Over forty years ago today, in 1974, a message was sent from the observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to … well, any life forms out in space that might be available to receive a message. A spokesperson for the observatory emphasized that it was a “symbolic” event rather than the beginning of a conversation. The… Read more »

El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico’s major newspaper, has been polling the Island population for thirty years. The most recent poll found that 25% of respondents expect to leave Puerto Rico in 2019. This percentage shows no change since the last survey, in March. The number of people planning to leave is always larger than the… Read more »

After an initial delay due to weather concerns, Hunter College’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies, “Centro”, held the second annual Puerto Rico Diaspora Summit on October 26th, 2018 at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. The focus of the event was to gather Puerto Ricans from across the nation, of all… Read more »

New Caledonia, a South Pacific archipelago, has belonged to France since 1853. Last week, a referendum on independence brought out more than 80% of the voters, and they chose to stay with France. There are similarities between this case and that of Puerto Rico, which has belonged to the United States nearly as long as… Read more »

Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) wrote to the PROMESA Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) last month, expressing concern over the unequal treatment Puerto Rico receives under Medicaid. The Board responded, thanking Soto for advocating for Puerto Rico and providing a list of proposed solutions to the problem. Puerto Rico, like States, is responsible for the… Read more »

The Boston Red Sox have won the World Series for the 9th time in their history. Naturally, Boston is excited. But manager Alex Cora, who hails from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has created excitement on the Island, too. Cora asked for a plane load of supplies for Puerto Rico disaster relief last year when he negotiated… Read more »

Four Democratic members of Congress who are active on Puerto Rico related issues have written to the PROMESA Financial Board to strongly object to the Fiscal Plan for the territory it adopted a week ago citing the “devastating impact” the plan’s “overly generous debt service” and “severe austerity” would have on Puerto Ricans. Senator Elizabeth Warren… Read more »

A new report on Puerto Rico’s recovery a year after Hurricane Maria says that “it is obvious that Puerto Rico’s subordinate, some would say colonial, political status has been an obstacle to the recovery process.” The report, authored by Sergio M. Marxuach of the Center for a New Economy, identifies specific aspects of Puerto Rico’s… Read more »

A series of research reports from biologists worldwide has shown that the world’s insect population is falling sharply. A new report published in in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences spotlights the same problem in Puerto Rico. This is not the result of Hurricane Maria. The researchers had visited El Yunque, the tropical… Read more »

During its 15th public meeting today, the Federal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) voted unanimously to certify a fiscal plan to govern the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The board, created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Security Act (PROMESA), also certified a fiscal plan for the University of Puerto Rico. Upon passage… Read more »