Tuesday Dec 17, 2024

Meridith Kohut/The New York Times

2 GOOD MORNING

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.

Outgoing DNER secretary says environmental complaint against elected governor’s in-laws must go on

By THE STAR STAFF

Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary

Anaís Rodríguez Vega, who resigned Monday effective Dec. 31, said her successor must continue pursuing the administrative process against the in-laws of Governorelect Jenniffer González Colón for illegal construction and environmental damages within La Parguera Natural Reserve in Lajas.

“That is a case that is active in the Department. There are administrative procedures that must continue no matter who is the nominating authority of the Department …” Rodríguez Vega said during a radio interview.

“Those cases [against González’s inlaws] were filed, and their administrative processes must continue, and the parties will have the opportunity to present all the allegations.”

The governor-elect has yet to appoint a new DNER secretary.

Since May of last year, the agency has been investigating a complaint against José Vargas Cortés and his wife, Irma Rivera Llavona, for allegedly cutting down mangroves and expanding a dock without the required permits. The couple has denied any wrongdoing.

González Colón has said the

allegations against her in-laws are part of a political ploy. She also said she has nothing to do with any actions taken by her in-laws.

The matter has caused friction between the parties. During the administrative process, the governor-elect’s in-laws questioned the impartiality of Rodríguez Vega to adjudicate the case because several times she issued statements to the media that they contended were prejudicial toward them.

The DNER secretary, for her part, has said in various instances that all of the agency’s administrative processes are governed by strict compliance with the law.

The outgoing secretary, who had been on maternity leave from the DNER for several months, said she is satisfied with her work despite the pressure from different sectors.

“You have two highly vocal sectors,” she said. “One has a purchasing power that demands its projects move quickly, and another sector, which is also very vocal, is looking out for the environment, and we have to reach a middle ground between the two.”

Rodríguez Vega’s resignation follows that of Public-Private Partnerships Authority Executive Director Fermín Fontanés Gómez last week. Education Secretary Yanira Raíces Vega announced her resignation on Dec. 6.

Governor asks for ‘spirit of collaboration’ for success of next administration

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia asked politicians on Monday for a truce with the governor-elect.

“There is one year for election campaigns and for the back-and-forth that is taking place between the five parties in Puerto Rico right now,” the outgoing governor said at a press conference. “But I hope that in the next three years there will be a spirit of collaboration with the next administration, outside of party lines, because the success of the next administration will be the success of Puerto Rico.”

Regarding the task force appointed by Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón to work on the island’s energy transformation, Pierluisi said “there are plenty of workshops in that area.”

“The main challenge or the main problem facing Puerto Rico is the state of our electrical system,” he said. “So the more resources the next administration has, the

better. There are people there, some of those appointed people, obviously have experience in this field. Others, well, can contribute from another perspective, but I see it in a good light …”

One of the committee’s tasks will be finding a replacement for LUMA Energy, the private operator of the electric power transmission and distribution system. The governor said that when LUMA was chosen, it was the best of the two that completed the bidding process at the Public-Private Partnerships Authority.

“The other bidder wanted an increase in the rate, practically immediately, and that is why it was rejected,” Pierluisi said. “LUMA’s performance is not what I expected, it is not what anyone expected. But it is in charge of the network right now. So, … we have to be very careful if we are going to cancel that contract, because what we do not want is for that network to go down, so that you have a general blackout here from one day to the next.”

Governor-elect to chair energy committee’s first meeting Thursday

By THE STAR STAFF

Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón said Monday that the first meeting of the energy committee will be this Thursday and she will be the one to chair it.

“We will have our first meeting this Thursday at the Convention Center at 3 p.m.Each of them will present specific ideas,” the governor-elect said at a press conference. “This will be the first meeting, but we plan to do the next one next week, dividing the issues of generation, transmission, distribution, and the operational part.”

“I will direct that work, so this is not a delegated committee, because I will be directing that work,” she added. “And although the functions of this committee will be given by executive order so that they can have the most important elements, we will start working now. I will not wait until January 2 to form a committee, I will start now.”

González Colón said she will include the Financial Oversight and Management Board and the Legislative Assembly in the meetings.

“I have also called the executive director of the Fiscal Board

[sic], Mr. Robert Mujica, to send, to be part of this committee, the board’s representative or coordinator of energy matters, who also has to be at the table, since all this affects what the board is and has agreed to do so,” she said. “I have also asked the [leaders]

of the incoming legislative bodies that those committees, those committee chairs who will be in charge of energy policies in both legislative bodies can participate so that they know, right?”

“[So that they will] receive the same input that I will receive on what the existing energy situation is in terms of generation, in terms of distribution, and receive the same data that I receive,” González Colón added. “In this way we will be able to fulfill our promise of the first bills that I will advance and that we will be filing.”

The objectives, among others, are to amend public policy to allow the use of natural gas and to find a substitute for LUMA Energy, which manages the island’s electric power transmission and distribution system.

“It is a dry subject, it is a broad subject, right?,” the governor-elect said. “I have had multiple meetings on the energy issue and each time I receive a presentation on the energy situation it is completely different from the previous one. That is why I am forming this committee, of people who have different ‘expertise,’ who have had, who have worked directly with the issue, so that each one can give us their presentation of what they understand.”

Business groups support González Colón’s plan for energy transformation task force

LUMA Energy reasserts opposition to ‘going back to failed policies’

By THE STAR STAFF

Following the announcement by Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón regarding the creation of a Working Committee for the Electrical Transformation, several business sector organizations, such as the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA) and the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce (CCPR), reacted positively to the measure, while LUMA Energy expressed a dissenting position.

The PRMA applauded the decision to include its president, Eric Santiago Justiniano, in the committee.

“It is an honor for us that the governor-elect trusts in the vision and leadership of our president,” PRMA Executive Vice President Yandia Pérez said. “We are prepared

to actively collaborate in the creation of energy solutions that benefit all productive sectors.”

Santiago Justiniano expressed gratitude for the invitation and promised to contribute to achieving a reliable electrical system, which the PRMA stressed faces infrastructure and cost challenges, affecting both residential and industrial consumers.

The CCPR, meanwhile, endorsed the multi-sector committee.

“The continued fragility of the electrical system has been a significant obstacle to economic development,” CCPR President Luis Pizarro Otero said. “This appointment demonstrates the Governor-elect’s commitment to collaboration and concrete solutions.”

The business entity offered the expertise of its members to join forces in the transformation of the energy sector.

However, LUMA Energy, the company contracted to provide electric power transmission and distribution to

Governor announces New Year’s celebration in Convention District

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia presented on Monday the details of the New Year’s celebration in the Convention District, highlighting the tourist and economic impact of the event, which will be broadcast internationally as part of the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” show on the ABC network.

“We have no doubt that we will again surpass what was achieved in previous years, highlighting Puerto Rico as a unique cultural and tourist destination,” Pierluisi said, noting an investment of $4.5 million in federal funds and an estimated return of $63 million. “This event represents national and international exposure for our island.”

The celebration will include an international show with Luis Fonsi, minutes before midnight, and entertain-

Puerto Rico, expressed a dissenting stance on the possibility of going back to past policies that led to the bankruptcy of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).

“Going back to the failed policies that led to PREPA’s bankruptcy and failure is not an option,” LUMA President Juan Saca said.

The company emphasized the progress made since it took over operations, including more than 140 reconstruction projects, installation of resistant utility poles and modernization of substations. Saca said LUMA understands the concerns, but defends the long-term, comprehensive approach to the electrical transformation.

The working committee formed by the governor-elect is tasked with advising on possible substitutes for LUMA, speeding up the construction of generation plants, diversifying energy sources, using federal funds for reconstruction and addressing the restructuring of PREPA’s debt, among other issues.

ment by Dayanara Torres. On the local stage, artists such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, El Gran Combo, Gisselle and Plena Libre will participate. There will be a fireworks display and the ascent of the iconic star of Puerto Rico.

Activities will begin at 5 p.m., with strict security controls, including metal detectors and the prohibition of firearms, umbrellas and coolers. For those who cannot access the interior of the T-Mobile District, outdoor screens, food and drink kiosks, portable toilets, and free transportation via the Urban Train and buses will be available until 2 a.m.

Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón, at lectern

December 17, 2024 4

Pavía Hospital to lay off dozens as it transforms into mental health facility

By THE STAR STAFF

Pavia Hospital in Hato Rey will lay off nearly 70 employees starting Jan. 31, 2025, a spokesperson for the union representing the workers said Monday.

The move has caused outrage among the workers. Desiré López, international representative of the United Auto Workers (UAW), said the decision is part of the transformation of the hospital into a center exclusively dedicated to behavioral health, which will begin operations on Feb. 1.

“We are facing a situation that has caused unrest and anxiety among employees, especially during this holiday season when layoff letters will be delivered to this staff,” López said. “According to documents offered by the hospital, only departments such as pharmacy and diet will

remain. Next week, we will be meeting with the hospital administration to discuss the details of this decision and what it will offer as compensation.”

The union leader noted that the island Department of Health has already authorized the closure of numerous areas of the hospital, including the emergency room, leaving more than 100 employees in a state of job uncertainty.

The staff includes graduate and practical nurses, operating room technicians, laboratory personnel, maintenance, and other key departments such as radiology, respiratory therapy, operating room, and intensive care.

“We strongly condemn that this decision was announced in the middle of the Christmas season,” López said. “This is a blow to the workers, their families, and the patients who receive services at the hospital. This act is a

By THE STAR STAFF

Casa Pueblo will celebrate the inauguration of the Plaza de la Independencia Energética this Saturday during its traditional Fiesta del Sol, with music, workshops and exhibitions at its headquarters in the urban center of Adjuntas.

“This will be the first solar microgrid network in Puerto Rico, a model for the future created through community action,” Casa Pueblo Director Arturo Massol Deyá said. “This space redefines the role of energy in the development and life of a people.”

The plaza includes a 55-kilowatt solar microgrid, a garden, a cistern, and murals by nine Puerto Rican artists, as well as a work by the artist Antonio Martorell. The site will serve as an energy

By THE STAR STAFF

House Treasury Committee Chairman Jesús Santa Rodríguez, of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), announced Monday that he lost his legislative seat in the 31st District, which covers Caguas and Gurabo.

The outgoing lawmaker had served three four-year terms in the lower chamber. He lost his seat to the New Progressive Party (NPP) contender, Vimarie Peña Dávila.

“I congratulate my friend Vimarie Peña for having been elected representative of District 31. She has my help and support to ensure the well-being of all our constituents. Also, I am at the disposal of the new government and the members of the Legislative Assembly because we all seek a better Puerto

oasis for homes, businesses and the community at large, and will house the Solar Microgrid Research Center.

Activities will begin at 10 a.m. with a coffee roasting session using beans harvested at Finca La Olimpia, followed by workshops and the presentation of the documentary “Casa Pueblo: la gota que se volvía río” (Casa Pueblo: The Drop That Became a River). At 12:45 p.m., a group will depart for the plaza for the opening ceremony, moderated by Millie Gil.

The event will feature musical performances by Tony Rivera, Mapeyé, Chelimar Ramos, the Casa Pueblo Choir and troubadours, concluding with a Christmas gathering. The activities will be broadcast on Radio Casa Pueblo 1020 AM. The

betrayal of those who have dedicated years of service to the hospital and the community of Hato Rey.”

López insisted that the closure of the hospital will harm workers and the community that depends on its medical services. The absence of an emergency room and other vital services represents a significant loss for residents of the area, who will now have to look for alternatives in nearby hospitals that could face greater saturation, she said.

The UAW called on the Department of Health and hospital management to be transparent in the process and to seek alternatives that would minimize the impact of the decision. They also urged government authorities to intervene to ensure that workers’ rights are respected and are given viable options to continue their careers in the health sector.

House Treasury Committee chairman loses seat to NPP

Rico,” the legislator said on social media. “To the colleagues of our legislative office, thank you for always doing quality work and having a commitment to excellence and service. A very special thanks, also, to the electoral components and officials, who gave their hearts in each assignment in the defense of the will and conscience of the voters.”

After the final votes from polling stations in Gurabo, particularly the early voting by mail, had been tallied, Santa came up short against his leading opponent, PDP Alternate Electoral Commissioner Gerardo Cruz Maldonado confirmed in a radio interview.

“The advantage of his contender is already quite wide,” Cruz said. “That mail vote was worked on mainly by the NPP people in his district. So we do not expect changes.”

Work proceeds on the Plaza de la Independencia Energética in Adjuntas earlier this month (Facebook via Casa Pueblo)

Rep. Jesús Santa Rodríguez (Tammy Olivencia)

Casa Pueblo to mark opening of clean energy site in Adjuntas

The San Juan Daily Star Tuesday, December 17, 2024 5

One city’s attempt to change how domestic violence is tackled

By EDGAR SANDOVAL

On a sweltering July night, Jesse Falcon was so high on cocaine, marijuana and alcohol that he would later say that he barely remembered the explosion of violence that happened.

Convinced that his girlfriend was pursuing another man at a social gathering at their apartment complex in San Antonio, he began attacking the man. When his girlfriend tried to intervene, he shoved her so hard that she was left with a gash on her arm.

Falcon, 21, did recall one thing about the evening: “I was full of rage,” he said.

Cases like Falcon’s are troublingly familiar to court officials in San Antonio, which has long been plagued with a high rate of domestic violence. “They leave jail angrier and more resentful, and the trauma continues,” said Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, a family violence judge in the city.

A court run by Gonzalez is trying a different approach: providing the abusers with a chance to change.

An aerial view of San Antonio, which has long been plagued with a high rate of domestic violence, in Texas, Aug. 30, 2024. First-time domestic violence offenders who are accepted into a Bexar County program called Reflejo, Spanish for reflection, can have charges expunged if they complete an intensive program of frequent court appearances, counseling, treatment for addiction and random drug and alcohol testing. (Meridith Kohut/The New York Times)

First-time offenders like Falcon can avoid becoming another statistic in the long string of men — and a growing number of women — who go to jail for hurting their families, if they are accepted into a family violence diversion program run by Gonzalez’s court, which is known as Reflejo, Spanish for reflection.

The problem is hardly unique to San Antonio, a Latino-majority metropolis in South Texas. Much of the country saw a record spike in domestic violence cases during the coronavirus pandemic as lockdowns, job losses and alcohol consumption drove people into tense situations indoors.

Many cities have tried to address the problem, and rates in several cities are declining once again. San Antonio is among the places that have assigned more detectives to domestic violence cases. It is also conducting “lethality assessments,” in which officers ask a series of questions to determine whether a victim is in danger of serious violence or even death if an intervention does not occur.

The new court is one of a handful across the country that provide incentives as well as accountability for perpetrators, aimed at helping them control violent impulses before they become deadly.

In exchange for seeing their charges expunged, offenders who appear in Gonzalez’s court are required to complete an intensive program of frequent court appearances, counseling, treatment for addiction and random drug and alcohol testing.

On a recent afternoon, Falcon and a group of men who had all been arrested at one point for assaulting a romantic partner or a household member gathered in the judge’s chambers. Falcon soon found himself answering uncomfortable questions. A monitor he was required to wear had detected alcohol in his system, a violation of the program’s rules that

could send him back to jail.

“It’ll go a long way if you reexamine your steps,” Gonzalez said, shooting him a stern look. “You’re young. I want to see you do great things.”

This year, the nine family violence homicides in Bexar County, the unincorporated area around San Antonio, surpassed the number in each of the past three years, according to the county sheriff’s office. The city of San Antonio has also seen a troubling rise in domestic violence cases.

In 2019, the escalating number of cases prompted hundreds of people, many of them women, to descend on a town hall meeting where they described chokings, beatings and other episodes of violence committed regularly, mostly by men in their families.

A judge ordered the creation of a commission on domestic violence to help address the problem.

Abusers tend to come from poor neighborhoods and often numb the memories of their own childhood traumas with substance abuse, said John Vacca, who runs a class known as Pathways to Healing, a requirement for those in Gonzalez’s program.

For Gonzalez, who works closely with Vacca, the idea of a court like Reflejo seemed like common sense. Even before being elected as a judge in 2018, she said, she had grown frustrated while working as a lawyer and a social worker; there seemed to be a revolving door of people who were continually rearrested for assaulting a loved one.

“Many reoffend, not knowing why,” she said. “They don’t understand where these emotions are coming from.”

When she started pitching the idea of a program for abusers, not victims, she was met with resistance. One pol-

itician told her, “Nobody wants to help a violent offender — it’s bad politics,” Gonzalez recalled.

Legislation to create the court, written with the help of the judge’s wife, Stacy Speedlin Gonzalez, a scholar who has been open about her own struggles with abuse and domestic violence, was sponsored by two local lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, in 2019. The court began in earnest a year later.

The court has since graduated 35 offenders, with only one of them being rearrested so far. Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez said she was aware of only two similar courts: one in Ohio and another in Florida. It is hard to measure whether the program has worked where it matters most: inside families. Women who had a partner participating in the Reflejo court declined to be interviewed about it. And not everyone agrees with its methods. Marta Pelaez, who runs Family Violence Prevention Services, an organization that runs a shelter and works to reduce family violence, said she found it hard to believe that an abuser could heal long-held, violent traits in a “matter of weeks.” Real change comes after years, if not a lifetime, of treatment, she said.

“Anything that is close to 90% I’m very suspicious of,” Pelaez said, citing the court’s success rate. “It is not possible to shift your attitude that dramatically. It would take years and years for a person to shift.”

Still, Falcon said he believed that without the Reflejo court, he would still be abusing drugs and making poor decisions. In the past year, he said, he has learned to regulate his emotions and follow rules. “At the beginning it was hard to stay positive,” Falcon said. “But I am glad I have stayed on track. I realized that they only want the best for us.”

At times, some of the people in the program falter.

Deonte Hawkins, 23, a friend of Falcon’s who is also enrolled in the program, was taken into custody recently after missing some of his required substance abuse meetings.

For that hearing, Gonzalez had called in Hawkins’ wife to sit next to him. She sobbed uncontrollably as the judge tried to reason with him.

“Give us some insight because we are at a loss,” the judge told Hawkins. “We want to help you. Is that what you want, to hurt her like that? You love her, right?”

Hawkins lowered his head. His wife dried her tears and watched as court officers handcuffed him and took him away. Gonzalez later said that Hawkins was doing better and had gotten back on track.

Walking out of court that day, Falcon said he did not want to find himself in his friend’s shoes. He said he had found a good job working as a barista at a coffee shop, and, while he was not thinking about starting a family anytime soon, he was not ruling it out for later. First, he said, he would have to do a little more growing.

“My attitude toward life has changed,” he said. “I know how to respond to situations now. I’m a different person.”

What we know about reports of drone sightings in New Jersey and New York

By ALYCE McFADDEN

Bright lights floating or flying in the night sky above New Jersey have captivated residents for nearly a month. Now the sightings — some of which are of drones, federal officials said — have spread throughout the region.

For weeks, federal authorities investigating the sightings have provided few answers about what the objects are or their origin, leaving residents unsettled and local leaders frustrated.

Alejandro Mayorkas, head of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed in an interview with ABC News on Sunday “that there’s no question that drones are being sighted.”

Mayorkas said the Federal Aviation Administration changed its rules last year so that drones could fly at night — a possible reason, he said, for the recent uptick in sightings along the East Coast.

He did not offer any other details as to who might be flying the drones or where they are coming from, but he said that the federal government would help the New Jersey State Police respond to the sightings.

Assurances from state and federal officials that the sightings do not indicate a threat to residents have done little to allay public concerns. Lawmakers have expressed frustration with the lack of information, and are urging the federal government to share more about its investigation.

President-elect Donald Trump has also weighed in, suggesting that the government was concealing information about the sightings. “Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

Here’s what to know about the flying objects: What are they?

Pictures and videos of the purported drones show bright objects illuminated against a dark night sky. Some move, and others appear to hover in place. Residents and law enforcement officers who have observed the objects say that their lights sometimes go out suddenly, enveloping them in darkness.

Facebook groups and Reddit threads dedicated to the

Detective Anthony D’Amico of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office uses a drone to monitor any nearby drone activity in Seaside Heights, N.J., on Dec. 13, 2024. In the Garden State, where the rash of sightings started a month ago, residents are looking to the skies, wondering why they still don’t have definitive answers from officials. (Dave Sanders/ The New York Times)

sightings have accumulated thousands of posts. One Facebook group has tens of thousands of members who share videos and swap theories.

On Thursday, the mystery made its way to the White House, where a spokesperson for the National Security Council, John Kirby, said at a news conference that federal investigators had been unable to corroborate reports of any unauthorized drones above New Jersey.

“To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” Kirby said.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said they had cross-referenced the reported sightings with flight paths related to Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports, and concluded that many of the observed objects were actually planes taking off or landing.

At a press briefing last week, Sabrina Singh, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said that the reported objects were not drones operated by the U.S. military and that officials did not believe they were “coming from a foreign entity or adversary.” Local officials and residents have expressed their frustration with federal authorities and the little information they’ve provided publicly so far.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said in a statement Friday that the White House’s attitude toward the sightings had been “dismissive.”

“The Biden administration has an obligation to the American people to figure out and tell us what is going on immediately,” Smith added.

When did the sightings start and where are they occurring?

sightings began pouring into the New Jersey State Police, according to a letter with Thursday’s date that the state’s governor, Phil Murphy, sent to President Joe Biden and posted on social media.

The initial sightings were clustered in a few counties in northern New Jersey, but the phenomenon quickly spread across the state, including to coastal areas in the south and to the Philadelphia suburbs.

In early December, drone sightings were also reported in parts of New York City, first along Staten Island’s west shore, then in southern Brooklyn near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. On Thursday, sightings were reported in the Bronx and near LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

The next evening, New York Mayor Eric Adams wrote on social media that he was “aware of concerns” about the sightings and that city officials were investigating them with federal and state agencies.

Residents in parts of upstate New York have also reported mysterious sightings at night. On Friday evening, reports of drone activity near New York Stewart International Airport in New Windsor caused the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to shut down runways there for about an hour, said Lenis Valens, an authority spokesperson.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said last week that the objects did not pose a threat to public safety and that she was investigating the matter with federal law enforcement agencies.

Other sightings have been reported in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland, where Larry Hogan, the state’s former governor, said on social media that he had seen “what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky” above his home in Davidsonville, Maryland.

The post included comments from readers that at least some of the lights Hogan had captured on video were the constellation Orion.

How are the sightings being investigated?

Kirby said Thursday that federal authorities had conducted a “thorough analysis” of pictures and videos and were using “very sophisticated electronic detection technologies” to try to determine what the objects were.

The FBI has been investigating the sightings since late November, and its Newark, New Jersey, field office has urged residents to report relevant information to the agency’s tip line. Since the line was opened Dec. 3, the bureau has received approximately 5,000 tips, according to an FBI official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity Saturday because the official was not authorized to speak publicly. Of those, the official said, less than 100 have been deemed credible enough to warrant additional inquiry.

On Thursday night, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., accompanied local law enforcement officers who were looking into sightings near the Round Valley Reservoir in Hunterdon County. In a series of social media posts, Kim said he saw several objects in the sky that did not appear on flight tracking software.

The wave of sightings began in northern New Jersey in mid-November after personnel inside the Picatinny Arsenal, an Army facility in Morris County, spotted what they said was a drone flying near the base. Days later, reports of the

However, on Saturday, Kim said in additional social media posts that he had “concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes.”

Powell’s Fed appears headed for another collision with Trump

By JEANNA SMIALEK

Inside the halls of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters overlooking Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., casual mentions of the incoming Trump administration are cautious and infrequent. That’s by design.

Donald Trump had a fraught relationship with the politically independent Fed during his first term. The president wanted central bankers to lower interest rates more aggressively and faster than they thought was economically appropriate. When officials refused to comply, he blasted them as “boneheads” and an “enemy.” He flirted with trying to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. He tried (and failed) to appoint loyalists to central bank leadership roles.

As the Fed enters a new Trump era with interest rates higher than they were at any point in his first term, tensions seem poised to escalate once again — and America’s central bank is on high alert.

Fed analysts try to avoid casually discussing tariffs in email or Microsoft Teams meetings, wary that the information could become public and make the Fed look anti-Trump, according to one staff economist who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Hallway chatter has taken a negative tone but is often studiously generic and apolitical, according to people familiar with the mood inside the building who also requested anonymity. And while Fed officials and economists have had to begin to consider what Trump’s promised policies might do to growth and inflation, they have avoided publicly speculating.

Central bankers are, in effect, keeping their heads down to stay out of the limelight. But try as they might, they appear destined for another collision course with Trump.

The president-elect promised “interest rates cuts the likes of which you have never seen before” while campaigning. Fed officials have been cutting rates since September and are on course to lower them further as inflation cools, but they are unlikely to reduce them as much as Trump is hoping.

A combination of strong growth, a resilient labor market and somewhat stubborn price increases could add up to slower Fed rate cuts in 2025 than central bankers themselves expected as recently as September. Trump’s policies could further delay rate reductions if they seem likely to stoke higher inflation.

And even in a best-case scenario, few if any economists think that Powell’s Fed will return its policy rate to the near-zero level that prevailed in 2020 — the setting that was the backdrop for the record-low mortgage rates that Trump has been promising to bring back.

In fact, the groundwork for the Trump-Fed collision could be laid as early as this week. Fed officials are poised to cut rates in December while releasing their first set of economic forecasts since the election. Those

forecasts are widely expected to show a shallower path of rate cuts in 2025 than central bankers had previously anticipated.

The Fed raised rates sharply in 2022 and 2023 in a bid to slow the economy and wrestle rapid inflation under control, but officials began cutting borrowing costs in September of this year in response to cooling inflation and a slowing job market. Rates now stand at about 4.6%.

But while officials previously expected to lower interest rates to 3.4% by the end of 2025, recent economic developments have caused economists and in-

high for longer, consumers and businesses are likely to chafe at pricey borrowing costs, which will make it more expensive to finance a home purchase or a corporate expansion.

But it is less clear what Trump might do about it.

At least initially, Trump cannot shake up the Fed’s leadership. President Joe Biden reappointed Powell as chair, and his current four-year term does not expire until mid-2026.

Firing Powell also looks unlikely. Powell has been clear that he does not believe the White House has the legal authority to remove him, and that he would not step down if asked. And Trump has said that he does not have plans to try to oust the Fed chair this time around.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t see it,” Trump said when asked if he would remove Powell in an NBC interview that aired Dec. 8.

But even if the president stops short of trying to remove Powell, he will be able to replace the Fed chair eventually. And there are things he can do to make the Fed chair’s job more difficult in the interim. Chief among those, the president seems primed to once again rail against the Fed in public.

Criticism would not force the central bank to change course: The Fed sets policy independently of the White House, and its officials have proved their willingness to resist Trump in the past. But it could slowly chip away at the Fed’s favorability among voters and the lawmakers who represent them.

Over time, that could matter. Fed officials are insulated from the White House, but the institution does answer to Congress, which can amend the law that gives central bankers their power.

vestors to think that they may not get them down quite that much.

Growth has been faster than expected and the job market seems to have stabilized since September. There is a risk that lowering rates too much too quickly could stoke the economy in a way that allows inflation to get stuck at a slightly elevated level.

“Growth is definitely stronger than we thought, and inflation is coming a little higher,” Powell said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit this month. “The good news is that we can afford to be a little more cautious as we try to find neutral.”

In fact, Trump’s own policies could make it tough for the Fed to lower rates sharply. The president-elect has promised to increase tariffs on U.S. trading partners and deport immigrants, policies that have the potential to push up prices.

It is obvious why a slow and shallow series of Fed rate cuts could irk the incoming president: If rates stay

The San Juan Daily Star

Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, speaks during the DealBook Summit in New York, Dec. 4, 2024. Donald Trump had a fraught relationship with the politically independent Fed during his first term. (Jeenah Moon/The New York Times)

US stocks inch higher ahead of Fed; bitcoin surges

Wall Street stocks inched higher in contrast to world shares on Monday as U.S. Treasury yields eased and investors readied for a busy central bank week.

Bitcoin touched a new high, boosted by President-elect Donald Trump suggesting he plans to set up a bitcoin strategic reserve.

The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) is due to convene on Tuesday for its last monetary policy meeting of 2024, which is expected to conclude with a 25 basis point cut in the key Fed funds target rate.

Investors will scrutinize the Fed’s Summary of Economic Projections (SEC) and its “dot plot,” which maps out the central bank’s future rate cut path, which has become less certain in light of recent data showing sticky inflation amid a relatively robust economy.

A report from S&P Global showed that U.S. business activity has accelerated its expansion this month, despite ongoing weakness in the manufacturing sector.

“The U.S. economy is the best house on the block right now, if you look at Europe, depending on the country it appears to be floundering,” said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia. “And China has its own issues with the various stimulus measures they’re undertaking.”

“It looks like we’re going to get a rate cut in a couple days, and (investors) like the pro-growth agenda that the new administration is putting forth,” Tuz added.

Soft retail sales data from China underscored the need for more aggressive stimulus from Beijing.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), rose 73.61 points, or 0.17%, to 43,904.10, the S&P 500 (.SPX), rose 25.05 points, or 0.41%, to 6,076.14 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), rose 149.34 points, or 0.75%, to 20,076.25.

French stocks weighed on European markets after Moody’s unexpectedly downgraded the country’s rating on Friday, offsetting signs of easing euro zone business conditions.

MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS), rose 2.05 points, or 0.24%, to 868.19.

The STOXX 600 (.STOXX), opens new tab index fell 0.12%, while Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index (.FTEU3), opens new tab fell 1.04 points, or 0.05%

Emerging market stocks (.MSCIEF), fell 2.97 points, or 0.27%, to 1,104.04. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), closed lower by 0.37%, to 583.21, while Japan’s Nikkei (.N225), fell 12.95 points, or 0.03%, to 39,457.49.

Yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries eased from three-week highs as investors awaited the Fed’s rate decision on Thursday.

The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

1.8 basis points to 4.381%, from 4.399% late on Friday.

The 30-year bond yield fell 2 basis points to 4.5935% from 4.614% late on Friday.

The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, fell 1.1 basis points to 4.23%, from 4.241% late on Friday.

Anticipation ahead of the Fed meeting also had the greenback hovering near three-week highs, as investors reconcile themselves to the possibility that the central bank will signal a more measured pace of easing in the coming year.

The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, fell 0.03% to 106.84, with the euro up 0.09% at $1.0511.

Against the Japanese yen , the dollar strengthened 0.4% to 154.26.

Bitcoin, which has surged more than 50% since

PUERTO RICO STOCKS

COMMODITIES

CURRENCY

the U.S. presidential election, touched a new high, topping $106,000 after Trump indicated the possible establishment of a bitcoin reserve fund.

“When I heard (the) idea of establishing a Bitcoin reserve, my first thought was why it’s necessary?” Tuz said. “Who does it help, other than people who are already own Bitcoin or are kind of in the Bitcoin sphere?”

Bitcoin gained 4.00% while Ethereum rose 2.81%.

Crude oil prices eased lower as soft data from China raised fears of softening demand from the world’s largest oil importer.

U.S. crude fell 0.36% to $71.03 a barrel and Brent fell to $74.20 per barrel, down 0.39% on the day.

Gold prices inched higher ahead of the central bank decision.

Spot gold rose 0.27% to $2,655.60 an ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 0.24% to $2,662.50 an ounce.

The San

Daily Star Tuesday, December 17, 2024 9

German government collapses at a perilous time for Europe

By CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE and JIM TANKERSLEY

The German government collapsed Monday as Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament, deepening a crisis of leadership across Europe at a time of mounting economic and security challenges.

The war in Ukraine has escalated. President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office in the United States, raising new questions over Europeans’ trade relations and military defense. And France’s government fell this month.

Now, Europe’s largest economy is in the hands of a caretaker government, before elections early next year.

German lawmakers voted to dissolve the existing government by a vote of 394207, with 116 abstaining.

The collapse of the government, just nine months before parliamentary elections had been scheduled, was an extraordinary moment for Germany. The elections, now expected Feb. 23, will be only the fourth snap election in the 75 years since the modern state was founded, reflecting a new era of more fractious and unstable politics in a country long known for durable coalitions built on plodding consensus.

Scholz had little choice but to take the unusual step of calling for the confidence vote after his three-party coalition splintered in November, ending months of bitter internal squabbling and leaving him without a parliamentary majority to pass laws or a budget.

The country’s political uncertainty could last for months, with a new permanent government potentially not forming until April or May.

Seven parties will go into the campaign for parliament with a realistic chance of gaining seats, and some on the political fringes — especially on the right — are poised for strong showings, according to polls. Scholz is widely expected to be ousted as chancellor. Polls currently suggest the conservative Christian Democrats are poised to finish first.

The campaign is likely to be dominated by several issues that have roiled Europe in recent years. Germany and France, traditionally the two most influential countries in the European Union, are mired in deba-

tes over how best to revive their struggling economies, breach growing social divides, ease voter anxieties over immigration and buttress national defense.

They and their EU partners are looking warily toward Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has escalated threats about the use of nuclear weapons amid Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

They are also vexed by their economic relationship with China, which has grown into a formidable competitor for many of their most important industries but has not become the booming consumer market for European products that leaders long envisioned.

And they are bracing for the start of the new presidential term for Trump, who has threatened a trade war and the end of the United States’ commitment to the NATO alliance that has guaranteed Europe’s security for 75 years.

The combination of challenges has proved politically unsettling. President Emmanuel Macron of France on Friday named his fourth prime minister in a year and is under mounting pressure to resign. Macron says he will stay in office and try to repair the deep fissures in his government over the 2025 budget.

Scholz’s government faced similar budget challenges, along with growing concerns about how to rebuild the German military in the face of a belligerent Russia and Trump’s criticism of NATO.

It is an inopportune time for Germany to be plunged into a grueling winter election campaign and a political freeze that could last until a new government takes power.

“The timing is absolutely terrible for the EU — basically, these multiple crises are hitting the EU at the worst possible time, because the bloc’s traditional engine is busy with itself,” Jana Puglierin, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said, referring to Germany and France.

The war in Ukraine and the need to bolster Germany’s military — and what that will cost — will be among the urgent issues likely to dominate the election campaign, along with the floundering economy, failing infrastructure, immigration and the rise of the political extremes.

Badly behind in the polls, Scholz is planning to highlight his caution when supplying Ukraine with weapons, especia-

lly sophisticated offensive hardware.

Under Scholz’s watch, Germany became the biggest European donor of weapons to Ukraine, according to a ranking by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a research organization in Germany. But he prefers to point to his decision not to export the long-range missile system Taurus. Many in Berlin saw the chancellor’s phone call with Putin in November as a way to attract those voters who are nervous about Germany’s passive involvement in the war.

During what was billed as his first campaign speech last month, Scholz criticized his main opponent, Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, accusing him of provoking Russia with remarks that suggested he would provide

Ukraine with more military aid if Russian forces continued bombing civilian infrastructure.

“I can only say: Be careful! You shouldn’t play Russian roulette with the security of Germany,” Scholz said.

The strategy appears to be working. Since the end of the three-party coalition, Scholz’s personal approval ratings have risen somewhat. But his party is still polling at around 17%, about half of what the conservatives are projected to win.

Scholz will have to fight hard to persuade voters to give him another chance. For now, it is Merz, a longtime figure on the political stage, who is widely expected to be the next chancellor, given his party’s strong lead in polls.

Juan

Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers remarks during President Joe Biden’s state visit to Germany, in Berlin on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. Scholz lost a confidence vote in Germany’s parliament on Monday, deepening a crisis of leadership across Europe at a time of mounting economic and security challenges. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

Weeks of upheaval have paralyzed this South American nation. Here’s why.

By GENEVIEVE GLATSKY and MARÍA SILVIA TRIGO

Demonstrations have rocked Bolivia for more than two months. A long-standing political rivalry has boiled over, with supporters of the president and his chief opponent clashing in the streets. Protests have blocked the movement of goods, exacerbating fuel shortages. Some Bolivians lined up for days to buy gas.

The upheaval is part of a broad level of unrest across the Andean region of Latin America. Ecuador, Peru and Colombia — Bolivia’s neighbors to the west and north — are all facing significant levels of political turmoil, causing intense anger among their populations.

Behind the discontent in Bolivia is a rupture within the Movement for Socialism, or MAS, a leftist party that has dominated the country’s political landscape for two decades.

Bolivia’s president, Luis Arce, and his onetime mentor, former president Evo Morales, are fighting over the party’s leadership — and both insist that they will be the party’s candidate in next year’s presidential elections.

The turbulence reflects a steep decline in influence for both the leftist party and Morales, Bolivia’s first Indigenous president and a monumental figure in the country. He held office for 14 years — longer than any other leader.

Bolivia’s top court ruled last month that Morales could not run for a fourth term, seemingly closing the door to the possibility of a Morales candidacy.

Analysts disagree over whether Morales constitutionally has any legal recourse to run again, but most agree that the justice system is so intertwined in politics that it is hard to trust any decision that it makes.

“People have realized that the government is ruling

Luis Alberto Arce Catacora, president of Bolivia, speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 20, 2022. Behind the widespread unrest in Bolivia, Arce and his onetime mentor, former president Evo Morales, are fighting over the ruling party’s leadership. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

through this court,” said Veronica Rocha, a Bolivia political analyst.

As protesters in La Paz, the capital, shouted that they were hungry last month, Arce, in another part of the city, celebrated the court’s ruling against Morales in an Indigenous ceremony. (Though Arce himself is not Indigenous, Bolivia has a large Indigenous population that has been key to the MAS party’s dominance.)

Morales has maintained on the social platform X that he is still “the first option of the people to save Bolivia.”

But many Bolivians are tired of the drawn-out political duel, saying it’s doing nothing to alleviate their hardships.

“I think the average Bolivian just feels like these leaders have forgotten about the average person, that they’re more focused on holding on to power,” said Gustavo Flores-Macías, a professor of government at Cornell University who focuses on Latin American politics.

What triggered the protests?

Morales rose to power in 2006, a socialist who lifted hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty — thanks largely to a boom in energy production — and prioritized Indigenous and rural populations in a country that had been run for centuries by a largely white urban elite.

At the same time, he was also criticized for persecuting opponents, harassing journalists and stacking the judiciary in his favor. He also ignored constitutional rules that his own government had rewritten barring him from running for a third and then a fourth term.

When he fled the country during a disputed election in 2019 — amid accusations of fraud — he tapped Arce, his finance minister and protege, to run in 2020.

But after he won, Arce shrugged off his role as Morales’ heir and instead sought to govern on his own terms.

That set off a power struggle with Morales, who returned to Bolivia the day after Arce was sworn in, with the intention of returning to power.

While Morales is less popular than he once was, several recent polls show he still commands far more support than Arce.

But now he faces the possibility of imprisonment after prosecutors in October charged him with statutory rape, accusing him of impregnating a 15-year-old girl in 2016, when he was president.

Morales claims the charges are politically motivated, and he rallied supporters in his home province of Chapare to protest.

Several key highways pass through the rural region, and weeks of demonstrations made them impassable, blocking shipments of fuel and food across the country of 12 million.

Why else are people upset?

Fuel shortages, rising prices and a lack of access to U.S. dollars and imported goods have also provoked fury. When Arce served in the Morales administration, he was widely credited as the key person behind what was seen as the country’s economic miracle, buoyed by a commodities boom driven by a thriving natural gas industry.

But then the boom went bust, prices fell and production slowed. Now Arce’s government struggles to import fuel.

Silvia Choque, 36, a vegetable seller in the city of Santa Cruz, said she earns half as much as she used to.

“I have enough just to eat, but you can’t save,” she said.

Many Bolivians say the political turmoil hampers any meaningful progress on tackling the economic crisis.

“The internal dispute within” the ruling party, Rocha said, “has made people feel like there is not a government.”

While the blockades have been cleared, other protests have popped up by Bolivians frustrated over a fractured government and a justice system that is often weaponized to pursue political enemies.

What does this mean for the 2025 elections?

While Arce hasn’t yet stated his intention to run for reelection, it’s widely assumed that he will be on the ballot. Morales, despite his protestations, remains banned.

Many experts say the splintering of the country’s main party could mean a transformation of the political landscape.

For now, no opposition candidate or party has the same broad support as the MAS party. But Carlos Saavedra, a Bolivian political analyst, said the electoral outlook was fluid, with the outcome hard to predict.

“You are going to have many candidates fighting for small fragments of power,” he said. “I see an ultra-fragmented and ultra-polarized election.”

Jonatan Ramos Director Funerario

This holiday season, give someone a second chance

By MICHELLE GOLDBERG

On April 4, 2017, Damon Christian Watson walked out of jail in Los Angeles County after being incarcerated for nine months for identity theft, burglary and other convictions. Alone, ashamed and addicted to drugs, he wound up returning to the life he’d led before his arrest.

“I was a dead man walking,” Watson told me. “I was a homeless drug user on Skid Row. I was unrecognizable.”

If you think people are free when they get out of prison, consider Watson’s story. Like many former convicts, Watson emerged from the criminal justice system with zero resources to help change his direction, which is one reason most people who come out of prison quickly reenter the system. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 68% of people released from state prisons are arrested again within three years; 83% within nine years.

“Prison breaks people, and it makes them unable to rebuild,” Watson, now the senior director of legal services and corporate development at New Jersey Reentry Corporation, a nonprofit that assists former prisoners, said. “You come out, and you have no hope, no resources. And if you don’t have those things? You’re not much different than the person who was put in jail in the first place.”

This is the ugly back end of America’s mass incarceration disaster, a system that focuses far more on retribution than on rehabilitation or redemption. And Watson himself is a stunning

example of what we lose when we, as a society, continue to punish people who have served their time.

My husband recently reconnected with Watson, whom he knew from childhood, but I didn’t know about New Jersey Reentry or Watson’s role there until I started looking into programs that assist recently released inmates.

Now 53, Watson grew up in Los Angeles and had always been a high achiever. The son of one of the first Black men in California to have both a J.D. and an M.D., and of a medical malpractice defense lawyer who worked her way through night school, Watson attended prestigious elementary and high schools, Princeton and Harvard Law School, where he roomed with Ted Cruz and made law review. He got married and joined a top law firm.

But in the span of five years, Watson lost five close family members, including both parents, plunging him into depression. Addiction ran rampant in his family, and Watson went from being a teetotaler — he didn’t have a single drink until after law school — to becoming addicted to cocaine and meth. He lost paternal rights for his two children and ended up divorced, jobless, homeless and disbarred.

During that period, he was convicted of a handful of felonies, and spent years in and out of jail and on probation.

The odds, which had once seemed distinctly in Watson’s favor, were now firmly stacked against him. When he cleaned himself up and applied for jobs — even with credentials that far surpassed those of most ex-convicts — he was repeatedly thwarted, losing job offers once a background check revealed his criminal record.

“That was very frustrating,” he said. “It was a gut punch.”

Watson heard about New Jersey Reentry,

a program former Gov. Jim McGreevey helped found 10 years ago, and knew he had to work there. He applied, landed an entry-level position and has since been promoted three times. He now runs the legal services team under the organization’s general counsel. New Jersey Reentry has eight reentry sites, each of which employs a social worker, a legal services coordinator, a case manager, an employment specialist, an intake coordinator and a facility director.

Together, they have helped over 22,000 former prisoners overcome the many onerous and unnecessary obstacles they face upon release: unpaid fines, overdue child support, outstanding warrants. They connect them with social services like Medicaid, food stamps and addiction specialists. They keep a list of what they call “background-friendly employers,” companies that are willing to overlook a criminal record and give people a second chance.

Through his work at New Jersey Reentry, Watson has helped expunge the records of at least 20 former prisoners. (He is also working to expunge his own record.) He has stayed clean, remarried and this past summer completed his first Ironman competition.

When people come into his program, Watson tells them that all they need is two people to believe in them. One of them must be themselves, to know inside that they are capable of more. The other person, he tells them, is someone who will talk them out of negative thoughts and behaviors when things get tough. “At least for now, that person is me,” Watson tells them. He choked up as he described the importance, something he knows firsthand, of this message.

“They need that,” Watson said. “Nobody believes in these guys. They need people who will look them in the eye and give them a little hope.”

You could be that person too. New Jersey Reentry depends on funding from the state and from private donations. In New York, a similar organization, the Fortune Society, whose motto is “Building people, not prisons,” offers services for former prisoners in New York. Founded in 1967, the Fortune Society helped 11,673 people get back on their feet last year.

It often feels easy to give to people who seem like the most deserving. The bigger task is to give to people whom society and the systems we’ve created have repeatedly told deserve nothing at all.

SAN JUAN – La gobernadora electa, Jenniffer González Colón dijo el lunes que a todos los candidatos que pretende nombrar para puestos de gobierno les están realizando ‘background checks’ para, entre otras cosas, ver su situación financiera.

Aguada inicia

POR EL STAR STAFF

AGUADA

A los analistas que tengan tranquilidad y disfruten la Navidad, los nombramientos van a estar para el dos de enero, dice gobernadora electa

“Hemos realizados múltiples entrevistas, nos mantenemos realizando entrevistas para otras áreas, lo voy a hacer de manera oportuna. Estoy bien agradecida, toda la cantidad de personas, ya van por siete mil seiscientas personas, las que han sometido su resumé en la página del partido. Hemos tomado todo esos resumé de ahí. Ya tenemos, te diría, gran parte de las áreas que se han entrevistado, están muchos de ellos esperando el ‘background check’ que se le está haciendo en muchos casos. Así que lo vamos a anunciar de manera oportuna. El dos de enero van a estar ahí”, dijo la gobernadora electa en conferencia de prensa. Al preguntarle por qué todavía no ha hecho los anuncios, contestó: “porque yo creo que hay mucha gente que quiere hacer las cosas como les da la gana. Las co-

sas se van a hacer cuando son, y todo tiene una razón de ser. Nosotros estamos, yo me estoy tomando mi tiempo, yo no estoy cogiendo las cosas a lo loco para cumplir o para hacer un show mediático ni mucha fanfarria. Yo estoy buscando obreros, gente que venga a trabajar, que venga a ejecutar obras, gente que venga, que sepa lo que está haciendo y esas entrevistas toman tiempo y las hemos empezado tan pronto pasó la elección, empezamos ese proceso de entrevista, todavía lo continúo haciendo. Y me estoy dando ese espacio. Mi responsabilidad es que el dos de enero yo tenga a mis jefes de agencia y ahí van a estar”.

Sobre las reacciones de los analistas, González Colón les sugirió tranquilidad. “Cuando yo anuncié mi candidatura a la gobernación todo el mundo me cuestio-

naba que yo no tenía comité de campaña, que yo no tenía un comité de estrategia y todos los analistas hablaban y yo tenía mi comité de campaña y tenía mi comité, los anuncié cuando entendí que era el momento anunciarlo. Me decían que no tenía candidato a comisionado residente. Anuncié a mi candidato a comisionado residente, no cuando la gente quiera que yo lo haga, sino cuando yo entiendo que es el momento correcto de hacerlo. Así que no debe haber ninguna preocupación, Le digo a la gente y a los analistas que tengan tranquilidad, que disfruten la Navidad, que los nombramientos van a estar ahí, que los van a poder evaluar, que van a poder hurgar sobre ellos, que van a tener acceso a hablar con ellos y van a tener tiempo para poder hacer sus análisis”, sostuvo.

proyecto de $5.4 millones para corregir efectos de derrumbe

por María

– El alcalde de Aguada, licenciado Christian Cortés Feliciano, informó hoy que ya comenzó el proyecto de mitigación del derrumbe en la carretera estatal PR-417, en el Barrio Marías (cerca del Restaurante El Grand Marnier). “Este es un proyecto que hemos cabildeado por mucho tiempo y que gracias a Dios comenzó. Con una inversión de $5,455,035.00, se trabaja en la mitigación del derrumbe y también se asfaltará la PR-417 desde el kilómetro 4.64 hasta el kilómetro 11.00 saliendo a la luz del Barrio Cerro Gordo”, detalló

BSNF

el también ingeniero.

En noviembre del 2022, el gobernador Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia estuvo en Aguada para anunciar que el Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas había identificado la disponibilidad de fondos para llevar a cabo la obra y el 23 de julio de 2024 el gobernador junto al alcalde llevaron a cabo el acto de primera piedra. “Ciertamente estos son procesos complejos que conllevan identificación de los fondos y planificación adecuada. Agradezco al gobernador Pedro Pierluisi, a la secretaria de DTOP, Ing. Eileen Vélez, y al director de ACT, Ing. Edwin González, por la asignación de fondos para corregir

aprueba nueva franquicia para Juana Díaz en la temporada 2025

narcas en declaraciones escritas.

SAN JUAN – El Baloncesto Superior Nacional Femenino (BSNF) confirmó este lunes que la temporada 2025 contará con 10 equipos, con la incorporación de las Monarcas de Juana Díaz bajo las reglas de expansión de la liga. La nueva franquicia será administrada por el doctor Aurelio Collado.

“Collado es una persona seria y respetada en el pueblo. Ha puesto todo su empeño en este proyecto, lo que nos llena de entusiasmo y confianza para su desarrollo”, expresó Joel Medina, gerente general de las Mo-

La decisión de establecerse en Juana Díaz responde a las facilidades deportivas del municipio y su ubicación estratégica. “Agradecemos el apoyo del municipio y su alcalde, porque mantener una franquicia sin respaldo municipal sería difícil. Esto es un paso significativo para fortalecer el baloncesto femenino en el sur”, añadió Medina.

El presidente del BSNF, Luis G. Miranda Ramos, destacó que la incorporación de Juana Díaz cumple dos metas clave: expandir la liga a 10 equipos y regresar al área sur. “Con la llegada de San Germán el año pasado

esta carretera estatal”, señaló Cortés Feliciano. Por otro lado, el alcalde añadió que continúan las labores de construcción de un muro de gaviones para corregir un desprendimiento de carretera municipal en el sector Galicia del barrio Atalaya, con una inversión de $349,186. De igual manera, siguen las labores de construcción de un muro en hormigón, para reparar desprendimiento de carretera municipal en el Barrio Cerro Gordo, Sector Capilla. “También la magna obra Nuevo Desvío del Sur Nativo Alers va como programado, actualmente en el área cercana al parque infantil.”, finalizó Cortés Feliciano.

y ahora Juana Díaz, hemos logrado nuestro objetivo de fortalecer la presencia en esta región”, señaló Miranda, quien aseguró que ahora se enfocará en estabilizar las franquicias existentes.

We wish you a streaming Christmas

By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” the song goes. “There’ll be parties for hosting/Billions of movies for bingeing.”

If the Andy Williams chestnut doesn’t actually mention streaming, that’s only because it came out long before Hallmark, UPtv, Great American Family and Lifetime decided to flood the holidays with movies. But because time is a finite resource, the following selection of new seasonal offerings focuses on releases from the major platforms. And remember: If you see someone stranded in a blizzard once, it’s a plot development. If you see it 10 times, it’s a cliche. If you see it 50 times, it’s a holiday-movie convention — and this time of year, we love conventions.

‘Dear Santa’ Stream it on Paramount+.

This year’s entry in the bad Santa subgenre goes all out. And that’s because the bearded, stocky guy in a red outfit is actually Satan (Jack Black). He has been summoned by young Liam (Robert Timothy Smith), who mistakenly switched two letters in his note to Santa. And now the devil won’t leave until Liam has requested three wishes, which sounds more straightforward than it turns out to be. “Dear Satan” does not fully deliver on this mouthwatering premise, which is surprising considering the movie is directed by a Farrelly brother (Bobby) and the casting is on point — you feel Black has waited all his life to play this part. Still, there are enough nuts for this fruitcake to

go down easy.

Watch for: gastrointestinal distress.

‘Hot Frosty’ Stream it on Netflix.

The course of holiday love never did run smooth, but the budding romance between Kathy (Hallmark MVP Lacey Chabert) and Jack (Dustin Milligan) is hampered by an uncommon problem: He “could wake up tomorrow and be a puddle.”

That’s because Jack is a snowman who has magically come to life.

Director Jerry Ciccoritti swiftly mixes hot (Milligan has seriously hit the gym since his days as the vet Ted on “Schitt’s Creek”) and sweet (Jack has a newborn’s innocence), even if one might wish for a livelier performance from Chabert.

Watch for: references to earlier movies in the NCU (Netflix Christmas Universe).

‘Jingle Bell Love’ Stream it on the Roku Channel.

Another Jack (Joey McIntyre, from New Kids on the Block) is a widower visiting his former in-laws with his young daughter, Grace (Delia Lisette Chambers). There, he falls for Jessica (Michelle Morgan), who needs to rustle up $25,000 in five days to save her failing cafe. (Would it be Scrooge-y to point out that she could charge more than $2.50 for a latte and not give away cake pops?)

Despite solid screen and stage credits, McIntyre remains a stiff actor, but fortunately Morgan pulls him up in their scenes together,

Continues on page 14

“Dear Santa”

From page 13

and their comfy rapport makes this movie the equivalent of a well-worn blanket.

Watch for: vibrant singing from the New Kid.

‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ Stream it on Netflix.

Holiday movies aren’t known for their documentary-like realism, but even with lowered standards, “Meet Me Next Christmas” is a collection of head-scratching decisions and crazy coincidences. Yet it’s also surprisingly watchable thanks to Christina Milian’s energy and her chemistry with Devale Ellis (“Sistas”).

In an attempt to reconnect with her supposed soulmate (Kofi Siriboe), Milian’s Layla desperately tries to get a ticket to Pentatonix’s sold-out Christmas Eve show. Only one person can help, and it’s Ellis’ Teddy, who works for an elite concierge service. Director Rusty Cundieff hurls obstacles at Layla at a fastpaced clip while the members of Pentatonix provide a running commentary (thanks to an easily forgivable script contrivance). Oddly, it works.

Watch for: a lip-syncing contest that provides queer content in a seasonal crop largely devoid of it.

‘The Merry Gentlemen’ Stream it on Netflix.

You don’t need to know more than “‘Magic Mike’ with tinsel” to add this movie to your queue, but here goes. After being laid off from her long-running gig in a Broadway Christmas show, Ashley (the spry Britt Robertson) returns to her cozy hometown, only to learn that her parents are about to lose their small music venue. To raise money, Ashley stages an all-male revue with local hunks, including handyman Luke (Chad Michael Murray, from “One Tree Hill”).

Like many, many holiday movies this year, “The Merry Gentlemen” (directed by

Peter Sullivan) revolves around saving a struggling business, which suggests a general climate of anxiety in this country. The solution this time is a bunch of guys who are so secure in their masculinity that they are willing to half-strip to help rather than lecture Ashley about crypto.

Watch for: the unbearably cute dog Gizmo Nolan.

‘The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland’

Stream it on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

On Christmas Eve, St. Nick (voiced by Gerard Butler) receives a letter from the Princess of Hearts (Eliza Riley), who requests a bandersnatch. He’s read Lewis Carroll so he knows what it is and sets off to Wonderland to deliver it. Unfortunately, the Christmas-hating Queen of Hearts (Emilia Clarke) has other plans.

Directed by Peter Baynton, this entertaining mashup of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is a fine choice for the youngest family members, though older ones will get a kick out of the stylized animation — the movie is based on a book by Carys Bexington and follows the style of its illustrator, Kate Hindley. Amy Wadge (whose songwriting credits include Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”) and Guy Chambers supply the excellent songs.

Watch for: surprisingly honorable rapping by Butler.

‘Nutcrackers’

Stream it on Hulu.

Ben Stiller playing a highstrung real estate executive feels like typecasting, but David Gordon Green’s movie — a return to the director’s indie sensibility — never goes where you expect while also fulfilling its seasonal

mandate.

Stiller’s willfully single Michael must find a new foster family for his late sister’s four boys (played by real-life brothers Atlas, Arlo, Homer and Ulysses Janson), who were homeschooled on their semi-derelict Ohio farm. Tone is everything in this intimate gem, which looks like something François Truffaut would have shot in the Midwest. “Nutcrackers,” which often feels semi-improvised, is a tender movie that avoids saccharine, full of sentiment but not sentimentality.

Watch for: a truly affecting performance of “The Nutcracker.”

‘Our Little Secret’ Stream it on Netflix.

Giving a speech in church after eating a handful of THC gummies, eating a jar of cookies then blaming the dog: Lindsay Lohan is back!

Two years after starring in one of Netflix’s most popular holiday movies ever, “Falling for Christmas,” Lohan now plays Avery in this comedy directed by Stephen Herek. Over the course of the movie, Avery discovers to her horror that she and her ex, Logan (Ian Harding, from “Pretty Little Liars”), are going out with siblings. The best option seems to hide that connection during a Christmas family gathering, which of course will go

completely awry.

Watch for: every apparition by Kristin Chenoweth as the siblings’ meanie mother.

‘The Snow Sister’ Stream it on Netflix.

Fans of movies that take children’s feelings seriously should check out Cecilie Mosli’s “The Snow Sister,” from Norway. When we meet young Julian (Mudit Gupta), he is still reeling from the death of his sister a few months earlier, for reasons the movie handles delicately. Julian befriends Hedvig (Celina Meyer Hovland), a little girl who seems to be new in town, and slowly she helps him get out of his funk. Hedvig is surrounded by secrets, though: Where are her parents? And who is the old man (Jan Saelid) lurking by her house? The answers are heartbreaking, so make sure you have tissues next to the remote.

Watch for: the impactful reveal of the old man’s identity.

‘Style Me for Christmas’ Stream it on BET+.

Come for R&B singer Mario as R&B singer Tedee, stay for the effervescent Raven Goodwin as the effervescent stylist Tiffany. The premise is familiar by now: Tiffany has fallen behind on the rent for her Atlanta boutique. Being hired to spruce up Tedee’s look sounds like the miracle she was waiting for, but alas the gig is a cover to rehabilitate Tedee’s tarnished reputation and boost his Christmas album’s sales.

Wisely, director LazRael Lison lets Goodwin work her magic, and she steers “Style Me for Christmas” with the confidence her character lacks — at first, because this is all about how Tiffany got her groove.

Watch for: a montage of Tiffany and Tedee being silly together.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE MAYAGÜEZ SALA SUPERIOR

LILLIAM SORRENTINI

VÉLEZ; Y SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL ÁNGEL

MATOS, T/C/C RAFAEL A. MATOS Y COMO RAFAEL

MATOS COMPUESTA

POR LILLIAM MATOS

SORRENTINI Y RAFAEL ÁNGEL MATOS

SORRENTINI

PETICIONARIOS EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: MZ2023CV02244. Sala: 207. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: PERSONAS

IGNORADAS / DESCONOCIDAS O QUE PUDIERAN TENER ALGÚN INTERÉS EN LA PROPIEDAD O QUE PUEDAN SER

PERJUDICADOS POR SU INSCRIPCIÓN:

POR CUANTO: La parte peticionaria por conducto de su abogado, Lcdo. Carlos L. Segarra Matos, con oficina en el # 2510 de la Carretera 100 kilómetro 3.5 en Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico y dirección postal PO Box 582 Boquerón PR 00622, ha radicado una petición en la Secretaría de este Tribunal, solicitando la inmatriculación y el dominio en el Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico Sección de San Germán, del inmueble que se describe de la siguiente manera: RÚSTICA: Marcada en el plano de mensura aprobado por ARPE como solar número seis (6), porción de terreno compuesto de mil quinientos sesenta y seis punto cuatro cero uno dos metros cuadrados (1,566.4 4012 mc) equivalente a cero tres mil novecientas ochenta y cinco diezmilésimas de cuerda, localizado en el barrio Llanos Tuna del municipio de Cabo Rojo, colindando por el norte con terrenos propiedad de la sucesión de Francisco Asensio; por el sur con el camino Los Asensio de diez metros de ancho; por el este colinda con el solar número siete (7); y por el oeste con más terrenos de la sucesión de Francisco Asensio. Identificado de acuerdo al plano catastral con el número: tres tres dos guión cero nueve cero guión dos nueve seis guión cero uno guión cero cero cero (332-090296-01-000). POR CUANTO:

El tribunal ordena la citación de las personas arriba nombradas quienes surgen como colindantes, que pudieran tener algún interés en la propiedad o que puedan ser perjudicados por su inscripción para que comparezcan a formular alegaciones si así lo desean, dentro del término improrrogable de veinte (20) días a contar de la última publicación de este edicto. A tales fines, el edicto se publicará tres (3) veces en un periódico general de circulación diaria dentro del término de veinte (20) días. Se le advierte que, de no haber oposición, se dictará resolución concediendo lo solicitado. POR CUANTO: Expido el presente edicto en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, hoy día 21 de noviembre de 2024. LCDA. NORMA G. SANTANA IRIZARRY, SECRETARIA. EVELYN GONZÁLEZ HERNÁNDEZ, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE MAYAGÜEZ SALA SUPERIOR LILLIAM SORRENTINI VÉLEZ; Y SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL ÁNGEL

MATOS, T/C/C RAFAEL A. MATOS Y COMO RAFAEL MATOS COMPUESTA POR LILLIAM MATOS SORRENTINI Y RAFAEL ÁNGEL MATOS SORRENTINI PETICIONARIOS EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: MZ2023CV02244. Sala: 207. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: EDGAR MATOS VARGAS, FELIBERTO ASENCIO Y/O CUALQUIER PERSONA EN POSESIÓN.

POR CUANTO: La parte peticionaria por conducto de su abogado, Lcdo. Carlos L. Segarra Matos, con oficina en el # 2510 de la Carretera 100 kilómetro 3.5 en Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico y dirección postal PO Box 582 Boquerón PR 00622, ha radicado una petición en la Secretaría de este Tribunal, solicitando la inmatriculación y el dominio en el Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico Sección de San Germán, del inmueble que se describe de la siguiente manera: RÚSTICA: Marcada en el plano de mensura aprobado por ARPE como solar número seis (6), porción de terreno compuesto de mil quinientos sesenta y seis

punto cuatro cero uno dos metros cuadrados (1,566.4 4012 mc) equivalente a cero tres mil novecientas ochenta y cinco diezmilésimas de cuerda, localizado en el barrio Llanos Tuna del municipio de Cabo Rojo, colindando por el norte con terrenos propiedad de la sucesión de Francisco Asensio; por el sur con el camino Los Asensio de diez metros de ancho; por el este colinda con el solar número siete (7); y por el oeste con más terrenos de la sucesión de Francisco Asensio. Identificado de acuerdo al plano catastral con el número: tres tres dos guión cero nueve cero guión dos nueve seis guión cero uno guión cero cero cero (332-090296-01-000). POR CUANTO: El tribunal ordena la citación de las personas arriba nombradas quienes surgen como colindantes, que pudieran tener algún interés en la propiedad o que puedan ser perjudicados por su inscripción para que comparezcan a formular alegaciones si así lo desean, dentro del término improrrogable de veinte (20) días a contar de la última publicación de este edicto. A tales fines, el edicto se publicará tres (3) veces en un periódico general de circulación diaria dentro del término de veinte (20) días. Se le advierte que, de no haber oposición, se dictará resolución concediendo lo solicitado. POR CUANTO: Expido el presente edicto en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, hoy día 21 de noviembre de 2024. LCDA. NORMA G. SANTANA IRIZARRY, SECRETARIA. EVELYN GONZÁLEZ

HERNÁNDEZ, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE HATILLO ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante Vs. EDUVINA LOPEZ

TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA

COMO EDWINA LOPEZ Y COMO EDUVINA

LOPEZ VALENTIN, JACQUELINE LOPEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA

COMO JACQUELINE

LOPEZ VALENTIN, PATRICIA LOPEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA COMO PATRICIA LOPEZ

VALENTIN Y JUAN

ANTONIO LOPEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO

COMO JUAN ANTONIO

LOPEZ VALENTIN

Demandados Civil Núm.: CM2023CV00618.

(101). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (EJECUCIÓN DE HIPO-

TECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. AL: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.

A: EDUVINA LOPEZ

TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA

COMO EDWINA LOPEZ Y COMO EDUVINA

LOPEZ VALENTIN, JACQUELINE LOPEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA COMO JACQUELINE LOPEZ VALENTIN, PATRICIA LOPEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA COMO PATRICIA LOPEZ VALENTIN Y JUAN ANTONIO LOPEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO COMO JUAN ANTONIO LOPEZ VALENTIN; LA AUTORIDAD PARA EL FINANCIAMIENTO DE LA VIVIENDA DE PUERTO RICO, POR TENER HIPOTECA EN GARANTÍA DE PAGARÉ A SU FAVOR POR LA SUMA DE $2,700.00.

Yo, LUIS E. ROMÁN CARRERO, Alguacil de este Tribunal, a la parte demandada y a los acreedores y personas con interés sobre la propiedad que más adelante se describe, y al público en general, HAGO SABER: Que el día 8 DE ENERO DE 2025 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Camuy, Camuy, Puerto Rico, venderé en Pública Subasta la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por la vía ordinaria al mejor postor quien hará el pago en dinero en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del o la Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Hatillo durante horas laborables. Que en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta a celebrarse, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA para la venta de la susodicha propiedad, el día 15 DE ENERO DE 2025 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 23 DE ENERO DE 2025

A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: RUSTICA: Parcela marcada con el número Noventa y Uno (91) en

el plano de parcelación de la COMUNIDAD RURAL CAPAEZ del Barrio Capaez del término municipal de Hatillo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de TRESCIENTOS TREINTA Y UNO PUNTO NOVENTA Y CUATRO (331.94) METROS CUADRADOS. En lindes por el NORTE, con parcela número Cien (100) de la Comunidad; por el SUR, con Calle número Dos (2) de la Comunidad; por el ESTE, con parcela número Noventa (90) de la Comunidad; y por el OESTE, con parcela número Noventa y Dos (92) de la Comunidad. La escritura de hipoteca se encuentra inscrita al folio 42 del tomo 407 de Hatillo, Registro de la Propiedad de Arecibo, Sección Segunda, finca número 16,509, inscripción séptima. La dirección física de la propiedad antes descrita es: Comunidad Rural Capaez, Parcela 91, Calle C, Hatillo, Puerto Rico. La subasta se llevará a efecto para satisfacer a la parte demandante la suma de $65,095.76 de principal, intereses al 7.875% anual, desde el día 1ro. de abril de 2023, hasta su completo pago, más la cantidad de $8,730.00, estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, más recargos acumulados, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. Que la cantidad mínima de licitación en la primera subasta para el inmueble será la suma de $87,300.00 y de ser necesaria una segunda subasta, la cantidad mínima será equivalente a 2/3 partes de aquella, o sea, la suma de $58,200.00 y de ser necesaria una tercera subasta, la cantidad mínima será la mitad del precio pactado, es decir, la suma de $43,650.00. La propiedad se adjudicará al mejor postor, quien deberá satisfacer el importe de su oferta en moneda legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América en el momento de la adjudicación y que las cargas y gravámenes preferentes, si los hubiese, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad hipotecada a ser vendida en pública Subasta se encuentra afecta al siguiente gravamen posterior: Hipoteca en Garantía de Pagaré a favor de La Autoridad para el Financiamiento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $2,700.00, sin intereses, vencedero el día 5 de noviembre de 2014, según consta de la Escritura Número 289, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 5 de noviembre de 2008, ante la No-

tario Público Ruth Castro Algarín, inscrita al folio 42 del tomo 407 de Hatillo, Registro de la Propiedad de Arecibo, Sección Segunda, finca número 16,509, inscripción 8va. La propiedad a ser vendida en pública subasta se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto para conocimiento y comparecencia de los licitadores, bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Camuy Puerto Rico, a 22 de noviembre de 2024. WILFREDO OLMO SALAZAR, ALGUACIL REGIONAL. LUIS E. ROMÁN CARRERO, ALGUACIL DEL TRIBUNAL, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAMUY.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AIBONITO SALA SUPERIOR ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante Vs. ROBERTO FELICIANO MARTINEZ POR SI Y COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SUCESION DE LILLIAM HAYDEE VAZQUEZ SANTIAGO; LA SUCESION DE LILLIAM HAYDEE VAZQUEZ SANTIAGO COMPUESTA POR ROBERTO JOSUE FELICIANO VAZQUEZ (MENOR DE EDAD); FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION: CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados

Civil Núm.: AI2023CV00389. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente CERTIFICA, ANUNCIA y hace CONSTAR: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que le ha sido dirigido al Alguacil que suscribe por la Secretaría del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AIBONITO, SALA SUPERIOR, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América el 9 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la Oficina del Alguacil de Subastas, sita en el cuarto piso del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Aibonito, todo derecho,

título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble de su propiedad que ubica en: COMUNIDAD SAN LUIS LOT 364 (#14) CALLE GENEZARETH (CALLE NAZARET) AIBONITO, PR 00705 y que se describe a continuación: RUSTICA: Parcela marcada con el número 364, en el plano de parcelación de la comunidad rural San Luis del Barrio llanos del término municipal de Aibonito, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de nueve mil cuatrocientos cincuenta y cuatro diez milésimas de cuerda, equivalente a tres mil setecientos quince punto ochenta y cuatro metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, con las Parcelas 245, 248, y 238; por el SUR, con la Calle Genezareth y la Parcela 263; por el ESTE, con las Parcelas 236 y 237; y por el OESTE, con la Parcela 228. La propiedad antes relacionada consta inscrita al Folio 222 del Tomo 137 de Aibonito, finca número 7,019, Registro de la Propiedad de Barranquitas. El tipo mínimo para la primera subasta del inmueble antes relacionado, será el dispuesto en la Escritura de Hipoteca, es decir la suma de $128,198.00. Si no hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta del inmueble mencionado, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el 16 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA en la Oficina del Alguacil de Subastas, sita en el cuarto piso del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Aibonito. En la segunda subasta que se celebre servirá de tipo mínimo las dos terceras partes (2/3) del precio pactado en la primera subasta, o sea la suma de $85,465.33. Si tampoco hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el día 23 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA en la Oficina del Alguacil de Subastas, sita en el cuarto piso del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Aibonito. Para la tercera subasta servirá de tipo mínimo la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado para el caso de ejecución, o sea, la suma de $64,099.00. La hipoteca a ejecutarse en el caso de epígrafe fue constituida mediante la escritura de hipoteca número 717 otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 15 de octubre de 2021, ante la Notario Anne M. Galanes Valledjulie y consta inscrita al Tomo Karibe de Aibonito, finca número 7,019, inscripción 11ra, en Registro de la Propiedad de Barranquitas. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer al Demandante

total o parcialmente según sea el caso el importe de la Sentencia que ha obtenido desde el pasado 1ro de agosto de 2024 contra la parte demandada Roberto Feliciano Martínez y La Sucesión de Lilliam Haydee Vázquez Santiago ascendente a la suma de $121,492.33 por concepto de principal, desde el 1ro de abril de 2023, más intereses al tipo pactado de 3.25% anual que continúan acumulándose hasta el pago total de la obligación. Además, Roberto Feliciano Martínez y La Sucesión de Lilliam Haydee Vázquez Santiago adeuda a la parte demandante los cargos por demora equivalentes a 4.00% de la suma de aquellos pagos con atrasos en exceso de 15 días calendarios de la fecha de vencimiento; los créditos accesorios y adelantos hechos en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca; y las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado equivalentes a $12,819.80. Además, Roberto Feliciano Martínez y La Sucesión de Lilliam Haydee Vázquez Santiago se comprometió a pagar una suma equivalente a $12,819.80 para cubrir cualquier otro adelanto que se haga en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca y una suma equivalente a $12,819.80 para cubrir para cubrir intereses en adición a los garantizados por ley. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al Procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AIBONITO, SALA SUPERIOR durante las horas laborables. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titulación del inmueble y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio de remate. La propiedad no está sujeta a gravámenes anteriores y/o preferentes según las constancias del Registro de la Propiedad. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores conocidos y desconocidos que tengan inscritos, no inscritos, presentados y/o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca del actor y a los dueños, poseedores, tenedores de o interesados en títulos transmisibles por endoso o al portador garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito del actor que se celebrarán las subastas en las

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 Caguas, Puerto Rico, hoy día 6 de noviembre de 2024.

EDGARDO ALDEBOL, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR, DIVISIÓN DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. ANA IRIS MEDINA

DIAZ POR SÍ Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL

USUFRUCTUARIA

QUE DISPONE LA LEY; SUCESION DE PEDRO

JOSE CUEVAS GUZMAN, COMPUESTA POR SUS HIJOS GRISSEL CUEVAS MEDINA, PEDRO JUAN CUEVAS MEDINA E ILIANA CUEVAS MEDINA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CG2023CV03231. (802). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. Al: PÚBLICO EN

GENERAL.

A: ANA IRIS MEDINA

DIAZ POR SÍ Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL

USUFRUCTUARIA

QUE DISPONE LA LEY; SUCESION DE PEDRO

JOSE CUEVAS GUZMAN, COMPUESTA POR SUS HIJOS GRISSEL CUEVAS MEDINA, PEDRO JUAN CUEVAS MEDINA E ILIANA CUEVAS MEDINA ; RG PREMIER BANK OF PUERTO RICO Y/O SUCESOR EN DERECHO POR TENER HIPOTECA EN GARANTÍA DE PAGARÉS A SU FAVOR POR LA SUMA DE $6,500.00.

Yo, EDGARDO ALDEBOL MIRANDA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR, Alguacil de este Tribunal, a la parte demandada y a los acreedores y personas con interés sobre la propiedad que más adelante se describe, y al público en general, HAGO SABER: Que el día 14 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico, venderé en Pública Subasta la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por la vía ordinaria al mejor postor quien hará el pago en dinero en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del o la Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Caguas durante horas laborables. Que en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta a celebrarse, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA para la venta de la susodicha propiedad, el día 22 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el 29 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: RUSTICA: Parcela radicada en el BARRIO CELADA del término municipal de Gurabo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de DOS MIL DOSCIENTOS VEINTISEIS (2,226) DIEZMILESIMAS DE CUERDA. En lindes por el NORTE, en cuarenta y seis punto ciento seis (46.106) metros, con la parcela número Tres (3); por el SUR, en cuarenta y siete punto cuatrocientos sesenta y siete (47.467) metros, con la parcela número Uno (1); por el ESTE, en veinte punto quinientos noventa y cuatro (20.594) metros, con la Carretera número Novecientos Cuarenta y Cuatro (944); y por el OESTE, en trece punto seiscientos cincuenta y cuatro (13.654) metros, con terrenos de José de Calazana Rivera y en tres punto cuatrocientos veintidós

(3.422) metros, con la parcela número Tres (3). Enclava una casa de hormigón y bloques de hormigón. La escritura de hipoteca se encuentra inscrita al folio 108 del tomo 180 de Gurabo, Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección Segunda, finca número 6,835, inscripción cuarta. Modificada la hipoteca por la suma de $78,200.00 relacionada en la inscripción 4ta. en cuanto a que se amplía la suma de $2,230.77, para un nuevo principal de $80,430.77, con intereses al 2.50% anual, por 60 meses, luego al 3.50% por 12 meses, seguido de un 4.50% por 12 meses, seguido de un 5.50%, por 12 meses más, luego al 6.125% hasta su vencimiento, el día 1ro. de marzo de 2053, según la escritura número 94, otorgada en San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, el día 8 de marzo de 2013, ante la Notario Público Laura Cristina Rivera Sorrentini, inscrita al tomo Karibe de Gurabo, Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección Segunda, finca 6,835, inscripción sexta. La dirección física de la propiedad antes descrita es: Barrio Celada, Carretera 944, Gurabo, Puerto Rico. La Subasta se llevará a efecto para satisfacer a la parte demandante la suma de $73,502.20 de principal, incluyendo la suma de $2,327.14 de principal diferido, intereses sobre dicha suma al 6.125% anual, desde el día 1ro. de junio de 2021, hasta su completo pago, más recargos acumulados, más la cantidad de $7,820.00 estipulada para costas, gastos, y honorarios de abogado, así como cualquier otra suma estipulada en el contrato de préstamo, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. Que la cantidad mínima de licitación en la primera subasta para el inmueble será de $80,430.77 y de ser necesaria una segunda subasta, la cantidad mínima será equivalente a 2/3 partes de aquella, o sea, la suma de $53,620.51 y de ser necesaria una tercera subasta, la cantidad mínima será la mitad del precio pactado, es decir, la suma de $40,215.39. De declararse desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si esta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor. La propiedad se adjudicará al mejor postor, quien deberá satisfacer el importe de su oferta en moneda legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América en el momento de la adjudicación y que las cargas y gravámenes preferentes, si los hubiese, continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad

hipotecada a ser vendida en pública Subasta se encuentra afecta al siguiente gravamen posterior: Hipoteca en Garantía de Pagaré a favor de RG Premier Bank of Puerto Rico, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $6,500.00, con intereses al 7.375%, anual, vencedero el 1ro. de septiembre de 2021, según consta de la Escritura Número 191, otorgada en Caguas, Puerto Rico, el día 24 de agosto de 2006, ante el Notario Público Omar I. Arill Vizcarrondo, inscrita al folio 108 del tomo 180 de Gurabo, Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección Segunda, finca número 6,835, inscripción cuarta. Postergada la hipoteca de $6,500.00 en favor de la hipoteca modificada a $80,430.77 para que esta última tenga rango preferente, según consta de la Escritura Número 121, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 29 de agosto de 2013, ante el Notario Público Genevieve López Stipes, anotada como nota marginal al Sistema Karibe, finca 6,835 de Gurabo. Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección Segunda. La propiedad a ser vendida en pública subasta se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Podrán concurrir como postores a todas las subastas los titulares de créditos hipotecarios vigentes y posteriores a la hipoteca que se cobra o ejecuta, si alguno o que figuren como tales en la certificación registral y que podrán utilizar el montante de sus créditos o parte de alguno en sus ofertas. Si la oferta aceptada es por cantidad mayor a la suma del crédito o créditos preferentes al suyo, al obtener la buena pro del remate, deberá satisfacer en el mismo acto, en efectivo o en cheque de gerente, la totalidad del crédito hipotecario que se ejecuta y la de cualesquiera otro créditos posteriores al que se ejecuta pero preferente al suyo. El exceso constituirá abono total o parcial en su propio crédito. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto para conocimiento y comparecencia de los licitadores, bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Caguas, Puerto Rico, 18 de noviembre de 2024.

EDGARDO ALDEBOL MIRANDA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR, ALGUACIL DEL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS. LEGAL NOTICE

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

LLACG COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND

Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN PAULA

CINTRÓN VICENTE Y OTROS

Demandado Civil Núm.: GM2024CV00740.

Sala: 302. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO E INTERPERLACIÓN. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS.

A: JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION PAULA CINTRON VICENTE. Por la presente se le emplaza para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación de este edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: http://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberé presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria 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. Vista la interpelación judicial presentada por la parte demandante al amparo del Artículo 959 del Código Civil se ordena a JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION PAULA CINTRON VICENTE que notifiquen si aceptan la herencia de la causante dentro del plazo de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación del edicto de interpelación. Se les apercibe que de no comparecer en dicho término a aceptar o repudiar la herencia, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. Greenspoon Marder, LLP Lcda. Frances L. Asencio-Guido R.U.A. 15,622

TRADE CENTRE SOUTH, SUITE 700 100 WEST CYPRESS CREEK ROAD FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309

Telephone: (954) 343 6273 Frances.asencio@gmlaw.com

Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Guayama, Puerto Rico, hoy día 26 de noviembre de 2024. MARISOL ROSADO RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. LUZ M. GUZMÁN SANTIAGO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs.

JUAN RAMÓN OTERO Y ASTRID GRISELLE SEGUI RODRÍGUEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS, JOHN DOE Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: BY2024CV06175. Sala: 501. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO POR LA VÍA JUDICIAL. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. A: GRISELLE SEGUI RODRIGUEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS CON JUAN RAMON OTERO, JOHN DOE, a favor de Popular Mortgage Inc., o a su orden, por la suma principal de $65,000.00, con intereses al 8 1/2% anual, vencedero a la presentación, constituida mediante la escritura número 140, otorgada en (no expresa), Puerto Rico, el día 28 de marzo de 2008, ante el notario Félix R. Vega Fournier, e inscrita al folio 6560 del tomo 556 de Toa Alta, finca número 24,846, inscripción 3ra., como Asiento Abreviado extendida las líneas el día 9 de noviembre de 2017, en virtud de la Ley número 216 del día 27 de diciembre de 2010, inscripción 3ra., la cual se describe de la siguiente manera:

URBANA: Solar radicado en la Urbanización “Las Cascadas” localizada en el Barrio Mucarabones del término Municipal de Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, que se describe en el Plano de Inscripción, con el número, área y colindancias que se relacionan a continuación: Solar 27 del Bloque AE con cabida de trescientos noventa y dos punto cero cero metros cuadrados (392.000 m.c.). En lindes por el NORTE, una distancia de 28.000 metros lineales, con el Solar 28 del mismo Bloque; por el SUR, una distancia de 28.00 metros lineales, con el Solar número 26 del mismo Bloque; por el ESTE, una distancia de 14.294 metros lineales, con el Solar número 1 del mismo Bloque; y por el OESTE, una distancia de 14.000 metros lineales, con la Calle número 204 de la Urbanización. Sobre dicho solar enclava una casa de concreto para fines residen-

ciales. Finca Número 24,846, inscrita al folio 85 del tomo 492 de Toa Alta, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección III de Bayamón. Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda incoada en su contra dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio. Si usted deja de presentar y notificar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Los abogados de la parte demandante son: ABOGADOS DE LA PARTE DEMANDANTE:

Lcdo. Reggie Díaz Hernández RUA Núm.: 16,393 BERMÚDEZ & DÍAZ LLP

500 Calle De La Tanca Suite 209 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901 Tel.: (787) 523-2670 / Fax: (787) 523-2664 rdíaz@bdprlaw.com

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y el sello de este Tribunal, hoy 26 de noviembre de 2024. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. NEREIDA QUILES SANTANA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. KARLA BEATRIZ VIRELLA RIVERA, Y OTROS

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2024CV07767. (604). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO; EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS.

A: KARLA BEATRIZ VIRELLA RIVERA T/C/C KARLA B. VIRELLA

RIVERA T/C/C KARLA BEATRIZ MIREYA RIVERA.

Queda emplazado y notificado de que en este Tribunal se ha radicado una demanda de COBRO DE DINERO; EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA en su contra. Se le notifica que deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al

cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección 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 Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de San Juan y enviando copia a la parte demandante:

Lcda. Belma Alonso García PO Box 3922 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00970-3922

Teléfono y Fax: (787) 789-1826, (787) 708-0566

Correo electrónico: oficinabelmaalonso@gmail.com

Se le apercibe y notifica que si no contesta la demanda radicada en su contra dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citárseles, ni oírseles. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, a 22 de noviembre de 2024. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA. LUZ ENID FERNÁNDEZ DEL VALLE, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAGUAS SALA SUPERIOR ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante Vs. RIGOBERTO BARRETO LOPEZ, JULIA JEANETTE RAMIREZ RAMIREZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS Demandados Civil Num.: CG2024CV00316. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente CERTIFICA, ANUNCIA y hace CONSTAR: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que le ha sido dirigido al Alguacil que suscribe por la Secretaría del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAGUAS, SALA SUPERIOR, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América el día 13 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en su oficina sita en el local que ocupa en el edificio del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAGUAS. SALA SUPERIOR, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble de su propiedad que ubica en URB. CIUDAD MASSO F-28 CALLE 8 SAN LORENZO, PR 00754 y que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar radicado en el Ba-

DEVELOPMENT A/C/C

LA ADMINISTRATION DE HOGARES DE AGRICULTORES

Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL ROJAS CAMILO COMPUESTA POR SU VIUDA EZZY JASMÍN

MALAVÉ LÓPEZ, POR SÍ; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERÉS EN DICHA SUCESIÓN Demandados Civil Núm.: HU2024CV01549. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR

EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: EZZY JASMÍN MALAVÉ LÓPEZ, POR SÍ Y COMO HEREDERA CONOCIDA Y/O PARTE CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL

ROJAS CAMILO; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERÉS EN DICHA SUCESIÓN - URB. EXT. LA INMACULADA, CALLE 9 B-1, LAS PIEDRAS, PR 00671; DIRECCIÓN POSTAL: URB. EXT. LA INMACULADA, CALLE 9 #208, LAS PIEDRAS, PR 00771; 608 CALLE OLIMPO PH, SAN JUAN PR 00907-3120; 5003 COMMANDER DR APT 138, ORLANDO FL 32822-3802 Y APARTADO POSTAL 1630, LAS PIEDRAS, PR 00671. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/ tribunal-electronico/, salvo que el caso sea de un expediente físico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación le-

gal. 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. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera del hogar, el inciso de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquiera otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos by f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Representa a la parte demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato:

BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO

FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS

RUA NÚM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970

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

E-MAIL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com

Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 11 de diciembre de 2024. Evelyn Félix Vázquez, Secretaria. Ivelisse Serrano García, Sub-Secretaria. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC

Demandante V. PETRA RODRIGUEZ

CHINEA T/C/C PETRA RODRÍGUEZ POR SI Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL USUFRUCTUARIA Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: BY2024CV03722. (Salón: 401). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA: PROPIEDAD RESIDENCIAL. ADRÉS SÁEZ MARREROPRSERVICE@TMPPLLC.COM. FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLE HEREDERA DESCONOCIDA CON INTERES EN LA SUCN DE EUGENIO DE SANTIAGO SALGAD - APT. K-103, COLINAS DEL BOSQUE CON BAYAMÓN, PUERTO RICO 00956. FULANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLE HEREDERO DESCONOCIDO CON INTERES EN LA SUCN DE EUGENIO DE SANTIAGO SALGAD - APT. K-103, COLINAS DEL BOSQUE CON BAYAMÓN, PUERTO RICO 00956.

NITZA SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ

COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SUCN DE EUGENIO DE SANTIAGO SALGADO - COND COLINAS DEL BOSQUE APT K103, BAYAMÓN, PUERTO RICO, 00956. PETRA RODRIGUEZ CHINEA T/C/C PETRA RODRÍGUEZ POR SI Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL

USUFRUCTUARIACOND COLINAS DEL BOSQUE APT K103, BAYAMÓN, PUERTO RICO, 00956.

NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: PETRA RODRIGUEZ

CHINEA T/C/C PETRA RODRIGUEZ POR SI Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL

USUFRUCTUARIA, NITZA SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SUCN DE EUGENIO DE SANTIAGO SALGADO, FULANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLE HEREDERO DESCONOCIDO CON INTERES EN LA SUCN DE EUGENIO DE SANTIAGO SALGADO, FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLE HEREDERA DESCONOCIDA CON INTERES EN LA SUCN DE EUGENIO DE SANTIAGO SALGADO

(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 05 de diciembre de 2024, 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 09 de diciembre de 2024. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico, el 09 de diciembre de 2024. Alicia Ayala Sanjurjo, Secretaria. Nélida Ocasio Ortega, Secretaria Auxiliar Del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SAN JUAN BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO Demandante Vs.

PREFERRED MORTGAGE CORPORATION; MANUEL JORGE RIVERA DRAHUS Y CHARISELLE SHERRIE RIVERA DRAHUS, COMO HEREDEROS DE LA CAUSANTE TATIANA DRAHUS CAPO; JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE

Demandado

Civil Núm.: SJ2024CV10966. 902. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: MANUEL JORGE RIVERA DRAHUS; CHARISELLE SHERRIE RIVERA DRAHUS; JOHN DOE, RICHARD DOE. Quedan ustedes notificados que la demandante de epígrafe ha radicado en este Tribunal una Demanda contra ustedes como co-demandados, en la que se solicita la cancelación vía judicial de un Pagaré Hipotecario extraviado ante el Notario Público Radamés Becerra González, bajo affidávit número 4,385, a favor de Preferred Mortgage Corporation, o a su orden, por la suma de $85,800.00, con intereses al 8 1/2% anual y vencedero el 1ro de julio de 2020, suscrito el día 28 de junio de 1990, garantizado por hipoteca constituida en virtud de la Escritura Número 369, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, ante el Notario Radamés Becerra González, inscrita al Folio 221 del Tomo 813 de Sabana Llana, Registro de la Propiedad, Sección Quinta (V) de San Juan, Finca Número 30,891, inscripción 1ra. Modificada la hipoteca descrita anteriormente, para un nuevo principal que será de $81,143.00, pago mensual de $653.39, vencedero el 1ro de diciembre de 2025, constituido mediante la Escritura Número 169, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 28 de noviembre de 2000, ante el Notario Público José V. Gorbea Varona, inscrita al Folio 100 del Tomo 1125 de Sabana Llana, Finca Número 30,891, inscripción 3ra. El mencionado pagaré hipotecario grava una propiedad inmueble, que se describe como sigue: URBANA: Propiedad Horizontal: Apartamento número veinticuatro (24-D). Apartamento residencial de forma irregular localizado en la primera planta del edificio número veinticuatro (24) de Condominio Monte Real situado en el Expreso a Trujillo Alto, Barrio Sabana Llana, sitio Honduras del término municipal de Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. El área aproximada es de mil noventa y tres punto cero seis (1093.06) pies cuadrados, equivalentes a ciento uno punto cincuenta

y nueve (101.59) metros cuadrados. Son sus linderos: por el NORTE, en cuarenta y dos pies once pulgadas (42’11”), con área exterior común y corredor que da acceso a las escaleras del edificio; por el SUR, en treinta y cinco pies una pulgada (35’1”) con área exterior común de un limitado; por el ESTE, en treinta y cinco pies una pulgadas (35’1”), con área exterior común, área común de uso limitado y con el apartamento veinticinco A (25-A) por el OESTE, con área exterior común, área exterior común de uso limitado, corredor que da acceso a las escaleras del edificio y pared medianera que lo separa del apartamento veinticuatro A (24-A). La puerta de entrada de este apartamento está situada en su lindero Norte. Consta de sala-comedor, cocina, balcón, tres (3) dormitorios y dos (2) baños. Le corresponden dos (2) espacios de estacionamiento identificados con la misma letra y numero del apartamento. Este apartamento tiene una participación de punto ochocientos nueve (.809%) poriento, en los elementos comunes del Condominio. Este apartamento goza del uso exclusivo de un patio que es elemento común limitado el cual está delimitado por verjas según surge de los planos de la propiedad.” Consta inscrita al Folio Doscientos Veintiuno (221) del Tomo Ochocientos Trece (813) de Sabana Llana, Finca Número Treinta Mil Ochocientos Noventa y Uno (30,891), Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección Quinta (V) de San Juan. El abogado de la parte demandante es el Lic. Antonio A. Hernández Almodóvar, Rivera-Munich & Hernández Law Offices, P.S.C.; P.O. Box 364908, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-4908; Tel. (787) 622-2323 / Fax (787) 6222320. Se le advierte que este edicto se publicará en un (1) periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda radicando el original de la misma en el Tribunal de San Juan, con copia al abogado de la parte demandante, a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal, dentro del término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la publicación del edicto, se le anotará la Rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy día 11 de diciembre de 2024. Sra. Griselda Rodríguez Collado, Secretaria Regional. Margarita

Muñiz Méndez, Secretaria De Servicios A Sala. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA. HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC

Demandante v. JOHN RICHMOND OTT Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: VB2024CV00640 (SALÓN 201 CD, CM, TR Y CR). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - ORDINARIO. GETZEMARIE LUGO RODRÍGUEZ GLUGO@MPMLA WPR.COM LUIS C MARINI BIAGGI LMARINI@MPMLAWPR.COM

NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO ENMENDADA

A: JOHN RICHMOND OTT, SARAH ELIZABETH SCHNAUTZ TIC/C SARAH OTT Y LA SLG COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

A: 422 RIDGEWOOD RD WEST LAKE HILLS AUSTIN TEXAS EE.UU. 78746-5522

(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRET ARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 11 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2024, 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 16 de DICIEMBRE de 2024. Notas de la Secretaría: NOTIFICACION CORREGIDA En VEGA BAJA, Puerto Rico, el 16 de DICIEMBRE de 2024. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, Secretario(a). f/MARITZA ROSARIO ROSARIO, Secretario(a) Auxiliar del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA. HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS ASSOCIATION

INC

Demandante v. WILLIAM JOSEPH TORTORIELLO Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: VB2024CV00536 (SALÓN 201 CD, CM, TR Y CR). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - ORDINARIO. GETZEMARIE LUGO RODRÍGUEZ GLUGO@MPMLA WPR.COM LUIS C MARINI BIAGGI LMARINI@MPMLAWPR.COM NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO ENMENDADA A: WILLIAM JOSEPH TORTORIELLO, SONIA TORTORIELLO T/C/C SONIA PÉREZ RIVERA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS, 3 GIDEON CT, FLEMINGTON, NEW JERSEY 08822-5778

(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRET ARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 11 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2024, 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 16 de DICIEMBRE de 2024. Notas de la Secretaría: CORREGIDA En VEGA BAJA, Puerto Rico, el 16 de DICIEMBRE de 2024. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, Secretario(a). f/ MARITZA ROSARIO ROSARIO, Sec Auxiliar del Tribunal. LEGAL NOTICE

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

Parte Demandante Vs. AGRIPINA IRIZARRY;

ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2024CV07589. (604). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: AGRIPINA IRIZARRY HERNÁNDEZ.

Queda emplazado y notificado de que en este Tribunal se ha radicado una demanda de EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA en su contra. Se le notifica que deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección 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 Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de San Juan y enviando copia a la parte demandante:

MONSERRATE, SIMONET & GIERBOLINI 101 Ave. San Patricio Suite 1120 Guaynabo, PR 00968

Tel.: (787) 620-5300

Fax: (787) 620-5305 Lcdo. Fernando J. Gierbolini RUA 11375 fgierbolini@msglawpr.com

Se le apercibe y notifica que si no contesta la demanda radicada en su contra dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citárseles, ni oírseles. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, a 22 de noviembre de 2024. Griselda Rodríguez Collado, Secretaria. Luz Enid Fernández Del Valle, Secretaria De Servicios A Sala.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITION FUND, LLC. Parte Demandante Vs. SAMUEL ORTIZ COLON Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: HU2024CV01149. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: SAMUEL ORTIZ COLÓN - HC 12 BOX 5522 HUMACAO PR 00791 Y BO PITAHAYA EL FARO CARR 924 K 1 H 6 HUMACAO PR 00791.

Sudoku

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

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Crossword

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Golf’s highs and lows in 2024

in the world, Scottie Scheffler, notched an impressive series of wins that jolted the golf world back into relevance. Scheffler won four of the remaining five Signature events. He also won the Masters Tournament and the Players Championship, each for the second time, and the season-ending Tour Championship.

At the Paris Olympics, Scheffler came from behind in the final round to shoot a 9-under-par 62 to win the gold medal. After the medal ceremony, he said, “I’m just out here competing and trying to stay present, and working as hard as I can and trying to get the most out of myself.”

Yet the most talked-about round of Scheffler’s year was the second round at the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky. He shot a 5-under 66 to put himself in the top five heading into the weekend.

citement it may have ranked the highest of the four.

The final round pitted Rory McIlroy against DeChambeau, who had moved to LIV in 2022. McIlroy is a four-time major champion but has not won one in a decade. DeChambeau had won the tournament in 2020.

Overlaying the battle on the course was the role the two golfers had played in the PGA Tour versus LIV rivalry. McIlroy had been one of the most vocal supporters of the PGA Tour and critics of players who had gone to LIV, until he took a step back this year for personal reasons. DeChambeau, on the other hand, stood out as one of the few LIV players to continue to play well in majors.

By PAUL SULLIVAN

Winning streaks — illustrious and quirky — defined professional golf for the best male and female players in 2024. They came amid pressure on the business models of both the men’s and women’s professional tours.

The PGA Tour continues to struggle with how it’s going to make its tournaments more attractive to sponsors (who are asked to pay more in prize money) and fans who have been tuning out the weekly tournaments. It’s been over two years since its first star players joined LIV Golf and a year since the PGA Tour and its commissioner, Jay Monahan, announced a tentative agreement with LIV to coexist, and the PGA Tour still hasn’t worked out a way to unify the men’s game.

For the LPGA Tour, prize money has continued to rise, but the tour itself continues to struggle to get attention for its roster of topflight players.

Nelly Korda, the No. 1 ranked women’s golfer, began the year by winning five straight tournaments. She tied the LPGA record, held by Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez.

“If I’m being honest, I have not thought about it at all,” Korda said in a news conference after the fifth consecutive victory.

Her streak was broken the next month when she lost to Rose Zhang, a young star player. But Korda went out the next week and added her sixth victory in eight starts. (She added one more tournament win at The An-

nika at the end of the season.)

The season’s other highlight was Lydia Ko extending one streak and snapping another that had been full of frustration. At the Olympic Games in Paris, she added a gold medal to the silver and bronze medals she had won at the two previous Olympics. That win gave her the 27 points she needed to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame, a needed win that had been eluding her for a year.

On the men’s side, the PGA Tour rolled out a new structure at the start of the year, which created events with smaller field sizes. The eight tournaments were called the Signature Events and limited to from 70 to 80 players, or roughly half the size of a regular PGA Tour tournament.

Getting more of the top players to compete against one another outside the four major championships was part of a strategy to increase fan excitement while giving the top players, who are independent contractors, reason to all play in the same events more often.

The PGA Tour season got off to a lessthan-exciting start in January. The first event, the Sentry at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii, was won by Chris Kirk, who has a feel-good comeback story, though he is not a household name. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second Signature tournament, was shortened to three days by severe weather, with the winner being notified on Sunday when the final round was canceled.

But then in March, the No. 1 player

That round came after he was arrested on his way to the golf course. A security guard had been killed in a traffic incident earlier in the morning, and in the confusion of the traffic jam into the club, a police officer said Scheffler disobeyed his commands. While the charges against Scheffler were eventually dropped, he said that he started stretching for his round in his jail cell and only made his tee time because the start of the second round had been pushed back.

“At the time, I couldn’t even remember what my original tee time was,” he said after the second round. “I was just trying to do my best to stay calm.”

Scheffler finished the season as the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win more than seven times in a season on the PGA Tour.

He didn’t win the PGA Championship. That title went to Xander Schauffele, who had won seven previous tournaments, but had yet to win a major until this year. He beat Bryson DeChambeau by one shot, with a clutch putt on the final hole.

Schauffele followed up his first major at Valhalla with a second major victory in the British Open at Royal Troon in Scotland. That vaulted him up the golf rankings to No. 2, behind Scheffler.

“It’s a dream come true to win two majors in one year,” Schauffele said right after winning the Open. “It took me forever just to win one, and to have two now is something else.”

Sandwiched between his two major victories was the U.S. Open, played at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. In terms of ex-

On the final day, the two players faltered and rebounded on the back nine. Both missed crucial putts and hit wild shots under pressure. In the end, DeChambeau hit a bunker shot on the 18th hole to set up a putt to win the Open. He rolled it in, and later, with the trophy in hand, ran around the 18th hole so fans could touch it.

It was an uncharacteristic move for a major champion, but one befitting DeChambeau who this year morphed from an eccentric, overly technical golfer to a showman and social media star.

His YouTube content, which featured two unlikely and quirky series, has made him a sports star to young fans who might not otherwise watch golf.

In his first series, he teamed up with top athletes from golf and other sports, as well as other celebrities, including the seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and thencandidate Donald Trump, to try to break 50 — or shoot 23 under par — in a scramble format.

Toward the end of the year, DeChambeau began a second series in which he tried to make a hole in one by hitting a ball over his house and onto the putting green in his backyard. He got one ball for each day. After 134 attempts, he made it on day 16, by which point he had inspired legions of imitators.

The lift DeChambeau got from YouTube focused more attention on the PGA Tour’s declining ratings. From 2023 to 2024, the Sunday telecast of the final round of the PGA’s tournaments dropped almost 20%, to 2.2 million viewers from 2.7 million.

The bright spot of the year? The star players on both tours and the major tournaments, which drew and held fan attention.

Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters Tournament champion, helps Scottie Scheffler put on his green jacket after Scheffler won the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on April 14, 2024. Beginning in March, Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, notched an impressive series of wins that jolted the golf world back into relevance.

(Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21