Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez says she has no interest in becoming Puerto Rico’s governor

The woman who was next in line to become Puerto Rico’s governor after the current governor resigned amid massive protests said yesterday that she does not want the position. Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez said she does not want to assume the role of governor and has asked departing Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to appoint someone else to […]

Puerto Ricans rallied in San Juan calling for the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló

With chants of “Ricky, renuncia!” (“Ricky, resign!”) tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans marched and rallied in Old San Juan yesterday in a massive protest calling for the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Puerto Ricans from across the island gathered in the U.S. territory’s capital, joined by high-profile stars such as Ricky Martin, reggaeton stars […]

Florida judge protects Spanish-speakers’ voting rights ahead of the 2020 primaries

Advocates for Spanish-speaking voters in Florida are celebrating a significant win Friday after District Judge Mark Walker issued an order requiring 32 of the state’s 67 counties to provide election materials and assistance to Spanish-speaking voters before the 2020 presidential primary. Walker’s decision comes after several civic engagement groups and individuals sued the state secretary of state […]

Puerto Rican organizations putting the island at the front and center of the 2020 elections

As the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates ramp up their campaigns, a number of Puerto Rican organizations are demanding that they incorporate into their platforms definitive stances on a series of issues affecting the island and its 3 million residents. “Now is the time to show us, not only that they care, but show us how […]

Trump says he opposes statehood for Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló (D) criticized President Trump, who said in an interview that he opposes granting the territory statehood while pointing to an “incompetent” mayor in San Juan. “The President said he is not in favor of statehood for the people of Puerto Rico based on a personal feud with a local mayor. This is an insensitive, disrespectful […]

FEMA to end housing program that is helping Puerto Ricans

As Hurricane Florence begins to lash the Carolinas, FEMA has told 987 Puerto Rican families who left their island after Hurricane Maria that check-out time is noon today because the federal government will no longer pay for their rooms. “I have roughly 48 hours to figure it out. What am I going to do?” said Vimarie Cardona on […]

Chef José Andrés’ shares his inspiring story about Puerto Rico

José Andrés wears his heart on his sleeve, whether that sleeve is part of an immaculate chef’s jacket or a stained T-shirt worn in the middle of a disaster zone. The Spanish chef, 49, owns and operates restaurants in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Florida and Puerto Rico. He has hosted television cooking […]

The official death toll in Puerto Rico raised to nearly 3,000

After the governor of Puerto Rico raised the island’s official Hurricane Maria death toll to nearly 3,000 people, Puerto Ricans felt a range of emotions ― anger, frustration, grief ― but few were surprised. “I’m outraged but not surprised,” said Mariana Teresa Hernandez, a Puerto Rican mother who sent her two kids, ages 6 and […]

Another power outage in Puerto Rico hours after it was announced that it was finally restored

Hours after Puerto Rico officials announced that power had finally been restored to almost all of the island’s residents, a year after Hurricane Maria, a new problem with the power grid plunged thousands of people into the dark once again. Puerto Rico’s electric provider tweeted Monday that just 0.002 percent of its nearly 1.4 million […]

Two organizations sue FEMA after agency fails to release information related to Hurricane Maria

A reporting organization and a legal group filed a lawsuit against FEMA yesterday alleging that the agency has failed to release documents they requested detailing FEMA’s emergency relief efforts following Hurricane Maria last year. “FEMA has tried to escape accountability, dismissing our information requests for nearly six months now and trying to ignore our FOIA petitions,” said Executive […]