As we remember Hurricane Maria’s landfall in Puerto Rico three years ago and look ahead to a presidential election in which the votes of stateside Puerto Ricans matter more than ever, members of Congress and other representatives of the federal government are paying attention to the U.S. territory. This renewed awareness of Puerto Rico comes… Read more »
On September 25th, a hearing on Puerto Rico’s status will take place in the House Natural Resources Committee. The hearing is titled, “Puerto Rico’s Options for a Non-Territory Status and What Should Happen After November’s Plebiscite.” This event will take place at noon, Eastern time. The hearing will be livestreamed. House Natural Resources Committee Spain… Read more »
Some of President Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks about Puerto Rico have not won him many fans among Puerto Rican voters. But he may be trying to gain lost ground this year, with a tweet honoring Roberto Clemente on Roberto Clemente Day. This tweet, from September 9, 2020, speaks admiringly of Roberto Clemente, joining “millions of baseball… Read more »
When Joe Biden visited Florida yesterday, he was clearly reaching out to Florida’s Puerto Rican voters. Recent polls show that this population favors statehood, and prefers candidates who do the same. In his final stop of the day, Biden made a statement expressing support for statehood for Puerto Rico. “I will work with representatives who… Read more »
Eight Democrats on the House Committee on Natural Resources, the committee that oversees U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, wrote a concerned letter to Douglas L. Hoelscher, who is Deputy Assistant to the President and Co-Chair of the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status. The letter began by asking who is currently on the Task… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Democratic Party has come out in opposition to legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress by two Democrats of Puerto Rican heritage who represent areas of New York. Representatives Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a self-determination bill for Puerto Rico. In response, they received a letter from the Democratic Party… Read more »
Arecibo Observatory, home of the second largest radio telescope in the world, was badly damaged in 2017 when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Federal funding for the facility has been cut severely since then, and now a cable holding up the telescope has snapped, damaging the telescope and forcing Arecibo to close. Arecibo’s importance The… Read more »
The FDA has approved a new facility in Manati, Puerto Rico, for Romark Laboratories. Approved use includes production of NT-300 (nitazoxanide), a drug considered promising for treatment of COVID-19, as well as its current formulation of the drug as a treatment for diarrhea under the brand name Alinia. The 35,000 square foot facility currently employs 100… Read more »
U.S. Representatives Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) introduced federal legislation last week calling for a new convention in Puerto Rico at which delegates would do away with the Island’s current status as a U.S. territory and recommend a new political status for Puerto Rico. Delegates would be elected by Puerto Rican voters in an election conducted according… Read more »
Puerto Rico has had among the toughest regulations during the pandemic within the US, and additional restrictions specifically for businesses released by the Department of Health Regulation No. 9210 went into effect on August 21. Four requirements Everyone entering a business must take four basic precautions: Their temperatures must be checked. They must clean their… Read more »
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