Tuesday Apr 18, 2023

The San Juan Star

Prospective Homebuyers Still Face Strong Headwinds in Inflated Market

Chebet Wins Backto-Back Boston Marathons; Obiri Wins Women’s Race in Debut

2 Senators Push Back on ‘Ideological Kidnapping’

Why Biden Has Slow-Walked His Way to a 2024 Run

Propose Eliminating Gender Perspective from Nominee Evaluation Criteria Mandated in Women’s Advocate Law

NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL

Photo by Erika

P. Rodríguez/The New York Times

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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.

House hearings zero in on campaign contribution limits

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

The House Electoral Affairs Committee opened public hearings on Monday to address House Bill 1676, which seeks, among other proposals, to limit the annual amount of donations that a person can make to a political campaign.

The measure was filed by the committee chairman, Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández and Dignity Project Minority Leader Lisie Burgos Muñiz at the request of the Office of the Electoral Comptroller (OEC). The legislation proposes an extensive list of amendments to the Law for the Control of Political Campaign Financing (Law 222-2011).

“In the country it has grown drastically, there has been an increase in cases of corruption related to the financing of political campaigns, and this House of Representatives wants to contribute, as it has always done, to avoid these situations,” Varela said.

five to seven years, in order to give the Department of Justice more time to prosecute potential violations.

Along those lines, he also recommended that criminal liability be imposed on those persons who provide false information about donations and expenses to the treasurer or any authorized personnel of the different committees regulated by Law 222 or the OEC.

New Progressive Party Electoral Commissioner Vanessa Santo Domingo said in her presentation that she cannot endorse the bill as drafted because the proposed measures could be contrary to applicable jurisprudence.

Santo Domingo noted that limiting the amount and manner in which a person can make a donation “would yield to a constitutional attack,” according to the determinations discussed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

INDEX

In a presentation in which he emphasized the fight against corruption, Electoral Comptroller Walter Vélez urged the House committee to give priority to advancing the bill as part of efforts made during the pre-electoral year.

One of the bill’s main proposals is to set an annual limit of $250 on the money that can be donated to an aspirant, candidate, committee or political party. The limitation, similar to that existing in the federal law that regulates the financing of electoral campaigns, includes cash, money orders, and manager’s or traveler’s checks.

The $250 limitation involves the combination of cash and guaranteed payment instruments. Velez said the proposal will allow the OEC to more effectively trace the origin of those donations greater than $250.

“The adoption of this measure seeks to provide transparency about the origin of the money donated to the different political committees, while constituting a mechanism to prevent a person from violating the law by making donations with money belonging to another person or in excess of what is allowed by law,” Vélez said.

Another proposal presented by Vélez is to require political committees to identify their collectors and that each donation be matched with its collector.

The information of each collector would be included in the records with the identity of the income and expenditure reports, so that it is visible to voters.

The OEC chief also proposed that the statute of limitations for offenses under Act 222 be increased from

Likewise, she opposed the elimination of the presumption against coordination of expenses and its restrictive interpretation by indicating that the jurisprudence upholds the right of an aspirant, candidate or party to incur the expenses necessary to carry out an “effective campaign.”

Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández

Senators file bill to eliminate ‘gender perspective’ from women’s advocate law

By THE STAR STAFF

Sens. Joanne Rodríguez Veve and Marially González Huertas filed a bill Monday to eliminate from Law 20 of 2001, the law that created the Office of the Women’s Advocate, “the imposition of analysis with a gender perspective” as part of the criteria for evaluating nominees for women’s advocate.

In addition, the measure seeks to amend the statute to remove the Advisory Council of the Office of the Women’s Advocate, which has been inoperative for several years.

“Its elimination frees the office from compliance with a requirement that has been inoperative for years and that, if implemented by the mere fact of complying with the provisions of the law, required the allocation of more funds for an activity that does not represent a direct provision of services,” Rodríguez Veve said in a written statement.

The council, composed of seven members who are supposed to be appointed by the governor, has among its functions “to advise the Office of the Women’s Advocate on all matters relating to women in all spheres of social, political, economic and cultural life, as well

as on the situation of discrimination, oppression or marginalization of women.”

According to the bill authored by the senators from the Dignity Project and the Popular Democratic Party, respectively, “Law 20 of 2001 establishes limiting and exclusive parameters for the selection of the Women’s Advocate, by imposing analysis with a gender perspective as the only approach to direct the work of the person appointed to that position.”

“This not only limits the power of the appointing authority when evaluating the person to be appointed to that position but, in turn, unjustifiably excludes [many] women who could be considered for that position,” the legislation reads. “The appointee to this position must be a woman of recognized professional capacity and independence of criteria, who has distinguished herself by her commitment to the defense of women’s rights in the fight for the elimination of all manifestations of oppression, marginalization and discrimination, by her respect for differences, and who is willing to make a continuous analysis of the situation of women from a gender perspective.”

The bill amends Article 2 (c) to eliminate the definition of the advisory council; amends its Article 4 in

relation to the criteria to be taken into consideration by the governor for the appointment of the Women’s Advocate; and repeals Articles 6, 7 and 8 of the Law on the Advisory Council of the Office of the Women Advocate.

“I trust that this bill will free the Office of the Women’s Advocate from the ideological kidnapping in which it finds itself, so that all women qualified to hold the position of advocate can be considered on equal terms,” Rodríguez Veve. “I hope that the bill presented gives us the opportunity to begin a selection process that is inclusive and from which all the women who, through the direction of that office, wish to contribute their knowledge are evaluated.”

Lawmaker: Fiscal board’s ‘abusive’ frugality has PREPA pensions hanging by a thread

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

Rep. José “Cheito” Rivera Madera said Monday that “[t]he pensions of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) retirees are hanging abusively by a fine thread” following the refusal of the Financial Oversight and Management Board to approve the budget increase requested by the public utility to fulfill its responsibilities, among which is the payment of pensions to its retirees.

According to a motion presented by the public corporation before the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB), an entity that must finally approve budgetary adjustments at PREPA, the oversight board only approved an allocation of $65 million, which Rivera Madera said would barely cover pension benefits until June.

The veteran Popular Democratic Party legislator said in a press release that the decision of the oversight board rests on what he described as “defective appreciation and application,” because, he said, the law that regulates the processes of the public corporation establishes the payment of obligatory commitments, such as pensions, as essential.

“The current Trust Agreement itself (agreement in good faith between the parties), and with which the board, the bondholders and

the PREB have to work, establishes as public policy a specific order for the fulfillment of their fiduciary responsibilities,” Rivera Madera said. “This agreement that governs PREPA bonds establishes a range in the cascade of payments based on an order, where bondholders occupy the third place and the priority has to be, in the first instance, on the operation of electric power through the payment of salaries of employees and compliance with the [rules governing the] pensions of retirees.”

He warned that if the oversight board decides to disregard the existing agreements, thus challenging their validity, “it would throw even its previous decisions and agreements overboard.”

“No one will then be able to rely on any agreement or contract with our government and [public] corporations because they can be unilaterally repealed,” Rivera Madera said.

“With this erroneous assessment, the [oversight board] gives the impression of jeopardizing the pensions of PREPA retirees,” he said. “The level of anxiety caused by this situation -- to them and their families -- is inhumane and borders on abuse, which says a lot about the abusive way in which the Board interprets the laws, regulations and agreements existing prior to this imposed process, where the economic interests of vultures are defended above the welfare of retirees and workers.”

Rep. José Rivera Madera

Sen. Marially González Huertas

Health needs in Puerto Rico will be theme of forum in NYC

By THE STAR STAFF

Dr. Lester Martínez López, the assistant secretary for health affairs at the United States Department of Defense, will lead a group of speakers at the upcoming Empowerment of Our Communities Conversation, whose theme will be: “Health: Needs and Opportunities for Puerto Rico,” joined by Puerto Rico Senate President José Luis Dalmau Santiago and his counterpart in the island House of Representatives, Speaker Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez, along with Health Secretary Dr. Carlos Mellado López.

“This is an activity of the first order, which is to be held on Friday, June 9, 2023, as part of Puerto Rican Week in New York, where key personalities in the world of medicine on the island participate,” said Wilson Nazario, coordinator of the Conversation in New York. “The panelists will have the opportunity to present their knowledge and talk about the needs and opportunities that Puerto Rico has in the field of health.”

Maj. Gen. Martínez López and the other aforementioned speakers will also be joined by Puerto Rico Mayor Association President Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, Puerto Rico Physicians

& Surgeons Association President Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, Puerto Rico Hospitals Association Executive President Jaime Plá Córtes, Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce President Cameron McKenzie, Traffic Safety Commission Executive Director Luis Rodríguez Díaz; Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Director Dr. Carlos Rodríguez Mateo, and Dr. Francisco “Paco” Tomei, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others.

The organizers of the Conversation noted the event is part of the projects executed by CROEM ALUMNI and will be based at La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña Inc., located at 215 East 99 Street, Suite 18 in New York. The Organizing Committee confirmed that they have invited a group of political leaders from New York to represent the city’s Puerto Rican diaspora residents.

The event will be broadcast live by 18 radio stations in Puerto Rico and the United States, along with several social media platforms, including Facebook.

Although attendance at the activity is free of cost, people who wish to attend must request their entrance ticket by sending an email to croemalumni@gmail.com or by sending a message through the WhatsApp application 787-409-8376.

Prospective homebuyers still face strong headwinds in inflated market

By THE STAR STAFF

Despite a reduction in the average price of homes from December 2022 to February of this year, homebuyers continue to encounter problems finding affordable homes due to the high cost of financing and inflation, the Affordable Housing Index prepared by research firm Estudios Técnicos Inc. (ETI) shows.

Leslie Adames, director of economic analysis and policy at ETI, said the value of the affordable housing index stood at 69% in February, after reflecting a 63% value in January and having fallen to its lowest level, or 59%, in December.

“In other words, a person who wants to apply for a mortgage loan today would only have 69% of the income required to qualify for said loan,” Adames said.

The Affordable Housing Index measures whether or not a typical family that contributes a 20% down payment toward purchasing a home qualifies, based on median income, for a mortgage loan. A value equal to 100% means that the family has the necessary revenue to qualify for a mortgage based on the average price prevailing in the market. A value greater than 100% implies that a homebuyer has more than enough income to be eligible for a home loan. In contrast, values lower than the threshold reflect the opposite.

“Although official figures for the sale price of housing units published by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions reflected in the aggregate (price of

new and used units) a decrease in the average price of $201,162 in December 2022 to $172,983 in January 2023, the truth is that the high cost of financing and the pressure on consumer purchasing power continue to limit the possibilities of qualifying for mortgage loans,” Adames said.

The Federal Reserve has increased the Fed Fund rate nine times to curb inflation, making home financing expensive. The 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate increased from 4.17% in March 2022, when the Fed started the rate hike cycle, to 6.54% in March of this year. Although the market anticipates an additional increase of 25 base points in May, the truth is that there is an environment of great uncertainty regarding the course of action that the Fed will follow in the coming months.

ETI said there is evidence that inflation has gradually declined. However, the rise in the cost of services and wage pressure keep inflation in the United States still above the 2% threshold set by the Fed.

“What is clear is that we are heading toward a normalization of mortgage interest rates after historically low levels for a long period,” Adames said.

The average mortgage rate had stood at 6.05% in the 2003-2008 period. Still, it decreased to 4.0% between 2009 and February 2022 as part of the efforts led by the Fed to address the financial crisis and to add liquidity during the COVID-19 global pandemic. During the past 13 months, it has averaged 5.83%.

Meanwhile, Adames noted that an increase in con-

struction costs would be another factor that will continue to put pressure on home prices and affordability, as well as the inflationary pressure that persists in the local economy.

“Although inflation has dropped from 7.2% in July 2022 to 5.8% in February 2023, it still exceeds the historical average of 1.8% from 1985-2019,” he said. “In other words, to measure the problem consumers face today, the value of $1 in December 2006 is equivalent to $0.75 today, reflecting a material erosion in the consumer’s budget and their possibilities of acquiring high-quality goods.”

Dr. Lester Martínez López, assistant secretary for health affairs, U.S. Department of Defense

EPA fines companies for Clean Water Act violations at Luquillo hotel construction site

By THE STAR STAFF

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday that it has taken an enforcement action against Northshore Management Corp. and Luquillo Hotel Company LLC for failure to comply with permit notification requirements under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The companies will pay a total fine of $30,000 for the violations, which were related to the construction of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Hotel & Casino project in Luquillo.

The penalty settlement is the latest in a series of enforcement actions taken to address violations at construction sites throughout the island. EPA considers it a priority to enforce compliance with the Clean Water Act due to increased construction activity across Puerto Rico, especially in coastal areas.

Northshore Management Corp. and Luquillo Hotel Company LLC will pay a total fine of $30,000 for violations of permit notification requirements under the Clean Water Act related to the construction of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Hotel & Casino project in Luquillo.

“Companies must comply with the Clean Water Act. Compliance prevents waterways from being contaminated by stormwater runoff and pollutants from construction activities” EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. García said in a statement. “It is critical that operators of construction activities requiring permit coverage apply for and adhere to permit requirements to ensure environmental impacts to our natural resources are effectively minimized.”

Under the CWA and implementing regulations, operators of construction activities that propose to discharge into water bodies are required to obtain permits and to follow the requirements outlined in those permits to reduce pollution runoff. Failure to obtain a permit or to follow the requirements of a permit may violate federal law.

The companies failed to submit a “Notice of Intent” for coverage of construction activities at the project under EPA’s permit requirements and failed to implement and maintain effective stormwater and erosion controls at the project, as required by regulations. The Luquillo Hotel Company failed to apply in a timely way for stormwater permit coverage for its construction activities at the project and, accordingly, discharged pollutants without authorization into wetlands. As part of the EPA working with the businesses to address the violations, the two companies have taken steps to implement erosion and sediment controls as well as soil stabilization in areas of the project. As a result, Northshore Management Corp. and Luquillo Hotel Company reached substantial compliance with the environmental requirements.

Resident commissioner submits 15 community projects to House Appropriations

By THE STAR STAFF

For the upcoming fiscal year 2024, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón has submitted 15 community projects to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee for consideration for possible federal funding.

In the budget allocation for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, González Colón secured over $21.8 million for a total of 15 community projects that impacted municipalities, vulnerable communities and universities, among other local entities.

“I am very proud that we have received a record number of applications this year,

with very varied projects that impact different sectors and areas in Puerto Rico,” the resident commissioner said in a written statement. “These [applications] cover issues that need to be addressed a little more urgently; we are advocating for security funding for municipalities around the island, increased affordable housing and services for our growing aging population. At the same time, we seek resources for the restoration of our coasts and greater availability of services for children with disabilities. Now we will focus on promoting these projects and obtaining the funds that, as we have seen in previous years, are of great help for economic development and the range of available services on the island.”

First Somatic Center for Veterans in Puerto Rico & USVI to open in San Juan

By THE STAR STAFF

VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) will open the first Somatic Center for Veterans diagnosed with a mental health disorder in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands early next month.

The center will offer electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and esketamine for veterans with a major depressive disorder who do not respond to other more conventional treatments.

The VAHCS and some providers currently offer electroconvulsive therapy in Puerto Rico. However, veterans must travel to the mainland United States to receive rTMS or esketamine.

The U.S. Virgin Islands have none of these services.

“Veterans who continue to experience severe major de-

pressive disorder, despite multiple medication trials, are at risk for suicide and disability due to their inadequately controlled depression,” said Dr. Marlene M. Pierantoni, the acting chief of psychiatry and acute care at VAHCS.

Doctor Melanie Pérez, the associate chief of staff of mental health and behavioral health sciences service at VACHS, expressed her pride in the historic achievement.

“It is our mission to ensure that our veterans have access to leading-edge treatments that have been peer-reviewed,” she said.

The center’s grand opening ceremony is on Thursday, May 4 at 11 a.m. at VAHCS Medical Center in the South Tower, second floor, office J-200 in San Juan. For more information, contact Coralys M. Ruiz Jiménez, director of the VACHS Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs, at 939-331-1597

or coralys.ruiz-jimenez@va.gov.

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón

The Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System and some providers currently offer electroconvulsive therapy in Puerto Rico, but military veterans must travel to the mainland United States to receive rTMS or esketamine.

Why Joe Biden has slow-walked his way to a 2024 run

By SHANE GOLDMACHER and REID J. EPSTEIN

Closed-door planning meetings involving White House officials, the Democratic National Committee and outside advisers are intensifying as President Joe Biden nears a final decision about how and when to kick off his 2024 campaign.

Biden’s seemingly off-the-cuff remark at an airport in Ireland on Friday that he would announce his campaign “relatively soon” was the kind of tantalizingly vague comment that could be — and was — read by his aides and others as either a reaffirmation that he was in no particular hurry to announce or a sign of gathering momentum.

Behind the scenes, advisers and allies are weighing how soon the president should set in motion a reelection operation — an announcement that will surprise no one but will signal the start of a challenging new phase of his presidency.

Before Biden’s remarks Friday, conflicting signals abounded about the imminence of an announcement. Preparations have accelerated, according to people involved in and briefed on the planning sessions, even as those involved discuss the pros and cons of delaying a formal announcement into early summer, seeing little advantage in interrupting Republican infighting. At the same time, there has been increasing discussion among the broader Biden team about the notion of a low-key video announcement April 25, the fourth anniversary of his entrance to the 2020 race — the kind of symmetry that Biden is said to appreciate.

What is clear is that any external pressure that Biden and his team once felt to formally enter the 2024 race has mostly evaporated. No serious primary challenge to the president has emerged, and potential opponents have rallied behind him. The leading Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, faces felony charges related to a hush-money payment to a porn star. And Republicans are generally more focused on thrashing one another and dragging the party to the right than on attacking Biden, who is content to draw a sharp contrast to the GOP chaos from the Oval Office.

“There is no immediate urgency,” said Kate Bedingfield, who recently departed the White House as communications director. “The president has the luxury of being able to decide when he wants to announce.”

The waiting game began last year, with the suggestion that Biden would enter the race after the winter holidays. Then came hints that a campaign would begin after the State of the Union address and the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. Then the likely timing was April, to take advantage of the beginning of a fundraising quarter. (Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson, said, “There has never been a time frame for any announcement.”)

Inside the West Wing, Biden has kept most direct discussions about 2024 limited to a pin-size inner circle, where two senior aides, Anita Dunn and Jennifer O’Malley

Dillon, are taking the lead. He has yet to designate a campaign chief, and only last week Democrats announced that Chicago would host the party’s 2024 convention.

At 80, Biden is already the oldest president in American history, and he is likely to face questions about his plans no matter how many times he teases his reelection intentions without formalizing them. “I’m planning on running, Al,” he told Al Roker of NBC News at the White House Easter Egg Roll last week. “But we’re not prepared to announce it yet.”

Biden’s timeline is well behind where President Barack Obama’s was at this point in 2011. Obama released a video that year in the first week of April announcing his bid, but top aides including David Axelrod and Jim Messina had begun forming the campaign months earlier. And Obama had chosen Charlotte, North Carolina, to host the convention in early February 2011.

A top Democratic donor allied with Biden was quietly asked early this year to begin planning for a New York fundraising trip in late April or early May to coincide with a potential kickoff to a 2024 reelection campaign. Then the donor received new guidance recently that such an event was on hold — and no new timeline was provided.

“The longer he waits, the less scrutiny he is under,” said Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist. “You have to measure that against creating momentum in these states that will matter. You’ve got to build infrastructure.”

Money is at the center of the timing conversation. Delaying will postpone building a war chest for the general election.

Those preparing to raise money for the campaign express few doubts that the party’s big donors will pony up to back Biden, and some officials fear an earlier entry might prove to be a wheel-spinning exercise, demanding that the aging president traverse the grueling fundraising circuit sooner than necessary.

And given that a majority of Democrats consistently say in polls that they prefer someone other than Biden as the nominee, a reliable infusion of grassroots dollars is not guaranteed — at least until voters see the stakes of the election. Biden struggled to raise money online in 2019, breaking records only once he emerged as the nominee.

Biden’s advisers argue that he and the Democrats bucked political history — and similar low ratings — to outperform in the 2022 midterm elections, in part by relentlessly painting Republicans as extremists.

That is the basic blueprint for 2024. The Biden campaign-in-waiting is expected to be built around one of the president’s favorite political sayings: Don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.

If Obama had soaring oratory and Trump had concertlike rallies, Biden’s advisers feel his strength is his governing ability and projection of competence. Spending time on the campaign trail, with its unscripted moments, introduces the risk of age-related mishaps.

Biden’s slipping on stairs while boarding Air Force One or falling off a bicycle were minor episodes during his first two years in office that nonetheless circulated heavily in the conservative news media. A similar incident during the heat of a presidential campaign could be far more significant.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who is close with Biden, downplayed the timing of his 2024 entry. “The American people are going to judge him on the job that he’s done for four years as president,” she said, “not on the one day that he announces.”

President Biden made a seemingly off-the-cuff remark in Ireland on Friday that he would announce his campaign “relatively soon.”

Alabama birthday party shooting leaves 4 dead and 28 injured

By AMANDA HOLPUCH and CLAIRE FAHY

Four people were killed and 28 others were injured in a shooting at a birthday party Saturday night in an Alabama city, officials said.

Sgt. Jeremy Burkett, a spokesperson for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said that the shooting in Dadeville took place around 10:34 p.m. At news conferences Sunday, the authorities did not provide information about who opened fire or why.

The shooting occurred at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, The Montgomery Advertiser reported. Dadeville is about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, and about 3,000 people live there.

The studio hosted Zumba and line dancing classes for children and teenagers and had been rehearsing for a dance showcase celebrating its second anniversary April 29, according to its Facebook page. A representative of the studio could not be immediately reached Sunday.

At least 15 teenagers were treated for gunshot wounds, said Heidi Smith, a spokesperson for Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville.

She said that nine of the teenagers were transferred to a different hospital to receive a higher level of care and that five of those nine were in critical condition. There were 17 ambulances on the scene after the shooting, Smith said.

Residents on Sunday morning grappled with the shooting, which took place at a 16th birthday party, said Ben Hayes, the senior pastor at Dadeville First Baptist Church, who is also the chaplain

of the city’s Police Department.

Philstavious Dowdell, a Dadeville High School football player who was known as Phil and who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was one of those killed, the pastor said.

Dowdell was 18, and it was his younger sister’s birthday party, according to Michael Taylor, a coach at Dadeville High School.

He said Dowdell’s sister was a cheerleader who cheered for every sport at the high school and that many of the athletes she had supported came out to celebrate.

“They’re all like family, like brothers and sisters in a small town,” Taylor said. “This whole town is just in disbelief, like it’s a dream.”

The head coach of Jacksonville State University’s football team, Rich Rodriguez, said in a statement that

Dowdell was a “great young man with a bright future.”

KeKe Nicole Smith, 18, a volleyball player and team manager for the Dadeville High School track team, was also killed, Taylor said. Smith’s cousin, Amy Jackson, confirmed her death in a Facebook message. Taylor, who coached the track team Smith managed, described her as “full of life.”

“She was so fun and funny,” he said. “A typical 18-year-old.”

The superintendent of the Tallapoosa County Board of Education, Raymond Porter, said at the news conference that schools would provide counseling to students Monday. “We will make every effort to comfort those children,” Porter said.

Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama said on Twitter on Sunday that her office was receiving updates about the shooting.

“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” the governor said. “Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.”

President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting, and he and his staff have been in contact with local law enforcement and officials to offer support, White House officials said.

“What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear?” the president said in a statement. “This is outrageous and unacceptable.”

Guns are the leading killer of children in the United States, making it an extreme outlier compared with similarly large and wealthy nations. In 2020, gun violence surpassed car accidents and disease to become the leading killer of children.

The gun death rate for children in the United States is nearly 5 in every 100,000. The rate had been flat for more than a decade starting in 2000 and started to creep up in 2014. Researchers who study gun violence say that it is difficult to explain why the rate has risen so quickly, but most emphasize that the proliferation of guns has most likely played a role.

Taylor said that at Dadeville High School, where many of the victims were students, classes would be in session on Monday. He was already trying to figure out what to say to the students who would show up.

“Bottom line, we’ve got to pray our way out of this and give it time,” Taylor said. “That’s the only way out.”

The entrance door of the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio on Sunday.

Winter showers (and showers and showers) bring a bounty of wildflowers

For scientists like Schneider, who has been periodically visiting the Carrizo Plain for research, this year’s flower bonanza is a prime opportunity to study ecosystems similar to those that may be lost to development or agriculture elsewhere. This year, she said, the sustained precipitation and colder temperatures were likely to give her and other researchers more time to study wildflowers than in past wet years.

Different flower species thrive in subtly different conditions. And botanists have predicted that this year’s wildflower season could extend through the spring and into the summer, particularly at higher elevations.

“I kind of think of it in waves of color,” Schneider said. Yellow is typically first, she noted. Then purple.

there was no park.

Visitors stopped on the side of the roadway and filled adjacent roads, grinding traffic to a standstill. A California Highway Patrol officer was struck and killed while he was working to manage traffic related to the bloom.

Officials in Riverside County likened the situation to a natural disaster.

This February, after an initial series of storms soaked the state and speculation about another super bloom percolated, Lake Elsinore leaders tried to get ahead of similar chaos by announcing that Walker Canyon, the area that had been overrun in 2019, would be closed off.

By JILL COWAN

Torrential downpours this winter sent California residents fleeing from floods and mudslides. Blizzards dumped snow in the mountains, trapping locals in their homes for weeks. Hulking trees crashed into homes and severed power lines.

After such a disastrous start to the year, it may be a while before nature can fully recompense Californians for their struggles.

But the succession of atmospheric rivers did deliver relief from a prolonged drought. And it left behind other rewards that are only now emerging: The state is awash in color, from the Eastern Sierra to Malibu, from the deserts near San Diego to the meadows north of Sacramento.

“This is how we feed our souls,” said Heather Schneider, a rare-plant biologist with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

California is experiencing a “super bloom,” an explosion of floral color across hillsides and valleys that occurs only after a particularly wet season. The last time the state experienced the phenomenon on a widespread basis was four years ago — and with California’s boombust cycles of precipitation, it is anyone’s guess when the next one will come.

In dry years, many annual wildflower seeds lie dormant in the fragile layers of soil where their parents dropped them, waiting for rain so they can germinate. If enough water arrives, those flowers burst through, in an almost alchemical combination of moisture, temperature, timing and location.

California poppies in recent weeks have turned rolling hillsides into flame-orange canvasses in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles. Carpets of yellow goldfields and purple phacelia have unfurled at the Carrizo Plain National Monument, the largest intact grassland in the state’s Central Valley, about 70 miles west of Bakersfield. The flowers are so densely packed across wide swaths of land that recent satellite images look like they’ve been touched by a painter’s brush.

As with many attractions in the state of nearly 40 million residents, too much attention can create problems. Super blooms — a term that emerged around 2016 and does not have a scientific definition — became more fraught with the rise of social media.

In 2019, a handful of locations turned into destinations for flower seekers trying to capture photos of themselves that could go viral. The best-known example that year was a lush poppy bloom in Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles, that attracted hundreds of thousands of people.

The most popular slopes were on the side of an interstate freeway, and there was no parking lot because

Natasha Johnson, Lake Elsinore’s mayor, noted bare patches of ground among the orange blooms as she walked up the Walker Canyon trail about a week after county and city officials announced they would shut access this year. Johnson said the gaps in the bloom were the result of heavy pedestrian traffic four years ago.

“By allowing the massive crowds that happened in 2019, the bloom is seeing impacts,” she said. “What you’re seeing isn’t as spectacular.”

Jonathan Reinig, a natural resources manager for Riverside County, said last week that park rangers positioned near the entrance to Walker Canyon had continued to turn away as many as 50 would-be poppy visitors per day.

“The local public opinion is overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “They’re not having, quote-unquote, ‘their’ poppies trampled by these outsiders.”

But the closure does mean that fewer people were able to enjoy the Lake Elsinore super bloom. Evan Meyer, director of the Theodore Payne Foundation, a Los Angelesbased nonprofit that focuses on native plants, said officials should find ways to get more people outdoors rather than keep them away.

“What we need is foresight and planning to develop a very well-thought-out strategy to make sure people get to experience this amazing gift from nature,” he said. “If we don’t, we’ll see more situations like Lake Elsinore, which is really sad.”

In recent weeks, there have been lines to enter some of the most popular parks for wildflower viewing, such as the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. The California State Parks system, which includes the reserve, ramps up staffing each spring to accommodate crowds, officials said. Park staff members and volunteers have also worked to educate visitors about keeping the sensitive plants safe.

The super bloom conditions are also helping flowers flourish in home gardens. After years of drought, an increasing number of California residents have ripped out their lawns and sprinklers and replaced them with native plants.

Over about 15 years, Chris Elwell, 56, and his husband have filled the yard of their century-old craftsman in Los Angeles with native shrubs, grasses and bulbs, including calochortus, which, Elwell noted with delight, is now flowering — purple and white and yellow.

“What else is neat is that things are blooming longer,” he said, “so I’m getting to see them together.”

The relentless succession of storms in California created conditions for a wondrous display now emerging in the state.

Wildflowers in a neighborhood in Glendale, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2023.

Biden plans an electric vehicle revolution. Now, the hard part.

By CORAL DAVENPORT and NEAL E. BOUDETTE

Aggressive rules proposed by the Biden administration to drastically speed up the country’s transition to electric vehicles, and significantly cut the auto pollution that is dangerously heating the planet, face several economic, logistical and legal challenges.

The plans, outlined last week by the Environmental Protection Agency, are designed to ensure that two-thirds of new passenger cars and one-quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are all-electric by 2032. If enacted as proposed, the regulations would mean a quantum leap for the auto industry in the United States, where just 5.8% of new cars and less than 2% of trucks sold last year were all-electric.

Transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse gases generated by the United States, the secondbiggest polluting country after China. To head off climate catastrophe, President Joe Biden has promised to cut the nation’s emissions in half by 2030. Shrinking tailpipe emissions is key to that plan.

But to transform the American automobile industry on the scale it envisions, the Biden administration has to surmount resistance from manufacturers and consumers as well as likely legal challenges from those who consider the regulations government overreach.

One of the most important aspects of a wholesale transition to electric vehicles has to do with timing.

Although nearly every automaker has already invested billions in electrification, the proposed regulations create a dilemma: how to continue to manufacture gasoline-powered vehicles, which provide profits, while investing even more in new electric facilities. The aggressive timeline envisioned by the government means that carmakers could also struggle to source the materials required for vehicle batteries, already difficult to obtain.

Market demand is another challenge. Even with federal tax incentives of up to $7,500 for consumers, electric vehicles cost more upfront than conventional cars and trucks. At the end of 2022, the price of an average new car was $49,507 compared with $61,448 for an electric vehicle, according to the Kelley Blue Book. But even for motivated consumers who can afford electric vehicles, a major stumbling block is what’s known as range anxiety, the fear of being stranded because an electric vehicle cannot reach its destination on a single charge and not enough fast-charging stations exist.

“This was always a transformation that was going to happen over decades,” said Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at S&P Global. “Putting this aggressive a timeline on it means that there are a lot of things that have to happen consecutively and concurrently.”

Looming over all of this is an all-but-certain legal and political threat: The new rules could be erased by the courts or a future president.

In many ways, the industry is already moving into an all-electric future. General Motors has set a goal of phasing out the sale of all internal combustion vehicles by 2035. Ford Motor has said it hopes EVs make up half of its sales by 2030. Volkswagen and Stellantis, the company formed through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, have similar targets. Hyundai and Nissan are also ramping up EV production.

The risks of accelerating the transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles are “high, if not very high,” for the industry, said Matthias Heck, a vice president at Moody’s Investors Service, “because electrification will require further substantial investments into new battery electric vehicles, battery technology, supply chain and manufacturing capacity, and charging infrastructure.”

Ford and other automakers also have not yet secured sufficient sources of lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and other materials needed for automotive batteries, and it is unclear where they will get them.

And while the pace of electric vehicle purchases is ticking up, many car buyers are uncertain about the new technology.

“We’re making sales to early adopters and easy adopters, but we need to get beyond them,” said John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents large U.S. and foreign automakers. “We have a long way to go.”

The most basic hurdle is price.

The federal government will offer buyers up to $7,500 in tax credits for the purchase of an electric vehicle for the next decade, depending on how much of the vehicle was made in the United States. But of the 91 unique electric vehicle models now on the market in the country, fewer than 40 qualify for the tax credits, Bozzella said.

Drivers are also worried about charging electric vehicles. There are currently 130,000 public electric vehicle

charging stations in the United States, according to the White House. Under the 2021 infrastructure law, the government will spend $7.5 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations along federal highways. But a January report from S&P Global concluded that the nation would need more than 2 million public charging stations by 2030, in addition to private home and garage chargers.

Even if companies can churn out affordable electric vehicles at a fast pace, and consumers get over range anxiety, the proposed regulations are certain to be hit with legal challenges or be subject to shifting politics.

Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and gas industry, called the regulations “a major step toward a ban on the vehicles Americans rely on.”

“As proposed, this rule will hurt consumers with higher costs and greater reliance on unstable foreign supply chains,” Sommers said.

President Donald Trump relished rolling back the auto pollution regulations enacted by his predecessor, Barack Obama. A future president could do the same to the Biden regulations.

A group of Republican attorneys general, many of them from oil-producing states, has already challenged several of the Biden administration’s climate polices, none of which are as ambitious as the proposed auto pollution regulations.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia suggested Wednesday that the group would fight the newest proposals.

Steven G. Bradbury, who served as the chief legal counsel for the Transportation Department during the Trump administration, said the regulations would amount to government overreach.

“They are using this established, long-standing statute for an entirely new purpose, to force an entirely new goal: the transformation of the industry to electric vehicles,” said Bradbury, a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. “This is clearly driven by the president’s directive to achieve these results. I don’t think you can do this. Congress never contemplated the uses of statutes in this way.”

Jody Freeman, a professor of environmental law at Harvard University, who also served as a climate adviser to Obama, argued that the Clean Air Act has been used successfully for years to compel polluting industries to invest in new technologies to reduce emissions.

“All of that is part of the normal course of how EPA has set standards,” she said.

But she conceded that it may not be seen that way by the current Supreme Court, consisting of six judges appointed by Republican presidents, including three named to the court by Trump.

“It is a court that is very unsympathetic to regulation of any kind, and particularly hostile to the EPA,” Freeman said.

Workers on the production line at the Lordstown electric truck plant in Lordstown, Ohio, on June 21, 2021. The Biden administration is proposing rules to ensure that two-thirds of new cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the U.S. by 2032 are all-electric.

Fox News is on trial, and so are falsehoods about 2020

By JEREMY W. PETERS

Ajudge in Delaware Superior Court is expected to swear in the jury this week in a defamation trial that has little precedent in American law. Fox News, one of the most powerful and profitable media companies, will defend itself against extensive evidence suggesting it told its audience a story of conspiracy and fraud in the 2020 election it knew wasn’t true.

The jury will be asked to weigh lofty questions about the limits of the First Amendment and to consider imposing a huge financial penalty against Fox. Some of the most influential names in conservative media — Rupert Murdoch, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson — are expected to be called to testify. But there is another fundamental question the case raises: Will there be a price to pay for profiting from the spread of misinformation?

Few people have been held legally accountable for their roles in trying to delegitimize President Joe Biden’s victory. Sidney Powell, a lawyer who was one of the biggest purveyors of conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting Systems, the company suing Fox for $1.6 billion, avoided disbarment in Texas after a judge dismissed a complaint against her in February.

Jenna Ellis, an attorney who worked with Powell and the Trump campaign, received a reprimand last month instead of losing her license with the Colorado bar. Donald Trump, whose false insistence that he was cheated of victory incited a violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021, is running for president a third time and remains the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination.

Judge Eric Davis, who is overseeing the case, said in a statement Sunday that the trial would be delayed by a day, until Tuesday. He did not cite a reason but said he would make an announcement at 9 a.m. Monday.

Political misinformation has become so pervasive in part because, there is little the government can do to stop it.

“Lying to American voters is not actually actionable,” said Andrew Weissmann, the former general counsel of the FBI who was a senior member of the special counsel team under Robert Mueller that looked into Trump’s 2016 campaign.

It’s a quirk of American law that most lies — even ones that destabilize the nation, told by people with enormous power and reach — can’t be prosecuted. Charges can be brought only in limited circumstances, such as if a business executive lies to shareholders or an individual lies to the FBI. Politicians can be charged if they lie about a campaign contribution, which is the essence of the criminal case against Trump by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

In the Fox News case, the trial is going forward because the law allows companies like Dominion, and people,

to seek damages if they can prove their reputations were harmed by lies.

The legal bar that a company like Dominion must meet to prove defamation is known as actual malice. And it is extremely difficult to prove because of the Supreme Court’s 1964 decision in New York Times Company v. Sullivan, which held that public officials can claim defamation only if they can prove that the defendants either knew that they were making a false statement or were reckless in deciding to publish the defamatory statement.

“There are all sorts of times you can lie with impunity, but here there’s an actual victim,” Weissmann added. “It’s only because of the serendipity that they actually attacked a company.”

This case has proved to be extraordinary on many levels, not only for its potential to deliver the kind of judgment that has so far eluded prosecutors like Weissmann, who have spent years pursuing Trump and his supporters who they believe bent the American democratic system to a breaking point.

“Even if this didn’t involve Donald Trump and Fox and the insurrection, this is a unique libel trial, full stop,” said David Logan, a professor of law at Roger Williams School of Law and an expert on defamation. “There’s never been one like this before.”

It is extremely rare for defamation cases to reach a jury. Logan said his research shows a steady decline over the years, with an average of 27 per year in the 1980s but only three in 2017.

Some experts like Logan believe the case’s significance could grow beyond its relevance to the current disinformation-plagued political climate. They see an opportunity for the Supreme Court to eventually take the case as a vehicle to revisit libel law and the “actual malice” standard. The justices have not done that since a 1989 case involving a losing candidate for municipal office in Ohio who suc-

cessfully sued a newspaper after it published a false story about him a week before the election. The court said that a public figure cannot recover damages unless there was “clear and convincing proof” of actual malice.

The actual malice standard has been vital for individual journalists and media outlets who make mistakes — as long as they are honest mistakes. But some scholars like Logan — as well as two conservative Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas — have argued that “actual malice” should be reconsidered as too high a standard. Thomas specifically cited as a reason “the proliferation of falsehoods.”

“The nature of this privilege goes to the heart of our democracy, particularly in this case,” said Logan, whose paper arguing that the courts have made it too difficult for victims of libel to win relief was cited in a dissent by Gorsuch in 2021.

Fox lawyers are already preparing for an appeal — a sign they are under no illusion that beating Dominion’s case will be easy. At several recent hearings in front of Judge Eric M. Davis, Fox has been represented by Erin Murphy, an appellate lawyer with experience arguing cases before the Supreme Court.

The evidence against Fox includes copious amounts of text messages and emails showing that producers, hosts and executives belittled the claims being made on air of hacked voting machines and conspiracy, details that Dominion has said prove the network defamed it.

But Fox lawyers and its public relations department have been making the case that its broadcasts were protected under the First Amendment because they encompassed the kind of coverage and commentary that media outlets have a right to do on official events of intense public interest.

“A free-flowing, robust American discourse depends on First Amendment protections for the press’ news gathering and reporting,” a network spokesperson said in a written statement. The statement added that Fox viewers expected the kind of commentary that aired on the network after the election “just as they expect hyperbole, speculation and opinion from a newspaper’s op-ed section.”

Davis has expressed considerable skepticism toward Fox in the courtroom. He issued a sanction against Fox last week when Dominion disclosed that the company had not revealed details about Murdoch’s involvement in Fox News’ affairs, ruling that Dominion had a right to conduct further depositions at Fox’s expense. In a letter to the judge on Friday, Fox said, “We understand the court’s concerns, apologize, and are committed to clear and full communication with the court moving forward.”

But the judge does not have the final say. Twelve men and women from Delaware will ultimately decide the case. And defamation suits so rarely prevail, it’s also reasonable to consider the possibility that Fox does win — and what a 2024 election looks like with an emboldened pro-Trump media.

A Fox logo in Times Square in Manhattan, on April 10, 2023. On Monday, April 17, a judge in Delaware Superior Court is expected to swear in the jury in a defamation trial that has little precedent in American law.

Google devising radical search changes to beat back AI rivals

the assumption inside Google. The contract is under negotiation, and Samsung could stick with Google.

But the idea that Samsung, which makes hundreds of millions of smartphones with Google’s Android software every year, would even consider switching search engines shocked Google’s employees.

After some workers were told that the company was looking for volunteers this month to help put together material for a pitch to Samsung, they reacted with emoji and surprise. “Wow, OK, that’s wild,” one person responded.

A Google spokesperson said that the company was continuously improving its search engine to give users and partners more reason to choose Google and that Android phone makers were free to embrace technologies from different companies to improve their users’ experience.

Samsung and Microsoft declined to comment.

Google has been doing AI research for years. Its DeepMind lab in London is considered one of the best AI research centers in the world, and the company has been a pioneer with AI projects, such as self-driving cars and the so-called large language models that are used in the development of chatbots. In recent years, Google has used large language models to improve the quality of its search results but held off on fully adopting AI because it has been prone to generating false and biased statements.

Last week, Google invited some employees to test Magi’s features, and it has encouraged them to ask the search engine follow-up questions to judge its ability to hold a conversation. Google is expected to release the tools to the public next month and add more features in the fall, according to the planning document.

By NICO GRANT

Google’s employees were shocked when they learned in March that South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung was considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its devices.

For years, Bing had been a search engine also-ran. But it became a lot more interesting to industry insiders when it recently added new artificial intelligence technology.

Google’s reaction to the Samsung threat was “panic,” according to internal messages reviewed by The New York Times. An estimated $3 billion in annual revenue was at stake with the Samsung contract. An additional $20 billion is tied to a similar Apple contract that will be up for renewal this year.

AI competitors such as the new Bing are quickly becoming the most serious threat to Google’s search business in 25 years, and in response, Google is racing to build an all-new search engine powered by the technology. It is also upgrading the existing one with AI features, according to internal documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The new features, under the project name Magi, are being created by designers, engineers and executives working in so-called sprint rooms to tweak and test the latest versions. The new search engine would offer users a far more personalized experience than the company’s current service, attempting to anticipate users’ needs.

Lara Levin, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement

that “not every brainstorm deck or product idea leads to a launch, but as we’ve said before, we’re excited about bringing new AI-powered features to search, and will share more details soon.”

Billions of people use Google’s search engine every day for everything from finding restaurants and directions to understanding a medical diagnosis, and that simple white page with the company logo and an empty bar in the middle is one of the most widely used webpages in the world. Changes to it would have a significant impact on the lives of ordinary people, and until recently, it was hard to imagine anything challenging it.

Google has been worried about AI-powered competitors since OpenAI, a San Francisco startup that is working with Microsoft, demonstrated a chatbot called ChatGPT in November. About two weeks later, Google created a task force in its search division to start building AI products, said two people with knowledge of the efforts, who were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Modernizing its search engine has become an obsession at Google, and the planned changes could put new AI technology in phones and homes all over the world.

The Samsung threat represented the first potential crack in Google’s seemingly impregnable search business, which was worth $162 billion last year. Although it was not clear whether Microsoft’s work with AI was the main reason Samsung was considering a change after the past 12 years, that was

The company plans to initially release the features to a maximum of 1 million people. That number should progressively increase to 30 million by the end of the year. The features will be available exclusively in the United States.

Google has also explored efforts to let people use Google Earth’s mapping technology with help from AI and search for music through a conversation with a chatbot, a Google director wrote in a document.

Other product ideas are in various stages of development. A tool called GIFI would use AI to generate images in Google Image results. Another tool, Tivoli Tutor, would teach users a new language through open-ended AI text conversations.

Yet another product, Searchalong, would let users ask a chatbot questions while surfing the web through Google’s Chrome browser. People might ask the chatbot for activities near an Airbnb rental, for example, and the AI would scan the page and the rest of the internet for a response.

Jim Lecinski, a former Google vice president of sales and service, said the company had been goaded into action and now had to convince users that it was as “powerful, competent and contemporary” as its competitors.

“If we are the leading search engine and this is a new attribute, a new feature, a new characteristic of search engines, we want to make sure that we’re in this race as well,” Lecinski, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University, said in an interview.

A sign on the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2020. The tech giant is sprinting to protect its core business with a flurry of projects, including updates to its search engine and plans for an all-new one.

Wall St slips as Fed seen hiking rates in May; State Street sinks

U.S. stocks slipped on Monday after strong data on manufacturing activity in New York state supported the case for another interest rate increase in May, while investors awaited more quarterly reports to gauge the health of corporate America.

State Street Corp’s shares sank 11.9% after the custodian bank’s first-quarter profit missed estimates, hurt by a fall in fee income due to the recent U.S. banking crisis.

Peers Northern Trust Corp and Bank of New York Mellon Corp shed 4.8% and 6.9%, respectively.

“There were some earnings that weren’t great and State Street was one of those,” said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading. “The focus shifts from inflationary worries to what corporate earnings are looking like and how far of a negative do we have here.”

Investors will be on the lookout for reports from major U.S. banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Bank of America Corp and Morgan Stanley through the week, after banking heavyweights including JP Morgan Chase & Co reaped windfalls from higher interest payments last week.

Other big-ticket earnings such as Netflix Inc, Tesla Inc and Johnson & Johnson are also expected this week.

Analysts expect profits at S&P 500 companies to have declined 4.8% in the first quarter of 2023 from the year-earlier period, according to Refinitiv data, a slight improvement from last week’s forecast of a 5.2% decline.

Equity markets were also pressured by a rise in Treasury yields after the New York Fed said its barometer of manufacturing activity in the state increased for the first time in five months in April. [US/]

The U.S. central bank is widely seen raising rates by 25 basis points to the 5.00%-5.25% range next month, but recent economic data signaling a slowing U.S. economy have intensified debate over whether it will be the last in this cycle.

Traders’ bets of a 25-bps hike in May have risen to 85% from 78% last week, according to CME Group’s Fedwatch tool.

A slew of Fed officials are slated to speak this week, and investors will scrutinize the comments for new indications on whether further rate hikes are likely after May.

At 11:38 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 40.72 points, or 0.12%, at 33,845.75, the S&P 500 was down 12.06 points, or 0.29%, at 4,125.58, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 48.24 points, or 0.40%, at 12,075.23.

Alphabet Inc dropped 3.7% after a report that Samsung was considering replacing Google with Microsoft Corp’s Bing as the default search engine on its devices. Microsoft’s shares rose 0.3%.

Prometheus Biosciences Inc rallied 69.2% on Merck & Co’s plans to buy the biotech company for about $10.8 billion.

Charles Schwab Corp gained 3% after the financial broker’s profit beat estimates, helped by rising interest rates. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 1.04-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 1.21-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P index recorded 14 new 52-week highs and one

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

PUERTO RICO STOCKS

new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 54 new highs and 122 new lows.

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.

COMMODITIES

CURRENCY

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.

A missile strike on Sloviansk is one of the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians this year

By MATTHEW MPOKE BIGG

The death toll from a Russian missile attack on a residential area in Sloviansk, in eastern Ukraine, rose to 15, including a 2-year-old boy, authorities said Monday, making it one of the most deadly assaults on civilians in the country this year.

Rescuers on Monday completed the task of picking through the wreckage of a five-story apartment building in Sloviansk, a city in the Donetsk region, according to the head of the regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, writing on the messaging app Telegram. Kyrylenko said 14 injured survivors had been pulled from the rubble.

Russian forces fired eight missiles early Friday at Sloviansk, which is about 36 miles west of the front line in eastern Ukraine, causing damage to residential buildings, shops and a school. The apartment building was the worst hit.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine about 14 months ago, the country’s forces have carried out a se -

ries of attacks that have caused dozens of civilian casualties in each strike. In Janu-

ary, at least 40 people died in the city of Dnieper when a Russian missile hit an apartment building, and in March 2022, survivors of an attack on a theater in the southern city of Mariupol said 60 to 200 people had been killed.

Sloviansk is about 25 miles northwest of Bakhmut, a city that, since last summer, Ukrainian forces have been fighting to retain in one of the longest and most brutal battles of the war. Russia has made gains in recent weeks as Ukrainian forces defend parts of the ravaged city.

The attack in Sloviansk may reflect a shift in tactics by Russian forces, Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said. From October to March, Russian forces waged a campaign to severely damage Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the hope of bringing the country to its knees during the winter. That campaign ultimately failed, with power cuts having largely ended in the country, and the main energy company has even restarted exports of electricity.

“Everyone had been used to hearing about massive attacks all over Ukraine

since autumn and winter, when the enemy actually used the entire strategic arsenal of cruise missiles and fired them at our critical infrastructure objects,” Ihnat said on national television.

“Now, things have changed,” he added. “With the start of spring, the enemy began to primarily attack the southern, eastern and northern regions.”

Russian forces shelled some five towns and villages in the Donetsk region in the past 24 hours, Kyrylenko said. On Monday, regional officials in the Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, which are in the south of the country, also reported shelling over the same period.

For months, there has been repeated shelling by Russian forces in Ukraine’s northern regions that border Russia. Strikes hit at least four communities in the Kharkiv region, in the northeast, on Sunday, according to the head of the military administration there, Oleh Syniehubov.

“At least 11 houses were damaged in the shelling of Vovchansk, in the Chuhuiv district. Fires broke out,” he said on Telegram.

Families of Guatemalans killed in migrant center fire bury their dead

By DANIELE VOLPE and ELDA CANTÚ

Last week, the remains of 17 Guatemalan men killed in a fire at a migration center near the U.S. border were flown back home, where three days of national mourning have been declared. They were among 40 people who died in March at the migration center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, near

the border with Texas.

It is not the first time the Guatemalan president has had occasion to declare such a period of mourning. He has done so at least twice before: in December 2021, when at least 40 Guatemalans died in a vehicular crash in Chiapas, Mexico, and in March of that same year, when more than a dozen migrants were shot and burned in Tamaulipas,

Mexico.

So far this year, Guatemalan authorities have helped repatriate 58 dead nationals. In 2022, they brought back 427 people, 361 of whom had died in the United States. Many had been migrants trying to cross the U.S. border.

Mexico has detained five people in connection with the fire in March. The prosecutor’s office is also expected to press criminal charges against the leader of the National Institute of Migration.

Francisco Gaspar Rojche Chiquival, 24, and Miguel Rojché Zapalu, 40, were two of the men laid to rest in Chicacao, a predominantly Indigenous community in southwest Guatemala. They were uncle and nephew and had left for the United States on March 19.

Two of Rojché Zapalu’s daughters attended his wake.

Their relatives said they had taken out loans to cover payments to the coyotes — human traffickers — who demanded around $15,000 to $19,000 for each migrant. The men had been detained near the U.S. border and were expected to be deported back to Guatemala.

“He didn’t think he’d be back in a coffin,” said Rosa Elvira Chiquival, 37, Rojché Zapalu’s widow.

She recalled the family going out to hug him the morning he left. She has six children, ages 3 to 15. “He said, ‘I have to go for you, to get ahead.’”

“The president of Mexico has to look for the people responsible,” Aurelia Gutiérrez, 50, a relative of Rojche Chiquival, said while a funeral band played. “They’re not thieves. They look for a way to support the family because everything in Guatemala is expensive.”

Relatives and friends during the wake in honor of Gaspar Josué Cuc Tziquín, one of the Guatemalan migrants who died in a fire at a migration center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in Chicacao, a predominantly Indigenous community in southwest Guatemala, on April 12, 2023.

Attempting to rescue residents trapped in the rubble in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine, on Friday.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO readies for combat on its borders

By STEVEN ERLANGER

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the costliest conflict in Europe since World War II, has propelled NATO into a full-throttled effort to make itself again into the capable, war-fighting alliance it had been during the Cold War.

The shift is transformative for an alliance characterized for decades by hibernation and self-doubt. After the recent embrace of long-neutral Finland by the alliance, it also amounts to another significant unintended consequence for Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, of his war.

NATO is rapidly moving from what the military calls deterrence by retaliation to deterrence by denial. In the past, the theory was that if the Russians invaded, member states would try to hold on until allied forces, mainly American and based at home, could come to their aid and retaliate against the Russians to try to push them back.

But after the Russian atrocities in areas it occupied in Ukraine, from Bucha and Irpin to Mariupol and Kherson, frontier states such as Poland and the Baltic countries no longer want to risk any period of Russian occupation. They note that in the first days of the Ukrainian invasion, Russian troops took land larger than some Baltic nations.

To prevent that, to deter by denial, means a revolution in practical terms: more troops based permanently along the Russian border, more integration of U.S. and allied war plans, more military spending and more detailed requirements for allies to have specific kinds of forces and equipment to fight, if necessary, in pre-assigned places.

Putin has long complained about NATO encirclement and encroachment. But his invasion of Ukraine provoked the alliance to shed remaining inhibitions about increased numbers of Western troops all along NATO’s border with Russia.

The intention is to make NATO’s forces not only more robust and more capable but also more visible to Russia, a key element of deterrence.

NATO has deployed a battalion of multinational troops to eight countries along the eastern border with Russia. It is detailing how to enlarge those forces to brigade strength in those front-line states to enhance deterrence and be able to push back invading forces from the start. It is also tasking thousands more forces, in case of war, to move quickly in support, with newly detailed plans for mobility and logistics and stiffer requirements for readiness.

“NATO is an organization that took a

holiday from history,” said Ivo H. Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. Putin, he said, “reminded us that we have to think about defense and think about it collectively.”

The alliance will put more troops under the direct control of NATO’s top military officer, the supreme allied commander for Europe, Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, who also commands U.S. forces in Europe.

Under a new rubric of “deter and defend,” Cavoli is for the first time since the Cold War integrating U.S. and allied war-fighting plans, a senior NATO official said, speaking anonymously because of the topic’s sensitivity. Americans are back at the heart of Europe’s defense, he said, deciding with NATO precisely how America will defend Europe.

For first time since the Cold War, the official said, East European countries will know exactly what NATO intends to do to defend them — what each country should be able to do for itself and how other countries will be tasked to help. And Western countries in the alliance will know where their forces need to go, with what and how to get there.

NATO is also aligning its longer-term demands from allies with its current operational needs. If in the past NATO countries might be asked to send some lightly armed expeditionary forces with helicopters to Afghanistan, for

instance, now they will be tasked to defend particular parts of NATO territory itself.

For Britain, just one example, that will mean that it must provide more heavy armor to defend NATO’s eastern flank, even if the British government would prefer to continue to field a lighter, more expeditionary army, requiring less money, fewer people and less expensive heavy equipment.

The planning in NATO is already intrusive but will become more demanding and specific. Countries answer questionnaires about their capacities and equipment; NATO planners tell them what’s missing or could be cut or thinned.

In one case, said Robert G. Bell, defense adviser to the U.S. mission at NATO until 2017, Denmark was told to stop wasting money building submarines. Canada was told it must provide air-refueling planes.

Countries can push back — for years some nations with frigates refused to put airdefense missiles on them for fear of seeming

escalatory — but they must defend their plans before all NATO members. If the other allies all agree that a country’s plan is inadequate, they can vote to force adaptation in what is known as “consensus minus one.” Such a demand is rare, but happened with Canada, Bell said.

Now the demands will be tougher and more rigorous to bring the alliance back to a war-fighting capacity in Europe and make deterrence credible — to ensure that NATO can fight a high-intensity war against a rival, Russia, from the first day of conflict.

The change at NATO began slowly in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea, igniting insurrection in the eastern Donbas. At their summit that year in Wales, NATO allies agreed on a goal for military spending of 2% of gross domestic product by 2024. At the moment, only eight of 31 countries, including new member Finland, met that goal, but military spending has increased significantly, up $350 billion since 2014.

At the next NATO summit, in July, a new spending plan will be agreed upon, with 2% of GDP regarded as a minimum. Given Russia’s difficulties in Ukraine, if major countries spend between 2.5% and 3% of GDP on the military over the next decade, that should be sufficient, the senior NATO official said.

After 2014, NATO also agreed to put four small battalion-sized forces in the Baltic states and Poland. The idea was to engage invaders and hope to get reinforcements in place a week or two after an invasion.

After Russia’s invasion last year, NATO added four more forward-based battalions, to make eight such forces along NATO’s eastern edge, now including Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. But the total troop number for all eight battle groups is only 10,232, NATO says.

NATO is planning how to scale up to brigade-sized forces, meaning putting about 4,000 to 5,000 troops in each country to make NATO’s enhanced deterrence “a more robust tripwire,” Bell said.

American soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division firing artillery during an exercise at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, near the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, last month.

As new wave of violence hits Sudan’s capital, civilians feel the strain

By ABID LATIF DAHIR

As a new wave of violence swept the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, earlier this week, millions of residents hiding in their homes felt the growing strain from the battles, and doctors and hospitals were struggling to cope with casualties and get the supplies and staff members that they needed.

The forces of rival generals battling for control of Sudan clashed for a third day in Khartoum, threatening to worsen a humanitarian crisis in a nation already facing dire economic straits, growing hunger and widespread unemployment.

The fighting has left many of Khartoum’s 5 million residents stranded at home without electricity or water as they marked the last few days of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month when many fast daily from dawn until dusk. Some were too afraid to venture out for food or other supplies.

A doctors’ group said that hospitals remained understaffed and were running low on supplies as wounded people streamed in. And the World Health Organization said the insecurity in the capital was impeding medical workers and ambulances from reaching those in need of critical care.

The fighting, which erupted Saturday, has pitted a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces against the Sudanese army — a long-standing rivalry between Sudan’s two top generals who have been vying for dominance over the northeast African nation. It was still not clear who was in control of the country even as both sides claimed crucial victories.

The death toll from the first two days of fighting rose to 97, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors.

Khartoum residents said there was an escalation in the number of fighter jets and helicopters that were circling the city starting at about 3 a.m. local time Monday. Two people in an area close to the city’s international airport said the planes were circling every few minutes and getting very close to their homes.

“It’s like they are on top of our heads,” said Dallia Mohamed Abdelmoniem, a resident who was taking shelter with 10 people, including family members.

In the Kafouri suburb north of Khartoum, one resident said the jets had hit a camp belonging to the Rapid Support Forces. Two major explosions also rocked the

neighborhood, shattering windows and leaving the homes in the area shaking. It was not immediately clear if those blasts resulted in casualties.

There was intense street fighting and blasts in several neighborhoods, including in the upscale Riyadh neighborhood and the Burri suburb, residents said.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said 41 people, a majority of them in Khartoum, were killed in clashes on Sunday, bringing the toll for the first two days of fighting to 97. There was no immediate word on casualties from Monday’s fighting. Nearly 350 people were injured, according to the committee.

For decades, Sudan has suffered under the yoke of dictatorship, coups and political instability, with successive governments overseeing widespread repression and genocidal violence, particularly in the Darfur region. The country has struggled to shake off its troubled history even after the longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019.

Over the past few years, generals have steadily tightened their grip on the nation, killing and jailing civilians and repeatedly scuttling any attempt to transition to democratic rule. The tension between the army chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, had been simmering for months now and finally ruptured into violent confrontations between their forces on Saturday morning.

The conflict has further dimmed Sudan’s hope of moving toward democracy.

The clashes across Sudan have drawn worldwide concern, with regional and global leaders along with humanitarian and aid organizations calling on both parties to cease the violence.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-nation regional bloc to which Sudan belongs, said Sunday that it would dispatch the presidents of Kenya, Djibouti and South Sudan to mediate between the parties.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was a “shared deep concern” among the United States and its allies over the fighting in Sudan, and called for the violence to end immediately. Blinken also urged the two generals to “ensure the protection of civilians and noncombatants as well as people from third countries” who are currently in Sudan.

Khartoum - Shuttered shops in the capital on Monday.

In Pakistan, economic crisis mutes Ramadan celebrations

By ZIA UR-REHMAN and CHRISTINA GOLDBAUM

The crowds begin to form at dawn. They swell through the day as hundreds of men and women swathed in bright purple and pink scarves wait outside the charity’s gates in Karachi, Pakistan. Many sit for hours, desperate to collect enough flour, rice, sugar and cooking oil to break their daily fast for the holy month of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is for fasting, praying and celebrating, but in Pakistan, inflation has been forcing people to queue and die in stampedes to receive free food,” said Muhammad Aziz, a textile worker, 52, as he waited in the crowd. “It is the most expensive and unaffordable Ramadan of my life.”

Across Pakistan, the season of Ramadan — a time of daily fasting and nightly feasts with family — is in full swing. But this year, an economic crisis that has sent the price of goods soaring to record highs has muted celebrations for millions of families struggling to buy the dates, rice and meat needed to break their daily fast.

The South Asian country — home to more than 230 million — is facing one of the most daunting economic challenges of its history.

As Ramadan began last month, inflation was at a record 35.4% — the highest in nearly five decades — according to government figures. Severe floods last fall devastated much of the country’s agricultural belt, ruining wheat harvests and damaging farmland for what may be years to come. And because Ukraine exports essential grains, the war there has further strained Pakistan’s food supply, officials say.

The rising prices have stoked anger among many Pakistanis. After Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a vote of no confidence last year, many hoped that the new government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, would bring an end to the inflation that had begun rising under Khan’s tenure.

Instead, the prices of necessities have continued to soar as the government has struggled to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Some critics have also blamed the government, accusing the country’s political elite of being preoccupied with the drama surrounding Khan’s political comeback and distracted from addressing the economic crisis.

“Pakistan’s ruling elite has failed in providing relief to the people, and nothing will be able to prevent the wrath of the latter from falling on the former in the weeks and months to come,” said Uzair Younus, the director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council. “This is a confluence of economic, political and security crises in Pakistan, and should be viewed as the most serious threat to the country’s cohesion since 1971.”

The economic desperation among Pakistanis has played out in stark scenes across the country during Ramadan. Since the holiday began nearly a month ago, at least 22 people have been killed and dozens injured in stampedes and long queues as people struggle to get some of the food being distributed across the country by charities and the government.

In one of the most devastating episodes, 11 women and children died last month in a crowd crush after hundreds had gathered outside a factory in hopes of getting a 10-kilo

bag of flour and $3.50 in cash from a local philanthropist. Even charities are struggling.

It is during Ramadan that many Pakistanis donate their religiously prescribed yearly zakat, or alms, often giving them to charitable organizations that prepare ration packets for distribution among the poor. But this year, skyrocketing prices and the crunch on donors’ incomes have left the charities with less to distribute.

Those unable to receive charity have bought what they can. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that borders Afghanistan, the price of flour has more than doubled since the beginning of last year.

In recent years, Pakistan had been importing wheat from Ukraine to meet the needs of the province, home to 18% of the country’s population. But with that supply disrupted by war, Russia is now the top exporter of wheat to the country.

The government has started an initiative to provide subsidized flour during Ramadan and set up distribution points for donated flour. But in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mismanagement and overcrowding have plagued these efforts, according to local officials.

Thousands of destitute people rush daily to the distribution points, but many return empty-handed in the evening because there are not enough bags of flour to meet the soaring demand. In Peshawar and other major cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police regularly fire tear gas and charge the crowds with batons to disperse them. In some areas, enraged mobs have set upon trucks full of flour bags.

One recent afternoon, Ashraf Mohmand, a 34-year-old daily-wage construction laborer, stood anxiously outside a government distribution point in Peshawar. He said he had not received a single bag of flour, despite waiting in long lines for the past two days.

“I make just $3 a day — too little to even feed my three children,” Mohmand said.

Rising costs have only added to his frustration with a government he hoped would turn the economy around after it came to power last April.

“Shehbaz Sharif has proved himself worse than Imran Khan,” Mohmand said. “Everything costs double what it did last year.”

Government officials have rejected such criticism.

This month, Ahsan Iqbal, a federal minister, said the new government had been successful “not only in facing

the climate disaster” that caused $30 billion in damage and economic losses last year but also in moving the country toward gradual stabilization despite the previous government’s “failed economic policies.”

Still, in recent months the government has struggled to meet the terms of a 2019 deal with the IMF worth $6.5 billion and unlock a portion of those funds that have been stalled since November.

Economists say the government is in an almost impossible position.

The cash-poor country needs IMF financing to avoid default and slipping into a recession. But to meet the terms of the deal, officials must raise taxes and slash subsidies — moves that make basics like food, gasoline and utilities even more expensive for the country’s poorest.

“The food inflation has hurt the low-income earners the most, as food baskets now comprise more than 40% of their total monthly expenditures,” said Khaqan Najeeb, a former adviser to the Finance Ministry.

The floods last fall, which killed more than 1,700 people and destroyed at least 4 million acres of crops, substantially worsened the crisis. In some of the hardest-hit regions, stagnant floodwater still covers vast areas of farmland. Even in places where the floodwater has receded, the land is expected to be less fertile for years to come.

Volunteers preparing meals for people to break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 15, 2023.

How to avoid a war with China

By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

In the summer of 1914, few wanted war or thought a major war was possible. My grandparents were married that spring in Lviv, Austria-Hungary, and I look at their giddy wedding photos and realize they had no clue that a cataclysm would soon erase their country, shatter their lives and eventually send a branch of the family fleeing to the New World.

This year I sometimes worry that we’re again too complacent about the risks of conflict ahead. And perhaps the worst geopolitical risk over the next decade or two is a war with China. While neither side wants war, each now accepts that conflict may be looming and is preparing accordingly — driving suspicions on the other side and fueling an arms race.

It’s time for both sides to take a deep breath and step back from rhetoric and symbolic jabs that rally nationalists at home but that also increase the risks of a global catastrophe. A reminder of the risks came on Monday when China responded to the warm welcome given in the United States to Taiwan’s president by sending a record number of military aircraft near Taiwan.

“Things done publicly, symbolically, to stand up to Beijing don’t necessarily lead Taiwan to be any more secure,” noted Jessica Chen Weiss of Cornell University. For example, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a trip to Taiwan last year in what was meant to be a symbolic show of support. Polling found that Taiwan’s residents concluded by a 2-to-1 majority that the Pelosi visit made them less secure.

If we want to help Taiwan, Weiss said, we need more deterrence and less provocation.

In my view, the risks of conflict are primarily driven by Xi Jinping, from his brutal repression in Xinjiang to the enormous expansion of his nuclear arsenal that is now underway, and tensions will become far worse if he supplies Russia with artillery shells. But American domestic politics are also steering a collision course, and that may get worse as Democrats and Republicans compete to denounce China.

From an American vantage point, another cold war may not seem so terrible, since we and the Russians managed to avoid incinerating each other in the last one. But millions died in the last cold war in proxy war zones from Vietnam to Angola. And Russia and the United States avoided nuclear war in part because leaders on each side had memories of World War II that made them cautious. I worry that today, as in 1914, overconfidence and myopic political pressures on each side might drive continuing escalation.

I need no reminder of how oppressive China can

be. I was on Tiananmen Square in June 1989 and witnessed as the People’s Liberation Army fired on the crowd that I was in. But I also saw China lifting more people out of poverty than any other country in history and vastly improving education and health outcomes. We in the United States have to grapple with the uncomfortable reality that a newborn in Beijing may not be able to look forward to a meaningful vote or to free speech but has a life expectancy seven years longer than that of a newborn in Washington, D.C.

When I say we must talk to each other, I am not downplaying American concerns. I’m among those wary of TikTok because of the risk that it might be used for spying. But I also know that the United States has similarly used private businesses to spy on China. When China purchased a new Boeing 767 in 2000 to be the Chinese equivalent of Air Force One, American officials planted at least 27 bugs in it.

I think the United States should press China harder on some issues, such as the reckless way Chinese companies export chemicals to Mexico that are turned into fentanyl. That Chinese-origin fentanyl kills many thousands of Americans each year, and it’s hard to see why the deaths of so many aren’t higher on the bilateral agenda.

But we also need humility. America’s politicians, pharma companies and regulators themselves catastrophically bungled the opioid crisis. Why should we expect Chinese leaders to care more about young American lives than our own leaders do?

Fulmination is not a policy, and it alienates the ordinary Chinese citizens who are that country’s best hope after Xi has left the scene. That’s the long game.

Anti-Chinese rhetoric and over-the-top security concerns magnify racism toward Asian Americans and make Chinese feel unwelcome in America — and that hurts all of us. In 2020, 17% of American doctoral degrees given in science and engineering went to Chinese students, underscoring that the United States has been a huge beneficiary of China’s brain drain. But that could now reverse. A poll found deep disquiet among Chinese scholars in America, with 61% saying they have thought about leaving.

I support President Joe Biden’s steps to bolster American industry and his remarkable efforts to increase military preparedness in the Western Pacific. But let’s recognize that the single most important step we can take to strengthen America vis-à-vis China has nothing to do with the military.

It would simply be to tackle American dysfunction — from addiction to child poverty and our failed foster care system — and to invest in our education system so as to produce stronger citizens and a more robust

PO BOX 6537 Caguas PR 00726

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

Dr. Ricardo Angulo Publisher

nation. That, not prickly nationalism, is the lesson we should take from China — and is the best way for us to meet the China challenge.

SAN JUAN – El secretario del Departamento de Hacienda, Francisco Parés Alicea, informó el lunes, que a horas del cierre del Ciclo Contributivo 2023, ya se han radicado 1,078,865 planillas de individuos y se han aprobado 1,198,313 dólares en reintegros, en 24 nóminas que comenzaron a pagarse desde el 14 de febrero, primer día del ciclo contributivo.

“Faltando horas para el cierre del periodo contributivo, tenemos 98 por ciento de las planillas de individuos ya radicadas, de las 1.1 millones proyectadas y hemos reintegrado 641,085. Esto representa 152,197 planillas de individuos menos radicadas que el año pasado a esta fecha, que ya estaban consideradas en la proyección. El año pasado la radicación fue mayor debido a los incentivos que estuvieron disponibles, principalmente, además de las miles de planillas fraudulentas detectadas por una nueva herramienta tecnológica que identifica el fraude y detiene los pagos”, explicó el funcionario en comunicación escrita.

Parés Alicea destacó que durante este periodo contributivo se han detectado 84 casos de planillas fraudulentas, comparadas con 110,866 casos detectados en la planilla del 2021. Los casos del año pasado estuvieron relacionados con los créditos federales de la planilla de 2021, especialmente por los pagos de Impacto Económico, el cual ya no está disponible.

“Este ciclo contributivo es uno de los mejores que hemos tenido en los últimos años, principalmente gracias al perfeccionamiento de SURI que, para propósitos de contribución sobre ingresos, comenzó a funcionar en el año 2020. Ya llevamos tres ciclos contributivos bajo este sistema y cada año hemos añadido procesos para facilitar la radicación. Por ejemplo, el año pasado, para los individuos, comenzamos a proveer el formulario W-2, que recibe la inmensa mayoría de los con-

Anunciarán

SAN JUAN – El presidente del Comité de Recursos Naturales de la Cámara de Representantes federal, Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), anunciará el jueves, 20 de abril, a las 9:00 de la mañana, la reintroducción de la Ley de Estatus para Puerto Rico.

Se espera que Grijalva esté acompañado por la comisionada residente, Jenniffer González Colón (RPuerto Rico), la congresista Nydia Margarita Veláz-

tribuyentes y este año añadimos la información de los formularios 480, de servicios profesionales. Entre ambas iniciativas, tenemos alrededor del 85 por ciento de los contribuyentes que radican con sus planillas pre pobladas. Con este perfeccionamiento, los contribuyentes tienen su información en el sistema y es más sencilla la radicación”, destacó Pares Alicea.

Añadió que el grueso de la radicación de planillas se recibió a principios del ciclo porque los contribuyentes quieren recibir su reintegro y otros beneficios como el Crédito por Trabajo, rápidamente.

En cuanto a las planillas de corporaciones, se han radicado 22,279 correspondientes al año 2022, versus 14,393 radicadas en el año 2021, a esta fecha, unas 7,886 adicionales.

El funcionario explicó que al 16 de abril se habían aprobado 1,014,426,552 dólares, en Crédito por Trabajo, reclamados por 575,389 contribuyentes. Durante el periodo contributivo 2021, se desembolsaron 1,061 millones de dólares en Crédito por Trabajo a cerca de 646,000 ciudadanos.

Hasta el momento se han recibido 34,100 pró-

rrogas de individuos y se habían emitido 28,158 Notificaciones de Error Matemático y Ajustes en Planilla, comparado con 28,579 notificaciones emitidas para la planilla del año 2021. Los errores más comunes siguen incluyendo el número de Seguro Social, contribuyentes casados que radican por separado con estados personales diferentes o contribuyentes que radican utilizando un proveedor de servicios y no radican la evidencia en SURI, antes de la fecha de vencimiento del periodo contributivo, entre otros. Además, hay 29,343 de planillas para revisión en el Negociado de Procesamiento de Planillas y se han trabajado otras 25,538.

Durante el fin de semana los contribuyentes continuaron acudiendo a los Centros de Orientación y Preparación de Planillas ubicados en los centros comerciales. Éstos trabajaron en horario extendido durante la última semana del ciclo, hasta el día de hoy, que estarán atendiendo público hasta las 7:00 de la noche. “Atendimos mediante cita previa, unas 23,832 personas, en los centros ubicados en Plaza Las Américas, Plaza Carolina, Plaza del Caribe, Mayagüez Mall y en el municipio de Caguas”, dijo.

quez Serrano (D-N.Y.), el representante Darren Soto (D-Fla.) y el gobernador, Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia.

La Ley del Estatus de Puerto Rico es una propuesta que representa una oferta del Congreso al pueblo de Puerto Rico para determinar su propio futuro político.

La legislación, que fue presentada por primera vez por Grijalva el año pasado, fue aprobada previamente por la Cámara de forma bipartidista el 15 de diciembre de 2022.

POR CYBERNEWS

el jueves, radicación de proyecto congresional de estatus para Puerto Rico

Se ha radicado el 98 por ciento de las planillas del ciclo contributivo 2023

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 20

A swashbuckling tale of mutiny took him where ‘the soul of man dies’

By ALEXANDRA ALTER

Journalist David Grann was rummaging through the electronic files of a British archive in 2016, researching one of his pet obsessions — mutinies — when he came across an astonishing tale.

Written in florid, 18th-century prose by a midshipman named John Byron, the journal told the story of a British warship that sank off the coast of Chile, leaving its survivors marooned on a desolate island, where they descended into chaos, starvation, sedition and murder. Byron, grandfather of poet Lord Byron, was one of just a few dozen castaways who escaped the island and survived, out of some 250 who first set sail on a quest to seize a treasure-filled Spanish galleon in 1740.

“When they’re on that island, it became almost like a laboratory, testing human nature under extraordinary circumstances,” Grann said. “This is a story about the disintegration of a floating civilization.”

The account had largely faded from public memory, even though it was documented in popular accounts by Byron and other survivors, and went on to influence philosophers such as Rousseau, Voltaire and Montesquieu, and inspire novelists Herman Melville and Patrick O’Brian.

Grann set out to reconstruct the story. After six years of research — including his own harrowing journey to the inhospitable island where the castaways washed up — Grann has delivered what will likely endure as the definitive popular account of the demise of the HMS Wager.

An engrossing survival story, “The Wager” is a knotty tale of moral compromises and betrayal and a metaphysical inquiry into the elusive nature of truth and the power of stories to shape history and our perceptions of reality. The book, which Doubleday will release today, has drawn enthusiastic early reviews. It is being adapted into a feature film by director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio — who also teamed up on a forthcoming movie based on Grann’s book “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Grann, 56, who has been a writer for The New Yorker for 20 years, is known for crafting nonfiction narratives that have the unpredictable twists of a detective novel or an espionage thriller. He’s told the stories of larger-than-life adventurers and impostors, of a death squad leader turned New York real estate broker and a scientist on a quest to capture a giant squid, and of doomed expeditions to the South Pole and to the Amazon.

Growing up in Connecticut, Grann inherited his love of reading and writing from his mother, Phyllis Grann, a pioneering publishing executive who edited works by Tom Clancy and other blockbuster writers.

He was determined to become a writer, and tried poetry and fiction — “All of which was pretty terrible,” he concedes — but found he had a knack for nonfiction. He got a job as a copy editor at The Hill, in Washington, D.C. In 2003, he joined The New Yorker, where he proved adept at finding stories that

combined the propulsive qualities of an airport thriller with deeply reported investigative journalism.

“He looked for stories in which an artful manipulation of the reader was an appropriate way to illuminate the story,” said Daniel Zalewski, Grann’s longtime editor at The New Yorker. “Sometimes they were dark entertainments, but because the stakes were real, there was a gravity to them, and a morality to them.”

Grann has a reputation for being a meticulous, tireless reporter who will travel the ocean or go deep into the jungle to track down the perfect details for a story. To those who know him, his swashbuckling escapades can seem at odds with his low key, bookish persona.

To research his 2017 book, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which chronicled an investigation into a series of murders of wealthy members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma, Grann interviewed the victims’ descendants, collected oral histories from the Osage Nation and studied thousands of pages of FBI files, Justice Department memos, secret grand jury testimonies, crime scene photographs, court transcripts and field reports from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

“He’s obsessive about getting the facts right,” said Bill Thomas, editor-in-chief and publisher of Doubleday. “To my mind, his neuroses are his super power.”

With “The Wager,” Grann tested his ability to create narrative suspense from a spotty and often contradictory historical

record. He pored over faded ship logbooks, correspondence, journals, records from the court-martial hearings, newspaper reports, sea ballads and accounts published by survivors.

Just how far Grann tumbled down the research rabbit hole was evident during a visit to his home in Rye, New York.

His bright, spacious office is crammed with books, boxes of files, and towering piles of manila folders full of photocopied maps, reproductions of old engravings and diagrams, muster books (lists of a ship’s personnel) and other nautical paraphernalia. His bookshelves are filled with naval histories, seamen’s accounts, books about piracy and 18th-century medical texts, including a photocopy of an illustrated guide from 1743, with alarmingly simple instructions on how to amputate a leg. More piles of books and folders are scattered across the floor.

On a table near his desk, Grann has a model of The Wager, complete with 28 tiny canons, a captain’s quarters and tiny transport vessels.

“That’s one of their castaway boats,” he said, pointing at one of the smaller vessels on the model ship’s deck. “You can imagine them all packed into that thing, not even able to move, dozens and dozens of them on a 3,000 mile journey.”

Even when he had a coherent narrative based on scrupulous documentation, Grann said, he was unsettled by the feeling that he was missing something.

“You always have that gnawing doubt of what you don’t know,” he said. “I started to fear I couldn’t fully understand what these castaways went through.”

So in the summer of 2019, he traveled to Chiloé Island, off the country’s west coast, and hired a captain to take him on the roughly 350-mile journey by sea to Wager Island. The small boat took them through the Golfo de Penas — the Gulf of Pain, where the Wager succumbed to punishing winds and shattered against rocks. The seas were so rough that Grann couldn’t stand, so he sat on the floor, listening to an audiobook of Moby Dick, “half drugged on Dramamine,” he said.

When they finally got to the barren island after about a week at sea, Grann couldn’t believe that the men survived there for months. A wet, freezing wind whipped the shore; the mountains were shrouded in gnarled vegetation. There was nothing to eat but limpets, seaweed and wild celery, which was bitter but had cured the shipwrecked sailors’ scurvy.

As Grann and his companions explored, they found a few rotted wooden planks lodged in a frigid stream — the remnants of the ship.

“It remains a place of complete wild desolation,” Grann said. “I was like, OK, I now understand why a British officer described this as a place where ‘the soul of man dies in him.’”

On the way to the island, the captain had pointed out four small islands — Smith, Hertford, Crosslet and Hobbs. Grann recognized the names instantly. They were four men who were left behind because there wasn’t room in the boat for them.

As their crewmates left them, they yelled “God bless the King,” and were never seen again.

The author David Grann at home in Rye, N.Y., April 7, 2023. “The Wager,” Grann’s new book, is as much a rousing adventure as an exploration of the power of narratives to shape our perception of reality.

The San Juan Daily Star

Gourmet dog food has some pet owners sending kibbles back

By GENEVIEVE KO

Like so many 2-year-olds, Bear is a picky eater. When the 120-pound Great Pyrenees seemed bored with the dry food his owner, Margaret Pless, fed him day after day, she gave him canned food from Costco. Bear hated it. Next, she tried pricey refrigerated dog food. When that failed to please Bear’s palate, Pless made his food for a few months. He liked it, but it was an exhausting, time-consuming process, and she was left wondering whether Bear was getting all the nutrients he needed.

So in November 2021, Pless signed up for a subscription to the Farmer’s Dog, which provides customized dog food marketed as made with human-grade ingredients. The recipe list reads like a homemade stew: beef or turkey with vegetables, such as carrots and Brussels sprouts. The food is cooked at low temperatures before being portioned out and shipped to Pless’ home in Dover, Massachusetts.

“The company made claims that dogs would love this food and never get tired of it,” said Pless, a part-time church administrator and dog boarder, who said she was spending up to $13 per day feeding Bear the human-grade food, up from the dry-food cost of around $3 per day.

But Bear was unimpressed.

“At first he was excited,” Pless said. “And then he was like, ‘Oh, it’s this stuff again,’ and he got bored.”

Dog ownership boomed during the pandemic, with Americans buying or adopting millions of pets, including canines. Sales of dog food surged to around $25 billion last year, up nearly 39% from $18 billion in 2019, according to the consumer research firm NIQ.

But as inflation has driven up the prices of even conventional kibble, the options in the dog food aisle have become increasingly bespoke and expensive. There are holistic, plant-based varieties and those with freeze-dried goat and wild boar. Some options are frozen and raw. Last year, “Saturday Night Live” poked fun at the industry with a skit featuring a couple in a grocery store chiding another shopper for not feeding her pet “real food.”

One of the fastest-growing and most competitive categories is human-grade dog food, like the kind Pless bought for Bear from the Farmer’s Dog. According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials, a nongovernmental organization that provides guidance to the industry on animal food, human-grade dog food contains fresh ingredients — like meats or vegetables — that are fit for human consumption, and is manufactured in a plant that is federally regulated and inspected.

Although humans can technically eat human-grade dog food, it may contain nutrients that are not suitable for people, said Austin Therrell, the organization’s executive director.

Companies like the Farmer’s Dog, Ollie and others are marketing their fresh pet food as less processed and

more closely resembling human diets. Veterinarians and animal nutritionists say that many of these new brands are targeting wealthier consumers who treat their animals as if they were children — so-called fur babies — and want to match their dogs’ diets to their own eating habits. Some are selling the food directly to consumers through subscription services.

These fresh-food makers are also benefiting from a wave of distrust among certain dog owners over the concentration of large companies dominating the pet food industry. Dry kibble is typically made from surplus meats and byproducts, like livers and kidneys, from the human food industry. Wet and dry ingredients are mixed to form a dough that is heated under pressure and pushed through a die machine that cuts it into the kibble pieces.

“There are definitely a ton of new pet food products on the market, and more coming on every day,” said Cailin Heinze, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and executive director of the Mark Morris Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides education on pet nutrition to

veterinarians. The institute is funded by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which is owned by Colgate-Palmolive.

Heinze said that while many of the newer brands claim to be less processed or to contain “real ingredients,” there is little research showing that they are more nutritious than the dry or canned dog food that millions of Americans have been feeding their pets for decades.

“Many are pushing natural or healthy, and people look at the ingredient list and assume, because they recognize everything, that the diet has to be healthier,” Heinze said. “It’s giving these companies a health halo, even if there is no science behind it, and the other diet has 40 years of research.”

One area of particular concern is dog food marketed as “grain free.” Much of it contains high levels of peas, lentils and other legumes that may be linked to an increased risk of cardiac disease in dogs. The Food and Drug Administration said it did not have “sufficient data” to find a link and encouraged continued research.

“There are many different ways to provide good nutrition for a dog,” said Jonathan Regev, who started the Farmer’s Dog in 2014 with Brett Podolsky, after Podolsky’s dog had stomach issues that his veterinarian believed were caused by the dog’s food. The Farmer’s Dog uses a variety of proteins, vegetables and occasionally legumes in its products.

Joseph Wakshlag, a professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, worked as a consultant on Farmer’s Dog recipes. Wakshlag said in an email that many human-grade and refrigerated dog foods are “nice options, as long as they are complete and balanced.” He added that they are sometimes higher in fat and protein, which is fine for healthy dogs but may not work for dogs with certain medical conditions.

After Patrick and Jennifer Cunningham, both physicians in a Chicago suburb, saw the Farmer’s Dog commercial during this year’s Super Bowl, they gave it to their Shih Tzus, Strudel and Machiavelli.

The dogs are converts.

“They don’t like it; they love it,” Patrick Cunningham said. “Strudel gets so excited. She doesn’t quite howl but yelps with joy when we are mixing it.”

Cunningham estimates that he is spending $100 a month on the human-grade food versus $40 for dry kibble.

For Bear, though, the Farmer’s Dog did not live up to his owner’s high hopes. After spending $9 to $13 per day on it for six months, plus dry kibble, Pless canceled her subscription. She has gone back to regular bags of dry kibble and rotating them when Bear becomes bored.

“Bottom line: I don’t believe that dog foods made with human-grade ingredients are more effective than regular kinds of dog food,” Pless said. “There are many premium dog foods that are not made with human-grade ingredients that work just as well for a lower price.”

Dog ownership surged during the pandemic. So did the options for fresh, human-grade dog food, an expanding market.

A little motivation to take a walk

walking routine may slow the damage that occurs within the joint, said Dr. Grace Hsiao-Wei Lo, an associate professor of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the lead author of the study. Research suggests that activities such as walking might also help relieve lower back pain.

— Therapy enhanced: “Walk and talk” therapy takes place outdoors, either in person or over the phone, and can be a refreshing alternative to more traditional sessions, said Lynn Bufka, the associate chief of practice transformation for the American Psychological Association.

“All that we know about the benefits of exercise — in terms of combating depression, and reducing anxiety, and helping with insomnia — are the same things we’re trying to address in psychotherapy, so how can we fit them together?” she said.

— Sharpen your memory: Feeling forgetful? A brisk, fastpaced walk may be useful, but “brisk” is the key word, said Rong Zhang, a professor of neurology and internal medicine at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern.

By JANCEE DUNN

Like so many of us, I spend too much time hunched over a computer. So throughout my day, I ask myself: Can this activity be done while walking? I’ve recently taken meetings and made eight-minute phone calls on foot, and I turned one coffee date with a friend into a ramble through the park. My incentive? The results of a literature review published last month in The British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers examined 196 studies and found that a brisk walk — of at least 11 minutes a day — significantly lowered participants’ risk of heart disease, many kinds of cancer and mortality overall.

The same study found that those who did at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week slashed their risk of

early death even more.

Many of us still need a little nudge to get up and moving. Here are several incentives.

— Decrease aches and pains: It’s tempting to stay off your feet if you’re in pain, but that’s not always the best course of action. Nearly one-quarter of adults in the United States have arthritis, for instance, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity (such as vigorous walking) each week to help manage symptoms.

A 2022 study, published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, involved people ages 50 and older with osteoarthritis in their knees and found that those who walked regularly had less frequent knee pain. The research also suggested that a consistent

Zhang and his colleagues conducted a small study of middle-aged and older people with memory impairments and found that a half-hour walk — five days a week, over the course of a year — improved blood flow to the brain and cognitive functioning. A follow-up study, published last year, found similar results in older adults without cognitive impairments: They experienced improved memory as well.

“You need to make an effort to get up that heart rate, where it’s a little more challenging,” Zhang said, adding that you should “feel a little shortness of breath” and conversation should become more difficult.

— Brooding begone: If you’re trapped in a worry spiral, a half-hour trek in nature can dial down ruminative thoughts. A 2020 study in The Journal of Environmental Psychology found that a 30-minute walk significantly reduced a negative mood and “elicited more awe.”

One effective way to treat rumination is through disruption. “A walk can disrupt the cycle enough to get us out of the looping thoughts,” Bufka said.

Europe’s Juice mission launches to Jupiter and its moons

By JONATHAN O’CALLAGHAN

Jupiter, king of the solar system, will be getting a new robotic visitor.

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, launched late last week from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America. The original launch, scheduled for Thursday, was delayed after lightning was detected in the vicinity of the launch site.

On Friday, the weather improved and the spacecraft, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket, lifted off flawlessly. A halfhour later, Juice separated from the rocket’s second stage and embarked on its long journey.

Jupiter, the largest planet orbiting the sun, is fascinating unto itself, but its massive moons are the ultimate prize. Some of them are hunks of icy rock that may hide life-harboring oceans beneath their surfaces. Juice, from the European Space Agency, or ESA, aims to closely study three of Jupiter’s satellites: Callisto, Europa and Ganymede.

“This is one of the most exciting missions we have ever flown in the solar system, by far the most complex” said Josef Aschbacher, the head of ESA.

Weighing 6 tons, the European spacecraft carries 10 advanced scientific instruments to study the moons and capture images. Jupiter is not the mission’s primary target. Instead, it aims to probe Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, and two other moons, Europa and Callisto.

But reaching Jupiter will take Juice more than eight years, with a series of swings or gravitational assists past Venus, Mars and Earth to give the spacecraft the push it will need to enter Jupiter’s orbit in July 2031.

When Juice reaches Jupiter, it will repeatedly fly past the three moons on a looping orbit, staying outside the giant planet’s dangerous radiation belts as it gathers data. In total, 35 flybys are planned as the

spacecraft searches for magnetic signals and other evidence to confirm the presence and size of oceans sloshing under the moons’ surfaces. It will also track how the exteriors of the moons move in response to Jupiter’s gravitational pull, possibly influenced by the subsurface oceans.

The moon that may be most promising in the search for life is Europa. Astronomers think its ocean is directly in contact with a rocky floor, which could provide food and energy for life as hydrothermal vents burst upward. Juice will perform two flybys of Europa.

The spacecraft will also perform 21 flybys of Callisto, which may also possess a salty ocean but is thought to be less capable of supporting life.

But the Juice mission’s primary objective is the study of Ganymede, a moon so large it is bigger than the planet Mercury. The spacecraft’s path around the Jovian system should allow the spacecraft to be captured into orbit around Ganymede in December

2034 — the first spacecraft to orbit a moon in the outer solar system. Beginning at about 3,100 miles above the surface, the spacecraft’s altitude will gradually be lowered to just over 300 miles in 2035 — and perhaps lower, fuel permitting.

“If we have enough propellant, which means we had a good trip to Jupiter without too many problems, we will reduce the orbit to” an altitude of about 150 miles, said Giuseppe Sarri, the project manager for Juice at ESA.

Orbiting Ganymede will allow scientists to intricately understand the moon’s characteristics. It is the only moon in the solar system known to have its own magnetic field, possibly from a liquid iron core like our own planet’s. “If you’re standing on the surface of Ganymede and you had a compass needle, it will point to the north pole like on Earth,” said Michele Dougherty from Imperial College London, who leads the magnetometer instrument on Juice. “We want to understand why.”

The mission will end in late 2035 with a crash landing onto Ganymede’s surface, unless a discovery is made during the mission that suggests this might contaminate the moon’s ocean.

What other missions will study Jupiter?

Juice is not the only mission investigating Jupiter and its moons.

Juno, a NASA mission, has orbited Jupiter since 2016. Its focus has been the planet itself rather than its moons, although it has recently completed some close flybys of Europa and Ganymede, and soon will swoop past volcanic Io.

But Juice is also expected to be beaten to Jupiter by another new NASA mission, Europa Clipper, which is launching in October 2024. It is scheduled to arrive at the Jovian system in April 2030, owing to its more powerful launch vehicle, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. But there is no competition; the two missions are intended to work together.

“There will be two spacecraft at the same time looking at Jupiter and its moons,” Aschbacher said. “There’s a lot of science to be gained from that.”

The results of both Juice and Clipper will reveal whether to attempt a landing on a moon of Jupiter on a future mission, likely at Europa, to directly look for life in the ocean, something NASA has proposed. Such a mission could be two decades away, but its scientific value is immense. Aschbacher said Europe was interested in something similar.

“We have discussed a sample return mission from one of the icy moons,” he said, which would bring materials back to Earth for closer study. “What we learn from Juice will be an extremely important input to that.”

For now, the spotlight is Juice’s, the first of a new era of spacecraft specifically designed to hunt oceans on alien worlds. “I can’t wait,” Dougherty said. “This is the next step.”

In an undated image provided by NASA, ESA, STScI, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team, Jupiter, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2020, and its moon Europa, one of the Juice mission’s objects of study. The spacecraft Juice will set off on an eight-year journey to the solar system’s largest planet, focusing on moons that could offer clues in the search for extraterrestrial life.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN SALÓN DE SESIONES

404

NORAH ASTRID

SÁNCHEZ FIGUEROA PETICIONARIA EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: SJ2021CV04582.

Salón: 504. Sobre: ADMINISTRACIÓN JUDICIAL. NOTIFICACIÓN POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A : ACREEDORES DE LA SUCESIÓN VÍCTOR A. PERALTA PICCO.

Vista la moción presentada por la parte demandante sobre publicación de edictos en cumplimiento con el Art. 594 del Código de Enjuiciamiento Civil Sec 2542, en el caso de epígrafe se les notifica a los acreedores, si alguno de Víctor A. Peralta Picco que se notifiquen con la Administradora Judicial Jacqueline Frances Rapale Burgos a la siguiente dirección en un plazo no mayor de sesenta (60) días. P. O. Box 20083

San Juan, P. R. 00928-0083

Dada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy día 24 de marzo de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ

COLLADO, SECRETARIA

REGIONAL. LINDA LEVY RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA. ***

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BAYAMÓN

BANCO COOPERATIVO DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V.

JOSÉ FUENTES COLÓN Y LA SUCESIÓN DE ADA MARTIZA CRUZADO

PANTOJA COMPUESTA

POR ADRIANA FUENTES

CRUZADO, FULANO Y

FULANA DE TAL Y LA COMUNIDAD DE BIENES ENTRE ESTOS

Demandados

DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Parte con Interes

Civil Núm.: BY2021CV01178.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y COBRO DE DINERO.

LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE

P.R., SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de BAYAMÓN, hago saber a la parte demandada, JOSÉ FUENTES COLÓN y la SUCESIÓN DE ADA MARITZA CRUZADO PANTOJA compuesta por ADRIANA FUENTES CRUZADO, FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL y la comunidad de bienes entre estos; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL; que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 9 de febrero de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor pagadero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o giro postal, a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal, la siguiente propiedad con dirección física: XL11 Calle 55 Urb. Royal Town, Bayamón Puerto Rico 00956 y que se describe como sigue:

URBANA: Solar radicado en la urbanización Royal Town, situada en el Barrio Cerro Gordo de Bayamón, que se describe en el plano de inscripción de la urbanización, con el número, área y colindancias que se relacionan a continuación: Solar once de la manzana XI (Once), con un área de ciento setenta y cinco metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, con la calle cincuenta y cinco, distancia de siete metros; SUR, con la Avenida Las Cumbres, distancia de siete metros; ESTE, con solar diez, distancia de veinticinco metros; y OESTE, con el solar doce, distancia de veinticinco metros. Contiene una casa de concreto diseñada para una familia. Finca #41,387, inscrita al folio 261 del tomo 922 de Bayamón, sección I de Bayamón. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) HIPOTECA en garantía de un pagaré affidavit 9791, a favor de RG Premier Bank of PR, o a su orden, por $86,800.00, al 6.75% vencedero el 1 de febrero de 2038, según Esc. #42, en Bayamón, a 31 de enero de 2008, ante Enid S. Rodriguez Binet, inscrita al folio 212 del tomo 1922 de Bayamón Sur, finca #51387, inscripción 6ta. (ii) Subordinada las Condiciones Restrictivas en beneficio de la hipoteca por $86,800.00 para que esta última tenga rango preferente, según Escritura #22 en San Juan, al 15 de agosto de 2013, ante Enid S. Rodriguez Binet, Inscrita al folio 212 del tomo 1922 de Bayamón Sur, finca #41387. Inscripción 7ma. (iii) MODIFICADA y AMPLIADA la hipoteca de la

inscripción 6ta., a $89,281.18 al 5% vencedero el 1 de septiembre de 2044, según Escritura #281, en San Juan, a 26 de septiembre de 2014, ante Ana E. Gorbea Padró, inscrita al folio 194 del tomo 1934 de Bayamón Sur, finca #41387, Inscripción 8va. Por Escritura #30 en San Juan, a 9 de febrero de 2017, ante Ana E. Gorbea Padró, comparece la Autoridad para el Financiamiento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico, para consentir dicha modificación. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (i). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma satisfacer la sentencia dictada el 1 de diciembre de 2022, mediante la cual se condenó a la parte demandada pagar a la parte demandante la cantidad ascendiente a $81,985.82 de principal, más intereses que continuarán acumulándose al 5.00% anual hasta el saldo total de la deuda, $89.80 a cargos por atrasos y $8,680.00 de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, más cualquier otro desembolso que haya efectuado o efectúe la parte demandante durante la tramitación de este caso para otros adelantos de conformidad con el Contrato Hipotecario. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 9 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma, la cantidad de $89,281.18 sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 16 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la que servirá como tipo mínimo, dos terceras (2/3) partes del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $59,520.79. Si no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el día 23 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar en la que regirá como tipo mínimo, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $44,640.59. El Alguacil que suscribe hizo constar que toda licitación deberá hacerse para pagar su importe en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América, de acuerdo con la Ley y de acuerdo con lo anunciado en este Aviso de Subasta. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables. Se entiende que todo licitador que comparezca a la subasta señalada en este caso acepta

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 24

como bastante la titulación que da base a la misma. Se entiende que cualquier carga y/o gravamen anterior y/o preferente, si la hubiere al crédito que da base a esta ejecución continuará subsistente, entendiéndose, además, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de estos, sin destinarse a su extinción cualquier parte del remanente del precio de licitación. La propiedad para ejecutar será adquirida libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. 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 cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Vendida o adjudicada la finca o derecho hipotecado y consignado el precio correspondiente, en esa misma fecha o fecha posterior, el alguacil que celebró la subasta procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura pública de traspaso en representación del dueño o titular de los bienes hipotecados, ante el notario que elija el adjudicatario o comprador, quien deberá abonar el importe de tal escritura. El alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial al nuevo dueño, si así se lo solicita dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la confirmación de la venta o adjudicación. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del deudor la ocupen. Y PARA CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS LICITADORES Y DEL PUBLICO EN GENERAL y para su publicación de acuerdo con la Ley, expido el presente Edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal. En BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico, hoy 24 de marzo de 2023. Maribel Lanzar Velázquez, Alguacil Placa #735, Tribunal De Primera Instancia, Sala De Bayamón.

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

CASCADE FUNDING

MORTGAGE TRUST AB1

Demandante Vs. JOSE FRANCISCO MILLS

MARTINEZ T/C/C JOSE F.

MILLS MARTINEZ T/C/C

JOSE F. MILLS-MARTINEZ

T/C/C JOSE F. MILLS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV00557. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA, 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:

The San Juan Daily Star

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:

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

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 10:00 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: Family unit number four hundred four (404) of Baldorioty Plaza Condominium number two hundred twelve (212) of south Marginal Street Baldorioty de Castro Avenue, corner of Diez de Andino Street, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, which family unit is located in the Fourth Floor with its balcony facing Diez de Andino Street. It is an irregular rectangular shaped apartment measuring thirty seven feet two inches (37’2”), equivalent to eleven point thirty (11.30) meters long by thirty seven feet two inches (37’2”), equivalent to eleven point thirty (11.30) meters width making a total area of one thousand sixty nine point zero one (1069.010) square feet, equivalent to one hundred eight point sixty four (108.64) square meters, as specialty shown in exhibit B dash four hundred four (B-404) of the deed. Its bounda-

ries are as follows: North, thirty seven feet two inches (37’2”), equivalent to eleven point thirty (11.30) meters with exterior and interior common elements of the building such as concrete bearing walls and interior proper elements of the apartment such as block, partition walls separating it from apartment four hundred three (403) and entrance doorway separating it from and leading to restricted common hallway; South, thirty seven feet two inches (37’2”), equivalent to eleven point thirty (11.30) meters with interior and exterior common elements of the building such as concrete bearing walls window and exterior proper elements of the apartment such as block partition walls and balcony concrete railing separating it from the exterior; facing parking ramp entrance, East, thirty seven feet two inches (37’2”)equivalent to eleven point thirty (11.30) meters with exterior common elements of the building such as window walls and exterior proper elements of the building such as block partition wall and balcony concrete railing separating in front the exterior, Diez de Andino Street, West, thirty seven feet two inches (37’2”), equivalent to eleven point thirty one (11.31) meters with exterior common elements of the building such as concrete bearing walls and windows and exterior proper elements of the apartment such as block partition walls separating it from the exterior parking area. The main entrance door is on the South side and communicates with the restricted common hallways if the fourth floor. This unit has a percentage of point eight thousand one hundred percent (.8100%) in the common elements and twenty five percent (25%) in the common limited. This family unit contains the following rooms and subdivision a porch living-dining room, foyer coat closet, linen closet, utility closet, kitchen, pantry, secondary bash, hall bedroom, one

(1) master bathroom, master bedroom, closet, utility closet a master bedroom & bedroom, two (2) linen closet and two

(2) bedroom. Finca número

18,212, inscrita al folio 56 del tomo 499 de Santurce Norte, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección I. La Hipoteca Revertida consta inscrita al folio 57 del tomo 1,141 de Santurce Norte, finca número

18,212, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección I, inscripción 9ª. Propiedad localizada en: 212 CALLE DIEZ DE ANDINO, COND. BALDORIOTY PLAZA APT 404, SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO 00912. Según figuran en la certificación staredictos@thesanjuandailystar.com

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: $234,000.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 13 de marzo de 2096. 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 $234,000.00, 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 el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 10 DE MAYO DE 2023,

A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $156,000.00, 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 $117,000.00, 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 10:00 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 $85,273.06 de principal, más los intereses a razón de 5.560% anual hasta su total y completo pago, contribuciones, recargos y primas de seguro adeudados y los cuales continuarán en aumento hasta el saldo total de la deuda, más la cantidad estipulada de $23,400.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados. 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 2023. EDWIN E. LÓPEZ MULERO, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN SEBASTIÁN SALA SUPERIOR BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. DAVID ARTURO ROMAN RIOS, ARIADNA RODRIGUEZ HERNANDEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados Civil Núm.: SS2022CV00456. Sala: 002. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente CERTIFICA, ANUNCIA y hace CONSTAR: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que le ha sido dirigido al Alguacil que suscribe por la Secretaría del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN SEBASTIAN, SALA SUPERIOR, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América el 17 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en su oficina sita en el local que ocupa en el edificio del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN SEBASTIAN, SALA SUPERIOR, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble de su propiedad que

rán 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. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría de este Tribunal durante horas laborables y para la concurrencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto que se publicará en un periódico de circulación diaria en toda la Isla de Puerto Rico por espacio dos (2) semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana y se fijará, además, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Alcaldía y la Colecturía de Rentas Internas del Municipio donde se celebrará la Subasta y en la Colecturía más cercana del lugar de la residencia de la parte demandada. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente que firmo y sello, hoy día 23 de marzo de 2023.

EDGARDO ELÍAS VARGAS

SANTANA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR PLACA #193, SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYNABO

FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE

ASSOCIATION T/C/C

FANNIE MAE

Demandante Vs. SUCESION DE GUILLERMO ALFREDO

GAJATE CUEVAS

COMPUESTA POR

SUS HEREDERAS

CONOCIDAS MARIA DE LOS ANGELES GAJATE

SANTIAGO, VERONICA

MARIA GAJATE

SANTIAGO Y MARIA

EUFEMIA SANTIAGO

PAGAN; SUCESION DE MERCEDES RIVERA

RIOS COMPUESTA

POR SUS HEREDERAS

CONOCIDAS MARTHA

MARY PEDROZA RIVERA Y DELIA ESTELA

PEDROZA RIVERA;

SUCESION DE LILLIAM

PEDROZA RIVERA T/C/C

LILLIAN PEDROZA

RIVERA COMPUESTA

POR SUS HEREDERAS

CONOCIDAS MELIZA

BEATRIZ APONTE

PEDROZA T/C/C

MELISSA BEATRIZ

APONTE PEDROZA

Y MARITZA SOFIA

HERNANDEZ PEDROZA

T/C/C MARISSA

SOFIA HERNANDEZ

PEDROZA; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS Y/O

PARTES CON INTERES EN LAS SUCESIONES Demandados

Civil Núm.: GB2022CV00356.

Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO ANUNCIANDO

PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe, funcionario del Tribunal de la Sala Superior de Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, por la presente anuncia y hace saber al público en general que en cumplimiento con la Sentencia dictada en este caso con fecha 13 de octubre de 2022, y según Orden y Mandamiento del 26 de enero de 2023 librado por este honorable Tribunal, procederé a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor, y por dinero en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal con todo título derecho y/o interés de la parte demandada sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: RBANA: PROPIEDAD HORIZONTAL: Apartamento residencial número M-119 del Condominio Boulevard del Río II, localizado en el Barrio Frailes del municipio de Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Está unidad está construida en hormigón armado y bloques de cemento y se encuentra ubicado en la primera planta del edificio denominado “M” del Condominio. Consta de una planta y tiene su entrada por su lindero Sureste, la cual sale a un pasillo de entrada común del primer nivel del edificio que da acceso al exterior del edificio. Sus linderos son los siguientes: por el SUROESTE: en una distancia lineal de 29’6” equivalentes 8.99 metros lineales con área exterior común de uso limitado a este apartamento; por el NORESTE, en una distancia lineal de 29’6” equivalente a 8.99 metros lineales con pasillo de entrada escalera y área exterior común; por el NOROESTE, en una distancia lineal de 43’4” equivalentes a 13.21 metros lineales con pared medianera que lo separa del apartamento

M-114; y por el SURESTE, en una distancia lineal de 43’4” equivalente a 13.21 metros lineales con pared medianera que lo separa del apartamento

M-120, pasillo, escalera y área común exterior. Esta unidad tiene un área de construcción de 1,125.64 pies cuadrados, equivalente a 104.57 metros cuadrados. Consta de un dormitorio principal con su closet y baño, dos dormitorios con sus closets, un baño en el área de pasillo, un linen closet, sala-comedor, cocina, área de lavandería y terraza. A esta unidad le ha asignado como elemento común limitado el uso del patio posterior que le es inmediata-

mente adyacente, conforme con el mismo, se describe en la escritura matriz del condominio, así como el uso de dos espacios de estacionamiento sencillos regulares marcados 154 y 155 en el plano del condominio. Le ha sido asignada además una participación en los gastos e ingresos del condominio y en la titularidad en sus elementos comunes equivalentes .724649436% y una participación 1.0091% en los elementos comunes limitados del condominio. FINCA NÚMERO: 39,224, inscrita al folio 20 del tomo 1115 de Guaynabo, sección de Guaynabo. Dirección Física: COND. BOULEVARD DEL RIO II APTO. M-119 BO. FRAILES, GUAYNABO, PR 00969. Se anuncia por medio de este edicto que la PRIMERA SUBASTA habrá de celebrarse el día 9 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina sita en el edificio que ocupa el Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior de Guaynabo. Siendo ésta la primera subasta que se celebrará en este caso, será el precio mínimo aceptable como oferta en la Primera Subasta, eso es el tipo mínimo pactado en la Escritura de Hipoteca para la propiedad, la suma de $109,000.00. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta primera subasta por dicha suma mínima, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 16 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en el mismo lugar antes señalado en la cual el precio mínimo serán dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $72,666.66. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta segunda subasta por el tipo mínimo indicado en el párrafo anterior, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en el mismo lugar antes señalado el día 23 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en la cual el tipo mínimo aceptable como oferta será la mitad (1/2) del precio mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $54,500.00. Si se declare desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo mínimo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. Con el importe de esta venta se habrá de satisfacer el balance de la sentencia dictada en este caso el cual consiste en el pago de $87,533.42 de principal, más intereses convenidos al 4.3750% anual más recargos hasta su pago, más el pago de lo pactado en la sentencia para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados. Se dispone que una vez celebrada la subasta y ven-

dido el inmueble relacionado, el alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial a los nuevos dueños dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la celebración de la Subasta. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del demandado/deudor la ocupen. El Alguacil de este Tribunal efectuará el lanzamiento de los ocupantes de ser necesario. Si la subasta es adjudicada a un tercero y luego se deja sin efecto, el tercero a favor de quién se adjudicó la subasta solo tendrá derecho a la devolución del monto consignado más no tendrá derecho a entablar recurso o reclamo adicional alguno (judicial o extrajudicial) contra el demandante y/o el acreedor y/o inversionista, dueño pagaré y/o su abogado.

Si se anula la venta, el comprador tendrá derecho a la devolución del depósito de la venta judicial menos los honorarios y costos incurridos en el proceso de venta judicial. No tendrá ningún otro recurso contra el acreedor hipotecario ejecutante ni la representación legal de éste. Por la presente, también se notifica e informa a Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal, personas desconocidas que puedan tener derechos en la propiedad o título objeto de este edicto. La Venta en Pública Subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga y 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 eso fuera necesario, a los efectos de cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha Subasta. 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. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría de este Tribunal durante horas laborables y para la concurrencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto que se publicará en un periódico de circulación diaria en toda la Isla de Puerto Rico por espacio dos (2) semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana y se fijará, además, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Alcaldía y la Colecturía de Rentas Internas del Municipio donde se celebrará la Subasta

y en la Colecturía más cercana del lugar de la residencia de la parte demandada. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente que firmo y sello, hoy día 9 de febrero de 2023. ALG. HUGO BASCÓ MEDINA, ALGUACIL PLACA #807, SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYNABO.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION T/C/C FANNIE MAE Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE ISRAEL VÉLEZ NIEVES; SUCESIÓN DE ISRAEL VÉLEZ T/C/C JUNITO VÉLEZ; SUCESIÓN DE ROSA FIGUEROA FIGUEROA COMPUESTA POR SUS HEREDEROS CONOCIDOS JOSÉ LÓPEZ FIGUEROA, EDNA LIZ FELICIANO FIGUEROA, LAURA BOLERÍN FIGUEROA, DORIS BOLERIN FIGUEROA Y ROSA

JULIA LÓPEZ FIGUEROA; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE TODAS LAS SUCESIONES

Demandados

Civil Núm.: FA2022CV00270.

Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO ANUNCIANDO PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe, funcionario del Tribunal de la Sala Superior de Fajardo, Puerto Rico, por la presente anuncia y hace saber al público en general que en cumplimiento con la Sentencia dictada en este caso con fecha 2 de septiembre de 2022, y según Orden y Mandamiento del 2 de diciembre de 2022, enmendadas Nunc Pro Tunc el 9 de enero de 2023, librado por este honorable Tribunal, procederé a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor, y por dinero en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal con todo título derecho y/o interés de la parte demandada sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar de forma regular marcado con el número 41 del bloque M con cabida de 210.00 metros cuadrados de la Urbanización Extensión Alamar, radicada en el Barrio Sabana del Municipio de Luquillo, Puerto Rico, y en lindes: por el NORTE, en diez punto cincuenta con la calle

“M”; por el SUR, en 10.50 con el río Sabana; por el ESTE, en 20.00 metros con el solar M-42; y por el OESTE, en 20.00 metros con el solar M-40.6. Según el mejor conocimiento de la parte demandante, el inmueble ofrecido como garantía del préstamo extendido es la residencia principal de la parte demandada. FINCA NÚMERO: 10,262, inscrita al folio 1 del tomo 188 de Luquillo, sección de Fajardo. Nota aclaratoria En el Registro de la Propiedad de Luquillo, Sección de Fajardo se transcribió la descripción registral tal y como consta anteriormente. En la Escritura número 793, otorgada el 26 de agosto de 2005, se indica lo siguiente: Por el NORTE, en diez punto cincuenta (10.50) metros con la calle número once (11). Enclava una estructura de Hormigón y bloques de una sola planta. Dirección Física: URB. ALAMAR M-41 CALLE M, LUQUILLO, PR 00773. Se anuncia por medio de este edicto que la PRIMERA SUBASTA habrá de celebrarse el día 9 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina sita en el edificio que ocupa el Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior de Fajardo. Siendo ésta la primera subasta que se celebrará en este caso, será el precio mínimo aceptable como oferta en la Primera Subasta, eso es el tipo mínimo pactado en la Escritura de Hipoteca para la propiedad, la suma de $48,885.00. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta primera subasta por dicha suma mínima, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 16 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar antes señalado en la cual el precio mínimo serán dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $32,590.00. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta segunda subasta por el tipo mínimo indicado en el párrafo anterior, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en el mismo lugar antes señalado el día 23 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la cual el tipo mínimo aceptable como oferta será la mitad (1/2) del precio mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $24,442.50. Si se declare desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo mínimo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. Con el importe de esta venta se habrá de satisfacer el balance de la sentencia dictada en este caso el cual consiste en el pago de $35,962.18 de principal, más intereses convenidos al

7.5000% anual más recargos hasta su pago, más el pago de lo pactado en la sentencia para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados. Se dispone que una vez celebrada la subasta y vendido el inmueble relacionado, el alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial a los nuevos dueños dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la celebración de la Subasta. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del demandado/deudor la ocupen. El Alguacil de este Tribunal efectuará el lanzamiento de los ocupantes de ser necesario. Si la subasta es adjudicada a un tercero y luego se deja sin efecto, el tercero a favor de quién se adjudicó la subasta solo tendrá derecho a la devolución del monto consignado más no tendrá derecho a entablar recurso o reclamo adicional alguno (judicial o extrajudicial) contra el demandante y/o el acreedor y/o inversionista, dueño pagaré y/o su abogado.

Si se anula la venta, el comprador tendrá derecho a la devolución del depósito de la venta judicial menos los honorarios y costos incurridos en el proceso de venta judicial. No tendrá ningún otro recurso contra el acreedor hipotecario ejecutante ni la representación legal de éste. Por la presente, también se notifica e informa a Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal, personas desconocidas que puedan tener derechos en la propiedad o título objeto de este edicto. La Venta en Pública Subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga y 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 eso fuera necesario, a los efectos de cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha Subasta. 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. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría de este Tribunal durante horas laborables y para la concurrencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto que se publicará en un periódico de circulación diaria en toda la Isla de Puerto Rico por espacio dos (2) sema-

nas y por lo menos una vez por semana y se fijará, además, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Alcaldía y la Colecturía de Rentas Internas del Municipio donde se celebrará la Subasta y en la Colecturía más cercana del lugar de la residencia de la parte demandada. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente que firmo y sello, hoy día 25 de enero de 2023. DENISE BRUNO ORTIZ, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR, SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO. JORGE A. ORTIZ ESTRADA, ALGUACIL REGIONAL INTERINO.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO

ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante Vs. ROBERTO ERAZO CASTILLO; AUTORIDAD PARA EL FINANCIAMIENTO DE LA VIVIENDA DE PUERTO RICO

Demandados

Civil Núm.: FA2022CV00575.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA - IN REM. EDICTO ANUNCIANDO PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe, funcionario del Tribunal de la Sala Superior de Fajardo, Puerto Rico, por la presente anuncia y hace saber al público en general que en cumplimiento con la Sentencia dictada en este caso con fecha 3 de agosto de 2022, y según Orden y Mandamiento del 6 de octubre de 2022 librado por este honorable Tribunal, procederé a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor, y por dinero en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal con todo título derecho y/o interés de la parte demandada sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar número dieciséis del bloque “D” de la Urbanización Santa María ubicada en el Barrio Machos del término municipal de Ceiba, Puerto Rico, con un área superficial de cuatrocientos dieciséis punto noventa y uno metros cuadrados y en lindes por el NORTE, en una distancia de trece metros con servidumbre a favor de Puerto Rico Telephone Company y a la vez con los solares seis y siete del bloque “D” de la urbanización; por el SUR, en una distancia de trece metros con la calle número uno; por el ESTE, en una distancia de treinta y dos punto cero siete metros con el solar número quince del bloque “D”; y por el OESTE, en una distancia de treinta y dos punto cero siete metros con servidumbre a favor de la Autoridad de las Fuentes Fluviales y a la vez con el solar número diecisiete del bloque D de la urbanización. Enclava

vor por la suma de $26,723.89, sin intereses y a vencer el 1ro de septiembre de 2044, según consta de la escritura #69, inscrito al folio 8 del tomo 277 de Peñuelas, finca #7,994, inscripción 8va. Además, se notifica e informa a Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal, personas desconocidas que puedan tener derechos en la propiedad o título objeto de este edicto. La Venta en Pública Subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga y 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 eso fuera necesario, a los efectos de cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha Subasta. 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. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría de este Tribunal durante horas laborables y para la concurrencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto que se publicará en un periódico de circulación diaria en toda la Isla de Puerto Rico por espacio dos (2) semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana y se fijará, además, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Alcaldía y la Colecturía de Rentas Internas del Municipio donde se celebrará la Subasta y en la Colecturía más cercana del lugar de la residencia de la parte demandada. EN

TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente que firmo y sello, hoy día 23 de marzo de 2023. MANUEL MALDONADO, ALGUACIL, SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAMUY

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs.

SUCESIÓN DE ARMANDO

LOPEZ RODRIGUEZ

COMPUESTA POR SU

VIUDA LUCY MORALES

GARCIA T/C/C LUCY

LOPEZ MORALES, POR

SÍ, Y POR SU HEREDERO

CONOCIDO JEFF LÓPEZ

MORALES; FULANO DE

TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL

COMO HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS

O TERCEROS CON INTERÉS SOBRE DICHA SUCESIÓN

Demandados

Civil Núm.: AR2022CV00322. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO ANUNCIANDO

PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe, funcionario del Tribunal de la Sala Superior de Camuy, Puerto Rico, por la presente anuncia y hace saber al público en general que en cumplimiento con la Sentencia dictada en este caso con fecha 3 de agosto de 2022, y según Orden y Mandamiento del 7 de febrero de 2023 librado por este honorable Tribunal, procederé a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor, y por dinero en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal con todo título derecho y/o interés de la parte demandada sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: RÚSTICA: Parcela C, localizada en el Barrio Abra Honda del Municipio de Camuy, Puerto Rico. Tiene una cabida de 1,105.0118 metros cuadrados. Linda al NORTE, con carretera municipal; SUR, con Conrado Monroig; ESTE, con solar marcado con letra “D” (Joel Montijo); OESTE, con solar marcado con la letra “B”. FINCA NÚMERO: 16,714, inscrita al folio 215 del tomo 296 de Camuy, sección II de Arecibo. Dirección Física: SR. 486, RD. 119, KM. 3.3, ABRA HONDA WD. CAMUY, PR 00627. Se anuncia por medio de este edicto que la PRIMERA SUBASTA habrá de celebrarse el día 3 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina sita en el edificio que ocupa el Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior de Camuy. Siendo ésta la primera subasta que se celebrará en este caso, será el precio mínimo aceptable como oferta en la Primera Subasta, eso es el tipo mínimo pactado en la Escritura de Hipoteca para la propiedad, la suma de $138,370.00. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta primera subasta por dicha suma mínima, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 10 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar antes señalado en la cual el precio mínimo serán dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $92,246.66. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta segunda subasta por el tipo mínimo indicado en el párrafo anterior, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en el mismo lugar antes señalado el día 17 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en la cual el tipo mínimo aceptable como oferta será la mitad (1/2) del precio mínimo pactado en la

escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $69,185.00. Si se declare desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo mínimo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. Con el importe de esta venta se habrá de satisfacer el balance de la sentencia dictada en este caso el cual consiste en el pago de $116,311.53 de principal, más intereses convenidos al 4.5000% anual más recargos hasta su pago, más el pago de lo pactado en la sentencia para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados. Se dispone que una vez celebrada la subasta y vendido el inmueble relacionado, el alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial a los nuevos dueños dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la celebración de la Subasta. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del demandado/deudor la ocupen. El Alguacil de este Tribunal efectuará el lanzamiento de los ocupantes de ser necesario. Si la subasta es adjudicada a un tercero y luego se deja sin efecto, el tercero a favor de quién se adjudicó la subasta solo tendrá derecho a la devolución del monto consignado más no tendrá derecho a entablar recurso o reclamo adicional alguno (judicial o extrajudicial) contra el demandante y/o el acreedor y/o inversionista, dueño pagaré y/o su abogado. Si se anula la venta, el comprador tendrá derecho a la devolución del depósito de la venta judicial menos los honorarios y costos incurridos en el proceso de venta judicial. No tendrá ningún otro recurso contra el acreedor hipotecario ejecutante ni la representación legal de éste. Por la presente, también se notifica e informa a Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal, personas desconocidas que puedan tener derechos en la propiedad o título objeto de este edicto. La Venta en Pública Subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga y 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 eso fuera necesario, a los efectos de cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha Subasta. 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. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría de este Tribunal durante horas laborables y para la concurrencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto que se publicará en un periódico de circulación diaria en toda la Isla de Puerto Rico por espacio dos (2) semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana y se fijará, además, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Alcaldía y la Colecturía de Rentas Internas del Municipio donde se celebrará la Subasta y en la Colecturía más cercana del lugar de la residencia de la parte demandada. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente que firmo y sello, hoy día 21 de febrero de 2023. WILFREDO OLMO SALAZAR, ALGUACIL REGIONAL. LUIS E. ROMÁN CARRERO, AGUACIL, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAMUY.

***

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO. WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS CERTIFICATE TRUSTEE OF BOSCO CREDIT II TRUST SERIES

2017-1, BY FRANKLIN CREDIT MANAGEMENT AS SERVICER

Plaintiff, v. LAURA MALDONADOCASILLAS A/K/A LAURA EMMA MALDONADOCASILLAS

Defendant CIVIL NO: 19-1400. IN REM. NOTICE OF SALE.

TO: LAURA

MALDONADO-CASILLAS

A/K/A LAURA EMMA MALDONALDOCASILLAS

WHEREAS, Default Judgment was entered on August 22, 2022, published on November 3, 2022, in favor of Plaintiff the aggregated amount of $118,159.02, consisting of principal, interests which continues to accrue until full payment of the debt at $16.33 daily and other charges, plus the amount of $10,192.00 to cover costs, expenses and attorney fees as agreed in the Mortgage Note in the event judicial foreclosure and collection action. WHEREAS, pursuant to said judgment, the undersigned SPECIAL MASTER, Joel Ronda Feliciano, was ordered

to sell at public auction for US currency in cash or certified check, without appraisal or right to redemption to the highest bidder, the sale will take place at: Federico Degetau Federal Building, Room 150, 150 Carlos Chardon Street, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 00918; this sale is regarding the following property belonging to the Defendant, located at the following physical address: Condominio Medical Center Plaza, Apt. 812 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00912, and described in the Property Registry as follows: URBAN:

HORIZONTAL PROPERTY:

Apartment for residential use number eight hundred and twelve on the plot plan, which is part of the building called Condominium Medical Center Plaza, built on a plot of land of the Monacillos ward of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, whose apartment It is located on the ninth floor of the building, with access door to a corridor for circulation, which communicates with the exterior of the building. This apartment has a surface area of six hundred eightyfour-point ninety square feet, equivalent to sixty-three point sixty-five square meters and consists of the following facilities. Living room, balcony, kitchen with counter, room with its auxiliary closet and bathroom. It adjoins by the NORTH, with the corridor for circulation; by the south, with the front yard; by the EAST, with the apartment number eight hundred and eleven; by the WEST, with apartment number eight hundred thirteen. It corresponds to this apartment and therefore also marks number eight hundred and twelve the parking space for a car located in the parking area at the basement level. The linear measures are this apartment are the following; In front is twenty-two ten inches, equivalent to six point seventy-four meters, in the background is thirty feet zero inches corresponds a share in the common elements equivalent to fifty-five percent point.” Property number 22169, recorded at page 281 of volume 696 of Monacillos, Registry of the Property of Puerto Rico, Section III of San Juan. The property is described in the Spanish language in Registry of the Property of Puerto Rico as follows: URBANA: Propiedad Horizontal. Apartamiento para uso residencial marcado número ochocientos doce en el plano, el cual forma parte del edificio denominado Condominio Medical Center Plaza, construido en una parcela de terreno del Barrio Monacillos del término municipal de San Juan, Puerto Rico, cuyo apartamiento está localizado en la novena planta del edificio, con puerta de acceso a un pasillo para la circulación, que lo comunica con el exterior del edificio. Este apartamiento tiene un

área superficial de seiscientos ochenta y cuatro punto noventa pies cuadrados equivalentes a sesenta y tres punto sesenta y cinco metros cuadrados y consta de las siguientes facilidades. Sala-comedor, balcón, cocina con mostrador, habitación con su closet, closet auxiliar y baño. Colinda por el NORTE, con el pasillo para la circulación; por el SUR, con el patio delantero; por el ESTE, con el apartamiento número ochocientos once; y por el OESTE, con el apartamiento número ochocientos trece. Le corresponde a este apartamiento y por lo tanto también se marca número ochocientos doce, el espacio de estacionamiento para un automóvil localizado en el área de estacionamiento al nivel del sótano. Las medidas lineales de este apartamiento son las siguientes: de frente, veintidós pies diez pulgadas equivalentes a seis punto setenta y cuatro metros de fondo, treinta pies cero pulgadas equivalentes a nueve punto quince metros. Con un porcentaje en los elementos comunes de cero punto cincuenta y cinco por ciento. Potential bidders are advised to verify the extent of preferential liens with the holders thereof. It shall be understood that the potential bidders acquire the property subject to any and all the senior liens that encumber the property. It shall be understood that each bidder accepts as sufficient the title that prior and preferential liens to the one being foreclosed upon, including but not limited to any property tax liens (express, tacit, implied or legal), shall continue in effect, it being understood further that the successful bidder accepts them and is subrogated in the responsibility for the same and the bid price shall not be applied toward the cancellation of their cancellation. The present property will be acquired free and clear of all junior liens. WHEREFORE, the first public sale will be held on June 9, 2023 at 9:30 AM and the minimum bidding amount that will be accepted is the sum of $101,920.00, pursuant to the “Deed of First Mortgage”, Deed Number 13 of November 30th 2007, before notary public Jorge Alberto Maisonet Rivera, duly recorded at Page 110, Volume 929 of Monacillos, 8th inscription, recording of the Registry of the Property of Puerto Rico, Section III of San Juan, securing a mortgage note payable to the Plaintiff, and no lower offers will be accepted. In the event said first auction does not produce a bidder and the property is not adjudicated, a SECOND public auction shall be held on June 16, 2023 at 9:30 AM and the minimum bidding amount that will be accepted will be two-thirds the amount of the minimum bid, the sum of $67,946.67. If said

second auction does not result in the adjudication and sale of the property, a THIRD public auction shall be held on June 23, 2023 at 9:30 AM and the minimum bidding amount that will be accepted will be one-half of the minimum bid, the sum of $50,960.00. Upon confirmation of the sale, an order shall be issued canceling all junior liens. For further particulars, reference is made to the judgment entered by the Court in this case, which can be examined in the aforementioned office of the Clerk of the United States District Court. The files and all the documents corresponding to the procedure initiated will be shown at the court’s office during working hours. San Juan, Puerto Rico, this 4 day of April 2023. Joel Ronda Feliciano, Appointed Special Master, Email: rondajoel@me.com Tel: 787-565-0415.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE FAJARDO

CASCADE FUNDING

MORTGAGE TRUST HB2

Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE SANTOS

NIEVES PÉREZ T/C/C

SANTOS NIEVES PÉREZ

T/C/C SANTOS NIEVES

COMPUESTA POR

LUIS NIEVES FLORES, FULANO DE TAL Y

SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS;

SUCESIÓN DE GLORIA

FLORES ROMÁN T/C/C

GLORIA FLORES COMPUESTA POR

LUIS NIEVES FLORES, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES

DESCONOCIDOS, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN

MUNICIPALES; Y A LOS

ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: RG2020CV00010.

Sala: 303. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA.

Al: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.

A: SUCESIÓN DE SANTOS NIEVES PÉREZ T/C/C SANTOS

NIEVES PÉREZ T/C/C

SANTOS NIEVES COMPUESTA POR

LUIS NIEVES FLORES, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESIÓN DE GLORIA FLORES ROMÁN T/C/C GLORIA FLORES COMPUESTA POR LUIS NIEVES FLORES, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN MUNICIPALES; Y A LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. Yo, SANDRALIZ MARTÍNEZ TORRES, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR #737, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Fajardo, 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 2:00 DE LA TARDE en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Fajardo, Fajardo, 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 3 de diciembre de 2021. 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 2:00 DE LA TARDE; y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 24 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 2:00 DE LA TARDE 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 Fajardo, en el caso de epígrafe con fecha de 22 de febrero 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: Solar radicado en la Urbanización Rio Grande Estates, situada en el Barrio Zarzal del término municipal de Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, con el número, área y colindancias que se relacionan a continuación y contiene una

DE 2023, A LAS 2:00 DE LA TARDE en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, venderé en Pública Subasta la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por Cobro de Dinero al mejor postor quien hará el pago en dinero en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del o la Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Mayagüez durante horas laborables. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: RÚSTICA: Parcela “CD” sita en el BARRIO JAGÜITAS de Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de MIL SEISCIENTOS OCHENTA Y UNO PUNTO TREINTA Y CINCO (1,681.35) METROS CUADRADOS. En lindes por el NORTE, con terrenos de Ramón Acevedo; por el SUR, con la parcela de uso público y el camino municipal; por el ESTE, con el remanente de la finca de la cual se segrega; y por el OESTE, con la parcela “B”. Enclava una estructura de hormigón para fines residenciales. La propiedad objeto de ejecución se encuentra inscrita tomo Karibe de Hormigueros, Registro de la Propiedad de Mayagüez, finca número 7973, inscripción primera. La hipoteca consta inscrita en el tomo Karibe de Hormigueros, Registro de la Propiedad de Mayagüez, finca 7973, inscripción segunda. El embargo a ejecutarse se encuentra presentado al asiento del diario 2022-167108 de Mayagüez, Registro de la Propiedad de Mayagüez. La dirección física de la propiedad antes descrita es: Ward Jagüitas, Rd. 344, Km. 2.6, Parcela CD, Hormigueros, Puerto Rico. La subasta se llevará a efecto para satisfacer a la parte demandante la suma de $80,958.93 de principal, intereses al 3.75 % anual, desde el 1ro. de julio de 2015, hasta su completo pago, más la cantidad de $8,542.40 estipulados para el pago de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, más recargos acumulados, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. 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 y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los 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 hipotecada a ser vendida en pública subasta se encuentra afecta al siguiente gravamen preferente: Hipoteca en Garantía de Pagaré a favor de Popular Morgtgage Inc. o a su orden, por la suma principal de $85,424.00 con intereses al 3.75% anual, vencedero el día 1ro. de octubre de 2042, según consta de la Escritura Número 244, otorgada en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, el día 29 de septiembre de 2012, ante el Notario Público Roberto M. García Rodríguez, inscrita al tomo de el Sistema Karibe de Hormigueros, Registro de la Propiedad, Sección de Mayagüez, finca 7,973, inscripción segunda (2da.). La propiedad a ser vendida en pública subasta se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto para conocimiento y comparecencia de los licitadores, bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, a 3 de abril de 2023. JOSÉ M. CRES-

PO NAZARIO, ALGUACIL DEL TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR, SALA SUPERIOR DE MAYAGÜEZ.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. CARLOS JOSE VIRELLES DE ARMAS, SU ESPOSA

MIRNA JIMENEZ DIAZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES

QUE AMBOS COMPONEN

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CA2019CV03258. (407). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA.

Al: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.

A: CARLOS JOSE

VIRELLES DE ARMAS, SU

ESPOSA MIRNA JIMENEZ DIAZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES

GANANCIALES QUE

AMBOS COMPONEN.

Yo, HÉCTOR L. PEÑA RODRIGUEZ, Alguacil, Placa 278, Alguacil de este Tribunal, a la parte demandada y a los acreedores y personas con interés sobre la propiedad que más adelante se describe, y al público en general, HAGO SABER: Que el día 24 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Carolina, Carolina, Puerto Rico, venderé en Pública Subasta la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por

la vía ordinaria al mejor postor quien hará el pago en dinero en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del o la Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Carolina 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 1RO. DE JUNIO 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 8 DE JUNIO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como

sigue: URBANA: PROPIEDAD

HORIZONTAL: Penthouse “B”

Oeste: Apartamento de dos plantas localizado en la parte Oeste de los pisos identificados con los Nos. 18 y 19 del Edificio Oeste del CONDOMINIO VILLAS DEL MAR, ubicado en un solar en el Barrio Cangrejo Arriba de Carolina. Tiene un área total superficial de 2,297.00 pies cuadrados, equivalentes a 213.40 metros cuadrados, de cuya área 936 pies cuadrados, equivalentes a 86.96 metros cuadrados están en el piso No. 19 y 1,361 pies cuadrados, equivalentes a 126.44 metros cuadrados están en el piso No.

18. Colindancias: en el piso No. 19, colinda el apartamento por el Norte, con el corredor central del piso con dos closets localizado en el lado Sur de dicho corredor con la escalera Oeste del Edificio y con el Penthouse “C” Oeste, teniendo el apartamento su entrada principal y otra entrada de servicio por el lado Sur del referido corredor el cual conecta al apartamento con los accesos en el piso a los dos lados escaleras y los cuatro elevadores del Edificio, que a su vez conecta al apartamento con todas las demás plantas del Edificio, excepto la penúltima, teniendo el apartamento salida a través de los vestíbulos de los elevadores y de las escaleras en la primera planta al patio Sur del Edificio y a la carretera estatal contigua a dicho patio; por el Sur, colinda el apartamento con el patio Sur del Edificio; por el Este, con el referido patio y con el Penthouse “A” Oeste; y por el Oeste, con el Penthouse “C” Oeste y en el piso No. 18, colinda el apartamento: por el Norte, con el patio Norte del Edificio, con el Penthouse “E” Oeste, con el Penthouse “D” Oeste y con la escalera Oeste del Edificio; por el Sur, con el Penthouse “E” Oeste y el patio Sur del Edificio; por el Este, con el Penthouse “E” Oeste y en sus extremos

Noreste y Sureste con los patios Norte y Sur del Edificio; y por el Oeste, con el Penthouse “D” Oeste, con la escalera Oeste del Edificio y con el patio Sur del Edificio, siendo el acceso a esta planta a través de una escalera interior que baja desde la planta superior del apartamento. Pertenecen a este apartamento dos espacios de estacionamiento para un automóvil cada uno, localizados en la línea central Norte de la Sección Oeste del sótano del estacionamiento del Condominio, siendo los espacios los Nos. 7 y 8 del Oeste a Este, estando dichos espacios marcados con la letra del Penthouse. Las dependencias que contiene el apartamento se describen en el documento. La escritura de hipoteca se encuentra inscrita al folio 25vto. del tomo 966 de Carolina Norte, Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, finca número 15439, inscripción 11ª. La dirección física de la propiedad antes descrita es: en el Condominio Villas del Mar, Edificio Oeste, Apartamento PH-B, Carolina, Puerto Rico. La Subasta se llevará a efecto para satisfacer a la parte demandante la suma de $205,975.39 de principal, intereses al 6.250% anual, desde el 1ro. de abril de 2018, hasta su completo pago, más la cantidad de $26,100.00 estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado y recargos acumulados, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. Que la cantidad mínima de licitación en la primera subasta para el inmueble será de $261,000.00 y de ser necesaria una segunda subasta, la cantidad mínima será equivalente a 2/3 partes de aquella, o sea, la suma de $174,000.00 y de ser necesaria una tercera subasta, la cantidad mínima será la mitad del precio pactado, es decir, la suma de $130,500.00. De declararse desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si esta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor. 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 y que las cargas y gravámenes preferentes, si los hubiese, 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 a ser vendida en pública subasta se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Podrán concurrir como postores a todas las subastas los titulares de créditos hipotecarios vigen-

tes y posteriores a la hipoteca que se cobra o ejecuta, si alguno o que figuren como tales en la certificación registral y que podrán utilizar el montante de sus créditos o parte de alguno en sus ofertas. Si la oferta aceptada es por cantidad mayor a la suma del crédito o créditos preferentes al suyo, al obtener la buena pro del remate, deberá satisfacer en el mismo acto, en efectivo o en cheque de gerente, la totalidad del crédito hipotecario que se ejecuta y la de cualesquiera otro créditos posteriores al que se ejecuta pero preferente al suyo. El exceso constituirá abono total o parcial en su propio crédito. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto para conocimiento y comparecencia de los licitadores, bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Carolina, Puerto Rico, 4 de abril de 2023. HÉCTOR L. PEÑA RODRÍGUEZ, ALGUACIL DE LA DIVISIÓN DE EJECUCIÓN DE SENTENCIAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Parte Demandante Vs. PATRICIO A. ESTEVEZ LEÓN Y MARÍA T. POSADA MELLADO Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

Parte Demandada (22-00154)

Civil Núm.: HU2022CV01660. 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: PATRICIO A. ESTEVEZ LEÓN Y MARÍA T. POSADA MELLADO 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, SECRETARÍA REGIONAL. IVELISSE M. MONCLOVA CRUZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE MAYAGÜEZ MARIBEL MERLE

FELICIANO, MARITZA MERLE FELICIANO

Demandantes Vs. MARIA MERCEDES

FELICIANO ROMERO; FRANKLIN ROSADO

CASADO CON FULANA DE TAL Y LA SLG; IVELISSE MERLE FELICIANO; RAMIRO MERLE VARGAS, VIUDO DE OLGA IRIS FELICIANO ROMERO

Demandados

Civil Núm.: MZ2023CV00163. (306). Sobre: INEFICACIA CONTRACTUAL, DESALOJO Y PARTICIÓN DE HERENCIA.

EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDIC-

TO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: IVELISSE MERLE

FELICIANO, DIRECCIÓN: 9459 SWIFT CREEK CIRCLE DOVER, FLA 33527.

Por la presente se notifica que la parte demandante ha presentado ante este Tribunal una Demanda en la que se solicita ineficacia contractual, desalojo y partición de herencia. Detalle de la demanda surge en el expediente en el caso de epígrafe. Se le advierte que 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 electróni-

ca: 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, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Dentro de los Diez (10) días siguientes a la publicación del Edicto, se le dirigirá a la codemandada, por correo certificado con acuse de recibo, una copia del emplazamiento y la Demanda al lugar de su dirección conocida en: 9459 Swift Creek Circle Dover, Fla 33527. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal. En Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, a 3 de abril de 2023. LCDA. NORMA G. SANTANA IRIZARRY, SECRETARIA REGIONAL II. WANDA RENTAS BURGOS, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL

GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. LYMARIS AGUAYO

MATOS T/C/C LIMARIS

AGUAYO MATOS

Demandada Civil Núm.: FA2023CV00150.

Sala: 307. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE

ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S. S.

A: LYMARIS AGUAYO

MATOS T/C/C LIMARIS

AGUAYO MATOS. BP-277 CALLE 64, JARDINES DE RÍO GRANDE, RÍO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO 00745, Y CALLE 64 BP277, URB. JARDINES DE RÍO GRANDE, RÍO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO 00745.

Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda incoada en su contra dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto. 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.ramaiudicial. pr/sumac/, salvo que se repre-

sente por derecho propio. Si usted deja de presentar y notificar 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, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Los abogados de la parte demandante son:

ABOGADOS DE LA PARTE

DEMANDANTE:

Lcdo. Reggie Díaz Hernández RUA Núm.: 16,393 BERMUDEZ & DIAZ LLP 500 Calle De La Tanca Suite 209 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901 Tel.: (787) 523-2670 / Fax: (787) 523-2664 rdíaz@bdprlaw.com

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y el sello de este Tribunal, hoy 10 de abril de 2023. WANDA I. SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. LINDA I. MEDINA MEDINA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO DLJ MORTGAGE CAPITAL, INC.

Plaintiff V. WILSON ALFREDO WILCHEZ-QUINTERO, KENIA ENID OCASIOMARTINEZ, AND THE CONJUGAL PARTNERSHIP WILCHEZOCASIO

Defendants

Civil Action Num.: 16-cv-2657. (RAM). Matter: FORECLOSURE OF MORTGAGE. NOTICE OF SALE.

To: WILSON ALFREDO WILCHEZ-QUINTERO, KENIA ENID OCASIO - MARTINEZ AND THE CONJUGAL PARTNERSHIP WILCHEZOCASIO: AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC:

WHEREAS: On February 8th, 2023, Default Judgment was entered and grated on same day, in favor of Plaintiff to recover from defendants the principal amount of $142,668.90, plus interests at a rate of 6.875% per annum since April 1, 2016, which continues to accrue until the debit is paid in full, late charged on the amount of 5.00% of each and any monthly installment not received by the note holder within 15 days after the installment is due, all advances made in accordance with the mortgage note including, but not limited to, insurance premiums, taxes and inspections as well as 10% ($11,352.50) to cover costs, expenses, and attorney’s fees guaranteed under the mortgage obligation. The records of the case and of these proceedings may be examined by interes-

ted parties at the Office of the Clerk of the United States District Court, Room 150, Federal Office Building, 150 Chardon Avenue, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

WHEREAS: Pursuant to the terms of the aforementioned Judgment, Order of Execution, and the Writ of Execution thereof, the undersigned Special Master was ordered to sell at public auction for U.S. currency in cash or certified check without appraisement or right of redemption to the highest bidder and at the office of the Clerk of the Court, Room 150 – Federal Office Building, 150 Carlos Chardón Avenue, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, to cover the sums adjudged to be paid to the plaintiff, the following property described in Spanish: URBANA: Solar número treinta y dos (32) del Bloque “D” del plano de inscripción de la Urbanización Los Robles radicada en el Barrio Hato Nuevo del término Municipal de Gurabo con un área de trescientos punto treinta (330.30) metros cuadrados. En lindes, por el NORTE, en trece (13.00) metros, con Cementerio de Gurabo; por el SUR, en trece (13.00) metros, con la calle número tres (#3); por el ESTE, en veintitrés punto diez (23.10) metros con el lote número treinta y uno (#31); y por el OESTE, en veintitrés punto diez (23.10) metros, con el lote número treinta y tres (#33). Enclava una casa de una sola planta construida de concreto y bloques para una sola familia. The property is identified with the number 8,822 and is recorded at Page number 122 of Volume number 230 of Gurabo, in the Registry of Property of Caguas. The deed of mortgage is recorded on Page 124 of volume 230 of Gurabo, land # 8,822, second inscription. The deed of modification # 115 of September 9, 2013 is recorded as 3rd inscription, property # 8,822. Property address: Urbanización Los Robles, Calle 3 D-32, Gurabo, P.R. 00778. The deed of mortgage recorded on Page 124 of Volume 230 and the modifications recorded at the Karibe volume of Gurabo, Property Registry of Section II, Caguas, Second Inscription. WHEREAS: This property is subject to the following liens described: Senior Liens: Notice of Lis Pendens, issued by the Federal Court for the District of Puerto Rico, in the civil case number 02-1453HL, by United States of America, for the amount of 31,772.72, annotated at page 124 of volume 230 of Gurabo, property number 8,822, 2nd inscription, as an Abbreviated Entry on July 17, 2012, by virtue of Law number 216 of December 27, 2010 (Filed for record on April 9, 2002, at Entry 240 of Daily Book 508). Junior Liens: NONE. Other Liens: NONE. Potential bidders are advised to verify the extent of preferential

liens with the holders thereof. It shall be understood that each bidder accepts as sufficient the title and that prior and preferential liens to the one being foreclosed upon, including but not limited to any property tax, liens, (express, tacit, implied or legal) shall continue in effect it being understood further that the successful bidder accepts them and is subrogated in the responsibility for the same and that the bid price shall not be applied toward their cancellation. THEREFORE, the FIRST PUBLIC SALE shall be held on the 16TH DAY OF MAY OF 2023, AT: 9:15 AM. The minimum bid that will be accepted is the sum of $148,022.28. In the event said first auction does not produce a bidder and the property is not adjudicated, a SECOND PUBLIC AUCTION shall be held on the 23RD DAY OF MAY OF 2023, AT: 9:15 AM., and the minimum bid that will be accepted is the sum $98,681.52, which is two-thirds of the amount of the minimum bid for the first public sale. If a second auction does not result in the adjudication and sale of the property, a THIRD PUBLIC AUCTION will be held on the 30TH DAY OF MAY OF 2023, AT: 9:15 AM., and the minimum bid that will be accepted is the sum of $74,011.14, which is one-half of the minimum bid in the first public sale. Should there be no award or adjudication at the third public sale, the property may be awarded to the creditor for the entire amount of its debt if it is equal to or less than the amount of the minimum bid of the third public sale, crediting this amount to the amount owed if it is greater. The undersigned Special Master shall not accept in payment of the property to be sold anything but United States currency (cash), or certified checks, except in case the property is sold and adjudicated to the plaintiff, in which case the amount of the bid made by said plaintiff shall be credited and deducted from its credit; said plaintiff being bound to pay in cash or certified check only any excess of its bid over the secured indebtedness that remains unsatisfied. WHEREAS: Said sale to be made by the undersigned Special Master subject to confirmation by the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and the deed of conveyance and possession to the property will be executed and delivered only after such confirmation. Upon confirmation of the sale, an order shall be issued cancelling all junior liens. For further particulars, reference is made to the judgment entered by the Court in this case, which can be examined in the Office of Clerk of the United States District Court, District of Puerto Rico. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, this 10th day of April of 2023. Pedro A.

Vélez Baerga, Special Master, 787-672-8269.

LEGAL NOTICE

“Blue Sky Towers III, LLC would like to place on notice the proposed acquisition of an existing telecommunication installation consisting of a 120’ (125’ including all appurtenances) monopole tower known as “Coamo” located at 18°4’45.43” north latitude and 66°20’42.94” west longitude at the approximate vicinity of at K.m. 1.4 PR-702, Interior, San Idelfonso y Palmarejo Ward, Coamo, Puerto Rico 00769. If you have any concerns regarding historic properties that may be affected by this proposed undertaking, please contact: Miles Walz-Salvador, Lotis Environmental, LLC, at NEPA. NHPA@TheLotisGroup. com or (716) 580-7000.

In your response, please include the proposed undertaking’s location and a list of the historic resources that you believe to be affected along with their respective addresses or approximate locations.”

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE NELSON RAMOS

VEGA, COMPUESTA

POR NELSON RAMOS LÓPEZ, FULANO Y MENGANO DE TAL, POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; YOLANDA LÓPEZ

GARCÍA, POR SÍ Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL USUFRUCTUARIA, DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA POR CONDUCTO DE LA DIVISIÓN DE CAUDALES RELICTOS, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: KCD2017-0995. (503). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA “IN REM”. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que sus-

cribe por la presente anuncia y hace constar que en cumplimiento de la Sentencia dictada el 10 de mayo de 2022, enmendada Nunc Pro Tunc el 21 de febrero de 2023 y notificada el 9 de marzo de 2023 , la Orden de Ejecución enmendada Nunc

Pro Tunc el 21 de febrero de 2023 y el Mandamiento de Ejecución enmendado Nunc Pro Tunc del 23 de marzo de 2023 en el caso de epígrafe, procederé a vender el día 15 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina, localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Centro Judicial de San Juan, Sala Superior, en la Avenida Muñoz Rivera, Esquina Coll y Toste, Parada 37, San Juan, Puerto Rico, al mejor postor en pago de contado y en moneda de los Estados Unidos de América, cheque de gerente o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal; todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada sobre la siguiente propiedad: URBANA: PROPIEDAD HORIZONTAL: Apartamento Número I guion ciento sesenta y seis (I-166). Apartamento residencial de forma irregular localizado en el primer (1er) nivel del Edificio Número tres (3) del Condominio Portales de San Juan, localizado en el Barrio Santo Domingo, Río Piedras del término municipal de San Juan, Puerto Rico. El área aproximada del apartamento es de 1118.00 pies cuadrados, equivalentes a 10.385 metros cuadrados. Son sus linderos por el NORTE, en un máximo de 31 pies 2 pulgadas, con área común; por el SUR, en un máximo de 31 pies 2 pulgadas, con el Apartamento Número I guion ciento sesenta y cinto (I-165); por el ESTE, en un máximo de 34 pies 3 pulgadas, con área común exterior; y por el OESTE, en un máximo de 34 pies 3 pulgadas, con área común exterior. La puerta de entrada de este apartamento está situada en su lindero Oeste.

Consta de sala-comedor, cocina, balcón, tres dormitorios y un baño. Le corresponden un espacio de estacionamiento identificado con el mismo número del apartamento, para dos (2) vehículos de motor colocados uno detrás del otro. Este apartamento tiene una participación de 0.831752% en los elementos comunes del Condominio.

La propiedad consta inscrita al Folio 1 del Tomo Móvil 980-B de Sabana Llana, Finca 32825. Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección V. La hipoteca consta inscrita al Folio móvil del Tomo 980-B de Sabana Llana, Finca 32825. Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección V. Inscripción segunda (2da). Dirección Física: Cond. Portales de San Juan, 1300 Calle 7 Apt. I-166, San Juan, PR 00924-4583. Número de Catastro: 79-087-039-092-04-066. El tipo mínimo para la primera

subasta será de $103,600.00. De no haber adjudicación en la primera subasta se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA, el día 22 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será de dos terceras partes del tipo mínimo fijado en la primera subasta, o sea, $69,066.66. De no haber adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA, el día 30 DE MAYO DE 2023, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será la mitad del precio pactado, o sea, $51,800.00. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. Dicho remate se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante el importe de la Sentencia por la suma de $73,638.93 de principal, más intereses sobre dicha suma al 7% anual desde el 1 de noviembre de 2017 hasta su completo pago, más recargos adeudados desde el día 1 de diciembre de 2017 hasta su total pago, más la cantidad estipulada de $10,360.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados, así como cualquier otra suma que contenga el contrato del préstamo. Surge del Estudio de Título Registral que sobre esta propiedad pesa el siguiente gravamen posterior que afecta la propiedad que se pretende ejecutar: a. Anotación de Demanda: Pleito seguido por Banco Popular de Puerto Rico Vs. Nelson Ramos Vega y su esposa, Yolanda López García, ante el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan en el caso Civil Número K CD2017-0995, sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca, en la que se reclama el pago de hipoteca con un balance de $76,880.98 y otras cantidades, según Demanda de fecha 21 de junio de 2017. Inscrita al Tomo Karibe de Sabana Llana. Anotación A. Se notifica al acreedor posterior o a su sucesor o cesionario en derecho para que comparezca a proteger su derecho si así lo desea. Se les advierte a los interesados que todos los documentos relacionados con la presente acción de ejecución de hipoteca, así como los de Subasta, estarán disponibles para ser examinados, durante horas laborables, en el expediente del caso que obra en los archivos de la Secretaría del Tribunal, bajo el número de epígrafe y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general en Puerto Rico por espacio de dos semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana;

y para su fijación en los sitios públicos requeridos por ley. 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; entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate y que la propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores tal como lo expresa la Ley Núm. 2102015. Y para el conocimiento de los demandados, de los acreedores posteriores, de los licitadores, partes interesadas y público en general, EXPIDO para su publicación en los lugares públicos correspondientes, el presente Aviso de Pública Subasta en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 10 de abril de 2023.

PEDRO HIEYE GONZÁLEZ, ALGUACIL DEL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN, SALA SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE HUMACAO

PALMAS DEL MAR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

Parte Demandante V. RICHARD A. PALOSCIO GALDO; BARBARA A. SELL POLANT

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: HU2022CV01743.

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: RICHARD A. PALOSCIO; BARBARA A. SELL POLANT.

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

FACS[MLL: (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 5 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 GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC.

Demandante V. FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANA DE TAL

Demandado(a)

Civil: CA2022CV01733. 401.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: MARIA ARLENE HERNANDEZ

NIEVES, JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO

POSIBLES MEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN ELISA NIEVES

MONTES T/C/C ELISA N. ROSADO T/C/C ELISA

NIEVES T/C/C JOHN

ROE Y JANE ROE COMO

POSIBLES MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN GENOVEVA NIEVES MONTES T/C/C GENOVEVA NIEVES MONTE.

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 5 de ABRIL de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará

hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 10 de ABRIL de 2023. En CAROLINA, Puerto Rico, el 10 DE ABRIL de 2023. MARILYN APONTE RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA. KEILA GARCÍA SOLÍS, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC

Demandante Vs. SUCESION JUAN IVAN BATISTA ROSARIO RIVERA T/C/C JUAN BATISTA ROSARIO RIVERA T/C/C JUAN B. ROSARIO RIVERA T/C/C JUAN ROSARIO COMPUESTA POR JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; EVA CARRIN CARRION T/C/C EVA CARRION DE ROSARIO T/C/C EVA CARRION POR SI Y EN CUANTO A LA CUOTA VIUDAL USUFRUCTUARIA; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Parte Demandada Caso Núm.: CG2021CV02369. Sobre: Ejecución de hipoteca. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS. (Nombre de las partes a las que se les notifica la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 3 de abril de 2023 este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notifica-

ción ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 10 de abril de 2023. En Caguas, Puerto Rico, 10 de abril de 2023. LISILDA MARTÍNEZ

AGOSTO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. JESSENIA PEDRAZA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA

GITSIT SOLUTIONS, LLC

Demandante V.

SUCESION DE JORGE

ALBERTO NAVARRO

SOLER, COMPUESTA

POR: ARELIS NAVARRO

RODRIGUEZ, NORBERTO

NAVARRO RODRIGUEZ:

IVONNE MARIA NAVARRO

GARCIA; ANIBAL

NAVARRO RODRIGUEZ, DIANA NAVARRO

RODRIGUEZ: SUCESION DE GEORGE JUNIOR

NAVARRO COMPUESTA

POR SUS HEREDEROS

GEORGIE NAVARRO

RAMOS, ASHLEY

NATASHA NAVARRO

RAMOS, FULANO Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS; ANA

MARIA RODRIGUEZ

GARAY POR SÍ Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL

USUFRUCTUARIA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CA2022CV02658.

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 Carolina, 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 mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala

de Carolina, el 24 DE MAYO DE 2023 A LAS 9:45 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: Apartamento 252501: URBANA: PROPIEDAD HORIZONTAL: Apartamento residencial de dos niveles de forma irregular identificado con el número 2501 del edificio número 25 del Condominio Jardín Sereno, situado en el barrio Sabana Abajo del término municipal de Carolina, Puerto Rico. Tiene una cabida aproximada de 1589.61 pies cuadrados equivalentes a 147.6797 metros cuadrados. En su primer nivel colinda por el NORTE, en una distancia aproximada de 34 pies 6 pulgadas con el Apartamento identificado con el número 25-2502; por el SUR, en una distancia aproximada de 34 pies 6 pulgadas con elemento común; por el ESTE, en una distancia aproximada de 15 pies 10 pulgadas con elemento común; y por el OESTE, en una distancia aproximada de 11 pies 1 pulgada con elemento común. En su segundo nivel colinda por el NORTE, en una distancia aproximada de 34 pies 6 pulgadas con el Apartamento identificado con el número 252503; por el SUR, en una distancia aproximada de 35 pies 4 pulgadas con el Apartamento identificado con el número 252502; por el SUR, en una distancia aproximada de 15 pies 10 pulgadas con exterior; y por el OESTE, en una distancia aproximada de 20 pies 2 pulgadas con exterior. La puerta de entrada de este Apartamento está situada en el primer nivel en su colindancia Este a través de la cual se llega a los elementos comunes generales, por los cuales se obtiene acceso a la vía pública. En su primer nivel este Apartamento consta de recibidor exterior, sala-comedor, cocina, un baño, lavandería, escaleras que permiten el acceso al segundo nivel, terraza y patio. En su segundo nivel esta Apartamento consta de pasillo, baño, tres habitaciones, una de ellas con “walk-in closet” y baño. Le corresponde un espacio de estacionamiento doble identificado con el número 106. Tiene una participación de 0.006995% en los elementos comunes generales del Condominio. Este Apartamento conlleva una participación con los demás titulares en los elementos comunes de y a través del Condominio Jardín Sereno que se relacionan en la finca matriz equivalente al porcentajes o porcentajes que se expresan en la citada inscripción de dicha finca, derecho que regirá por las disposiciones de la ley y por el Reglamento AdministrativVo del Condominio. Consta inscrita al folio 172 del

tomo 983 de Carolina Norte, finca número 41259, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección Primera de Carolina. Propiedad localizada en: Condominium Jardin Sereno Apt 2501, Carolina, PR 00983. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución no está gravada por cargas anteriores o cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante. 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 $190,168.29, 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 Carolina, el 1RO DE JUNIO DE 2023 A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $126,778.86, 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 $95,084.14, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Carolina, el 8 DE JUNIO DE 2023 A LAS 9:45 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 $131,607.90 de principal, intereses al tipo del 3.500% anual según ajustado desde el día 1ro. de septiembre de 2019 hasta el pago de la deuda en su totalidad, más la suma de $16,650.00 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 Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy día 04 de abril de 2023. GRETCHEN

M. JEREZ SEDA, ALGUACIL DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA, SALA SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN VIG MORTGAGE CORP.

Parte Demandante Vs. JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV01562. Salón de Sesions: 603. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO POR SUMAC.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE. EL SECRETARIO (A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 11 de abril de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de esta. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 12 de abril de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 12 de abril de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. JOHANNA RODRÍGUEZ BENÍTEZ, SECRETA-

RIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. SUCESION DE LUZ MYRTA ENCARNACION DE JESUS, COMPUESTA POR SU HEREDERA CONOCIDA

DIMARYS MIRANDA ENCARNACION; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERES EN LA SUCESION; AUTORIDAD PARA EL FINANCIAMIENTO DE LA VIVIENDA DE PUERTO RICO

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV10498. Sala: 803. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R.,SS.

A: FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE LUZ MYRTA ENCARNACIÓN DE JESÚS. EDIFICIO GOBERNADO, APTO. 33 CALLE MAYAGÜEZ, SAN JUAN, PR 00917. DIRECCIÓN POSTAL: APTO. 33 CALLE MAYAGÜEZ, SAN JUAN, PR 00917. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 días a partir de la publicación de este edicto. 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. 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, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Se le apercibe que conforme al artículo 1578 del Código Civil,

31 L.P.R.A. §11021, usted tiene 30 días para aceptar o repudiar la herencia desde la publicación de este edicto. A esos efectos, de no rechazarla, se tendrá la herencia por aceptada. Representa a la parte demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS RÚA NÚM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970

TEL: 787-751-5290, FAX: 787-751-6155

E-MAIL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com

En San Juan, Puerto Rico a 13 de abril de 2023. Griselda Rodriguez Collado, SECRETARIA. MARÍA I. RÍOS LÓPEZ, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. FÉLIX CARLOS

SANTIAGO DELGADO

T/C/C FÉLIX SANTIAGO DELGADO, SU ESPOSA ANNABEL LEE DE SANTIAGO

T/C/C ANNABEL LEE

D. SANTIAGO Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV01281. (604). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA - IN REM. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: FÉLIX CARLOS

SANTIAGO DELGADO

T/C/C FÉLIX SANTIAGO

DELGADO, SU ESPOSA ANNABEL LEE DE SANTIAGO T/C/C

ANNABEL LEE D. SANTIAGO.

LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 3 de abril de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse

recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 11 de abril de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 11 de abril de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ELSA MAGALY CANDELARIO CABRERA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE CABO ROJO

Demandante Vs GABRIEL OSCAR RODRÍGUEZ PÉREZ

Demandado

Civil Núm.: PO2022CV02744.

Salón: 601. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y REPOSESIÓN DE VEHÍCULO DE MOTOR (LEY DE TRANSACCIONES COMERCIALES, 19 L.P.R.A. §2201) (VÍA ORDINARIA). NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: GABRIEL OSCAR RODRÍGUEZ A SER NOTIFICADOS POR EDICTO POR CONDUCTO DEL LCDO. RAFAEL FABRE COLÓN, P.O. BOX

277, MAYAGÜEZ, PUERTO RICO 00681. TEL. 787265-0334.

P/C LCDO. RAFAEL FABRE COLÓN. P.O. BOX

277, MAYAGÜEZ, PUERTO RICO 00681. TEL. 787265-0334.

(Nombre de las partes a las que se les notifica la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 13 de abril de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta

notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 14 de abril de 2023. En Ponce, Puerto Rico, el 14 de abril de 2023. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. HILDA J. ROSADO RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SAN JUAN ORIENTAL BANK Demandante V. MICHELLE DENISE ARMBRUSTER ACEVEDO

Demandada

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV06350. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan, hago saber a la parte demandada MICHELLE DENISE ARMBRUSTER ACEVEDO, y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL; que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 6 de marzo de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta por el precio mínimo de $189,990.00 y al mejor postor, pagadero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o giro postal, a nombre del alguacil del tribunal, la propiedad que se describe a continuación: 2505 PORTALES DE ALTAMESA, SAN JUAN, PR 00926, y que se describe de la siguiente manera: URBANA: Propiedad Horizontal: Apartamento designado coma 2505 del Condominio Portales de Altamesa, ubicado en Avenida San Alfonso del Barrio Las Lomas del término municipal de San Juan, Puerto Rico, compuesto de área de apartamento de 1,247.2694 pies cuadrados, equivalentes a 115.8751 metros cuadrados, compuesto de sala, comedor, cocina, lavandería, 3 cuartos dormitorios, dos baños, balcón, uso de azotea que sirve de terraza abierta y uso de azotea que sirve de terraza cubierta, escalera interna para ganar acceso a las terrazas superiores, siendo sus colindancias; por el Norte, en 29’3” con pared exterior que a su vez lo conecta con elemento externo y espacio aéreo; por el Sur, en 29’3” con pared externa que a su vez lo conecta con elemento externo y espacio aéreo; por el Este, en 41 ‘2” con medianera que lo separa del apartamento 2506 y con área de

pasillo y escaleras que facilitan acceso al apartamento desde el primer piso, su salida hacia las áreas comunales y provee acceso a las apartamentos inferiores y por el Oeste, en 44’8” con pared medianera que lo separa del apartamento 2606. Este apartamento tiene el disfrute de las áreas comunes generales de uso limitado a las que se tiene acceso par media de escalera internas. Esas áreas están compuestas por la azotea o terraza abierta que ubica inmediatamente encima designadas coma áreas de terraza abierta y área de terraza cerrada compuesta conjuntamente de 1,306.3420 pies cuadrados, equivalentes a 121.3631 metros cuadrados, compuesta de área abierta y área cerrada siendo sus colindancias; par el Norte en 29’3” con pared exterior que a la vez lo conecta con elementos externos y espacio aéreo; por el Sur, en 29’3” con pared exterior que a su vez lo conecta con elementos externos y espacio aéreo; par el Este, en 42’1” con pared que lo separa de la azotea que tiene para su disfrute el apartamento #2506 y por el Oeste, en 44’8” con pared que lo separa del área de azotea que tiene para su disfrute el apartamento 2606. Estas áreas de azotea son de uso común limitado y podrán las titulares del apartamento hacer uso exclusivo del mismo. Será de su responsabilidad el uso armónico de las mismas dentro de las limites dispuestos por el Régimen de Propiedad Horizontal, el Reglamento y la Ley de Propiedad Horizontal. Será de su responsabilidad el mantenimiento y limpieza de esas áreas. Le corresponden a este apartamento 2 estacionamientos designados con el #2505 en la hoja de plano unida al plano de inscripción así coma una participación equivalente a 1.00897661% de los elementos comunes generales del condominio. Finca 27057 inscrita al folio 152 del tomo 924 de Monacillos, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección III. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) Hipoteca constituida par Michelle Denise Armbruster Acevedo, soltera, en garantía de un pagaré, aff#. 5294, a favor de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria P.R., o a su orden, por $189,990.00, al 6.875%, vencedero el 1 de septiembre de 2037, según Esc. #304, en San Juan, a 3 de agosto de 2007, ante Miriam Velez de Montañez, inscrita al folio 152 del tomo 924 de Monacillos, finca #27057, inscripción 2da. y última, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección III. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (i). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma

satisfacer la sentencia dicta el 8 de diciembre de 2022, mediante la cual se condenó a la parte demandada pagar a la parte demandante la suma de $149,934.37 de principal, más intereses al 6.875% anual que continuarán acumulándose a partir del 1 de junio de 2021 hasta el saldo total, $686.51 de cargos por atrasos, $18,999.00 de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, más cualquier otro desembolso que haya efectuado o efectúe la parte demandante durante la tramitación de este caso para otros adelantos de conformidad con el Contrato Hipotecario, incluyendo primas de seguro de hipoteca, prima de seguro de siniestro y cargos por demora. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 24 DE MAYO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA , en la oficina del Alguacil, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma la cantidad de $189,990.00, sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 1 DE JUNIO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30

DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la que servirá como tipo mínimo, dos terceras (2/3) partes del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $126,660.00. Si no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el día 8 DE JUNIO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30

DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar en la que regirá como tipo mínimo, la mitad del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $94,995.00. El Alguacil que suscribe hizo constar que toda licitación deberá hacerse para pagar su importe en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América, de acuerdo con la Ley y de acuerdo con lo anunciado en este Aviso de Subasta. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables. Se entiende que todo licitador que comparezca a la subasta señalada en este caso acepta como bastante la titulación que da base a la misma. Se entiende que cualquier carga y/o gravamen anterior y/o preferente, si la hubiere al crédito que da base a esta ejecución continuará subsistente, entendiéndose, además, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción cualquier parte del remanente del precio de licitación. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la ins-

cripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Vendida o adjudicada la finca o derecho hipotecado y consignado el precio correspondiente, en esa misma fecha o fecha posterior, el alguacil que celebró la subasta procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura pública de traspaso en representación del dueño o titular de los bienes hipotecados, ante el notario que elija el adjudicatario o comprador, quien deberá abonar el importe de tal escritura. El alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial al nuevo dueño, si así se lo solicita dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la confirmación de la venta o adjudicación. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del deudor la ocupen. Y PARA CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS LICITADORES Y DEL PUBLICO EN GENERAL y para su publicación de acuerdo con la Ley, expido el presente Edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 14 de abril de 2023. PEDRO HIEYE GONZÁLEZ, ALGUACIL, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE SAN JUAN.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYNABO

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO Y SUN

WEST MORTGAGE

COMPANY, INC. COMO

AGENTE DE SERVICIO

Demandante Vs, SUCESIÓN DE MONSERRATE

BLASSINO ALVARADO

T/C/C MONSERRATE

ALVARADO T/C/C

MONSITA BLASSINO

T/C/C MONSITA

BLASSINO DE REYES

COMPUESTA POR

SUS HEREDEROS

CONOCIDOS LIGIA

REYES

CARMEN ANA REYES

BLASSINO Y ERNESTO REYES BLASSINO; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERÉS EN DICHA SUCESIÓN; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: GB2023CV00182.

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

A: CARMEN ANA REYES

BLASSINO COMO HEREDERA CONOCIDA DE LA SUCESIÓN DE MONSERRATE

BLASSINO ALVARADO

T/C/C MONSERRATE

ALVARADO T/C/C

MONSITA BLASSINO

T/C/C MONSITA

BLASSINO DE REYES; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE DICHA SUCESIÓN.

BARRIO FRAILES URB.

VILLAS DEL PARQUE, SOLAR #10 BLOQUE A, GUAYNABO, PR 00965.

DIRECCIÓN POSTAL:

herencia por aceptada. Representa a la parte demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS RÚA NÚM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970 TEL: 787-751-5290, FAX: 787-751-6155 E-MAlL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com En Guaynabo, Puerto Rico a 13 de abril de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL II. SARA ROSA VILLEGAS, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL CONFIDENCIAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF RMF BUYOUT ACQUISITION TRUST 2018-1

Plaintiff V.

THE ESTATE OF HERIBERTO FEBUS

BERNARDINI COMPOSED OF ROBERTO FEBUS

LOMBA, LISSETTE FEBUS LOMBA, HERIBERTO FEBUS LOMBA, AND JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE; SANTIA MARIA LOMBA

DELGADO A/K/A SANTIA

A/K/A SANTIA M. LOMBA; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA; CENTRO DE RECUADACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The Clerk of the Court hereby notifies defendant that on 02/07/2023, this Court entered Judgment for Collection of Monies and Foreclosure that appears registered in the docket of this case, where you can be informed of its terms.This Notice shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation on the island of Puerto Rico, during the term often (10) days after its notification. And, taking into consideration that you have been a party to this case and subject to the terms of the Judgment from which you can request reconsideration or appeal in the term of thirty (30) days from the date the notice of judgment by publication is published, this notice is entered, on this date, this 14th day of April, 2023. Ada I. Garcia-Rivera, Esq., Clerk Of The Court. Ana Duran, Deputy Clerk.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante V. JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE

Demandado(a)

Civil Núm.: TA2023CV00120.

archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 13 de abril de 2023. En BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico, el 13 de abril de 2023.

Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria. Lureimy Alicea González, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA

TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

CARMEN MILAGROS CARPIO MALDONADO

Demandante V. ROMAN

BURGOS RIVERA

Demandado(a)

Civil: SJ023RF00093. (705).

Sobre: DIVORCIO (R.I.). NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: ROMAN

BURGOS RIVERA.

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 10 de abril de 2023, este

Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 10 de abril de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 12 de abril de 2023. Griselda Rodríguez Collado, Secretaria. Carmen J. Castro Serrano, Secretaria Auxiliar.

BLASSINO,

10-A ST. A VILLAS DEL PARQUE GUAYNABO, PR 00965 Y A PO BOX 360361 SAN JUAN, PR 00936. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 días a partir de la publicación de este edicto. 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. 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, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Se le apercibe que conforme al artículo 1578 del Código Civil, 31 L.P.R.A. §11021, usted tiene 30 días para aceptar o repudiar la herencia desde la publicación de este edicto. A esos efectos, de no rechazarla, se tendrá la

LOMBA A/K/A SANTIA

LOMBA DELGADO A/K/A

SANTIA LOMBA DE FEBUS A/K/A SANTIA

M. LOMBA DE FEBUS

A/K/A SANTIA M. LOMBA; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA; CENTRE DE RECUADACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Defendants

Civil Action No.: 3:16-CV-1376ADC. NOTICE OF JUDGMENT BY PUBLICATION.

To: THE ESTATE OF HERIBERTO FEBUS BERNARDINI COMPOSED OF ROBERTO FEBUS

LOMBA, LISSETTE FEBUS LOMBA, HERIBERTO FEBUS LOMBA, AND JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE; SANTIA MARIA LOMBA

DELGADO A/K/A SANTIA

LOMBA A/K/A SANTIA

LOMBA DELGADO A/K/A

SANTIA LOMBA DE FEBUS A/K/A SANTIA

M. LOMBA DE FEBUS

Salón: 703. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 12 de abril de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido

American Towers LLC is proposing to increase the ground space for an existing telecommunications tower compound by 39-feet by 78-feet, 5 inches, along with a 30ft buffer surrounding the current and proposed lease area, at Carr. #102, KM. 10.5, Barrio Guanajibo, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico 00623, tax parcel ID 283-032-006-16-001.

American Towers LLC seeks comments from all interested persons on any potential significant impact the proposed action could have on the quality of the human environment pursuant to 47 C.F.R. Section 1.1307, including potential impacts to historic or cultural resources that are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Interested persons may comment or raise concerns about the proposed action by submitting an e-mail to enviro. services@americantower. com. Paper comments can be sent to: American Towers LLC, Attn: Environmental Compliance, 10 Presidential Way, Woburn, MA 01801. Requests or comments should be limited to environmental and historic/cultural resource impact concerns and must be received on or before May 23, 2023. This invitation to comment is separate from any local planning/ zoning process that may apply to this project.

American Towers LLC is proposing to increase the ground space for an existing telecommunications tower compound by 12-feet, 11-inches by 16-feet by 13feet, 8-inches, along with a 30ft buffer surrounding the current and proposed lease area, at Carr. 670 Km. 7.5 Bo. Pugnado, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico 00693, tax parcel ID 057-013-340-09-001.

American Towers LLC seeks comments from all interested persons on any potential significant impact the proposed action could have on the quality of the human environment pursuant to 47 C.F.R. Section 1.1307, including potential impacts to historic or cultural resources that are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Interested persons may comment or raise concerns about the proposed action by submitting an email to enviro.services@ americantower.com. Paper comments can be sent to: American Towers LLC, Attn: Environmental Compliance, 10 Presidential Way, Woburn, MA 01801. Requests or comments should be limited to environmental and historic/cultural resource impact concerns and must be received on or before May 23, 2023. This invitation to comment is separate from any local planning/zoning process that may apply to this project.

By KRIS RHIM

When Eliud Kipchoge takes the course for any marathon, it typically turns into a race for second place.

But that trend shifted at Monday’s Boston Marathon, as Kipchoge could not keep up with the pace in the pouring rain, and Evans Chebet pulled away to win his second straight Boston Marathon in 2 hours 5 minutes and 54 seconds.

Chebet, a 34-year-old Kenyan, is the first man to win the Boston Marathon in back-to-back years since Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won three straight beginning in 2006. Chebet hinted at a three-peat after the win.

“I’m happy because I won last year and this year, so maybe next year I’ll come back again,” he said. Chebet said his experience running the course last year gave him an advantage during Monday’s rainy conditions. He was faster by nearly a full

minute.

Chebet had been among a pack of 11 runners that Kipchoge seemed to

be comfortably leading, until Gabriel Geay, who finished second, led an aggressive move at the 19-mile mark,

and the pack left Kipchoge behind it.

Chebet has won his last three marathons, also winning the New York City race last year.

It was a shocking upset for Kipchoge, the greatest marathon runner of all time, who finished in sixth place. Kipchoge’s time was 2 hours 9 minutes and 23 seconds, his slowest marathon finish ever.

Kipchoge has only lost two marathons in 15 attempts, which includes 10 world marathon major wins. It was his first time running at the Boston Marathon on a day laden with rain and a course with a hilly terrain that forces many runners to struggle. Kipchoge’s last marathon loss came at the 2020 London Marathon in similar rainy conditions.

Kipchoge, 38, has said that running all six major marathons is on his “bucket list.” He now has just the New York City Marathon to check off his list, which will happen in November.

Evans Chebet wins back-to-back Boston Marathons Hellen Obiri wins her Boston Marathon debut

By KRIS RHIM

By the 23-mile mark the women’s marathon was still anyone’s race, as five runners jockeyed for position down the final stretch. They were so close that Ababel Yeshaneh fell after clipping another runner’s foot.

Hellen Obiri, a 33-year-old Kenyan led that group for most of the way, often checking around to see where her competitors were. She briefly fell behind the pack at points, but ultimately held the group off to win the women’s race in 2 hours 21 minutes and 38 seconds.

Obiri, who was competing in just her second marathon showed her speed with about a half-mile left in the race, pumping her arms hard and leaving the rest of the group behind her. Obiri finished sixth in the New York City Marathon last year, her only other race of this distance. She won the New York City Half Marathon on March 19. After that race Obiri moved to Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Tom

Nyaundi, and their 7-year-old daughter, Tania, to train. Obiri said she was

anxious about racing in Boston, unsure how she would match up with the talented field.

“It’s a surprise to me,” Obiri said with a smile, her daughter standing next to her. Obiri said her daughter motivates her, and often peppers her with questions like, “You can’t be number one?”

“So I try to make them happy,” Obiri said, “because sometimes I don’t want to go, but something tells you to try to keep on fighting. So I kept on fighting.”

Amane Beriso of Ethiopia finished second and Lonah Salpeter of Israel finished third.

Yeshaneh, who finished second in this race last year, recovered from her fall and at moments looked as if she could win, but she faded away at the end, finishing fourth.

American Emma Bates, who was a part of the group at Mile 23, could not keep the pace at the end of the race, finishing in fifth place.

Marathon finishers walk along Commonwealth Avenue during the Boston Marathon in Boston, April 17, 2023.

An undated photo provided by On Running shows Hellen Obiri on a long training run in Colorado. Obiri moved from Kenya to Boulder, Colo., to chase a running accomplishment she has yet to achieve: dominance in the marathon.

FIFA silenced one World Cup protest but may face more this year

By TARIQ PANJA

Barely four months after it allowed a public fight over rainbow-colored armbands to overshadow the start of the World Cup in Qatar, world soccer’s governing body is facing similar questions about whether players will be allowed to express support for gay rights at this year’s Women’s World Cup.

It is a fight that everyone involved agreed should not have happened again.

Stung by fierce public and internal backlash in November, when soccer’s leaders silenced a plan to wear armbands promoting a social justice campaign by threatening to suspend players who took part, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in March that lessons had been learned from the events in Qatar. Seeking to head off a new fight with some of the world’s top women’s players at their own championship, Infantino promised a solution would be in place before the Women’s World Cup opens in Australia and New Zealand on July 20.

Yet even as he was offering those assurances, FIFA had already found a new way of angering both its players and its partners.

It had, without consulting organizers in either Australia or New Zealand, all but agreed to a sponsorship deal that would have made Saudi Arabia, via its Visit Saudi tourism brand, a marquee sponsor of the women’s tournament. The collaboration would have had dozens of gay players take the field for matches in stadiums advertising travel to a country that does not recognize same-sex relationships, and where homosexuality remains a criminal offense.

It was only after weeks of silence, behind-the-scenes crisis talks and public rebukes from officials in both host nations that FIFA confirmed the deal was dead. Infantino dismissed the entire controversy over it as “a storm in a teacup.” To others, it was far more than that.

“In leadership, you’ve got to take a stand on issues that you feel strongly about,” said James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia, the sport’s govern-

ing body in the country.

“This is one that caught us by surprise. It was one that we spoke with our players about, our governments, our partners. And we also had a good sense of the general feel around the Australian community that this deal was not in line with how we saw the tournament playing out. So we decided, together with New Zealand, that we would put our foot down on this occasion.”

Australia’s players were particularly frustrated with the proposed Saudi sponsorship, Johnson said, so much so that the situation has strengthened attitudes on the team that the tournament should be used as a platform to promote the values they stand for. At least one Australian player said FIFA’s decision to bring the World Cup to Qatar, and its willingness to bow to local attitudes, had been instructive.

“I think the last World Cup, the men’s World Cup, was a great example of just what’s going on in the world, and how much is still wrong,” said Emily Gielnik, a forward who has been a member of Australia’s women’s team

for more than a decade.

“And I think there were some teams that were trying to represent that and obviously, playing the World Cup in that country was very controversial, for a lot of reasons. And hopefully, we can embody and resemble that, and be proud of who we are as people.”

Several federations bringing teams to the tournament, including those from England and Netherlands, two of the countries that had clashed most strongly with FIFA over armbands in Qatar, but also prominent powers like the United States and Germany, have a history of supporting their players and the causes most important to them.

While no plans for similar protests have been made public, women’s players also may be less likely than their men’s counterparts to take a step back should FIFA attempt to squelch their messaging as it did in Qatar. The teams coming to Australia and New Zealand feature some of the most prominent female athletes in the world, many of whom are comfortable speaking their minds on Saudi Arabia or anything else, and who have been emboldened

by recent successes in fights as diverse as equal pay and uniform design.

The women’s game, Gielnik said, was further ahead than the men’s game when it came to speaking freely about social issues, and she predicted teams and players would not shy away from taking advantage of the platform offered by the World Cup.

“I think some things will be controversial,” said Gielnik, one of several gay players on the Matildas team. “It depends what path we take and what path other countries take.”

For FIFA, backing away from the Visit Saudi agreement was not easy. Saudi officials were frustrated about losing the deal, part of a suite of sponsorships that Saudi Arabia had agreed to with FIFA to promote the kingdom. Visit Saudi had quietly been added to the roster of sponsors at the Qatar World Cup last year and then at the Club World Cup in January in Morocco.

Clearly frustrated by having to change plans and disappoint Saudi Arabia, which has proved a key backer of his own interests, Infantino chided FIFA’s critics over the pressure to cancel the Visit Saudi deal for its marquee women’s championship. Australia, he pointed out, retains ongoing economic links with the kingdom.

“There is a double standard which I really do not understand,” Infantino said. “There is no issue. There is no contract. But of course we want to see how we can involve Saudi sponsors, and those from Qatar, in women’s football generally.”

Johnson, the Australian soccer executive, and others responded that attitudes in the Gulf about homosexuality were only part of the problem. At a recent event hosted by the Australian High Commission in London to mark 100 days until the start of the World Cup, officials spoke about how the tournament would also act as a showcase to promote tourism to both host countries, underlining another reason FIFA’s planned agreement to highlight Saudi tourism had caused so much distress.

“It could have been Visit Finland and it still would have been a problem,” Johnson said.

The armband that Rachel Daly wore for an England game in February would have gotten her suspended at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Is this heaven? No, it’s Vancouver.

By KURT STREETER

So maybe this is why so many Minor League Baseball teams have left Canada.

I had come to the mountain-rimmed metropolis of Vancouver, British Columbia to watch baseball with the locals. This was the second game of the season for the Class A Canadians, part of the Toronto Blue Jays farm system and the last Canadian minor league team affiliated with Major League Baseball.

As the nighttime temperature plummeted — 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 45, to near 40 — my wool coat stood up to the cold about as well as a wet paper towel. I tried to take notes, but my fingers were too frosty to move.

There wasn’t much to note, as the home team lost to rival Tri-City 9-1 in front of 1,500 fans at little Nat Bailey Stadium.

It felt like heaven.

The charm of watching Canadians baseball at the venerable stadium got to me, with its swooping grandstand, its manual scoreboard, its views of a nearby park that will look like a verdant oil painting come summer.

I’m not the only one: When the weather heats up, Canadians regularly play to sellout crowds of 6,500 or so, attendance figures that rival Class AAA teams.

I was close enough to feel the intimacy of the place. The percussive thump of a line drive slamming an infielder’s mitt. A fan giving the business to an umpire, albeit in a courteous, Canadian way.

“I’ve seen better umpiring at a Little League game!” amounted to a bruising insult.

Despite the manifold recent changes to professional baseball in North America, the foundation of its narrative exists where it always has — in the minor leagues.

The Canadians might be minor league, but they possess what one fan told me was “a hold on Vancouver’s heart” — a sentiment I heard repeatedly during my visit.

Well before the major leagues took root in Canada, first with the Montreal Expos and then the Toronto Blue Jays, affiliated minor league teams spread across the country. Not long after World War II, roughly 10 such teams played in Canada, depending on the season, stretching from Victoria in

the west to Quebec City in the east.

Vancouver’s team, then known as the Mounties, began playing in the 1950s at a newly built, concrete-based stadium near downtown that decades later came to be known as Nat Bailey, or, to locals, “the Nat.”

When the Mounties moved to Salt Lake City for the 1970 season, baseball went fallow in Vancouver for eight years, when the Canadians were born.

But by 2000, the big leagues began a full-tilt retrenchment from Canada. (A smattering of independent teams still play there.)

“The majors became less inclined to want their players playing in that cold,” said Jon Stott, a retired English professor at the University of Alberta who has written extensively about professional baseball in his home country. Stott recalled going to Edmonton Trappers games in the 1990s when the temperature seemed to hover near freezing. “But more than that, rich Americans were willing to come in and move our teams and build luxury stadiums in the United States for them.”

Nolan Ryan bought Edmonton’s team and moved it to Texas. The Calgary Cannons relocated to New Mexico. The Ottawa Lynx moved to Pennsylvania.

Soon enough, only the Canadians remained.

How long can they last? The economics of baseball churns now with significant change. MLB reorganized the minor leagues in 2021 and closed struggling ballclubs, shuttering 40 of them.

American business interests have set sights on minor league teams with greater fervor. Over the past few years, a private equity firm, Diamond Baseball Holdings, had purchased 16 minor league franchises, including some of the best known brands: the Oklahoma City Dodgers, St. Paul Saints, Iowa Cubs and Memphis Redbirds, to name a few.

Two weeks ago, the company announced its latest acquisition, the Canadians. The private equity firm purchased the team from a pair of retired businesspeople who bought it in 2007, spruced it up and

are beloved figures in this city.

One of those owners, Jake Kerr, assured me that he would not have sold if he didn’t feel that Diamond Baseball Holdings would be a wise caretaker. But as one might imagine, a big-money American firm swooping in to buy a local institution raises eyebrows — and blood pressure.

“People in Vancouver take such great pride in this team,” said Dan Galazka, a retired educator who sat with his wife and teenage son during the game against TriCity. He told me he’d been coming to the Nat since grade school. But now, he said, “There is a sense of worry about the loss of the Canadian essence. Now, we are moving into the unknown.”

What effect will private equity ownership have on Vancouver’s beloved baseball team? That remains to be seen.

For now, there is the beauty of the game to behold. Its beating heart lives on in Canada. Give me nine innings at the Nat on any night, even the frigid, frosty ones. Only next time, I’m bringing a portable heater.

The Canadians fans Andy Scheier, left, and Jake Sturkenboom sharing a giant hot dog at Nat Bailey Stadium.

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)

The Moon’s presence in a spiritual zone can be a call to engage in some reflection, especially if you’re looking for creative solutions. With your imagination peaking, some brilliant ideas could show their faces. Should you go with logic or intuition when planning ahead, though? Today’s Moon/Neptune tie suggests a combination can be perfect for making a bold decision, Aries.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

A social event could be all you expected and more, which is why it might be a pleasure to attend. You may run into someone you haven’t seen in a while who can have something for you. Plus, as the focus on a high-flying zone is fairly intense, it helps to stay open to fresh ideas. You’re entering a phase in which you could either relish change or hold on more tightly to what you have.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

Get ready to make a big splash and enjoy a moment of pride and glory. Perhaps something you’ve been working on is a success or you finally get chosen for a role or project you’ve worked hard for. Saturn’s presence in a prominent zone, encourages you to put in the effort and get results. Yet today’s dreamy line-up also inspires you to share your best hacks with others.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

Seeking new experiences? A delightful Moon/Neptune transit, may coincide with a desire to spend time somewhere peaceful. An encounter or trip could engage your curiosity and you might have a realization that goes very deep. And with a new and powerful focus on your sector of change, letting go of an old but persistent issue can open the door to brand new adventures.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

If you want a chance to prove yourself, you have it, Leo. A sunny blend of energies involving bountiful Jupiter, could coincide with an idea that might increase your fortunes and those of others. You will need to work hard to make it happen. But just realizing the potential of what is possible can be very uplifting. Plus, it looks like you may be in demand very shortly.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

Making a good impression is key to getting ahead, and you’ll certainly hit the right note, as Venus encourages you to use charm to help interactions go smoothly. And if you do feel like socializing, much good could come from it. Regarding relationships, a positive Moon/Neptune link can highlight an encounter that’s intriguing. This person may seem magnetic and mysterious.

Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

Life is on your side, as today’s uplifting blend of energies could inspire you to take advantage of an opportunity that’s too good to miss. An upbeat focus can coincide with an offer or a brilliant idea that encourages you to move out of your comfort zone. While this is a temporary aspect, it might plant a seed. If you do something about this right away, it may soon bear fruit.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

Something healing can emerge, that gives you a much-needed boost. If you’re feeling an undercurrent of tension, today’s happenings could be a soothing balm that leaves you happier. The Moon’s link with Neptune might bring an unexpected gift, see a romance taking a positive forward step, or perhaps an outing will enable you to unwind at last, leaving you relaxed.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

With the Sun and Jupiter, your personal planet, in Aries, you may feel a burst of energy and happiness without knowing why. Good news may contribute to this, or you might decide to use your positive outlook to kickstart a business, get moving on any creative projects or perhaps to enjoy a pampering session. Use this chance to have fun Archer, as soon you may be very busy.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

Something might occur that eases any tension, and enables you to feel a lot easier about life. An uplifting blend of energies could find you inspired by ideas or someone you meet. Perhaps you’ll get talking, and imaginative options emerge from the conversation. You may be ready to explore an idea that seems interesting, creative and very doable. You’re the one that can make it happen.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

You could soon have more on your plate, due to a desire to be more successful. This is why it’s good to take advantage of the bubbly energies to do something engaging. Investing in some leisure time or a hobby that recharges you, is worth it. Even so, today’s Moon/Neptune merger could bring out your compassionate side Aquarius, and you’ll be very keen to help someone out.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

With the Moon and Neptune embracing in your sign, this looks to be a day when you’ll be sensitive to all kinds of influences. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as you’ll also be open to inspiration, your imagination will gift you with wonderful ideas, and you’ll find it easy to empathize with others and see the goodness in them, even if they aren’t in the best of moods.

Speed Bump