxes of food Her children live in Massachusetts and Florida; It's not uncommon for Puerto Ricans on the island to have relatives on the mainland Puerto Ricans made a great migration to New York in search of a better life Their presence was highlighted in the Broadway musical and Oscar-winning film "West Side Story."  The island celebrates its unity of cultures. Irish bars line the streets Puerto Rican chefs focus on rice The diversity of the island represents America "Go to the cemetery and you'll see tombstones for O'Shea took Puerto Rico as a territory in 1898 after the Spanish-American War Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship in 1917 which they retained after the island in 1952 became an autonomous U.S Puerto Ricans have a strong history of U.S and residents say they are puzzled by the misunderstanding among many Americans about who they are or whether they merit support Blue tarp rooftops Flights into San Juan today offer images of blue tarps still, as emergency post-storm repairs protect homes nearly a year after the hurricane No one really talks about Ford or the Ford Fund The support is quietly accepted and appreciated. While Ford sales have dipped at the island's nine dealerships “Maria hasn’t passed,” said Sister Virgenmina Morell who belongs to a Catholic order established to help families in distress the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima “We are still very much seeing the effects of Maria But volunteers continue their home visits despite threats of flash flooding and storms Maria entered the southeast section of the island and cut through to the northwest Walls remain crumbled against bright blossoming flowers now Loose electrical wires in the road may be live and deadly “Even though the government announced last week that the entire island is powered up again electricity is still very unstable and unpredictable," Yadira Valdivia director of communications at Centros Sor Isolina Ferre power went off at my home for about 5 minutes; this happens a lot visits her house in Humacao where only the walls of her bathroom remain intact A stack of photo albums sits untouched in the dirt near her home. Rivera will not open them of Yabucoa worries about the next storm because her family of nine is living together on the first floor of a house not yet fixed from Maria One day I had a dream similar to the storm passing He monitored what they needed and checked on the children on this weekday in late July He had been stationed in New York for Hurricane Sandy “We’re talking about an entirely different monster here,” Rodriguez said I’ve never experienced something like Hurricane Maria An aroma of mint from nearby bushes wafted through the air as he spoke Experts who have studied Hurricane Katrina Gulf Coast in 2005, and other natural disasters say Maria exceeds every crisis experienced nationally An estimated one in five residents has left the island a pediatrician who runs the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University said children who are excessively stressed during crucial periods of development something known as “toxic stress,” are not able to function properly and their physiology actually changes “It’s damaging for the long term,” he said “It changes the architectural development in the brain the situation is really way more severe because they have feelings of neglect Even though they’re American citizens.” toxic stress victims are dazed and disoriented and need psychological first aid Then they have disaster crisis management needs where a basic to-do list is so overwhelming that someone must sit and walk through supportively to navigate what appears to be a simple path “People don’t know where to go for anything It’s all just too overwhelming,” said Redlener who has traveled to Puerto Rico repeatedly since the hurricane and went again in August 2018 they don’t have a car and the blue tarp above is rotting executive vice chair for the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston has been on-site to see the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Texas He said the situation in Puerto Rico is especially sad compared with previous emergency responses “This just doesn’t sound like our country," he said "This is horrible for the children emotionally It is no surprise to psychologists who specialize in traumatic stress that survivors reveal traumatic memories withdrawal and hypervigilance with routines “Delayed access to services for chronic stress creates different problems,” said Dr a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Clemson University in South Carolina “Addressing mental and physical health issues immediately after a storm is cost effective Charles Figley, director of the Tulane University Traumatology Institute and School of Social Work professor, is considered an international expert on disaster mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder after 45 years of research He considers the response to Maria far worse than Katrina in New Orleans and it seems like we’re treated as second-class citizens there’s pushback and it gets worse,” he said diminished confidence in the government.” As a former Marine, Figley said the neglect toward families that have given so much to America during World War I “Our elected officials like to appear to care about our military families but they don’t really care,” he said “It’s just a good thing people have spirituality and religion It’s important during times like these.” Grandparents having to say goodbye to grandchildren who are leaving to find a better life has added to an already uncertain environment Puerto Rico Secretary of State Luis Rivera-Marín told the Free Press He cited a spike in calls to the suicide hotline “How many families have had to relocate to Florida or New York or Connecticut or other states?” he asked rhetorically The intensity of this experience almost can’t be quantified and noted that tens of thousands of requests for aid to rebuild homes had been denied and now families must re-apply as money becomes available Families say if they pretend things are normal a return to normalcy will happen more quickly the sound of tiny coqui frogs fills the air with a sweet melody the public health issue is serious and a topic of interest in Washington told Congress in March that 23 of 108 community health centers on the island had not been reconnected to the electrical grid and operated strictly by diesel-generated power “The need for behavioral health services was highlighted after the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria,” he said in official remarks. (Irma, a Category 5 hurricane, brushed Puerto Rico two weeks before Maria struck “The mental health and suicide hotline received 26,634 calls between October and December 2017,” Mercado said 9,000 callers expressed suicidal behavior; 6,733 were able to verbalize a plan to end their lives the number of calls increased from December by 4,742 calls to 16,934 calls; 26 percent were suicide-related Before the hurricanes there was an average of 150-200 calls per day The current average since hurricanes Irma and Maria is about 500 calls a day There is no doubt in my mind that there is a lot that needs to be done in this area.” the Ford Fund continues its work independently I felt like it was almost embarrassing,” Vella said “It was like the femoral artery was cut and I wanted to give them a Band-Aid.” “They see somebody cares and is still listening People are terrified there’s going to be another hurricane and they’re not ready Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-222-6512 or phoward@freepress.com During the Ford annual shareholder meeting on May 10 amid questions about product plans and the company's stagnant stock price a woman named Jane Garcia praised Ford Fund President Jim Vella and the charity for its work in Puerto Rico Free Press Ford reporter Phoebe Wall Howard asked for details which ultimately led to her and photographer Romain Blanquart spending the week of July 23 on the island visiting seven municipalities and meeting dozens of residents They examined conditions in general around the island commonwealth whose residents are American citizens free to travel as any other citizen around the nation and saw up-close work that the Ford Fund is doing.  the Ford Motor Company Fund is the nonprofit philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Co. It is financed through a share of company profits. The Ford Fund is not affiliated with the more famous Ford Foundation which was established in 1936 with a financial gift from Edsel Ford and is based in New York City There have been no ties between Ford and the Ford Foundation since the mid-1970s The Ford Fund over its life has devoted more than $1.5 billion to nonprofits and civic organizations, with a focus on community life 2018 to reflect the latest figures released by the Puerto Rican officials on Aug 2018 upon receiving results of an independent study conducted by researchers with the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University Petition Seeks to Protect Leatherback Sea Turtle Habitat in Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— Conservation groups filed a legal petition today urging the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to revise protected critical habitat for the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) under the Endangered Species Act The petition asks the wildlife agency to protect three important leatherback nesting beaches in Puerto Rico and to consider the addition of other important nesting beaches for this species on the island Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration Yo Amo el Tinglar and the Center for Biological Diversity submitted the petition “The trend of the leatherback turtle population in the Northwest Atlantic demonstrates an accelerated decline It is imperative to increase the protection that the species receives,” said Luis Crespo president of Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas and Puerto Rico WIDECAST country coordinator “Playa California in Maunabo is one of the main leatherback nesting beaches in Puerto Rico and one of the few places where the population cohort shows signs of recovery.” “Our group monitors and protects sea turtles on the northwestern and western coasts of the main island of Puerto Rico and we are witnessing all the threats that these animals face in this area,” said Robert Mayer director of Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration at the University of Puerto Rico “We definitely need this added level of protection for sea turtles in Puerto Rico.” “Playa Grande in Arecibo is among the most important nesting beaches for leatherbacks in Puerto Rico,” said Myrna Concepcion project leader from Comité Arecibeño por la Conservacion de las Tortugas Marinas known as “Yo Amo el Tinglar.” “A critical habitat designation would provide further protection for this beach which is in constant threat of development.” beaches are heavily used for urban development and recreation presenting a serious threat to the survival of the endangered leatherback turtle,” said Carlos E Sea Turtle Project coordinator at the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and member of the IUCN Sea Turtle Specialist Group a federal critical habitat designation to enhance the protection and recovery of this species is needed We hope the federal government acts quickly to approve this important designation.” “Puerto Rico represents an important stronghold of nesting activity for leatherbacks in the Caribbean and the Northwest Atlantic sub-population,” said Jessica Castro Caribbean conservation coordinator at the National Wildlife Refuge Association “Increasing the legal protection of key nesting beaches within U.S and its territories is an important contribution for the conservation of a highly migratory and endangered species.” “The Endangered Species Act’s strong critical habitat protections are needed to safeguard these important leatherback nesting beaches,” said Elise Bennett Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity “Beaches like these are critical to the future of these wonderful Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world and existed at the same time as dinosaurs and they can dive to great depths — nearly 4,000 feet Fish and Wildlife Service to protect three leatherback nesting beaches in Puerto Rico: California Beach The leatherback sea turtle currently has terrestrial critical habitat only on a stretch of beach at Sandy Point and marine critical habitat in waters off Sandy Point in the North Atlantic Ocean Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Ocean Virgin Islands host the most important nesting beaches for leatherback sea turtles under U.S Species with federally protected critical habitat are more than twice as likely to recover as species without it The Endangered Species Act prohibits federal agencies from authorizing activities that would destroy or harm a listed species’ critical habitat Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas is a local community-based NGO studying and protecting sea turtles in southeast Puerto Rico for more than two decades The Vida Marina Center for Conservation and Ecological Restoration at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla The Comité Arecibeño por la Conservación de las Tortugas Marinas “Yo Amo el Tinglar” is a local community-based NGO monitoring and protecting sea turtles in the north coast of Puerto Rico for more than a decade The Center for Biological Diversity is a national nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places More Press Releases We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Gerardo &#8220;Jerry&#8221; Ortiz Cintron, age 99, of Wilmington, DE passed away peacefully at home on October 26, 2020. Jerry was born in Maunabo, Puerto Rico to the late Fernando Cintron and Catalina Ortiz Cintron and was raised by his stepmother,... View Obituary & Service Information The family of Gerardo "Jerry" Ortiz Cintron created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories You can reach us 24/7/365 at (302) 731-5459 Copyright © 2025 Strano & Feeley Family Funeral Home and Crematory 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 Photography series celebrating women farmers from across the state comes to UVM VT — The Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont presents the exhibition Vermont Female Farmers on view from February 4 through May 17 and grit abound in this striking portrait series from Vermont-based photographer JuanCarlos González Whether capturing moments of intense concentration or joyous pride the 45 works are an intimate look at the daily life and livelihoods of the women whose hands shape farming in Vermont.  Drawing from his own experiences of time spent on his grandmother's farm González’ started photographing women farmers across the state in 2020 bringing focus to a group whose contributions to the land and the industry are often overlooked quickly grew into an entire collection featuring nearly 50 farmers.   creating a visual record that better reflects our lived reality — 41 percent of farmers in Vermont are women “[The] purpose of this project,” González’ says “…is to amplify and find ways for others to support these farms and it’s doing exactly what we intended it to do amplifying and supporting local farmers.”  For the first time since the exhibit’s debut allowing visitors the full impact of the series A selection of works from the Fleming’s Collections have also been placed in conversation with the photographs as well as shearing scissors and other material objects offer reflections on how Vermont’s landscapes and agricultural industries have been observed This exhibition was organized by the Fleming Museum of Art University of Vermont and generously supported by the Kalkin Family Exhibitions Fund Vermont Female Farmers was curated at the Fleming by Kristan M Special thanks to the Billings Farm & Museum for sharing the label content for this exhibition Cover image: JuanCarlos González (United States University of Vermont home SearchDispute over campaign sign ends in physical altercationThe San Juan Daily StarDec 16 20241 min readMaunabo City Hall (Wikidata)By The Star Staff A dispute over a political sign ended in a physical altercation involving the former Popular Democratic Party mayor of Maunabo The incident occurred at a three-story property belonging to the Gallardo family where Márquez Pérez operates a stable agency on the first floor Márquez Pérez had already had other incidents with the owner Diego Gallardo alleges having been struck in the face by Márquez Pérez while the former was installing a roof sign in support of the current New Progressive Party mayor Gallardo described the attack as one of “frustration” by the ex-mayor as a result of his electoral defeat At least one witness supported that version of events saying that Márquez Pérez lost his composure upon seeing the sign Lee esta historia en español aquí Luis Crespo is on the lookout for endangered leatherback turtles—and doing it in a novel way a recent Marine Conservation Action Fund grantee is using a drone to spot the turtles from above Crespo and his organization, Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas (ATMAR) have been working to identify leatherback and hawksbill sea turtle nesting sites in Puerto Rico for over 20 years Because leatherbacks nest at night over long stretches of beach as nesting sites are often in remote areas monitoring work can sometimes be dangerous for people on the beaches where encountering predators such as feral cats or dogs—or even poachers—is a possibility Crespo received a grant from the Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund to acquire the drone for this project Crespo and his team can remotely monitor the two-kilometer beach which makes spotting the leatherbacks easier He can cover the length of the entire beach with the drone in about ten to fifteen minutes—work that would need to be done hourly on foot or by ATV The drone has a thermal camera and a visual camera that can capture high-quality videos both day and night and it can even be used to spot tags on a turtle at an altitude safe enough to avoid disturbing the animal “The most important thing is that we can see the turtle coming out of the water we can detect the stage of the nesting process” That allows research teams to reach the turtles quickly once sighted “Timing is everything when it comes to tagging nesting turtles because we only tag them when they’re depositing eggs,” said Aquarium research scientist Dr along with Sarah Perez and Alessia Brugnara of the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rescue Team recently traveled to Maunabo to collaborate with ATMAR on leatherback tagging efforts Dodge’s team has a ten-minute window to apply a tag “If we get there after the turtle has finished laying her eggs it’s a lost tagging opportunity —so that’s why we were excited to use the drone while we were there,” she said “It’s so much more efficient at locating the turtles Dodge began collaborating with Crespo and the team at ATMAR in 2018 after a leatherback turtle she had worked to tag off Cape Cod turned up in Puerto Rico and Crespo found it nesting in Maunabo she has traveled to Puerto Rico several times working with Carlos Diez from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Environmental Resources (DRNA) and ATMAR to establish the first long-term satellite tagging project for leatherbacks in the southeastern part of the island Maunabo is one of several important leatherback nesting sites in Puerto Rico the beaches were a hot spot for poachers who took turtle eggs and harvested nesting turtles ATMAR has contributed to a near-total reduction in the poaching activity of leatherbacks on the main nesting beaches in Maunabo ATMAR works to help restore the leatherback population in the Caribbean including partnering with the Aquarium to study turtles beyond the nesting beach which can be used to protect leatherbacks during their critical breeding and nesting period,” said Dodge the team applied five satellite tags to nesting leatherback turtles on Playa California including two turtles that had been tagged previously in 2021 providing a rare opportunity to compare data from individual turtles across multiple years Data transmits daily from the satellite tags and scientists are hoping to continue tracking the turtles as they begin departing Puerto Rico waters later this month and start heading toward their feeding grounds leatherback migration patterns–where they go when they’re not nesting– is still a mystery for us We need this information to conduct regional plans to protect them not only in Puerto Rico but with other countries where we know they transit or feed,” said Diez “Satellite tags also help us study their nesting movements without nightly beach patrols which requires costly human effort and resources we know that some turtles move between different beaches and don’t always nest on their natal beach Understanding leatherback nesting dispersal is extremely important because we can use it to determine managements units and which beaches need protection.” Crespo hopes their efforts in Puerto Rico can help inspire similar conservation efforts in other parts of the world With leatherback turtle populations in the North Atlantic undergoing widespread nesting beach declines tagging and monitoring efforts are crucial in helping identify opportunities to protect leatherbacks across the Caribbean “I feel like this is the future,” said Dodge “As drone technology gets less and less expensive it can become accessible to more people around the globe.” and the only thing you need is more batteries,” he said Leatherback research activities in Maunabo are authorized under DRNA Permit #2023-EPE-016 The New England Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF) is a small grants and fellowship program that provides support for community-based projects spearheaded by local conservation leaders in low- and middle-income countries around the globe Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website Each of our funeral homes offers a complete range of services in tastefully decorated Professionally trained and licensed staff members stand ready to provide sensitive caring service and strive to exceed the expectations of each and every family.Our communities are wonderfully diverse in religious beliefs Our staff truly appreciates these differences and our training includes heartfelt 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Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors NKyTribune Thomas in a school-wide humanitarian campaign Desde KY a Puerto Rico Ayudamos a Nuestros Amigos The project was inspired by Heather Turner Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" stand in the remains of their home in Maunabo Hurricane Maria destroyed the roof and walls of the house hundreds of thousands of people affected by Hurricane Maria are scrambling to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency it has been a stressful and confusing process which makes it nearly impossible for residents to fill out the online form or call the FEMA hotline to ask questions or follow up on the status of their application Hurricane Maria destroyed her little green cottage on the beach The front of the house is leaning treacherously inward and one side of the roof was ripped right off dabbing her tears with a white handkerchief It will take thousands of dollars to fix the damage — money that Ramos and her husband They're hoping that aid from FEMA can help pay for it Except there is one huge problem: The person who holds the deed — and the person who needs to fill out the form — is an elderly aunt who lives in Connecticut Handyman Edgar Santiago nails a blue tarp on the roof of a destroyed home Legal volunteers tell residents to clean up the debris and damage as best as they can get it repaired and hold onto the receipts These are the kinds of legal issues that pop up over and over again and can complicate filling out FEMA's form Answer one question incorrectly and an applicant's chances of getting the full aid amount could be jeopardized FEMA acknowledges that it has been a challenge for Hurricane Maria survivors to register the agency is finding "innovative and creative ways" to reach people in isolated communities That includes sending teams out to the field and signing people up with pen and paper FEMA says it has registered nearly 800,000 individuals in Puerto Rico countless others in rural and hard-to-reach locations need help filling out the form before the Nov That is why groups like Hurricane Maria Legal Assistance are taking matters into their own hands a team of Puerto Rican volunteers — lawyers law professors and law students — have been traveling across the island they manually fill out FEMA forms on behalf of the survivors Coordinator Ariadna Godreau explains to a group of lawyers and law students how to help hurricane survivors fill out FEMA forms The volunteers met in front of a Home Depot in San Juan For many Puerto Ricans, federal aid will be the best way to access the large sums of money they need to pay for costly repairs. "This is the only way most of these people will get any resources to build back their lives after the hurricane," says Adi Martinez-Roman, the executive director of the Foundation Fund for Access to Justice in Puerto Rico "Regular welfare and aid does not begin to cover what the needs are after the disaster." Martinez-Roman and about 15 volunteers from Hurricane Maria Legal Assistance gathered at the parking lot in front of a Home Depot in San Juan The group met to caravan to a beach town in the south called Maunabo They had heard that the storm had damaged the homes pretty bad and FEMA officials haven't reached everyone there Hurricane survivors from the Emajagua neighborhood in Maunabo gather in a basketball court They hope the legal aid group can help them fill out FEMA forms goes over the plan: Get as many people as possible to fill out the FEMA application because they're sharing confidential information "I decided to do something to help people that combines what I study and what's going on," says Jose Ocasio a third-year law student at the University of Puerto Rico "They will be great lawyers someday," says Erika Fontanez By the time the caravan arrives to Maunabo more than 100 residents from the beach town have been patiently waiting at the meeting point an open-air basketball court with a magnificent view of the ocean and a light breeze coming through the chain-link fence almost everyone has some kind of paper or notepad in their hands They've already jotted down notes – scraps of information swapped by friends and neighbors Hurricane survivors in Maunabo listen to volunteers from Hurricane Maria Legal Assistance explain the FEMA process "I have been repairing everything with my own money," he says "I would like to solicit some type of loan or something in order to finish repairing everything completely." Half a dozen nuns in white from a convent called Hermanas Dominicas de Fatima sat in the bleachers "We are here to be oriented to help others in our parish," says one of the sisters Then they divide the crowd in two: those who have applied for FEMA already but have not heard back and those who have not completed a form yet "One of the things we're going to do today is clarify lots of myths that are roaming around," says volunteer Gabriela Camacho you could get emergency money from the government in the mail But Camacho explains the form is much more than that Camacho also heard that some people were told not to move the debris Clean up the debris and damage as best as you can The volunteers get through the line in about two hours The residents sit and wait for their turn in the bleachers came to the basketball court to see how the volunteers could help Unsure of whether she would ever hear back from her aunt she applied for FEMA as a renter a few weeks ago she won't be eligible to receive funding to repair the property damage caused by Maria she could receive funds to replace furniture and appliances But they took down Ramos' information and promised they would follow up for her Ramos stands in the shade of her brother's house where she and her husband have been living since Hurricane Maria hit last month the young lawyers and law students will head back to San Juan they'll type in the Maunabo residents' information into FEMA's online form they'll return to distribute them to the applicants for their records who lives in front of the basketball court Waiting for FEMA to come and do an inspection of their homes Rearden leans against the bright orange concrete wall of the house next door where he and Ramos have been staying since the storm Rearden glances over to the mess on the other side he renovated that little green beach cottage himself with power tools that are rusting underneath a piece of plywood outside the house "This place was a dream come true for us," he says entered peacefully into his eternal rest Sunday surrounded by his family at Select Specialty Hospital in Boardman Juan Morales Rosa and Saturnina Brito Baez He joins his beloved departed wife of 52 years He was a pillar and founding member of Spanish Evangelical Church since 1954 and filled many other roles at the church with great love and faithfulness He made Youngstown his home for more than 69 years He worked at Youngstown Sheet and Tube as a crane operator and owned a Sunoco gas station on Wilson Avenue and in the fields picking strawberries and green beans in the early days of his arrival to the USA He was instrumental in helping Hispanic families find jobs and homes taking people to employment and help agencies telling of family stories and words of wisdom will be missed and remembered always and John (Sharon); his brothers and sisters Maria Waisburd and Julia Reyes (Profilio); as well as 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; and a host of loved nieces we will celebrate his life at Spanish Evangelical Church and a celebration of life service to follow we will say our final farewells following viewing and service at Spanish Evangelical Church The Rossi Brothers and Lellio Funeral Home have been bestowed the honor of arrangements Family and friends are encouraged to offer prayers for the family and support via phone call email or may visit the Book of Memories at www.rossifunerals.com Copyright © 2025 Eastern Ohio Newspapers, Inc. | https://www.vindy.com | 240 Franklin Street SE, Warren, OH 44482 | 330-841-1600 | Terms of Service The eye of Hurricane Maria swept over southeast Puerto Rico on the morning of Sept just north of Escuela Alfonso Casta Martínez Nearly a year after the storm caused great physical damage and emotional turmoil across the island Yet fundamental challenges remain to keeping students enrolled and their minds in a good place to learn At the center of that effort is Kiomary Rodríguez García members of the staff painted parts of the building and the school welcomed students with candy in an effort to create a positive atmosphere But García knows many students have struggled emotionally after losing their homes—even being apart from their families while they attend school during the day has been difficult The school has lost more than half its enrollment over the past nine years García worries that the exodus will continue as students leave for more attractive career and technical education programs at other nearby schools “We need new courses or classes that can help retain the students,” said García who graduated from the school and has worked there for 22 years “We need to offer them other opportunities so they can achieve their goals and learn the things they like.” have a “global mindset.” But it’s the students’ state of mind that has the island’s education leaders very concerned Puerto Rico’s Department of Education began a survey to gather information about the mental health and psychological needs of both students and educators the department had not shared the results of that island-wide survey publicly The fallout from Hurricane Maria has created major and continued disruptions to the island’s education system and its students The education department closed more than 260 public schools over the summer due to declining enrollment triggered in part by the storm leading many students to be reassigned to new schools it was uncertain how many students were actually enrolled although department estimates put the figure at roughly 300,000 We interviewed several students at Escuela Alfonso Casta Martínez about their lives their hopes and concerns as they headed back to school and their thoughts about the future nearly one year after Hurricane Maria Tjeyder Manuel Díaz Vélez feels such a strong connection to his school that he has written a poem to welcome incoming freshmen urging them: “Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today.” After school Tjeyder doesn’t just sit at home: He slings fried chicken and plantains at his family restaurant And he recalls how his mother and stepfather handed out bread to help other families in Maunabo immediately after Hurricane Maria and his community aren’t enough to keep him in Puerto Rico But I want to be in the United States” on the mainland His sister walks up and down the restaurant patio engrossed in an intricate phone conversation where veteran patrons treat Tjeyder like a favorite nephew As he displays photos of his family’s steak and lobster dishes on his own phone mainland’s cultural diversity—he’s been to California and Texas—and the chance he’d get to earn a better living than in Maunabo Being back at school is a strange experience One of the things he misses most are the several trees knocked down by Maria it’s tough for students to find shade at the school where air conditioning doesn’t reach the classrooms and the outdoor basketball court’s roof is a shredded safety hazard One thing there’s more of this year: time in school Classes were cut to just 30 minutes apiece once the year resumed after Maria they never gave up on us,” he says of his teachers Now I have more time to do the classwork.” Not all of his memories about the time after Maria disturb him he went outside on his bike instead of playing video games indoors He reconnected with his neighborhood in a new way I was playing outside with people I never knew [before],” Tjeyder recalls A teacher didn’t come to Alfonso Casta Martínez on the second day of school this year At least one student vaults the school fence to leave the school without permission and there’s no outcry from the school security guard It’s easy to draw a line between Ricardo’s frustration about the official response to the storm his determination to make it through his time without running water and power and the attitude the 11th grader has towards school He’s not dwelling on the shortened 2017-18 school year when Alfonso Casta Martinez only held classes from 8 a.m to noon even after it was closed for several weeks as students lounge and tap on their phones in a neighboring stone pavilion the man who lived next to his grandmother died of a heart attack He recalls how sad he was to see that man’s home being repaired even after he had died But he also remembers a night about a week after the storm when his cousins came to his house with flashlights And they talked for a long time about all kinds of things from the stars to the government’s response to Maria It took workers a week to clear the road around his house He washed his clothes in a nearby river for some time He’s interested in becoming an aerospace engineer “I think I like creating and fixing stuff,” Ricardo says But when Yamaris Amaro Brito showed up to Alfonso Casta Martínez as a 10th grader late last year nervous and shy A month into the 2017-18 school year in nearby Humacao Hurricane Maria knocked down her family’s house When she saw her clothes scattered about and the kitchen wrecked Her mother had Yamaris and her 10 brothers to provide for The lines of people waiting for food and water So do fonder memories even amidst the chaos “Hurricane Maria made me talk to my mother They moved in with Yamaris’ grandmother in Maunabo was able to start school at Alfonso Casta Martínez Her early shyness has faded in the promise of a new school year and six other siblings have moved again into their own home her younger brothers and sisters sprawl on the floor and at the small kitchen table A fan blows cool air down on a brightly lit fish tank in the small living room A dive into her family’s broken outdoor pool would lead to all concrete and no water A newspaper in Yamaris’ house touts historic gains in retail sales in Puerto Rico thanks to business at hardware stores and supermarkets Greater access to government nutrition benefits and additional hurricane recovery payments are also cited But signs of the storm’s wrath are still visible everywhere a blue tarp is stretched tautly across a neighbor’s roofless house and a top-floor window is still missing glass she often walks a few minutes to her classmate Tjeyder’s restaurant her mind goes to two older brothers who live in Boston She wants to attend college there in preparation for a medical career “I want to have a better life there,” she says of Boston The ruptured and unnaturally fast pace of the last school year unsettled Tania M Alfonso Casta Martínez’s half days made learning difficult It was really difficult for us,” says Tania She’s nervous about what her senior year will bring But some of them stayed over there [on the U.S She wants to study medicine at the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao and then come back to her community to work see how the people of Puerto Rico are responding to the devastation of Hurricane Maria and working to rebuild their lives—and their schools A version of this article appeared in the August 29 2018 edition of Education Week as Student Voices From Puerto Rico SearchPDP boosts advantage in city halls by flipping 5 townsThe San Juan Daily StarNov 7 20241 min readJesús Resto Rivera is set to become the first Popular Democratic Party mayor of Ciales since 2012 While the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) lost the gubernatorial race following changes in at least six municipalities The incumbents in at least six towns lost to their challengers the municipality of San Sebastián went to the PDP after Mayor Javier Jiménez Pérez became the Dignity Project’s gubernatorial candidate San Sebastián opted to support Eladio Cardona Quiles of the PDP as mayor defeated the New Progressive Party (NPP) incumbent The victory was the first for the PDP since 2012 After the death of mayor Marcelo Trujillo Panisse the town went with Reinaldo Vargas Rodríguez of the NPP in the 2020 election the seat went to Trujillo Panisse’s daughter NPP candidate Danny Santiago Nuñez won the mayor’s seat in Villalba the people of Maunabo voted to remove the PDP mayor in favor of Ángel Omar Lafuente Amaro of the NPP Márquez is back to lead city hall after Tuesday’s vote The people of Moca also changed their mayor was on Wednesday to defeat Ángel “Beto” Pérez Rodríguez of the NPP ShareSaveCommentLifestyleTravel10 Fast-Growing Summer Vacation Spots In 2024—According To TripadvisorByBrittany Anas Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights specializing in adventure and the great outdoors.Follow AuthorMay 20 03:43pm EDTShareSaveCommentAn aerial view of the Lighthouse in Maunabo The sunny hot spots are joined by European mainstays like London and Paris But Tripadvisor also revealed which international summer travel destinations are seeing notable year-over-year growth the Maldives and Peru plus some lesser-known remote spots are poised to be summer vacation “it” destinations in 2024 This year’s summer travel season is shaping up to be big according to Tripadvisor’s survey of American travelers Nearly all respondents (92%) said they plan to spend at least the same amount on travel as last summer while more than half said they’ll shell out more on this summer’s trips than those they took last year Forty-four percent say they plan to take more trips and 55% say they plan to travel for longer Summer travelers are also planning to go further this year with 44% saying they’ll travel more than 7 hours to reach their vacation destination here are 10 international destinations that Tripadvisor pinpointed as trending for 2024: Forested mountains meet the Caribbean coastline in this stretch of southeast Puerto Rico where tourists can immerse in nature at the Punta Tuna Wetlands Nature Reserve and visit the Punta Tuna Lighthouse that was built by the Spanish in 1892 Located on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria Puerto Rico’s beaches and clifftop hotels are a draw But the Angry Birds-themed amusement park is the main attraction for kids View of beautiful Avellanas Beach in Guanacaste The surf breaks here beckon expert surfers but newbies can take lessons on the gentler waves nearby in Tamarindo Cusco is a jumping off point for visiting Machu Picchu but it also charms travelers with its historic plazas Iru Fushi translates to “sun island” and the 52-acre patch of soft sand is home to Sun Siyam Iru Fushi a luxury resort with overwater villas and 14 restaurants and bars Travelers arrive to Aguas Caliente by train though the town is also famous for its hot springs While much of Maldives will make you feel like you have the island to yourself a bridge that links it to the airport island of Hulhule and a coral stone Old Friday Mosque that dates back to 1656 Arrive by seaplane to Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa While it’s the largest island in The Bahamas Visitors come here for superlative scuba diving and deep-sea fishing .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Scott Sepich | For The Oregonian/OregonLiveTualatin City earned its first win of the Little League Softball World Series Saturday the host team improbably made it two in a row in its final game of pool play Tualatin City rallied from a four-run deficit in the fifth inning to stun Maunabo Tualatin City (2-2) will likely finish third place in its five-team group earning a spot in the fifth-place game Wednesday Lily Marshall scored the winning run Sunday when Kendra Gooding walked with the bases loaded and the third in a row with the bases loaded and two out Four Puerto Rico pitchers combined to walk 12 Oregon batters overall Tualatin City pitcher Elizabeth Hillier had a strong game in the circle striking out a tournament-high 13 batters in a complete game “I think this was definitely one of the hardest-throwing games I’ve ever had,” Hillier said “It got intense when we were behind and were trying to come back Tualatin City coach Kevin Potter said the keys to the comeback were “focus and patience.” “We knew those last two innings that they weren’t pitching well and were rattled a bit,” Potter said “It’s hard for the girls to stay patient up there but the discipline really kicked in at the end.” A 2-1 Puerto Rico lead through four innings ballooned to 5-1 in the top of the fifth sparked by Karla Santiago’s two-run triple as the situation was similar to one they overcame in their first game of the District 4 tournament a come-from-behind 11-8 victory over Willow Creek in July “We were down to our last out in that game and still won so we just kept on cheering and supporting each other today,” Gooding said Ella Hillier and Lindsay Stadick all walked and scored in the fifth inning but Tualatin City still trailed 5-4 heading to the sixth Elizabeth Hillier sent down Puerto Rico (1-2) in order in the top of the inning Two walks and two outs led to the hosts having runners on second and third with Stadick at bat Stadick battled back to take a walk to load the bases Noelle Sawyer then walked to force in the tying run “I really felt like the pressure was on when I was up,” Gooding said then watched the last pitch float in above her head to bring in the winning run Tualatin City’s ensuing celebration was tempered a bit by the devastation showed by the Latin American club “I feel bad to see them upset like that,” Gooding said and it makes it a little hard to play them But it feels really good to be 2-2 in the World Series.” Gooding and coach Potter represent Newberg Little League on the host team Tualatin City and Newberg joined forces under the Tualatin City banner for tournament play “Tualatin needed to join up with somebody to have enough players and a lot of our girls have played ASA with their girls,” Potter said “We really felt this was a great opportunity for us to come together and get to the World Series.” The result was one of the best Oregon District 4 performances in recent memory Although the team won’t be able to play for the championship Potter said a chance to finish fifth will be a satisfying conclusion to the week-long event Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site 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I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions." So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett Puerto Rico is one of the most breathtaking destinations in the Caribbean and also one of the most accessible residents don’t need a passport to visit some of which are more comprehensive than others Here are our picks for the best Puerto Rico all-inclusive resorts The small, welcoming Parador MaunaCaribe offers a feeling of privacy not normally found at all-inclusive resorts The hotel’s centerpiece is a dazzling beachside infinity pool complete with a poolside bar and plenty of space for lounging around While here, you can visit the Maunabo Lighthouse, hike the nearby Sierra de Guardarraya mountains, or explore the rainforest at El Yunque National Forest The 52 rooms are simple but offer all the modern amenities you’d expect from an oceanfront resort, including free Wi-Fi. The all-inclusive package includes breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner. All-inclusive packages start at $379 for two people for two nights and up to two kids under age six stay and eat free The hotel is about an hour from San Juan and the airport and about 75 minutes from Ponce If it’s seclusion you want, the Copamarina Beach Resort might be the option for you The resort has more than 20 acres of lush landscaped gardens just begging to be explored and it sits on a gorgeous stretch of white sand There are two pools with whirlpools (as well as two children’s pools) or simply unwind to the sounds of crashing waves and swaying palm trees Cozy rooms are outfitted with plush furnishings offer private patios or balconies and complimentary Internet service You can choose between several all-inclusive options from basic bed-and-breakfast plans to packages that include all meals and alcoholic beverages; this allows you to cater your stay however you like The resort sits directly on the beach about five miles from historic Guanica and about two hours from San Juan The Villa Montana Beach Resort is situated on 35 lush acres along three miles of pristine beach on Puerto Rico’s northwest coast this is another great option if you want the service and amenities of a traditional Caribbean resort but prefer the slower speed of a smaller hotel The beautiful property has two pools with cabanas available and a large playground for kids and it throws nightly beach bonfires complete with s’mores (call ahead to reserve a spot) Elegant rooms feature Egyptian cotton sheets Villa Montana is about 1 hour and 40 minutes from San Juan and the surrounding area offers lots of activities Over on Puerto Rico’s eastern shore, the Wyndham Garden at Palmas del Mar offers a relaxed vibe at a somewhat more budget-friendly price There’s a three-tiered infinity-edge pool complete with a swim-up pool bar serving its signature drink Ginger’s Passion Colada (the bar is called the Ginger Pool Bar so that’s the story behind the name) and most feature private balconies or patios Wi-Fi is complimentary throughout the property plus the resort’s centerpiece restaurant which serves traditional fare with a Caribbean twist in both indoor and alfresco settings as is Fajardo and its famous bioluminescent bay The Parador Costa del Mar is the smallest on our list Combine that boutique-like feel with a prime location smack between the mountains and the sea You can unwind alongside the pool overlooking the ocean and the kids can run and climb on the on-site playground Other amenities include a game room and gym Twelve of the 16 spacious rooms feature panoramic ocean views The hotel restaurant is actually a half-mile up the road at a sister property, but the all-inclusive plan covers all meals and an afternoon snack Rates for the meal plan start at $379 for two people for two all-inclusive nights; kids under six eat free The hotel is roughly an hour from San Juan and the international airport