Monday Apr 17, 2023

in Taking on the ‘Public Nuisance’ Specialists PIP Lawmakers Say Expropriations in San Germán, Like in Other Towns, Do Not Follow Due Process P5

Recovery Assistance Core of Macron’s Pension Plan Clears Key Legal Test P17

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Judge Sets Limits on Proceeding to Determine Size of PREPA Bondholders’ Claim

GOOD MORNING April

The San Juan Daily Star, the only paper with News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edition, along with a Weekend Edition to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fiscal board explains some of the ‘gaps’ in fiscal plan noted by think tank

By THE STAR STAFF

The Financial Oversight and Management Board has provided some explanations for the “gaps” in the 2023 fiscal plan that were found in a recent analysis by Open Spaces (Espacios Abiertos).

When compared to the previous eight fiscal plans, analysts noted contradictions in the 2023 fiscal plan, including a projected deficit in 2027 following the confirmation of a debt adjustment plan. In the past, the oversight board has said the deficit will be seen in 2044. Analysts at Espacios Abiertos also said the board failed to mention potential savings from fiscal measures. The STAR sent written questions to the oversight board seeking comment.

Asked about the data to support the deficit now being projected for 2027, the oversight board said the fiscal plan reflects current law.

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fiscal plan does not explicitly mention in its projections the potential savings that the fiscal measures would achieve in the next 30 years, something that it had disclosed in the eight previous fiscal plans.

Espacios Abiertos said it could not find a trace of data on which implemented measures are yielding, and what effects the variations and structural reforms are having on future government surpluses/deficits.

The STAR asked the oversight board for the reasons it did not include data on savings following the adoption of a new debt adjustment plan, and data consisting of savings due to structural reforms and downsizing.

“Therefore, the 2023 Fiscal Plan projections show a potential deficit starting in FY2028 driven by the projected decrease in federal Medicaid funding given changes to the law since the certification of the 2022 Fiscal Plan,” the board said.

In quoting the fiscal plan, the board said that “Beginning in FY2028, the Commonwealth could face a ‘Medicaid fiscal cliff,’ where it becomes responsible for a significantly higher share of Medicaid expenses –expenditures that have been covered by federal funding since 2011.”

“The Congressional Budget Office’s cost estimates of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act suggest that in October 2027 the federal Medicaid funding cap for Puerto Rico will fall to about $500 million annually,” the oversight board said. “The cap will grow each year from FFY [federal fiscal year] 2028 according to the medical care services component of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), but this growth rate does not keep pace with the island’s projected healthcare expenditure growth.”

At a recent press conference last week, Espacios Abiertos said the austerity economy that the oversight board has imposed on Puerto Rico is not yielding the promised results.

Martín Guzmán, an economist who has analyzed Puerto Rico’s debt, said the ninth certified fiscal plan, published on April 3, shows that government payroll spending has decreased by more than 50%, while spending on outside consultants over the past 15 years has increased by more than 125%.

For the first time, the oversight board in the current

The board said the 2023 Fiscal Plan highlights the savings achieved through the plan of adjustment. The document notes that prior to the enactment of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, commonly known as PROMESA, the government had accumulated a debt burden of $71 billion, roughly $24,000 per resident of Puerto Rico.

“Through the concerted efforts of the Oversight Board and the Government described below, the debt is on course to be reduced to $34 billion,” the document notes.

The oversight board acknowledged that references to fiscal measures were not included as most of them were finalized in FY22. The board said estimates on the impact of past fiscal measures could be found in previous fiscal plans.

Economist Martín Guzmán

Judge sets limits on proceeding to determine size of PREPA bondholders’ claim

By THE STAR STAFF

The judge overseeing the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) bankruptcy said in a recent order that the proceeding to determine the amount of the bondholders’ claim will be limited. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain said that after reading the different motions, she intends to hear the various positions regarding the claim size.

“The court intends the … process to be appropriately informed by fact, and to respectfully give hearing to the separate viewpoints of the several parties, but the proceedings will be -- as is appropriate -- a true estimation process, not a protracted trial to establish a precise computation of the unsecured net revenue claim,” Swain said in her April 13 order.

Swain set the claims estimation hearing for June. The order is part of the FOMB et al. v US Bank National Association et al., adversary proceeding in PREPA’s bankruptcy case.

On March 22, Swain rejected bondholders’ position that they are entitled to fully recover their $8.4 billion debt because it is secured. Instead, the court held that the 1974 trust agreement granted the bondholders security interests only in amounts of money deposited to the Sinking Fund, Self-insurance Fund, Capital Improvement Fund, Reserve Maintenance Fund, and Construction Fund, as defined in the trust agreement.

Swain also ruled that the bondholders have perfected their liens in the Sinking Fund, Self-insurance Fund, and Reserve Maintenance Fund, over which the trustee had established control. However, the judge said the bondholders have no security interest in the covenants and remedies provided for by the 1974 trust agreement on the bonds.

She said the bondholders have an unsecured claim to be liquidated by reference to the value of future net revenues. The judge launched a process to estimate the amount of the bondholders’ claim. In the April 13 order, she set guidelines to help the parties

make a decision.

“The informative motions underscore the continuing deep divisions between the parties -- disagreements on basic principles which have the effect of preventing the accord necessary to resolution of the dispute at hand,” Swain ruled. “Some guidance, therefore, should assist the parties in their deliberations and negotiations.”

Swain said that when she referred to the “term of the bonds” in her March 22 order, she was not referring to the stated maturity of each bond, as the Financial Oversight and Management Board contended, nor, as bondholders argue, did she mean the bonds effectively had no expiration.

“When formulating their positions as to the remainder of the term of the bonds, the court advises the parties to consider the period of time during which the bondholders would be in a position to realize legal or equitable relief in the aid of recovery,” she wrote.

Swain said she expected the parties to engage in good-faith negotiations.

Legislators announce filing of CRIM bill to amend inventory tax

By THE STAR STAFF

Lawmakers in the island House of Representatives announced Sunday that the Municipal Revenue Collections Center (CRIM by its Spanish acronym) filed a bill to amend the annual payment of the inventory tax.

“The main objective of the proposal is to increase the inventory of essential products in our jurisdiction without the unfair penalty of having to pay taxes for unsold inventory annu-

ally,” House Speaker Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez said in a written statement.

“I have long fought for the elimination of the inventory tax, a taxation that not only makes product prices more expensive for consumers but also allows many items to become scarce, a situation that has a negative cascade effect on our economy,” added New Progressive Party (NPP) House minority leader Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Núñez. “During the last four-year term, we

approved its elimination in the House. This measure is one of justice for taxpayers and will allow a reduction in prices without affecting municipal revenues.”

The bill amends Articles 7.148, 7.135, 7.136, 8.001 of Book 7 of Law 107-2020, as amended, known as the “Municipal Code,” in order to establish a new methodology for taxation of the contribution on the inventory line and the taxation on the value of the cost of the inventory sold based on an annual average.

Aguas Buenas engaged in ambitious road repair plan

By THE STAR STAFF

The municipality of Aguas Buenas on Sunday announced an aggressive road repair plan to improve the condition of the town’s state and municipal roadways.

The plan, which began implementation several months ago, aims to improve road infrastructure to increase the safety of drivers and pedestrians. The plan includes the construction of ditches, and repaving of streets and municipal roads.

Aguas Buenas Mayor Karina Nieves Serrano said “since my arrival at the mayor’s office I made one of the priorities to address the critical state of our roads.”

“We are taking an important step to ensure that our residents

can travel safely and comfortably,” she said.

The municipal government has invested $2.5 million from American Recovery Plan Act Funds, another $501,000 from legislative funds allocated by district Sens. Nitza Morán and Juan Oscar Morales, and Rep. Jorge Navarro, as well as $1.3 million from DTOP’s Changing Lanes program.

“The funds assigned for the resurfacing of the roads come from combined federal, state and legislative funds, so we continue to work as a team and make good use of the money for direct services that benefit citizens,” the mayor said.

Neighborhoods that have been impacted so far are: Sonadora, Jagüeyes, Cagüitas, Sumidero, Juan Asencio and El Pueblo. Next up are Bayamoncito, Bairoa, Mula and Mulitas.

U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain

Rep. Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Núñez

The road repair plan in Aguas Buenas includes the construction of ditches, and repaving of streets and municipal roads.

PIP lawmakers: Expropriations in San Germán do not follow due process

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) Sen. María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón and San Germán municipal assemblyman

Joel Vega Torres have accused the southern city’s mayor of expropriating residents’ properties through a private contractor, Universal Properties, without following due process.

The PIP senator said late last week that several lawsuits filed against Mayor Virgilio Olivera Olivera involve irregularities with eminent domain cases. The PIP became aware of the problem in San Germán after a citizen learned that his property had been declared a public nuisance without proper notification and in violation of the Municipal Code.

The only notification the homeowner received that his property would be declared a public nuisance was through a sign placed on the property by Universal Properties, which acts as an agent of the municipality.

The subsequent notice received by the resident was a court summons, informing him that the municipality, through the mayor, intended to acquire the property, valued at one time at $43,000, without paying him a penny of compensation.

The case is the latest example of a pattern denounced initially by Santiago Negrón and PIP Rep. Denis Márquez Lebrón in March in a complaint filed with the Department of Justice. The lawmakers have said 22 municipalities have hired Universal Properties and the Francis & Gueits law firm to manage declarations of public nuisances and eminent domain proceedings. The legislators claimed that municipalities are declaring properties in good condition a public nuisance without adequately notifying the owners and without paying compensation.

San Germán has at least 12 eminent domain lawsuits in the courts in which the homeowners argue numerous due process irregularities. Olivera did not answer requests for comment.

Expropriation gives the government the right to acquire land in the hands of private ownership, even if its owner does not want to sell. To limit potential abuses, the government’s use of such power is typically restricted only to cases in which it

needs to acquire the land for a public purpose. However, there are cases when such power is extended to allow land assembly to attract private investment.

Olivera allegedly has acted to expropriate private property without the authorization of the municipal assembly as required by the General Law of Expropriations for such cases, the PIP lawmakers said.

In all cases, the municipality alleges that it does not have to pay anything for the expropriation, under the theory that the expenses incurred by Universal Properties should be deducted from the appraisal price of each property, they said.

“The reality is that the law, in expropriations for public utility, only allows for the deduction of fines, and the necessary and convenient expenses to overcome the condition of public nuisance,” the lawmakers said. “Universal, which in these cases has not done any maintenance or cleaning work, requested that

the exorbitant amount of $26,345 be subtracted from the compensation of each of the expropriated citizens to cover company expenses such as: $950 for internet and use of digital platform; $4,500 for publication of edicts in newspapers, $150 for office supplies, $200 for billing and others.”

The company claims the same amount in each case, for a total of $289,795. If the mayor, as plaintiff in the cases, is accepting those expenses, he has to find another form of legal collection that does not imply leaving the people of San Germán who he will deprive of their property, without fair compensation, the lawmakers said. Fair compensation in cases of expropriation is a constitutional mandate.

Among other expenses Universal claims are $6,000 for “pre-acquisition costs,” in which an “applicant-acquirer” is named. “Suppose Universal indeed has a buyer for those 11 properties; it must adhere to the process provided in Article 4.010 of the Municipal Code (not the General Expropriation Law),” the PIP lawmakers said. “The process states that for a public nuisance to be put up for sale, it must first appear in the Inventory that the Municipality has made publicly accessible. It must also have an appraisal accepted by the buyer, and the money that the buyer delivered in the court.”

Failure to comply with that process makes a false representation to the court (and to the acquiring applicant, who probably gave Universal a considerable amount for a house that the privatizer and the municipality intend to obtain without paying the owner anything), and the municipal administration should not be part of that scheme, they said.

“Given this scenario, today I sent a letter to the mayor in which I bring this situation to his attention and how Universal is making false representations to the court on behalf of the municipality and the mayor himself, and I also request that as the plaintiff, he desist from these lawsuits,” Vega Torres said Friday. “In the same way, I presented a resolution before the municipal assembly to order the municipality to withdraw these 11 lawsuits.” Santiago Negrón said she has referred the matter to the secretary of Justice and the commonwealth comptroller.

‘Father Leo’ retires from San Germán parish

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

After 20 years of faithful service and dedication to the parishioners and community in general, the Reverend Father Ángel Leonides Soto Barreto, better known as Father Leo, officially said goodbye on Sunday to the San Germán de Auxerre Parish, located in the heart of Las Lomas de Santa Marta.

“We recognize and congratulate you, thank you for your love and dedication to the people of our town,” San Germán Mayor Virgilio Olivera Olivera said when delivering the congratulatory motion prepared for such an important occasion.

Born on April 3, 1967 in Moca to Ángel Soto Barreto and Leonor Barreto Hernández, Father Leo, has service as his guiding light, along with being an agent of spiritual support

to citizens across Puerto Rico, which he fulfilled among the sangermeños.

“His years of service have been spent in our San Germán de Auxerre Parish, Our Lady of Candelaria Cathedral in Mayagüez, Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Rincón, and Santuario de la Monserrate in Hormigueros, among other places,” said the mayor, who thanked Father Leo “on behalf of all Sangermeños,” for the passion with which he gave himself to the service of others without expecting anything in return.

“Today you say so long, as you accept the new assignment now presented to you on the path of life, that we know very well that you will fulfill with the highest honors,” Olivera said. “Meanwhile, on our part, thank you for having touched and healed the hearts of so many Sangermeños. Thank you for so much, Father Leo!”

Sen. María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón

FEMA reaches milestone $30 billion in recovery assistance for PR

By THE STAR STAFF

Highways, parks, hospitals, educational institutions, water and electricity infrastructure are just some of the areas included in projects amounting to $30 billion in allocations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during the reconstruction of Puerto Rico after the passage of Hurricane Maria, to address other social and essential service facilities.

More than 10,600 projects cover various categories under Public Assistance funds to address infrastructure whose renovation will benefit the entire island.

“We celebrate the $30 billion milestone because this translates into an unprecedented and comprehensive reconstruction for this and future generations,” Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José G. Baquero said over the weekend. “Through these funds, Puerto Rico will experience a resilient recovery, so essential in planning for future atmospheric events.”

With more than $750 million to optimize their structures, the campuses of the University of Puerto Rico will continue to train world-class professionals and promote important academic research, and the Río Piedras Botanical Garden will provide rest and recreational areas for its visitors while serving as a living laboratory to study tropical plants and various bird species.

Another outstanding project in post-secondary education is the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, which is already under construction. Due to its historical value, the facilities of this specialized public university had a

damage assessment that addressed the reconstruction of a 19th century building, to which FEMA allocated over $1.5 million.

Meanwhile, due to its importance for recreational and socioeconomic development, Las Cascadas Park in Aguadilla required close to $1 million to reopen its doors. The over 40-year-old park is one of the economic engines of the municipality.

In Carolina, meanwhile, Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium is already receiving the public following the

allocation of nearly $18.4 million from the agency. This reconstruction not only benefits professional baseball and the home of the Gigantes, but also welcomes more than 100 teams for prep tournaments and children’s leagues.

Within road infrastructure, the Abra Honda Low Water Crossing in the municipality of San Sebastián is a project under construction that will benefit the community and that is focused on mitigating risks during future events. The Guajataca River washed away the previous road during Hurricane Maria and FEMA allocated close to $5.2 million to rebuild it; mitigation measures will raise the road with a single-span bridge above flood level in the area. The bridge will provide a direct route from the Guacio neighborhood to most of the jobs, hospitals and supermarkets located in the urban center of San Sebastián. Both the island’s roads and bridges, as well as water and electricity services are the main resources to begin emergency response work. With that in mind, one of the agency’s newly assigned projects includes the dredging of the Carraízo Reservoir. At about $88.7 million, the funds for the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority will allow the removal of some 2.6 million cubic yards of sediment from the reservoir. The project -- which included an environmental assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act -- will provide a larger water reserve for some 492,000 consumers in the municipalities of Caguas, Gurabo, Juncos, Las Piedras, San Juan, San Lorenzo and parts of Trujillo Alto. Carraízo provides around 90 million gallons of water daily to its customers.

Resident commissioner announces $29.5 million in new federal appropriations

By THE STAR STAFF

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón congratulated the recipients of new federal appropriations totaling $29,542,421.00 for having met the necessary requirements and putting the funds obtained in Congress to use, and urged other entities to request the federal aid that represents relief from economic burden, and promotes development and the welfare of the population.

The co-chair of the congressional Caucus of Institutions Serving Hispanics announced over the weekend that the U.S. Department of Education (DE) approved funds for six institutions of higher education that requested it.

Under the DE’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, San Juan Bautista School of Medicine will receive $599,351, and the Carolina Campus of Ana G. Méndez University will receive $599,984, while its Cupey campus will receive $572,126.

The HIS provides grants to help Hispanic-serving institutions expand educational opportunities and improve the achievement of Hispanic students, as well as enable them to expand and improve their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability.

Another program under which institutions on the island received funding is the Promotion of Graduate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans. It provides grants to expand graduate educational opportunities; improve the academic performance of Hispanic students, expand postgraduate academic offerings and improve program quality at higher education institutions that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students earn postsecondary degrees.

Under the program, Ana G. Méndez University will receive $600,000 while its Cupey campus will also receive $600,000 and the San Germán Campus of Inter-American University will receive $405,260.

González Colón, who is also co-chair of the Ocean Caucus, announced that the Fisheries Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommended $555,425 in continuation funding in fiscal year 2023 for two multi-year projects being undertaken by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources under the Species Recovery Grant Program. The funding includes $419,398 for coral research and protection projects and $136,027 for strengthening Nassau grouper recovery in Puerto Rico.

Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium in Carolina

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón

can’t read’: The revolt that is taking on the education establishment

By SARAH MERVOSH

In suburban Houston, parents rose up against a top-rated school district, demanding an entirely new reading curriculum.

At an elementary school in Hutchinson, Minnesota, a veteran teacher is crusading for reform, haunted by the fear that, for 28 years, she failed children because she was not trained in the cognitive science behind reading.

And Ohio may become the latest state to overhaul reading instruction, under a plan by Gov. Mike DeWine.

“The evidence is clear,” DeWine said. “The verdict is in.”

A revolt over how children are taught to read, steadily building for years, is now sweeping school board meetings and statehouses around the country.

The movement, under the banner of “the science of reading,” is targeting the education establishment: school districts, literacy gurus, publishers and colleges of education, which critics say have failed to embrace the cognitive science of how children learn to read.

Research shows that most children need systematic, sound-it-out instruction — known as phonics — as well as other direct support, like building vocabulary and expanding students’ knowledge of the world.

The movement has drawn support across economic, racial and political lines. Its champions include parents of children with dyslexia; civil rights activists with the NAACP; lawmakers from both sides of the aisle; and everyday teachers and principals.

Together, they are getting results.

Ohio, California and Georgia are the latest states to push for reform, adding to almost 20 states that have made moves in the past two years. Under pressure, school districts are scrapping their old reading programs. Even holdouts like New York City, where hundreds of elementary schools were loyal to a popular but heavily criticized reading curriculum, are making changes.

About 1 in 3 children in the United States cannot read at a basic level of comprehension, according to a key national exam. The outcomes are particularly troubling for Black and Native American children, nearly half of whom score “below basic” by eighth grade.

“The kids can’t read — nobody wants to just say that,” said Kareem Weaver, an activist with the NAACP in Oakland, California, who has framed literacy as a civil rights issue and stars in a new documentary, “The Right to Read.”

Science of reading advocates say the reason is simple: Many children are not being correctly taught.

A popular method of teaching, known as “balanced literacy,” has focused less on phonics and more on developing a love of books and ensuring students understand the meaning of stories. At times, it has included dubious

strategies, like guiding children to guess words from pictures.

The push for reform picked up in 2019, when national reading scores showed significant improvement in just two places: Mississippi and Washington, D.C. Both had required more phonics.

But what might have remained a niche education issue was supercharged by a storm of events: a pandemic that mobilized parents; COVID-19 relief money that gave school districts flexibility to change; a fresh spotlight on racial disparities after the murder of George Floyd; and a hit education podcast with a passionate following.

“There is this urgency around the story, this unbelievable grief,” said Emily Hanford, a journalist at American Public Media. Her podcast, “Sold a Story,” detailed how stars of the literacy world and their publisher diverged from scientific research. It racked up nearly 5 million downloads.

The movement has not been universally popular. School districts in Connecticut and teachers unions in Ohio, for example, pushed back against what they see as heavy-handed interference in their classrooms.

Even within the movement, there are quiet rumblings of worry. There is no established curriculum for the science of reading — it refers to a large body of research that must be woven into the craft of teaching.

Can such a sprawling and enthusiastic movement stick to the science — across thousands of schools and classrooms? Can real change be executed and sustained?

“I saw this post where somebody said, ‘Reading wars are over, science of reading won,’” said Mark Seidenberg,

a cognitive scientist at the University of Wisconsin.

“I’m sure it will be on a T-shirt soon,” he said. “But actually, nobody has won until we’ve actually seen we’ve improved literacy outcomes — especially with kids in groups where there is a long history of being left behind.”

A ‘perfect storm’

It all feels a bit familiar to Susan Neuman, an education official under former President George W. Bush.

In 2000, at the behest of Congress, a National Reading Panel recommended many strategies being argued for today. And the Bush administration prioritized phonics. Yet that effort faltered because of politics and bureaucratic snafus.

Neuman, now a professor at New York University, is among those who question whether this moment can be different. “I worry,” she said, “that it’s deja vu all over again.”

Today’s movement, though, is less top down, and far more dynamic.

“You had this perfect storm happening,” said Jennie McGahee, a mother in Hudson, Ohio, who watched her son James muddle through reading and writing in elementary school.

A former teacher, McGahee tried to help at home. But she came to believe a central problem was the curriculum: a popular program by Lucy Calkins of Columbia University’s Teachers College. Until recently, the curriculum had put less emphasis on phonics and more emphasis on children reading and writing independently.

During pandemic Zoom lessons, McGahee said, other parents in her affluent, mostly white suburb known for its schools also began to question why their children were not getting more explicit instruction.

Then last fall, “Sold a Story” scrutinized the work of Calkins and others, giving ammunition to parents like McGahee. She emailed the podcast to her school board, and at a recent meeting, marched up to the microphone.

“This will end with our curriculum changing — it’s just a matter of how long we need to fight to get this done,” said McGahee, whose son, now 12, still finds reading taxing. The district said it was piloting another program to boost phonics.

Calkins rewrote her early literacy curriculum last year to include, for the first time, daily, structured phonics to be used with the whole class. In a statement, she said she had always treated phonics as critical. But she added: “To reduce the teaching of reading to phonics instruction and nothing more is to misunderstand what reading is, and what learning is.”

Avoiding pitfalls

At Panther Valley Elementary, a rural, low-income school in eastern Pennsylvania, the science of reading has been transformative, said the principal, Robert Palazzo.

Continues on page 8

‘Kids

Robert Palazzo, the principal at Panther Valley Elementary School in Nesquehoning, Pa. on April 4, 2023. Palazzo considers himself a science of reading convert.

From page 7

His school had been using a reading program by influential educators Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, whose work has been questioned by science of reading advocates. The district even took out a loan to afford the curriculum, which cost around $100,000, he said.

But teachers complained: It wasn’t working. Just one-quarter of third graders were meeting benchmarks.

“I had to swallow my pride and realize that selecting that was a mistake,” Palazzo said. Fountas and Pinnell pointed to research supporting their program and said “countless schools” had achieved positive results. Their approach, they said, includes phonics.

Panther Valley, though, used grants, donations and COVID relief money to buy a new phonics curriculum. The school also recently added 40 minutes of targeted, small-group phonics at the end of every day.

Nearly 60% of third graders are now proficient in decoding words, up from about 30% at the beginning of the school year, progress Palazzo hopes will translate to state

tests this spring.

Still, experts foresee a number of pitfalls to meaningful reform on a national scale.

For starters, bringing reading science to commercial curricula is still a work in progress. Schools may scrap their old textbooks but find there is no perfect replacement.

“What’s coming along is in the right ballpark at least,” said Seidenberg, of the University of Wisconsin. But he warned against treating anything as “gospel.”

There is also the danger of overemphasizing phonics. To establish true literacy, students need to be able to not only sound out words, but also read quickly and build enough vocabulary and background knowledge for comprehension.

Another risk: impatience.

When Mississippi improved reading scores in 2019, it was touted as a “miracle.” In fact, progress came over many years, with systemic reform that included sending literacy coaches to the state’s lowest-performing schools.

“I don’t want the science of reading to be the shiny object — ‘look here, look here,’” said Jack Silva, the chief academic officer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, an early adopter of the science of reading. “You forget the hard work that it takes to implement.”

During pandemic Zoom lessons, Jennie McGahee said, other parents in her affluent, mostly white suburb known for its schools also began to question why their children were not getting more explicit instruction.

Bans on transition care for young people spread across US

states so far this legislative session. In Kentucky, Republicans overrode the Democratic governor’s veto.

“In signing this bill, I recognize our society plays a role in protecting minors from surgeries or treatments that can irreversibly damage their healthy bodies,” Gov. Brad Little wrote on signing Idaho’s ban last week.

Several of the bans include significant exceptions: Arizona’s ban, passed last year, prohibits only surgery, which is rare among transgender teenagers. Georgia’s law bans crosssex hormones and operations but not puberty blockers. And West Virginia’s ban allows the care to continue if two providers agree that the treatment is necessary to “limit self-harm, or the possibility of self-harm.”

Who is affected

There are about 53,000 transgender adolescents in the states where some or all gender-affirming care has been banned, out of about 300,000 nationwide, according to estimates from the Williams Institute — or around 1.4% of all adolescents.

Many of the major gender clinics across the Midwest and the South typically treat only 100 to 200 adolescents, and not all of them are getting hormone therapy. Estimates from Reuters suggest that a few thousand young transgender people nationwide are on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

By FRANCESCA PARIS

Ten states in the past three months have passed laws prohibiting what is known as gender-affirming care for young people, in a rapid effort by Republican lawmakers across the country.

The laws ban or significantly limit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and transition surgery for people younger than 18. Last week, Indiana and Idaho became the most recent states to pass bans.

Before this year, just three state legislatures had enacted full or partial bans. In addition to the 10 signed into law, bans have passed at least one chamber of seven more state legislatures on the path toward enactment this year.

Florida’s state medical boards also issued a rule last year prohibiting doctors from offering gender-affirming care to new patients younger than 18. Though not a law, the decree has the same effect of ending care.

Two more state legislatures, in Oklahoma and South Carolina, have successfully pushed major hospitals to stop providing gender-affirming care for minors by linking the care to the use of public funds.

And Missouri’s attorney general on Thursday announced a temporary order severely restricting gender-affirming care for both adults and minors by mandating strict requirements including evidence of three years of gender dysphoria documented by physicians. It is set to take effect April 27.

These state-level actions are part of a broader wave of antitrans legislation that has been proposed and passed across the United States. And hospitals have faced significant harassment for providing gender-affirming care in the past few years.

Republican state legislators have called gender-affirming care experimental and harmful, and say that children are not mature enough to make permanent decisions.

Major medical organizations in the U.S. support this care,

however. And opponents of the bans say they infringe on the rights of young people, parents and doctors, and pose significant mental health risks to a vulnerable population.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit April 5 after the governor signed a ban on gender-affirming care into law; families have sued in Florida; and advocates in other states have signaled their intent to sue. Court injunctions have temporarily stopped bans that were passed in previous years in Alabama and Arkansas.

In some states, teenagers already on medication for gender dysphoria will be permitted to continue treatment indefinitely or taper off until a set cutoff date. In states that have passed bans without exceptions, minors taking puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones will have to travel to another state or stop treatment entirely.

All 10 bills passed so far this year permit hormonal therapy and genital surgery for reasons other than gender transition, such as surgery for children with ambiguous sex characteristics or puberty blockers for those experiencing early puberty.

There is continuing research in the United States and Europe about the risks and benefits of gender-affirming care for young people. But the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association have urged states not to interfere with or limit care, pointing to evidence that suggests allowing adolescents to access this care can reduce depression and the risk of suicide. Minors also need parental consent in states where they can get hormone therapy.

Some doctors who have voiced concerns about how and when adolescents should receive gender-affirming care joined an open letter last month opposing the bans.

“There is consensus in the field, and amongst these signatories, that gender-affirming medical care is important and beneficial for many transgender youth,” the letter said.

The bills have moved through GOP-dominated legislatures and been signed into law by Republican governors in nine

Providers expect the bans and closures will put pressure on states where gender-affirming care remains legal. The gender health program at Children’s Minnesota has a waitlist of about a year, according to its director, Angela Goepferd. She fears the list will grow as patients from nearby states seek care.

“As it stands now, there’s a huge hole for access to care for transgender adolescents through the center part of the country and across the South,” she said. “Kids already driving hours for care within their own state are going to have to cross state lines.”

Future bans

Lawmakers in more than a dozen states are considering bans or restrictions on gender-affirming care. Many of those states, however, have at least one chamber held by Democrats or have a Democratic governor, severely limiting the bills’ prospects.

Kansas Republicans passed a ban on gender-affirming care, but Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, is expected to veto it, and the bill’s support so far is short of a veto-proof majority. Wyoming Republicans’ attempts at passing similar legislation died in the Legislature this year.

Bans seem more realistic in several other GOP-controlled states, especially Texas and Oklahoma, where legislation has passed at least one chamber of the Legislature.

Supreme Court briefly preserves broad availability of abortion pill

By ADAM LIPTAK

Justice Samuel Alito late last week issued an order temporarily ensuring that a common abortion pill would remain widely available while the Supreme Court considered whether to grant the Biden administration’s emergency request to preserve the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug.

The order was meant to maintain the status quo while the justices studied the briefs and lower court rulings, and it did not forecast how the court would ultimately rule in the most important case about access to abortion since its conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

Alito set a brisk schedule for the court’s consideration of the case. His order, an administrative stay, instructed the groups challenging the FDA’s approval of the abortion drug, mifepristone, to file their brief by Tuesday at noon.

The stay itself is set to expire Wednesday at midnight, meaning the court is very likely to act before then and could in the coming days further curtail access to abortion, even in states where it is legal.

For now, though, Alito, the member of the court responsible for overseeing the appeals court whose ruling is at issue, restored the state of affairs that existed before a ruling last week by a federal judge in Texas that would have suspended the agency’s approval of the pill and severely disrupted the availability of mifepristone.

Alito’s order was prompted by an

emergency application filed Friday morning by the Biden administration asking the justices to intervene.

The administration’s brief asked the court to pause parts of an appeals court ruling that had limited the availability of the pill, part of the most commonly used method for ending pregnancies in the United States.

“If allowed to take effect, the lower courts’ orders would upend the regulatory regime for mifepristone, with sweeping consequences for the pharmaceutical industry, women who need access to the drug, and FDA’s ability to implement its statutory authority,” the brief said.

In a second emergency application, filed by Danco Laboratories, which makes the branded version of mifepristone, the company’s lawyers said the justices should defer to the FDA’s scientific expertise in determining that the drug was safe and effective.

On Wednesday night, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in New Orleans, issued a mixed decision, staying the most sweeping aspects

of a decision from Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk that would have wholly overridden the FDA’s approval of the pill after more than two decades.

But the appeals court, in an unsigned order from a divided three-judge panel, temporarily let stand other aspects of Kacsmaryk’s ruling, including by requiring in-person visits with doctors, rolling back the availability of the pills from the first 10 weeks of pregnancy to seven weeks and barring dispensing them by mail.

The panel’s ruling was provisional, and the court put the appeal itself on a relatively fast track, scheduling arguments for May 17.

The case was brought by several doctors and medical groups, including the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which was incorporated in August in Amarillo, Texas, where the case was filed. Kacsmaryk, a Donald Trump appointee who is a longtime opponent of abortion, is the only federal judge in the Amarillo division in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas.

The appeals court majority wrote that the statute of limitations appeared to bar a challenge to the FDA’s initial approval of the pill in 2000. But it said that later expansions of access to the pill were properly before the judge and that there were authentic safety concerns warranting suspension of regulations making it easier to obtain the pills.

The majority added that the plaintiffs appeared to have standing to sue because they might have to treat complications from the use of the pill.

In the Biden administration’s emergency application in the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar, representing the FDA, wrote that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge a drug they neither take nor prescribe and that they had provided no basis for secondguessing the agency’s scientific judgment.

Rather, she wrote, they relied on implausible speculation.

“FDA’s approval of the drug does not require them to do or refrain from doing anything,” she wrote. “Yet the Fifth Circuit held that the associations have standing because some of their members might be asked to treat women who are prescribed

mifepristone by other providers and who then suffer an exceedingly rare adverse event.”

In the emergency application by Danco Laboratories, the company’s lawyers said the appeals court’s ruling had created “regulatory chaos.”

“Leaving the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in place will irreparably harm Danco, which will be unable to both conduct its business nationwide and comply with its legal obligations,” the company’s brief said. “The lack of emergency relief from this court will also harm women, the health care system, the pharmaceutical industry, states’ sovereignty interests and the separation of powers.”

Kacsmaryk once worked for First Liberty Institute, which says it is the largest legal organization in the nation focused exclusively on defending religious freedom. Democrats voted against confirming him to the bench in 2019 because of his history of opposing LGBTQ rights.

In his ruling, Kacsmaryk adopted the language of opponents of abortion, referring to abortion providers as “abortionists,” to the challenged procedure as “chemical abortion” and to the fetus as an “unborn human” or “unborn child.” Legal scholars said the judge had relied on questionable scientific studies.

The government’s emergency application was harshly critical of the judge’s ruling.

“The district court countermanded a scientific judgment FDA has maintained across five administrations; nullified the approval of a drug that has been safely used by millions of Americans over more than two decades; and upset reliance interests in a health care system that depends on the availability of mifepristone as an alternative to surgical abortion for women who choose to lawfully terminate their early pregnancies,” Prelogar wrote.

The application said the ruling was also novel. “To the government’s knowledge,” she wrote, “this is the first time any court has abrogated FDA’s conditions on a drug’s approval based on a disagreement with the agency’s judgment about safety — much less done so after those conditions have been in effect for years.”

Mifepristone, a drug that a majority of Americans had not heard of, according to a survey earlier this year, is now at the center of an abortion case headed to the Supreme Court.

As mental health crisis grows, more doors open to care

By JOE GOSE

The pandemic and its lockdowns accelerated a mental health crisis in the United States, leaving treatment providers racing to keep up with the growing demand for care.

The need is acute: The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that in 2021, 1 in 5 adults in the United States lived with mental illness.

To meet the demand, health systems, private operators, and state and local governments have been rapidly adding psychiatric hospitals, addiction recovery centers and other behavioral health clinics over the past few years. In some cases, however, the providers face resistance from neighbors despite the widely acknowledged problem.

Overall, the behavioral health market is expected to grow to $105 billion by 2029, up from about $77 billion in 2021, according to Fortune Business Insights, an industry research organization.

Last Monday, President Joe Biden signed a bill that ended the pandemic national emergency, and behavioral health experts expect the number of in-person visits to rise.

“We’re in the midst of a behavioral health awakening,” said John Hennegan, a founding partner of Shore Capital, a private equity firm that invests in small behavioral health companies. “The drop in the stigma associated with behavioral health, combined with the growing awareness of its benefits, has led to an explosion in demand.”

The problem took root in the 1990s when state mental illness institutions closed down with an expectation that patients would receive services in community settings, said Jeffrey Woods, operations group president for Acadia Healthcare, a $6.4 billion provider of behavioral care in 246 facilities in the United States. But funding for mental health care never materialized, he added.

“As a consequence, there was an enormous number of individuals who could not gain access to care, and they began congesting emergency rooms,” said Woods, who has a doctorate in advanced nursing practice and is a board-certified psychiatric nurse. “The need is as intense today as it has ever been.”

The increase in development is happening quickly. PMB, a medical building developer in San Diego, accrued $700 million in behavioral health work as it was still formulating its strategy to serve the sector, said Mark Jones, senior vice president of partnerships and strategy for the company. One of its projects is a joint venture with Riverside County, California, to develop a five-building behavioral health village.

“There is a massive need for behavioral health centers because the resources required to care for these folks are putting a tremendous strain on counties, cities and health systems,” Jones said. “They show up in emergency rooms and can be there 8 to 10 hours because there is no place to send them.”

Much of the rejuvenated investment in mental health infrastructure stems from the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which required insurers to pay for the treatment of mental health conditions such as addiction, autism, bipolar disorder, depression and eating disorders in the same way they paid for physical health care. At the same time, the discomfort associated with needing behavioral care subsided, which encouraged more individuals to seek it.

In some cases, real estate investment trusts are turning senior housing, skilled-nursing facilities and other properties into behavioral health clinics. Sabra Health Care REIT, for example, is investing $836 million to convert 18 of its existing and newly acquired properties into centers for addiction treatment and other conditions to improve its revenue stream as it struggles to recover from the pandemic.

Landmark Recovery, an addiction treatment provider based in Franklin, Tennessee, operates 14 locations and plans to open 23 more by the end of 2024, expanding to 16 states from nine. It leases half its space from Sabra and three other real estate investment trusts, said Matthew Boyle, a co-founder and the chief executive of Landmark.

“It’s a very fragmented industry, but we’re looking to grow nationally and to one day provide care across the entire behavioral health ecosystem,” he said.

Sa’Terra Gilbert found safe haven in a Landmark facility. In September 2020, she said, she was buying heroin in Indianapolis when she found herself in the middle of a drive-by

shooting. She survived unscathed but understood that, after years of substance abuse that began with alcohol in college and progressed to party drugs and then heroin, it was time to come clean.

“It was a big wake-up call for me,” Gilbert said. “I called my dad and said, ‘I’m addicted to heroin, and I need help.’”

The next day, they searched for addiction treatment centers but ran into closed doors because of the pandemic lockdowns. They eventually found Landmark, and she entered a 40-day program.

“That first week was the toughest; I wanted to leave,” said Gilbert, who now helps past patients as an alumni coordinator with Landmark. “But the staff helped me see what life could be like.”

Versions of Gilbert’s story are playing out with more frequency, underscoring the need for more behavioral health clinics. Acadia, which is also based in Franklin, has opened 16 opioid treatment centers and two acute care hospitals over the past two years, and last month it broke ground for a 100-bed acute care hospital in Mesa, Arizona.

The company has also added 2,600 beds at its existing facilities since 2015 and expects to keep expanding them by some 300 beds annually for the foreseeable future. In addition to its stand-alone operations, Acadia further intends to fuel facility growth through acquisitions and by continuing to increase its partnerships with health care systems. Among other transactions, last year it completed the purchase of CenterPointe Behavioral Health System, the largest dedicated provider of behavioral health care in Missouri. It also broke ground on a 120,000-square-foot behavioral care hospital in a venture with Henry Ford Health in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

“Our pace of expansion is much more accelerated than it was even five years ago because of the tremendous gaps to accessible behavioral care,” Woods said. “The pressure at the front door of behavioral health hospitals — and still emergency rooms — is enormous.”

The United States had roughly 142,400 inpatient psychiatric and residential treatment beds in 2014, down from a peak of nearly 559,000 inpatient psychiatric beds in 1955, according to a study last year by the American Psychiatric Association. By Acadia’s estimate, the country needs at least 75,000 additional beds to meet projected behavioral health needs.

But progress has been slow. Depending on the state and community, it takes an average of 2 1/2 years to open a substance abuse treatment facility, Boyle of Landmark said. That includes months of what are often contentious zoning meetings filled with recalcitrant neighbors and about nine months of construction. Then, buildings ready for occupancy can sit empty for months while an operator waits for its state license.

“Very often, we experience vandalism, natural disasters and other incidents that require us to redo construction before we can actually open,” Boyle said. “It’s a byzantine mess.”

Brooke Davis, director of clinical services at Maple Heights Behavioral Health, speaks with a patient being discharged in Fort Wayne, Ind. on April 7, 2023. To meet rising demand, developers are working with health care providers to build a wave of psychiatric hospitals, addiction recovery centers and other behavioral health clinics.

The San Juan Daily Star

Unemployment is low. Inflation is falling. But what comes next?

Gobierno de Puerto Rico DEPARTAMENTO DE RECURSOS NATURALES Y AMBIENTALES

El peticionario, Borinquen Cone, Inc, cuya dirección postal es PO Box 343, Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico 00703, representado por el Sr. Carmelo Román Colón, Presidente, ha solicitado al Área de Calidad de Agua (ACA) del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) el Permiso de Operación (UIC-94- 65-0010), para un (1) sistema de inyección subterránea (SIS) Clase VII, bajo las disposiciones del Reglamento para el Control de la Inyección Subterránea (RCIS) y la Ley Federal de Agua Potable Segura, según enmendada 42 USC 300f et seq. (LFAPS).

El SIS consiste de un tanque de retención de 11.16 pies de ancho por 11.16 pies de largo por 7.16 pies de profundidad líquida con una capacidad de 6,670 galones, en el cual se almacenarán 200 galones/ día de aguas de lavado de los tanques de manufactura. El referido SIS está ubicado en las instalaciones de Borinquén Cones, Inc., localizado en la Carretera PR-873, Km 0.2, Barrio Tortugo, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Luego de realizada la evaluación correspondiente de los documentos sometidos, el DRNA tiene la intención de renovar el Permiso de Operación para la instalación antes indicada en conformidad con los requisitos del RCIS y de la LFAPS.

Esta notificación se hace para informar que el DRNA, ha preparado el borrador de permiso de operación de forma tal que el público interesado pueda someter sus comentarios con relación al mismo. El permiso contiene las condiciones y prohibiciones necesarias para cumplir con los requisitos reglamentarios aplicables.

Copia de la solicitud del permiso que sometió el peticionario ante el DRNA, el borrador del permiso y otros documentos relevantes estarán a la disposición del público para ser examinados, a petición del interesado mediante el envío de un correo electrónico a inyeccionsubterranea@ drna.pr.gov, o visitando el ACA, cuya oficina está localizada en el Piso 3, Ala A, del Edificio de Agencias Ambientales Cruz A. Matos, Carretera PR-8838, Km 6.3, Sector El Cinco, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Copia de dichos documentos pueden adquirirse en el ACA, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. de lunes a viernes o escribiendo a la siguiente dirección postal: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, San José Industrial Park, 1375 Avenida Ponce de León, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926.

Las partes interesadas o afectadas pueden enviar sus comentarios por escrito al Sr. Ángel R. Meléndez Aguilar, Gerente del ACA, o solicitar una vista pública por escrito a la Secretaría del DRNA, a la dirección postal o correo electrónico antes indicado.

By BEN CASSELMAN

There are two starkly different ways of looking at the U.S. economy right now: what the data says has happened in the past few months, and what history warns could happen next.

Most of the recent data suggests that the economy is strong. The job market is, incredibly, better today than it was in February 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic ripped a hole in the global economy. More people are working. They are paid more. The gaps between them — by race, gender, education or income — are smaller.

Even inflation, long the black cloud in the economy’s sunny sky, is showing signs of dissipating. Government data released Wednesday showed that consumer prices were up 5% in March from a year earlier, the slowest pace in nearly two years. Over the past three months, prices have risen at the equivalent of a 3.8% annual rate — faster than policymakers would like, but no longer the five-alarm fire it was at its peak last year.

Yet for all the good news, economists remain worried that a recession is on the way or that the Federal Reserve will cause one in trying to rein in inflation.

“The data has been reassuring,” said Karen Dynan, a Harvard economist and former Treasury official. “The things that we’re nervous about are all the things that we don’t have a lot of hard data about.”

Beginning with the banks: Most of the recent data predates the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the upheaval in the banking system that followed. Already, there are signs that small and midsize lenders have begun to tighten their credit standards in response to the crisis, which, in turn, could push the businesses that are their clients to cut back on hiring and investment. The extent of the economic effects won’t be clear for months, but many forecasters — including economists at the Fed — have said that the turmoil has made a recession more likely.

Despite hopeful signs, like more people working and signs that inflation is dissipating, economists worry that a recession is on the way or that the Fed will cause one in trying to rein in inflation.

price of energy and used cars, both of which appear poised to resume climbing. Measures of underlying inflation, which strip away such short-term swings, have fallen only gradually.

“Inflation is coming down, but I’m not sure that the momentum will continue if they don’t do more,” said Raghuram Rajan, an economist at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a former governor of India’s central bank.

The Fed’s goal is to do just enough to bring down inflation without causing such a severe pullback in borrowing and spending that it leads to widespread job cuts and a recession. Striking that balance perfectly, however, is difficult — especially because policymakers must make their decisions based on data that is preliminary and incomplete.

“It is going to be extremely hard for them to fine-tune the exact point,” Rajan said. “They would love to have more time to see what’s happening.”

)There have been some encouraging — though still tentative — signs in recent weeks that the Fed may be succeeding at the delicate task of slowing the economy just enough but not too much.

Anaís Rodríguez Vega Secretaria

Los comentarios por escrito o la solicitud de vista pública deberán ser sometidos al DRNA no más tarde de treinta (30) días a partir de la fecha de publicación de este aviso. La fecha límite para someter comentarios puede ser extendida si se estima necesario o apropiado para el interés público. La solicitud para una vista pública deberá señalar la razón o las razones que en la opinión del solicitante ameritan la celebración de la misma. De realizarse una vista pública los interesados o afectados tendrán una oportunidad razonable para presentar evidencia o testimonio sobre si se emite o deniega el permiso, si la Secretaria determina que dicha vista es necesaria o apropiada. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 22 de diciembre de 2022. Este anuncio se publica conforme a lo requerido por la Ley Núm. 416-2004, según enmendada, conocida como “Ley sobre Política Pública Ambiental”, los reglamentos aprobados a su amparo; y las leyes y reglamentos federales aplicables. El costo del Aviso Público es sufragado por la entidad peticionaria.

San José Industrial Park, 1375 Ave Ponce de León, San Juan, PR 00926 ' (787) 999.2200 • 6 (787) 999.2303 • www.drna.pr.gov

The Fed began raising interest rates more than a year ago, but the effect of those increases is just beginning to show up in many parts of the economy. Only in March did the construction industry begin to shed jobs, even though the housing market has been in a slump since the middle of last year. Manufacturers, too, were adding jobs until recently. And consumers are still in the early stages of grappling with what higher rates mean for their ability to buy cars, pay credit card balances and take on other forms of debt.

The economic data that paints such a rosy picture of the economy is “a look back into an old world that doesn’t exist anymore,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist of Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Shepherdson expects overall job growth to turn negative as soon as this summer, as the combined impact of the Fed’s policies and the bank-lending crunch hit the economy, leading to job cuts. Fed policymakers “have done more than enough” to tame inflation, he said, but appear likely to raise rates again anyway.

Other economists, however, argue that the Fed has little choice but to keep raising rates until inflation is definitively in retreat. The recent slowdown in consumer price growth is welcome, they argue, but it is partly a result of the declines in the

Data from the Labor Department this month showed that employers were posting fewer open positions and that workers were changing jobs less frequently, both signs that the job market was beginning to cool. At the same time, the pool of available workers has grown as more people have rejoined the labor force and immigration has rebounded.

The combination of increased supply and reduced demand should, in theory, allow the labor market to come back into balance without leading to widespread job cuts. So far, that appears to be happening: Wage growth, which the Fed fears is contributing to inflation, has slowed, but layoffs and unemployment remain low.

Jan Hatzius, chief economist for Goldman Sachs, said the recent job market data made him more optimistic about avoiding a recession. And while that outcome is far from certain, he said, it is worth keeping the current debate in perspective.

“Given the incredible downturn in the economy that we saw in 2020 — with obvious fears of a much, much, much worse outcome — if you actually manage to get back to a reasonable inflation rate and high employment levels in, say, a three- to fouryear period, it would be a very good outcome,” Hatzius said.

As Earnings Season Begins, S&P 500 Forecast Looks Less Weak

As quarterly U.S. earnings got under way with upbeat reports from JPMorgan Chase & Co and other major banks Friday, analysts marginally brightened their dim outlook for first-quarter U.S. results compared with a week ago.

Based on actual results from 30 of the S&P 500 companies and estimates for the rest, analysts now expect earnings for the S&P 500 in aggregate to have declined 4.8% in the first quarter of 2023 from the year-ago period, according to Refinitiv data Friday. That compares with their week-ago forecast for a 5.2% year-over-year decline in the quarter.

S&P 500 earnings fell 3.2% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022, based on Refinitiv data, which means the first quarter still would mark a second straight quarterly decline in U.S. earnings, or a profit recession.

Investors have been eagerly awaiting quarterly results from banks following the collapse of two U.S. regional banks in March.

While shares of JPMorgan and other big banks rallied following Friday’s results, shares of regional banks mostly fell, with PNC Financial Services Group Inc ending nearly flat after it posted a quarterly profit beat but missed expectations on net interest income.

“While we don’t think earnings season will bring much in the way of good news, expectations are low enough that we may see stocks hold up again after results,” Gina Bolvin, president of Bolvin Wealth Management Group in Boston, wrote in a note Friday.

A slew of other regional banks are still due to report in the coming weeks, including Zions Bancorp on Wednesday. Quarterly results are also expected next week from Goldman Sachs Group and Netflix.

Data also showed that the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, a further sign that labor market conditions were loosening up.

“This is a good indication that inflation is easing and dropping rather sharply. Jobless claims were also favorable news for the Fed,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities in New York.

“Inflation both at the consumer and producer levels are going south, in the right direction ... even though elevated, it’s still good news and this is one big consideration in terms of the Fed ending its tightening cycle.”

The benchmark S&P 500 has traded in a tight range this month, having recovered from a selloff in March fueled by the recent banking crisis, as investors assessed the path for U.S. interest rates.

Wall Street closed lower on Wednesday after data showed consumer prices rose at a slower-than-expected pace in March, however, core prices remained sticky and supported the case for another 25-basis point rate hike by the Fed in May.

Investors mostly stuck to expectations of the 25-bps hike after Thursday’s data.

U.S. Treasury yields fell, boosting rate-sensitive growth

stocks. Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc rose nearly 2%.

Economy-sensitive industrial, financial and energy sectors gave up some of their recent gains.

Minutes released on Wednesday from the Fed’s latest policy meeting indicated concerns of a recession following the banking sector stress and that several policymakers considered pausing rate hikes last month.

Big U.S. banks JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup Inc and Wells Fargo & Co are scheduled to report quarterly results on Friday, and investors will watch them closely for details about the sector’s overall health.

Analysts expect S&P 500 companies to record a profit decline of 5.2% in the first quarter, as per Refinitiv IBES data, in what could be their worst showing since the third quarter of 2020.

Financial companies that are part of the S&P 500 are expected to report a profit growth of 4.3% in the first quarter.

At 9:43 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 18.09 points, or 0.05%, at 33,664.59, the S&P 500 was up 13.74 points, or 0.34%, at 4,105.69, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 106.53 points, or 0.89%, at 12,035.87.

By MATTHEW MPOKE BIGG

Hundreds of Orthodox Christians lined up outside a cathedral in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, after a service Sunday as they waited for a priest to bless them with a spray of water as part of an Easter tradition. They carried baskets packed with candles, delicately dyed eggs, paskha cake, chunks of cured pork fat known as salo, and sweet Ukrainian wine called Kagor. As the priest came down the line, some flinched or burst into giggles as the water caught their faces.

Alisa Kupchyn, 18, who stood in the half circle of people outside the church, the Holy Dormition Cathedral, said she wasn’t normally a churchgoer but she respected holy days.

“I just moved to Kyiv and wanted to visit the famous church,” she said, having arrived from the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine for medical studies.

It is the second year that Orthodox Christians of Ukraine have celebrated Holy Week in the shadow of war, but much has changed for residents of Kyiv since last Easter. In the weeks before then, Ukrainian forces had driven Moscow’s troops from the area around the capital, and the scale of the atrocities that emerged in the wake of the Russian retreat was still becoming apparent.

In addition, the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year prompted an exodus from the capital. Though Easter week fell in late April after a

semblance of normality had started to return, many of the city’s residents remained absent.

This year, thousands of men, women and children flocked to services for Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday at the large Orthodox churches in the capital and surrounding areas. The increased crowds are a reflection of the reality that, though fighting rages in eastern Ukraine, a relative calm has returned to the capital.

“On this day a year ago, we all prayed that Ukraine

would endure,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said in an overnight speech. “Today — for Ukraine to win.”

He filmed the speech at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, or Monastery of the Caves, a network of churches that overlooks the Dnieper River and is a cradle of Christian Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe.

In recent months, authorities have moved against a branch of the church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. It is linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, has praised the war in Ukraine launched by President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Ukraine’s government has ordered the Moscow Patriarchate church to quit the parts of the Lavra that it uses, leading to a standoff at the site with protesters on both sides. The growing primacy of Ukraine’s independent Orthodox church made Easter even more significant for some worshippers there.

In one example, the Moscow Patriarchate church relinquished control of the Holy Dormition Cathedral to the government in January, and, on Sunday, Ukraine’s independent church held its first-ever Easter service there.

“I’m not very religious, but this year is special,” said Oleksandr Trokhymets, 40, a lawyer and a military officer who had come to a service at the cathedral with his daughter. “I want on this day to be here with Ukrainian people and Ukrainian priests.”

Under the shadow of war, Kyiv celebrates Orthodox Easter Brussels cries foul as Poland and Hungary ban Ukraine grain imports

By MATTHEW MPOKE BIGG, VIVEK SHANKAR and ENJOLI LISTON

The European Union has criticized bans by Poland and Hungary on imports of Ukrainian grain and other foods over the weekend, saying the unilateral moves were “unacceptable.”

The bloc, of which Poland and Hungary are member states, lifted tariffs on Ukrainian grain last year to help transport it to the rest of the world amid Russia’s invasion, but the exports have led to a glut of produce in Europe. As a result, farmers in Poland, Hungary and other nations have seen their incomes plummet.

Hungary’s agriculture minister said on Saturday that “in the absence of meaningful EU measures,” his country would follow Poland in restricting Ukrainian grain imports until the end of June, according to Hungarian news reports. The announcement came after Poland reached a deal with Ukraine on Friday to strictly limit and, for a time, halt Ukrainian grain deliveries to Poland.

That deal was expected to affect Ukrainian grain, wheat, corn and some other produce, but on Saturday, Poland expanded it to include dozens of other types of food. Poland’s economic development and technology minister, Waldemar Buda, said in a tweet on Sunday that the measure would also prevent the transit of Ukrainian products through Poland.

A spokesperson for the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, said in an email on Sunday that such a trade policy was a matter of “EU exclusive competence,” meaning that only the bloc could adopt legally binding decisions. “Unilateral actions are not acceptable,” the statement said.

The announcements from Hungary and Poland come as Russia has expressed doubts about extending the Black Sea grain deal, which the United Nations and Turkey brokered last year and was scheduled to expire

in the next few weeks. The agreement, which allows wartime grain shipments to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, has been crucial for alleviating global food shortages and limiting price increases.

The Black Sea deal was renewed in March, but the United Nations did not say how long it would last. Russia, which at the time said the agreement was valid through May 18, has expressed dissatisfaction with the deal for months because of Western sanctions that have hindered its own food and fertilizer exports. The agreement would become even more vital if Ukraine could not ship grain and foodstuffs over land routes in Eastern Europe, through Poland and Hungary.

Poland’s new agriculture minister, Robert Telus, whose predecessor resigned this month, during a state visit to Poland by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, said at a party convention on Saturday that halting grain deliveries would act as a “shield” for Polish farmers.

Ukraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solskyi, said on Saturday that Ukraine understood that its agricultural exports represented “tough competition” for other countries, but added, “The Ukrainian farmer is in the most difficult situation.” Solskyi was expected to travel to Poland on Monday to continue talks on the issue.

A priest blesses worshipers and their baskets outside an Orthodox Easter service at the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Clashes Spread to Darfur Region, Where Other Armed Rebels Roam

By ABDI LATIF DAHIR

As clashes between rival military forces in Sudan entered their second day, violence had spread to an area of the country long tormented by conflict and displacement: the restive western region of Darfur.

Adam Regal, a spokesperson for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, an aid agency, said that 12 people had been killed and wounded Saturday in a camp for displaced people in the North Darfur region. He also said that clashes had spread to the cities of Nyala in South Darfur, El Fasher in North Darfur and Zalingei in Central Darfur, forcing many people to flee displacement camps and their homes in those towns.

In Nyala, residents reached by phone said that intense fighting was going Sunday morning between the army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group for the control of the airport.

“The security situation, in my estimation, is difficult and dangerous,” Regal said

in a text message.

On Saturday evening, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors asked doctors in El Fasher to come to the nearest hospital and provide care, citing “the large number of injured and critical conditions that require urgent surgical intervention.”

For two decades, Darfur has been beset by genocidal violence that has killed as many

as 300,000 people and displaced more than 2 million others. The violence was overseen by former dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was indicted on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The Rapid Support Forces emerged from militias that supported the Sudanese government in its assaults on Darfur.

Even after a popular uprising deposed al-Bashir in 2019, the violence in Darfur has not abated. Ethnically motivated attacks, largely against ethnic African communities, have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in the past two years. In late March, violence in West Darfur alone drove about 30,000 people to seek shelter across the border in Chad, according to the United Nations.

Many people in Darfur also face food insecurity because of floods and conflict over land and grazing areas.

With the army and the Rapid Support Forces now clashing in Darfur, analysts worry that the violence could draw in other armed rebel groups in the region, many of which have crisscrossed the porous borders to fight as mercenaries in countries including Chad and Libya.

“When the generals were on the same team, they did untold damage to Darfur,” said Kholood Khair, founding director of Confluence Advisory, a think tank in Khartoum, Sudan. “But as enemies, they could do a lot more.”

Egypt, an ally of Sudan’s military, scrambles to respond to the unrest

By VIVIAN YEE

Egypt was scrambling to respond on Sunday to the clashes breaking out across its southern neighbor, Sudan, where it has deep historical ties as well as modern political and military entanglements.

A former colonial ruler of Sudan, Egypt maintains close ties with the country’s military, and the fighting that began Saturday has shed light on the extent of the relationship. Reports emerged Saturday that dozens of Egyptian troops stationed at a military base in Sudan had been captured by the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling the Sudanese army. The Egyptian military said its troops had been deployed there as part of periodic joint drills it conducts with Sudan.

The Rapid Support Forces also seized at least six Egyptian Sukhoi warplanes from the base in Meroe, in northern Sudan, Izzeldin Elsafi, a relative of the paramilitary force’s commander, said in a phone interview. The claim could not be independently confirmed.

Although the RSF now controls that base, Egyptian forces are operating from another air base in Sudan near the Red Sea, close to the Egyptian border, Elsafi said. He added that Egypt had used the Red Sea installation to carry out a bombing raid on a base of the paramilitary force in the city of Port Sudan on Sunday morning, forcing its fighters to evacuate.

That assertion, if true, would suggest that Egypt was

intervening in the conflict on the side of the Sudanese military. Egypt has not publicly commented on the reports, but on Sunday, its representative to the Arab League, Mohamed Mostafa Orfy, called on all parties in the fighting to protect “the safety and security of all Egyptian interests in Sudan.”

Egypt has built a close relationship with Sudan’s army chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who led the October 2021 coup that derailed Sudan’s democratic transition. For Egypt’s military leadership, which came to power after deposing a democratically elected president from the Muslim Brotherhood, Burhan’s rise was preferable to the possibility of a democracy developing on its southern doorstep.

The relationships Egypt has built with Sudan’s military could make it well placed to serve as a broker between Burhan and his former allies in the Rapid Support Forces. On Sunday, Egypt and South Sudan, which borders Sudan to the south, offered to mediate, calling on both sides to pursue “peaceful dialogue,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency describing a call between Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and South Sudan’s leader, Salva Kiir.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Egypt and Saudi Arabia, another regional power broker, had called an emergency meeting of the Arab League’s permanent members to discuss the crisis. According to the statement, Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, held a phone call with his Sudanese counterpart in which he

expressed “deep concern” over the conflict and “asserted that Egypt will always defend the unity and the security of Sudan and that it is important that no foreign parties intervene in any way that could aggravate the conflict.”

A camp for the displaced in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan, on Feb 6, 2022.

Jonatan Ramos Director Funerario “Tus sentimientos en las mejores manos”

Brazil’s Lula meets Xi in China as they seek path to peace in Ukraine

By KEITH BRADSHER

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil met in Beijing late last week with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and the two leaders declared in a joint statement that negotiation was “the only viable way out of the crisis in Ukraine.”

In the statement, they avoided the words “invasion” or “war” and offered few specifics about how to bring Russia or Ukraine to the table after more than a year of war. At the same time, Lula called for China’s territorial integrity to be respected with regards to Taiwan, a similar stance to the one French President Emmanuel Macron took last weekend after he met with Xi in China.

The joint statement underscored the delicate lines that China and Brazil have tried to chart on the war in Ukraine: Each has refused to take an explicit side, has called for peace talks and has preserved business ties with Russia. Beijing, in particular, has aligned itself with Moscow in countering American influence abroad and what Xi calls a U.S. campaign to prevent China’s rise.

The careful positioning by Xi and Lula stands against the backdrop of Beijing’s worsening relations with Washington on a range of issues, and as China wages a diplomatic campaign to raise its stature — and diminish that of the United States — in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

U.S. and some European officials and have been critical of China’s 12-point outline of issues that should be considered in a peace agreement, because China has not suggested that Russian forces must withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territory as part of any deal.

There have been no known peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the past 12 months, and each side has ruled out a cease-fire based on the current battlefield conditions. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that is set to create a system for electronic draft notices, and to make it more difficult to avoid a draft.

In contrast to its lack of details about Ukraine, Brazil and China’s joint statement was direct about the territorial integrity of China, which was defined to include Taiwan, a selfruled island democracy over which mainland China claims sovereignty.

“The Chinese side expressed great appreciation in this regard,” the relevant passage of the statement concluded.

Lula arrived in Beijing this week with powerful incentives to accommodate China’s interests. In recent weeks, the Brazilian leader has suggested that China should be part of a global effort to bring about peace talks, arguing that coun-

tries not directly involved in the conflict are better positioned to mediate the negotiations.

“Brazil as a country is more and more in line with the Chinese narrative,” said Moritz Rudolf, a specialist in China’s foreign policy at Yale Law School.

China has not condemned Russia’s invasion, and Xi remains closely aligned with Putin, visiting Moscow last month. Chinese officials say that Beijing is not on Moscow’s side in the war, and that it will not send weapons for Russia to use in Ukraine, but Chinese state media has parroted Kremlin claims blaming NATO for starting the conflict.

China has meanwhile continued high-level meetings with Russian officials, beyond Xi’s trip to Moscow. Its Ministry of National Defense announced Friday that the country’s defense minister, Li Shangfu, would travel to Moscow on Sunday for a four-day trip.

Brazil has criticized Russia’s invasion in carefully worded statements, but its position is complicated by its reliance on Russia for about one-quarter of its fertilizer imports, which are crucial to Brazil’s enormous agriculture industry. Lula has also suggested that Ukraine’s president and NATO share some blame for the war, and he has resisted calls to send weapons to Ukraine.

Recently leaked Pentagon documents suggest that Ukraine is increasingly desperate for arms to hold back Russian troops, and in particular needs the kind of air defenses that Brazil can supply. European nations have moved to send more advanced weapons — the German government on Thursday approved a Polish request to export five MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine — but with Western stockpiles diminished, Ukraine and its allies have put pressure on some nations that have avoided getting involved to send help.

Colombia and Argentina, which like Brazil

are led by leftists, have refused to send weapons to Ukraine, with their leaders arguing that they will not take sides in the war.

But some of the leaked U.S. intelligence documents indicate that Ecuador’s right-wing government in recent months considered sending Soviet-designed MI-17 helicopters to Ukraine, a move supported by the United States.

Ecuador would have been the first Latin American country to send weapons to Ukraine, according to the documents. It was not clear from the documents whether Ecuador followed through. The potential transfer was first reported by Ecuadorean media in January.

Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied any negotiations with Ukraine, saying in a statement that a “donation of military goods and supplies is not mentioned in the Ecuadorean legislation, so an operation of these characteristics would be impossible.”

Lula introduced the idea of a peace group formed by such countries, and recently told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he would discuss the idea with Xi, making Lula the latest in a string of leaders offering a vision for possible negotiations.

Brazil is Russia’s largest buyer of fertilizer, purchasing roughly $1.9 billion in chemicals from Russia in 2019, although Russia’s fertilizer industry is still dwarfed by its oil and gas exports. Although its energy business with Europe has dwindled under Western sanctions, Russia has increased its trade on this front with nations including China and India, which has made up for shortfalls in Russia’s energy business.

Lula’s visit to China is part of an effort to repair relations that had suffered under Brazil’s previous president, Jair Bolsonaro. Bringing Xi his thoughts on a potential path to peace for Ukraine has put Brazil back into the geopolitical conversation after Bolsonaro’s contentious and isolationist administration left office.

A Russian cargo ship unloads fertilizer on April 27, 2022, in Santos, Brazil. Brazil has been reluctant about choosing sides in the war, as its new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seeks to rebuild the country’s ties with Beijing.

Core of Macron’s pension plan clears key legal test as protesters fume

By AURELIEN BREEDEN

President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to increase the legal retirement age in France was approved by the country’s Constitutional Council late last week, clearing the way for the measure to be gradually introduced in the fall but doing little to quell the seething popular anger against it.

In a highly anticipated ruling, the council, which reviews legislation to ensure it conforms to the constitution, struck down parts of Macron’s pension overhaul, but upheld its core — raising the age when workers can start collecting a government pension, albeit not a full one, to 64, from 62.

“The text has reached the end of its democratic process,” Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said on Twitter after the ruling. “Tonight, there is no winner and no loser.”

Most opponents of the law had not argued that raising the pension age was itself unconstitutional; instead, they accused the government of misusing legal tools to cut debates short and ram the changes through Parliament, mainly by putting the pension changes into a social security budget bill.

Those tools were designed to avoid end-of-year funding gaps, not to pass hugely consequential social laws, critics argued.

But the council disagreed, saying in a statement that while “the combined use” of those tools was “unusual,” it was not unconstitutional.

The ruling will come as a relief to Macron after months of protests and strikes that had turned into a bitter stalemate with the labor unions that vehemently oppose the law.

He has staked much of his second-term legacy on raising the retirement age, despite its widespread unpopularity, and he will now be eager to put the matter behind him.

But few expect the council’s decision to put a definitive end to the intense political and social turmoil that the pension overhaul kindled, especially since Macron decided to bypass a full vote to get it through Parliament, triggering a no-confidence vote that his Cabinet barely survived.

For labor unions, most opposition parties and many French people, the retirement age increase — constitutional or not — is simply unacceptable, and many have vowed to continue challenging it.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a prominent leftist politician, said on Twitter that the ruling showed the council was “more attentive to the needs of the presidential monarchy than to those of the sovereign people” — a swipe at Macron, who has struggled to shake off the image of an aloof and out-of-touch leader.

“The struggle continues and must gather its forces,” Mélenchon added.

Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Rally, said in a statement that enacting the pension changes would “mark the definitive break between the French people and Emmanuel Macron.”

In the ruling, which cannot be appealed, the nine-

member council struck down what it said were legislative riders — six measures unrelated to budgetary matters and therefore deemed unfit to feature in a budget bill.

Those included a provision that would force big companies to disclose how many older workers they employ, and another that would have created a special contract intended to reduce unemployment among older workers.

On Friday, Macron invited the labor unions to meet next week, but the unions quickly refused.

In a statement, they lamented that many of the provisions struck down by the council had been added to soften the blow of the age increase, though the government can still put them into a separate bill that would then have to undergo the usual parliamentary process.

“The law is even more unbalanced and violent than before,” Sophie Binet, the head of the Confédération Générale du Travail, France’s second-largest labor union, told reporters in Paris.

The unions urged Macron not to enact the retirement age increase and said that they would not meet with him until after May 1 at the earliest — when they hope to organize widespread Labor Day demonstrations.

The ruling came a day after hundreds of thousands of protesters once again took to the streets to denounce the overhaul. While the size of the demonstrations and the number of workers taking part in strikes had dwindled somewhat, the turnout has still been notable.

A rally outside City Hall in Paris on Friday to protest the pension overhaul. Few expect the Constitutional Council’s decision to put an end to the intense political and social turmoil that the government’s plan kindled.

Twitter is broken. Thanks, Elon.

just a disseminator of breaking news and commentary, but something like an arbiter. At its cultural peak, from about 2015 to perhaps 2020, what people talked about on Twitter seemed to set the agenda for discussions elsewhere. Even last year, it still mattered: After years of mismanagement and glacial innovation, Twitter, on the eve of Musk’s reign, was still the one place to visit when anything big happened anywhere.

Whatever Twitter is now, it is no longer that venue. Cultural relevance is difficult to quantify, but you know it when you feel it. And now, when something’s going down, Twitter rarely feels like the place where everyone is gathering to watch.

blowing my own horn, media organizations are vital to Twitter because the news is at the core of the site’s utility.

Musk has said that Twitter’s algorithms won’t recommend unverified users in its “For You” section, and that the free verification badges — the simultaneously coveted and maligned blue checks — that many journalists have will soon be removed. The change will further reduce Twitter’s usefulness: If many journalists are removed from the site’s primary feeds, why would people continue to see it as their go-to news source?

By FARHAD MANJOO

About six months ago, Elon Musk bought your favorite neighborhood bar. Then he fired veteran bouncers and bartenders, tried to stiff the landlord and at least one vendor, and demanded that regulars pay a cover charge. He’s frequently struggled to serve his customers, yet he’s penalized them for mentioning the competition. He’s tamped down the revelry in general, really — a lot of conversation at his watering hole has been drowned out by Musk’s own neverending stage act, which consists mainly of him yelling dad jokes at customers through a bullhorn.

Pour one out for Twitter, then. I’d been open to Musk’s purchase of the social network, but half a year in, it’s been an unmitigated disaster. Musk moved fast and broke nearly everything — the speed and totality with which he’s ruined the site has been almost impressive. By Musk’s own reckoning, the company is now worth less than half of what he paid for it. It has lost many large advertisers, most of its employees and, with them, much of its functionality.

More than that, Twitter under Musk appears to have lost the thing that made it impossible to quit: Its centrality. The site was once the most consequential place online, not

I noticed this when Donald Trump was arraigned. Trump, the most powerful tweeter the world has ever known, a man whose every typo could send Twitter into paroxysms of easy dunks, appeared in court and Twitter was, as Vox’s Shirin Ghaffary put it, “a snoozefest.”

There could be many reasons for the snooze, including that people care less about Trump than they used to — or that even after Musk reinstated Trump’s suspended Twitter account, the former president has stuck to using the platform he founded, Truth Social, for his ad hoc missives.

But I’d bet much of the problem stems from changes Musk has made to Twitter’s news feed.

These days it’s often it’s difficult to know what’s happening on Twitter. Musk’s self-serving changes to the site’s ranking algorithm have significantly reduced its usability: Where Twitter was once pleasantly varied, serving up ordinary people’s tweets pretty evenly with those of celebrities and politicians, now it seems to highlight the same few users all the time. (I love your tweets, Matt Yglesias, but I wish you weren’t always at the top of my feed!)

Other signs of Twitter’s declining relevancy: Several news organizations, including The New York Times, have said they won’t pay for Twitter Blue, Musk’s subscription service for acquiring a verified user badge on the site. NPR said it would stop posting to its official Twitter accounts because Twitter labeled it as “state-affiliated media,” then as “governmentfunded media.” PBS, which has also been labeled “government-funded,” said that it, too, would stop tweeting in protest of the label. (NPR is a nonprofit that receives very little funding from the government; the label, it says, undermines its credibility.)

Musk doesn’t like the news media — Twitter’s public relations email address auto-responds with a poop emoji — but I can’t see how fighting with the media can help his site. At the risk of

As a longtime tweeter, Musk’s trashing of the service saddens and angers me. Twitter’s employees and users didn’t deserve this fate. In the hands of a less volatile, more thoughtful leader, Twitter could have been so much more than the raggedy fiefdom of a thin-skinned billionaire it has become.

But as a person who wants to live in a just world with friendly people and nice things, I’m not altogether broken up about Twitter’s decline. As I’ve argued before, Twitter has been a font of misinformation, an accelerant to polarization and a contributor to cultural groupthink. Just before Musk’s takeover, my Times colleague Michelle Goldberg, worrying about similar problems, hoped for a quick, spectacular flameout: “If Musk makes Twitter awful enough,” she wrote, “users will flee, and it will become less relevant.”

Well, it looks like Michelle got her wish. Stick a fork in it, Elon: Twitter is done.

PO BOX 6537 Caguas PR 00726

Telephones: (787) 743-3346 • (787) 743-6537 (787) 743-5606 • Fax (787) 743-5100

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SAN JUAN – La secretaria interina del Departamento de la Familia, Ciení Rodríguez Troche, anunció el domingo comenzará un esfuerzo masivo de orientación sobre el proceso de entrega voluntaria, una de las alternativas de adopción establecidas por ley en Puerto Rico.

“El proceso de entrega voluntaria es el acto de amor más grande que puede realizar una persona, cuando entiende que no puede responsabilizarse de la crianza de un hijo biológico. Nuestra sociedad puede ser bastante crítica cuando una persona toma esta determinación, que nunca es una fácil; acostumbramos a condenar y demonizar la acción sin tratar de entender la situación de vida de esa persona”, dijo Rodríguez Troche en declaraciones escritas.

“El Departamento de la Familia tiene la responsabilidad de asegurar el bienestar de nuestros menores. Si una persona entiende que lo mejor para su bebé es que sea ubicado en una familia que pueda garantizarle el amor y la protección que necesita, nuestra función, luego de orientar-

la y explicarle todos los procesos, es cumplir con nuestro compromiso de ubicar al menor en un nuevo núcleo familiar”, añadió.

La entrega voluntaria, según la Ley de Adopción de Puerto Rico, es el acto mediante el cual la madre biológica o los padres biológicos, o aquellos que ostenten la patria potestad, acuerdan renunciar a ella y transferir la custodia de un menor, entre cero y tres años, para ser adoptado. Además, el estatuto contiene los lineamientos para que una madre, antes de considerar abandonar a un recién nacido, pueda entregarlo en un hospital público o privado, estación de bomberos, toda dependencia policiaca municipal o estatal, iglesias o toda dependencia del DF.

Igualmente, en cualquier instalación de hogar sustituto reconocido por Familia o en una agencia de adopción acogida al programa de entrega voluntaria de menores o de refugio seguro, de manera confidencial, sin perjuicio y sin temor de ser arrestada, procesada o enjuiciada, antes de transcurridas 72 horas a partir del nacimiento del infante. Eso podrá realizarse siempre y cuando el menor no presente señales de abuso o maltrato.

Aquellas personas con interés en conocer más de este proceso, pueden visitar el portal cibernético Consulta la cigüeña en el que tendrán acceso a información, completar un breve cuestionario e, incluso, obtener una cita con el personal del Departamento de la Familia.

La campaña, cuyo costo total asciende a 448 mil dólares e inicia en medios masivos el lunes 17 de abril de 2023, tiene como elemento principal a la figura de la cigüeña.

Resumen del 10K del Teodoro Moscoso

POR CYBERNEWS

SAN JUAN – Álvaro Abreu se convirtió el domingo en el ganador de la segunda edición del PR Run 10K del Puente Teodoro Moscoso con tiempo de 30 minutos y 21 segundos.

“El evento logró las metas de participación con 5,335 participantes, la organización y logística que trabajamos en equipo fue lo que permitió el éxito de esta segunda edición. Nos sentimos satisfechos y complacidos de los resultados”, dijo Anaymir “Tuti” Muñoz de Puerto Rico Events en declaraciones escritas.

La segunda posición la obtuvo Fernando Ojeda de Barranquitas con tiempo de 30 minutos y 35 segundos y en tercer lugar Kevin Cubilette con 32 minutos y 2 segundos.

En las mujeres, la primera en llegar a la meta fue Paola Ramos de Aibonito, con marca de 34 minutos y 50 segundos, mientras que Beverly Ramos en segundo lugar con un tiempo de 35 minutos y 13 segundos y en tercer lugar Carolina Lozano con tiempo con 35 minutos y 44 segundos.

En sillas de ruedas en la rama masculina , Efraín Cabrera logró el tiempo de 48 minutos y 21 segundos , mientras Marcos Hernández en segundo lugar con tiempo de 52 minutos con 41

segundos

En la rama femenina el primer lugar fue para Alba Rivera con 48 minutos y 21 segundos, el segundo lugar para Liz López junto a su hija Summer Liz Marques , lograron un tiempo de 52 minutos y 41 segundos.

Summer Liz es la joven que sufrió un accidente automovilístico y es embajadora de Autopistas de Puerto Rico como parte de sus iniciativas para promover una cultura de seguridad vial en la Isla.

Esta edición otorgo premios de mil dólares a los ganadores en la rama masculina y femenina,

700 dólares al segundo lugar, 600 dólares al tercer lugar, 500 dólares al cuarto lugar y 400 dólares al cuarto lugar.

Por segundo año consecutivo la madrina del evento fue la animadora Alexandra Fuentes quien llegó a la meta junto a su hija Miranda Bernier Fuentes con un tiempo de 1 hora y 2 segundos.

El evento fue a beneficio de la Fundación del Hospital Pediátrico y ayudar a continuar aumentando los servicios que se ofrecen a los pacientes y cuidadores del Hospital y de la Fundación Centro de Trauma.

DF lanza campaña de orientación sobre la entrega voluntaria

‘Renfield’ review: Dracula, worst boss ever

By MANOHLA DARGIS

Count Dracula has been dead for so long and gone through so many iterations — exotic, satanic, romantic — that it’s almost surprising there’s any juice left in the thirsty old boy. Yet, here he is again, resurrected by a glorious, vamping Nicolas Cage, swinging a cape, baring his fangs and stealing his every scene. The Count is playing second banana in “Renfield,” but he’s nevertheless a main attraction in this cheerfully disposable entertainment, which perfectly understands that sometimes all you want from a movie is 93 minutes of well-wrought absurdity.

I imagine that the pitch to the studio went something like this: “It’s today, and Dracula (we’d love to get Cage) is in New Orleans for the tax breaks, out of money and, long story short, almost drained of his powers. He’s basically toast, and our guy, the Count’s unhappy servant, Renfield (a Nicholas Hoult type, relatable, smooth, good-looking) — after years of groveling and scarfing bugs — has had it. We want to make this a rocking action movie, with lots of blood and kick-ass fights, but also funny, so Renfield enters a codependency group to purge his personal demon. Has anyone heard of Stuart Smalley?”

That’s more or less how “Renfield” plays, and although it’s wittier and slicker than my spurious studio-speak, it is about as condensed. Fast, tight and blunt, the movie gets right to the point with a characteristically American mix of therapy-speak and jokey

violence, and it largely stays on point. The filmmakers — Robert Kirkman cooked up the story, Ryan Ridley wrote the script and Chris McKay directed — don’t laboriously reintroduce Dracula, exhume his origin story or invent a childhood trauma to somehow explain him. After a century of pop-culture celebrity and box-office success, there’s no need: He is what he is, a vampire.

He’s also — unsurprisingly, given the job’s grisly requirements — a terrible boss, which the movie uses to economically estab-

lish how the long-suffering Renfield joins the support group. There, coaxed by the group’s leader (Brandon Scott Jones) and surrounded by glum faces and chirpy affirmations, Renfield confronts his low self-esteem and reliance on his toxic benefactor. He listens and he shares, and although the other members are puzzled by the odder details of his relationship, the group boosts his confidence enough that he embarks on a lifestyle makeover. He combs his hair, brightens his color palette, finds his smile.

You don’t need to know Stuart Smalley — the unsinkable positive thinker first created and performed by Al Franken on “Saturday Night Live” in 1991 — to enjoy Renfield’s transformation. (Franken also played the character in Harold Ramis’ 1995 film “Stuart Saves His Family” — it’s good!) But knowing Stuart sweetens the joke that Renfield, described in Bram Stoker’s novel as “morbidly excitable,” would embark on journey of hopeful self-invention. Whether or not Smalley served as an inspiration, this movie works partly because, for all the comedy it wrings from the support group, it takes the sincerity of Renfield’s journey seriously (enough).

Hoult externalizes Renfield’s turmoil with precision — his open, lucid face waxes and wanes with dread and optimism — and a mellifluous voice-over that grounds you in the story. This Renfield is nicer and certainly cuter than he’s often portrayed, and there’s little of the opportunism and none of the wild menace that made Dwight Frye’s interpretation in the 1931 “Dracula” so unnervingly memorable. Instead, Hoult invests the character with a tenderness that lets you see the person he was before he went astray. He also helps sell, passably, some flirty business with a local cop, Rebecca (Awkwafina), a foulmouthed, half-baked iteration on the actionflick cliche of the strong female character.

The character is a drag, however amusingly sketched in by Awkwafina, but it isn’t a deal breaker. Genre movies, even a hybrid such as “Renfield” (which, like so many movies now, effectively becomes a superhero movie), depend on conventions; what matters is how they’re worked, tweaked, recast. McKay and company have loaded the movie with other familiar fixings, too — gangsters, corrupt cops, a dead parent, truckloads of corpses — but for the most part, they’ve done so with an insistently light, at times surprisingly warm touch. Like Cage’s Dracula, who lights the darkness with great delicacy, a sharply honed, knowing smile and a voice that purrs only to roar, the filmmakers are having fun, not world-building and mythmaking. What a relief!

‘Renfield’

Rated R for extreme gun and vampire violence. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes. In theaters.

Nicholas Hoult, left, as the put-upon servant to Nicolas Cage’s imperious Dracula in “Renfield.”

‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ review: A head-spinning genre mashup

By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

It’s hard to pick the most surreal part of Julius Avery’s new horror film. It could be that the main character is based on the very real Rev. Gabriele Amorth, who used to be the Vatican’s chief exorcist. (In a headspinning twist, William Friedkin, director of “The Exorcist,” once made a documentary about him.) Or maybe it’s that Father Amorth is portrayed as an espresso-drinking, scooter-riding maverick by Russell Crowe in one of his most engaging performances in years. He is dispatched by the pope (played by cult Italian actor Franco Nero) to an isolated Spanish abbey where a young boy, Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), has started producing ungodly growls, changing colors and shapes, and making inappropriate moves on his mother (Alex Essoe, a Mike Flanagan horror regular).

but luckily, he is paired with the inexperienced but game Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), which adds a dollop of buddypriest action comedy to an already genrefull plate. The two men have excellent, er, chemistry with the ancestral evil figure who has taken over Henry and is magnificently voiced by Ralph Ineson. Avery (“Samaritan”) drives the film at a pace as caffeinated as Amorth himself, and manages to incorporate legitimate scares into a plot halfway between Indiana Jones and a Dan Brown potboiler, with camp touches worthy of Ken Russell.

“The Pope’s Exorcist” ends with a shameless suggestion that there is room for a sequel or even an entire series. It is not an unwelcome prospect.

‘The Pope’s Exorcist’

Rated R for demon-induced expletives and glimpses of naked ladies. Running

Daniel Zovatto and Russell Crowe add a dollop of buddy-priest action comedy

36 hours in Madrid

By ANDREW FERREN

Madrid has little to prove as a premier art destination. Its central “golden triangle of art” (anchored by the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza museums) makes for a dazzling pilgrimage, and the city is bolstered by cutting-edge cultural foundations like Espacio

Gobierno de Puerto Rico

DEPARTAMENTO DE DESARROLLO ECONÓMICO Y COMERCIO

Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos

AVISO PÚBLICO

SOLICITUD DE PERMISO PARA EXTRACCIÓN DE MATERIALES DE LA CORTEZA TERRESTRE

Este Aviso se publica a tenor con las disposiciones de la Ley Núm. 132 de 25 de junio de 1968, según enmendada, mejor conocida como, Ley de Arena, Grava y Piedra, Orden Administrativa OGPe 2011-27 y el Reglamento Conjunto para la Evaluación y Expedición de Permisos Relacionados al Desarrollo, Uso de Terrenos y Operación de Negocios del 2 de enero de 2021.

La siguiente Solicitud de Permiso para la Extracción de Materiales de Corteza Terrestre ha sido radicada ante la Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos OGPe.

Por este medio se notifica al público en general, entidades gubernamentales y/o partes interesadas, sobre la acción propuesta. Copia electrónica de dicho documento está disponible para revisión en la agencia. Las personas que tengan información o comentarios que puedan ser útiles en la evaluación de la acción propuesta, pueden enviar los mismos a la dirección de correo electrónico notificaciones_ogpe@ddec.pr.gov y/o PO Box 41179, San Juan PR 00940-1179, dentro de un término de treinta (30) días calendario a partir de la publicación de este aviso.

Se le apercibe que dentro de un término de treinta (30) días calendario a partir de la publicación de este aviso, la OGPe motu propio podrá celebrar vista pública si surgieren comentarios, controversias u objeciones en cuanto a la solicitud. Transcurrido dicho término no se considerará ninguna solicitud a estos efectos y la Agencia procederá con la evaluación y trámite del documento presentado. Se le apercibe además que, la celebración de la vista, de ser concedida, se llevará a cabo de acuerdo al Capítulo 7 del Reglamento Conjunto y en conformidad con lo dispuesto en el Artículo 3 de la Ley Núm. 132, supra. La vista será presidida por un panel técnico legal. Durante la misma se permitirá la participación o intervención de cualquier persona que lo interese. Los cargos en que se tenga que incurrir para la celebración de la vista serán de carga del proponente de la acción.

CASO NÚM. : 2018-220713-PCT-011705 (Renovación)

PETICIONARIO : JIMMY FERRER

DIRECCIÓN POSTAL : CALLE HIGUEY 301 COLINAS DE BAYOAN BAYAMÓN, PUERTO RICO 00957

LUGAR DE EXTRACCIÓN : FINCA DE SU PROPIEDAD LOCALIZADA EN LA CARR PR 143 KM 55.1 EL BARRIO HELECHAL DEL MUNICIPIO DE BARRANQUITAS

MATERIAL A EXTRAERSE : ROCA ÍGNEA, RELLENO

CANTIDAD DIARIA A EXTRAERSE : 200 METROS CÚBICOS DIARIOS

TÉRMINO DE VIGENCIA : CINCO (5) AÑOS NATURALES

USO DE EXPLOSIVOS : NO

Solo and Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. This year, Madrid is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death and the 100th anniversary of Joaquín Sorolla’s with a series of exhibitions dedicated to each artist. Also, few cities have had such a flurry of hotel openings since the pandemic’s onset — including the Edition, the Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental and the Hard Rock. One thing that hasn’t changed is the city’s warm embrace of anyone wanting to join the fun. Since so few Madrileños are actually from Madrid, everyone is welcome.

ITINERARY

Friday

3:30 p.m. | Stroll the new agora

Hemmed in for decades by four busy boulevards, Plaza de España was a spot locals typically tried to avoid. A 70-million-euro redesign, completed in November 2021, has transformed the plaza by diverting traffic away or into underground tunnels. New tree-shaded promenades and playgrounds have become a magnet for locals and visitors, and pedestrian paths now link the plaza to landmarks like the nearby Royal Palace; the Parque del Oeste; and the Madrid Río, a vast park built along the Manzanares River. Also now readily accessible from the plaza: the 2,200-year-old Temple of Debod, given to Spain by the Egyptian government in 1968; the Cerralbo Museum, an ornate 19th-century nobleman’s palace; and the Sabatini Gardens, where sculptures of Spanish kings stand among the towering magnolia and cypress trees.

4:30 p.m. | Take a royal tour

Madrid’s Royal Palace is sometimes skipped by visitors who feel “museumed out.” That’s a shame. The finest 18th-century artists and craftsmen came to Madrid to adorn the palace’s every surface in frescoes, silk damask and lots of gold leaf. One room is floor-to-ceiling porcelain, while another has a dining table that can be set for 120 guests. The vast armory’s shimmering suits of armor are a hit with children, as are the royal kitchens, which had holes near the bottoms of the doors so the royal cats could keep the mice at bay. Next to the palace, an extraordinary new Royal Collections Gallery will bring together 600 rarely seen masterpieces when it opens this summer. Avoid lines by buying tickets (12 euros) online.

8 p.m. | Tap your heels

Several of Madrid’s historic flamenco tablaos (traditional venues with smaller stages) sadly didn’t survive the COVID era. One that did is Corral de la Morería, just south of the Royal Palace. Inside, there’s an eight-seat, Michelinstarred restaurant led by the Basque chef David García, where diners enjoy nine courses before taking VIP seats for the flamenco performance in the tavernlike main room (135, dinner and show). If you can’t land a restaurant reservation, the main room offers simpler fare two hours before showtime (about 95 euros, dinner and show). The 70-minute performances in this intimate setting often feature top dancers like Jesús Carmona, who can fill an auditorium in New York

The throne room of the Royal Palace, where Spain’s finest 18th-century artists and craftsmen adorned every surface in frescoes, silk damask and lots of gold leaf, in Madrid, Feb. 10, 2023. An extraordinary new Royal Collections Gallery will bring together 600 rarely seen masterpieces when it opens this summer.

or London.

Saturday

10 a.m. | Grab breakfast

The canary-yellow-tiled Golda, in the trendy Salesas neighborhood, draws an in-the-know crowd with its mostly healthy Middle Eastern-accented breakfast fare, like toast with hummus, roasted tomato, feta and sumac (6.50 euros) and a densely marbled chocolate-pistachio babka (6 euros). After breakfast, it’s worth popping down the street into the stunning grand Baroque church of Santa Bárbara, built in the 1750s by one of Spain’s most cultivated queens, Bárbara de Braganza. Anyone traveling with young children may prefer breakfast at Frida, a few blocks away, which has outdoor seating overlooking a small playground and whose menu includes kiddie favorites like pancakes (9 euros).

11 a.m. | Gallery hop, then shop

For more than a decade now, Salesas and the north end of Chueca have been a center of Madrid’s most compelling contemporary art galleries and innovative Spanish boutiques. Showing mostly international artists under 40,

Corral de la Morería, a flamenco tablao just south of the Royal Palace in Madrid, Feb. 3, 2023. Several of Madrid’s historic flamenco tablaos (traditional venues with smaller stages) sadly didn’t survive the COVID-19 era, but this one did, and inside there’s an eight-seat, Michelin-starred restaurant.

En San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 3 de febrero de 2023.

Lcdo. Felix Rivera Secretario Auxiliar Interino Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos Departamento de Desarrollo Económico

the Travesía Cuatro, Alzueta and Albarrán Bourdais galleries all feature invitingly quirky spaces that go beyond the white cube. For apparel, two standouts include Oteyza for exquisitely tailored men’s clothing, including capes, with a distinctly Castilian accent (handmade sneakers, 385 euros; bespoke suits starting at 1,800 euros). Nearby is Ecoalf, which creates luxurious garments by upcycling old water bottles and fishing nets (raincoat, 385 euros). Keep up your energy with treats like milhojas (layers of puff pastry and sweetened cream) from La Duquesita, which opened in 1914.

12:30 p.m. | Explore museums

Sometimes it’s nice to shift gears and enjoy some bite-size museums that don’t require a half-day to explore. Two such visual bonbons happen to be a short stroll away from each other in the pretty, tree-lined Chamberí neighborhood. Kids and adults will enjoy the Museo Geominero (free), a four-story, 1917 Beaux-Arts jewel box filled with mineral and fossil delights — including massive amethysts, heaps of fool’s gold and fossils. And no matter when you visit Madrid, it’s endless summer at Museo Sorolla (3 euros, free on Saturdays after 2:30 p.m.), the glamorous former home and studio of Joaquín Sorolla, one of Spain’s most celebrated painters, best known for his sun-dappled images of frolicking children and fashionable ladies enjoying the seaside. His death in 1923 is being honored with exhibitions here and at the Royal Palace this spring.

2:30 p.m. | Sit at a sushi counter

Spaniards rank among the world’s highest per capita consumers of fish, so it only makes sense that the cuisine of Japan, another fish-loving nation, would have a presence in Madrid. Nowhere in the city treats fish with greater reverence than Kappo, a chicly spare Japanese restaurant with just six tables handily located three blocks from the Sorolla Museum. Behind a 12-seat sushi bar, chef Mario Payán serenely prepares nigiri after nigiri as he monitors the pacing of each diner’s 18-to-20-course omakase meal. Payán has developed a cultlike following for the simplicity of the setting and the purity of the dishes. Lunch for two, about 180 euros. Reserve ahead.

5 p.m. | Discover regional crafts

Even if you aren’t venturing to see more of Spain on this trip, you can find many of the country’s best regional products, including ceramics, textiles, sweets and olive oil, in a handful of charming shops clustered in the historic city center, between the neighborhoods of La Latina and Las Letras. Two standouts are Real Fábrica, which has mohair blankets from the Rioja region (189 euros) and retro enamelware coffee sets (57.50 euros) from the Basque Country, and Cocol, which sells Majorcan alpargatas (Spanish for espadrilles) in a chic range of colors (from 47 euros) and ceramics inspired by the traditional crockery of Talavera de la Reina in Toledo province (platters from 69 euros).

8 p.m. | Lounge in the lobby

A couple of years ago, the stylish Urso Hotel in Chueca went old school and added live piano music to its lobby cocktail bar — making it the perfect spot to graciously slide into evening mode while musing on the day’s highlights (cocktails about 10 euros). From Urso, it’s

a lovely stroll to dinner at La Vaquería Montañesa, where restaurateur Carlos Zamora (who also owns La Carmencita and Celso y Manolo) gets the mood just right with a minimalist but cozy and candlelit ambience and a range of simple yet superb dishes with top-quality produce. Starters include crab and shrimp croquetas, a five-tomato salad, and three different artichoke preparations. Beef, lamb and fresh fish are brought daily from Cantabrian farms and ports. Dinner for two, 80 euros.

Midnight | Find the secret bar

Spaniards love the idea of starting the late-night fun with “la primera copa,” a postprandial first drink in a somewhat sophisticated spot before the night evolves (or devolves). Head to the cozy, candlelit Jack’s Library, a hidden bar slinging craft cocktails (from 12 euros) in Chueca, tucked behind what appears to be an expensive flower shop. Afterward, you can dance and perhaps spot minor celebrities at the current hot spot Lula on Gran Vía (entry 30 euros, including one drink). If your idea of Saturdaynight fun includes mirrorballs and hundreds of shirtless musclemen, then the gay club Kluster should be on your agenda.

Sunday

10 a.m. | Break some eggs

Hemingway once wrote, “Nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night.” Whether you did, or merely left it gasping for air, you’ll want a hearty breakfast. The high-ceilinged room at the Omar, the restaurant inside the new Thompson hotel (the chain’s first property outside North America) has the air of a classic European coffeehouse with large round tables and large windows overlooking Plaza del Carmen near the Puerta del Sol. The à la carte breakfast is great, but the 40-euro brunch is an absolute extravaganza with a table-covering deployment of fruit, yogurt, cured meats and baked goods to which one can add eggs Benedict, the perfect tortilla Española and Moroccan flatbreads with cheese and baba ghanouj.

11 a.m. | Go barefoot to church

The austere-on-the-outside Monastery of the Royal Barefoot Nuns (6 euros), founded in 1559 by Juana de

Austria — the daughter, sister and mother of Spanish and Portuguese kings — today sits surrounded by the shopping centers, taverns and offices of the Puerta del Sol. Still home to a handful of Clarissine nuns, an order dedicated to sacrifice and spirituality whose members live without heating or shoes, the monastery features some surprisingly beautiful worldly goods, including a suite of the Eucharist tapestries by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. Visits are by guided tour only, so advance booking is essential.

Noon | Enjoy lunch with Picasso

This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death. Cultural organizations in the two countries in which the artist lived, Spain and France, have developed a program of some 50 exhibitions and events to honor the occasion. While the Reina Sofía’s major Picasso exhibition, “Picasso 1906: The Great Transformation,” won’t open until November, one of the artist’s most celebrated masterpieces, “Guernica,” is on permanent view at the Reina with a fascinating display of drawings, paintings and photographs that document its creation. For yearround outdoor dining, El Jardín de Arzábal at the museum has a beautifully tented terrace filled with plants.

KEY STOPS

Corral de la Morería is a traditional flamenco tablao with one untraditional factor — an eight-seat Michelinstarred restaurant.

Museo Sorolla is the former home and studio of the artist Joaquín Sorolla.

Reina Sofía is Spain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art.

Ecoalf is a fashion label and a store that upcycles plastic bottles and fishing nets to make luxury garments.

WHERE TO EAT

Golda is a cheery cafe with Middle Eastern-accented breakfast fare.

Frida offers family-friendly breakfast options and outdoor seating.

The Omar is a brunch spot with the air of a classic European coffeehouse.

El Jardín de Arzábal is a restaurant in the Reina Sofía Museum with a lush, jungly terrace.

WHERE TO STAY

Rosewood Villa Magna, newly renovated, is among the city’s most luxurious addresses and near the major art museums and high-end shops of the upscale Barrio de Salamanca. Its three roaring fireplaces in the lobby and bar make it ideal for a cozy winter stay. Doubles from 850 euros.

CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha, in an 1850s palace in the historic city center, has some of the most spacious rooms in Madrid, not to mention top-floor suites with large decks and hot tubs. Doubles from about 250 euros.

Bastardo, a hipster hostel in trendy Chueca, has a buzzing lobby and a variety of room options — from singles to shared rooms to family rooms that sleep six. Doubles from about 90 euros.

For short-term rentals, the pretty Almagro neighborhood offers quiet streets lined with boutiques, galleries and small restaurants in walking distance of museums and attractions.

The quadrigas, or chariots drawn by four horses, atop the BBVA bank building in Madrid, Feb. 6, 2023. Madrid, which has little to prove as a premier art destination, is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death and the 100th anniversary of Joaquín Sorolla’s with a series of exhibitions.

Monday, April 17, 2023 24

Civil Núm.: BY2022CV05476.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN

JUAN

REVERSE MORTGAGE

FUNDING LLC.

Demandante Vs. SUCESION MARIA

MERCEDES DELGADO

MEDINA T/C/C MARIA

M. DELGADO MEDINA

T/C/C MARIA MERCEDES

DELGADO COMPUESTA

POR RAFAEL ANTONIO

RODRIGUEZ DELGADO, JOSE RODRIGUEZ DELGADO; JOHN DOE

Y JANE DOE COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SJ2021CV06850.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: LA PARTE DEMANDADA, AL (A LA) SECRETARIO(A) DE HACIENDA DE PUERTO RICO Y AL PÚBLICO

GENERAL:

Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América y/o Giro Postal y Cheque Certificado, en mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 3 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: RÚSTICA: Solar número siete (7) del Plano de Inscripción para la lotificación de una finca en el barrio Tortugo (San Juan), con un área total del mil trescientos noventa metros punto cinco mil cincuenta (1,390.5050) metros cuadrados. En lindes por el Norte, con Camino Municipal del Barrio Tortugo; por el Sur, con finca de

Manuel Jiménez; por el Este, con el solar número seis (6) y por el Oeste, con el solar número ocho (8). Enclava una estructura para fines residenciales. Inscrita al folio 191 del tomo 291 de Rio Piedras Sur, finca 9,380, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección IV. La Hipoteca Revertida consta inscrita al folio 27 del tomo 862 de Rio Piedras Sur, finca 9,380, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección IV, inscripción 3ª. Propiedad localizada en: PARCELAS CANEJAS, #7 CALLE 4, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00926. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas anteriores o preferentes: Nombre del Titular: N/A. Suma de la Carga: N/A. Fecha de Vencimiento: N/A. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante: Nombre del Titular: Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano. Suma de la Carga: $208,500.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 13 de abril de 2094. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes. El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo de mínima subasta la suma de $208,500.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una SEGUNDA SUBASTA por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 10 DE MAYO DE 2023,

A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $139,000.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $104,250.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 17 DE MAYO DE 2023,

A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA. DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para,

The San Juan Daily Star

con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $76,077.04 por concepto de principal, más la suma de $29,661.80 en intereses acumulados al 13 de abril de 2022 y los cuales continúan acumulándose a razón de 3.674% anual hasta su total y completo pago; más la sumas de $8,734.90 en seguro hipotecario; $2,404.80 en seguro; $425.00 de tasaciones; $240.00 de inspecciones; 1,520.00 en adelantos de honorarios de abogado; más la cantidad de 10% del pagare original en la suma de $20,850.00, para gastos, costas y honorarios de abogado, esta última habrá de devengar intereses al máximo del tipo legal fijado por la oficina del Comisionado de Instituciones Financieras aplicable a esta fecha, desde este mismo día hasta su total y completo saldo. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario, a los efectos de que cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 21 de marzo de 2022.

Salón: 501. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: LUIS M. IRIGOYEN RODRIGUEZ - URB. BOSQUE DE LAS FLORES 77 CALLE TIAGOSAN, BAYAMÓN, PR 00956.

SALÓN: 406 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO Estados Unidos de América. El Presidente de los Estados Unidos. El Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. SS.

EDWIN E.

LÓPEZ MULERO, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR. ***

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

Demandante Vs. LUIS M. IRIGOYEN RODRÍGUEZ

Demandado

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, el Lcdo. Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@ orf-law.com, y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de febrero de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico, el 15 de febrero de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. NEREIDA QUILES SANTANA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, como agente de FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

DEMANDANTE vs. MIGUEL A. ROBLES TRUJILLO DEMANDADO

CIVIL NÚM.: CA2022CV03197

A: Miguel A. Robles Trujillo - Canovanilla Sect El Trompito Carr 857 Km 4.6, Carolina, PR 00987. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, el Lcdo. Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@ orf-law.com, y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. Extendido bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal, en Carolina, Puerto Rico hoy día 16 de febrero de 2023. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 16 de febrero de 2023. Lcda. Marilyn Aponte Rodríguez, Secretaria Auxiliar. Maricruz Aponte Alicea, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE ISABELA. Island Portfolio Services, LLC Como Agente de Fairway Acquisitions Fund, LLC

PARTE DEMANDANTE vs. Héctor Y. Cabán González PARTE DEMANDADA CIVIL NÚM.: IS2022CV00160.

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO.

A: Héctor Y. Cabán González - URB MEDINA

C-5 CALLE 14 ISABELA, PUERTO RICO 00662 POR LA PRESENTE se le

emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, el Ledo. José F. Aguilar

Vélez cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfon.o (787) 993-3731 a la dirección jose.aguilar@orflaw.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orflaw.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO

MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Isabela, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de marzo de 2023. En Isabela, Puerto Rico, el 15 de marzo de 2023. SARAHÍ REYES PÉREZ, Sec Regional. Irene Curbelo Medina, Sec Auxiliar Tribunal I.

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ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO

ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC. COMO AGENTE GESTOR DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC.

DEMANDANTE vs. RICHARD L. PEREZ COLON DEMANDADO CIVIL NÚM.: RG2022CV00572

SALÓN: __ SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: RICHARD L. PEREZ COLON- URB. RIO GRANDE EST, S23 CALLE 12, RIO GRANDE, PR 00745.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes

a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr. salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, la Lcda. Natalie Bonaparte cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com, edwin.serrano@ orf-Iaw.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EX-

TENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de marzo de 2023. En Fajardo, Puerto Rico, el 14 de marzo de 2023. Wanda I. Seguí Reyes, Secretaria. Sheila Robles Hernández, Secretaria Auxiliar I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC. COMO AGENTE GESTOR DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC.

DEMANDANTE vs. MIGUEL A.

LOPEZ MARTINEZ

DEMANDADO

CIVIL NÚM.: CG2023CV00204

SALÓN: 801 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: Miguel A.

Lopez MartinezUrb. Turabo Gardens R-12-14 Calle D, Caguas, P.R. 00727. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su ale-

gación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr. salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, la Lcda. Natalie Bonaparte cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com, edwin.serrano@ orf-Iaw.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Caguas, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de marzo de 2023. En Caguas, Puerto Rico, el 15 de marzo de 2023. Lisilda Martínez Agosto, Secretaria. Sandra J. Trinidad Cañuelas, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO PALMAS DEL MAR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

Parte Demandante Vs. JORGE PAOLI BRUNO Y SONIA TORRES MENDOZA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Parte Demandada (22-00152)

Civil Núm.: HU2022CV01663. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS.

A: JORGE PAOLI BRUNO Y SONIA TORRES MENDOZA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS.

POR LA PRESENTE, se le emplaza y requiere para que notifique a:

GONZÁLEZ & MORALES LAW OFFICES, LLC

PO BOX 10242

HUMACAO, PR 00792

TELÉFONO: (787) 852-4422

FACSÍMIL: (787) 285-4425

Email: jrg@gonzalezmorales.com abogados de la parte demandante, cuya dirección es la que deja indicada, con copia de su Contestación a la Demanda, copia de la cual le es servida en este caso, dentro de los TREINTA (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este Emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Debe saber que en caso de no hacerlo así podrá dictarse Sentencia en Rebeldía en contra suya, concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 05 de abril de 2023.

IVELISSE C. FONSECA RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. IVELISSE M. MONCLOVA CRUZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOT ICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE BAYAMÓN

WILMINGTON SAVINGS

FUND SOCIETY, FSB, AS TRUSTEE OF FINANCE OF AMERICA

STRUCTURED SECURITIES

ACQUISITION TRUST 2019-HB1

Demandante Vs.

SUCESIÓN DE CAMILO

OLMEDA VIDRÓ, T/C/C

CAMILO OLMEDA

COMPUESTA POR

CARMEN OLMEDA, CAMILO OLMEDA ORTIZ, FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES

DESCONOCIDOS;

SUCESIÓN DE CARMEN

ISMENIA ORTIZ TORRES, T/C/C CARMEN ISMENIA ORTIZ DE OLMEDA, T/C/C CARMEN I. ORTIZ

TORRES, T/C/C CARMEN

ISMENIA ORTIZ, T/C/C

CARMEN I. ORTIZ, T/C/C CARMEN ORTIZ

COMPUESTA POR

CARMEN OLMEDA, CAMILO OLMEDA ORTIZ, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES

MUNICIPALES; Y LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA Demandados

Civil Núm.: BY2019CV02071.

Sala: 504. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA

ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA.

Al: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.

A: SUCESIÓN DE CAMILO OLMEDA

VIDRÓ, T/C/C CAMILO

OLMEDA COMPUESTA

POR CARMEN OLMEDA, CAMILO OLMEDA ORTIZ, FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS;

SUCESIÓN DE CARMEN

ISMENIA ORTIZ TORRES, T/C/C CARMEN ISMENIA

ORTIZ DE OLMEDA, T/C/C CARMEN I. ORTIZ TORRES, T/C/C CARMEN

ISMENIA ORTIZ, T/C/C

CARMEN I. ORTIZ, T/C/C CARMEN ORTIZ COMPUESTA POR

CARMEN OLMEDA, CAMILO OLMEDA ORTIZ, FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES

MUNICIPALES; Y LOS

ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA.

Yo, EDGARDO ELÍAS VAR-

GAS SANTANA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR PLACA #193, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Bayamón, a los demandados, acreedores y al público en general con interés sobre la propiedad que más adelante se describe, y al público en general, por la presente

CERTIFICO, ANUNCIO y HAGO CONSTAR: Que el día

10 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS

9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, procederé a vender en Pública Subasta, al mejor postor, la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por la vía

ordinaria mediante Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, la cual se notificó y archivó en autos el día 22 de julio de 2022. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría durante horas laborables. Que en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta a celebrarse, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA para la venta de la susodicha propiedad, el 17 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA; y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 24 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que ha sido liberado por la Secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, en el caso de epígrafe con fecha de 3 de marzo de 2023, procederé a vender en pública subasta y al mejor postor, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble que se describe a continuación: UR-

BANA: Solar marcado con el número tres (3) del Bloque RR en el plano de inscripcion de la Urbanización Reparto Apolo, situada en el Barrio Frailes del Municipio de Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de cuatrocientos cinco punto cero cero (405.00m) metros cuadrados y colinda por el NORESTE, en distancia de quince (15.00) metros con la calle número veinte (20) de dicha Urbanización; por el SURESTE, en quince metros (15.00) con el paseo público del Bloque RR de dicha Urbanización; por el ESTE, en veintisiete (27.00) metros con el solar número cuatro (4) del Bloque RR de dicha Urbanización; y por el OESTE, en veintisiete (27.00) metros con el solar número dos (2) del Bloque RR de dicha Urbanización. En este solar se ha construido una casa de concreto de una planta, diseñada para residencia de una sola familia. Finca Número 13,798, inscrita al folio 165 del tomo 212 de Guaynabo, Sección de Guaynabo. Dirección de la Propiedad: 2083 (RR-#) Hercules (20) St., Reparto Apoloi Dev. Guaynabo PR 00696. La subasta se llevará a cabo para satisfacer, hasta donde alcance, el importe de las cantidades adeudadas a la parte demandante conforme a la sentencia dictada a su favor, a saber: de $145,899.66, por concepto de balance principal del préstamo con interés al 5.250% anual, cual acumulan a un total de $269,602.88, a la fecha de 30 de septiembre de 2019los cuales continúan acumulándose, así como la cantidad líquida estipulada en los documentos del préstamo para

costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado en caso de reclamación judicial y que correspondan a intereses y cargos por demora posterior a dicha fecha, y la suma equivalente al 10% de la suma principal original pactada, estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado; más recargos acumulados hasta la fecha en que se pague la deuda; más cualquiera suma de dinero por concepto de contribuciones, primas de seguro hipotecario y riesgo, así como cualesquiera otras sumas pactadas en la escritura de hipoteca, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. La hipoteca a ejecutarse en el caso de epígrafe fue constituida mediante la escritura número 20 otorgada el día 1 de febrero de 2011, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, ante el Notario Público Zoila Espinosa Vázquez y consta inscrita al folio 212 del tomo 1454 de Guaynabo, finca número 13,798, Registro de la Propiedad de Guaynabo, Sección Guaynabo. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargos o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca del actor y a los dueños, poseedores, tenedores de o interesados en títulos transmisibles por endoso o al portador garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito del actor que se celebrarán las subastas en las fechas, horas y sitios señalados para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les conviniere o se les invita a satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, otros cargos y las costas y honorarios de abogado asegurados quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Entiéndase: Hipoteca en garantía de un pagaré a favor de Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de Estados Unidos de América, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $337,500.00, con intereses al 5.250% anual, vencedero el día 17 de marzo de 2083, constituida por la escritura número 21, otorgada en Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, el dia 1 de febrero de 2011, ante la notario Zoila Espinosa Vazquez, e inscrito al folio 212 del tomo 1454 de guaynabo, finca número 13,798, inscripción 11ma. Que la cantidad mínima de licitación en la primera subasta del inmueble antes descrito será la suma de $337,500.00 según se establece en la escritura de hipoteca antes relacionada. En caso de que el inmueble a ser subastado no fuera adjudicado en su primera subasta se ordena la celebración de una segunda subasta de dicho inmueble, en la cual, la cantidad mínima será una equivalente a 2/3 parte de

aquella, o sea la suma de $225,000.00; desierta también la segunda subasta de dicho inmueble, se ordena la celebración de una tercera subasta en la cual, la cantidad mínima será la mitad del precio pactado para la primera subasta, es decir la suma de $168,750.00. La propiedad se adjudicará al mejor postor, quien deberá satisfacer el importe de su oferta en moneda legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América en el momento de la adjudicación, entiéndase efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, y que las cargas y gravámenes preferentes, si los hubiese, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad no está sujeta a gravámenes anteriores y/o preferentes según surge de las constancias del Registro de la Propiedad en un estudio de título efectuado a la finca antes descrita. Una vez efectuada la venta de dicha propiedad, el Alguacil procederá a otorgar la escritura de traspaso al licitador victorioso en subasta, quien podrá ser la parte demandante, cuya oferta podrá aplicarse a la extinción parcial o total de la obligación reconocida por la sentencia dictada en este caso. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Si el producto de la venta fuere insuficiente para satisfacer la cantidad reclamada, se procederá a la ejecución de la sentencia en contra de la parte demandada por el remanente de las sumas no satisfechas, mediante embargo y venta en ejecución de cualesquiera otros bienes propiedad de la parte demandada en cantidad suficiente para dejar cubierta y totalmente satisfecha a la parte demandante cualquier deficiencia o parte insoluta de la sentencia dictada a su favor según dispuesto en la sentencia dictada en este caso. Se dispone, conforme con la sentencia dictada en este caso que, una vez efectuada la subasta y vendido el bien inmueble, los adjudicatarios sean puestos en posesión del mismo dentro del término de veinte (20) días por el Alguacil de este Honorable Tribunal y los actuales poseedores lanzados del referido inmueble. Y para la concurrencia de licitadores y para el público en general, se publicará este Edicto de acuerdo con la ley, mediante edicto, en un periódico de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, una vez por semana, por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas

publicaciones, y para su fijación en tres (3) lugares públicos del municipio en que ha de celebrarse la venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía, y se le notificará además a la parte demandada vía correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto de Subasta para conocimiento y comparecencia de los licitadores, bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, a 27 de marzo de 2023. EDGARDO ELÍAS VARGAS SANTANA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR PLACA #193, ALGUACIL DEL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE BAYAMÓN.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO WILMINGTON SAVINGS

FUND SOCIETY, FSB, AS TRUSTEE OF FINANCE OF AMERICA

STRUCTURED SECURITIES

ACQUISITION TRUST

2018-HB1

Demandante Vs.

NATANAEL GÓMEZ

RODRIGUEZ, T/C/C

NATANAEL GÓMEZRODRIGUEZ T/C/C

NATANAEL GÓMEZ

RODZ, POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES QUE

COMPONE JUNTO A SU

ESPOSA PAULA MARIA

BURGOS COLÓN, T/C/C

PAULA M. BURGOS

T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS

COLON T/C/C PAULA M.

BURGOS COLÓN; PAULA

MARIA BURGOS COLÓN,

T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS

T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS

COLON T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS COLÓN POR SÍ

Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES QUE COMPONE JUNTO A SU

ESPOSO NATANAEL

GÓMEZ RODRIGUEZ, T/C/C NATANAEL GÓMEZRODRIGUEZ T/C/C

NATANAEL GÓMEZ RODZ

Y LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: HU2019CV01064. Sala: 208. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA.

Al: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.

A: NATANAEL GÓMEZ RODRIGUEZ, T/C/C

NATANAEL GÓMEZRODRIGUEZ T/C/C NATANAEL GÓMEZ RODZ, POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES QUE COMPONE JUNTO A SU ESPOSA PAULA MARIA BURGOS COLÓN, T/C/C

PAULA M. BURGOS T/C/C

PAULA M. BURGOS COLON T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS COLÓN; PAULA MARIA BURGOS COLÓN, T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS

T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS COLON T/C/C PAULA M. BURGOS COLÓN POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES QUE COMPONE JUNTO A SU ESPOSO NATANAEL GÓMEZ RODRIGUEZ, T/C/C NATANAEL GÓMEZRODRIGUEZ T/C/C

NATANAEL GÓMEZ RODZ Y LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA.

Yo, JOSÉ LUIS RODRÍGUEZ

HERNÁNDEZ, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Humacao, a los demandados, acreedores y al público en general con interés sobre la propiedad que más adelante se describe, y al público en general, por la presente CERTIFICO, ANUNCIO y HAGO CONSTAR: Que el día

10 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS

10:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Humacao, en Humacao, Puerto Rico, procederé a vender en Pública Subasta, al mejor postor, la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por la vía ordinaria mediante Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, la cual se notificó y archivó en autos el día 21 de enero de 2022. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría durante horas laborables. Que en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta a celebrarse, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA para la venta de la susodicha propiedad, el día 17 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00

DE LA MAÑANA; y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 24 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00

DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de

Sentencia que ha sido liberado por la Secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Mayagüez, en el caso de epígrafe con fecha de 14 de octubre de 2022, procederé a vender en pública subasta y al mejor postor, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Predio de terreno denominado solar número 8 del Bloque “p”, según el Plano de Inscripción del Residencial Las Leandras, radicado en el Barrio Mabú del término municipal de Humacao, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 357.00 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, con la Calle número 9, en una distancia de 10.50 metros; por el SUR, con el solar número 19, en una distancia de 10.50 metros; por el ESTE, con el solar número 9, en una distancia de 34.00 metros y por el OESTE, con el solar número 7, en una distancia de 34.00 metros. Finca número 14,155, inscrita al folio 255 del tomo 355 de Humacao. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección de Humacao. Dirección de la Propiedad: P8 9 St. Las Leandras Dev., Humacao PR 00791. La subasta se llevará a cabo para satisfacer, hasta donde alcance, el importe de las cantidades adeudadas a la parte demandante conforme a la sentencia dictada a su favor, a saber: de $60,417.77 por concepto de balance principal del préstamo con interés al 3.172% anual, cual acumulan a un total de $100,114.51 a la fecha de 31 de agosto de 2021, los cuales continúan acumulándose, así como la cantidad líquida estipulada en los documentos del préstamo para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado en caso de reclamación judicial y que correspondan a intereses y cargos por demora posterior a dicha fecha, más la suma equivalente al 10% de la suma principal original pactada, estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado; más recargos acumulados hasta la fecha en que se pague la deuda; más cualquiera suma de dinero por concepto de contribuciones, primas de seguro hipotecario y riesgo, así como cualesquiera otras sumas pactadas en la escritura de hipoteca, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. La hipoteca a ejecutarse en el caso de epígrafe fue constituida mediante la escritura número 258 otorgada el día 22 de octubre de 2013, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, ante el Notario Público Jose Garcia Noya y consta inscrita al Tomo Karibe de Humacao, finca número 14,155, Registro de la Propiedad de Humacao, Sección de Humacao. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus dere-

posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas, con un intervalo de por lo menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate.

EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en Caguas, Puerto Rico, hoy día 13 de abril de 2023. ÁNGEL

GÓMEZ GÓMEZ, ALGUACIL PLACA #593, ALGUACIL DE LA DIVISIÓN DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN

LIME HOMES, LTD.

Demandante Vs. JUAN LUIS ORTIZ

RIVERA, SU ESPOSA

LINETTE FITTIPALDI AYALA Y LA SOCIEDAD

LEGAL DE BIENES

GANANCIALES

COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados

Civil Núm.: DCD2010-2398. (702). Sobre: COBRO DE

DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: LA PARTE

DEMANDADA, AL (A

LA) SECRETARIO(A) DE

HACIENDA DE PUERTO

RICO Y AL PÚBLICO

GENERAL:

Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal

de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque gerente, giro postal, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América al nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, en la Oficina del Alguacil de Subastas, sita en el cuarto piso del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, el 8

DE MAYO DE 2023 A LAS 9:30

DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar marcado con la letra C del plano de inscripción de la Urbanización Santa Elena, radicado en el barrio Pájaros del municipio de Bayamón, Puerto Rico, con un área de 882.46 metros cuadrados y colinda por el NORTE, en una distancia de 61.32 metros lineales con el solar marcado con la letra F; por el SUR, en una distancia de 58.23 metros con el solar marcado con la letra H; por el ESTE, con terrenos del Señor Anacleto Román, hoy Sucesión Román, en una distancia de 15.00 metros y por el OESTE, con camino público en una distancia de 15.00 metros. Enclava una casa residencial. Inscrita al folio 242 del tomo 1755 de Bayamón, finca número 28627, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección Primera de Bayamón. Propiedad localizada en: Lote C 1 St. Urbanización Santa Elena, Barrio Pájaros, Bayamón, PR 00957. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución no está gravada por las siguientes cargas anteriores o preferentes: Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante: EMBARGO FEDERAL contra Juan

L. Ortiz, seguro social xx-5530, por la suma de $7,072.05, notificación 552444609, anotado el 12 de junio de 2009 al folio 90, asiento 4, Libro IX de Embargos Federales de Bayamón l. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes. El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo mínimo de subasta la suma de $100,000.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria

una SEGUNDA SUBASTA por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en la Oficina del Alguacil de Subastas, sita en el cuarto piso del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, el 15 DE MAYO DE 2023 A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $66,666.67, 2/3 partes del tipo mínimo establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $50,000.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en la Oficina del Alguacil de Subastas, sita en el cuarto piso del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, el 22 DE MAYO DE 2023 A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $98,274.66 de principal, intereses al tipo del 8.1728% anual según ajustado desde el día 1ro. de junio de 2009 hasta el pago de la deuda en su totalidad, más la suma de $10,000.00 por concepto de honorarios de abogado y costas autorizadas por el Tribunal, más las cantidades que se adeudan mensualmente por concepto de seguro hipotecario, cargos por demora, y otros adeudados que se hagan en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario, a los efectos de que cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 30 de marzo de 2023. Edgardo Elías Vargas Santana, Alguacil Auxiliar Placa #193, Alguacil De Subastas, Tribunal De Primera Instancia, Centro Judicial De Bayamón, Sala Superior.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE CARMEN CELIA MENÉNDEZ, T/C/C CARMEN C. RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C CARMEN CELINA MENÉNDEZ ANDÚJAR COMPUESTA LUIS ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ MENÉNDEZ, NAYDA IRIS ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, JORGE ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, LUIS EMILIO ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, CARMEN ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, SUCESIÓN DE VILA IRIS

GONZALEZ MENENDEZ COMPUESTA POR LUIS

DANIEL SANTIAGO

GONZALEZ Y JONATHAN

SANTIAGO GONZALEZ, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES MIEMBROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS, SUCESIÓN DE DANIEL

RODRIGUEZ MENENDEZ COMPUESTA POR

FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES MIEMBROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS, FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLE MIEMBRO DESCONOCIDO; SUCESIÓN DE JOSE

RODRIGUEZ DÁVILA COMPUESTA POR LUIS

ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ

MENÉNDEZ, NAYDA IRIS ALVAREZ

MENENDEZ, JORGE

ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, LUIS EMILIO ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, CARMEN ALVAREZ MENENDEZ, SUCESIÓN DE VILA IRIS

GONZALEZ MENENDEZ COMPUESTA POR LUIS

DANIEL SANTIAGO

GONZALEZ Y JONATHAN

SANTIAGO GONZALEZ, FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES MIEMBROS DE NOMBRES

DESCONOCIDOS, SUCESIÓN DE DANIEL

RODRIGUEZ MENENDEZ COMPUESTA POR

FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSBILES MIEMBROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLE MIEMBRO DESCONOCIDO; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES

MUNICIPALES Y A LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CA2019CV03902. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO. MANDAMIENTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. Por Cuanto: Se ha dictado en el presente caso la siguiente Orden: “ORDEN: Examinada la demanda radicada por la parte demandante, la solicitud de interpelación contenida en la misma y examinados los autos del caso, el Tribunal le imparte su aprobación y en su virtud acepta la Demanda en el caso de epígrafe, así como la interpelación judicial de la parte demandante a los herederos del codemandado conforme dispone el Artículo 959 del Código Civil, 31 L.P.R.A. sec. 2787 y su equivalente el Artículo 1578 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico edición de 2020. Se Ordena a los herederos del causante a saber, Nayda Iris Alvarez Menendez, Jorge Alvarez Menendez, Luis Emilio Alvarez Menendez, Carmen Alvarez Menendez, Sucesión de Vila Iris Gonzalez Menendez compuesta por Luis Daniel Santiago Gonzalez, Jonathan Santiago Gonzalez, Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal como posibles miembros de nombres desconocidos, Sucesión de Daniel Rodriguez Menendez compuesta por Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal como posibles miembros de nombres desconocidos a que dentro del término legal de (30) días contados a partir de la fecha de la notificación de la presente Orden, acepten o repudien la participación que les corresponda en la herencia del causante José Rodriguez Dávila y de la causante Carmen Celia Menéndez, t/c/c Carmen C. Rodríguez, t/c/c

Carmen Celina Menéndez Andújar. Se le Apercibe a los herederos antes mencionados: (a) Que de no expresarse dentro del término de 30 días en torno a su aceptación o repudiación de herencia la misma se tendrá por aceptada; (b) Que luego del transcurso del término de 30 días contados a partir de la fecha de la notificación de la presente Orden, se presumirá que han aceptado la herencia del causante y por consiguiente, responden por las cargas de

dicha herencia conforme dispone el Artículo 957 del Código Civil, 31 L.P.R.A. sec. 2785 y sit equivalente el Artículo 1587 del Código Civil, edición 2020. Se Ordena a la parte demandante a que, en vista de que la sucesión del causante José Rodriguez Dávila y de la causante

Carmen Celia Menéndez, t/c/c

Carmen C. Rodríguez, t/c/c

Carmen Celina Menéndez Andújar incluyen como herederos a Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal como posibles herederos desconocidos, proceda a notificar la presente Orden mediante un edicto a esos efectos una sola vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general de la Isla de Puerto Rico. DADA en Carolina, Puerto Rico. hoy día 13 de abril de 2023. HON. NEREIDA FELICIANO, JUEZ”. Por Cuanto: Se le advierte a que, dentro del término legal de 30 días contados a partir de la fecha de notificación de la presente Orden, acepten o repudien la participación que les corresponda en la herencia del causante

Jose Rodriguez Menéndez y de la causante Carmen Celia Menéndez, t/c/c Carmen C. Rodríguez, t/c/c Carmen Celina Menéndez Andújar. Por Orden del Honorable Juez de Primera Instancia de este Tribunal, expido el presente Mandamiento, bajo mi firma y sello oficial, en Carolina, Puerto Rico hoy día 13 de abril de 2023. LCDA. MARILYN APONTE RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. DENISSE TORRES RUIZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR

ALEXANDER ALTAGRACIA

AGUASVIVAS TRONCOSO

Demandante V. JOSÉ VÉLEZ RUIZ; ET AL

Demandado

Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV02222.

Sala: 603. Sobre: PRESCRIPCIÓN ADQUISITIVA DEL DOMINIO (CONTRA TABULAS). EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: AIDA VÉLEZ BÁEZ, como titular registral o sea, la parte codemandada arriba

mencionada:

Por el presente edicto se le notifica a la codemandada Aida Vélez Báez, que la parte demandante ha radicado una Demanda en este Tribunal donde se solicita se declare la prescripción adquisitiva del dominio de un predio en el Sector Villa Palmeras de San Juan, Puerto Rico. La propiedad objeto de la Demanda ubica en la Calle Ta-

pia 259, 263 y 265, Villa Palmeras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Se describe como sigue: Urbana: BARRIO SECCION NORTE de Santurce Norte. Solar: Cabida: Trescientos noventa y nueve punto setenta y cuatro Metros Cuadrados (399.74 m/c). Solar compuesto de trescientos noventa y nueve metros y setenta y cuatro centímetros cuadrados de superficie, sito en Santurce Norte, San Juan en lindes por el Norte, en una extensión de diecinueve (19) metros noventa y cinco (95) centímetros con la finca de que se segrega, propiedad de los esposos Martínez Delgado; por el Sur, en una extensión de diecinueve (19) metros cuarenta y cinco (45) centímetros con la finca de que se segrega, propiedad de los esposos Martínez Delgado; por el Este en una extensión de veinte (20) metros cuarenta y cuatro (44) centímetros con don Antonio F. Martínez y don Luís Rodríguez; y por el Oeste, en veinte (20) metros cinco (5) centímetros con la calle Tapia. Contiene un almacén de concreto de una planta con techo de concreto de veinte (20) metros por el Norte, diecinueve punto cuarenta y cinco (19.45) metros por el Sur, veinte (20) metros por el Este y veinte (20) metros por el Oeste, marcado con el número doscientos sesenta y tres (263) de la Calle Tapia. Es segregación de la finca número setenta y cuatro mil treinta y uno (7431) de Santurce Norte. Finca nueve mil quinientos setenta y tres (9573), Sección I Registro de la Propiedad San Juan. Urbana: BARRIO SANTURCE de Santurce Norte. Solar: Cabida: doscientos tres punto nueve metros cuadrados (203.9). Solar compuesto de doscientos tres metros noventa centímetros cuadrados, sito en Santurce Norte, San Juan de Puerto Rico, en lindes: por el Norte, en una extensión de veinte (20) metros setenta (70) centímetros con José T. Figueroa; por el Sur, en diecinueve (19) metros noventa y cinco (95)centímetros con José Vélez Ruiz; por el Este, en siete (7) metros veintiún (21) centímetros con Monserrate Caro y en veintidós (22) metros cincuenta y ocho (58) centímetros con Luis A. Trancio; y por el Oeste en diez (10) metros veintitrés (23) centímetros con la Calle Alejandro Tapia. Es segregación de la finca siete mil cuatrocientos treinta y uno 7431 de Santurce Norte. Finca once mil cientos setenta y uno (11171), Sección I Registro de la Propiedad San Juan. Urbana: BARRIO SANTURCE de Santurce Norte. Solar: Cabida: ciento noventa y dos punto ocho uno metros cuadrados (192.81). Solar compuesto de ciento noventa y dos punto ocho uno metros cuadrados, sito en Santurce Norte, San Juan de Puerto

Rico, en lindes: por el Norte, en una extensión de diecinueve (19) metros ochenta y ocho (88) centímetros con José Vélez Ruiz, por el Sur, en una extensión de diecinueve (19) metros cincuenta y cinco (55)centímetros con solar vendido a Emilia Santana; por el Este, en una extensión de nueve (9) metros setenta y ocho (78) centímetros con la finca principal de la que se segrega propiedad de Antonio L. Martínez; y por el Oeste en nueve (9) metros setenta y ocho (78) centímetros con la Avenida Alejandro Tapia. Sobre este solar enclava una casa de madera techada de zinc. Se segrega de la finca siete mil cuatrocientos treinta y uno 7431 de Santurce Norte. Finca doce mil trescientos once (12311), Sección I Registro de la Propiedad San Juan. Por la presente se le emplaza y requiere para que notifique a la licenciada Sara I. Pagán Rodríguez, P.O. Box 8232, Fernández Juncos Station San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910, teléfono 787-308-2020, abogada de la parte demandante, con copia de vuestra contestación a la Demanda radicada en este caso contra usted, dentro de un término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación de este Edicto. Por la presente se le apercibe que de no comparecer a formular alegaciones dentro de 30 días contados a partir de la fecha de la publicación de este Edicto, se le anotara la rebeldía y se dictara sentencia de acuerdo con lo solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy día 4 de abril de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. MARGARITA MUÑIZ MÉNDEZ, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR ALEXANDER ALTAGRACIA AGUASVIVAS TRONCOSO

Demandante V. JOSÉ VÉLEZ RUIZ; ET AL

Demandado

Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV02222. Sala: 603. Sobre: PRESCRIPCIÓN ADQUISITIVA DEL DOMINIO (CONTRA TABULAS). EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: ANTONIA RIVERA, como titular registral o sea, la parte codemandada arriba

mencionada:

Por el presente edicto se le notifica a la codemandada Antonia Rivera, que la parte

The Boston Marathon route: The ups, the downs and that Citgo sign

By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN

New York may have the crowds. Chicago may have the speed. But the Boston Marathon is the great American race.

It is an annual party on the third Monday in April, a local holiday called Patriots’ Day. The rest of the world works while Boston ostensibly celebrates the start of the American Revolution, but really just celebrates itself and the 30,000 people running from Hopkinton to Copley Square.

About 20% of the runners earned their entry by raising money for charity, but nearly all of the others had to qualify with times that classified them in the upper tier of runners in their age groups.

For the lay marathoner, qualifying for Boston is a crowning achievement. It’s also an opportunity to run a monster of a course that goes mostly downhill for the first 16 miles, deceptively shredding the quadriceps muscles, and then travels uphill for most of the next five. At the top of Heartbreak Hill in mile 20 of the race, the Citgo sign outside Fenway Park, roughly 1 mile from the finish, comes into view. It looks so close and so, so far.

For those running for the first time, or those who have run it before and are still trying to figure out how to master it, here is a course guide for the ultimate journey to the heart of the Hub.

The bus ride

Nearly everyone who runs Boston takes the bus from Boston Common out to Hopkinton.

It’s a special moment, especially for those who have gotten in with a qualifying time. These are your people, folks every bit as crazy as you are about splits and intervals and hill training. Chat up the strangers around you about where they qualified, their favorite marathons and what their race plans are. For once, you are not the weird running obsessive.

The friendly banter will take your mind off the obvious: This bus ride is kind of long. Like, nearly an hour, and you have to run all the way back. Try not to think about that.

The walk to the start

It is a bit of a walk from the starting village at Hopkinton High School to the start line. That walk to Main Street, which will happen about 20 to 30 minutes before your start, is one of the great moments in marathon running.

People are out on the lawns there to clap for you and wish you luck. Make eye contact with them. Take your time. Soak it in. Feel their warmth and good-heartedness. It’s deep and genuine. All they want is for you to have a great day.

Also, there are hundreds of portable toilets just before the corrals, so once you leave the starting village, you have another chance to empty out.

From those toilets to your corral is two minutes, tops.

The start

Everyone is hyped up. These are fast people. They want to show that early, especially the first-timers. Try to stay calm, especially during the first mile, which is uncomfortably tight and has a sharp downhill stretch. The urge is to burn some nervous

energy and clock a fast first one. Resist.

The early towns

You could say this about every marathon: that the key is to stay relaxed, take it one step at a time and run the mile you are in. But that is never more true than in Boston, where the temptation to rush is all around you, especially at the beginning, as runners make their way from Hopkinton, to Ashland, to Framingham, to Natick, with long, quiet, rural stretches between the noise of the towns.

Take note of a little hill around the 4-mile mark. How did that feel? Legs a little weary? If so, that’s a clue that you might want to back off a bit and remind yourself not to rush. This race is a teapot on a slow boil. Find that balance between getting after it and letting it come to you.

Lake Cochituate

If there is a more beautiful spot in a bigcity marathon than the stretch across Lake Cochituate in the 10th mile, please let us know. There is water on both sides of the road here, the sounds of birds, shuffling feet and wind in the trees. The endorphins are kicking in; the pain is most likely still miles away. Enjoy the high here. This is a moment for gratitude, for the beauty around you and for the good fortune of health that has you in this spot, in this race, at this moment.

The scream tunnel

The first thought is, “What is that sound?” because you will hear it for at least

a half-mile before you see it. The answer is the good people of Wellesley College, who have come to the side of their campus to holler their hearts out and hold profane banners and, in some cases, participate in a contest to see who can collect the most kisses from the men and women running by.

Stay on the right side of the road if you want to get the full auditory effect. Stay to the left if you want to get the full visual.

Whatever you choose, make sure to take it all in. This tradition is as good as it gets.

Halfway, and then down down down

The 13.1-mile mark comes shortly after all the screams of the tunnel and another raucous scene in downtown Wellesley. It’s another moment when the temptation to surge will be strong given all the external stimulation. Don’t. Take a deep breath. There’s a good 2.5-mile roll down to the bottom of the course in Newton Lower Falls.

Yes, the faster you get through this, the sooner you can get started tackling the hills. Stay patient. The hills will be there soon enough.

The Newton hills

There are four of them (or five, depending on who is counting). The first one heads over Massachusetts Route 128, which is the informal boundary of Boston and its inner suburbs. That means there are 10 miles left, and the water in the teapot is starting to get hot. There’s another hill after the turn at the firehouse just after at the 17-mile mark, and then two more after that. The third one is the hardest, even though the last one has the famous Heartbreak Hill moniker. Plenty of water along the course here. Drink it.

Here’s a tip from someone who has too many times tried to “hammer the hills” but only ended up hammering himself: Ease off on the actual uphills and take note of the long, flat and rolling stretches between them. There’s speed there if you want it.

Just after the top of Heartbreak Hill, you can catch a glimpse of the Citgo sign off in the distance beyond the Green Monster at Fenway Park. That’s not that far from the finish. You can run there.

Into Brookline

The reward for conquering the climbs of Newton is a long mostly downhill stretch to Cleveland Circle. First you can have a beer on the side of the road with the Boston College students if you want. Whether or not you indulge, there’s a good chance that this downhill hurts every bit as much as the uphills, and maybe even more. That’s nearly 16 miles of downhill running taking its toll. It might feel as if knives are stabbing your

The Boston Marathon starts in the small town of Hopkinton, Mass.

Calle Barbosa #182 (frente al Cuartel de la Policia Estatal), Las Piedras PR

thighs. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Look around you, though. So many people are in just as much pain as you are. The only way out is through.

Keep an eye out for some old trolley tracks embedded in the road as you come down off the hill and into Cleveland Circle. This is not a good moment to trip and crack a tooth.

Brookline

The teapot isn’t hissing yet, but the water is starting to boil. The crowd is growing thicker every block along Beacon Street. The noise is building. Boston is calling you. Run to it. There’s an ever-so-slight downhill pitch to the road here. Just

keep making forward progress over these next 3 miles, and you’ll just about be home.

Into Boston

The dirty secret about the Boston Marathon is that hardly any of the course is inside the city limits. There’s one little stretch a couple of miles back, and then just the final 2-plus miles after Brookline. No matter. “Boston” is really more an idea and a sprawling metroplex that somehow still feels more like a colonial-era village than a city, and never more so than on Patriots’ Day.

That once faraway Citgo sign is now beside you. Feel the

love from the crowd that may be spilling out from Fenway Park, and brace yourself for one last significant rise around the 25mile mark. Then there’s a final dip and one final up before the six most beautiful words in marathoning: “right on Hereford, left on Boylston.”

There’s the finish line 600 yards ahead.

Sprint. Dance. Scream. Fist-bump the runner next to you. Do take a moment as you pass Marathon Sports to remember what happened here 10 years ago. Now look up and smile for the camera.

You are officially Boston Strong.

Daniel Snyder’s command performance: He finally went away

By JENNY VRENTAS

During Daniel Snyder’s 24 years as owner of the NFL’s Washington franchise, the team plummeted in popularity and became a textbook example of a toxic workplace. The announcement late last week that he had reached an agreement in principle to sell the Commanders came only after years of Snyder insisting that he would not part with the team.

Some will see injustice in Snyder walking away with a $6 billion parting gift — 7.5 times the $800 million he paid for the team in 1999 — despite the damage he inflicted on a franchise that was once beloved in the nation’s capital. But in a league where bad behavior is often excused by talent or money, it’s significant that Snyder is walking away at all.

We do not yet know why, exactly, Snyder finally decided to give in to the mounting pressures to sell. What is clear is that he hastened his departure by alienating his most powerful allies — his fellow team owners — and by seeking to discredit those who spoke up about workplace harassment rather than make changes in good faith.

Privately, several owners admitted they were tired of Snyder and ready for him to sell, but none would say so in public, either because of a lack of conviction or the fear of litigation. Finally, last October, the Indianapolis Colts’ Jim Irsay took the unusual step of telling reporters that there was “merit” to removing Snyder as a team owner, which would have required approval of 24 of the 32 owners.

Snyder’s response, through a team spokesperson, was characteristically obstinate: “We are confident that, when he has an opportunity to see the actual evidence in this case, Mr. Irsay will conclude that there is no reason for the Snyders to consider selling the franchise. And they won’t.”

Two weeks later, Daniel Snyder and his wife, Tanya, announced that they had hired bankers to explore selling the team. The new ownership group announced last Thursday is led by Josh Harris, an owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, for a record $6 billion.

For those who have been demanding change, the news of the sale was welcome, and rife with meaning.

“We expect that the NFL now understands that such an abusive workplace for women is unacceptable,” Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, lawyers for dozens of former Commanders employees who came forward with claims of workplace abuses, said in a statement.

Claims made by former Commanders employees dated back to at least 2006 and continued until 2019, almost the entire tenure of Snyder’s ownership.

Five former cheerleaders told The New York Times in 2018 that they were forced by the team to participate in a topless photo shoot and a night out with male sponsors during a 2013 trip to Costa Rica. In summer 2020, The Washington Post published two investigations in which a total of 40 women who worked for the team detailed sexual harassment and verbal abuse by male employees.

In addition to overseeing what a first NFL investigation concluded was a “highly unprofessional” workplace, Snyder also was accused directly of misconduct. A woman who had been a marketing and events coordinator said at a congressional round table last year that Snyder put his hand on her thigh during

a work dinner in 2005 or 2006 and that she resisted his attempts to lead her to his limousine. (Snyder said she was lying.) Additionally, The Washington Post reported that a team employee accused Snyder of sexually harassing and assaulting her in 2009 before reaching a $1.6 million confidential settlement.

Instead of trying to drum Snyder out, the NFL showed him an escape hatch. It levied a $10 million fine against the team in 2021 but also allowed Snyder to borrow $450 million and buy out his limited partners, consolidating his control, and withheld the written report that detailed the findings of the first leaguesponsored investigation into the Commanders’ workplace. But while the team repeatedly pointed to the steps it was taking to overhaul its workplace culture, Snyder kept fighting back, losing his grip on the franchise as he did.

Daniel Snyder in 2022. He bought the Washington franchise in 1999 and announced Thursday that he is selling it.

Eliud Kipchoge’s next feat: The tactical Boston Marathon

By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN

Eliud Kipchoge is marathon running’s ultimate speed demon.

Even at 38 years old, he still wins nearly every time he races. His win in Berlin last year made him 17 for 19. The technical term for that is “bananas.”

He breaks his own world record over and over. It’s now down to 2 hours, 1 minute and 9 seconds.

He is the only human (as far as we know) to have run 26.2 miles in less than two hours, finishing a course designed to optimize speed, with a pace team taking turns blocking the wind, in 1:59.40. That is an average pace of 4 minutes and 34.5 seconds for the 26.2 mile race.

On Monday, though, Kipchoge will confront a new challenge as he tries to win the Boston Marathon, a historic, hilly beast of a course where tactics usually trump speed. Boston could not be more different from the mostly flat marathons in Berlin and London, races that can resemble time trials.

Even he doesn’t know how his body will react, or if he will be able to continue the magic. But Boston is the oldest continuously run marathon, a race that Kipchoge said was on his bucket list for a while. He especially wanted to run on the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, “to spread the word of positivity, the human family,” he said, even if he is feeling unsettled ahead of the competition in a way he is not used to feeling.

“I don’t know what will happen at 10, 15, 25 kilometers,” he said during an interview last month from Kenya, where he was training. “It’s a huge experience and a different experience than many other marathons. That’s what makes me nervous.”

Mere mortals might manage those nerves by studying the unique undulations of the course, which heads downhill for most of the first 16 miles, has four lung-busting uphills over the next 5 miles, then heads mostly down and flat to the finish. They might also ask for advice from other elite runners and Boston champions. Kipchoge said

he is not doing much of either. Also, he has not trained any differently for this race. He is following his usual practice of building up to roughly 140 miles per week in Kenya’s highlands.

“I concentrate on becoming fit,” he said. “The moment I’m fit enough, then actually, I can go through everything.”

Kipchoge’s Zen-like bravado — his slogan has become “no human is limited” — has turned him into a folk hero across the globe. In Kansas City, Missouri, an elementary school class with many African refugee children who worship Kipchoge, was assigned to write an essay with the prompt “no human is limited.” Their teacher, Megan Jefferson, is running the marathon on Monday, too.

But this race has toppled greats before. Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia, a twotime Olympic gold medalist who was the barefoot Kipchoge of his era, finished fifth in Boston in 1963, the only time he completed an international marathon without winning it.

Bill Rodgers, the local hero known as Boston Billy, won his hometown marathon four times, but he dropped out at 20 miles in his first attempt and finished 14th in his second. Rodgers also won four New York City Marathons, conquering another hilly, rolling course that Kipchoge has yet to try.

“New York and Boston are the great challenges,” Rodgers said during an interview this month. “If he has any weakness, someone will be there because it is a deadly field.”

So how might Kipchoge win?

“Hard to give advice to the G.O.A.T.,” Meb Keflezighi, the 2014 champion, wrote in a text message. But then he relented, suggesting that Kipchoge wait until Heartbreak Hill around the 20-mile mark to make his move. “I would assume others will try to make the move early so he can be uncomfortable on the hill,” Keflezighi said.

Bob Larsen, Keflezighi’s longtime coach, said Kipchoge should pay close attention to the wind when deciding whether to try to break Geoffrey Mu-

tai’s course record of 2:03.02. The Boston course runs due east from Hopkinton to downtown Boston. Winds from the east can wreak havoc.

“If it’s hot or a strong headwind, I’d advise just going for the win,” Larsen said. “If it’s cool with a tail wind or cross wind he can run at a record pace. Ease a little bit through the hills so at 21 miles his legs will still be strong enough to take advantage of the downhills on the way to the finish.”

Amby Burfoot, who won in Boston in 1968, suggested treating the race like the Olympics, where only the gold medal matters. Kipchoge should run as slowly as he can to win, Burfoot said, and shouldn’t take the lead until well past 20 miles. Also, he warned, don’t join the long list of runners who got suckered into thinking all that downhill running during the first 16 miles wasn’t causing major muscle fatigue.

Grete Waitz, for example, led the 1982 Boston Marathon at the 24-mile mark but dropped out because the downhills had shredded her legs.

“Respect the downhills, or they will disrespect you,” Burfoot said.

Nobody knows Boston better than Dave McGillivray, the race director who has completed the course 50 times on race day and another 42 in training. McGillivray said anyone hoping to win needs to stay with the lead pack through the halfway mark in Wellesley, then slowly begin to separate.

“Come here with lots of patience,” McGillivray said. “Come here knowing the shape of your competition on that day, and come here knowing exactly what is up ahead in front of you. It is anything but the typical flat and fast race that most pros have run.”

Kipchoge has succeeded in races that aren’t all about speed, especially two hot, tactical marathons at the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil and in 2021 in Japan.

“I think Boston is like the Olympics,” he said. “It’s a new environment to me. Well selected people. It’s like a championship race.”

As Keflezighi put it at the end of his text message, “Can’t wait to see what happens.”

Eliud Kipchoge, a marathon runner, in Boston, April 14, 2023. The Boston Marathon, a tricky, hilly beast of a course, has humbled legends in the past. Can this master of speed tackle Heartbreak Hill?

Sudoku

How to Play:

Fill in the empty fields with the numbers from 1 through 9.

Sudoku Rules:

Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every 3x3 square must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Crossword

Answers on page 38

Wordsearch

Aries (Mar 21-April 20)

Unleash the spirit of discovery, and take advantage of upbeat Jupiter to explore ideas and experiences that can open new doors for you. You might find that saying yes to one such possibility transforms your life in ways you couldn’t have anticipated, and certainly for the better. What happens now can pave the way for fresh adventures. You won’t regret getting involved.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

Other people’s beliefs and ideas may seem to drown out your own thoughts on key issues. But perhaps this is because you’re reluctant to share them. If something is that important, then you might worry you’ll be criticized, which could be hurtful. Even so, saying it like it is may now be a vital step forward and a part of embracing who you are. Be authentically you, Taurus.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

Out of touch with your feelings? If so, a personal issue may need attention. By discussing a delicate matter with a friend, a shift can occur that helps you to be more relaxed and at peace. And allowing uncomfortable emotions to bubble up and accepting them as they do, could be cathartic and healing over the long-term. Socializing might greatly boost your spirits, today.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

Friends can certainly surprise you Cancer, by saying the most interesting things or coming out with ideas that seem to apply to your situation. You might even get a call or visit from someone you haven’t seen in a while, and this too could be intriguing in a good way. Plus, some interaction may be necessary to clear a misunderstanding, allowing it to heal at long last.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

The current position of asteroid Vesta, may have made you more aware that you do have a calling. It doesn’t have to be anything grandiose, but if you feel a kinship with a cause or idea, then don’t dismiss it. You might have a burning desire to do something about this that leads you to investigate it more deeply. And if you can make money with it, so much the better.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

The chance of a trip could come out of the blue, and might lead you to accept an invite to a place that has been on your list of things to do for years. The fact that it will be free can make it even more enjoyable. A lunar link with Mars, may also coincide with a social event that involves your current and past friends. It looks to be a great chance to spend time in such wonderful company.

Libra

(Sep

24-Oct 23)

If you find the days slipping away with you doing far less than anticipated, it may be because you need to set boundaries and firm up your routines. And though lively aspects can gift you with much outgoing energy, this might be wasted if it isn’t harnessed in a way that helps you accomplish your goals. Saturn in Pisces for the long haul, could be perfect in assisting with this.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

Looking for something that can help resolve a knotty issue? The Moon’s angle to Mars, suggests a need to rise above it and see it from a fresh perspective. Or it might help to chat to someone who is detached and able to give an unbiased opinion. You could also try letting it go, as the solution may then show up by itself. It’s certainly best to avoid worrying and doing nothing, Scorpio.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Expect the unexpected, and consider simplifying things as far as possible. A relaxed and flexible approach could be just what is needed to handle life’s upsets. There can be a few perks if things don’t go to plan, and that is finding opportunities you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Ready for some new discoveries? Let your curiosity lead the way and follow the road less travelled.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

If an activity stirs your interest, it could become something you return to over and over. You may find out about it by accident though. And you might become so entertained that everything else recedes into the distance. You can also connect with someone, and realize you have a strong mental rapport. This person could be great to talk to, and someone you’ll enjoy socializing with.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

You may be ready to experiment with ideas and opportunities that can make a positive difference. Some of these might hold a small risk, but you’ll enjoy the challenge of putting yourself in a new situation and seeing what happens. On a personal note, you could be very protective of information regarding someone close. Keeping their secret safe looks to be a major priority.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

A brilliant flash of an idea can leave you excited at what might be about to unfold. The inspiration could come in the form of a dream or while enjoying a relaxing walk. And if you’ve been struggling with an issue the answer can arrive suddenly, so stay alert and write it down. Willing to give it a chance? It might work better than anything else you’ve tried so far, Pisces.

Speed Bump