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Britney Spears Seeks Substantial Changes to Conservatorship P20

PR Jobless Claims Were 2nd Most in US Héctor Ferrer Jr.: ‘I Intend to Walk My Path’ P3

More NPP Members Arrested for Payroll Kickbacks P4 NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL P 19

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The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

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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.

PDP at-large House candidate Ferrer Jr.: ‘Trust is earned with a good deed’

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s the Popular Democratic Party’s (PDP) top vote-getter in the primary elections with 152,655 votes, at-large House candidate Héctor Enrique Ferrer Santiago told the Star on Thursday of his desire to continue the legacy of his deceased father Héctor Ferrer Ríos, of his platform should he become a member of the House of Representatives, how he was going to build his reputation, and his aspirations for his political future.

When the Star asked how Ferrer Santiago won his candidacy, he gave some credit to having the same name as the former PDP president. However, he said, listening to the party’s supporters and understanding their concerns and needs helped him earn the first spot.

And as for continuing Ferrer Sr.’s legacy, he said he will work to make his journey his own.

“Legacies are earned,” Ferrer Santiago said.

“Legacies are meant to be worked upon; effort must be made. What matters is that my dad made his journey and I don’t pretend to walk his path or fill his shoes; I intend to walk my path with my own shoes, always carrying his advice and suggestions that he gave me back when he was alive.”

“If there’s something that I learned from his public service it was to always speak the truth, be grounded, listen to people’s concerns so we can find solutions together and fight for them,” he said.

In order to build a better Puerto Rico, the representative-at-large candidate said that both he and the PDP must devote themselves to working for and defending pensioners’ retirement and welfare, confronting the Financial Oversight and Management Board, reforming the Department of Education to provide equal opportunity to students, defending the University of Puerto Rico and rebuilding the island’s healthcare system into a prevention-base one that is accessible and affordable.

However, when the Star asked Ferrer Santiago how he would build his reputation with current and new voters amid heavy criticism for a picture that went viral on social media, which some user said showed the candidate to be “conceited” and “privileged,” he said his political campaigns and his deeds will speak for the voters, although he

recognized that he has to put his best foot forward to earn voters’ trust.

“Trust is earned with a good deed. It’s my turn to prove that I’m capable and ready to face [the existing challenges] and work for the country. Trust is earned with time, it’s not something you win overnight. It’s my turn to prove myself and that people acknowledge what I will do for Puerto Rico. That’s part of my political campaign,” he said. “I will earn the trust once I get to serve people in the Legislature because they will see the results of my deeds. People will get to see that person who is honest and driven to move forward for Puerto Rico’s future.”

Ferrer Santiago said that his political platform is focused on youth, as he is committed at the age of 26 to bringing innovative ideas to the island.

Commitment, in that he considers it important to commit himself to people’s welfare and be devoted to noble causes; honesty, in that he said people do not deserve to have the truth hidden from them; and a desire to move Puerto Rico forward.

“We are in an economic crisis, and, as part of the youth, it’s our turn to, on the brink of the future, take a step forward and occupy the necessary positions to improve our country so our family and friends get to stay [here], develop and create a better life in Puerto Rico,” he said.

As for working to build back a better reputation not only in the House, but the Puerto Rican government and its entities, Ferrer Santiago said that in order for that rebuilding to happen, the entire government has to commit itself and work for the people, being truthful and making every public procedure transparent, adding that it was also necessary to “get rid of those who don’t act correctly and come to serve themselves, and not the country.”

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The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

US District Attorney for PR: ‘The corruption scheme repeats itself’ Federal charges issued against NPP Rep. Nelson del Valle, at least 2 others

By PEDRO CORREA HENRY Twitter: @PCorreaHenry Special to The Star

C

onspiracy, federal funds theft, bribery, kickbacks, honest services wire fraud and obstruction of justice were the charges that a federal grand jury brought earlier this week against New Progressive Party (NPP) Rep. Nelson del Valle Colón, Mildred Estrada Rojas and her daughter Nickolle Santos Estrada, according to a U.S. District Court indictment released on Thursday.

As del Valle Colón, Estrada Rojas and Santos Estrada were arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents early Thursday morning and around 25 federal agents searched the legislator’s office in the municipality of Toa Alta, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Stephen Muldrow said a scheme similar to the one allegedly concocted by NPP Rep. María Milagros Charbonier was devised by del Valle Colón, who hired Estrada Rojas as his office director in January 2017 and her daughter as a director under a House committee on which he served. In February 2017, Estrada Rojas’ biweekly salary was inflated from $2,200 to $3,500, while Santos Estrada was paid $2,000 biweekly from the start. Muldrow said the legislator collected around $100,000 from the scheme until this past July as Estrada Rojas, Santos Estrada and an unidentified defendant paid him from $500 to $2,000 every two weeks.

“The corruption scheme repeats itself,” Muldrow said.

“At the beginning of 2017, del Valle Colón inflated both his employees’ salaries -- Santos Estrada, Estrada Rojas -- and [that of] another individual, who is Person A in the accusation. They agreed to keep a part of each check from their inflated salaries, and would pay an illegal commission to the legislator.”

Muldrow said the lawmaker, by way of the conspiracy, was “getting rich knowingly, embezzling, robbing, obtaining without authority and converting the fraudulently inflated portion of his employees’ salaries for his own use and hiding his corrupt scheme from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, its citizens, and the federal government.”

He added that the methods used by Estrada Rojas, Santos Estrada, and a third subject in the kickback scheme were cash transactions to prevent banking records while, sometimes, up to $500 using mobile phone app ATH Móvil was transferred to del Valle Colón.

As for the honest services wire fraud charge, Muldrow said it was based on text messages sent among the defendants to devise the scheme, while the obstruction of justice charge against del Valle Colón was due to the legislator deleting such messages between himself and the defendants from WhatsApp. “On July 27, when federal authorities obtained the legislator’s cellphone, the WhatsApp messages between del Valle Colón, Santos Estrada and Estrada Rojas were not there anymore, they were deleted,” Muldrow said. “If they are found guilty, the defendants will face a maximum five-year jail sentence for conspiracy, 10 years for theft and bribery [involving] the federal program, and 20 years for each charge of honest services wire fraud and obstruction of justice.”

House speaker: Not all alleged targets ‘are from the NPP’

Earlier on Thursday, Speaker of the House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Núñez said in a WKAQ radio interview that once the accusations were confirmed, del Valle Colón had to give up his seat in the lower chamber immediately.

“He must submit his resignation immediately. There is no room for this. That was one of the investigations that the House was cooperating with, for which we submitted information to the FBI, and it is one of the many things that I can not talk about at this moment,” Méndez said. “We are cooperating with some investigations. Information about legislators, non-legislators, employees, former legislators were requested and the House is cooperating.”

When asked if the other supposed targets were affiliated with the NPP, Méndez replied that “not all of them are from the NPP.”

Governor accepts resignation of Secretary of State Román González

By THE STAR STAFF

G

ov. Wanda Vázquez Garced announced Thursday that Puerto Rico Secretary of State Elmer Román González is returning to work in the federal government.

The resignation, filed on Monday, will be effective this Sunday.

“I want to thank Secretary Román González who, in difficult times for Puerto Rico, was available to help our people, both from the Department of Public Safety and the Department of State,” the governor said in a written statement. “He is an excellent public servant of the highest order and I know that he will succeed wherever he is. And I know that he will continue to help Puerto Rico. We are losing a great public servant who accepted this assignment with the highest sense of responsibility and dedication.”

Part of the letter from Román González to the governor reads: “I appreciate the tasks that you delegated to me. Responsibilities that gave me the opportunity to lead government efforts in response to emergencies due to earthquakes in the southern region, a [coronavirus] pandemic … and the recent passage through our island of Tropical Storm Isaias.”

“I take with me significant memories at the Department

of State, which welcomed me with open arms, and of my service to a governor who by constitutional mandate took on enormous and unexpected challenges just a year ago,” Román González writes. “Thank you very much, Madam Governor, for taking the opportunity to make me part of this chapter in our history.”

Vázquez added: “It is our people who thank you for

your high sense of what it is to serve.”

“It was an honor to have him on our work team, always committed to offering the best to our citizens,” the governor said.

Deputy Secretary of State María Marcano will occupy the position vacated by Román González on an interim basis.

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The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

5

Puerto Rico registers 2nd-highest number of jobless claims in US

By THE STAR STAFF

P

uerto Rico ranks second after Nevada on the list of the highest increases in unemployment claims, according to numbers reported by the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday.

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Aug. 8 were in Nevada (+4,028), Puerto Rico (+3,601), Kansas (+2,248), Hawaii (+247) and South Dakota (+198), while the largest decreases were in New York (-21,366), California (-19,534), Florida (-16,702), Georgia (-11,596), and Virginia (-10,653).

Puerto Rico’s numbers followed a trend from the week before when it also ranked second among the nation’s highest unemployment rates.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Aug. 1 were in Nevada (24.2 percent), Puerto Rico (21.7 percent), Hawaii (19.9 percent), California (17 percent), Louisiana (15.9 percent), New York (15.3 percent), Connecticut (14 percent), the U.S. Virgin Islands (13.8 percent), Georgia (13 percent), and Massachusetts (12.8 percent).

The information is contained in the latest statistics offered by the federal Labor Department.

The department reported almost 1.11 million unemployment claims for the week ending Aug. 15, which brings the total number of claims filed since March 21

to 57.4 million nationwide.

In a statement, the Labor Department said that in the week ending Aug. 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,106,000, an increase of 135,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 8,000 from 963,000 to 971,000. The four-week moving average was 1,175,750, a decrease of 79,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 2,000 from 1,252,750 to 1,254,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 10.2 percent for the week ending Aug. 8, a decrease of 0.4 percentage point from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Aug. 8 was 14,844,000, a decrease

of 636,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 6,000 from 15,486,000 to 15,480,000. The four-week moving average was 15,841,250, a decrease of 326,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 1,500 from 16,169,500 to 16,168,000.

In the case of unadjusted data, the advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 891,510 in the week ending Aug. 15, an increase of 52,776 (or 6.3 percent) from the previous week.

Given seasonal factors a decrease of 56,304 (or -6.7 percent) had been expected from the previous week.

There were 171,386 initial claims in the comparable week in 2019. In addition, for the week ending Aug. 15, 51 states reported 542,797 initial claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 9.8 percent during the week ending Aug. 8, a decrease of 0.6 percentage point from the prior week.

The advance unadjusted number for people claiming unemployment insurance benefits in state programs totaled 14,265,344, a decrease of 935,998 (or -6.2 percent) from the preceding week. Given seasonal factors, a decrease of 325,080 (or -2.1 percent) had been expected from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.1 percent and the volume was 1,619,391.

PDP ballot scrutiny paused due to COVID-19 positive

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

T

he ballot scrutiny being carried out by the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) following the primaries of Aug. 9 and Aug. 16 was suspended Thursday to carry out disinfection work, after learning that a member of the New Progressive Party who was actively participating in the scrutiny process tested positive for COVID-19.

Apparently the person was in contact with personnel from both parties working at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Nelson Rodríguez Vargas, alternate commissioner of the PDP, announced in a written statement.

“In order to guarantee the safety of the personnel who are working on the scrutiny, I gave instructions so that the process [is] stopped and disinfection work can be carried out in the different areas,” Rodríguez Vargas said in a written statement. “The processes are expected to resume tomorrow, Friday.”

“The staff were informed that tomorrow [Friday] diagnostic tests will be conducted on all employees in

the arena,” Rodríguez Vargas added.

The PDP official called on staff to maintain the recommended sanitary and physical distancing measures.

He also said that despite the suspension of the scrutiny, the process is expected to be completed next week as outlined in the PDP work plan.

6

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

Air cargo committee begins drawing up plans to utilize federal dispensation

By THE STAR STAFF

T

he committee for the marketing, promotion, strategy and logistics of international cargo and passenger transfer in Puerto Rico met and agreed to do an inventory of assets, according to a Thursday press release.

The committee was constituted by Executive Order 2020-051 after the United States Department of Transportation granted an air cargo and passenger dispensation for Puerto Rico’s international airports, as announced by Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) Secretary Manuel A. Laboy Rivera.

“We are working as a team to conduct an inventory of the assets and infrastructure available at our international airports. This is to ensure that we have all the necessary resources for various economic sectors to integrate holistically and benefit from the competitive advantages offered by this dispensation,”

DDEC Secretary Manuel Laboy Laboy Rivera said. “At a time when the Island seeks to attract more manufacturing companies, innovative companies, promote the tourism sector, as well as services and technology, among others, this exemption granted is an added value to these business models.”

As part of the process, the parties agreed to appoint subcommittees to individually address pharmaceutical and manufacturing issues, air cargo and infrastructure logistics, and promotion and marketing for business development, as well as another group to attend to public and legal matters.

Laboy Rivera said the work plan was also reviewed and approved. According to the executive order, the committee must present a report to Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced on or before Sept. 30.

It must include possible public policy strategies aimed at maximizing the benefits and performance of the exemption granted by the United States Department of Transportation.

“It is projected that, in the first two years that this waiver is in effect, air traffic will increase by at least 17 percent,” Laboy Rivera said. “In addition, it must have a multiplier effect on commerce in general, it will create at least 6,000 di-

rect and indirect jobs and it must attract approximately 289,603 new passengers and the total economic impact will be $219.3 million.”

The committee is chaired by the DDEC secretary, who must coordinate all management related to the executive order with the Puerto Rico secretary of state. The island Transportation and Public Works secretary serves as vice president of the committee, and the Ports Authority executive director holds the position of secretary. Also serving on the committee are the executive directors of Invest Puerto Rico and Discover Puerto Rico, as well as a member of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce with knowledge on the subject, another from the Puerto Rico Industrial Association, and two experts in the area of logistics and international transportation from the private sector with experience in air traffic and cargo transport, who will be appointed by the governor.

Nonprofits promote sewing jobs in Loíza

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

A

mid the coronavirus pandemic, 18 women who reside in Loíza were able to finish a course in creative needlework and at the same time contribute to the response to the public health emergency by producing protective masks.

The course was made possible through a donation from the Community Foundation of Puerto Rico (FCPR by its Spanish initials) to Connecting Paths PR Inc., a non-profit organization directed at promoting economic activation through self-starting solidarity businesses.

On Thursday, the participants received sewing machines and a certification for having completed the creative sewing program course through Connecting Paths PR, which is committed to the social uplift of economically disadvantaged communities.

The women attended 22 classes over nine months, learning to create masks and handbags designed by James de Colón. The initiative also had the collaboration of the Municipality of Loíza and of the Del Valle ACI Church, where the classes were held. Amid the pandemic, the program was able to generate five temporary jobs related to the production of masks, thanks to subcontractors.

In addition, all of the participants designed masks as part of the practice with the goal of donating them, said Mabel Lassalle, founder and CEO of Connecting Paths PR. In addition to Loíza, the creative sewing curriculum

has been offered since 2018 in the remote communities of Adjuntas and Jayuya. Of the 18 graduates, six have expressed interest in developing micro-businesses in the industry. In the long term, the program aims to create a collective business, service cooperative or worker-owned corporation.

The participants also received workshops on socioemotional skills.

“The mission of the FCPR is to develop the capacities of the communities through the promotion of community human capital and with this initiative we are contributing to that goal,” said FCPR President and CEO Dr. Nelson I. Colón Tarrats. “The human, social, physical capital and finances [of the participants] have been significantly impacted through this program, as they learned new skills, connected with each other, generated income, and received sewing machines to continue developing and promoting solidarity business self-management in Loíza.”

The FCPR is also developing other racial equity and community recovery initiatives in Loíza, thanks to the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The initiatives seek to contribute to the comprehensive well being of children, youth and families from Loíza. Areas of attention include access to safe housing, potable water, renewable energy, economic development, academic and psycho-emotional support, and disruption of the chain of violence.

Since 2014, Connecting Paths PR has had as its mission to create transformational personal, social and community experiences through educational services, social-emotional skills training, community resilience, and community and

social entrepreneurship for economically disadvantaged populations. In particular, it seeks to boost the needlework industry.

The FCPR is a non-profit organization that for 35 years has advised individuals, families, corporations and foundations inside and outside the island on how to channel their philanthropic concerns.

The counseling seeks to allow the donor contributions to have an impact on the self-development of Puerto Rico residents.

In addition, the FCPR strategic plan promotes equitable and sustainable access to drinking water, renewable energy, housing, economic development and education.

The participants received sewing machines and a certification for having completed the creative sewing program course through Connecting Paths PR.w

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

7

Trump must turn over tax returns to DA, judge rules

By BENJAMIN WEISER and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM

A

federal judge on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s latest effort to block the Manhattan district attorney from obtaining his tax returns, roundly dismissing Trump’s arguments that the prosecutor’s grand jury subpoena was “wildly overbroad” and issued in bad faith.

The ruling by Judge Victor Marrero of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York marked another setback for the president in his yearlong legal fight to block the subpoena. The conflict has already reached the Supreme Court once and could end up there again if, as expected, Trump appeals.

The district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a Democrat, has been seeking eight years of Trump’s personal and business returns and other financial records as part of an investigation into the president’s business practices.

Marrero dismissed the president’s argument that Vance had embarked on a politically motivated fishing expedition, saying in his decision that “established judicial process” did not “automatically transform into an incidence of incapacitating harassment and ill will merely because the proceedings potentially may implicate the president.”

Marrero was appointed to the federal bench in 1999

by President Bill Clinton.

The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision in July, rejected Trump’s initial argument that a sitting president had immunity from criminal investigation. But that ruling opened the door for the president to return to the lower court in Manhattan and raise other objections to the subpoena.

Trump renewed his fight in July with a new argument that the subpoena was overbroad, seeking information far beyond the jurisdiction of a local district attorney.

But in his decision Thursday, Marrero agreed with Vance’s argument that throwing out the subpoena would effectively amount to shielding the president and his associates from an investigation, potentially allowing the statute of limitations to expire on any potential crimes.

“At its core, it amounts to absolute immunity through a back door,” Marrero wrote.

A spokesman for Vance declined to comment. A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

It has been known that Vance was investigating whether any New York state laws were broken when hushmoney payments were made in the run-up to the 2016 president election to two women who said that they had affairs with Trump.

But Vance’s office suggested recently in a court filing that its inquiry was broader, also focusing on potential bank and insurance fraud.

The prosecutors, defending their subpoena for Trump’s records, cited undisputed “public reports of possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.” Vance’s office made it clear in court

President Donald Trump at the White House on Aug. 12, 2020. A federal judge on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, rejected Trump’s latest effort to block the Manhattan district attorney from obtaining his tax returns, dismissing Trump’s arguments that the prosecutor’s grand jury subpoena was “wildly overboard” and issued in bad faith. recently that it viewed the tax returns as central evidence in its investigation.

The New York Times also has reported that Vance’s office issued a separate subpoena to the president’s longtime lender, Deutsche Bank, seeking records that Trump and his company provided to the bank when he sought loans. The bank complied with the request, The Times reported, although there was no indication the bank’s records included Trump’s tax returns.

Vance’s subpoena for Trump’s tax returns was sent in August 2019 to the president’s accounting firm, Mazars USA. Trump quickly filed suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where he made his initial argument about immunity.

Marrero, in a 75-page decision last October, rejected that position, calling the argument that Trump was immune from criminal investigation “repugnant to the nation’s governmental structure and constitutional values.”

In that ruling, Marrero also said that “barring a stronger showing from the president,” he did not believe

the district attorney was acting in bad faith.

Eventually, the case reached the Supreme Court, which last month ruled against Trump by a vote of 7-2.

“No citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

Roberts said, however, that Trump still could raise objections to the scope and relevance of the subpoena, which resulted in the president’s new arguments before Marrero.

“The Mazars subpoena is so sweeping,” Trump’s lawyers last month told Marrero in court papers, “that it amounts to an unguided and unlawful fishing expedition into the president’s personal financial and business dealings.”

Even if Vance were to obtain the tax records, they would be covered by grand jury secrecy rules and would most likely not become public. They might surface in public only if charges were later filed and they were introduced as evidence in a trial.

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The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

Trump phone calls add to lingering questions about Russian interference

Paul Manafort, center, then President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, before the final night of the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland, July 21, 2016.

By JULIAN E. BARNES

M

ore than 200 pages into a sprawling, 1,000-page report on Russian election interference, the Senate Intelligence Committee made a startling conclusion endorsed by both Republicans and Democrats: Donald Trump knew of and discussed stolen Democratic emails at critical points late in his 2016 presidential campaign.

The Republican-led committee rejected Trump’s statement to prosecutors investigating Russia’s interference that he did not recall conversations with his longtime friend Roger Stone about the emails, which were later released by WikiLeaks. Senators leveled a blunt assessment: “Despite Trump’s recollection, the committee assesses that Trump did, in fact, speak with Stone about WikiLeaks and with members of his campaign about Stone’s access to WikiLeaks on multiple occasions.”

The senators did not accuse Trump of lying in their report, released Tuesday, the fifth and final volume from a three-year investigation that laid out extensive contacts between Trump advisers and Russians. But the report detailed even more of the president’s conversations with Stone than were previously known, renewing questions about whether Trump was truthful with investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller or misled them, much as prosecutors convinced jurors that Stone himself misled congressional investigators about his efforts to contact WikiLeaks.

The committee’s doubts are significant because the stolen emails were one of the major operations in Russia’s 2016 assault on

American democracy, and a central question that remains even after years of intense scrutiny is what the Trump campaign knew, if anything, about the Kremlin’s plans. Stone, a onetime campaign adviser who touted his connections to WikiLeaks to other Trump aides, has maintained that he did not know Russia was behind the stolen emails.

But the Senate report made clear that WikiLeaks, at least, “very likely” knew the emails were coming from Russian intelligence, and that Stone knew about the most critical WikiLeaks release before it happened.

Stone categorically denied that he had ever discussed WikiLeaks with Trump. “The report is rife with inaccuracies,” Stone said in an interview Wednesday. He said he had counted 1,098 mentions of his name in the report and footnotes and was about halfway through reviewing them.

The Intelligence Committee provided new details about conversations between the two men in 2016, including calls in late September and early October as chatter intensified about Russia’s operations and WikiLeaks’ plans. Ultimately, the site released hacked Democratic emails on Oct. 7, 2016, about an hour after the presidential race was upended by The Washington Post’s publication of archived “Access Hollywood” footage of Trump boasting about assaulting women.

Notably, the evidence was enough for senators in the president’s own party to sign off on a report suggesting that he may have stonewalled prosecutors and clearly laid out evidence of cooperation between a high-ranking member of the

Trump campaign — its onetime chairman Paul Manafort — and a Russian intelligence officer.

The findings of the Senate report also raised new questions about Trump’s decision last month to commute the sentence of Stone, who was convicted last year of seven felonies in a bid to thwart a separate congressional inquiry that threatened the president. Stone denied that he or his lawyers had ever discussed a pardon or commutation with Trump in return for not speaking against him. “Silence about what?

Categorically false,” he said. “I comport with his claim that we did not discuss WikiLeaks because we did not.”

The report also served as a reminder that Mueller did not subpoena Trump, instead accepting written answers from him.

Overall, the Senate report was a bipartisan endorsement of the finding that Russia tried to intervene in 2016 on behalf of Trump’s election and that the campaign welcomed the assistance.

It also hinted that Manafort may have known about the Russian efforts to hack Democratic emails and dump them into the public sphere, as it did through WikiLeaks.

The bipartisan Senate report was likely to be the last word from an official government inquiry about Russia’s election sabotage operations. But the Justice Department is scrutinizing its own inquiry into the election interference, and Attorney General William Barr has long publicly criticized the work of national security officials trying in 2016 to understand Russia’s efforts to sway the election in Trump’s favor and any links to his campaign.

On Friday, the prosecutor whom Barr appointed to examine the earlier inquiry, John H. Durham, is expected to interview John O. Brennan, the CIA director in 2016, according to a person familiar with elements of the investigation.

Durham has asked witnesses about Brennan’s work on crafting the intelligence assessment that concluded President Vladimir Putin of Russia favored Trump’s election, other people familiar with the inquiry have said.

Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, reasserted his comment from a day earlier that the Senate report affirmed the findings of other inquiries that there was “absolutely no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.”

Deere compared the report to Mueller’s findings in claiming exoneration for Trump.

While the two reports have broad similarities, and neither exonerated the president, there are important differences.

Both teams of investigators largely worked with the same classified material from the intel-

ligence agencies. Mueller’s team approached it as prosecutors, requiring evidence more in line with what would be usable in a courtroom. In contrast, Senate investigators looked at the material more like intelligence analysts who work with partial information to make conclusions and create a mosaic of the broader picture.

That approach allowed the Senate investigators to draw sharper conclusions than Mueller’s team did — for example, labeling Manafort’s longtime associate Konstantin Kilimnik as a Russian intelligence officer.

It also helped enable the Senate committee to include conclusions and material not presented in either the Mueller report or at the trial of Stone, such as an intriguing phone call on Oct. 6, 2016, to Trump.

According to the Senate report, Stone received a call that afternoon from a number belonging to an aide to Trump, who regularly used others’ phones to make calls. The topic of the conversation was not known, Senate investigators wrote, but they noted that Stone was focused on a potential WikiLeaks release.

“Given these facts,” the report said, “it appears quite likely that Stone and Trump spoke about WikiLeaks.”

The committee laid out a range of evidence that Stone was focused on WikiLeaks. He and Trump had spoken a few days earlier, on Sept.

29, also on the aide’s phone. Another campaign aide, Rick Gates, witnessed it and told investigators that the two men discussed WikiLeaks. After that call, Trump told Gates that “more releases of damaging information would be coming.”

In September, three days before the call with Trump, Stone told Manafort, who had by then left the campaign, that hacked emails of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman would be leaked.

And after he learned about the release of the damaging “Access Hollywood” tape, Stone, the report said, hoped the release of those emails would be timed to counter it.

On the same day that the tape came out, American intelligence officials announced that the Russian government had “directed the compromise of emails” of Americans and U.S. political organizations.

But that warning, overshadowed by the tape, did not stop the Trump campaign from making use of the WikiLeaks disclosures and minimizing or dismissing the Russian involvement, according to the Senate report.

“The Trump campaign considered the release of these materials to be its ‘October surprise,’” the report said.

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

9

Immigrant ‘dreamers’ in search of a job are being turned away

By MIRIAM JORDAN

N

attily dressed in a sports coat and slacks, David Rodriguez took a seat in the front row to hear a presentation about an internship opportunity at Procter & Gamble, the consumer giant.

What he heard excited him, said Rodriguez, a Venezuelan immigrant who was studying business at Florida International University. The company valued diversity. It aimed to hire interns as full-time employees after they graduated. But when he applied, one question on the form stumped him: “Are you currently a U.S. citizen or national, OR an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, OR a refugee, OR an individual granted asylum?”

He was none of these things. He informed the company that he was a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, under which he and thousands of other young immigrants have permission to work legally in the country.

Before his qualifications were even considered, he received a rejection letter.

“It was like a punch in the stomach,” Rodriguez, who is now 37, said of the experience in 2013 that undermined everything he understood about his status in the United States.

He is now a plaintiff in a lawsuit that seeks to use civil rights law to prevent employers from turning away immigrants like himself, a legal fight that is underway even as President Donald Trump is threatening to end the program.

Since its introduction by the Obama administration in 2012, DACA has enrolled some 800,000 immigrants, often called “Dreamers,” who were brought to the country illegally as children. Many have gone on to graduate from college and build successful lives under the program, which has bipartisan support in Congress.

Yet while the courts have accepted DACA’s legality and have blocked the recent attempts to abruptly cancel it, some of the country’s biggest companies are unilaterally refusing to hire “Dreamers.” Since Trump stepped up his attacks on the program, the employment roadblocks have become even more prevalent.

These employers, including Procter & Gamble, say they are wary of investing time and money to train workers whose long-term employment eligibility is not secure. Other firms want to avoid getting ensnared in the nation’s contentious immigration debate.

“On the one hand employers are trying to hire the best talent available to stay afloat and recover from COVID-19 while on the other hand they are worried about investing the time

and resources to train someone who could get deported,” said Woody Hunt, co-chair of the American Business Immigration Coalition, a group that advocates immigration reform.

It is impossible to know how many people have been denied jobs based on their DACA status, said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which has filed several lawsuits against companies that refused to hire DACA recipients.

Bank of America and Northwestern Mutual are among those that have settled such employment cases. M&T Bank and Procter & Gamble are defendants in current lawsuits.

“If major companies are engaging in this practice, countless smaller companies are doing the same thing,” Saenz said.

Concern about hiring DACA recipients has intensified since the Trump administration announced in September 2017 that it would dismantle the program, throwing its survival into doubt even as courts forced the government to keep it in place.

“Employers come to me saying, ‘I would love to hire this person but my worry is that I hire them, invest three or four months in training them and if Trump does away with the program then I have to hire and train a new person.’

That gets expensive and time-consuming,” said Dagmar Butte, an immigration lawyer in Portland, Oregon.

“I tell them, ‘If you really like this person, this program is not dead yet. So you shouldn’t assume they will be unable to continue working for you. But if your reason for not hiring the person is a business reason, then that is a decision for you to make,’” Butte said.

Some employers say the advantages of hiring DACA recipients outweigh the risks.

Alivio Medical Center, located in an immigrant enclave of Chicago, employs doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who have employment eligibility through DACA, aware that they are “potentially deportable,” said Esther Corpuz, its chief executive.

She said their life experiences as immigrants and diverse cultural backgrounds are assets.

“These providers really are able in a professional and empathetic way to treat our patients,” she said.

The first DACA employment lawsuit, in 2014, was filed in federal court in New York against the financial company Northwestern Mutual on behalf of Ruben Juarez, a college graduate and immigrant from Mexico.

In late 2013, a recruiter had expressed

David Rodriguez, a DACA recipient from Venezuela, received a rejection letter from one company after revealing his immigration status. enthusiasm for hiring him. But after he presented his work permit, Juarez was asked whether he was a U.S. citizen or green-card holder, according to court documents.

Juarez said he had employment authorization through DACA, and was told that noncitizens needed a green card to be hired.

The parties settled out of court in 2015, and as part of its terms, the company began a program aimed at recruiting immigrants, including DACA recipients.

In Miami, Rodriguez never imagined that he would end up being part of a class-action lawsuit against the maker of iconic brands like Pampers, Tide and Crest.

After he was rejected for the internship at Procter & Gamble, he sought clarification from the company’s recruiter.

“Unfortunately, per P&G Policy, applicants in the U.S. should be legally authorized to work with no restraints on the type, duration, or location of employment,” the recruiter emailed back, adding, “If your status in the future were to change to no restrictions, please shoot me a note.”

The case, which is now pending in Miami federal court, turns on language in the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that prohibits “alienage discrimination,” or discrimination because a person is not a citizen of the United States.

The complaint asserts that Procter & Gamble’s policy constituted unlawful discrimination. The company’s lawyers argued that the decision not to hire Rodriguez was based strictly on his immigration status, an issue that is commonly a subject of employment decisions. It said the rejection was not unlawful

because it was “not synonymous” with alienage discrimination.

In June, a federal judge denied a motion for summary judgment and decided that the case should proceed to trial, deeming the policy to be “facially discriminatory” and in violation of the civil rights law. The company is seeking to appeal the summary judgment ruling.

Procter & Gamble said the company believed it had acted legally and would continue to defend the case in court.

“For perspective, we hire people with the expectation of a long-term career,” the company said in a statement. “So our recruitment systems focus on people with long-term work authorization in the U.S.” It said the company’s application process had been modified to allow for greater flexibility since the lawsuit was filed.

“The company has and will continue to consider individuals authorized to work under DACA for employment opportunities at P&G.” It did not say whether any DACA recipients had been hired under its revised policies.

His hopes of working at Procter & Gamble dashed, Rodriguez decided to pivot to real estate, a booming sector in Miami.

He extended his studies at Florida International University, graduating summa cum laude in 2017 with a major in business administration and a concentration in real estate and finance.

He currently works at Lincoln Property, one of the country’s largest real estate management companies. In Miami, one of the most diverse cities in the country with a booming population of Spanish-speaking immigrants, Rodriguez himself is a hot property.

10

August 21-23, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

Nurses are on the virus front lines. But many schools don’t have one.

By DAN LEVIN

A

s the lone nurse for her school district in central Washington state, Janna Benzel will monitor 1,800 students for coronavirus symptoms when classrooms open this month, on top of her normal responsibilities like managing allergies, distributing medications and writing hundreds of immunization plans.

“I’ll have to go to these schools and assess every sniffle and sneeze that could potentially be a positive case,” she said. “I just don’t know if I can do it alone.”

School nurses are already in short supply, with less than 40% of schools employing one full time before the pandemic. Now those overburdened health care specialists are finding themselves on the front lines of a risky, highstakes experiment in protecting public health as districts reopen their doors amid spiking caseloads in many parts of the country.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that every school have a nurse on site. But before the outbreak, according to the National Association of School Nurses, a quarter of American schools did not have one at all.

And there has been no national effort to provide districts with new resources for hiring them, although some states have tapped federal relief funds.

Washington state is one of the places where nurses are a rarity in school hallways, with 7% of schools employing one full time, and nearly 30% of districts having one available for no more than six hours per week. Like Benzel, many are being asked to do more than ever before, with little in the way of new resources, training or backup.

In some places, administrators have been scrambling to get more nurses into schools. New York City, the nation’s largest district and one of the few big cities planning to physically reopen its schools on the first day back, went on a hiring spree after the city’s powerful teachers’ union said its members should not return to classrooms without a nurse in each of the city’s roughly 1,300 school buildings.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week that the city had finally secured enough nurses to fulfill that demand, less than a month before the scheduled start of in-person instruction.

Those nurses will be charged with evaluating children for coronavirus symptoms and determining whether they should report to an isolation room away from other students and staff members, and communicating with parents already anxious about dropping their children off at school.

“It’s weird that it takes a pandemic for people to be like, ‘Oh, look at that, what you do is useful,’” said Tara Norvez, a school nurse in New York City. Norvez said she was looking forward to the start of the school year, as long as there was enough personal protective equipment and other safety measures in place.

“What we are going to do is just step up our game,” she said.

Across the country, though, concerns are growing over the ability to prevent the spread of infections, with outbreaks already emerging in schools that have reopened,

An elementary school classroom in Royal City, Wash. Only 7 percent of schools in the state employ a full-time nurse. requiring mass quarantines and even shutdowns.

Nurses fear they may contract the virus, and worry whether specially designated isolation rooms and personal protective equipment will be enough to contain outbreaks.

“Most school nurses are the only health care experts in their school community able to understand infection control and do disease surveillance,” said Linda Mendonca, president-elect of the National Association of School Nurses. “But not every school has a nurse who’s going to look after the children and staff. You need that expertise as a resource to safely reopen schools.”

In Washington, some nurses have been actively involved in the planning process for reopening schools, but most have been called in only after the decisions were made, or were asked to review plans already in motion, said Amy Norton, an administrator with the state’s school nurse corps, which helps provide smaller districts with nursing services.

“School districts are going, ‘Oh yeah, our nurse can do that,’ and just keep adding on these responsibilities,” Norton said. “They don’t understand that we don’t have a nurse in every building. We don’t have the staffing to cover all of these new needs, like training staff on PPE and educating families on how to check for symptoms.”

In Enid, Oklahoma, where schools reopened last week with five-day in-person instruction, Karry Easterly, the head nurse at an elementary school, said she was confident in the district’s plan despite a growing number of positive virus cases in the community.

To prepare, she said, the district spent about $200,000 on protective equipment, installed plexiglass around the desks of school secretaries, ordered thermometers for teachers, and worked with nurses to create isolation rooms for sick students.

“We know things are going to happen, but the kids need to get back in school,” she said. But Easterly voiced concern about schools in nearby districts where the health protocols were considerably more lenient, including the school that her son attends, which lacks a nurse.

“To me, it’s unreasonable,” she said.

Not all school nurses are willing to wait and see how things play out.

In July, Amy Westmoreland resigned as an elementary school nurse in the Paulding County School District in Dallas, Georgia, because of its decision to make masks optional, while requiring that she tend to both healthy and symptomatic students in a small clinic room.

“How could I do my job protecting children if I were to have been infected and made them or their family sick?” she said. “I would not be able to live with myself.”

This month, widely shared photos showed students without masks in packed hallways in the district’s North Paulding High School, and nine students and staff members tested positive for the virus, prompting the school to shift classes online.

“It’s truly my worst fear that I knew would probably happen,” Westmoreland said.

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

11

Fighting conspiracy theorists, Facebook removes 790 QAnon groups

By SHEERA FRENKEL

F

acebook said Wednesday that it had removed 790 QAnon groups from its site and was restricting another 1,950 groups, 440 pages and more than 10,000 Instagram accounts related to the right-wing conspiracy theory, in the social network’s most sweeping action against the fast-growing movement.

Facebook’s takedown followed record growth of QAnon groups on the site, much of it since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. Activity on some of the largest QAnon groups on the social network, including likes, comments and shares of posts, rose 200-300% in the last six months, according to data gathered by The New York Times.

“We have seen growing movements that, while not directly organizing violence, have celebrated violent acts, shown that they have weapons and suggest they will use them, or have individual followers with patterns of violent behavior,” Facebook said in a statement, adding that it would also block QAnon hashtags such as #digitalarmy and #thestorm.

The actions, less than three months before November’s presidential election, underline how QAnon is increasingly causing alarm. Founded four years ago, QAnon was once a fringe phenomenon with believers who alleged, falsely, that the world was run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who were plotting against President Donald Trump while operating a global child sex-trafficking ring.

But in recent months, the movement has become mainstream. Believers of Q, the shadowy central figure of QAnon, have shown

Facebook’s action on Wednesday was its most sweeping against the QAnon conspiracy theory, which supporters promote with Q signs. up at political rallies. Some have committed violence in the name of the movement. And members of the group are rising in politics.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avowed QAnon supporter from Georgia, won a Republican primary this month and may be elected to the House in November.

At a White House news conference on Wednesday, Trump was asked what he thought about QAnon’s theory that he is saving the world from a satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Trump, who has shared information from QAnon accounts on Twitter and Facebook, said, “I haven’t heard that, but

is it supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing?”

In response to the growing activity, tech companies have ramped up their measures to limit QAnon on social media, where the movement is deeply ingrained.

Last month, Twitter announced that it was removing thousands of QAnon accounts and said it was blocking trends and key phrases related to QAnon from appearing in its search and Trending Topics section. Reddit has also banned some of its forums for QAnon content, while the video app TikTok has banned several QAnon-related hashtags.

YouTube also regularly takes down QAnon content, including “tens of thousands of Q-related videos, and terminated hundreds of Q-related channels for violating our community guidelines,” a YouTube spokesman said “There needs to be a real change in how these platforms think about conspiracy theories and the real-world harm they cause,” said Cindy Otis, vice president of analysis for Alethea Group, an organization that investigates disinformation. “Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen QAnon move much faster than the social media platforms to gain a following and push their content out.”

The spiking activity on its network, combined with real-world incidents, pushed Facebook to discuss policy changes to limit QAnon’s spread, the two employees said. But the conversations stalled because taking down QAnon-related groups, pages and accounts could feed into the movement’s conspiracy theory that social media companies are trying to silence them, the people said.

Marc-André Argentino, a Ph.D. candidate who is studying QAnon, said part of the problem was that QAnon had absorbed members of other conspiracy groups into its pantheon. Even if Facebook removed the groups, they would likely find a foothold within other Facebook networks.

“QAnon is a super conspiracy,” Argentino said. “Various other conspiracies have various places in the hierarchy under the QAnon narrative, so it draws in people in different ways and gives them one central home.

There is no easy answer about what to do about QAnon.”

12

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

Airbnb, a ‘sharing economy’ pioneer, files to go public

By By ERIN GRIFFITH

A

irbnb said Wednesday that it had confidentially filed to go public, taking a key step toward one of the largest public market debuts in a generation of “sharing economy” startups.

A public offering by the company, which lets people rent out their spare rooms or homes to travelers, would cap a volatile year in which its business was devastated by the spread of the coronavirus. Airbnb had been privately valued at $31 billion before this year and the company must now convince investors that it can thrive and turn a profit in a new era of limited travel.

Airbnb declined to comment beyond its brief announcement.

Airbnb’s offering would signal the end of an era for the first wave of highly valued startup “unicorns,” many of which were founded in the recession of 2008 and then rode a wave of growth fueled by smartphones, gig work and copious amounts of venture capital. In recent years, many of Airbnb’s wellknown “sharing economy” peers have gone public (Uber and Lyft), sold themselves (Postmates), or unraveled spectacularly (WeWork).

Its debut will most likely be helped by an ebullient stock market, which has remained robust despite the economic destruction caused by the pandemic. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 hit a new high as investors focused on signs that the worst might be over.

Startups have taken advantage of investors’ excitement for technology. Tech companies including Lemonade, an insurance provider, and ZoomInfo, a business database company, watched their prices soar after listing over the summer.

Other startups such as Palantir, a data company founded

by Peter Thiel, and Asana, a collaboration technology provider run by the Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, are also planning to go public this year. Many are pushing to reach the market before the November election, which typically creates volatility in the stock market. Palantir and Asana declined to comment.

Airbnb was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk and Joe Gebbia as a way to help people make extra money renting out their spare rooms. The platform has spread to almost every country, amassing 7 million listings and attracting $3 billion in funding from venture capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund and Sequoia Capital.

The Airbnb headquarters in San Francisco, Sept. 1, 2016. The home rental company, which was privately valued at $31 billion, is trying to go public after its business was crushed by the pandemic.

Airbnb takes a cut of the stays and activities that its rental operators book. It has come closer to turning a profit than Uber or WeWork — until the coronavirus evaporated more than $1 billion of bookings almost overnight. In the spring, Airbnb projected its revenue for 2020 would drop to half of the $4.8 billion it brought in last year. The company quickly cut costs, raised emergency funding, laid off almost 2,000 employees and shelved its plans to go public.

“It really did feel like a moment of truth, a bit of a test,” Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive, said in an interview this year.

In May, Airbnb’s revenue began bouncing back as people took summer road trips and sought to stay in private homes away from crowds. The company’s gross bookings — which is its total revenue before it pays commissions to hosts — rose to last year’s levels in June and July, according an internal presentation attended by The New York Times.

Perennially an initial public offering candidate, Airbnb has been officially preparing to go public since last year when it announced plans to do so in 2020. Pressure for the offering has

mounted as some of its early employees have sought a payday from the company shares that they own, which begin expiring this fall.

Last month, Chesky announced to employees that Airbnb had resumed its plans to go public, declaring that Airbnb “was down but we were not out.”

The company is likely to pitch investors on its fast rebound and ability to adapt to the new reality, but some forms of travel — like international vacations, business travel or anything related to large events — are unlikely to return anytime soon.

Airbnb also aims to make its public market debut stand out by highlighting its business philosophy, called “stakeholder capitalism.” The philosophy focuses on what is good for society over short-term profits.

Yet Airbnb has tussled with regulators and local communities. Local regulators have battled the company over taxes and enforcement, while community members have criticized the platform for turning neighborhoods into tourist areas and contributing to housing shortages.

Safety has also been an issue. Last year, after a fatal shooting at a party at an Airbnb rental in Orinda, California, Airbnb announced it would ban unauthorized parties and crack down on those responsible. It also sought to verify all of its listings to prevent bait-and-switch situations after a viral article about fraudulent listings.

The problem persists. In August, a fatal shooting at a party at an Airbnb rental in Sacramento prompted Airbnb to pursue legal action against the guest who threw the party, a first for the company.

Airbnb has also struggled with hosts who discriminate against nonwhite guests. In June the company teamed up with the racial justice group Color of Change to try to measure and evaluate discrimination on its site with the aim of preventing it.

Airbnb has also endured scrutiny from its own rental operators. When travel shutdowns began in March, the company allowed customers to cancel nonrefundable bookings, a move that prompted an outcry among its hosts, who relied on the income. Chesky later apologized for how the decision was communicated.

In the July staff meeting, Chesky said Airbnb planned to get back to its “roots” by focusing more on its hosts.

“We realized it is just more pressing than ever that we have to get back to what made Airbnb special,” he said. The realization would not have been so clear to him, he said, “had our business not flashed before our eyes a couple months ago.”

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

13 Stocks

S&P 500 rises as tech gains offset weak U.S. data T he S&P 500 and Nasdaq advanced on Thursday, as gains in heavyweight tech stocks outweighed downbeat data that affirmed the Federal Reserve’s view of a difficult road to economic recovery.

Gains in Apple Inc - the only publicly listed U.S. company to cross the $2 trillion market value milestone - Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp underpinned the three main indexes’ gains as investors bet they would ride out the economic crisis.

Stocks had opened lower after data showed jobless claims rose unexpectedly back above the 1 million mark last week after slipping below that level for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

A separate set of data from the Philadelphia Fed showed a business conditions index fell more than expected in August.

“It’s a little disconcerting to get over the 1 millionmark in jobless claims, but this just indicates that it’s not going to be a straight line recovery,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research in New York.

Overall, he added, “The underlying fundamentals remain strong and we are recovering from the pandemic.”

The volatility in jobless claims followed the lapse of an extra $600 weekly unemployment benefit at the end of July and came as Democrats in Congress have failed to reach an agreement with the White House on extending it.

Despite signs that parts of the economy are still far away from pre-pandemic levels, the benchmark S&P 500 index completed its fastest recovery from a bear market this week, joining the Nasdaq in scaling new peaks. It also confirmed a bull market for the S&P 500.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq retreated from record levels on Wednesday after minutes from the Fed’s latest policy meeting gave a somber assessment of the U.S. economy as it grapples with the pandemic, but ruled out, for now, more dovish easing policy measures.

In mid-afternoon trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.04% at 27,702.84 points, while the S&P 500 gained 0.12% to 3,379.02.

The Nasdaq Composite added 0.72% to 11,227.24.

CFRA’s Stovall said that historically, stock bull markets on average have lasted 37 months.

Economically sensitive financial and energy sectors were some of the biggest percentage losers among the major S&P sectors.

Nvidia Corp edged higher after posting better than expected quarterly sales forecast.

Intel Corp rose 1.4% after announcing a $10 billion share buyback plan.

L Brands Inc rose 4.2% after reporting a surprise quarterly profit, boosted by strong demand for Bath & Body Works’ products as well as higher online sales of Victoria’s Secret lingerie.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.70-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.79-to-1 ratio favored decliners.

The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 59 new highs and 24 new lows.

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14

August 21-23, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

EU rejects Belarus election, without demanding a new one

President Alexander G. Lukashenko of Belarus speaking to supporters in Independence Square on Sunday.

European Union leaders said Wednesday that they would not recognize the results of the country’s latest election.

By STEVEN ERLANGER

E

uropean Union leaders said Wednesday that they would not recognize the results of the recent Belarus election and would shortly impose sanctions on those who were involved in electoral fraud and the repression of protests.

While urging peaceful dialogue between the government and the opposition, the Europeans did not call explicitly for a rerun of the vote, as the opposition has demanded, but did offer to “accompany a peaceful transition of power in Belarus.”

“The EU will impose shortly sanctions on a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression and election fraud,” said Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, which represents the leaders of the EU countries, at the end of a meeting called to discuss the Aug. 9 elections in Belarus, widely regarded as fraudulent.

While stating that Europe “stands by the people of Belarus” Michel said that any resolution of the crisis “must be found in Belarus, not in Brussels or in Moscow,” in a dialogue that might be initiated under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to which both Russia and Belarus belong.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said, “We support the Belarusian people in the path they choose to go down.” She said that the commission would “repurpose” $63 million in assistance away from the Belarusian government, with $2.4 million going to

victims of the violence, $1.2 million to “civil society and independent media” and the rest to the fight against the coronavirus.

Speaking afterward in Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said that she did not see an immediate possibility for mediation to resolve the situation in Belarus. She telephoned the embattled Belarusian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, but he refused to speak to her, she said.

“Mediation can only take place when all parties are in contact with one another,” Merkel told reporters.

Germany currently holds the revolving presidency of the European Union, and Merkel had been instrumental in talks about Ukraine following the Russian intervention there in 2014. Unlike in Ukraine then, protesters in Belarus are not displaying the EU’s starred blue flag, but the red-and-white banner that Belarus used before Lukashenko changed it.

The chancellor also said that, in a conversation on Tuesday, she had “made very clear” to President Vladimir Putin of Russia that military intervention would further complicate the situation.

“Belarus must be able to determine its own path,” Merkel said.

As the European leaders conferred by teleconference, riot police were reappearing on the streets of Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

In a meeting with his security council, Lukashenko ordered his police commanders to put down protests, signaling a possible escalation after a week and a half of mass demonstrations against his rule.

“There should no longer be any disorder in Minsk of any kind,” Lukashenko said in remarks reported by the official Belaru-

sian news agency Belta. “People are tired,” he added. “People demand peace and quiet.”

The police had been virtually absent from the streets of Minsk for several days after a violent crackdown on protesters last week provoked a popular backlash against Lukashenko. But by evening on Wednesday, police vans had rolled onto Minsk’s main avenue, which was blocked to prevent the protesters from approaching the main security service, still called the KGB in Belarus, and the Interior Ministry.

There were no reports of police violence against the protesters, but the new show of force appeared to scare some people off the streets. Police officers in full gear dispersed a crowd of protesters who came to support workers at the Minsk Tractor Works factory. At least two people were detained.

In a video message to the European Council before the meeting, opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, now in Lithuania, called on Europe to support “the awakening of Belarus” and “not to recognize these fraudulent elections.” She said the opposition had named a “national coordination council” to press for new elections and a transfer of power, both of which have been rejected by Lukashenko.

But Europe’s ability to enforce its demands is thin. No European country is going to go to war over Belarus, and there are already relatively harsh sanctions in place against both Belarus and Russia, especially since its annexation of Crimea.

While eager to defend democratic values, fair elections and the rule of law, European leaders are also being careful not to imply that they intend to intervene militarily or provide overt support for the Belarusian opposition. That could give Russia a pretext to intervene with force.

In Moscow, officials signaled displeasure with the Western attention to Belarus, but their support for Lukashenko was muted.

The Belarusian leader, an authoritarian who has ruled the country of 9.5 million people for 26 years, has long annoyed the Kremlin with his on-and-off flirtation with the West.

Dmitri Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told journalists that the Kremlin currently saw no need for Russian military help in Belarus, a longtime ally. Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said Western countries were meddling in Belarus as part of their “fight for the post-Soviet space.”

“I am not saying that the elections were ideal — of course not,” Lavrov said in a television interview Wednesday. “I would like to recommend to everyone not to use the difficult situation in Belarus to derail a normal, mutually respectful dialogue between the authorities and society.”

The West should be particularly careful not to offer the opposition any kind of security guarantee, said Ian Lesser, director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund. “The region is acutely aware of the West being unable to deliver on implicit and sometimes explicit commitments of support going back to World War II,” he said, including the Russia-Georgia war of 2008. “They are aware of this mixed history of Western reliability.”

At the same time, Lesser said, the West can provide financial and practical support to opposition actors themselves, many of whom have already left or been forced to leave Belarus. As the role of social media has become more obvious, “that kind of support can be extremely meaningful,” he said.

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

15

North Korea’s leader admits his economic goals have failed

By CHOE SANG-HUN

B

attered by international sanctions, a global pandemic and flood damage, North Korea on Thursday admitted for the first time that it had failed to achieve the economic goals of its leader, Kim Jong Un. To chart a new course for its economy, the North plans to hold a rare ruling Workers’ Party congress in January, the state news media reported.

At the last party congress in 2016, which was the first such meeting in 36 years, Kim had adopted an ambitious five-year economic plan to build what he called a “powerful socialist country.”

The plan was for Kim to celebrate his achievement during the party’s 75th A photograph released by the North Korean state news media showing the anniversary on Oct. 10 this year with country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, at a meeting of the Central Committee of the pomp and spectacle.

Workers’ Party in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

But things have hardly transpired as Kim had hoped.

But this year, the coronavirus forced sor, Kim Jong Il, he vowed to ensure that North Korea had already been stru- his people, long suffering from multiple the country to shut down the border with ggling under the stranglehold of United maladies, would “never have to tighten China, which had accounted for more Nations sanctions. Then, last week, the their belt again.” In 2016, when he than 90% of the North’s external trade.

North Korean leader admitted that his adopted his economic plan, the North’s North Korea’s exports to China plumnation was also facing “two crises at the economy grew 3.9%, the highest since meted to $27 million in the first half of same time”: fighting the spread of the a devastating famine hit the country in this year, a 75% drop from a year earlier, coronavirus and coping with extensive the late 1990s, according to estimates by according to the Korea Institute for Naflood damage. But he ordered his cou- the South’s central Bank of Korea. tional Unification in Seoul. Imports from ntry not to accept any international aid The growth was largely the result China dropped 67%, to $380 million. for fear that outside help might bring in of ramped-up exports of coal, iron ore, Fitch Solutions, which had predicCOVID-19. textiles and fisheries to China. But the ted economic growth of 3.7% in North Those triple punches prompted the U.N. Security Council banned such ex- Korea this year before the pandemic hit, no-nonsense assessment by Kim during a ports after the North rapidly expanded now forecasts a record 8.5% contraction party meeting Wednesday, an unprece- its weapons programs, testing three indented admission by the isolated country tercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017, that its economic plans had faltered. as well as what it said was a hydrogen Plans to improve the national eco- bomb. nomy have been significantly delayed by As the sanctions tightened, the “severe internal and external situations North’s economy shrank 3.5% in 2017, and unexpected manifold challenges,” according to the Bank of Korea. It conthe Central Committee of the Workers’ tracted 4.1% the following year, with its Party said during the meeting in Pyon- exports to China plummeting 86%. gyang, the capital. It also noted that North Korea’s economy recovepeople’s living standard had “not been red slightly last year, growing 0.4%, as improved remarkably.”

Pyongyang invented ways of easing the The committee decided to convene pain of the sanctions, such as smuggling the new party congress, North Korea’s banned cargo across the Chinese border biggest political decision-making event, at night or between ships on the high seas. in January to set forth “strategic and tac- It also exported practically anything not tical policies,” the North’s official Korean banned by the sanctions: cheap watches Central News Agency reported Thursday. assembled with Chinese components, When Kim took power after the artificial eyelashes, wigs, mannequins death in 2011 of his father and predeces- and soccer balls.

for the North.

In his speech at the party meeting Wednesday, Kim said his country faced “unexpected and inevitable challenges” this year, and critiqued the “achievements and shortcomings” of his own government, the state news media reported. But so far, he has shown no sign of backing down on his nuclear weapons program.

After he failed to persuade President Donald Trump to lift sanctions during their meeting in Vietnam in February last year, Kim said his government would slog through the sanctions.

In his New Year’s message, Kim asked his people to prepare to “tighten our belts” again. He also vowed to strengthen his nuclear weapons program, threatening to end his moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests.

In another aggressive move, North Korea in June blew up an inter-Korean liaison office — a symbol of the relatively warm ties between Kim and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea — after blaming the South for failing to increase inter-Korean economic exchanges.

Moon’s new national security adviser, Suh Hoon, plans to meet Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, when Yang visits the South Korean city of Busan on Friday and Saturday. The two officials are expected to discuss North Korea and a potential trip to Seoul by China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, Moon’s office said.

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August 21-23, 2020

Thailand police arrest activists, escalating protest crackdown

By HANNAH BEECH

H

is offense was syncopated. And it rhymed.

Dechathorn Bamrungmuang, a member of the Thai collective Rap Against Dictatorship, was arrested Thursday on charges of sedition, human rights lawyers said, part of a mounting crackdown by a government seemingly allergic to dissent.

A day earlier, authorities took into custody for the second time a lawyer who had publicly called for the Thai monarchy’s powers to be reined in. Three pro-democracy activists were also arrested on sedition charges, a crime that can carry a seven-year prison sentence, the organization Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said. Yet more student activists were served Wednesday with papers that appeared to indicate they could be imminently detained.

“The United Nations and concerned governments should speak out publicly against the rolling political repression in Thailand,” Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Thai youth are increasingly demanding real progress toward democracy and

the rule of law so they can freely express their visions for the future of the country.”

The legal actions followed weeks of protests by students that culminated Sunday in the largest street rally in Thailand since a military coup six years ago. Because of a state of emergency imposed to control the coronavirus, the protests were technically illegal. But that did not stop more than 10,000 people from gathering at Democracy Monument in Bangkok.

On Wednesday, hundreds of students, who have been protesting school rules like mandatory haircuts and the tradition of prostrating themselves to teachers, gathered at the Education Ministry in Bangkok, calling for an end to the regimented strictures of Thai society. They raised three fingers in the air, a symbol of defiance drawn from the “Hunger Games” films that was once banned by the junta behind the 2014 coup.

Thailand has held elections over the decades, but meddling by the military has regularly upended the people’s vote, with a dozen successful coups since absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932. A former army chief who led the last coup, Prayuth Chan-ocha, remains prime minister. Three other retired generals hold Cabi-

net positions.

Prayuth has said that he is willing to listen to the students. He has also joked that he would like to execute journalists who veer from the truth and assailed those who have called for more accountability over the monarchy.

The junta leaders said protecting the palace was a key reason for their putsch, and the current government, which took power last year after elections that independent observers said were flawed, often wraps its policies in a royal mantle.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is present in Thailand for only days at a time, living most of the year in Europe. Since his father died in 2016, he has consolidated his authority, taking control of royal coffers and army units that traditionally add their firepower to coups.

Thailand is bound by strict laws that criminalize criticism of the monarchy, potentially landing offenders in jail for up to 15 years. In addition to the lèse-majesté laws, the government has also imprisoned people for contravening sedition and computer crimes laws. Hundreds of people have been funneled through so-called attitude adjustment camps that are run out of military com-

pounds. Dissidents have disappeared, too, with some of their bodies turning up mutilated.

The transgression of Dechathorn, who goes by the rap name Hockhacker, appears to have been a musical performance at a pro-democracy rally, according to the group of rights lawyers.

In 2018, Rap Against Dictatorship, the Thai musical collective, drew millions of hits for a widely shared video for a song called “What My Country Has Got.” The song referenced a student massacre and called Prayuth’s government to account for leading a “country that makes fake promises like loading bullets, creates a regime and orders us to love it.”

Another song, released this year, took on student hazing. The collective was awarded the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent in 2019.

Sirin Mungcharoen, a pro-democracy activist from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said she received a police summons Wednesday related to a protest in Bangkok on July 18. Sirin said that she had attended that student rally but was not an organizer.

“It’s a way to create fear,” Sirin said, adding, “I will keep fighting.”

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

17

In South Korea’s new COVID-19 outbreak, religion and politics collide

By CHOE SANG-HUN

F

or months, the redbrick church in a rundown neighborhood of Seoul, the South Korean capital, has attracted thousands of politically active conservative Christians, all united in the belief that their country is falling into a godless communist hell ​under the leadership of its liberal president, Moon Jae-in.

Devotees of the church, known as the Sarang Jeil Church, whose name means “love comes first,” have participated in some of the largest anti-government protests the country has seen in years.

“If we hesitate, it will not be long before we live under the ‘great leader’ of North Korea. Do you want that?” the Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, the church’s chief pastor, said during a large anti-government rally in central Seoul on Saturday.

Now their political crusade is colliding with the coronavirus, as a large outbreak centered on the church spreads fast through Seoul and beyond, threatening the country’s success in fighting the pandemic.

Moon has accused his most vocal critics of spreading the infectious disease and putting the entire nation in danger — a sentiment widespread on social media.

Police officers have been sent to track down Sarang Jeil congregants who have broken quarantine.

But in today’s polarized South Korean society, fraught with misinformation, conspiracy theories and fearmongering, alternative narratives have also taken hold, purporting that the congregants have become the target of a political witch hunt or even a terrorist attack from communists.

Conservative activists have accused Moon of trying to scapegoat the church to divert attention from his weak approval ratings, which have been plummeting over domestic policy blunders like soaring housing prices. Church officials even suspect that health officials manipulated virus-test results to keep Moon’s die-hard critics quarantined.

In the past week, the outbreak has forced the church to shut down and its congregants to isolate themselves at home. The infections among church members and their contacts have spiked to 676 cases, including Jun. The outbreak pushed South Korea’s

Members of conservative and religious Christian groups during an antigovernment rally in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday. daily caseload to 288 on Thursday, the seventh straight day of triple-digit jumps, which shattered hopes that the country had managed to blunt the epidemic sooner than most nations. It marked the biggest cluster of infections in South Korea since an outbreak in the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the central city of Daegu in February and March was tied to 5,200 patients.

Health officials have warned that the outbreak at Sarang Jeil could prove far more devastating than Shincheonji’s.

It has erupted at the center of the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half the country’s 51 million people. Sarang Jeil’s congregation is much older and could prove weaker to the virus than that of Shincheonji.

Unlike Shincheonji’s secretive congregation, many of Sarang Jeil’s 4,000 congregants traveled from across the country to attend Jun’s sermons and political rallies in Seoul. Health officials have been racing to track them down for testing and isolating, warning of “massive nationwide transmission.”

South Korean Protestant churches have deep ties with the United States.

American missionaries brought the religion to Korea.

Many of the megachurches in South Korea were founded by Protestants who

fled communist persecution in North Korea before the 1950-53 Korean War and benefited from postwar aid from U.S. churches. To older Christian conservatives who remember the carnage of the war and the poverty that followed, religious faith remains synonymous with anticommunism and loyalty to the alliance with the United States, which defended South Korea during the war.

Jun has roused these old sentiments with sermons replete with expletives against Moon. He calls Moon a “chief North Korean spy” and urges his followers to become “martyrs” in a war to drag him and other “North Korea followers” out of the presidential Blue House.

“He speaks in a language​his audience can understand​ and like to hear​,”​ said Hwang Gui-hag, the editor-in-chief of the Seoul-based Law Times, which specializes in church news.​“He scratches them where it itches the most.”

Health officials are now investigating

the source of the virus in the Sarang Jeil congregation. The first case was reported Aug. 12.

Amid a surge in infections, the government ordered congregants to stay home last week. But Saturday, at least 10 church members, including Jun, attended the antiMoon rally in Seoul, health officials said.

Moon called their behavior “an unpardonable act against the safety of the people,” accusing them of impeding the government’s efforts to fight the disease.

Sarang Jeil officials said they had enforced preventive measures against COVID-19 during their church gatherings and were urging all members to cooperate with the government.

A deep anti-government sentiment among church members could impede health authorities’ efforts. Thousands of police officers were mobilized to track down more than 500 church members who remained unreachable although they needed testing.

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August 21-23, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL

Who’s the best U.S. first lady?

By GAIL COLLINS

A

lready sorta looking forward to the Republican convention next week. The White House says Melania Trump will be speaking to the American people from the Rose Garden on Tuesday.

Chances are her speechwriters won’t lift any lines from Michelle Obama like they did four years ago. Although if you hear Melania urging her audience to “grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown-bag dinner and maybe breakfast, too,” when they go to the polls, you will know what happened.

There’s still some first lady fascination at the conventions. Michelle Obama’s feisty first-night Democratic finale had people swooning. (“If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”)

Listening, I remembered the first time I ever saw her at a speaking engagement. It was very early in the 2008 campaign, and she appeared to be a nervous wreck. It wasn’t really the public speaking that scared her — it was the thought that she could say something as an aside, or by mistake, that would screw up everything and ruin her

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Jill Biden with Joe Biden after she spoke Tuesday during the Democratic National Convention. husband’s chance of becoming president.

I dare say we can all agree she’s gotten over that.

Jill Biden, introduced herself to the national audience from a classroom where she used to teach English. Biden talks a lot about education, which is great. And she can remind voters of her husband’s extraordinary story of achievement combined with personal loss.

And when things calm down she has some great sagas from the past, like the time she lobbied against the idea of a Biden presidential campaign in 2003 by walking past his advocates in a bikini with the word “no” written across her stomach.

Besides Barack Obama, the Democrats’ Day 3 was a woman’s place, even if a virtual one. Starring Kamala Harris, of course, and Hillary Clinton, whose attempt to move from that president’swife shelf into the top job pretty much defined early 21st-century American politics.

Just for the heck of it, let’s take a historical walk down First Lady Lane. Martha Washington tried, without much success, to get her husband to stop throwing extremely boring dinner parties.

Dolley Madison opened up Washington to the kind of socializing nobody expected to find in a primitive capital in a swamp. Visiting diplomats must have thanked God for them at evening prayers.

The modern first lady era began with Eleanor Roosevelt, who was really too extraordinary to compare to anyone else, and moved on to Mamie Eisenhower, who was heavily marketed as a

presidential wife. (“Keep our first lady in the White House for four more years!”) Mamie made it very clear that she wasn’t interested in mega-achievement. One of her favorite maxims was: “Every woman over 50 should stay in bed until noon.”

Her favorite color, the nation knew, was pink, and we hit some new marker in 1955 when Ike suffered a heart attack, and the public was informed that Mamie was staying in the hospital room next to his, requesting virtually no special treatment except a pink toilet seat.

We marched on to the present, through Jacqueline Kennedy, who gave the job megaglamour, and Lady Bird Johnson, who Americans came to realize was actually the family breadwinner, through the superefficient Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan, who the public was taught to think of as only a superficial snob until her husband got sick and everyone realized that, politics aside, this really was a love match.

With Hillary, everything changed. She became as much a part of the public consciousness as the men in the White House. She reminded the country that it was time to think about women in a different presidential role. She also demonstrated what a very bad idea it was to try to use the first lady thing as a springboard for the top job.

Although it’s not likely that many of the Democrats at the convention Wednesday were holding grudges. Clinton was one of the stars of the night. “Remember back in 2016 when Trump asked, ‘What do you got to lose?’” she asked them.

“Well, now we know.” Marching through modern history with Hillary was at times traumatic, but it was never defeatist. Everybody moves on.

It’s not too tough to have a women-themed night at a political convention featuring a female speaker of the House, a female vice-presidential candidate and the former first lady who reminded the country it was time to think about women in a different White House job.

This convention marks the point where everyone agreed the debate about gender at the top is all over. The future looks pretty terrifying on occasion, but it’s almost certainly going to be one full of expanding political opportunities for women. More once and future female governors and senators. The vice presidency will look like old hat. We’ll refer to the chief justice of the Supreme Court as “her” and gossip about which guy might make the best first gentleman.

Until we think of something better to call him.

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

19

PFEI refiere investigación preliminar de Justicia sobre funcionarios del DRNA a Oficina de Ética Gubernamental Por THE STAR

E

l Panel sobre el Fiscal Especial Independiente (PFEI) remitió el jueves a la Oficina de Ética Gubernamental la investigación preliminar del Departamento de Justicia contra el Exsecretario Interino del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Agendas Ambientales (DRNA), licenciado Armando Gabriel Otero Pagán, y otros funcionarios de esa agencia, par acciones que podrían constituir violaciones a la Ley de Ética Gubernamental.

El PFEI informó que esta decisión surge luego de evaluar un referido del Departamento de Justicia (DJPR) en el que también recomendó remitir este caso a Ética Gubernamental.

La pesquisa se inició con una querella presentada par la señora Damaris Ivette Miranda Maisonave, Subgerente/Subdirectora de la Oficina de Recursos Humanos y Relaciones Laborales del DRNA. En ésta denunciaron ciertas irregularidades en el manejo de las transacciones de personal en ese departamento. Según se informó, también figuran en este caso otros funcionarios del DRNA, a saber: Samuel David Acosta Camacho, Gerente Interino de la Oficina de Recursos Humanos y Relaciones Laborales; Elizabeth Pitiño Acevedo, Gerente Interina de

la Oficina Legal; Luis Antonio Márquez Ruiz’, Ayudante Especial; y Vanessa Villafañe Cruz, Gerente Interina del Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ambientales de Puerto Rica.

En el informe, figura el nombre de esa persona indistintamente como Luis Antonio Márquez Ruiz o Márquez Cruz. Específicamente, el Informe de Investigación Preliminar de Justicia señala que los funcionarios antes mencionados entorpecieron una investigación administrativa que realizaba la Oficina de Recursos Humanos. Específicamente cuestionan el procedimiento efectuado para la concesión de un diferencial al señor César Rodríguez Santos, el cual prestaba servicios en destaque en ese departamento.

Luego de evaluar la documentación que forma parte del referido del DJPR, el Panel del FEI determinó en su Resolución que en atención a los hechos alegados, el caso amerita ser evaluado por la OEG por sus acciones de tipo administrativo y gerencial.

En dicha Resolución se expresa además que, una de las recomendaciones de la secretaria de Justicia, consiste en que este caso debe ser remitido a la OEG. En ese sentido, el Panel acogió la recomendación efectuada.

Agrega el Panel que esta decisión se toma sin menoscabo de que si la OEG identifica alguna infracción

del ámbito penal de dicha ley, se proceda a referirlo al PFEI, para la acción que corresponda en Derecho.

Cierre administrativo del Senado ante casos positivos de COVID-19 Por THE STAR

T

ras detectarse casos positivos de COVID-19 en la Legislatura, el presidente del Senado, Thomas Rivera Schatz, determinó un cierre administrativo en la cámara alta hasta el 7 de septiembre.

La información se filtró a través de las redes sociales, dado que aún no hay un comunicado oficial del Senado que confirme el cierre, a causa de

los casos positivos entre los legisladores y personal del Capitolio.

Ningún empleado, funcionario o contratista puede retornar a trabajar al Senado sin una certificación médica.

Por su parte, el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Carlos ‘Johnny’ Méndez anunció el martes que en una prueba molecular resultó positivo a COVID-19. Igual le pasó al representante José “Pichy” Torres.

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August 21-23, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

Britney Spears seeking substantial changes to conservatorship

By JOE COSCARELLI

S

ince her infamous public breakdowns more than a decade ago, the pop singer Britney Spears has lived in California under a court-approved conservatorship, a com-

Britney Spears in 2019. She has asked the court to make substantial changes in the conservatorship that has largely governed her life since 2008.

plex legal arrangement meant to oversee her personal well-being and finances.

Steered largely by the singer’s father, James Spears, the conservatorship has functioned mostly out of public view, though fans and even some family members have intermittently worried aloud about the control exerted over Spears, 38, and her fortune, leading to repeated pleas and protests under the #FreeBritney banner.

Still, the singer herself has rarely commented on the arrangement, and has made little effort through her court-appointed lawyer to alter the structure of the conservatorship.

That changed this week when lawyer Samuel D. Ingham III submitted a filing Monday in which he said Spears now believes the conservatorship “must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.” (The filing was first reported by The Blast.)

Among those shifts, according to Ingham, was Spears’ “desire not to perform at this time,” following a four-year Las Vegas residency that ended in late 2017, and a one-off appearance the next year. In January 2019, the singer announced “an indefinite work hiatus,” canceling her next scheduled concert residency, citing the health of her father, who had suffered a ruptured colon.

Later that year, James Spears stepped

back from his role as Spears’ personal conservator — a role he held since 2008, in which he oversaw her mental health care, among other things — and was replaced on a temporary basis by Jodi Montgomery, a licensed professional conservator.

Now, Spears has decided she is “strongly opposed” to having her father return as conservator of her person or her estate, according to Ingham’s filing, while also leaving open the possibility that she could seek to end the conservatorship entirely. “Without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future,” the lawyer wrote, “Britney would like Ms. Montgomery’s appointment as conservator of her person to be made permanent.”

As for her financial affairs, or her estate, which James Spears has also managed since 2008, sometimes in tandem with another lawyer, “she strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role.”

Ingham added that he expected “any effort to achieve my client’s objectives as stated above will be aggressively contested by James,” and that Spears hoped to hire a law firm with “substantial expertise in handling contested litigation in a highly complex case such as this one.”

Ingham declined to comment on the case. Montgomery did not respond to a re-

quest for comment.

Though a conservatorship, sometimes called a guardianship, is typically used to protect the elderly, the mentally disabled or the extremely ill, Spears’ arrangement has been flexible to suit her specific needs, as per California law, Ingham said in his filing.

He broke the arrangement down into three phases, calling the first “triage” — rescuing the singer “from a collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin” — and with the second phase covering her comeback, in which she regained “her position as a world class entertainer.” The third phase, Ingham said, would reflect Spears’ current pared-down public profile, in which her appearances have been relegated to a colorful Instagram account.

A status hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.

James Spears, better known as Jamie, gave a rare interview about the conservatorship earlier this month, denying fan-led allegations that the singer’s affairs were not being properly handled on his watch. “All these conspiracy theorists don’t know anything,” he told Page Six. “The world don’t have a clue. It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.”

“I love my daughter,” he added. “But this is our business. It’s private.”

Cuba Gooding Jr. accused of rape in civil suit as he awaits groping trial

By JULIA JACOBS

C

uba Gooding Jr. has been accused of raping a woman twice after coaxing her into his room at a New York hotel in 2013, in a lawsuit filed against the actor on Tuesday.

The new allegations go significantly farther than a series of claims that Gooding subjected women to unwanted sexual touching, three of which are the basis of an upcoming criminal trial. Of the more than 20 accusations discussed in court papers, none of them had alleged rape until now.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed by an anonymous woman who is referred to as Jane Doe, she first met Gooding at a restaurant in Greenwich Village. He invited her and a friend to have drinks at the Mercer Hotel in SoHo. There, Gooding ushered the woman up

to his room on the fifth floor, where he said he quickly needed to change his clothes, the lawsuit said.

When the woman tried to leave the room, the lawsuit said, Gooding blocked her way out and eventually pushed her onto the bed and raped her. Afterward, as the woman was trying to get away, Gooding raped her again, according to the complaint.

She told Gooding “no” many times, the lawsuit said, but he did not stop. One of the lawyers representing the woman is Gloria Allred, the longtime women’s rights lawyer.

Gooding’s lawyer, Mark J. Heller, said that the allegations in the lawsuit are “completely false and defamatory,” pointing out that they had never resulted in criminal charges over the past seven years.

Allred declined to comment on whether

the district attorney’s office or the New York Police Department has been informed of her client’s allegations or has been investigating them.

A spokeswoman for the Police Department also declined to comment.

The lawsuit claims that Gooding violated a city law aimed at protecting victims who are targeted because of their gender and caused the plaintiff both physical and emotional injury.

Groping allegations against Gooding first became public last year when a woman told the police that Gooding squeezed her breast at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar at the Moxy NYC Times Square hotel on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. After that, two other women came forward with claims that resulted in criminal charges, and Gooding now faces three sets of groping charges.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office

had publicly documented the claims of an additional 19 women with accusations of unwanted sexual touching against Gooding, requesting that the jury be allowed to hear testimony from these women to demonstrate a pattern of behavior. A judge ordered that two of the women would be allowed to provide such testimony.

In a court hearing last week, an assistant district attorney, Jenna Long, said that the total number of women who had come forward with accusations against Gooding had risen to 30.

His trial was supposed to begin in April, but the coronavirus pandemic stalled the proceedings.

Last year, Gooding was sued by one of the women that he is charged with groping, Natasha Ashworth. She has accused Gooding of pinching her buttocks while she was serving him at a Manhattan nightclub.

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

21

Russian ballet returned to the stage. Then a COVID outbreak hit.

By ALEX MARSHALL

F

or the past three weeks, the Mariinsky Ballet, one of Russia’s most renowned companies, led the dance world in showing how ballet could return to the stage.

It hosted galas at its St. Petersburg theaters, featuring solos and duets performed by dancers who had undergone weekly tests for coronavirus.

More ambitiously, it had begun staging full-length ballets, with a run of the Romantic classic “La Sylphide.” Audience members were provided with masks and gloves, and seating was distanced, with an empty space between each viewer.

Then, on Aug. 13, the performances stopped. In a development that will concern other dance companies hoping to return to the stage, the Mariinsky Ballet has suspended all performances, classes and rehearsals, a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. (The Mariinsky’s opera and orchestral programs continue uninterrupted, the statement added.)

She did not answer questions about the reason for that suspension. But on Monday, Interfax, the Russian news service, reported that about 30 people in the company had contracted the coronavirus. Xander Parish, a British dancer who is a principal soloist with the Mariinsky, confirmed in a telephone interview that there had been an outbreak.

“They’ve tried really hard to be safe,” he said. “It’s not like our rehearsals have been badly organized or anything.”

Last week, Parish said, a member of the company had an elevated temperature, “then another and another and it was like, ‘Oh, dear.’”

On Saturday, everyone in the company was sent an email telling them to quarantine until they could be tested by Russian health authorities, he added.

News of the outbreak has caused concerns among other European ballet companies, which had been watching the Mariinsky’s return to the stage closely. “We were so full of hope, and this is a scary situation,” Christiane Theobald, acting artistic director for the Staatsballett Berlin, one of Germany’s major companies, said in a telephone interview.

The news, Theobald said, would not change her company’s plan to hold a gala on Aug. 27, which will feature a maximum of six dancers onstage at a time, all staying at least 3 meters, or about 10 feet, apart. The Mariinsky’s experience showed that

“testing once a week is not enough,” she said, adding that the Staatsballett could not afford to test its dancers every day.

The Mariinsky is not the only Russian company affected by coronavirus. The Bolshoi Ballet, in Moscow, had a positive test in its corps de ballet this month, Makhar Vaziev, its ballet director, said in a telephone interview. When that dancer became ill, the company sent home 54 people who had been in classes with her, Vaziev said. They all later tested negative for the virus. “Thank God everything is fine,” he added.

European dance companies, many financed by their governments, are far ahead of American ones in returning to the stage. Several major companies in France, Germany and Austria restarted classes in May as lockdowns were eased, with some now gearing up for shows before socially distanced audiences to mark the beginning of the fall season. Those productions are scheduled to occur even as coronavirus cases are swerving upward across Europe.

In Russia, where President Vladimir Putin in July declared the battle against the coronavirus won, worries about the pandemic have receded in recent weeks, with bars and the subway in Moscow crowded. On Aug. 11, it became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine despite global health bodies saying it had yet to complete clinical trials.

Parish said that Mariinsky dancers had returned to class at the end of May. Class sizes were initially limited to three dancers, with a teacher and a pianist. “It felt brilliant being back, and being able to move again,” he said.

The Mariinsky had received “a lot of flak on social media” for returning too soon, he said. But he did not think that was fair.

The ballet had taken every measure it could, he said. “And those same people are saying we should wait two years to get back onstage,” he added. “That’s ridiculous. A dancer’s career is 20 years.”

Parish dismissed criticism of Valery Gergiev, the head of the Mariinsky and a vocal supporter of Putin. “I respect his desire to get back onstage despite the situation,” he said. “It really shows how much he cares about this art form.”

But Gergiev has also been questioned by some for taking the Mariinsky’s orchestra on tour, despite the ballet company’s outbreak. Kay Baburina, who runs the publishing department of the Samara Opera and Ballet Theater, said in an email that he and some of his colleagues were “scared of having to contact with the

An undated image provided by Natalya Voronova, Olga Smirnova, a principal with the Bolshoi Ballet.

Mariinsky artists” when they played the theater in Samara, Russia, on Monday.

“Going on tour knowing that there is an outbreak in your theater is just too irresponsible,” he said.

In a telephone interview, Olga Smirnova, a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, said she felt sad about the situation at the Mariinsky, but it had not put her off wanting to return to the stage. “What can we do?” she said. “I think art is more powerful than fear.”

22

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

What is a great wine? Verdicchio Di Matelica has some ideas

By ERIC ASIMOV

time?

C

omplexity is a good thing in a wine, right? It’s a descriptive term that is almost always used approvingly. You would not disparage a wine by calling it complex.

Yet at times, complexity might be wasted on its audience. Whether because of fatigue, distraction or life getting on your last nerve, a complex wine may not always fit the moment.

This, in a nutshell, captures the paradox of wine evaluation. Without context, bottles are rated on a universal scale of what makes a wine good, which is weighted toward the ability to age and evolve, to express complex aromas and flavors, to convey the character of the place in which the grapes were grown and the culture of the people who made the wine, to evoke contemplation.

These are all wonderful characteristics in a wine, and difficult to achieve. A wine that could do all of these things would be considered great, and few would argue.

Sometimes, though, the occasion calls for a different kind of great. Instead, what’s wanted is a bottle that refreshes, relaxes and perhaps spurs conversation and intimacy. In a situation like this, the best bottle may not be the one conventionally lauded. How do wine ratings and evaluation square with the question of context?

We ask these sorts of questions frequently at Wine School, even if we are not always able to answer them.

The answers, after all, are not necessarily as important as the questions.

I’m not referring to the simple sort of queries that are easily resolved with a swipes of the smartphone: What are the soils and bedrock in the vineyard? Was the wine aged in oak barrels? Let those cramming for the wine exam recite such litanies of facts.

Siri can’t tell you what greatness in wine means, for instance. This is the sort of question we all have to consider for ourselves. Such a question may better be left unresolved, maybe for a long time. Let it reside in the mind to be pondered with many sorts of wines on all types of occasions, in many differing moods.

Only through such consideration can each of us arrive at deciding for ourselves what might be the best wine for the moment, regardless of what the books, the apps or your know-it-all friends say.

It’s all a matter of developing ease and confidence in one’s taste, maybe not of knowing the answers but of knowing which questions to ask. Here at Wine School, we don’t pretend to be gurus, rabbis or life coaches, to use a currently popular term. But we do think our method of trying many different wines with open minds in relaxed situations is as foolproof as it is simple in achieving comfort with wine.

I started thinking about standards of greatness be-

cause of something one reader, Peter of Philadelphia, said about a bottle of Verdicchio di Matelica, our subject over the last month. He consumed a bottle with a pesto dish, made with basil from his own garden.

“It was what I think of as a typical Italian white wine,” he wrote, describing it as “not particularly complicated, but who needs complicated on a hot summer evening?”

I might take issue with the first part of what he said — Verdicchio di Matelica seems similar to other Italian whites we’ve tried, like Etna Bianco, Soave Classico and Fiano di Avellino, but it is also very different. They are all dry, aromatic, not overly oaked and have great acidity.

But you could say this about white wines from a lot of countries. And I do find these wines quite distinct from one another.

I might even take issue with the second part, although I agree with the sentiment. Who needs complicated on a hot summer evening?

But that led me to wonder about whether these verdicchios could properly be described as uncomplicated.

Could they actually be simple and complex at the same

As usual, I suggested three bottles to try. They were Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica 2018, the one Peter drank; Cantine Belisario Verdicchio di Matelica Le Salse 2018 and ColleStefano Verdicchio di Matelica 2019.

The Belisario Salse, the least expensive at $15, was a striking wine, incisive and lean, with laserlike acidity.

It smelled like seashells and crushed rocks, with a little almond flavoring thrown in. I wouldn’t want this as an aperitif, standing around at a gallery opening. Its raging acidity demands food. I was craving clams on the half shell.

The Bisci, likewise, had that seashell minerality, but it was richer, rounder and more herbal than the Salse. It was more forgiving and flexible, and didn’t require food in the same way. This you could happily enjoy at a party.

The ColleStefano, I thought, was the most complete wine of the three, though I don’t mean to suggest that either of the others were lacking. Citrus, herbs, almonds, seashells and stones, along with the richer roundness of the Bisci, made for the most satisfying combination, for me at least.

I thought back to Peter’s point that these wines were uncomplicated. Maybe now they were, but they seemed to have the elements of complexity if they were given time to evolve. These all were young wines, and they were entry-level bottles, as well. But I couldn’t help feeling that over time, the acidity in each would become more sedate, and the other elements would become more expressive.

What is it about these wines? How can they can offer uncomplicated refreshment, as Peter perceived, yet express more complex aromas and flavors, too?

Perhaps their prices, just $15 to $18, liberate us to experience them as we wish? If a $100 chardonnay came off as delicious and uncomplicated, I imagine anybody would be tremendously disappointed. These, on the other hand, are great values, capable of a range of pleasures. Dare we call them great wines?

In the end, I have to conclude that these are great wines. They each did their jobs extraordinarily well, fulfilling the imperative of refreshment, offering energy and intriguing texture as well as a bit of complexity if you chose to look for it.

It’s not so much the conventional definition. It’s more a question of fulfilling expectations. We often preach about choosing the right wine for the occasion.

For those expecting a simple white wine, these offer those uncomplicated pleasures. For those wanting more, these wines come with extras. That they are superb values can’t be discounted.

But you don’t have to answer the question of whether they are great or of what constitutes greatness.

Just keep the questions in mind.

The San Juan Daily Star LEGAL NOTICE

JESUS OBRERO DEMANDANTE Vs.

Friday, August 21, 2020 PROVIDENCIA CINTRON COMPUESTA POR HILDA INES FONTANEZ DELGADO, JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO CARMEN DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUVILLEGAS TRINIDAD NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA DEMANDADO CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYACIVIL NUM. GB2019CV01026. (Nombre de las partes a las que se MON SALA SUPERIOR. José Miguel y José Ángel SALA 202. SOBRE: COBRO le notifican la sentencia por edicto) DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN EL SECRETARIO(A) que susVázquez Ortiz, Amparo DE DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. cribe le notifica a usted que el Margarita y José Víctor 20 de febrero de 2020, este A: CARMEN Luis Vázquez Senti, José VILLEGAS TRINIDAD Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Enrique, José Orlando, EL (LA) SECRETARIO(A) le Sentencia Parcial o Resolución Hilda Angélica y Ana Hilda notifica a usted que el día 17 de en este caso, que ha sido debiregistrada y archivada Vázquez Vicente, José marzo de 2020, este Tribunal damente en autos donde podrá usted enAntonio Vázquez Cruz, ha dictado Sentencia o Senten- terarse detalladamente de los cia Parcial o Resolución en este Sasha Michelle Vázquez caso, que ha sido debidamente términos de la misma. Esta noRivera y Lourdes registrada y archivada en autos tificación se publicará una sola donde podrá usted enterarse vez en un periódico de circulaAmarilys Amarilys detalladamente de los términos ción general en la Isla de PuerVázquez Vázquez de la misma. Esta notificación to Rico, dentro de los 10 días DEMANDANTES Vs. se publicará una sola vez en un siguientes a su notificación. Y, Ángel Félix Vázquez periódico de circulación general siendo o representando usted Figueroa y José Ángel en Puerto Rico, dentro de los una parte en el procedimiento Vázquez Díaz 10 días siguientes a su notifica- sujeta a los términos de la SenDEMANDADOS ción. Y, siendo o representado tencia, Sentencia Parcial o ReCIVIL NUM: BY2020CV02247. usted una parte en el procedi- solución, de la cual puede estaSOBRE: ACCIÓN CIVIL PRE- miento sujeta a los términos blecerse recurso de revisión o TERICIÓN. EMPLAZAMIEN- de la Sentencia o Sentencia apelación dentro del término de TO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS Parcial o Resolución, de la cual 30 días contados a partir de la UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL puede establecerse recurso de publicación por edicto de esta PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTA- revisión o apelación dentro del notificación, dirijo a usted esta DOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO LI- término de 30 días contados a notificación que se considerará BRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO partir de la publicación por edic- hecha en la fecha de la publicaRICO. to de esta notificación, dirijo a ción de este edicto. Copia de usted esta notificación que se esta notificación ha sido archiA: ANGEL FELIX vada en los autos de este caso, VAZQUEZ FIGUEROA considerará hecha en la fecha con fecha de 12 de agosto de de la publicación de este edicPOR LA PRESENTE se le notito. Copia de esta notificación 2020. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, fica a usted que se ha presenha sido archivada en los autos el 12 de agosto de 2020. LCDA. tado en el Tribunal de Primera de este caso, con fecha de 4 MARILYN APONTE RODRIInstancia de Puerto Rico, Sala de junio de 2020. En Guayna- GUEZ, Secretaria. F/BETHZAIde Bayamón, la Demanda de bo, Puerto Rico, 4 de junio de DA MERCADO ALVAREZ, Sec epígrafe. Se le emplaza y re2020. LCDA. LAURA I SANTA Auxiliar. quiere para que conteste la DeSANCHEZ, Sec Regional II. f/ LEGAL NOTICE manda dentro de los treinta (30) WANDA ROSADO GUZMAN, días siguientes a la publicación ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO Sec del Trib Conf I. de este Edicto, radicando el oriDE PUERTO RICO TRIBUginal de su contestación ante el LEGAL NOTICE NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA Tribunal correspondiente y noEstado Libre Asociado de Puer- SALA SUPERIOR DE HUMAtificando con copia al abogado to Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL CAO. de la demandante, Lcdo. FranWILMINGTON SAVING DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Pricisco J. Portuondo Díaz, a la simera Instancia Sala Superior FUND SOCIETY. FSB. guiente dirección: D R 9 Alto de CAROLINA. d/b/a CHRISTIANA Apolo, Guaynabo, PR 00969.

REVERSE MORTGAGE Número de teléfono: (787) TRUST, as indenture 731-8117/ 787-382-2519. Se le FUNDING, LLC trustee, for the CSMC apercibe que de no contestar Demandante v.

2015-PR1 TRUST, la Demanda dentro del término SUCESION PROVIDENCIA MORTGAGE·BACKED arriba indicado, se le anotará la CINTRON MURIEL T/C/C rebeldía y podrá dictarse senNOTES, SERIE 2015-PR1 PROVIDENCIA CINTRON tencia concediendo el remedio DEMANDANTE Vs. COMPUESTA POR solicitado en la Demanda, sin POPULAR MOTGAGE, más citarle ni oírle. Este caso HILDA IRIS FONTANEZ INC.; JOHN DOE y trata sobre Acción Civil PreteDELGADO Y SUS RICHARD ROE como rición. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI POSIBLES HEREDEROS posibles tenedores FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, DESCONOCIDOS JOHN en Bayamon, Puerto Rico, desconocidos hoy día 13 de agosto de 2020.

DOE Y JANE DOE. DEMANDADOS Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sanchez, ESTADOS UNIDOS DE CIVIL NUM. HU2020CV00739.

Sec Regional. Sandra I Cruz AMERICA, CENTRO DE SOBRE: CANCELACION DE Vazquez, Sec Servicios a Sala.

PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. EM-

LEGAL NOTICE

RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

AHORRO Y CREDITO

A: SUCN. PROVIDENCIA CINTRON MURIEL T/C/C

PLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉDemandado(a) Estado Libre Asociado de PuerRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE to Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL Civil: Núm. LO2018CV00072. LOS EE. UU. EL ESTADO LISALA 404.

Sobre: COBRO DE DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de PriBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO mera Instancia Sala Superior DINERO Y EJECUCION DE RICO. SS. HIPOTECA. NOTIFICACIÓN de CAGUAS. A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. COOPERATIVA DE

@

ROE como posibles tenedores desconocidos

staredictos@thesanjuandailystar.com

POR LA PRESENTE se les emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto.

Usted deberá radicar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: http://unired.ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se presente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá radicar el original de su contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente y notifique con copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, LCDA. MARJALIISA COLÓN VILLANUEVA A su dirección: PO. Box 7970 Ponce, PR. 00732. Tel: 787-843-4168. En dicha demanda se tramita un procedimiento de cancelación de pagare extraviado. Se alega en dicho procedimiento que se extravió un pagaré hipotecario por la suma de $475,000.00, al 5 1/z%, anual anual, vencedero el primero de octubre de 201 O, a favor de Popular Mortgage, lI c o a su orden, según consta de la escritura190 otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 2 de octubre de 2003, ante el notario Eric Manuel Ruiz Pérez y cuya obligación hipotecaria está pendiente de calificación y despacho. Que grava la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: HOR!ZONTAL PROPERTY: Apartment number two hundred fourteen (214) of irregular shape located on the first floor of building two dash A (2-A), Maralago Condominium, located at Palmas del Mar, in Candelero Ward, in the municipality of Humacao, Puerto Rico. This apartment has an approximate of one thousand six hundred ninety-nine point seven hundred ninety-one (1,699,791) square feet, equivalent to one hundred and fifty-seven point nine seven three one (157.9731) square meter. lts boundaries area: by the NORTH, in the distance of thirty three feet eleven inches (33 11 “) with a backyard of said apartment: by the SOUTH, in a distance of thirty three feet three inches (33 3”) with common elements; by the EAST, in a distance of fitty four feet four inches (54 4n) with part of the backyard of said apartment number two hundred fifteen (215); and by the WEST, in a distance of fitty tour feet four inches (54 4”) with corridor and with common elements. The maín entrance of this apartment is located on the West s1de of the apartment leading directly to the exterior of the building. This apartment consists of a foyer, a closet, a linen closet, a bedroom with closet, a master bedroom with a bathroom, and walk-in clo-

(787) 743-3346

23 set, an additional bathroom in the hallway, an laundry closet, a kitchen a breakfast nook, a living dining room, and terrace.

This apartment has the right of the exclusive use of a backyard with an approximate area of four hundred point two hundred eighty-one (400.281) square feet equivalent to thirty-seven point twenty (37 .20) square meters as a limited common element. This apartment has a part and appurtenant to one point two five one two five per cent (1.25125%) of the common elements of the Condominium. lt also as part and appurtenant as common element limited to it two (2) parking spaces, in the parking area identified with the designation followed by the letter A and B, and one closet identified with the unit designation followed by the letter G. Presentado al asiento mil trescientos setenta y uno (1371) del diario novecientos vestidos (922) el seis (6) de octubre de dos mil catorce (2014). Apartamento número doscientos catorce (201} del Condominio Maralago. Registro de la Propiedad de Huma ca o SE LES APERCIBE que, de no hacer sus alegaciones responsivas a la demanda dentro del término aqul dispuesto, se les anotará la rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal en Humacao, Puerto Rico, a día 13 de agosto de 2020. Dominga Gómez Fuster, Secretaria Regional. Ileana Miranda Arroyo, SubSecretaria.

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

AMERICAS LEADING FINANCE LLC Demandante, v.

DESIREE PEREIRA VÁZQUEZ, SU ESPOSO FULANO DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados CIVIL NÚM.: CG2020CV01219 (702). SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA Y EJECUCIÓN DE GRAVAMEN MOBILIARIO (REPOSESIÓN DE VEHÍCULO).

EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. DE AMERICA EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: DESIREE PEREIRA VÁZQUEZ, SU ESPOSO

FULANO DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS.

Quedan emplazados y notificados que en este Tribunal se ha radicado Demanda sobre cobro de dinero por la vía ordinaria en la que se alega que la parte codemandada, DESIREE PEREIRA VÁZQUEZ, SU ESPOSO FULANO DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS, le adeuda solidariamente a Americas Leading Finance, LLC, la suma de principal de $10,441.87, más los intereses que continúen acumulando, las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado según pactados.

Además, solicitamos de este Honorable Tribunal que autorice la reposesión y/o embargo del Vehículo. Se les advierte que este edicto se publicará en un periódico de circulación general una sola vez y que, si no comparecen a contestar dicha Demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del Edicto, 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/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio así solicitado sin más citarles ni oírles. El abogado de la parte demandante es el Lcdo. Gerardo M. Ortiz Torres, cuya dirección física y postal es: Cond. El Centro I, Suite 801, 500 Muñoz Rivera Ave., San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918; cuyo número de teléfono es (787) 946-5268, el facsímile (787) 946-0062 y su correo electrónico es: gerardo@bellverlaw.com. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, en Caguas, Puerto Rico, hoy día 13 de agsoto de 2020.

Carmen Ana Pereira Ortiz, Secretaria. Ana H Lugo Muñoz, SubSecretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA REGION JUDICIAL DE BAYAMON SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYNABO.

LOURDES APONTE ROSARIO, FEDERICO TOMAS COSTA APONTE Y GRETCHEN MARI A COSTA APONTE Parte Demandante v.

ORIENTAL BANK & TRUST SUCESOR

EN INTERES DE RG FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK, JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE,

Parte Demandada CASO NÚM. GB2020CV00475.

SOBRE : CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE o sea, las personas ignoradas que puedan ser tenedores del pagaré extraviado.

Por la presente se les notifica que se ha presentada ante este tribunal una Demanda, en el caso de epígrafe, en la cual se solicita la cancelación de un pagaré a favor de RG Federal Savings Bank, o a su orden, por la suma de $83,000.00, intereses al 8% anual y vencedero el lro. de abril de 2009, otorgado en Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, el 16 de marzo de 1994, ante el notario Hector Moyano Noriega, testimonio 1609, y garantizado por hipoteca, según consta de la escritura #395, otorgada en esa misma fecha y ante el mismo notario, inscrita al folio 53 del tomo 259; finca #15,618 de Guaynabo, inscripción 4ta. , y que grava la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar radicado en la Urbanización Residencial Extensión Víctor Braegger en el barrio Juan Domingo de Guaynabo, marcado con el número cuarto de la manzana “A” con un área superficial de cuatrocientos trece metros cuadrados con setenta y cuatro centímetros en lindes por el NORTE, con el solar “A” tres distancia de veintiséis metros y sesenta y nueve centímetros; por el SUR, con el solar “A” cinco, distancia de veintiséis metros y sesenta y nueve centímetros, por el ESTE, con la calle seis, distancia de quince metros y cincuenta centímetros y por el OESTE , con Muñiz y Muñiz, distancia de quince metros y cincuenta centímetros. Se le advierte que este edicto se publicará en un periódico de circulación general una sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días, contados a partir de la publicación de este edicto, 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 discreción, lo entiende procedente . Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), el cual puede

acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio. El abogado de la parte demandante es: Ledo. Raúl Rivera Burgos, RUA 8879, Estancias de San Fernando, Calle 4, Número 4, A-35, Carolina, P.R. 00985, Tel. (787) 238- 7665, Email : raulrblaw@gmail.com.

EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal de Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 13 de agosto de 2020. Lcda. Laura I Santa Sanchez, Sec Regional.

Diamar T. Gonzalez Barreto, Sec del Tribunal Conf II.

LEGAL NOTICE Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN.

CITIMORTGAGE, INC. Demandantes v.

ASDRUBAL AMERICO SEDA ROSARIO, SONIA JANETTE SANCHEZ MARRERO, LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANACIALES, JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE

Demandada CIVIL NÚM.: SJ2020CV04012.

SOBRE: SUSTITUCION DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DE PAGARE

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y se le notifica que se ha presentado en Secretaría de este Tribunal la Demanda del caso de epígrafe solicitando la ejecución de hipoteca y el cobro de dinero relacionado al pagaré suscrito a favor de CITIMORTGAGE, INC. o a su orden, por la suma principal de $168,642.00 más intereses computados sobre la misma desde su fecha hasta su total y completo pago a razón de la tasa fija de 5½ % anual, obligándose además a tres (3) pagos de $16,864.20 por concepto de costas, gastos y desembolsos de litigio, más honorarios de abogados, y 4.00% por concepto de cargos por demora después de los quince (15) días de vencimiento del pago. Este pagaré fue suscrito bajo el affidavit 641 ante notario público Marcos Rafael Vélez Green. Lo anterior surge de la hipoteca constituida mediante escritura número 130 otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 31 de agosto de 2005, ante notario Marcos Rafael Vélez Green. URBANA: Solar

24 Dieciséis guión B (16-B) del Bloque “UU” de la Urbanización Extensión Borinquen Gardens, radicada en el Barrio Caimito del Municipio de San Juan, Puerto Rico. Compuesto de DOSCIENTOS DOS PUNTO CINCUENTA METROS CUADRADOS (202.50) colindando por el NORTE, en siete punto cincuenta (7.50) metros con los solares cinco y seis del Bloque UU de dicha Urbanización; por el SUR, en siete punto cincuenta (7.50) metros con la calle Iris de dicha Urbanización; por el ESTE, en veintisiete punto cero cero (27.00) metros con solar diecisiete guion A (17-A) del Bloque UU de dicha urbanización; y por el OESTE, en veintisiete punto cero cero (27.00) metros, con el solar dieciséis (16) del Bloque UU de dicha urbanización. Contiene una casa de concreto, diseñada para fines residenciales. Inscrita al folio 169 del tomo 677 de Rio Piedras Sur, finca número 7257 Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección IV. Se les advierte que este edicto se publicará en un (1) periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez. 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 y notifique copia de la Contestación a la Demanda a las oficinas del Lcdo. Juan B. Soto Balbás, RUA Número: 7340, JUAN B. SOTO LAW OFFICES, P.S.C., 1353 Ave. Luis Vigoreaux, PMB 270, Guaynabo, PR 00966, TEL: (787) 273-0611, FAX: (787) 273-1540, E-mail: jsoto@ jbsblaw.com, abogado de la parte demandante. Dentro del término de sesenta (30) días a partir de la publicación del Edicto, apercibiendo que de no hacerlo así dentro del término indicado, el Tribunal podrá anotar su Rebeldía y dictar Sentencia, concediendo el remedio así solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle.

EXPEDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 12 de AGOSTO de 2020. GRISELDA RODRIGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIO. Por: MARIA N LOPEZ PIZARRO, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO.

PALMAS DEL MAR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Parte Demandante V.

JANIME L. FERNANDEZ PALACIOS Y MARIA T. SILVA VIÑAS Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL

DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: HU2020CV00175.

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: JAIME L. FERNANDEZ PALACIOS Y MARIA T. SILVA VIÑAS Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

POR LA PRESENTE, se les emplaza y requiere para que notifiquen 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.ramajudícial,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 11 de agosto de 2020. Dominqa Gómez Fuster, Secretaria Regional. Dalissa Reyes de Leon, SubSecretario(a).

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO.

PALMAS DEL MAR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Parte Demandante

EDUARDO MENDOZA VIDAL Y MARTA FERNÁNDEZ TORRES Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: HU2020CV00082.

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDIC-

The San Juan Daily Star

Friday, August 21, 2020

TO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EEUU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. SS.

A: EDUARDO MENDOZA VIDAL Y MARTA FERNÁNDEZ TORRES Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

POR LA PRESENTE, se les emplaza y requiere para que notifiquen a: GONZÁLEZ & MORALES LAW OFFICES, LLC PO BOX 10242 HUMACAO, PR 00792 TELÉFONO: (787) 852-4422 FACSÍMIL: (787) 285-4425 Email: jrggonzaIezmoraIes.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: htts://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 Ml FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 11 de agosto de 2020.

Dominga Gómez Fuster, Secretaria Regional. Dalissa Reyes de Leon, SubSecretaria.

emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro ele los 30 días ele haber sido siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unircd.ramajuelicial. 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 a legación 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. Esta acción civil es para hacer cumplir la Ley de Condominios EXTEND IDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy día 12 de agosto de 2020. Griselda Rodriguez Collado, Sec del Tribunal. Waleska Rivera, Subsecretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

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.ramaudiciaI. 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 18 de agosto de 2020.

Dominga Gomez Fuster, Sec Regional. Ileana Miranda Arroyo, SubSecretaria.

LEGAL NOT ICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO LEGAL NOTICE DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA Estado Libre Asociado de PuerSALA SUPERIOR DE BAYA- to Rico Tribunal General de MON. Justicia Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de YauJORGE LUIS co en Sabana Grande.

RIVERA ORTEGA

PETICIONARIO ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO EX-PARTE DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CIVILNUM: NJ2020CV00012.

SOBRE: EXPEDIENTE DE SALA DE HUMACAO. DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTAPALMAS DEL MAR DOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA HOMEOWNERS EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. ASSOCIATION, INC. UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOParte Demandante V. CIADO DE P.R.

ORLANDO J. MEDINA FÉLIX Y LIZBETH MELÉNDEZ SERRANO Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

le notifica además a toda persona que tenga algún derecho real sobre el inmueble anteriormente descrito o cualquier persona ignorada que pueda ser perjudicada por esta inscripción y en general a todo el que tuviere motivo para oponerse, que comparezca a alegar cualquier derecho que tuviere en un término de veinte (20) días, a partir de la fecha de publicación del último edicto, excluyendo el día de su publicación. Represena a la parte peticionaria, el abogado cuyo nombre y dirección se consigna de inmediato: LCDO. HECTOR M. MARRERO MARRERO 95 CALLE GEORGETTI, SUITE 1 APARTADO POSTAL 283 NARANJITO, PUERTO RICO 00719 TELÉFONO: 787-869-0806 EMAIL: marreroh@gmail.com En Bayamón, Puerto Rico a 9 de julio de 2020. LCDA. LAURA I SANTA SANCHEZ, Secretaria Regional. Ana L Lopez, SubSecretaria.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE, PERSONAS IGNORADAS A QUIENES PUEDA PERJUDICAR LA INSCRIPCION SOLICITADA O A CUALQUIER PERSONA QUE TENGA INTERES EN DICHO BIEN Y QUE PUEDA SER PERJUDICADA POR DICHA INSCRIPCION

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: HU2020CV00412.

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE LEGAL NOTICE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE ESTA DO LIBR E ASOCIADO DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBULIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. SS. Por la presente se les notifica NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN A: ORLANDO J. MEDINA que la parte demandante ha presentado en este Tribunal FELIX Y LIZBETH JUAN. CONSEJO DE TITULARES MELÉNDEZ SERRANO una acción para que el Tribunal inscribir la propiedad Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL Ordene DEL CONDOMINIO DA que se describe como sigue: DE GANANCIALES VINCI “RUSTICA: Predio de terreno DEMANDANTE VS. COMPUESTA POR radicado en El Barrio Achiote del termino municipal de NaPAUL HARGROW AMBOS DEMANDADOS POR LA PRESENTE, se les ranjito, Puerto Rico, con una CIVIL NÚM.: SJ2020CV04166. emplaza y requiere para que cabida superificial de OCHOCIENTOS DIAZ PUNTO TRES SOBRE : ACCIÓN PARA HA- notifiquen a: MIL SEISCIENTOS TREINTA CER CUMPLIR LA LEY DE GONZÁLEZ & MORALES LAW OFFICES, LLC Y CUANTRO METROS CUACONDOMINIOS. EMPLAZAM PO BOX 10242 DRADOS (810.3634 mc) equiIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTAHUMACAO, PR 00792 valentes a CERO PUNTO DOS DOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA TELÉFONO: (787) 852-4422 MIL SESENTA Y UNO CUEREL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESFACSÍMIL: (787) 285-4425 DA (0.2061 cds), el cual colinda TADOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO Email: jrg@gonzalezmorales.com LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUER- abogados de la parte deman- por el NORTE, y OESTE, con terrenos de Carmen Lydia SaTO RICO. SS. dante, cuya dirección es la que nabria; por el SUR, con terrerA: Paul Hargrow. 788 deja indicada, con copia de su de Javier Rivera, William Riverside Drive: Apt. 9E. Contestación a la Demanda, nos Gimenez y un camino asfaltado copia de la cual le es servida New York. NY 10032 y por el ESTE, con la Familia este caso, dentro de los o sea, la parte demandada en Rivera.” Que la Propiedad anTREINTA (30) días de haber tes descrita no esta inscrita en arriba mencionada. sido diligenciado este EmplaPOR LA PRESENTE se le zamiento, excluyéndose el día el registro de la propiedad. Se

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO DEMANDANTE Vs

FRANKLIN FRANCESCHINI NIEVES FULANA DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

DEMANDADOS Civil Núm.: GY2019CV00093.

Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: FRANKLIN FRANCESCHINI NIEVES, FULANA DE TAL Y LA SLG, P/C LCDA. GINA H. FERRER MEDINA.

El Secretario(a) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 27 de julio de 2020, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia o Sentencia Parcial 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 DIEZ DIAS siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representado usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia o Sentencia Parcial, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de TREINTA DIAS 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 Carmen Milagros Ramos; del 12 de agosto de 2020. En y a los Estados Unidos de Yauco, Puerto Rico, a 12 de América. agosto de 2020. LUZ MAYRA DEMANDADOS CARABALLO GARCÍA, Secretaria Regional. Por: DELIA CIVIL NÚM: BY2020CV01897.

APÓNTE VELÁZQUEZ, Secre- SALÓN 505. SOBRE: Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca taria Auxiliar I. por la Vía Ordinaria. ORDEN. Vista la moción de la parte LEGAL NOTICE demandante solicitando el emEstado Libre Asociado de Puerplazamiento por edictos de los to Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL demandados desconocidos DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de PriCarmen M. Ramos Rodríguez, mera Instancia Sala Superior t/c/c Carmen Milagros Ramos de SAN JUAN. Rodríguez, t/c/c Carmen RaEROTIDO mos, t/c/c Carmen M. Ramos, t/c/c Carmen Ramos RodríMELO SANTANA guez, t/c/c Carmen Milagros Parte Demandante VS. MARIA PINEDA SANCHEZ Ramos como cualquier otra persona con interés en el caso Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: SJ2020RF00466. y atendida la Regla 4.7 de conSOBRE: DIVORCIO, RUPTU- formidad con la Regla 4.6 de RA IRREPARABLE. NOTIFI- Procedimiento Civil, el Tribunal CACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR la declara con lugar y ordena que dichos demandados desEDICTO. conocidos sean emplazados A: MARIA por medio de edicto, el cual dePINEDA SANCHEZ berá publicarse una sola vez en (Nombre de las partes a las que se un periódico de circulación diale notifican la sentencia por edicto) ria general en la isla de Puerto LA SECRETARIA que suscribe Rico. Se ORDENA remitir por le notifica a usted que el 11 de correo certificado con acuse de agosto de 2020, este Tribunal recibo o cualquier otra forma de ha dictado Sentencia, Sentenservicio de entrega de correscia Parcial o Resolución en este pondencia con acuse de recibo, caso, que ha sido debidamente siempre y cuando dicha entidad registrada y archivada en autos no posea vehículo alguno con donde podrá usted enterarse la parte demandante y no tendetalladamente de los términos ga interés en el pleito, una code la misma. Esta notificación pia del emplazamiento y de la se publicará una sola vez en demanda presentada al lugar un periódico de circulación gede la última dirección física o neral en la Isla de Puerto Rico, postal conocida de la parte dedentro de los lUdías siguientes mandada a ser emplazada por a su notificación. Y, siendo o edictos dentro de los diez (10) representando usted una parte días siguientes a la publicación en el procedimiento sujeta a los del Edicto. NOTIFÍQUESE. En términos de la Sentencia, SenBayamón, Puerto Rico, a 18 tencia Parcial o Resolución, de agosto de 2020. f/ WANDA de la cual puede establecerse CINTRON VALENTIN, Juez (a) recurso de revisión o apelación Superior. dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicaLEGAL NOTICE ción por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notifica- Estado Libre Asociado de Puerción que se considerará hecha to Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL en la fecha de la publicación DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Pride este edicto. Copia de esta mera Instancia Sala Superior notificación ha sido archivada de ARECIBO. en los autos de este caso, con fecha 13 de agosto de 2020. En SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, el 13 de agosto de 2020. GRISELDA RODRIGUEZ COLLADO, Secretaria Regional. CARMEN J. CASTRO SERRANO, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMON SALA SUPERIOR BAYAMON.

Reverse Mortgage Funding, LLC. DEMANDANTE VS.

Carmen M. Ramos Rodríguez, t/c/c Carmen Milagros Ramos Rodríguez, t/c/c Carmen Ramos, t/c/c Carmen M. Ramos, t/c/c Carmen Ramos Rodríguez, t/c/c

ORIENTAL BANK COMO AGENTE DE SERVICIO DE THE MONEY HOUSE, INC. Parte Demandante VS.

OSVALDO RUÍZ GARCÍA, JANIRA HERNÁNDEZ ABRAHAMS Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: AR2019CV01649.

SALA (403). SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA “IN REM” (VÍA ORDINARIA). NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: OSVALDO RUÍZ GARCÍA, JANIRA HERNÁNDEZ ABRAHAMS Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES

The San Juan Daily Star

COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 7 de agosto de 2020, 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 lUdías 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 14 de agosto de 2020. En ARECIBO, Puerto Rico, el 14 de agosto de 2020. VIVIAND Y FRESSE GONZALEZ, Secretaria Regional. F/YANITZA IGLESIAS MALDONADO, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

Friday, August 21, 2020

un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los lUdías 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 14 de agosto de 2020. En ARECIBO, Puerto Rico, el 14 de agosto de 2020. VIVIAND Y FRESSE GONZALEZ, Secretaria Regional. F/YANITZA IGLESIAS MALDONADO, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de BAYAMON.

E.M.I. EQUITY MORTGAGE, INC.

Parte Demandante VS.

DAVID ECHEVARRIA HERNANDEZ, ANASTACIA MENDEZ PEREZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de PriParte Demandada mera Instancia Sala Superior CIVIL NUM: BY2019CV06587. de ARECIBO. SALA (505). SOBRE: EJECUORIENTAL BANK CION DE HIPOTECA “IN REM” COMO AGENTE DE (VIA ORDINARIA). NOTIFICASERVICIO DE THE CIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR MONEY HOUSE, INC. EDICTO. Parte Demandante VS. A: DAVID ECHEVARRIA

OSVALDO RUÍZ GARCÍA, JANIRA HERNÁNDEZ ABRAHAMS Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: AR2019CV01649.

SALA (403). SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA “IN REM” (VÍA ORDINARIA). NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: EN CUANTO A LA CAUSA DE ACCIÓN DE COBRO DE DINERO, SIN PERJUICIO

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 7 de agosto de 2020, 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

HERNANDEZ, ANASTACIA MENDEZ PEREZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 4 de AGOSTO de 2020, 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 lUdías 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 13 de agosto de 2020. En BAYAMON, Puerto Rico, el 13 de agosto de 2020. LCDA. LAURA I SANTA SANCHEZ, Secretaria Regional. F/MILITZA MERCADO RIVERA, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de SAN JUAN.

COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO JESUS OBRERO Parte Demandante VS.

VIVIAN MERCADO MEJIAS

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: SJ2019CV08271.

SALA (807). SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: VIVIAN MERCADO MEJIAS

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 19 de AGOSTO de 2020, 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 lUdías 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 19 de agosto de 2020. En SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, el 19 de agosto de 2020.

GRISELDA RODRIGUEZ COLLADO, Secretaria Regional. F/ MILDRED J. FRANCO REVENTOS, Secretaria Auxiliar.

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

FINANCE OF AMERICA REVERSE, LLC

PARTE DEMANDANTE Vs.

SUCESIÓN DE AGUSTÍN

ELÍAS RODRÍGUEZ COLÓN, T/C/C AGUSTÍN RODRÍGUEZ COLÓN, T/C/C AGUSTÍN ELÍAS RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C AGUSTÍN E. RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C AGUSTÍN RODRÍGUEZ COMPUESTA POR PETER RODRÍGUEZ VÉLEZ, BRUNILDA RODRÍGUEZ VÉLEZ, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESIÓN DE HENORY BRUNILDA VÉLEZ ORTIZ, T/C/C HENORY B. VÉLEZ, T/C/C HENORY VÉLEZ ORTIZ ORTIZ, T/C/C HENORY BRUNILDA VÉLEZ, T/C/C HENORY B. VÉLEZ, T/C/C HENORY VÉLEZ HENORY BRUNILDA RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C HENORY B. VÉLEZ DE RODRÍGUEZ COMPUESTA POR PETER RODRÍGUEZ VÉLEZ, BRUNILDA RODRÍGUEZ VÉLEZ; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES MUNICIPALES; Y A LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

PARTE DEMANDADA CIVIL NÚM.: SJ2019CV01375.

SALA: 604. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. ORDEN. Examinada la moción presentada por la parte demandante, y examinados los autos del caso, el Tribunal declara HA LUGAR la solicitud de interpelación judicial1 de la parte demandante al heredero PETER RODRÍGUEZ VÉLEZ, conforme lo dispuesto en el Artículo 959 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico, 31 L.P.R.A. sec. 2787. Se ORDENA a PETER RODRÍGUEZ VÉLEZ, a que dentro del término legal de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la fecha de la notificación de la presente Orden, ACEPTE O REPUDIE la participación que le corresponda en la herencia de LA SUCESIÓN DE AGUSTÍN ELÍAS RODRÍGUEZ COLÓN, T/C/C AGUSTÍN RODRÍGUEZ COLÓN, T/C/C AGUSTÍN ELÍAS RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C AGUSTÍN E. RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C AGUSTÍN RODRÍGUEZ, Y DE LA SUCESIÓN DE HENORY BRUNILDA VÉLEZ ORTIZ, T/C/C HENORY B. VÉLEZ, T/C/C HENORY VÉLEZ ORTIZ ORTIZ, T/C/C HENORY BRU-

25

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/sumac/, 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 advierte que dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes a la publicación del presente edicto, se le estará enviando a usted por correo certificado con acuse de recibo, una copia del emplazamiento y de la demanda presentada al lugar de su última dirección conocida: Carr. 140 Km 67, Barceloneta, PR 00617; HC 1 Box 6523, Barceloneta, PR 00617-9293.

EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal en Arecibo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 6 de mayo LEGAL NOTICE de 2020. f / VIVIAN Y. FRESSE SECRETARIA ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO GONZÁLEZ, DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU- REGIONAL. POR: f/ YADIRA NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA LIZ CUEVAS CORREA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR. SALA DE MANATI. NILDA VÉLEZ, T/C/C HENORY B. VÉLEZ, T/C/C HENORY VÉLEZ HENORY BRUNILDA RODRÍGUEZ, T/C/C HENORY B. VÉLEZ DE RODRÍGUEZ. Se le APERCIBE al heredero antes mencionado que de no expresarse dentro de ese término de treinta (30) días en torno a su aceptación o repudiación de herencia, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. También se le APERCIBE al heredero antes mencionado que luego del transcurso del término de treinta (30) días antes señalado contados a partir de la fecha de la notificación de la presente Orden, se presumirá que ha aceptado la herencia de los causantes, y por consiguiente la propiedad objeto de este caso responde por las cargas de dicha herencia conforme a lo dispuesto en el Artículo 959 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico, 31 L.P.R.A. sec. 2785 y su jurisprudencia interpretativa en Banco Comercial de P.R. v. García, 51 D.P.R. 735 (1937); B.B.V.A. v. Latinoamericana, 164 D.P.R. 689 (2005). NOTIFÍQUESE. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, a 12 agosto de 2019. f/AIDA ILEANA OQUENDO GRAULAU, JUEZ SUPERIOR.

DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: ELSA V DE JESUS NIEVES H/N/C ALL CLEANING SERVICES

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 17 de agosto de 2020, 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 lUdías 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 18 de agosto de 2020. En CAROLINA, Puerto Rico, el 18 de agosto de 2020. LCDA. MAORIENTAL BANK RILYN APONTE RODRIGUEZ, LEGAL NOTICE Demandante V. Secretaria Regional. F/DAMAEstado Libre Asociado de PuerROBEN CORTES MAL to Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL RIS TORRES RUIZ, Secretaria Auxiliar.

DONADO, FULANA DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de PriDE TAL y la Sociedad mera Instancia Sala Superior LEGAL NOTICE Legal de Gananciales de CAROLINA. Estado Libre Asociado de PuerPR RECOVERY AND compuesta por ambos to Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL Demandados DEVELOPMENT JV, LLC DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de PriCIVIL NUM.: MT2020CV00058.

Parte Demandante VS. mera Instancia Sala Superior SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO ELSA V DE JESUS de JUANA DIAZ. POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMNIEVES H/N/C ALL ORIENTAL BANK PLAZAMIENTOP OR EDICTO. CLEANING SERVICES Parte Demandante VS. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMEParte Demandada RICA EL PRESIDENTE DE Eduardo Rivera LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LI- CIVIL NUM: CA2019CV04604. Rodríguez, Fulana de Tal BRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO SALA (408). SOBRE: COBRO

y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por ambos

Parte Demandada CIVIL NUM: JD2019CV00496.

SALA (409). SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO POR LA VIA ORDINARIA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: Eduardo Rivera Rodríguez, Fulana de Tal y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por ambos P/C Lcdo.

Jaime Ruiz Saldaña legal@jrslawpr.com para ser publicada por Edicto

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) LA SECRETARIA que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 18 de agosto de 2020, 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 lUdías 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 18 de agosto de 2020. En JUANA DIAZ, Puerto Rico, el 18 de agosto de 2020. LUZ MAYRA CARABALLO GARCIA, Secretaria Regional. F/Doris A Rodriguez Colon, Secretaria Auxiliar.

RICO. SS.

A: ROBEN CORTES MALDONADO, FULANA DE TAL y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por ambos

POR MEDIO del presente edicto se le notifica de la radicación de una demanda en cobro de dinero por la vía ordinaria en la que se alega que usted adeuda a la parte demandante, Oriental Bank, ciertas sumas de dinero, y las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado de este litigio.

El demandante, Oriental Bank, ha solicitado que se dicte sentencia en contra suya y que se le ordene pagar las cantidades reclamadas en la demanda.

POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el

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26

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

The Nets aren’t winning, but they aren’t giving up

By SOPAN DEB

I

s it possible for a postseason series to tell us everything and nothing at the same time? I present to you the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors facing off in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

On one hand, you have the Nets, who are down, 2-0, after losing, 10499, on Wednesday. This was expected: The Raptors, the defending champions, are more talented and heavily favored to win. Many of the current Nets players will either not be on the team next year, when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan return, or they will not get nearly as much playing time. Jacque Vaughn may not even be the coach then.

Opposite them, you have Toronto: a professional and efficient team doing what it’s supposed to do. But this series doesn’t answer any of the key ques- The Nets have fallen into a 2-0 hole tions for the Raptors as they try to make Toronto Raptors. a deep postseason run — namely, do they have enough top-level talent to rejust enough shots and caused just peat as champions?

But the games have been instruc- enough turnovers in the fourth quarter tive as to the culture of both teams, to come back. The Nets had a chance offering some lessons that the Nets in to tie in the last 15 seconds, but a hanparticular can take going into next year, doff from Joe Harris to Temple went regardless of how this series turns out. awry. Kyle Lowry got the steal, and the At a macro level, the Nets have Raptors iced the game — and breathed shown themselves to be resilient, both a sigh of relief. The Nets did not win, against the Raptors and in the eight but they did enough to make the Rapseeding games leading up to the pla- tors sweat. It was a moral victory if not yoffs. Sean Marks, the Nets gene- a real one.

“The adjustments we did make put ral manager, has spoken many times us in a position to even be in the final about the team’s culture of toughness minutes and seconds of a game against and hard work, which flourished under the defending champs,” Vaughn said Kenny Atkinson, who stepped down as after the game. head coach during the season, and has On a personnel level, this series has continued under Vaughn. This culture provided two revelations: Caris LeVert’s has been on full display at Walt Disney playmaking and Timothé LuwawuWorld near Orlando, Florida, where Cabarrot’s deserving a shot in the NBA. the Nets have competed at a high level LeVert is shouldering a heavy buragainst better teams. den as the Nets’ point guard — not his “We weren’t likely to be the senormal position.

He is also one of the venth seed once several of our players few players on the team who can condidn’t come down to the bubble,” Gasistently break down defenses.

LeVert rrett Temple said after scoring 21 points Wednesday. “We weren’t likely to beat dished a career-high 15 assists in the the teams we beat while we were here series opener Monday and 11 Wedin the bubble. We enjoy being under- nesday. He’s been adept at countering a steady diet of Toronto double teams dogs.”

The Nets led most of Game 2, until and traps with crisp passes to the open the more-experienced Raptors made man. Imagine how happy this must

in their first-round series against the

make Durant and Irving, who may be able to feel comfortable leaving the floor and handing the reins to LeVert when they return.

As for Luwawu-Cabarrot, 25, he is on his fourth team in four years — his fifth if you include the Cleveland Cavaliers, who signed him in September and then cut him before he played a game. But after signing multiple 10-day contracts with the Nets, and eventually a multiyear contract in February, he seems to have found a home with the franchise.

He scored 26 points in Game 1 against Toronto and then 17 Wednesday. Including the playoffs, LuwawuCabarrot has hit double digits in scoring for the Nets in seven of his past 10 games. He is an adept cutter and a reliable shooter. He’s become so reliable that Vaughn inserted him into the starting lineup Wednesday.

In the series opener, the Nets were in a 33-point hole in the first half. They had every reason to lie down: They weren’t expected to win. Coming back from that deep a deficit would be nearly impossible against the defending champions, who are known for their poise. And yet, the Nets cut the

lead to single digits in the second half, riding LeVert.

“Seems like they were trying to deliver an early message to the group,” Vaughn told reporters Monday. “I did like the way our group responded after halftime and accepted that first punch from Toronto. The rounds will continue.”

Ideally, the Nets would not have put themselves down by 33 in a playoff game. But that they muscled back is an indication that the team is playing motivated under Vaughn.

Unfortunately, mental muscles ultimately don’t equal real ones, as much as I tried to convince my high school basketball coaches otherwise. (Coach!

I would’ve made a great glue guy! Your loss, Howell High!) The Nets are unlikely to win this series — not without getting LeVert some serious help in the form of another playmaker. (Where art thou, Jamal Crawford?) And with Harris leaving the bubble for a personal matter after Game 2, the challenge is even greater.

But the team has acquitted itself about as well as it can given the circumstances. Effort isn’t the issue, and that’s something the Nets can take into next year when, in theory, they will have a team ready to contend for championships.

“I think anyone watching these past two games felt our team, the energy, the effort, their hard play, their togetherness, never doubting each other, being extremely resilient,” Vaughn said. “Definitely proud of that from the group. We put ourselves in a position to win a ballgame. And so that’s all you can ask.”

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

27

Bayern Munich beats Lyon and will face PSG in Champions League Final

By RORY SMITH

B

ayern Munich’s numbers, Lyon manager Rudi Garcia had said, were so intimidating that they were best ignored. Unbeaten since early December. Flawless, with not so much as a point dropped, in 19 consecutive games. Scoring goals at an eyewatering rate.

“If we just look at the statistics,” Garcia had said before Lyon faced Bayern in the Champions League semifinal Wednesday night in Lisbon, Portugal, “we might as well watch the game in the hotel.”

Lyon could not, in the end, stop Bayern’s big red machine from rolling on to its first Champions League final since winning the competition in 2013.

Two goals from Serge Gnabry — the first a bone-shaking finish from the edge of the penalty area, the second a scrappy tap-in — effectively settled the game before halftime. Robert Lewandowski, scoring his 55th goal of the season and his 15th in this season’s Champions League, added a third on a header in the 88th minute.

Lyon was hardly a passive observer to the proceedings, though. This was no meek surrender, as RB Leipzig’s defeat to Paris St.-Germain by the same scoreline Tuesday night had been. Twice, Lyon came close to taking the lead before Gnabry opened the scoring.

In the second half, when most would have considered its chance blown, Lyon continued to push forward, searching for the slice of good fortune that might have brought its players a lifeline.

PSG, certainly, will have seen enough from Lyon to believe that Bayern might be more vulnerable in Sunday’s final than Wednesday’s final score suggested: the pace of Kylian

Robert Lewandowski’s goal, Bayern’s third, finished off Lyon in Lisbon.

Mbappé, the craft of Neymar and the endeavor of Ángel Di María should trouble a Bayern defensive line that struggled to contain Karl Toko Ekambi and Memphis Depay.

The trouble, for PSG and everyone else, is what Bayern offers at the other end of the field. Lewandowski is the headline threat, but the German champion bristles with threats across the board. Gnabry was the star Wednesday, his dazzling run and fearsome finish shattering Lyon’s hearts after

a bright start. But there were worthy contributions from Lewandowski — scoring in his 10th straight Champions League game and now only two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 17 in a single campaign — but also from Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies and Thiago Alcantara.

The experience that Bayern’s manager, Hansi Flick, can call on may lend an edge, too. In Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng and David Alaba, Bayern has four survivors of its

victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 final. Five, actually, if one includes Lewandowski, who was in Dortmund’s yellow and black that night.

PSG, of course, has never reached the final before this season, though several of its players have. Di María won the tournament in 2014 with Real Madrid, and Neymar lifted the trophy a year later with Barcelona. They and Mbappé will not plan to be passive observers and will believe they can have a rather better outcome than Lyon did.

28

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

Palpable tension and unbridled joy: The sports moments fans are missing

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

L

ive sports are back. Live fans are (mostly) not.

You can catch some spectators projected digitally at NBA games or cardboard cutouts “seated” in Major League Baseball stadiums. But it’s not the same.

The echoing “DEE-FENSE” chant can’t be heard in arenas or on TV broadcasts.

Players don’t hear the roar for a home run, and there is no chest-pounding for thousands of adoring fans.

As live sports began returning in the United States, The New York Times asked sports fans to share what they missed about going to games. Responses were both wistful and hopeful.

Readers said they longed for the simple pleasure of a minor league baseball game with family and the euphoria of witnessing a hometown team advance to the playoffs. Many expressed hope that it would someday feel normal again to hug strangers after a sweet victory or a devastating defeat.

Here is a selection of responses, edited for clarity and length.

The Whole City Believed in the Team -- Peter Mastrippolito, Washington, D.C. After over seven innings of palpable tension and despair in the crowd, Juan Soto’s base-clearing hit to give the Nationals the lead against the Milwaukee Brewers in their National League wild-card game last year was like throwing a Molotov cocktail into a fireworks factory.

I’ve never been so elated at a game, and I’ve never seen a crowd go as crazy as the Nationals fans did that night. I still re-watch Soto’s hit and still can’t believe that the Nationals won that night, let alone the World Series a few weeks later. I can’t imagine a moment like that having the same impact without the 40,000 people there experiencing the same emotions.

Everyone was chanting “Beat LA.” as we left the ballpark. It felt like the whole city believed in the team.

Missing Hoarse Voices and 60,000 Fans -- Alyze Bellucci, El Dorado Hills, Calif.

In late January, my 9-year-old son and I attended the San Francisco 49ers’ NFC championship game, which led them to the Super Bowl. We had the most amazing time and we did not sit down for a single defensive play as the 49ers dominated the Green Bay Packers.

There’s less competition to catch a foul ball these days. The Phillie Phanatic was still proud of his catch during a game between the Mets and the Phillies.

We woke up the next morning with hoarse, raspy voices from screaming and cheering. It’s hard to believe now that earlier this year we were closely packed in with more than 60,000 people and not remotely concerned.

Before I had children, I worked in the front office of two Major League Baseball teams. Fans in attendance, both from my personal and past professional experiences, are a huge part of the game. I miss sports with all my heart … from my son’s Little League team to the San Francisco Giants’ season.

Crisp High-Fives Between Strangers -- Taryn Shanes, Plano, Texas In 2010, at 12 years old, I was standing alongside my dad and thousands of Texas Rangers fans as we witnessed the first American League Championship Series win in franchise history.

I wish I had recorded more of the crowd reaction: Kids cheering at the fireworks, crisp high-fives between strangers, grown men gruffly embracing each other and pretending not to notice the tears.

Watching the truncated 60-game season in 2020 is both comforting and alienating. Elvis Andrus is still at shortstop and Eric Nadel still calls the games on the radio, but who will cheer and high-five and hug and cry if the Rangers make it all the way?

Missing Getting Off Work to Check for Tickets -- Anwar Abdul-Rahman, Brooklyn I took a photo on Nov. 22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn when the Nets were playing the Sacramento Kings. One of my good friends is a Kings fan, and as a Los Angeles Lakers fan I went to boo the Kings!

(Editor’s note: The Nets won, 116-97.)

I love going to sports events at Barclays. You can get great seats for some games on resale apps, and the energy, food and entertainment are amazing.

Even though the bubble is happening, as a fan you don’t feel the same energy of a close game at the arena. At Barclays, I even got to see one of my students perform with the Brooklyn Nets Beats Drumline.

I also think of the workers and other entertainers at live sporting events and how this option for them has disappeared.

I’m rooting for the Lakers in the bubble, but I definitely wish it was live, so fans, and even spectators on TV, could feel the energy.

A Poignant Win in Person -- Matt Tripp, Atlanta The last athletic event I attended was the 2019 Iron Bowl. Auburn won, 48-45, against Alabama in front of a home crowd.

As an Auburn graduate, it was a thrilling victory, but it was also especially poignant in that it was the last game I went to

with my mother, who found out in September that she had peritoneal mesothelioma. She would later pass away in February.

This particular game will always hold a special place in my heart, not because of the awesome win, but because it was one of the last times I felt normal with my family.

Unbridled Joy -- Peter Retzlaff, Jersey City, N.J. As a lifelong fan this — the day the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl — was the greatest day of my life.

The relief, the disbelief, the unbridled joy, the absolute ecstasy is completely unmatched. Being able to be there in person was beyond words.

And yet a perfectly turned double play, the excitement of someone stealing home or Ray Allen’s perfect jump shot all elicit the exact same feeling, just in a much smaller dose.

That feeling, the community of fans, and enjoying it all with family are what make sports so magical.

An Atmosphere That Can’t Be Emulated -- Rachid Yousfi, Portland, Ore. Starting in 2019, my two friends and I began an annual reunion where we meet at a city of our choosing to watch a Major League Soccer game. The first was in Seattle in April 2019, when the Seattle Sounders faced Real Salt Lake. Seeing the north end supporters’ group drumming, clapping and singing gave me goose bumps.

Seeing soccer games pick back up in Germany is great, but the atmosphere that supporters’ groups bring to the stadium can’t be emulated.

I’m hopeful I’ll be able to see this in full swing before long.

JOSÉ BURGOS Técnico Generadores Gas Propano

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The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

29

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 30

Wordsearch

GAMES

HOROSCOPE Aries

30

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

(Mar 21-April 20)

A partner’s behaviour confuses you. An older relative is putting too much pressure on you to confront your other half. Now is not the time to be impulsive or to issue ultimatums. Think about what you want to say before going ahead. If you rush in, you could drive a person you care about away.

Libra

(Sep 24-Oct 23)

It isn’t possible to keep everyone happy. You are in high demand as so many people want to see you and be with you. A loved one is starting to feel neglected. You need to decide on who and what is most important to you and make this your main priority.

Taurus

(April 21-May 21)

Scorpio

Gemini

(May 22-June 21)

Sagittarius

(Nov 23-Dec 21)

Capricorn

(Dec 22-Jan 20)

Talking through problems with someone close will be better than cutting them off. These issues will prey on your mind until they are out in the open. Decisions need to be made and you will either find a compromise or part ways. A close friend is taking life too seriously. Help them see relaxation is good too.

You aren’t ready yet to share some of the plans you are making with others. If all goes ahead as you hope, this will make a big difference in your life. Once you reveal what you are planning with your friends, there will be some objections. You had hoped people would be more supportive.

Cancer

(June 22-July 23)

You can’t help wondering why some friends want to spend so much time with you. Don’t ever think you aren’t good enough for them.

You have a natural talent for making people feel special and relaxed when they are with you. Enjoy the happy moments you share.

If you are single, you could meet someone new through a sporting exercise.

Leo

(July 24-Aug 23)

(Oct 24-Nov 22)

A conversation with someone close is going to be hard but they need to hear what you have to say. They won’t be happy but you are tired of going around in circles. You know you are in a rut and need to find a way out of this.

Set joint goals to work towards to improve relationships.

Close relationships and romantic involvements will intensify. This would be a great time to retreat with your partner to somewhere private. Let passion sweep you away. Are you single? Make an effort to visit a friend who knows someone they feel you will get on well with. You won’t be disappointed.

You have a way of getting people to work together harmoniously. Your patience will be appreciated. An emotional issue will be settled because of your willingness to talk and this will put your mind at ease. A trip out together will benefit a partnership as you work to keep the romance alive.

Aquarius

(Jan 21-Feb 19)

Trying something new together will bring the sparkle back into a close relationship. Asking your partner what’s on their mind will help too. You’re restless and in need of something different. It would be good to get a change of scenery. Book a staycation and take some time away from the hustle and bustle of life.

A sociable person like you thrives on group activities, fun and laughter. If you’re in a committed relationship, you’re in the mood to indulge your amour. Just remember that generous gifts aren’t a measure of how much you love each other. Are you single? Mixing in a new circle could lead you to someone special.

Virgo

Pisces

(Aug 24-Sep 23)

You’ve been working hard lately and you could do with some time alone to recharge your battery. Some people have started to rely on you to always be there for them. When they complain about your plans, the pressure will start to build. Don’t feel guilty about putting your own needs first.

(Feb 20-Mar 20)

You are starting to feel emotionally and spiritually in tune with a new partner. You feel it is safe to start believing you have found your Happy Ever After’. relationship. People around you will tell you that fairy tale endings don’t exist but you believe in them and that’s all that matters.

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 29

August 21-23, 2020

31

CARTOONS

Herman

Speed Bump

Frank & Ernest

BC

Scary Gary

Wizard of Id

For Better or for Worse

The San Juan Daily Star

Ziggy

32

The San Juan Daily Star

August 21-23, 2020

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