Friday to Sunday Aug 25-27, 2023

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Berríos

GOOD MORNING August 25-27, 2023

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.

At mayors’ urging, PDP general council will meet on crisis triggered by Electoral Reform vote

By THE STAR STAFF

In reaction to disciplinary measures taken by Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González against Speaker of the House of Representatives Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez, seven mayors from the PDP on Thursday called for protection for the party and the convening of the party’s general council.

“The actions of the Speaker of the House are highly condemnable,” the mayors said in a written statement.

The group emphasized the need to support the party’s institutional integrity and protect the collectivity in times of challenge, noting that “it is time for us all to be allowed … to examine these developments.”

The mayors suggested that House Bill 1822, the Electoral Code Reform, should be reconsidered and removed from all legislative proceedings, respecting the provisions of the PDP governing board.

Later on Thursday, PDP Secretary General Gerardo “Toñito” Cruz Maldonado announced in response to the mayors’ request that a meeting of the general council will be convened on Sunday, Sept. 10 at a time yet to be determined.

The reaction of the mayors came after disciplinary actions were applied to a group of PDP House members, including Hernández Montañez, who defied the directives of the PDP governing board in voting in favor of the reform.

Hernández Montañez, who was suspended from all of his positions in the PDP until Dec. 31, 2024, said the disciplinary measure is undemocratic.

In addition, 15 other representatives were put under evaluation for possible sanction for voting in favor of the amendments to the Electoral Code that were opposed by the PDP president.

“We totally reject the findings of fact included in this Resolution as disproportionate and contrary to the most basic notions of democracy and freedom on which a party with 85 years of history is founded,” Hernández

Montañez said in a written statement. “In accordance with paragraph 11 of Article 39 of the Regulations of the Popular Democratic Party, we will appear before the Governing Board during the regulatory term to demand a fair process and demand a due process of law that does not impose severe sanctions through a summary procedure that by its nature violates the most basic notions of due process of law.”

He said he will face the process with the integrity and firmness that characterizes him “to prevent this situation from permanently damaging the Popular Democratic Party.”

Ortiz González summarily suspended Hernández Montañez from his positions on the PDP governing board and general council, and in the PDP general assembly.

In addition, the PDP president’s disciplinary action referred the following party lawmakers for evaluation by an executive board of examining officers: Reps. Edgardo Feliciano Sánchez, Ángel A. Fourquet Cordero, Gretchen Hau Irizarry, Jesús Hernández Arroyo, Rafael Hernández Montañez, Ángel N. Matos García, Lydia Méndez Sylva, Luis R. Ortiz Lugo, Jorge A. Rivera Segarra, Joel Sánchez Ayala, Jesús F. Santa Rodríguez, Deborah Soto Arroyo, Domingo Torres García and José M. Varela Fernández.

Heat record broken in San Juan with 95°F

By THE STAR STAFF

The National Weather Service (NWS) in San Juan registered a record temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, which surpassed the previous record of 94 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1976.

The temperature increase recorded Thursday was part of a heat wave that has afflicted various parts of

Puerto Rico and has led to above-average temperatures in many municipalities on the island.

The previous record of 94 degrees Fahrenheit in 1976 had been a reference point for the weather station at Luis Muñoz Marín airport in Carolina for 47 years, showing the intensity of Thursday’s heat.

NWS specialists recommended that the public take precautions to avoid heat stroke, including staying in cool places and staying hydrated.

Popular Democratic Party President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González

Governor calls PDP internal strife ‘incredible’

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia on Thursday described as “incredible” the internal problems that have flared up in the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) over the approval in the House of Representatives of a set of amendments to the Electoral Code.

“I say that they are incredible because they are sanctioning the speaker of the House; that is, stripping him of all positions, the appointments in that party, until the end of next year,” the governor said in response to questions from reporters. “[This is being done] to a speaker of the House, and that

they are also going to sanction a large number of legislators of that party. That denotes that there is a greater degree of disorder.”

“So first they have to solve those wrongs internally in the Popular Democratic Party, and I’m not going to suggest how to do it, because it’s not up to me,” he added.

Pierluisi insisted that if any amendment to the Electoral Code is to be approved, it must have the support of the New Progressive Party (NPP).

Regarding the judicial case on coalition candidacies, the NPP president said that depending on what happens in the Court of Appeals, they do not rule out taking the

matter to the island Supreme Court.

The governor also expressed confidence that despite a possible challenge to his candidacy, unity will prevail at the convention that his party will hold this weekend.

“We’re going to have a successful convention, I have no doubt; it’s going to be very lively,” Pierluisi said. “This Sunday all the leadership is invited, without exception. And there what will reign again is unity, because we are all statehooders who believe in that equality of rights that Puerto Ricans lack. And we are all going to defend this NPP administration because my administration is of the NPP.”

Traffic safety commissioner to resign to run for Senate

By THE STAR STAFF

Luis Rodríguez Díaz, the current executive director of the Traffic Safety Commission (CST by its Spanish initials), announced Thursday that he will file his candidacy for the Senate for the District of Carolina in December within the framework of the New Progressive Party (NPP) Convention.

“With the genuine desire to contribute to the development, progress and social justice of the region, I decided to file a Senate candidacy for Carolina for the NPP,” Rodríguez Díaz said in a written statement.

Rodríguez Díaz revealed that he will submit his resignation as executive director of the CST on Oct. 30 to ensure an orderly transition. The law requires that the resignation of an agency head occur 30 days before filing a candidacy with the State Elections Commission.

“October 30 is the most sensible date to resign and ensure a transition that does not harm CST services,” he said.

In March, the Government Ethics Office confirmed that Rodríguez Díaz can carry out activities related to his political aspirations outside working hours, according to opinion CE-23-284.

“My track record and experience in various public offices are what I offer to all citizens of the district,” Rodríguez Díaz said.

The Carolina Senate District covers the northeastern corner of the island and includes 10 municipalities, including Trujillo Alto, Carolina, Río Grande, Ceiba, Fajardo and Vieques. Currently representing the district are Sens. Marissa Jiménez Santoni of the NPP and Javier Aponte Dalmau, the Popular Democratic Party majority leader in the upper chamber.

Safety Commission Executive Director Luis

By THE STAR STAFF

District 28 Rep. Juan José Santiago Nieves on Thursday filed House Bill 1827, which proposes a law obliging drunk drivers who cause fatal accidents to pay restitution to orphaned children until they reach adulthood.

“The legislation was passed in several U.S. states, such as Texas,” Santiago Nieves said in a written statement. “We want to make sure that children orphaned by drunk driving accidents have a future. The driver must assume responsibility and provide support for the child.”

The bill amends Puerto Rico’s Penal Code and Law 22 of 2000 on Vehicles and Traffic. It seeks to add a special penalty of restitution to guarantee support for minors who lose their parents in accidents caused by drunk drivers.

Representing Comerío, Corozal, Naranjito and Barranquitas, Santiago Nieves expressed the need to educate the public about the risks of drunk driving and be forceful in punishments.

“More than jail, the duty to support the minor affected by his

act will mark the drunk driver all his life,” the lawmaker said.

Traffic

Rodríguez Díaz

Rep. Juan José Santiago Nieves

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi

A step forward for sustainable island agriculture

Couple’s donation of their Ciales farm sets new standard for protecting arable lands

By THE STAR STAFF

Post-industrial life might sometimes make us forget where everything comes from, as so much is completely automated and immediate, we tend to forget the simplicity of life and its origins.

Agriculture is still very important, no matter how much technology advances. Currently the Community Lands Trust

is celebrating the receipt of its first land donation, about 32 acres of a farm in Ciales known as “Las Perdices.” The donation sets a new precedent in the creation of alternative models for protecting arable lands in Puerto Rico and providing access to farmers who can’t afford to own their own land. In other words, the acquisition will allow the conditions necessary for farmers to start their new projects.

“This donation by José Colón López and Nélida Agosto Cintrón is beautiful and powerful,” Érika Fontánez Torres, who chairs the board of the Community Lands Trust. “In terms of the island and its public policy, this only confirms that salvaging our lands is an urgent matter. We must open a just and common path.”

“The fact that we finalized [the donation of] the first farm demonstrates that there are legal models that allow us to design alternatives for the ends that we wish to meet and that the island urgently needs,” she added.

Fontánez Torres went on to explain the alternative model for establishing a legal precedent that allows the designing of a juridically sound agreement to be adopted by the Community Lands Trust and those who desire to donate their lands. The agreement will be adjusted to the needs of both sides, as long as they coincide with the fundamental principles of the Trust: Salvaging lands perpetually for agroecological purposes, putting them at the service of agricultural projects, governing them under democratic and participatory processes and preserving them properly for future generations.

Colón López and Agosto Cintrón will continue to live in the farmhouse under a 10-year lease.

“For several years now, my wife Nélida and I have wanted our farm and the house we built with our own hands to have a secure future in their natural environment,” Colón López said. “The Community Land Trust (for Sustainable Agriculture) has the purpose of securing land that will be available for agricultural cultivation by small farmers with agroecological

practices and ensuring the integrity of mountainous lands in forests. We feel very pleased and proud for having made a concrete contribution to the production of food by Puerto Rican hands. Because they ‘will be the owners of the land.’ Because the land belongs to those who take care of it, protect it and cultivate it responsibly and without destroying it. Because conservation is a lifestyle.”

Since the transfer of Las Perdices farm was executed at the beginning of May, the Community Lands Trust has been working to actively develop a plan of integrated management and use of the farm. The intention is to create the necessary conditions for farmers who are integrating themselves into the Trust to begin to develop their agroecological projects without any major setbacks.

Group of PREPA bondholders hires its own law firm for utility’s bond restructuring

By THE STAR STAFF

Calling itself the Majority Member PREPA Ad Hoc Group, a set of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) bondholders has hired its own law firm to represent them in the bond restructuring of the utility’s bankruptcy process, according to a statement issued earlier this week.

Since 2014, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel has been representing the Ad Hoc Group of PREPA Bondholders. On or about May 1, certain funds managed or advised by Blackrock Financial Management Inc. retained Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul, Weiss) to represent them in connection with a potential restructuring of certain bonds. On or about Aug. 8 and Aug. 9, certain funds managed or advised by Nuveen Asset Management LLC, Franklin Advisers Inc. (“Franklin”), Taconic Capital Advisors LP, and Whitebox Advisors LLC contacted Paul, Weiss seeking separate representation. Those five members then engaged Paul, Weiss to represent them as a group in

connection with a potential restructuring of the bonds, according to the statement issued Wednesday.

The group, which calls itself the Majority Member PREPA Ad Hoc Group, holds $2.4 billion in uninsured debt. All members are also part of the ad hoc bondholders group, represented by Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, that has about $3.6 billion in uninsured debt as of Aug. 14, according to a recent court disclosure.

The news comes amid claims that PREPA, which has been in bankruptcy since 2017 to restructure some $9 billion in debt, is reportedly closing in on a deal with at least two bondholders, BlackRock Financial Management and Taconic Capital Advisors.

The Financial Oversight and Management Board has yet to file an amended plan of adjustment after reaching an agreement in principle with “substantial amounts of PREPA bonds.” GoldenTree Asset Management, a member of the original ad hoc group, has disclosed that it is not participating in the talks for restructuring. The oversight board should be filing its third amended plan of adjustment on Friday.

Nélida Agosto Cintrón and José Colón López

José Colón López, who along with his wife, Nélida Agosto Cintrón, built up Las Perdices farm in Ciales, said “the land belongs to those who take care of it, protect it and cultivate it responsibly and without destroying it.”

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which has been in bankruptcy since 2017 to restructure some $9 billion in debt, is reportedly closing in on a deal with at least two bondholders.

Home-buying assistance arrives in Gurabo

By RICHARD GUTIÉRREZ richardsanjuanstar@gmail.com

The island Housing Department held an orientation event on Thursday in the Fernando Rube Hernández Coliseum in Gurabo to promote its Home Buyer Assistance program. More than just spreading awareness of the program’s benefits, the aim of the event was to teach new buyers how the program works, what the qualifications are, and how to verify their qualification step by step.

“The Home Buyer Assistance program is a $60,000 incentive to those who are eligible by income and family composition” Xavier Ramírez of the Housing Finance Authority told the STAR. “Basically what we are doing here in the Gurabo Municipality is orientating citizens who are interested in buying a home and taking our housing advisory course, but don’t have the funds to purchase a home,” he said. “This is strictly for people who don’t have a property of their own and qualify because of family composition and income limits.”

Ramírez said the program has been beneficial to many islanders who previously didn’t have their own home.

“We’ve impacted over 7,340 families in Puerto Rico thanks to this assistance and have disbursed $262 million,” he said. “We currently have $495 million assigned by the Housing Department.” “We’re working hard alongside financial institutions that decide to participate in the

program,” the official added. “We have over 62 financial institutions, six agencies, one of them being Consumer Credit, which is here to take care of registration in order for people to take our course, which is obligatory in order to benefit from the $60,000 aid and hopefully qualify for the economic benefit to cover housing down payments.”

Ramírez noted that the funds are assigned by the U.S. Congress to the island Housing Department, which in turn assigned them to the Housing Finance Authority in order to manage the incentive with care.

But why does the government suddenly care about people owning their own home?

“When hurricanes Irma and Maria happened, we had a large number of people moving to the United States,” Ramírez said. “Our goal is to keep the Puerto Rican talent as much as possible, so they are able to buy a dignified and secure home for all of those who qualify for the program.”

The event was well attended by residents of Gurabo, and the registration line seemed endless. One resident who was interested in the program, Iram Ríos, told the STAR, “I like living in Puerto Rico, but a lot of the conditions and quality of life make it difficult to live here.”

“I came here because of how difficult these economic times are, and owning a property would most certainly incentivize me to stay on the island because it would take an economic weight off my shoulders,” Ríos said. “So I see this as a good opportunity.”

PIP condemns Nicaraguan regime over widening civil rights crackdown

By THE STAR STAFF

After decades of support, the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) on Thursday virtually broke ties with Nicaragua’s governing regime led by President Daniel Ortega because of its crackdown on civil rights.

“Given the recent events in Nicaragua that have culminated in the decision of the government of that country to dissolve the Jesuits Society and the consequent intervention by the government in the colleges and universities administered by the Jesuit order and the confiscation of their assets, the Puerto Rican Independence Party wants to record its firmest protest and its rejection of the worsening of the authoritarian and arbitrary drift that has been characterizing the decisions of the Nicaraguan government,” PIP Secretary of International Affairs Fernando Martín García said.

In the past, the PIP has been a vocal supporter of the Sandinista regime. In 2015, Ortega appointed former PIP President Rubén Berríos as its adviser on international policy. However, the government has engaged in

violations of civil rights.

The Nicaraguan government on Aug. 15 expropriated the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) and changed its name two days later. Ortega’s government sent police and prosecutors on Aug. 19 to evict six Jesuits living in an adjacent residence, although it belongs to the Jesuit order, not the UCA.

Over the past few years, the regime has cracked down on the Catholic Church, arresting priests, expelling missionaries, shutting down Catholic radio stations, closing down another Catholic university, and banning a Catholic procession and pilgrimage in a cathedral where the priest prayed for the nation.

Martín García said the international community – particularly the Latin American community – must promote dialogue mechanisms in Nicaragua that lead that country to a situation where the freedoms recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are respected.

“The existing opposition to the current government of Nicaragua cannot justify the increasing repression of public liberties that the current government has been increasingly

carrying out since the bloody episodes of government protests in 2018,” he said.

“The time has come when those of us who have been in solidarity with Nicaragua, and with the outstanding achievements and successes of the Sandinista Revolution, pub-

licly convey – and not only in private – our dismay at the degradation of the quality of life in Nicaragua, as well as the discredit that these developments bring to progressive causes throughout Latin America,” the PIP executive president said.

Housing Finance Authority official Xavier Ramírez (Richard Gutiérrez/The San Juan Daily Star)

Fernando Martín García, Puerto Rican Independence Party Secretary of International Affairs

Lahaina inferno began after firefighters departed a ‘contained’ scene

By SERGE F. KOVALESKI and MIKE BAKER

More than eight hours before a deadly fire swept through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina on Aug. 8, a small brush fire broke out on the edge of a residential neighborhood located a little more than 1 mile away from the town’s historic waterfront.

Firefighters spent hours dousing the blaze with water and carving boundaries around the burning fields with heavy machinery. They managed to keep the fire away from nearby homes, containing it to some empty plots of land.

Then came what could prove to be one of the key turning points in a disaster that became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. With hurricane-force gusts still blowing over the fire site and the surrounding arid shrubbery, crews left the neighborhood. They were needed, officials said, at other locations.

Within an hour, residents and Maui County authorities said, the initial brush fire flared up again and roared down the hillside toward the ocean, destroying nearly everything in its path. This time, the fire swiftly grew out of control. The death toll has reached at least 115, and more than 2,000 structures were destroyed.

In interviews this week, several residents of the area near the original brush fire said they had worried about its return when the fire trucks left their neighborhood. The fire, driven by the wind, had thrown off copious amounts of embers into the dry grasses, some of them said.

“I was angry because they were leaving the area unattended,” said Juan Advincula, 58, who watched the initial efforts to put the fire out. “It was the winds, the dryness and the embers I was afraid of. Someone should have stayed.”

Soon after the fire crews departed, residents said, the fire restarted along the edge of the neighborhood and began rapidly churning down the hillside, casting embers in the grasslands and parched shrubbery.

Gov. Josh Green said in an interview that the fire had been “temporarily out” before it “burst anew.”

“I think there were just embers and wind,” he said.

Maui’s fire chief, Brad Ventura, said in a statement that crews had departed the scene of the first fire to help handle “numerous

additional calls for service in other parts of West Maui,” mostly for downed power lines.

The initial fire began burning around 6:35 a.m. in an area more than 1 mile above the town’s central business district. Flames appeared to break out next to Lahainaluna Road in the area of a broken power line operated by Hawaiian Electric, video images show. The fire was already sweeping through dry grass as fire crews arrived on the scene, and it had grown serious enough that some residents were evacuated through thick smoke.

By 9 a.m., the fire department declared that the brush fire was “100% contained,” according to a county communiqué. The fire crews stayed on scene for several hours, monitoring the area, according to videos captured by residents.

Kimo Clark, who owns an excavation company, said that when he learned about the fire, which occurred in the neighborhood where his parents lived, he volunteered his company’s services to help. He said that he left the scene around noon, with firefighters thanking him for pitching in and saying that they did not need his services any longer.

“There was a little bit of smoke here and there, but it was pretty much out,” Clark said.

“You cannot contain every piece of burning root and wood. It’s like coal. It would have to rain and flood to put all that out.”

Although the county has said from the

beginning that the initial brush fire of about 3 acres was “100% contained” before firefighters left, that would not mean the fire was extinguished. “It means that firefighters have the blaze fully surrounded by a perimeter, inside which it can still burn,” the county said in a news release last week explaining the terms. “A fire is declared ‘extinguished’ when fire personnel believe there is nothing left burning.”

In his statement Tuesday, Ventura changed the county’s description of the early fire’s status, now calling it “extinguished,” with no smoke or heat. Crews left the scene at 2 p.m., he said.

But a woman who lives near the original fire location and declined to be identified because she was helping with the fire investigation said that the burned territory on the edge of the neighborhood still showed signs of heat later that afternoon, with smoke rising in small spots. She said the fire reignited next to her home around 2:45 p.m., and she dialed 911.

As the flames began to spread, some residents rushed to grab hoses to put out the blaze and other new hot spots, while others packed children into vehicles to flee the area. Fire crews raced back to the scene, but by then, the flames were well beyond containment, with winds pushing the fire toward the dense residential neighborhoods below.

“It was wind-driven. Big time. There were 60- to 80-mile-per-hour winds, and we don’t train for that,” said Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association. “It was a blowtorch, blowing sideways and pushing the fire house to house faster than anyone could extinguish it.”

Christopher Dicus, a professor who specializes in wildland fires and fuels management at California Polytechnic State University, said that a contained fire does not mean that it is fully controlled. Some personnel usually stay to monitor the aftermath, he said, but crews often depart the scene for the sake of cost savings or other duties.

Yet, a fire that seems to be extinguished can roar back to life unexpectedly, especially in strong winds, he said. He noted the 1991 fire that consumed thousands of buildings and killed 25 people in Oakland, California.

Fire crews would have had to balance the risk that the powerful winds might reignite the morning brush fire against the need to use resources elsewhere. The firefighters association has estimated that about 65 firefighters are on duty on the island at any given time.

“We don’t have a lot of extra firefighters that can come across from, you know, Jersey or Pennsylvania,” Green said. “We have what we have. So the fire broke out again and spread to the town, and the town was dry. So the rest, of course, is tragedy.”

The governor said that the reignited blaze was out of control before firefighters could properly confront it — and quickly got worse.

The inferno was moving so fast, the governor said, that some fire trucks were caught in its path. “Two huge trucks were immediately consumed and melted,” he said. “Fire trucks melted.”

By the time the fire began surging through the central part of town, firefighters had encountered a new problem: The town’s water system was starting to collapse, leaving no water in the hydrants. Firefighters, some of whom lived in the town and lost their homes, had little power to stop the blaze at that point.

The state attorney general has said it will commission an outside investigation to examine the causes of the Lahaina fire and the efforts to combat it. The inquiry will most likely also look at the decision to leave the scene of the earlier brush fire — a decision that some residents are still debating.

The charred remains of a vehicle in the shoreline community of Lahaina, which was devastated by wildfires ten days prior, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 18, 2023.

Ramaswamy seizes spotlight as DeSantis hangs back: 7 debate takeaways

By SHANE GOLDMACHER, JONATHAN SWAN and MAGGIE HABERMAN

One thing was clear when former President Donald Trump decided to skip the first debate of the 2024 Republican primary race: There would be a vacuum to fill.

But it was not Trump’s chief rival in the polls, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who emerged at the epicenter of the first Trump-free showdown Wednesday, but instead political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, whose unlikely rise has revealed the remarkable degree to which the former president has remade the party.

DeSantis had stumbled heading into the debate and was widely seen as in need of a stabilizing performance. He sought it by largely avoiding the scrum and sticking closely to the core case he makes on the stump, hoping to gain incremental ground in front of a national audience.

All eight candidates mostly jostled for position among themselves, and few targeted the front-runner who is set to surrender on Thursday after his fourth criminal indictment.

Here are seven takeaways.

It was the Ramaswamy show.

Six months ago, the idea that Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, would be standing center stage at a Republican presidential debate would have seemed unimaginable.

And yet there he was, leaning into that fact with a line echoing one used famously by Barack Obama, asking, “Who the heck is this skinny guy with a funny last name?”

That skinny guy quickly became a punching bag for rivals, led by former Vice President Mike Pence, who invoked his experience to say that it wasn’t time for a “rookie” who needed “on-the-job training.” Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey recalled the Obama line, quipping, “I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same type of amateur.”

But Ramaswamy smiled his way through the night, delighting in the attention as he staked out positions that might be unpopular among his competitors — cutting funding for Ukraine’s war effort (he mocked the country’s president as “their pope”), and promising to preemptively pardon Trump — but that resonate with the Republican base.

He hewed closely to Trump not just on substance but also on style. He stirred controversy to soak up screen time, and lobbed some of the evening’s most strikingly personal slights: accusing Christie of auditioning for an MSNBC contract, Nikki Haley of having her eye on lucrative private-sector jobs and declaring — to some boos — that he was the only candidate not bought and paid for by special interests.

The Harvard-educated Ramaswamy came off at times as slick — Christie dismissed him as “a guy who sounds like ChatGPT” — but he was the one everyone else was talking about, a victory in itself.

DeSantis avoided attacks — and ended up on the periphery.

Before the debate, DeSantis’ aides had predicted that he would be the center of attacks. So much for that.

Rivals mostly ignored him, despite his status as the polling leader on the stage. It was a surprising turn of events that allowed DeSantis to make his own points without interruption or interrogation.

But it often relegated him to the sidelines. He spoke for two minutes less than Pence, only the fourth most speaking time of the eight candidates — hardly the expected outcome without Trump.

In fact, the moment when DeSantis most exerted his authority came against Fox News’s moderators, when he successfully steamrollered an attempt to have candidates raise their hands over whether they believed in human-caused climate change.

It felt like something of a fleeting alpha moment for a candidate in need of one.

Policy clashes showed GOP divides.

More than any other issue, the question of America’s role in Ukraine divided the candidates and presented two divergent visions for the Republican Party.

On one side stood the Reaganite interventionists, Haley and Pence. They argued for an America that should stand for freedom and against President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

On the other side stood DeSantis and Ramaswamy, who questioned whether supporting Ukraine was in America’s national interest. Ramaswamy was unequivocal: America should no longer support Ukraine.

DeSantis left himself more wiggle room, leaving open sending more U.S. aid to Ukraine, but saying European countries needed to chip in more.

Democrats watching the debate — including President Joe Biden — immediately seized on the Republican answers on climate change. When the candidates were asked if they believed human behavior was causing climate change, most seemed to want nothing to do with the question.

Only two were unequivocal: Ramaswamy, who called climate change a “hoax,” and Haley, who said climate change was “real.” DeSantis rejected a request by the moderators for a show of hands, saying: “We are not schoolchildren. Let’s have the debate.”

On abortion, the main debate was over whether it should be banned federally or at the state level. Pence and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who had a quiet night, argued for a national 15-week ban. Haley argued that a national ban was politically impractical. DeSantis indicated the issue should be left to the states.

Pence came out punching.

Pence barely qualified for the debate, but he made the most of every moment, crowbarring his way into almost every exchange, regardless of whether his name had been mentioned. He was so surprisingly aggressive that Bret Baier, one of the moderators, repeatedly urged him to stick to his allotted time.

Pence staked out the most anti-abortion position, arguing for a 15-week national ban and chiding his opponents who ducked the question — suggesting they were acting out of political expediency rather than morality. “Consensus is the opposite of leadership,” he told Haley. More than once, he cited his faith, which he has leaned on as he competes with Scott for evangelical voters.

Haley positioned herself as the pragmatist.

There is little evidence in the Trumpian Republican Party that a moderate voice can succeed in presidential primaries. But during the debate, Haley seemed determined to try to do just that.

Instead of tacking right, Haley offered the closest thing to a general-election argument that any candidate delivered, highlighting herself as the only woman present.

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman,” she said — a canned rendition of a Margaret Thatcher line, but one that landed.

Boos underscored Christie’s challenge.

On a crowded, chaotic debate stage — which has often been Christie’s best format — he did not stand out as he has in the past.

Running for president a second time, he generally accomplished what he set out to do: Argue that Trump, whom he once supported, has engaged in conduct unfit for a president.

The problem for Christie was that he was booed lustily by the crowd nearly every time he leveled those criticisms. And his attacks came less frequently than many political watchers had anticipated. He let some opportunities to swing at Trump go by, especially in the first hour.

Trump avoided the debate, and meaningful attacks.

All eight Republicans onstage had to sign a pledge that they would support the party’s eventual nominee — even if it ends up being the man who skipped the debate and in doing so refused to make such a promise himself.

Throughout the night, Trump was something of spectral presence — not there, yet omnipresent.

While Christie and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas criticized him from the wings of the stage, no one fully took advantage of the front-runner’s absence.

“I’m incredibly proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration,” Pence said at one point. Ramaswamy called Trump the greatest president this century.

Most candidates stood with Pence for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when he stood up to Trump’s pressure to overturn the 2020 election. But few leaned into the topic. “We’ve answered this so many times,” DeSantis protested, before eventually relenting. “Mike did his duty; I’ve got no beef with him.”

It all amounted to a relatively warm embrace for the candidate running laps around them in polls, and an evening that seemed unlikely to upset the status quo in a race that Trump has dominated.

A Fox television crew in the spin room prepares for the end of the first Republican presidential primary debate, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

Trump, during Tucker Carlson interview, belittles Republican rivals

By MAGGIE HABERMAN

Instead of being subjected to the rigors of a debate, former President Donald Trump enjoyed an hour Wednesday night in which he was able to deliver mostly streamof-consciousness commentary on politics and the state of the nation, drifting from topics such as the death of Jeffrey Epstein and the challenges of low water pressure to what President Joe Biden’s legs look like on the beach and what he called the “trivia” of the charges lodged against him in four criminal indictments.

His decision to sit out the debate and instead do a pre-taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was a tactical one by Trump, who is leading the Republican primary polls by wide margins. Rather than appearing onstage with people competing with him but largely refusing to criticize him, Trump was able to use the leading and sympathetic questioning by Carlson to boast about what he saw as his accomplishments, belittle his rivals and attack Biden in an un-

challenged format.

Early in the 46-minute episode of Carlson’s show, posted on X, the platform

formerly known as Twitter, Carlson asked Trump why he chose not to join the other candidates at the first primary debate of the

election cycle, hosted by Fox News. Trump replied by attacking Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, and Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and Trump’s onetime friend, whom he called a “savage maniac.”

Trump maintained that authoritarians around the globe were afraid of tangling with him. He again described the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021, as having a spirit of “love” and “unity.”

Carlson, who raised the topic of Epstein, asked more than once whether Trump might be killed by his opponents — Trump did not answer directly — and pressed Trump about whether the United States was in danger of falling into civil war.

“I don’t know,” Trump said. “There’s a level of passion that I’ve never seen. There’s a level of hatred that I’ve never seen and that’s probably a bad combination.”

Asked how he was enduring the four indictments he has faced since March, Trump responded, “I do get credit for holding up quite well, I must tell you.”

Former President Donald J. Trump seen on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.

More than 3,100 charged with pandemic relief fraud, Justice Department says

By MADELEINE NGO

For more than two years, Leon Haynes, a New Jersey tax preparer, told some of his clients that the federal government was giving out “free money” in the form of pandemic relief to people who owned businesses. According to federal prosecutors, Haynes filed more than 1,000 false tax forms, fraudulently claiming more than $124 million in COVID-19 employment tax credits for businesses that he and others owned.

Haynes was arrested at the end of July.

The complaint is one of several COVID-19 fraud cases detailed Wednesday by the Justice Department, which has been cracking down on businesses and individuals who inappropriately pocketed federal relief aid.

As of this week, the federal government has charged 3,195 defendants for offenses related to pandemic fraud and seized more than $1.4 billion in relief funds, according to data released by the department.

That included the results of a three-month “sweep” to combat COVID-19 fraud, which ended in July and involved more than 50 U.S. attorneys offices and dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The sweep resulted in criminal charges against 371 defendants, with 119 convicted or pleading guilty. The Justice Department claimed 63 defendants had connections to violent crime and 25 had purported connections to transnational crime networks.

“This latest action,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland, “should send a clear message: The COVID-19 public health emergency may have ended, but the Justice Department’s work to identify and prosecute those who stole pandemic relief funds is far from over.”

The exact amount of stolen relief funds is unknown, but the Small Business Administration’s inspector general estimated that more than $200 billion — or at least 17% of the roughly $1.2 trillion in pandemic loans the agency doled out — had been disbursed to “potentially fraudulent actors.”

The Justice Department does not have a specific goal for

The Department of Justice in Washington, July 16, 2023. The federal government has charged 3,195 defendants for offenses related to pandemic fraud and seized more than $1.4 billion in relief funds, according to data released by the department.

the amount of money it is trying to recoup, but prosecutors and investigators are working to “claw back as much of that money as possible,” said Michael Galdo, the department’s acting director of COVID-19 fraud enforcement.

“When the money’s out the door and we’re chasing it, it’s difficult to recover it all,” Galdo said. Some individuals used their stolen money to fund vacations, while others purchased assets overseas that can be difficult to recover.

He added that some fraudsters were still actively trying to obtain funds through the employee retention tax credit program, and that he expected to see more prosecutions in the coming months related to those schemes.

The cases highlighted by the Justice Department revealed the scope of fraud that occurred when the federal government, in an attempt to keep the economy afloat, rushed to get money out the door quickly and with little oversight. A flood of criminals exploited many of those programs, taking advantage of what they saw as easy money. The Justice Department listed a

Atención empleados que aportan a planes 401 K o 1165 E, que por motivos de jubilación o pérdida de empleo tienen que transferir las acumulaciones de su retiro a una cuenta cuali cada, En Coop Las Piedras Insurance Agency te ofrecemos la oportunidad de orientarte y ayudarte con el producto que más se ajuste a sus necesidades. Infórmese bien antes de mover su dinero. ¡Llámanos para una orientación personalizada!.

Coop Las Piedras Insurance Agency, tu agencia de seguros, ofreciéndote protección total…

range of fraud schemes, including defendants who were accused of using the money to solicit a murder and individuals who laundered funds by shipping cars to Nigeria.

One case detailed by the department involved 30 individuals — all alleged to be members or affiliates of a Milwaukee street gang known as the Wild 100s — who were charged for their role in a scheme involving millions in fraudulently obtained pandemic unemployment insurance benefits. The funds were allegedly used to solicit a murder for hire and to purchase firearms, controlled substances, jewelry, clothing and vacations. Some defendants were also accused of transferring firearms knowing they would be used to commit violent crimes or traffic drugs.

Thousands of investigations are continuing. At the end of June, the Labor Department’s inspector general had about 163,000 open investigations focused on unemployment-insurance fraud from the pandemic.

The department also announced the creation of two COVID-19 fraud enforcement strike forces at the U.S. attorney’s offices in Colorado and New Jersey, an addition to the three strike forces the department created in September 2022.

Investigators have struggled to keep up with the sheer amount of pandemic-related fraud, focusing their efforts and limited resources on large, multimillion-dollar cases.

Federal prosecutors have deployed various methods to catch more fraudsters. At the U.S. attorney’s office in Maryland, officials have started screening all suspects of violent crime and illegal possession of firearms for pandemic fraud. And officials at the U.S. attorney’s office in the Northern District of Mississippi are asking county officials to review lists of people who received pandemic loans to root out potential fraudsters.

Most pandemic fraud cases have involved the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and enhanced unemployment benefits distributed during the pandemic. More than 560 convictions have been made related to fraud involving funds from the programs, which were meant to aid small businesses struggling during the pandemic, according to the SBA’s office of inspector general.

Nvidia-led rally pauses as investors eye Jackson Hole

World stocks receded on Thursday as investors took a breather after bets that tech darling Nvidia (NVDA.O) will deliver blockbuster results paid off, while Treasury bond yields edged back higher following a big sell-off.

Profit-taking weighed on shares across the board, with the MSCI All Country stock index (.MIWD00000PUS) down 0.36%. In the United States, the Dow Jones (.DJI) lost 0.35%, the S&P 500 (.SPX) fell 0.57% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) slid 1.04%.

Investors are now waiting for a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday at a central bank summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for clues on the U.S. interest rates outlook, though Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker gave a sign of things to come.

Harker said in an interview on Thursday that he doubted the Fed will need to raise rates again, but also indicated he was not ready to predict when the Fed might start cutting rates.

“Right now I think that we’ve probably done enough” and it is probably a good idea to hold steady for the rest of this year and see how that affects the economy, Harker told CNBC.

Profit-taking also took hold in Europe, where European stocks (.STOXX) gave up earlier gains to edge down 0.37%.

“To see what Jerome Powell now says in the light of some weaker underlying economic data - how he’s going to message? Are we at the peak? Are we going to hold? - I think it’s the absolutely crucial thing,” said Robert Alster, chief investment officer at Close Brothers Asset Management.

Nvidia jumped 1.4% after the company’s revenue forecast demonstrated how a boom in generative AI technologies that can read and write in human-like ways - and powered almost exclusively by Nvidia’s chips - shows no signs of slowing down.

Elsewhere, the Turkish lira leapt more than 2% to 26.605 versus the dollar after a bigger-than-expected 750 basispoint rate hike, with stocks on the country’s main banking index gaining more than 9%.

EASING YIELDS

Government bond yields eased, adding to a sense of relief across markets.

Euro zone yields hit multi-week lows with Germany’s 10year yield 1.5 bps lower at 2.50%, having touched a 2-week low of 2.448%.

The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes reached 4.214%, compared with its U.S. close of 4.198% on Wednesday, when it eased from near 16-year highs after weak business activity data from the United States and the euro zone.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) closed 1.5% higher, also lifted by Nvidia’s bullish outlook.

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

PUERTO RICO STOCKS

Still, the index is down about 8% so far this month due to weakness in China’s economy and yuan, as well as some gloomy factory readings from Japan, which also left sentiment fragile.

BRICS group announces new members, expanding its reach

By DAVID PIERSON and LYNSEY CHUTEL

The BRICS club of emerging nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — was at a crossroads when its leaders arrived in South Africa earlier this week for their annual summit.

Should it follow the path of more moderate members like India and try to work within the Western-dominated global system? Or should it tack toward China by adding new members that would signal stricter opposition to the United States?

On Thursday, the bloc revealed its decision, adding six new countries, including the staunchly anti-Western Iran, in an apparent victory for China.

The inclusion of Iran tilts the bloc more in opposition to China’s chief rival, the United States, and signals that Chinese pressure largely outweighed the qualms of India and Brazil, which want to maintain friendly ties with the West.

“Iran, obviously, is a complicated choice,” said Cobus van Staden, a researcher with the China Global South Project. “I can imagine that some of the other members worry that it might increase geopolitical tensions with Western powers, which I think it kind of inevitably would.”

The addition of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia gives the group more financial heft. It also bolsters China’s bid to demonstrate to the world that it has growing support for its agenda despite having alienated many countries in the developed world over its ties to Russia.

“This membership expansion is historic,” China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, said Thursday at the end of the meeting. “It shows the determination of BRICS countries for unity and cooperation for the broader developing world.”

China did not get everything it wanted, however. It had pushed for Indonesia to be invited to the group. The reason for Indone -

sia’s omission was not immediately clear.

Still, the appearance of a success for China may turn out to be the most significant takeaway from the summit, which failed to deliver on the long-stated goal of establishing a BRICS currency to rival the hegemony of the U.S. dollar. The group instead encouraged members to use local currencies in trade.

Another potent symbol of the bloc’s limitations appeared each time President Vladimir Putin of Russia spoke over a video link. The Russian leader was unable to attend the summit because he is wanted for war crimes in Ukraine under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

The four-day summit underscored how BRICS, which was envisioned as an economic forum, has adopted a more geopolitical bent in the face of a growing great-power rivalry between China and the United States and of Russia’s polarizing war in Ukraine.

China and its partners in the bloc are hoping to tap a well of anger and grievance in the so-called Global South to chip away at the West’s dominance. Those frustrations include unfulfilled promises by rich countries to deliver COVID-19 vaccines; rising inflation and energy costs; and the failure by the Global North to do more to tackle climate change, which disproportionately affects develop -

ing countries.

Yet, while BRICS nations may have forged unity outside the confines of the Western-led order, their goals remain divergent and their governance diverse. Come January, when the six new countries join the bloc, BRICS will comprise members representing six democracies, two authoritarian states, two autocratic monarchies and a theocracy.

“The group is going down an uncharted path, with new actors that have varied interests,” said Manoj Kewalramani, a China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution in India. “It’s going to become unwieldy and, dare I say, more ineffective.”

Some officials disagreed with that assessment, arguing that the countries had proved they could work past their disagreements.

Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s representative in the BRICS negotiations, told reporters that the global architecture of Western-dominated institutions was created before emerging nations enjoyed independence and that the group needed to change with the times.

“This is what BRICS is saying: ‘Let’s be more inclusive,’” he said. “BRICS is not anti-West.”

That echoes long-standing complaints from China about having so little say in setting global rules, given its size.

The acronym BRIC was coined by economists at Goldman Sachs to describe a group of developing nations with rapidly growing economies and populations. It was adopted by the group in 2009, adding an uppercase “S” to the acronym after South Africa joined a year later.

It is now a formalized group that seeks to challenge Western-led forums like the Group of 7, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

It has drawn support from smaller countries that are caught between the world’s wealthier nations and face pressure to pick sides or, in some cases, occupy a middle ground in an effort to extract the best deal from competing powers.

“The entire Global South is feeling the constraints, the limits of the current system, and looking for other options,” said van Staden.

But the inclusion of Iran complicates that picture.

Iran applied to join BRICS in June as part of its efforts to strengthen economic and political ties with non-Western powers and to demonstrate that the West’s efforts to isolate the country have failed. Holding the world’s second-largest gas reserves and one-quarter of the oil reserves in the Middle East, Iran has stayed afloat by selling discounted oil to China, among other maneuvers.

Amid the Ukraine war, Iran has formed a deepening strategic relationship with the Kremlin, as its prowess in drone and missile production and hostile relations with the West have made it an appealing partner to some nations. The United States has described Iran as Russia’s top international military backer and has warned about the impact of the countries’ military trade on Ukraine.

Leading up to the summit, U.S. officials had sought to play down the impact of the group’s expansion plans. On Tuesday, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters that the Biden administration was “not looking at the BRICS as evolving into some kind of geopolitical rival to the United States or anyone else.”

He said that the United States had “strong positive” relations with Brazil, India and South Africa, adding, “We will continue to manage our relationship with China, and we will continue to push back on Russia’s aggression.”

Some analysts said the dozens of countries that expressed interest in joining BRICS should be a warning sign for the West.

“The enthusiasm of many developing countries to join BRICS reflects not only the appeal of China’s values-neutral globalization but also the failure of Western countries to build a more inclusive international order,” said Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.

An oil tank farm in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 11, 2018. Saudi Arabia is the BRICS club’s biggest trading partner in the Middle East.

Tropical Storm Franklin strengthens after pounding Dominican Republic

By JUDSON JONES, HOGLA ENECIA PÉREZ and LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA

Tropical Franklin gradually strengthened Thursday as it moved north into the Atlantic Ocean after hammering the Dominican Republic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of 11 a.m. Eastern time, Franklin was about 90 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island and was moving northeast at 7 mph. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and could reach hurricane strength, with winds of 74 mph, by Saturday, the hurricane center said.

In the Dominican Republic, the storm left at least one person dead and hundreds of thousands of homes without power or potable water.

About 350 people were displaced, with many in shelters, the Emergency Operations Center of the Dominican Republic said Wednesday. More than 500 homes were damaged and more than 2,500 roads were

affected, leaving six communities cut off, officials said. As of Wednesday night, 350,000 homes were without power, and more than 1.6 million did not have potable water.

Carlos Marino Martínez, 33, was killed when he was swept away by floodwaters in the city of San Cristobal, according to the Civil Defense, a government agency in the Dominican Republic. Two women were hospitalized after a landslide in San Cristobal, officials said.

Officials closed schools and government agencies, and at least 25 of the country’s 31 provinces were under red alert, which indicates a high likelihood of damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, The Associated Press reported.

Franklin was the fourth named storm to form in two days. Tropical Storm Emily was downgraded Monday to a post-tropical cyclone after forming the day before, and Gert was also short-lived. Tropical Storm Harold formed early Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in Texas in the morning.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

By HELENE COOPER

It may be some time before Western intelligence agencies can say with certainty whether Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, was aboard the plane that crashed in Russia, Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday.

It remained unclear what caused the plane to drop out of the sky Wednesday, although preliminary U.S. intelligence reports pointed to an internal explosion. Prigozhin was listed on the plane’s manifest and is presumed dead, but the Wagner Group has not confirmed his death nor has the Russian government.

Even if Russian authorities were not forthcoming about what happened to the plane, Milley said he expected the truth to come out.

“Even on things like this, eventually you figure it out,” he told reporters, adding, “I can assure you that, to my knowledge, the United States had nothing to do with any of this whatsoever.”

If the paramilitary leader is indeed dead,

there will be repercussions around the world in places where the Wagner Group has troops, said Milley, President Joe Biden’s most senior military commander.

“If the leadership of Wagner is suddenly killed, there is going to be an effect,” he said.

“What that impact is, I don’t know yet.”

Prigozhin’s possible death puts the United States in a strange position. The mercenary leader has bedeviled U.S. efforts in Ukraine, Syria and West Africa and operated “in an adversarial manner toward U.S. interests,” Milley said.

But at the same time, American officials had taken some delight in the thorn that Prigozhin had become in the side of President Vladimir Putin of Russia in recent months. Some wondered whether the forceful removal of the Wagner boss could further embolden the Russian leader.

Like Biden, Milley said he was not surprised by the news that a plane tied to the man who led a mutiny against Putin’s military leadership had suddenly plunged from the sky.

“Prigozhin was probably at some degree of risk because of the mutiny that occurred two months ago,” Milley said.

By the authority conferred upon the Comptroller of Puerto Rico by Act No. 9 of July 24, 1952, as amended, the Office of the Comptroller proposes to amend the following regulations:

These Regulations are intended to prevent, deter and avoid sexual harassment in employment, and to promptly address any complaint thereof. This way, we comply with the policy of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as stated in Act. No. 17 of April 22, 1988, as amended.

Copies of these Regulations will be available for 30 days from the publication of this Notice, from 7:45 to 11:45 a.m. and from 12:45 to 4:15 p.m. at the reception of the Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico located in 105 Ponce de León Avenue, Stop 27, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. Furthermore, these regulations are available on our website at: http://www.ocpr.gov.pr.

Comments or observations on these Regulations can be submitted in writing, via e-mail or by requesting a hearing within 30 days of the publication of this Notice. In addition, the request for the hearing can be done via e-mail and must state the grounds for which it is necessary to grant a hearing according to the requestor. Comments and hearing requests may be handed on at the reception or be sent to the following email address ocpr@ocpr.gov.pr or to the following postal address:

Committed to improving the oversight function and administration of property and government funds, to generate public value with good auditing practices.

Yesmín M. Valdivieso Comptroller

Was Prigozhin killed in the plane crash?

It will take time to confirm, Milley says.

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

As fires endanger the ‘lungs’ of Athens, Greek anger rises

By NIKI KITSANTONIS

Even as Greek authorities battled scores of wildfires, stretching from north to south on the mainland, the fires encroaching on a treasured national park north of Athens on Thursday provoked special anger.

Mount Parnitha, a protected wildlife area widely known as the “lungs” of Athens, is normally a respite for city dwellers, especially as the heat of Greek summers has tipped to dangerous extremes.

But Thursday, with the air acrid with the smell of burned wood, residents and conservationists alike lamented the potential loss of one of the few green spaces left near the capital. They accused authorities of failing to protect a precious forestland that is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals, including red deer and wolves.

“No other European capital has been blessed with such a hot spot of biodiversity literally at its doorstep,” said Demetre Karavellas, director of World Wildlife Fund Greece, adding that the extent of the damage was still unclear as fires continued to rage. “It’s a crying shame.”

Officials said they were doing all they could with stretched resources and accused arsonists of fueling some of the blazes. Some have been set deliberately in the past to make way for the illegal construction of homes.

Despite occasional crackdowns, with token demolitions after major disasters, the unapproved homes have subsequently been approved under amnesties by successive governments — which critics say encourages the practice.

“It’s unacceptable. It’s a crime,” said Smaragda Bareli, a retiree drinking coffee with a friend in central Athens. “Our Parnitha, how could this be happening again?” she asked,

alluding to fires that ravaged the mountain in 2007. “Where will we go to breathe?”

For now, the fires on Parnitha have been contained close to its borders and prevented from spreading deep into the woodland, the Hellenic Fire Service said. But as residents of nearby villages saw their homes burn, the threat to the area stoked angry debate on social media, where people deplored the destruction of yet more pristine woodland. Far-leftist groups called for protest rallies Thursday evening, one under the slogan “We can’t breathe,” with another rally planned for Friday.

On the streets of Athens, city dwellers were fed up.

“Every year, they say the same thing: ‘We’re doing what we can; it’s climate change,’” said Haris Karathomas, 47, a physical

therapist who used to go hiking in Mount Parnitha. “I can’t go anymore. I can’t bear to see the burned trees, the houses, the animals wandering through the ashes.”

Greek authorities insisted that they had done everything possible to protect the forest and the residential areas around it. But, they said, the combination of tinder-dry conditions — stoked by back-to-back heat waves — and gale-force winds had made their job particularly difficult.

The scope of the fires in Greece is the worst ever recorded, Greece’s civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias, said Wednesday. And Thursday, Janez Lenarcic, the crisis management commissioner of the European Union, which has sent firefighters and aircraft to help Greece, said they were “the largest wildfires on record the EU has faced.”

After having partly contained the Parnitha fire Wednesday evening, firefighters resumed efforts Thursday to prevent blazes on Mount Parnitha’s southern slope from spreading deeper into the national park and to keep them from residential areas, Greece’s fire service spokesperson, Yiannis Artopios, told Greek television.

Evacuation orders for four villages were issued overnight, he said Thursday, attributing the rekindling of the blaze to a phenomenon called the “chimney effect.”

“It was like an explosion of fire in a ravine,” he said, adding that the blast sent out “millions of burning pieces” into the area that were whipped farther afield by strong winds.

North of Mount Parnitha, in the area of Avlonas, 12 separate fires had erupted in just the last 24 hours, he said. Those were more suspicious, officials said.

Kikilias blamed “lowlife arsonists” for nine fires in the Avlonas area Thursday morning alone. Four suspects were detained in the

area, state television reported.

Avraam Savvas, whose family home at the foot of Mount Parnitha was devoured by flames Wednesday, denounced authorities’ response.

“Forty years of work became ash in 15 minutes,” he told Greek television Wednesday evening, adding that he had no hopes that compensation would restore his losses. “They’ll throw us a crust, and they’ll say, ‘That’s it, whether you like it or not,’” he said.

Elsewhere Thursday, several hundred firefighters tackled another major blaze, in Evros, in northern Greece. But officials insisted the response to the fire in Athens had been swift.

One charred body was discovered late Thursday in Evros near the village of Lefkimmi, a Greek official with direct knowledge of the situation said. Local police and fire departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The fires that have been ravaging the region for six days running were advancing throughout Thursday in the area where the body was discovered. On Tuesday 18 bodies were found nearby, among them two children. Authorities believe the dead were probably migrants, as the area is near the border with Turkey and no locals have been reported missing.

Kikilias, the civil protection minister, said Wednesday at a news conference that waterdropping aircraft had been sent to Mount Parnitha within four or five minutes of the blaze’s breaking out Tuesday.

Still, the damage wreaked by this month’s fires on Parnitha was even worse than that in 2007, according to the Greek chapter of the World Wildlife Fund, which said nearly 6,000 hectares — almost 15,000 acres — was razed in one day, compared with 5,600 hectares in the entire previous fire.

Flames rising above Mount Parnitha in Athens early Thursday morning.

It is no longer possible to escape what we have done to ourselves

By SERGE SCHMEMANN

On the drive to our cottage here in June, my wife and I collided with the dense wall of Canadian wildfire smoke. The clear spring air began turning a sickly orange in the Adirondack Mountains, the sun was reduced to a red spot, and by the time we reached Montreal the skyline was barely visible from across the St. Lawrence River. On that day, June 25, Montreal had the worst air quality in the world.

Up at our lake, we soon learned to track the sheets of smoke online as they swept across Canada, down into the United States and even across the Atlantic Ocean. Some days we stayed indoors; like many others, we bought an air purifier.

We were not alone, of course. Millions have suffered this summer from scratchy throats, teary eyes and worse, and thousands have been forced to evacuate homes in endangered areas, especially in the Western provinces, where huge fires are still wreaking havoc. Only last week, wildfires approaching West Kelowna, a city in British Columbia, and Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, forced evacuation of homes in both cities, and British Columbia declared a state of emergency.

On Lac Labelle, we were never in direct danger, but the acrid smoke and the unfamiliar drumbeat of crisis from the

vast Canadian wilderness hit home. After decades of being told that we humans were knowingly, fundamentally and radically altering the climate of our planet, the eerie orange haze had invaded the zone in which my family had always thought we could take refuge.

This was not another report of melting ice caps, rising oceans, blistering heat or unusual tornadoes somewhere far away; this was a horizon-to-horizon pall over us, rising from infernos across the great Canadian north that had been ignited by record temperatures, record drought and ceaseless lightning storms. Nothing like it had ever happened before — these wildfires began far earlier and spread far faster than usual, and they have burned far more boreal forest than any fire in Canada’s modern history.

And as the summer unfolded, it became evident that it’s not just smoke, and not just Canada. This has been the summer from climate hell all across Earth, when it ceased being possible to escape or deny what we have done to our planet and ourselves. “Even I am surprised by this year,” said Michael Flannigan, a professor at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, who has been studying the interaction of fire and climate for over 35 years. “Temperatures are rising at the rate we thought they would, but the effects are more severe, more frequent, more critical. It’s crazy and getting crazier.”

The planet had its hottest week ever in July and, is entering “uncharted territory,” the World Meteorological Organization declared. Maui, the loveliest of Hawaii islands, was savaged by a wildfire that killed more than 100 people and destroyed the picturesque town of Lahaina. Floods battered New England; a reading of 101.1 degrees F. (the ideal temperature for a hot tub) was recorded in the waters of Manatee Bay in South Florida. China had its heaviest rains in 140 years; record wildfires devastated Greek islands, and the list goes on. None of it is normal.

And there will be consequences that we cannot yet imagine: If a forest burns too often, for example, trees cease being able to propagate and eventually give way to grasses, which could lead to a fundamental change of the Canadian north and its wildlife. In its latest report, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that fireinducing temperatures in southern Europe will increase by 14% if the planet heats by 2.5 degrees Celsius, toward which the Earth is headed.

One problem, suggested Nikita Lopoukhine, a neighbor on the lake, lifelong environmentalist and former director of Canada’s national parks, is that most people just don’t know what to do. People have always built their lives, homes and settlements on the presumption that the climate will forever remain largely stable. For decades they’ve been told this is no longer so, but even if they believed it, they found it hard to adapt their ways.

“Those of us who do the science have been shouting ‘1.5 or die’ for years, trying to warn people,” he said, referring to

an increase in global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change established several years ago as the limit the world should strive for. That target no longer seems possible, “but for most people it was always something that wasn’t happening to me, that they couldn’t do anything about.”

Might this cataclysmic summer be the turning point?

Senado anuncia vista pública para nombramiento secretaria de Educación

POR CYBERNEWS

EL CAPITOLIO – El presidente del Senado, José Luis Dalmau Santiago, informó que la Comisión de Nombramientos analizará el lunes la designación de Yanira Raíces Vega como secretaria del Departamento de Educación.

“Raíces completó la entrega de los documentos requeridos en la Comisión”, dijo Dalmau Santiago en declaraciones escritas.

La audiencia, programada para la mañana, se lleva-

rá a cabo en el Salón Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras de El Capitolio. Durante la vista, los senadores de la Comisión podrán cuestionar a la designada y valorar su actuación actual como titular interina del Departamento.

Dalmau Santiago mencionó que Raíces deberá abordar temas como el retraso en las mejoras escolares, los costos de módulos de enseñanza en la zona sur, el cumplimiento con la educación especial y la situación laboral de los empleados del Departamento de Educación, entre otros temas de interés relacionados con la educación pública del país.

FEMA asigna 21.4 millones de dólares para reparar centros médicos en Puerto Rico

GUAYNABO

– La Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA) aprobó casi 21.4 millones de dólares para la reparación de Centros de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento (CDT) en Puerto Rico el jueves.

“Los CDT dan un respiro a las salas de emergencia de los hospitales. Fortalecemos y apoyamos la estabilidad para este tipo de servicio en la isla”, afirmó el coordinador federal de Recuperación por Desastre, José Baquero en declaraciones escritas.

El Hospital Municipal de Cayey, que ya está en su fase final de reconstrucción, será uno de los beneficiados. Jayson Pérez Rivera, administrador del hospital, indicó que atienden a un promedio de 3,500 personas al mes.

El municipio recibió una aprobación de cerca de 3.2 millones de dólares para reemplazar unidades de aire acondicionado, reparar daños por moho e instalar un generador de emergencia. Además, se tomarán medidas de mitigación como el sellado y anclaje de

equipos.

En Yabucoa, se asignaron sobre 4.2 millones de dólares para reparaciones al CDT de la calle Saturnio Rodríguez. “Para nosotros este es el único hospital cerca que tenemos”, expresó el alcalde Rafael Surillo Ruiz.

El CDT de Canóvanas recibirá aproximadamente 7.8 millones de dólares para su reparación. Antes del huracán María, este centro atendía a unos 3,000 pacientes al mes.

Mientras, se destinaron alrededor de 6.2 millones de dólares para las mejoras al CDT del barrio Montones de Las Piedras. Los trabajos atenderán filtraciones, iluminación, y acondicionadores de aire, entre otros.

Hasta ahora, FEMA ha otorgado alrededor de 31,000 millones de dólares para casi 10,800 proyectos en Puerto Rico.

POR EL STAR STAFF

S AN JUAN – Como parte de su compromiso con los empleados del gobierno, el portavoz de la delegación del Partido Nuevo Progresista en la Cámara de Representantes, Carlos ‘Johnny’ Méndez, realizará un reconocimiento a casi un centenar de servidores públicos, uno por cada agencia y/o dependencia.

El homenaje a la excelencia en el servicio público está pautado para el próximo jueves, 31 de agosto, en el área de la Ronda en el Capitolio a partir de las 9 de la mañana.

Además de los trabajadores del gobierno, el Portavoz novoprogresista reconocerá la gesta de varios secretarios y jefes de agencia.

“Nuestros servidores públicos, esos hombres y

mujeres comprometidos con el Pueblo, han demostrado en los últimos años lo importante que son para el desarrollo de Puerto Rico. Durante el impacto de los huracanes Irma y María en el 2017, los terremotos de 2020 y la pandemia del COVID-19 ese mismo año, los empleados del gobierno dieron la milla extra, siempre en las comunidades, trabajando por la gente”, comentó el expresidenta cameral.

El líder del PNP en la Cámara Baja sostuvo que el reconocimiento está enfocado en la labor de estos “hombres y mujeres, tanto dentro como fuera del servicio público, pues muchos de ellos son voluntarios en diversas organizaciones comunitarias”.

“Recuerdo cuando la Junta de Supervisión y Administración Financiera en agosto de 2017, sin ninguna justificación o razón lógica, buscaba eliminar dos

días de la jornada de trabajo de nuestros servidores públicos. En ese momento, como Presidente de la Cámara, dije que no iba a acatar esa decisión. No lo hice porque creo firmemente en el trabajador gubernamental y el daño que esta acción le hubiese causado al Pueblo. Unos meses más tarde, con el paso de Irma y María, se justificó nuestra posición por el excepcional trabajo que los servidores públicos hicieron atendiendo esta emergencia sin precedentes”, añadió Méndez.

Entre los servidores públicos para el reconocimiento se encuentran empleados de la Administración de Compensación por Accidente de Automóviles (ACCA),Negociado de Bomberos, los departamentos de Educación, Familia, Recreación y Deportes, Salud y Transportación y Obras Públicas.

POR CYBERNEWS

‘Johnny’ Méndez rendirán homenaje a servidores públicos en el Capitolio

A poet captures the terror of life in an authoritarian state

By TIFFANY MAY

Tahir Hamut Izgil watched as parks emptied of people, naan bakeries boarded up their windows and, one after another, his friends were taken away.

The Chinese government’s repression of Uyghurs, the predominantly Muslim ethnic minority to which he belonged, had gone on for years in Xinjiang, the group’s ancestral homeland in China’s northwest. But in 2017, it morphed into something more terrifying: a mass internment system into which hundreds of thousands of people were disappearing. Millions lived under intense and growing surveillance.

Izgil, a prominent poet and film director, feared that one day soon, authorities would come for him. So, he did what few have managed — in the summer of 2017, he escaped with his family, and once settled in a Virginia suburb, he wrote about the experience.

In his memoir, “Waiting to Be Arrested at Night,” published recently by Penguin Press, Izgil brings his discerning eye for detail to describe the impact of China’s policies on the people who live under them.

Scholars and journalists have detailed the architecture of the surveillance system against Uyghurs. There have also been memoirs by Uyghur authors and intellectuals in exile. But few possess Izgil’s firsthand knowledge and analytical acuity, said Darren Byler, a leading scholar on Uyghur culture and Chinese surveillance and a professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.

“This is the defining account of what it’s like to live through this moment,” Byler said. “This will be the book that, in 10 years or 20 years, people will turn to if they want to understand that moment.”

At a time when the prospect of overseas travel was closing for most Uyghurs, Izgil managed to secure passports for his family after navigating months of excruciating bureaucracy and exploiting a rare loophole. Once he was out, he wrote the memoir quickly, he said, because the memories were still vivid and the trauma recent. “Tears fell as I wrote,” he said. “The pain is still raw.”

Joshua Freeman, a historian and the translator of Izgil’s poetry and of the memoir, said Izgil had brought great nuance to his narrative.

The book, he said, revealed “the paradoxes and impossible choices and ambiguities and shades of gray that are encountered by both the people crushed by that system and the people who are part of that system.”

In a manner evoking Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel, Izgil made intricate character studies of the low-level Uyghur officials enforcing China’s policies.

There was Güljan, a young woman who aspired to become a civil servant, but lacking other opportunities, she kept tabs on residents in Izgil’s apartment complex for meager pay. Izgil and his wife watched her with pity as she came in and out of people’s apartments, clasping a binder, but felt a chill when she adopted the painstaking tone of a communist bureaucrat. (He used pseudonyms and altered identifying details

of most characters in an effort to protect them from retribution in China.)

There were also Ekber and Mijit, the two police officers who surveilled Izgil and his friends, repeatedly badgering them to meet over meals and drinks and expecting them to pick up the tab.

In the summer of 2017, the repression worsened. Izgil received news of friend after friend being carted off to internment camps, often in their pajamas. Izgil began laying out warm clothes at night, after his daughters went to sleep, then waiting hours for the sound of knocking. He wanted to be prepared in case his turn came.

“If someone knocked at my door in the middle of the night, I planned to put on these warm clothes and autumn shoes before answering,” he wrote in the memoir.

Izgil’s perspective was informed in part by his upbringing in hyperpolitical environments, he said. Born at the height of China’s Cultural Revolution in a village outside the city of Kashgar, Izgil attended college in Beijing and threw himself into

activism when the student-led pro-democracy movement took off in Tiananmen Square. After the movement was snuffed out, he was recruited upon graduation as a Uyghur language instructor at the Central Party School in Beijing, which educated future bureaucrats. The position left him feeling stifled, and he soon left.

He planned to study in Turkey, away from China’s censorship, but was detained at the border in 1996. Even then, Uyghurs leaving the country were viewed with suspicion. Accused of trying to smuggle state secrets out of the country, he was sentenced to 18 months of detention and 18 months of hard labor — an experience that he said helped him anticipate aspects of the crackdown to come.

In 2017, when the state’s repression became more advanced with the aid of digital technology, he tried to subvert some of the control mechanisms: When his face was scanned and his voice recorded as part of a DNA database to track down activists, he adopted a radio presenter’s clear enunciation in an attempt to thwart the authorities. But afterward, he and his wife realized it was time to find a way out of the country.

Byler, an anthropologist and author of “In the Camps” and “Terror Capitalism,” which describe the surveillance and mass detention of Uyghurs in China, said Izgil had an uncanny ability to recognize the parameters and navigate a highly opaque system.

“He’s one of the best people I know at figuring out how the system works and how you get what you have to get in order to survive,” Byler said.

Once he arrived in the United States, Izgil drove an Uber for nine months; now, he works as a part-time video editor. Most of his time is focused on writing poetry and prose, including a memoir about his time in a Chinese labor camp.

Izgil said he saw the importance of providing testimony about the predicament of Uyghurs, especially when their lives are so heavily policed and their culture and stories systematically erased. His testimony helped researchers and journalists verify facets of the repression campaign as they were trying to piece it together.

But the process of recounting traumatic experiences took a toll, he said. Doing so often made him feel like a victim.

“I don’t want to talk about these things so that people will pity me,” he said. “Those things really hurt me. But if I don’t speak out for these reasons, then no one would know about these stories.”

News of family and friends being rounded up and taken to internment camps filled Izgil with grief and guilt. For months, he could not shake nightmares of being hunted. “Though we live in safety in America, I cannot say we have broken free,” he said.

Many readers may feel removed from the stories he tells in the memoir, he said, seeing them as the lot of people living in authoritarian countries. But he has learned that there is no such thing as absolute safety, he said.

“The world is small and the fate of people are increasingly intertwined,” he said. “I hope readers don’t forget that these misfortunes can come without warning.”

Joshua Freeman, left, a historian who has translated a memoir and poetry by Tahir Hamut Izgil, right, in Fairfax, Va., July 27, 2023. A memoir by Izgil, a Uyghur intellectual who escaped China, explores the corrosive effect of repression and surveillance on his community.

6 podcasts for a musical deep dive

By EMMA DIBDIN

These shows offer emotional escape with explorations of mysterious cultural moments, soothing soundscapes and stories about petty interpersonal drama.

‘Nothing Is Real’

There’s an unsurprisingly huge selection of Beatles podcasts to choose from, and also not surprisingly, some can seem redundant. This Irish gem avoids that pitfall by going well beyond the traditional boundaries of biography or oral history, instead examining the band’s body of work in microscopic detail. In each episode, the two hosts, Jason Carty and Steven Cockcroft, go deep on a small segment of Beatles canon — often a specific year, song or incident — and contextualize it within the band’s broader history. Carty and Cockcroft possess impressive Beatles expertise, and there’s no detail too esoteric for their attention. Alongside the expected analysis of musical eras and interpersonal dramas, they’ve also dedicated episodes to the much-contested title of “fifth Beatle”; the band’s complex relationship with their spiritual guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; and a possibly ill-advised marathon of Ringo Starr’s acting filmography.

Starter episode: “I Want to Hold Your Hand”

‘Louder Than a Riot’

This powerful NPR series focuses on the complex history of an entire genre. Season One, which premiered in 2020, offered a nuanced examination of the links between hip-hop and mass incarceration in America. The hosts, Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden, chronicle the experiences of several Black rap artists within the prison system — including McKinley Phipps Jr., known as Mac, who served more than 20 years of a 30-year sentence for a crime he says he did not commit, before he was granted clemency and released in 2021 after new evidence came to light. In March, “Louder Than a Riot” returned for a second season, its first episode pegged to the assault trial of Tory Lanez, an event that encapsulated the overlapping sexist and racist abuse that Black female rappers such as Megan Thee Stallion say they face. Its second

Regardless of whether you’ve been swept up in concert mania, podcasts can provide a different kind of communal listening experience, connecting you with fans who love (and want to talk endlessly about) the same music you do.

and final season explores how hip-hop has perpetuated the oppression of marginalized groups, despite the genre’s genesis as a voice for the unheard.

Starter episode: “The Conspiracy Against Hip-Hop”

‘Every Single Album: Taylor Swift’

No superlative can do justice to Taylor Swift’s stardom, which has been turbocharged by her blockbuster Eras Tour and the continuation of her artful rerecording project. As her tour concept indicates, Swift’s career has been defined by sonic reinvention, which makes her back catalog ideal fodder for multichapter analysis. This passionate and incisive series from The Ringer delves into each album, exploring Swift’s evolving career and public persona. The show’s hosts, Nora Princiotti and Nathan Hubbard, are die-hard “Swifties” but of different stripes: Princiotti, a sports writer, grew up

alongside Swift, while Hubbard is a music executive (and a former CEO of Ticketmaster) with insight into Swift’s savvy business strategies. Their warm rapport and ability to balance veneration with critique should impress even the most devoted fan.

Starter episode: “Midnights”

‘No Dogs in Space’

Each season of this fun and deeply researched music history show from the Last Podcast Network deals with a different genre — punk, alternative and experimental music, so far — through the lens of the bands that define it. Hosted by the husband-and-wife duo of Marcus Parks (widely known for the true-crime hit “Last Podcast on the Left”) and Carolina Hidalgo, “No Dogs in Space” dedicates several episodes to the back catalog of each artist — spotlighting not just heavy hitters such as Joy Division and the Vel-

vet Underground, but also more obscure acts. Some subjects get five or six episodes, while others receive just one, but all of the installments are packed with insight, anecdotes and facts, showing how music is shaped by its societal context.

Starter episode: “The Stooges Part 1” ‘Dissect’

Contemporary music analysis doesn’t get much more granular than in this aptly titled podcast, where each season is dedicated to a single album, one song per episode. There’s something luxurious about the listening experience of “Dissect,” which encourages the listener to chronologically savor an album cover to cover. The series has featured modern classics including Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Cole Cuchna, who has a degree in music composition, has said he began the show in 2016 to see if he could take the technical academic analysis usually reserved for classical music and apply it to hip-hop. The results speak for themselves.

Starter episode: “Compton, K Dot, and Kendrick Lamar”

‘Dolly Parton’s America’

Dolly Parton has long maintained devoted fan bases on both sides of the political aisle, which isn’t something many country stars can claim. It was that unifying quality that inspired Jad Abumrad, creator and a former host of the public radio mainstay “Radiolab,” to create a podcast in which he could pay tribute to Parton’s enduring appeal and try to define what she signifies as an American icon. Featuring candid interviews with Parton and her collaborators, the nine-episode series for WNYC Studios chronicles her life and career, including close reads on some of her biggest hits and a reexamination of some forgotten chapters (including an early “sad, gothic” phase). But what really elevates “Dolly Parton’s America” is the personal touch — such as Parton’s unlikely friendship with Abumrad’s surgeon father, prompting some compelling, unexpected parallels between her music and his family’s experience as Lebanese immigrants in Nashville, Tennessee.

Starter episode: “I Will Always Leave You”

A look at how much less Antarctic sea ice there is this year

By DELGER ERDENESANAA

It’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, when ice typically forms around Antarctica. But this year, that growth has been stunted, hitting a record low by a wide margin.

The sharp drop in sea ice is alarming scientists and raising concerns about its vital role in regulating ocean and air temperatures, circulating ocean water and maintaining an ecosystem crucial for everything from microscopic plankton to the continent’s iconic penguins.

“This year is really different,” said Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder and an Antarctica expert at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. “It’s a very sudden change.”

A continued decline in Antarctic sea ice would have global consequences by exposing more of the continent’s ice sheet to the open ocean, allowing it to melt and break off more easily, contributing to rising sea levels that affect coastal populations around the world.

Less ice also means less protection from solar rays, which can raise the water temperature, making it harder for ice to form.

At the end of June, ice covered 4.5 million square miles, or 11.7 million square kilometers, of ocean around the continent, according to NSIDC data. That’s nearly 1 million square miles less than the expected average from approximately 40 years of satellite observations.

The clear departure from previous years is startling, since sea ice around Antarctica has been slower to respond to climate change than ice in the Arctic Ocean.

Antarctic sea ice also set a record low in 2022, but this year’s ice cover is almost 500,000 square miles smaller.

“The Antarctic sea ice extent low in 2023 is unprecedented in the satellite record,” Liping Zhang, a project scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, wrote in an email.

The record low might signal a shift in the sea ice system to a new, unstable state where extremes become more common, but Zhang cautioned that scientists are still

investigating this question.

Sea ice around Antarctica typically freezes from February to August and then melts until the next Southern Hemisphere winter. Several ocean and atmosphere patterns influence how much ice grows or shrinks, and the overlapping interactions between these forces are complicated.

On top of these natural, short-term patterns is the long-term influence of humans burning fossil fuels that add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Some researchers suspect that we are finally seeing the effects of this slow burn on Antarctica’s previously resilient sea ice.

This year’s change, within the context of several years in a row with less sea ice, is “very, very concerning,” said Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor and director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at University of California, Los Angeles. “That is not within natural variability,” she said.

Raphael has been working to extend

the historical record of Antarctic sea ice past the 1970s, when satellite observations began. She and her colleagues recently published a new data set going back to 1905, using weather observations to reconstruct the extent of sea ice during earlier years.

While it’s still limited data, the longer record captures more cycles of natural variability. Raphael and other experts think that the ocean, which warms up more slowly than the atmosphere and has absorbed much of the heat from the burning of fossil fuels, may have reached a point where that heat is affecting Antarctic sea ice.

Sea surface temperatures have broken records this year, and there are currently three patches of unusually warm water around Antarctica. While other factors are also at play, these hot spots line up with the areas on the coast where sea ice has been unusually slow to form, Scambos said.

The sea ice’s decline is causing real consequences both locally and globally.

Both of Antarctica’s native penguin

species rely on sea ice. In some parts of the continent, Adélie penguins exclusively eat krill, a tiny crustacean that thrives in icy water. Less sea ice means less krill and less food for Adélies. Larger emperor penguins, recently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, depend even more directly on sea ice: they lay their eggs and raise their young on these floating habitats. When sea ice melts earlier in the season, before emperor penguin chicks develop waterproof adult feathers, the chicks can drown.

Sea ice also serves as a protective, frozen moat around Antarctica — shielding the continental ice sheet and its glaciers, which have already been destabilized by climate change, from the warmer ocean and the eroding force of wind and waves. If this shield disappears, more land ice could flow or fall into the ocean, though some of this loss could be counterbalanced by more snow falling onto the continent. The amount of ice Antarctica loses to the ocean is one of the biggest factors in determining sea level rise.

Even when Antarctic sea ice reaches its maximum extent around September, it could remain at a record low for that time of year, said Xiaojun Yuan, a research scientist at Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory, who maintains a seasonal forecast of Antarctic sea ice. Yuan’s forecast shows less sea ice than usual around most of Antarctica at least through early 2024.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE WILFREDO GAUDINO BONILLA;

ANAMARYS

RIVERA DIAZ Vs. EX-PARTE

Civil Núm.: PO2023CV02296.

Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. 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 Roe, posibles interesados en la Propiedad que se describe a continuación:

RÚSTICA: Predio de terreno localizado en el Barrio San Patricio, Sector El Hoyo, Carretera Ciento cuarenta y tres (143), kilómetro seis punto siete (Km. 6.7) interior del término municipal de Ponce, Puerto Rico con una cabida superficial de SEIS MIL NUEVE PUNTO DOS MIL CIENTO TREINTA METROS CUADRADOS (6,009.2130 MC), equivalentes a UNO PUNTO CINCO MIL DOSCIENTOS OCHENTA Y NUEVE CUERDAS (1.5289 CDAS). En lindes por el NORTE con terrenos de don Felipe Rivera y con terrenos de doña Rosa M. Suárez, por el SUR, con terrenos de don Miguel Petrilli; por el ESTE, con terrenos de don Miguel A. Torres y el camino municipal Hoyo San Patricio y por el OESTE, con más terrenos de don Felipe Rivera y camino municipal que da a la carretera Estatal Número ciento cuarenta y tres (143). No consta inscrita en el Registro de la Propiedad. No tiene número de catastro asignado. Los interesados incluyen a colindantes desconocidos, anteriores dueños desconocidos y posibles herederos de dueños anteriores desconocidos de la Propiedad antes mencionada. Por la presente quedan notificados que Wilfredo Gaudino Bonilla y Anamarys Rivera Díaz, han radicado en este Tribunal una Petición de Expediente de Dominio sobre la propiedad antes descrita, alegando que adquirieron la propiedad mediante compraventa mediante escritura número setenta y dos (72) del 3 de mayo de 2023 ante el notario público Félix A. Santiago Miranda, de sus anteriores dueños Milagros Olivero Delgado, Carlos Javier Medina Olivero, Jan Carlos Medina Olivero y Crystal Marie Medina Olivero y que el periodo de posesión de la propiedad de los peticionarios y todos los

anteriores dueños sobre pasa un término de 30 años de posesión y por ello solicitan Orden para que Ordene al Registrador de la Propiedad de Ponce II que inscriba dicha finca a nombre de los Peticionarios. Se apercibe que si transcurrido Veinte (20) días desde la publicación de este Edicto, no ha habido reparos u oposición contra la demanda interpuesta, este Tribunal dictará Sentencia de acuerdo a lo solicitado en la misma. 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. Copia de la contestación deberá ser notificada al Licenciado Salvador Márquez Colón a su dirección en: 485 Ave. Tito Castro, Ponce, PR. En cumplimiento de una orden dictada por este Tribunal expido el presente bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal en Ponce, Puerto Rico, a 4 de agosto de 2023. CARMEN TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE PONCE, PUERTO RICO. KEILENE RODRÍGUEZ MELÉNDEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR. ***

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC

COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

Demandante Vs. ROBERTO M.

BREBAN VÁZQUEZ

Parte Demandada

Civil Núm.: CZ2022CV00121.

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

RICO, SS.

A: ROBERTO M.

BREBAN VÁZQUEZBO. CIBUCO CARR 159

R 818 KM 2.1, COROZAL 00783 /. PO BOX 951, COROZAL, PR 00783-0951.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su ale-

gación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Lcdo. Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com.

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de junio de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico el 14 de junio de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. AMALYN FIGUEROA NIEVES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante Vs. JUAN F.

ROSADO SANTIAGO

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: BY2021CV04967.

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

A: JUAN F.

ROSADO SANTIAGOURB. SANTA JUANITA DE8, CALLE ATENAS, BAYAMÓN, PR 00956.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SU-

Friday, August 25, 2023 20

MAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Lcdo. Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com.

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de junio de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico el 14 de junio de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. AMALYN FIGUEROA NIEVES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC

COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC Demandante Vs. SUHEIDY ORTIZ SANTOS Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: BY2023CV01233.

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

A: SUHEIDY ORTIZ SANTOSURB. MIRAFLORES 12-12 CALLE 24, BAYAMÓN, PR 00957

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se

represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Lcdo. Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com.

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de junio de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico el 14 de junio de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. MILITZA MERCADO RIVERA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN TRIANGLE REO PR CORP.

Demandante V. CARIBBEAN MARINE SUPPLIES INC.; BENIGNO HERRERO ESTEVANEZ, VIVIAN GARCÍA GUZMÁN Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES POR ÉSTOS COMPUESTA; MARTA GUZMÁN HERNÁNDEZ; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

Demandados Civil Núm.: KCD2016-0331. (504). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. AVISO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. YO, el(la) Alguacil que suscribe, por la presente anuncia y hace constar, que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia, expedido el 20 de noviembre de 2019 por la Secretaría del Tribunal de San Juan, procederé a vender en públicas subastas y al(os) mejor(es) postor(es), quien(es) pagará(n) el(los) importe(s) de las ventas en dinero efectivo o en cheque certificado o de gerente, a la orden del Alguacil del

Tribunal, en moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América, el día 14 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023, A LA(S)

10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, para la Finca Número 34,646; para la Finca Número 7,248, A LAS

10:05 DE LA MAÑANA; para la Finca Número 7,249, A LAS

10:10 DE LA MAÑANA; para la Finca Número 8,059, A LAS

10:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en las oficinas del Alguacil del Tribunal de San Juan, todo título, derecho o interés que corresponda a la parte demandada sobre los inmuebles que se describen a continuación: a.

URBANA: Solar número nueve (9) del Bloque B de forma irregular de la Urbanización Alto Apolo Estates, localizada en el Barrio Frailes del término municipal de Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 932.62 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, en 6.05 metros, con remanente propiedad del desarrollador y un largo curva de 19.94 metros de otro con la Calle E; por el SUR, en una distancia de 25.07 metros con la Urbanización Monte Olympo; por el ESTE, varias alineaciones en distancia de 20.86 metros y 37.10 metros con los solares de la Urbanización Alto Apolo Estates y terrenos pertenecientes a Monte Olympo Development; y por el OESTE en una distancia de 33.02 metros, con el solar 8 del bloque B de la Urbanización. En sus colindancias SUR y ESTE tiene su talud. Contiene una casa. Finca Número 34,646, inscrita al folio 72 del tomo 963 de Guaynabo, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección de Guaynabo. Dirección Física: B-9, B Street, Alto Apolo Dev., Guaynabo, PR. La propiedad descrita anteriormente está afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: Afecta por su procedencia: Servidumbres a favor de la Autoridad de Fuentes Fluviales de Puerto Rico; Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados de Puerto Rico; Municipio de Guaynabo; Autoridad de Comunicaciones de Puerto Rico; y Condiciones Restrictivas de Edificación y Uso. Por sí: HIPOTECA: En garantía de un pagaré a favor de Eurobank, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $350,000.00, con intereses al Prime Rate, vencedero a la presentación, según consta de la escritura número 101, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 30 de marzo de 2004, ante el Notario Público Nelson W. González Rosario, inscrita al folio 47 del tomo 1537 de Guaynabo, inscripción 3ª. (asiento abreviado).

HIPOTECA: En garantía de un pagaré a favor de Eurobank, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $275,000.00, con intere-

The San Juan Daily Star

ses a 8% anual, vencedero a la presentación, según consta de la escritura número 5, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 28 de enero de 2008, ante el Notario Público Luis M. Nolla Vilá, inscrita al folio 47 del tomo 1537 de Guaynabo, inscripción 3ª (asiento abreviado). ANOTACIÓN DE DEMANDA: De fecha 19 de febrero de 2016, expedida en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, caso Civil Núm. KCD-20160331, sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución y Ejecución de Hipoteca por la Vía Ordinaria. Demandante: Caribbean Marine Supplies, Inc.; Demandados: Benigno Herrero Estevanez, Vivian García Guzmán y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por ambos; Marta Guzmán Hernández; y Estados Unidos de América; por las sumas de $257,773.04; $427,616.18; y $926,523.84; sobre las fincas #34,646 de Guaynabo; #49,827 de Guaynabo; #7,248 de Río Piedras Sur; #7,249 de Río Piedras Sur y #8,059 Río Piedras Sur, inscrita al tomo Karibe de Guaynabo, Anotación “A” de fecha 13 de abril de 2016. b. RúSTICA: Predio de terreno radicado en el Barrio Tortugo del término municipal de Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, con un área superficial de cuatrocientos setenta y ocho punto ochenta y siete (478.87) metros cuadrados, en lindes por el NORTE, en tres (3) alineaciones distintas que forman treinta punto veintidós (30.22) metros con la faja de terreno dedicada a uso público conocida como Calle Solá; por el SUR, en dos (2) alineaciones distintas que totalizan treinta y cuatro punto sesenta y ocho (34.68) metros, con la Parcela segregada en el Caso Número setenta y cinco, guión diecisiete, guión, “C”, guión, novecientos uno, guión, “SPL” (75-17-C901-SPL), propiedad de los comparecientes esposos SoláDíaz; por el ESTE, con dos (2) alineaciones distintas que totalizan dos punto quince (12.15) metros, con la faja de terreno dedicada a uso público para el ensanche de la Carretera “PR”, guión, ochocientos setenta y tres (873) y por el OESTE, en quince punto diecisiete (15.17) metros, con el solar dos (2) del Plano de Inscripción. Enclava una casa de bloques y concreto que mide veinte pies (20’) de frente por cuarenta y cuatro pies (44’) de fondo, de una sola planta. Finca Número 7,248, inscrita al folio 278 del tomo 220 de Río Piedras Sur Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección IV de San Juan.

Dirección Física: PR-873 Km. 15.6, Tortugo Ward, San Juan, PR. La propiedad descrita anteriormente está afecta a los si-

guientes gravámenes: Afecta por su procedencia: Libre de Cargas. Por sí: HIPOTECA: En garantía de un pagaré a favor de Eurobank, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $445,500.00, respondiendo esta finca por $164,835.00, con intereses al 8%, vencedero a la presentación, según consta de la escritura número 47, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 9 de septiembre de 2005, ante el Notario Público Luis M. Nolla Vilá, inscrita al tomo Karibe de Río Piedras Sur, inscripción 11ª. ANOTACIÓN DE DEMANDA: Es objeto de esta anotación la Hipoteca a favor de Eurobank, por la suma de $445,500.00, que surge de la inscripción 11ª. Demandante: Triangle Cayman Asset Company; Demandados: Caribbean Marine Supplies, Inc.; Cantidad adeudada: $357,817.49 por concepto de principal más intereses, según Demanda Expedida por el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, caso Civil Núm. KCD20160331; el día 19 de febrero de 2016, inscrita al tomo Karibe de Río Piedras Sur, Anotación “A” de fecha 6 de mayo de 2016.

EMBARGO: A favor del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Ley 12), contra Caribbean Marine and PL, por la suma de $29,486.74, Caso número SJU12-2216, presentado el día 29 de junio de 2012, anotado al folio 199, Orden 794, del libro de Embargos (Ley 12) número

2. SUSTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ

HIPOTECARIO: Demandante: Triangle Cayman Asset Company vs. Demandado: Caribbean Marine Supplies, Inc.; Fulano De Tal y Mengano Del Cual, se ordenó la sustitución del pagaré garantizado con la hipoteca que resulta de la inscripción 9ª, por la suma principal de $445,500.00, respondiendo esta finca en la suma de $164,835.00, por haberse extraviado, según escritura número 122 ,otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 27 de octubre de 2020, ante el Notario Público José Alfredo Prats Cruz, inscrita al tomo Karibe de Río Piedras Sur, inscripción Nota Marginal 11.1. EMBARGO FEDERAL: Contra Caribbean Marine and PNI, S.S., por la suma de $2,126.66, Notificación número 596944409, presentado el día 30 de noviembre de 2009, anotado al folio 129, Asiento 3, del libro de Embargos Federales número 6. EMBARGO FEDERAL: Contra Caribbean Marine and PNI, por la suma de $6,065.85, Notificación número 609132609, presentado el día 27 de enero de 2010, anotado al folio 162, Asiento 2, del libro de Embargos Federales número 6. EMBARGO FEDERAL: Contra Ca-

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. Extendido bajo mi firma y Sello del Tribunal, en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy día 10 de agosto de 2023.

GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. GLORIAM MARTÍNEZ RIVERA, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA

TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

LUIS WILFREDO

AGOSTO LLANOS

DEMANDANTE V.

ROSCELIA EDITH

CUEVA COELLO DEMANDADO(A)

CIVIL: SJ2023RF00928. (708).

SOBRE: CUSTODIA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: ROSCELIA EDITH CUEVA COELLO.

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 8 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha 17 de agosto de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 17 de agosto de 2023.

GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA. NYDIA

IVETTE BARRETO LASSALLE, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA

REGIÓN JUDICIAL DE SAN

JUAN SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

BANCO POPULAR DE

PUERTO RICO

PARTE DEMANDANTE Vs. LA COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE CAGUAS, JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE

Parte Demandada CASO NÚM.: SJ2023CV07531.

Sala: 803. SOBRE: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, 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 favor a LA COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE CAGUAS, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $402,500.00, con intereses al 6.75% anual, vencedero el 1ro. de mayo de 2025, según consta de la escritura núm. 46, otorgada en Caguas, el día 25 de noviembre de 2009, ante el notario público Héctor Ramon Crespo Millán, testimonio 1896 y que grava la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar y casa terrera de piedra y azotea, situada en la Calle de San Sebastián de esta Ciudad de San Juan, marcada con el número treinta y uno (31), lindante por la derecha entrando con la de Baldomero Muñoz Espaltero; por la izquierda, con la Calle de San José a la que hace esquina; y por sus fondos con la de doña Teresa Igartúa de Martínez. Esta inscripción surge de la inscripción decimoquinta (15ta), folio setenta y dos (72) del tomo ciento noventa y cuatro (194) de San Juan. La Propiedad consta inscrita al folio doscientos dieciocho (218) del tomo veintitrés (23) de San Juan, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección Primera, finca número novecientos setenta y uno (971). 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: Lcdo.

Raúl Rivera Burgos, RUA 8879, Estancias de San Fernando, Calle 4, Núm. A-35, Carolina, P.R. 00985, Tel. (787) 2387665, Email: raulrblaw@gmail. com. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal de San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy día 21 de agosto de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. MARÍA I. RÍOS LÓPEZ, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE JUANA ALEIDA PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ COMPUESTA POR

SUS HIJOS: ANDRÉS PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ; SUCESIÓN RAFAEL

PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ, COMPUESTA POR:

“JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE DICHA SUCESIÓN; Y SUCESIÓN DE GREGORIO RAFAEL

PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ, COMPUESTA POR:

“JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE DICHA SUCESIÓN;

“JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE JUANA ALEIDA PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ; SUCESIÓN DE JAIME COLÓN MOLINA, COMPUESTA POR “JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (C.R.I.M.)

Demandado (a)

Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV02047.

Sala: 508. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA - IN REM. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTOS.

A: ANDRÉS PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ, COMO HEREDERO DE LA SUCESIÓN DE JUANA

ALEIDA PEREZ

RODRIGUEZ; “JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE RAFAEL PEREZ

RODRIGUEZ;”JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE GREGORIO RAFAEL PEREZ

RODRIGUEZ;”JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE JUANA ALEIDA PEREZ

RODRIGUEZ; “JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE JAIME COLON MOLINA. EL SECRETARIO (A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 18 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 21 de agosto de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 21 de agosto de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. MARTHA ALMODÓVAR CABRERA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

JUAN

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante v.

MIGUEL

OZORIO CASTILLO

Demandado(a)

CIVIL: SJ2022CV01451 (604)

SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE HI-

POTECA IN REM. NOTIFICA-

CIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. A: MIGUEL OZORIO CASTILLO

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO (A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que 14 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 21 de agosto de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 21 de agosto de 2023. Griselda Rodríguez Collado, Secretaria. F/Marily López Martínez, Secretaria Auxiliar.

z LEGAL NOTICE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF PUERTO MCO REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC.

Plaintiff V. HIPOLITO GONZALEZ

TORRES A/K/A HIPOLITO GONZALEZ; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Defendants

CIVIL ACTION NO.: 17-CV2067-ADC. NOTICE OF JUDGMENT BY PUBLICATION

TO: HIPOLITO GONZALEZ TORRES A/K/A HIPOLITO GONZALEZ

The Clerk of the Court hereby notifies defendant that on 08/25/2022, this Court entered Judgment for Collection of Monies and Foreclosure that appears registered in the docket of this case, where you can be informed of its terms. This Notice shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation on the island of Puerto Rico, during the term often (10) days after its notification. And, taking into consideration that you have been a party to this case and subject to the terms of the Judgment from which you can request reconsideration or appeal in the term of thirty (30) days from the date the notice of judgment by publication is published, this notice is entered

on this date, this 21th day of August, 2023. ADA I. GARCIARIVERA, ESQ., Clerk of the Court. Digitally signed by Ana Duran, Deputy Clerk.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA

FIRSTBANK

PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. OMAIJRA

SANTOS BRACERO

Demandado

CIVIL: VB2023CV00299. SOBRE: INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO Y COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: OMAIJRA SANTOS BRACERO16 PASEO PERLA DEL MAR, OCEAN PARK, VEGA BAJA, PR 00693. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)\ EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 21 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha 21 de agosto de 2023. En Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, el 21 de agosto de 2023. LCDA LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. MARITZA ROSARIO ROSARIO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR MUNICIPAL DE YAUCO EN SABANA GRANDE ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC., COMO AGENTE DE: ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC.

PARTE DEMANDANTE VS ELIZABETH DIODONET SANABRIA

PARTE DEMANDADA

CIVIL NÚM.: GU2021CV00050.

SALA: 0001. SOBRE:

COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: ELIZABETH DIODONET SANABRIA P/C LIC.

KENMUEL JOSÉ RUIZ LÓPEZ, KENMUEL.RUIZ@ ORF-LAW.COM.

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 14 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha 17 de agosto de 2023. En Yauco en Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, el 17 de agosto de 2023. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ADELAIDA LUGO PACHECO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE ARECIBO

HLP INVESTENT INC

Demandante V. FIRSTBANK PUERTO RICO Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Civil Núm.: AR2023CV00766. SALA 401. Sobre: CANCELACION O RESTITUCION DE PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES Y CUALESQUIER PERSONA DESCONOCIDA CON POSIBLE INTERES EN LA OBLIGACION CUYA CANCELACION POR

DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 17 de agosto de 2023, este

Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 21 de agosto de 2023. En ARECIBO, Puerto Rico, el 21 de agosto de 2023. Vivian Y. Fresse Gonzalez, Secretaria Regional. Jacquelyne Gonzalez Quintana, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de Cabo Rojo. Junta de Directores del Consejo de Titulares del Condominio Playas del Caribe Demandante V. Vilmarie Valentín; Carlos Eduardo Peña Justiniano Demandado(a) Civil Núm. CB2019CV00476. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (REGLA 60). NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: VILMARIE VALENTÍN, CARLOS EDUARDO PEÑA JUSTINIANO (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 16 de marzo de 2022 , 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 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando 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 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

TIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA

POR EDICTO.

A: SUCESIÓN DE REINERÍA RODRIGUEZ DE JESÚS COMPUESTA POR BEATRIZ CRUZ RODRÍGUEZ, JUANA MARIA CRUZ RODRIGUEZ, TOMAS

CRUZ RODRIGUEZ, SUCESIÓN DE TEODORO CRUZ RODRÍGUEZ

COMPUESTA POR MARIO

CRUZ ALMODÓVAR, FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL Y LA SUCESIÓN DE ANGEL MANUEL

CRUZ RODRIGUEZ

COMPUESTA POR

MARÍA ANGELI CRUZ

CUADRA, FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL.

DIRECCIONES: VILLA

UNIVIERSITARIA BGL2

CALLE 35, HUMACAO, PR 00791-4365 Y CALLE 5

E-16, URB. CASTELLANA GARDENS, CAROLINA, PR 00983. P/C LCDA. RAQUEL DESEDA BELAVAL.

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 17 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha 18 de agosto de 2023. En Humacao, Puerto Rico, el 18 de agosto de 2023.

IVELISSE C. FONSECA RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA. MICHELLE GUEVARA DE LEÓN, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA

TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE MANATÍ

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs.

VICTOR MANUEL RIVERA CANTRE

T/C/C VICTOR RIVERA

CANTRE; SUCESION DE CELINES RAMIREZ

ROSARIO, COMPUESTA

POR SUS HEREDEROS

UNIVERSALES:

VICTOR DAVID RIVERA

RAMIREZ Y CARLOS

ABDIEL RIVERA

RAMIREZ; Y CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (C.R.I.M.)

Demandados(a)

Civil Núm.: MT2019CV00930.

Sobre: COBRO DE DIINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: VICTOR DAVID

RIVERA RAMIREZ

COMO HEREDERO DE LA SUCESIÓN CELINES

RAMIREZ ROSARIO

- 9922 IMBERVIEW

WAY, LOUISVILLE, KY 40223; B104 APT.

FLORIDA GARDENS

BARCELONETA PR 00617; PO BOX 1534

BARCELONETA PR 00617-1534 Y PO BOX

245 BARCELONETA PR 00617.

(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 18 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha 21 de agosto de 2023. En Manatí, Puerto Rico, el 21 de agosto de 2023. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA. SARAY SALGADO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

LUNA COMMERCIAL II, LLC

Demandante V. MIGUEL ANGEL PEREIRA SUAREZ, OLGA MILAGROS DIAZ MOLINA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

Demandada

Civil Núm.: JCD2015-0687.

Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y GARANTÍAS PERSONALES. AVISO DE VENTA EN PÚBLICA SUBASTA.

A: MIGUEL ANGEL PEREIRA SUAREZ, OLGA MILAGROS DIAZ MOLINA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS Y AL PUBLICO

EN GENERAL:

El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior, Centro Judicial de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico, hago saber a la parte demandada, y al PUBLICO EN GENERAL: y a todos los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante, o de los acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, siempre que surjan de la certificación registral, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando entonces subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante a saber: HIPOTECA: En garantía de un pagare a favor de Western Bank PR, o a su orden, por la suma de $100,000.00, intereses a razón de 2 puntos porcentuales sobre la tasa de interés preferencial (prime rate), según consta de la escritura #7, otorgada en Ponce, el 22 de enero de 2004, ante la Notario Lourdes Alicea Soto, inscrito al folio 51 del tomo 2019 de Ponce, finca #17,568, inscripción 13. BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO: En el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Ponce, caso civil #J CD2015-0687, por concepto de Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca y Prendas, seguido por Banco Popular de PR versus Miguel Ángel Pereira Suarez, Olga Diaz Molina y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por ambos, por la suma de $268,249.23,

más intereses, etc. Anotado en tomo Karibe de Ponce, Finca #17,568, Anotación A y Anotado en Karibe de Carolina finca #54,188 Anotación A. Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el día 5 de julio de 2023, por la Secretaria del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor la propiedad que ubica y se describe a continuación: FINCA 17,568: Dirección de la Propiedad: B-127 Divina Providencia St, Santa Maria Dev, Ponce,PR 00716. URBANA: Solar marcado con el número ciento veintisiete (127) del plano inscripción de la Urbanización Reparto Santa Maria, radicado en Barrio Canas del Municipio de Ponce, con una Cabida superficial de trescientos noventa punto cero cero (390.00), metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, en trece punto cero cero (13.00) metros, con la calle B del plano de Urbanización; por el SUR, en trece punto cero cero (13.00) metros, con el solar número noventa y tres (#93) del plano; por el ESTE, en treinta punto cero cero (30.00), metros con el solar número ciento veintiocho (#128) del plano; y por el OESTE, en treinta punto cero cero (30.00) metros, con el solar número veintiséis (#126), del plano de inscripción. Contiene una casa de concreto armado que consta principalmente de tres dormitorios, sala, comedor, cocina, cuarto de baño y balcón. Finca número 17,568 folio 41 del tomo 592 de Ponce, Registro de la Propiedad de Ponce, Sección Primera. El producto de la subasta se destinará a satisfacer al demandante hasta donde alcance, la SENTENCIA dictada a su favor, en virtud de la cual se adeuda al 20 de mayo de 2022, para los Prestamos números 25913033 y 259130034 las sumas $125,774.22 de principal; más interese acumulados a razón de $5.250% anual, suma que al 20 de mayo de 2022 ascendía a $9,583.23 y la cual continúa acumulándose hasta el pago total y solvente del principal a razón de $18.09 diarios (“per diem”); mas $11,885.56 por concepto de cargos por demora los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta el saldo de la deuda, en adición a costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, según pactados, disponiendose que si quedare algun remanente luego de pagarse las sumas antes mencionadas del mismo debera ser depositado en la Secretaria del Tribunal para ser entregado a la parte interesada previa solicitud y orden del Tribunal. La venta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravámenes que afecte la mencionada finca. La adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el acto mismo de la adjudicación,

en efectivo (moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América), giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del alguacil del Tribunal. LA PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a efecto el día 19 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023 A LAS 2:45 DE LA TARDE, precio mínimo es la suma de $100,000.00, según pactados en la Escritura de Hipoteca de cada finca, en la oficina del referido Alguacil, localizada en el Centro Judicial de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una SEGUNDA SUBASTA, la misma se llevará a efecto el día

26 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023

A LAS 2:45 DE LA TARDE, precio mínimo es la suma de $66,666.67, equivalente a dos terceras partes (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta, en la oficina del referido, Alguacil, localizada en el Centro Judicial de Ponce, Ponce Puerto Rico. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una TERCERA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 3 DE OCTUBRE DE 2023 A LAS

2:45 DE LA TARDE, precio mínimo es la suma de $50,000.00, equivalentes a la mitad (1/2) del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA SUBASTA, en la oficina del referido Alguacil, localiza en el Centro Judicial de Ponce, Ponce Puerto Rico. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente; se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor, todo ello a tenor con lo dispone el Articulo 104 de la Ley Núm. 210 del 8 de diciembre de 2015 conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquiere libre de toda carga y gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca según el Artículo 102, inciso 6. Una vez confirmada la venta judicial por el Honorable Tribunal, se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura de venta judicial y se pondrá al comprador en posesión física del inmueble de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda aquella persona o personas que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas, con un intervalo de por lo menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha

venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en Ponce, Puerto Rico, hoy día 17 de agosto de 2023. MANUEL MALDONADO, ALGUACIL DE LA DIVISIÓN DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA SALA

SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS COMPU-LINK CORPORATION

D/B/A CELINK

DEMANDANTE VS SUCESION ALOA

CINTRON MALDONADO

COMPUESTA POR JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO

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

DEMANDADO(A)

CIVIL NÚM.: CG2023CV0831.

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

A: JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION AIDA

CINTRON MALDONADO. (Nombre de las partes a las que se les notifica la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 16 de agosto de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a

partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha 17 de agosto de 2023. En Caguas, Puerto Rico, el 17 de agosto de 2023. Lisilda Martínez Agosto, Secretaria. Vionnette Espinosa Castillo, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante Vs. BETZAIDA

GUADALUPE NIEVES

Demandados

Civil: CA2023CV03155 Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: BETZAIDA

GUADALUPE NIEVES

45 RES GAUTIER BENITEZ, APT 410, CAGUAS, PR 00725. HC 01 BOX 11357, CAROLINA, PR 00985. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que 10 de AGOSTO de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 17 de AGOSTO de 2023. En CAGUAS, Puerto Rico, el 17 de agosto de 2023. F/ LISILDA MARTÍNEZ AGOSTO, Secretaria Regional. F/ Sandra J. Trinidad Cañuelas, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS ISLAND PORTFOLIO

SERVICES, LLC

COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

Demandante Vs. LUZ E. VELAZQUEZ VILLEGAS

Demandados Civil: CG2022CV03726 Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: LUZ E. VELAZQUEZ VILLEGAS -172 CARR. KM 5.9, CAGUAS, PR 00727 / HC 7 BOX 34327, CAGUAS, PR 00727. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que 10 de AGOSTO de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 17 de AGOSTO de 2023. En CAGUAS, Puerto Rico, el 17 de agosto de 2023. F/ Lisilda Martínez Agosto, Secretaria Regional. F/ Sandra J. Trinidad Cañuelas, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE AIBONITO BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. SUCESIÓN DE VÍCTOR COLÓN GARCÍA, COMPUESTA POR:

CARLOS ALBERTO COLÓN RODRÍGUEZ, LUZ VIRGINIA COLÓN BERMÚDEZ, VÍCTOR COLÓN BERMÚDEZ, SARA COLÓN BERMÚDEZ, YOLANDA COLÓN BERMÚDEZ, FULANO Y MENGANO DE TAL, COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESION DE CARMEN RODRÍGUEZ ARROYO, COMPUESTA POR: SUTANO Y PERECEJO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA DE PUERTO RICO

Demandados

CIVIL NÚM: AI2019CV00464.

(001). SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE GARANTÍAS. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE Puerto Rico, SS.

A: PUBLICO EN GENERAL.

El Alguacil del Tribunal que suscribe anuncia y hace constar: A. Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento que me ha sido dirigido por la Secretaria del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Puerto Rico, Sala de Comerío, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor de contado y en moneda de curso legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América y cuyo pago se efectuará en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, todo derecho, título o interés que tenga la Parte Demandada en el bien inmueble que se describe a continuación:

URBANA: Lote número 6 del Bloque A de la Urbanización Sabana Del Palmar localizada en el Barrio Río Hondo, del municipio de Comerío, con área total de cuatrocientos ocho metros,quinientos setenta y seis decímetros cuadrados. En lindes: por el NORTE, con área verde; por el SUR, con calle número 4; por el ESTE, con el lote número 7; por el OESTE, con el lote número 5. Casa: Estructura de una planta construida en hormigón y bloques, tres dormitorios, un baño, cocina, comedor, sala, marquesina. Dicha construcción tiene un área de 101.47 metros cuadrados.

Inscrita al folio 36 del tomo 153 de Comerío, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección de Barranquitas, finca número 9,886. Dirección fisica: A-06 Sabana del Palmar, Comerío, Puerto Rico, 00782. B. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedi-

miento incoado están de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante las horas laborables bajo el epígrafe de este caso. C. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito ejecutante, continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. D. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para satisfacer a la parte demandante el importe de la sentencia que ha obtenido ascendente a la suma principal de $ 42,504.23, la suma de $5,910.83, que incluye intereses según pactados, cargos por demora y otros cargos, que se acumulan diariamente hasta su total y completo pago, más la suma de 10% del principal, por concepto de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se celebrará el día 29 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en la Oficina del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Comerío, por el tipo mínimo de $63,498.00.

De declararse desierta dicha subasta se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 6 DE OCTUBRE DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en el mismo lugar antes mencionado. El precio para la segunda subasta lo será 2/3 partes del precio mínimo de la primera, o sea, $42,332.00. De declararse desierta dicha segunda subasta, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 13 DE OCTUBRE DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en el mismo lugar antes mencionado. El precio para la tercera subasta lo será 1/2 del precio mínimo de la primera, o sea, $ 31,749.00.

Y PARA QUE ASÍ CONSTE, y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general y por un término de catorce (14) días en los sitios públicos conforme a la ley, expido la presente bajo mi firma y sello de este tribunal, hoy 18 de agosto de 2023 en Comerío, Puerto Rico.

JULIÁN VEGA, ALGUACIL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD); DORAL MORTGAGE LLC, antes conocida como

DORAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION; DORAL

BANK, hoy FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION (FDIC); FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION (FDIC); FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANO MÁS CUAL

Demandados

CIVIL, NÚM. CA2023CV02275

SOBRE: CANCELACIÓN DE HIPOTECA REPRESENTADA

POR PAGARÉ HIPOTECARIO EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO.

ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS

A: FULANO DE TAL, Y MENGANO MÁS CUAL

Se emplaza y notifica a ustedes que se ha presentado una demanda en este caso, en la cual en síntesis, la parte demandante alega que se extravió un pagare hipotecario que estaba en poder de “Doral Bank”, y solicita que se ordene la cancelación de la hipoteca que lo garantiza. El pagare fue librado por la Sra. Gildalis Flores Vázquez, a favor de “Secretary Of Housing & Urban Development”, o a su orden, por la suma de $4,395.95, más intereses y créditos accesorios, vencedero el 1 de noviembre del 2038, según surge de la escritura #150, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 27 de abril del 2011 ante la Notarlo Público Ana Cristina Díaz Velazco. La referida escritura consta inscrita al folio 119 del tomo 1480 de Carolina Sur, del Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección Segunda (II) de Carolina, finca #-60,454, inscripción 3ra. Pueden ver la demanda en su totalidad en este Tribunal. Los abogados de la Parte Demandante lo son: Sandra De L. Tóus-Chevres y Raúl J. Tous Bobonis, Urb. San Francisco, 1789 Calle Diamela, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00927-6330, teléfonos 751-8834\3824, a quien deberá notificar la contestación de la demanda dentro de los próximos 30 días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Por la presente se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los próximos 30 días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto.

Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), 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. Se le apercibe que 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. Dado bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal y por Orden del mismo hoy 10 de agosto de 2023. Lcda. Kanelly Zayas Robles, Secretaria Regional. Maricruz Aponte Alicea, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE TOA ALTA ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante V. JOHN DOE & RICHARD ROE

Demandados

Civil Núm. TA2023CV00700.

Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTRDO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE, personas desconocidas que se designan con estos nombre ficticios, que puedan ser tenedor o tenedores, o puedan tener algún interés en el pagaré hipotecario a que se hace referencia más adelante en el presente edicto, que se publicará una sola vez. Se les notifica que en la Demanda radicada en el caso de epígrafe se alega que el 29 de septiembre del 2009, se otorgó un pagaré a favor de Oriental Bank and Trust, o a su orden, por la suma de $199,800.00 de principal, con intereses al 6.25% anual, y vencedero el 1 de octubre de 2033, ante la Notario Elaine Villanueva Martínez. En garantía del pagaré antes descrito se otorgó la escritura de hipoteca número 572 del 29 de septiembre del 2009, ante la Notario Elaine Villanueva Martínez, inscrita al tomo Karibe de Toa Alta, finca 22695, inscripción 2, Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección III. E inmueble gravado mediante la hipoteca antes descrita es la finca número 22695 inscrita al folio 286 del tomo 442 de Toa Alta, Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección III. La obligación evidenciada por el pagaré antes descrito fue saldada en su totalidad. Dicho gravamen no ha podido ser cancelado por haberse extraviado el original del pagaré. El original del pagaré antes descrito no ha podido ser localizado, a pesar de las gestiones realizadas. Oriental Bank and Trust es el acreedor que consta. en el Registro de la Propiedad. Oriental Bank fue último tenedor conocido del pagaré antes descrito. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza

para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos. (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo aso 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.

LCDO. JAVIER MONTALVO CINTRÓN

RUA NÚM. 17682 DELGADO & FERNÁNDEZ, LLC

PO Box 11750, Fernández Juncos Station San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910-1750, Tel. (787) 274-1414 / Fax (787) 764-8241

E-mail: jmontalvo@ delgadofernandez.com

Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 11 de agosto de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. VIVIAN J. SANABRIA, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

RODRIGUEZ RAMOS

Demandante V. MUNICIPIO DE GURABO, JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO Y CUALESQUIERA

PERSONA

DESCONOCIDA CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA OBLIGACIÓN CUYA CANCELACIÓN POR DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA

Demandados Civil Núm.: GR2023CV00228. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: JUAN Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO. Por la presente se le notifica que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal una Demanda en su contra en el pleito de epígrafe. En este caso la parte demandante ha radicado una Demanda para que se decrete judicialmente el saldo de (1) pagaré hipotecario: pagaré a favor MU-

NICIPIO DE GURABO, por la suma principal de $19,000.00 dólares sin intereses, vencedero en 6 años, constituida mediante la escritura número 175, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 11 de abril de 2000, ante el notario Luis Fernando Castillo Cruz, e inscrita al folio 5 del tomo 365 de Gurabo, finca número 13,934, inscripción 3ra., y última.; sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar 5 del Bloque U, Urbanización Alturas de Hato Nuevo, localizada en el Barrio Hato Nuevo del Municipio de Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Tiene una cabida de 350.0160 metros cuadrados por el NORTE, en una distancia de 24.00 metros lineales, con el solar número 4 del mismo bloque; por el SUR, en una distancia de 23.00 metros lineales con el solar 6 del mismo bloque; por el ESTE, en una distancia de 14.584 metros lineales con la calle número 12 de la Urbanización; y por el OESTE, en una distancia de 14.584 metros lineales con el solar número 10 del mismo Bloque. Sobre dicho solar enclava una casa de conceto para fines residenciales.

Finca Número 13,934, inscrita al folio 5 del tomo 365 de Gurabo. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección II de Caguas. La parte demandante alega que dicho pagaré ha sido saldado según más detalladamente consta en la Demanda radicada que puede examinarse en la Secretaría de este Tribunal. Por tratarse de una obligación hipotecaria y pudiendo usted tener interés en este caso o quedar afectado por el remedio solicitado, se le emplaza por este edicto que se publicará una vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general de Puerto Rico. 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. Debe notificar con copia de ella a la abogada de la parte demandante a la Lcda.

Alyssa Rivera Rivera, a la dirección P.O. Box 19815, San Juan, P.R. 00910. Teléfono 787-4007269, dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Se le apercibe que, de no hacerlo así dentro del término indicado, el Tribunal podrá anotar su rebeldía y dictar sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle, ni oírle.

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA Y SELLO DEL TRIBUNAL, en Caguas, Puerto Rico, hoy a 11 de agosto de 2023. Lisilda

Martínez Agosto, Secretaria. Sandra J. Trinidad Cañuelas, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL

DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de Caquas.

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

DEMANDANTE Vs JUANA ALEJANDRO

DIAZ, JOSE MANUEL GARCIA TORRES, LA SUCESION DE ROBERTO ALEJANDRO

DIAZ COMPUESTA

POR CARMEN JULIA

ALEJANDRO DIAZ T/C/C

CARMEN i. GONZALEZ Y JUANA ALEJANDRO

DIAZ, FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE LA SUCESION, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

DEMANDADO

CIVIL NUM. CG2022CV04303.

SOBRE: EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA Y COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO ENMENDADA.

A: JUANA ALEJANDRO

DIAZ POR SI Y COMO

MIEMBRO DE LA SUCESION DE ROBERTO

ALEJANDRO DIAZ, A LA

SIGUIENTE DIRECCION:

AC-b, CALLE PRAGA, URB. CAGUAS NORTE, CAGUAS PR 00725-2263

JOSE MANUEL GARCIA

TORRES A LA SIGUIENTE

DIRECCION: AC-b CALLE PRAGA, URB. CAGUAS NORTE, CAGUAS PR 00725-2263

CARMEN JULIA

ALEJANDRO DIAZ

1/C/C CARMEN J. GONZALEZ POR SI Y COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SUCESION DE ROBERTO

ALEJANDRO DIAZ, A LA SIGUIENTE DIRECCION:

AC-b CALLE PRAGA, URB. CAGUAS NORTE, CAGUAS PR 00725-2263

FULANO DE TAL Y FULANA DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE LA SUCESION A LA SIGUIENTE DIRECCION:

AC-b CALLE PRAGA, URB CAGUAS NORTE, CAGUAS PR 00725-2263

EL(LA) SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe, le notifica a usted que el 30 de mayo de 2023, 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 ge-

neral en la isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia o Sentencia Parcial, 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 23 de agosto de 2023. En Caguas , Puerto Rico, el 23 de agosto de 2023. Lisilda Martínez Agosto, Secretario (a) Regional Interina. F/ Eneida Arroyo Velez, Secretario (a) Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

CARMEN JULIA RIVERA LOPEZ

Demandante Vs LUIS ROBERTO DIAZ ZAYAS DEMANDADO

Civil Núm: CD2023RF00039. SALA: 501. Sobre: DIVORCIO RUPTURA IRREPARABLE. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: LUIS ROBERTO DIAZ ZAYAS P/C LCDA. IVETTE

ROSSANA GARCIA CRUZ (Nombre de las partes a las que se les notifica la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 15 de AGOSTO de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de l7 de AGOSTO de 2023. En Caquas, Puerto Rico, 17 de AGOSTO de 2023. LISILDA MARTINEZ AGOSTO, Secretario REGIONAL (a) INTERINA. CARLA M. MARCANO SERRANO, Secretario (a) Auxiliar.

Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch again this season

By VICTOR MATHER

Shohei Ohtani has been one of the most brilliant baseball players in memory, and the first in generations to both pitch and hit at a star level.

But with the announcement late Wednesday that Ohtani won’t pitch again this season because of a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his pitching arm, an end of an era is rapidly approaching for his team, the Los Angeles Angels — though they’ve had little to show for it, despite Ohtani’s heroics.

Ohtani, who is eligible for free agency this offseason, left Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with one out in the second inning. The team initially said the reason was arm fatigue but later said he was finished pitching for the rest of the year, though it could be a lot longer if he chooses to have surgery. He did not pitch for all of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery on the same elbow, but he continued to hit.

Despite being removed from the game Wednesday, he returned for the second half of the doubleheader as a designated hitter and was 1 for 5 with a double. Ohtani leads the majors with 44 home runs and a .664 slugging percentage. He finished his pitching

season with a 10-5 record and a 3.14 ERA that is among the best in the league.

The news came after the Angels refused to move Ohtani at the trading deadline — a move that could have yielded a huge boon in players — and instead tried to persuade

him to remain with the team long term by acquiring several players. The moves subjected the Angels to the luxury tax, and they did not have the intended result: Los Angeles has since fallen out of contention with a 4-16 record in August.

More salt in the wound for the team Wednesday was the news that Mike Trout, long considered the best all-around player in the game, was headed back to the injured list. His return, after six weeks away with a broken bone in his left hand, lasted just one game Tuesday, with the discomfort proving too much for him to handle.

Over the past six years, the Angels have been a shambles. The team has not made the playoffs or even had a winning record in that time. Ohtani and Trout, though, have provided a dazzling one-two punch; between them, they have won three MVP awards in those six years. But the Angels have struggled to find top players beyond their big two.

Now Ohtani will probably leave in free agency for a marquee team at the end of the season — it is no secret that the nearby Los Angeles Dodgers covet him — and if that were to happen, the Angels would get a measly draft pick in return. Trout is signed through 2030, but if Ohtani goes, he could be traded away as the team starts over from scratch.

Given how much the Angels have struggled despite having two of the best and most exciting players in baseball on their roster, the team’s immediate future seems grim.

A’ja Wilson’s 53-point game ties WNBA record

By VICTOR MATHER

Fifty-point games in the NBA can almost be ho-hum: There were 25 last season alone, and they are increasing in frequency. But in the WNBA, they are nearly unheard-of.

A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces didn’t just score 50 on Tuesday night in Atlanta; she made four free throws in the last minute to reach 53, tying the league record.

Wilson’s was just the third 50-point game in WNBA history, following a 53-point game by Liz Cambage of the Dallas Wings in 2018 and a 51-point game by Riquna Williams of the Tulsa Shock in 2013.

There have been only 33 games in which a player has scored 40 points or more in the league’s history, which dates to 1997. But as in the NBA the trend line is upward: A third of those games have come this season.

After her heroic individual effort, Wilson chose to spread the credit. “I didn’t do this

alone,” she said. “My teammates get all the glory because without them I don’t even get the basketball.” Chelsea Gray had 12 assists, and Kelsey Plum had seven for the Aces.

Wilson, a 6-foot-4 forward, shot 16 for 23 from the floor with one 3-pointer and made 20 of 21 free throws. Defensively, she found time to record a game-high four blocks. The Aces defeated the host Atlanta Dream, 112100.

When it comes to putting up high-scoring totals, NBA players have the distinct advantage of playing 48-minute games, rather than the 40-minute games of the WNBA.

NBA teams also score more efficiently, averaging 114.8 points per 100 possessions last season, compared with 103.8 in the WNBA this season. (Or looking at it another way, WNBA players are more efficient defensively.) And NBA teams also play at a slightly faster pace, averaging 2.06 possessions per minute compared with 1.98 in the WNBA.

That all adds up to higher scoring games:

114.7 points per team in the NBA versus 82.5 in the WNBA in the most recent seasons.

Looking at it that way, Wilson’s 53 points amounted to 64% of an average WNBA team’s point total. The equivalent percentage in the NBA would be a 73-point game, something that has happened only six times in NBA history and only once in the years since the WNBA was founded.

The game was an outlier even for Wilson, a two-time league MVP and an Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo. Her previous career high, 11 days before, was 40 points, and she has only 10 games of 30 points or more in her six-year career.

Wilson also has the advantage of playing for the Aces, the league’s best team and defending champion, with a gaudy 29-4 record. If they could win all of their remaining seven regular-season games, their 36-4 mark and .900 winning percentage would match the record set by the 1998 Houston Comets, who were 27-3 in a shorter season.

Shohei Ohtani in his brief pitching appearance on Wednesday.

A’ja Wilson equaled the W.N.B.A. singlegame scoring record.

Fifty years ago, Billie Jean King won equal pay — but she’s not done yet

By LIZ ROBBINS

The more Billie Jean King talked about the past, the more animated she became about the future.

King, the 79-year-old grand champion of tennis and gender equity, said she wanted to see more investment in women’s sports. More teams. More leagues. More women owners. More racial diversity, more data, more access and more opportunities.

She charged cross court from one topic to the next, not content to celebrate the history she had made; she was too busy creating the template for tomorrow.

“Equal investment is the most important thing,” she said during a telephone interview from London, while attending this year’s Wimbledon. “If I talk to a CEO, I ask him, or her, or whoever, ‘Do you spend as much on women’s sports as men’s sports?’ That’s the magic question.”

It always has been.

This summer marks 50 years since the U.S. Open awarded equal prize money for men and women, becoming the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments to offer it. King, who won 39 major titles, made that milestone possible with her relentless activism and by securing corporate sponsors behind the scenes.

King’s influence still ripples through the sports ecosystem.

“She is working as hard today as she was 50 years ago,” said Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Tennis Association’s chief executive of professional tennis, and the first female director of the U.S. Open. “And she’s so focused, I would say possessed. She’s continuing to live by what she believes: that sport is for social change, and it’s not what you get, but what you give.”

King and her wife, Ilana Kloss, who is also her longtime business partner, have invested in six sports. In June, it was announced that Billie Jean King Enterprises would help run a new six-team women’s ice hockey league starting in January along with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ majority owner, Mark Walter, and his wife, Kimbra Walter.

“We believe this is transformational, and it’s a sport that hasn’t had the platform that we believe it needs,” said Kloss, 67, a former doubles champion from South Africa and the chief executive of BJK Enterprises.

Although she admitted that the path to establishing a successful women’s

hockey league has been a “long road” (one that’s littered with past failures), she applauded the Walters’ commitment to women’s sports. “That belief sends an incredible message to the rest of the investment community,” Kloss said.

Flash back to 1970 when King and eight other players, outraged that the men were earning more than eight times the prize money that the women were at one tournament, signed $1 contracts to form an offshoot professional women’s tennis tour. The women, known as the “original nine,” risked being banned by tennis officials, but the gambit worked. In 1973 at Wimbledon, King led players in a vote that created what is now the Women’s Tennis Association.

It was a heady time for women’s sports. In 1972, Congress enacted Title IX, which prohibited sex discrimination in schools and led to the creation of sports programs that spawned a generation of female athletes. Against that backdrop, King, No. 1 in the world, won the 1972 singles titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

In New York, she was incensed to earn $10,000 — $15,000 less than the U.S. Open men’s champion, Ilie Nastase, did. King recalled how she met then with the tournament director Bill Talbert in a referees hut.

Turning her chair to face him in the tiny space, she argued that a fan poll showed massive interest in women’s tennis. Then she revealed her ace: She had secured a sponsor — Bristol Myers’ “Ban”

deodorant — to make up the difference in total prize money. Equal prize money became official in 1973.

A few weeks after the 1973 U.S. Open, King crushed former No. 1 Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes spectacle that catapulted gender equality onto a world stage.

“It’s hard to believe that 50 years have gone by — boink!” King said.

This year’s U.S. Open, starting Aug. 28, will mark the equal prize money anniversary in multiple ways, including posters of King, an opening night tribute and an “equity lounge” on the site of the U.S. Open in Flushing, which in 2006 was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

When she’s on the way to her office there, Allaster touches a sign bearing King’s motto: “Pressure is a Privilege.”

Allaster, the previous chief of the WTA, said King was an “accessible leader,” not just for her, but for rookies and superstars alike. Allaster called Venus Williams a “modern-day Billie Jean King” for how, during her prime, Williams lobbied Wimbledon officials — and by extension the French Open — to award equal prize money to women.

King’s advocacy has always transcended tennis. She started the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974 to develop sports opportunities for girls and women post-Title IX. After she was publicly outed as gay in 1981 and lost many of her endorsements, she later became an activist

for gay rights.

King said she secretly advised the soccer player Julie Foudy and eight of her teammates in 1995 to hold out for fair contracts and get the younger players behind them. The team won the 1996 Olympics and ignited the frenzy for women’s soccer by winning the 1999 Women’s World Cup before 90,185 fans in the Rose Bowl.

Twenty years later, Megan Rapinoe led the U.S. women to another World Cup victory, this time with the fans chanting “Equal Pay.” In 2022, the women’s national team settled its gender discrimination lawsuit against the national federation for $24 million, and a pledge to equalize salaries and prize money.

Last month, Rapinoe talked at a news conference about how the 2023 World Cup would be a game-changer for women’s sports, showing that “equality is actually good for business.”

King chuckled.

“Every generation thinks they are the first to say this — it’s fun to listen to them,” she said. “I’m glad we’re on the same page trying to get things done.”

As always, capital is key. She and Kloss — who joined the celebrity ownership group of Angel City Football Club of the National Women’s Soccer League in 2020 — were encouraged by Y. Michele Kang’s recent $35 million purchase of the league’s Washington Spirit.

“We need more people to continue to step up,” King said. “If you look at everything now, it’s the billionaires. And then you look at the Middle East, that’s going to be another thing.”

In a news conference, King supported the WTA’s exploration of funding from Saudi Arabia, which has already bought in to professional golf with its LIV Golf merger with the PGA Tour. Although she acknowledged the country’s discriminatory policies around women and homosexuality, she told reporters, “I don’t think you really change unless you engage.” She added that this was her opinion. “I’d still probably go and try to talk with them,” she said.

Engagement has always been King’s life philosophy, along with knowing history. She’s not ready to finish writing hers.

In November, King will turn 80. “She really has a sense of running out of time,” Kloss said, “and she can’t get enough.”

Billie Jean King, winner of 39 major titles, led the charge which pushed the United States Open to begin awarding equal prize money to men and women in 1973.

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

Aries (Mar 21-April 20)

Your love partner may be experiencing some minor conflicts with colleagues today, Aries, and may seem distant and preoccupied. The problem could well pass by tomorrow, but your friend isn’t likely to listen to any reassurance. Just make it clear that you’re there if needed and then do something else. Your beloved may have to come to terms with this alone.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

Recent overindulgence may have you to feel a bit under the weather this morning, Taurus. Avoid coffee and other stimulants. Try to sleep in if you can. Too much stress in your life certainly isn’t helping. This malaise could pass by noon, but if you’ve been doing this a lot lately, you need to ask yourself why and find a way to quit doing it.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

eelings of love for a romantic partner could be so overwhelming today you might be moved to tears, Gemini. You will experience a lot of sensual passion, so an intimate evening together is definitely called for if you can arrange it. If it isn’t possible, don’t jump to the conclusion that your friend doesn’t desire you anymore. If your friend claims to be busy, it’s probably true.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

Today the walls may seem to be closing in around you, and you’re anxious to get out for a while, Cancer. Your significant other could want nothing more than to stay in. Don’t let this turn into a major issue. Find a compromise. Go out to dinner and then come home and watch TV. Enjoy your time together! If single, get out and mingle.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

Some wonderful news may come to you today, Leo, and this could send you into such excitement that it’s difficult to concentrate on the situation at hand. This is OK for a while. Your friends and loved ones will probably understand. But at some point you need to come down to Earth! Take a walk and work off the excitement. That might be just what you need.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

A friend or colleague may pay you back a small sum of money that’s owed to you, Virgo. You’ll be thrilled, but you might feel a little guilty that you plan to spend it on something frivolous instead of putting it toward your bills. This isn’t worth the guilt. It isn’t that much money, and you’re entitled to a little frivolity now and then. Go for it!

Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

Your home may seem lonely today, Libra, and love may seem to be absent. A family member, perhaps your love partner, could be away for the night, making the place seem far colder and emptier than it is. This isn’t a good night to stay home. Go out and visit a friend or go to a movie. You need to keep yourself occupied until your partner returns.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

Your home may seem lonely today, Libra, and love may seem to be absent. A family member, perhaps your love partner, could be away for the night, making the place seem far colder and emptier than it is. This isn’t a good night to stay home. Go out and visit a friend or go to a movie. You need to keep yourself occupied until your partner returns.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Money worries may plague you today, Sagittarius. There might not be any real reason. You may just be fretting over possible troubles that could come up. This is a pointless exercise. Cross that bridge when you come to it. Take steps to avoid this contingency if you wish, but don’t waste time worrying. The stress isn’t worth it.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

A friend could seem distant today, Capricorn, and probably won’t be communicating with you much. Don’t jump to the conclusion that your friend is upset with you. If anything, this person is probably worried about his or her job. Just be your usual friendly self, don’t push, and go about your business. Your friend will talk when the time is right.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

A friend could seem distant today, Capricorn, and probably won’t be communicating with you much. Don’t jump to the conclusion that your friend is upset with you. If anything, this person is probably worried about his or her job. Just be your usual friendly self, don’t push, and go about your business. Your friend will talk when the time is right.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

A friend could seem distant today, Capricorn, and probably won’t be communicating with you much. Don’t jump to the conclusion that your friend is upset with you. If anything, this person is probably worried about his or her job. Just be your usual friendly self, don’t push, and go about your business. Your friend will talk when the time is right.

Speed Bump