Monday Feb 26, 2024

The San Juan Star

GOOD MORNING

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

Today’s Weather

Coalition invites all to march on March 8

By THE STAR STAFF

The March 8 Coalition of Puerto Rico is calling on all people on the island to participate in a march that will take place on Friday, March 8, starting at 3:30 p.m. in Hato Rey at the Office of the Women’s Advocate (OPM by its Spanish initials) and proceeding to the State Elections Commission (SEC).

“In 1974, the first autonomous feminist organization in Puerto Rico, Mujer Intégrate Ahora (MIA), founded in 1972, organized an activity in commemoration of International Women’s Day, on March 8, and since then it has been held uninterruptedly in Puerto Rico,” psychologist Alice Pérez Fernández said in a written statement. “MIA fought for equality (wages, education, rights), as well as for the autonomy and sexual and reproductive emancipation of women. They were pioneers in the fight for the legality of abortion and the decriminalization of prostitution. In 1972, a group of brave women belonging to the Women’s Front of the Puerto Rican Independence Party had also organized an initial activity. We believe that it is important to recover the history of these events and their legacy because the struggles of women from that time remain significant today.”

Pérez Fernández said the march route from the OPM to the SEC was chosen because it signifies the assertion of women’s political power.

Angelica Acosta Buono, a union organizer, pointed out that “in order to generate the changes in public and prevention policy necessary to stop the growing numbers

of femicides and violence against women, we need, among other things, education with a gender perspective and people in government who are committed to effectively addressing this problem.”

“From the perspective of women’s human rights, government institutions have the duty to protect and guarantee safety and life,” she said. “With our march we affirm our political power and demand that these institutions fulfill their duty because currently they do not do so.”

So far in 2024, there have been 19 femicides, according to data from the Gender Equality Observatory.

“Each one of these lives lost due to gender violence demonstrates the lack of commitment and inability of the current government,” Acosta Buono said.

Children in sexual abuse case are placed with family members; charges filed against man

By THE STAR STAFF

Family Secretary Ciení Rodríguez Troche said Sunday in response to the filing of charges against a man in San Juan for the sexual assault of minors that the children in the case were found to be in good health and are in the care of family members.

“Following the arrest on charges of sexual assault against minors, of a man identified as Rafael Irizarry Vélez, last Friday, the San Juan Special Investigations Unit, attached to the Family Department, assumed emergency custody of two girls, 9 and 8 years old, as well as a third child under 4 years old, their brother,” Rodríguez Troche said.

At midday on Sunday, all the minors had been evaluated by doctors and were said to be in good physical condition and health, the Family secretary noted. Additionally, they were relocated to a family resource while the ongoing investigation continues, she said.

The official also noted that information to the effect that the minors were still in Family Department custody was incorrect.

“As protocol dictates and in a protective action, we assumed emergency custody last Friday, when we were told about the situation after the arrest which, as has emerged, led to the filing of criminal charges and a determination of cause in court,” Rodríguez Troche said.

Family Secretary Ciení Rodríguez Troche

PDP holds training workshop for commissioners working in primary

By THE STAR STAFF

The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) held a meeting with party commissioners and their alternates in 14 electoral precincts to ensure the integrity of the voting process and that there is an ample voter turnout in the June 2 primary.

PDP Electoral Commissioner Karla Angleró González said the commissioners participated in workshops and educational activities on primary regulations, including early voting.

“Also the governing board and our staff emphasized the importance of un-

derstanding the modalities in the levels of inspection necessary to ensure the integrity of the process,” Angleró said.

PDP Secretary General Gerardo “Toñito” Cruz Maldonado, pointed out that the guidelines are based on the 2020 Electoral Code. In addition, he stressed the importance of maintaining the purity of the process as part of the rights of citizens who are eligible for early voting.

“I strongly appeal to the PDP-affiliated voters, who in response to the anxiety expressed by the governor of the New Progressive Party [NPP], which is [pursuing] an irresponsible agenda of managing

early voting requests under its insignia, to reject such management,” said Cruz Maldonado, who was among officials offering workshops to the commissioners. “The NPP has a natural inclination to use these mechanisms irregularly and even fraudulently, so we are ready to file new complaints if this practice continues.”

“We want to make it clear that we are ready and willing to assist our voters in requesting early voting, guaranteeing their fundamental right to participate in the PDP primary process,” he added.

The group of more than 200 people met at PDP headquarters in Puerto de Tierra to receive training on various topics. The workshops included an explanation of the levels of inspection and the handling and administration of the early voting request for the general elections. There were also workshops on the program implementation process for each precinct in Puerto Rico, and attendees were guided to make the most of the electoral process modalities adopted by the party governing board.

Regarding the early voting process, those present received guidance on a detailed program for each precinct in Puerto Rico aimed at effectively managing and administering requests for the

general elections.

“It is crucial to emphasize that each commissioner can supervise early voting, including reviewing PDP voters’ applications that the NPP has processed,” Cruz Maldonado said. “Priority sectors have been identified for carrying out this inspection work, especially those that are highly protected.”

Cruz Maldonado, who is an alternate electoral commissioner, noted that the “Voy Subiendo y Voy Bajando” program has been launched.

“This program is aimed at identifying voters registered in the United States, to request the deactivation of those who no longer reside in Puerto Rico, thus guaranteeing the accuracy of our electoral records and fraud in the process,” he said.

Along the same lines, Angleró González stated that “the Popular Democratic Party is committed to democracy, citizen participation and the integrity of the electoral process.”

“We are prepared to face the electoral processes and guarantee transparency, ensuring that every vote counts,” she said. “I thank the commissioners and alternates who came here today to train and put the PDP in a position to win the elections.”

Inconsistent application of tax exemptions for electric/hybrid vehicle purchases to be investigated

By THE STAR STAFF

In response to the allegations made by many consumers who say that when they are prepared to buy an electric vehicle the final price does not reflect the total tax exemption to which they are entitled, at-large Rep. José Aponte Hernández announced on Sunday the filing of an investigation resolution.

“Recently, there has been an increase in statements of confusion and dissatisfaction from consumers, who allege that the effectiveness of measures to encourage the sale of electric vehicles, such as the implementation of the tax exemption, by some dealers has not been clear, transparent or adequate,” the New Progressive Party lawmaker said. “In addition, they point out that the final price of the vehicles does not faithfully reflect the adopted tax reduction.”

“In the face of such statements, and

considering the principles of public policy involved, as well as the protection of the interests of the island’s consumers, it is imperative that the House of Representatives initiate an urgent investigation into these allegations,” the former House speaker added.

Last year, 128,531 vehicles were sold in Puerto Rico, of which only about 4,000 were electric or hybrid.

The bill, which will be filed today, directs the House Committee on Consumer Rights, Banking and the Insurance Industry to conduct a thorough investigation into the implementation and enforcement of vehicle excise tax exemptions by auto dealers and relevant government agencies. Hybrid and electric vehicle rebates, along with other rebates, are authorized by Law 81-2014, known as the “Law for the Promotion of Vehicles Powered Mostly by Electricity,” and by Law 1-2011 (Internal Revenue Code for

a New Puerto Rico).

Law 81-2014 establishes as public policy the encouragement of the purchase of electric and/or hybrid vehicles as part of

the government’s efforts to promote the use of energy from renewable sources.

In its Article 3, the law grants a refund and/or exemption from the payment of excise duties, as applicable, to vehicles powered by alternative or combined energy, as well as to vehicles mainly powered by electricity. This initiative seeks to encourage consumers to purchase this type of vehicle to replace traditional internal combustion vehicles, in line with the adopted public policy.

According to the most recent data provided by the Highways and Transportation Authority and the Department of Transportation and Public Works, it is estimated that between 3,000 and 8,000 electric and/or hybrid vehicles currently travel on Puerto Rico’s roads. The trend coincides with reports from the automotive industry, which project an increase to 10,000 units by the end of 2024.

Rep. José Aponte Hernández

Popular Democratic Party commissioners and their alternates in 14 electoral precincts participated in workshops and educational activities on primary regulations, including early voting, at party headquarters over the weekend.

PREPA’s pretrial conference will shuffle through mounting exhibits, evidence

By THE STAR STAFF

The pre-trial conference to determine evidentiary issues and the admission of exhibits related to the confirmation of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) debt adjustment plan is scheduled for Tuesday.

At stake is not only evidence on whether PREPA’s debt adjustment plan should be confirmed next month, but also the impact of the plan, which would cause dozens of local laws to be preempted, result in a legacy charge in customers’ power bills and diminish the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s power to determine rates.

On Feb. 16, the Financial Oversight and Management Board filed a modified Fourth Amended Title III Plan of Adjustment for PREPA. Next month, the federal Title III court will be holding hearings to determine if the plan should be confirmed.

In addition to submitting hundreds of pieces of evidence and expert testimony on the viability of the plan, stakeholders have also presented numerous objections.

PREPA bondholders Golden Tree Asset Management and Syncora Guarantee have asked that most creditor votes be disqualified, including fuel line lenders, the Unsecured Creditors Committee, and a settlement reached with National Public Finance.

PREPA bondholders opposing the plan have not only argued that PREPA can pay more of its $9 billion debt, but also that the oversight board is manipulating the classification of claims to gain approval of the plan.

The debt adjustment plan “rests on a series of purported settlements that bestow premium recoveries on certain favored cred-

itors with the purpose of gaining support for the plan,” the bondholders said.

For instance, they said Vitol’s general unsecured claim will be allowed in the aggregate total amount of $41.4 million and classified separately from other general unsecured claims asserted against PREPA. Regarding the effective date of the plan, Vitol’s claim will be paid a distribution on account of its claim equal to one-half the percentage recovery to other general unsecured creditors. The bondholders noted that shortly after the settlement with Vitol, the oversight board informed the court that it had procured “an impaired accepting class, thus enabling it to file a confirmable

plan rather than a placeholder.”

In December 2022, the board reached an agreement with the fuel line lenders. The bondholders said that after initially rejecting the fuel line lenders’ priority claim, the oversight board later accepted it after creating an impaired accepting class. Under their settlement, the fuel line lenders will receive first priority Series A Bonds in a principal amount of some $650 million with a 15-year stated final maturity and 6% cash interest coupon, post-petition interest accrual and $15 million in consummation fees, and professional-fee reimbursement of up to $11 million.

“The fuel line lenders remain the only creditors receiving the senior Series A Bonds and the associated 92%-plus recovery even though the Bondholders and the fuel line lenders all are unsecured creditors,” the bondholders said.

The Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union (UTIER by its Spanish acronym) and PREPA’s retirement system have insisted that the oversight board can neither legislate nor repeal existing laws. For that reason, they say, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) mandates that the board obtain regulatory approval and enabling legislation for the implementation of the debt adjustment plan.

While PROMESA contains an express preemption clause, the section only preempts “general or specific provisions of territory law, state law, or regulation” that are inconsistent with PROMESA’s text.

“It cannot be interpreted in such a broad manner as to preempt any and all state laws,” UTIER and the retirement system said. “Therefore, before a state law can be deemed

preempted by PROMESA, there must be an analysis regarding whether and how that state law is inconsistent with PROMESA and its provisions, which is the domain expressly preempted.”

The debt adjustment plan is slated to preempt sections of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Act, the Puerto Rico Labor Relations Act, the Puerto Rico Net Metering Program Act, the Puerto Rico Transformation and Energy RELIEF Act, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Revitalization Act, the Act to Guarantee the Payment of Pension Benefits to Retirees and to Establish a New Defined Contribution Plan for Public Servants, the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act, and the Puerto Rico Debt Responsibility Act. The preemption of the selected provisions of those laws is either permanent or until the eventual repayment of debt issued in the plan of adjustment.

While the bankruptcy process moves along, the bondholders are waiting on a ruling on an appeal filed against U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s decision last year concerning the validity and scope of the bondholders’ lien rights.

Swain held that bondholders’ collateral is limited to monies in a “Sinking Fund” created for debt service under the Trust Agreement, and certain other designated funds. The court held that the aggregate allowed amount of bondholders’ claims is $2.4 billion, or some 28.2% of the face amount in debt.

Meanwhile, the oversight board has signed a contract with BGC Partners Advisory to obtain advice on the debt adjustment plan. The firm will be paid $850,000 per month.

College admissions test in braille is under development

By THE STAR STAFF

College Board LATAM is in the process of developing the university admission test (PAA by its Spanish initials) in the braille reading and writing system, which will be ready for administration in October of this year, according to a recent announcement by the organization.

“We are currently in the development phase of the PAA test in braille,” College Board LATAM Vice President Pablo Martínez said in a written statement issued Friday. “It

is a process that involves care when developing an educational tool like this, but a lot of work has already been done. If everything goes as we hope, the PAA in braille will be available for the 2024-2025 academic year.” he added.

As part of the test development process in the modality, which began in 2023, College Board LATAM has a team of experts, including blind personnel.

“Any initiative that results in ensuring the best performance of students will have our support,” Martínez said. “Your well-being

is and will be our priority.”

College Board LATAM offers reasonable accommodation to any student with a documented condition and ensures that all test takers have the same opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in a fair and equitable testing environment.

Blind students have several alternatives when taking the PAA test. Some of the accommodations currently offered include individual or small group attention, extra time, extra breaks, an amanuensis, readers and enlarged type, among others.

As part of the development process for a college admissions exam in braille, College Board LATAM has a team of experts, including blind personnel.

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain

Health Dept. to buy Mercantil Plaza, but questions have arisen

By THE STAR STAFF

The planned purchase by the Health Department of the Mercantil Plaza building for its offices has raised several questions.

Last week, the Financial Oversight and Management Board approved a request to transfer $23.4 million under the custody of the Office of Management and Budget to purchase a private building for the centralization and relocation of the Health Department’s (DOH) administrative and operational offices.

“Such approval is conditioned upon compliance with all requirements of EO 2004-04, and Memorandum 1-2021 issued by the Real Estate Review Board [JRPI by its Spanish initials],” the oversight board said. “Furthermore, the DOH must submit the purchase contract to the oversight board for review and approval prior to its execution, in

compliance with the Contract Review Policy established pursuant to Section 204 (b)(2) of PROMESA [the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act].”

It is not clear from the board’s document whether the $23.4 million is the asking price or whether it would be another amount.

According to Open Corporate, the Mercantil Plaza on Ponce de León Avenue in Hato Rey is owned by Union Holdings, whose president is Ernesto J. Armenteros. The building was purchased from Union de Inversiones by the company for about $5 million in 2005. Union de Inversiones is also owned by Armenteros.

Javier Balmaceda, Puerto Rico policy analyst for the Center on Budget, said through his Twitter account that the financial reports from Union Holdings show that the company is in a deficit.

From the “most recent reports from

Union Holdings, from 2022, it appears that 55% of the Mercantil Plaza is occupied by

CCPA to present latest food industry survey on Friday

By THE STAR STAFF

The Certified Public Accountants Association of Puerto Rico (CCPA by its Spanish initials) will present a survey of the food industry in Puerto Rico on Friday, March 1, through the forum “Portrait of the Food Industry -- Supermarkets Edition,” at the institution’s headquarters in Hato Rey. In the forum, key elements for the

operation of the industry will be analyzed and presented, the execution of which affects all aspects of the economy and the lives of Puerto Rico residents. The elements include metrics; financial affairs; inventory movement; gross profit; cyber security and insurance; employee recruitment, retention and development; inventory management; and the updating of labor laws, among others.

CCPA President Edmy A. Rivera Colón

highlighted the importance of the survey for the food, economic and fiscal sector, as well as for citizens in general.

“We must remember that as an island, very few of the basic foodstuffs consumed by Puerto Ricans are produced locally, and a large part is imported, which increases not only prices, but also operating costs,” she said. “Through this survey we present a complete overview of the market and

Mayor seeks action on Guánica Malecón reconstruction

By THE STAR STAFF

Guánica Mayor Ismael “Titi” Rodríguez Ramos said Sunday that reconstruction work on the Guánica Malecón is waiting for the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) to finally file the “joint permit” that the commonwealth agency submits to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which would allow work to begin.

“The wave and flora & fauna studies have already been carried out, which are important to establish any adjustment to the

project,” the mayor said in a written statement. “It is already clearly established that we will remain at the same dimensions as the current Malecón.”

The project, which is in the hands of the highest bidder, TRG Arquitects, entails a significant investment, which includes the remodeling of the Jiménez Mesa public plaza.

“The start of work is awaiting that ‘Joint Permit’ that was supposed to be submitted last November. Four months have passed and we have no evidence that it has been submitted,” the mayor said. “Anyone with Puerto Rican suspicion could understand that this being

an election year, everything is delayed. We hope in good faith that this is not the case, but we never sit idly by; that is why we make this public claim to the DNER and so that the Guaniqueña citizens are duly informed.”

Rodríguez Ramos also pointed out that the Community Development Block Grant (Urban Revitalization Program) funds are approved and ready.

“Guánica will have its new Malecón for the benefit of all,” he said. “This is one of the busiest tourist areas and one of the sectors that most drives the economy of our town, along with the total reconstruction of

five agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico,” he wrote. “It is also clear that Union Holdings is in severe financial trouble, with an accumulated deficit of $21M.”

Balmaceda also noted that after taking into account the depreciation of all of Union Holdings’ properties, they have a total value of $18.5 million, citing audited statements from the company, which he said also show that it owes $19.5 million to sister company Union de Inversiones.

“It is probable that the financial problems of Union Holdings are triggering the sale of Mercantil Plaza,” the analyst said. “Looking at the value of all of its properties, which is lower than what the Health Department asked for, it remains to be seen for what else would be the amount requested from the Board.”

Other agencies also have offices in Mercantil Plaza. The DOH did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.

also productive solutions to strengthen the industry, as well as benefit the consumer.”

Rivera Colón extended an invitation to the public to participate in the event.

Guest speakers and instructors will include CPA Eduardo González-Green, a partner at Aquino, De Córdova & Alfaro; attorney Carlos R. Paula, chief executive of Labor Consultants; Yamil Gautier, information systems manager at Aquino, De Córdova & Alfaro; Luis Jiménez, category manager, Coca Cola PR Bottlers; Francisco Cabrero Ojeda, vice president, PMR; and and Irvin Rivera Sánchez, leader of JEMSA Consultant.

Mercantil Plaza in Hato Rey

the public square. This is another project that will fill Guaniqueños and visitors with pride.”

Guánica Mayor Ismael Rodríguez Ramos

Biden tries to flip the politics of immigration

would have allowed severe restrictions to be imposed at the border and provided billions of dollars for agents and asylum processing, Biden’s team has been debating whether he can use executive authority to accomplish something similar.

Even if such a move appeals to many people in his party, the president still has to contend with progressive Democrats and a cadre of immigration activists who are furious that he is willing to embrace some of the same kinds of restrictive policies that Trump and his allies pushed for four years when he was president.

They argue that Biden’s willingness to shut down asylum when so many people are trying to come to the United States is a fundamental violation of the country’s decades-old commitment to be a refuge for those seeking safety and a better life.

The executive action under consideration could undermine the Biden campaign’s efforts to appeal to part of his liberal base. And it ignores efforts to increase legal immigration, which has been a goal of Democratic politicians.

So far, Biden appears willing to defy those concerns in the interest of taking strong action at the border.

At the same time, it is not clear that the executive action he is considering will persuade voters that he will be tougher on the border than Trump.

Trump’s advisers do not believe that Biden can out-border the former president, who helped sink the bipartisan measure last month by saying that it was not tough enough. They argue that voters who believe in turning away migrants will vote for Trump, not for what the advisers consider a washed-out version of Trump’s policies.

In fact, the former president’s allies on Capitol Hill have begun a political campaign aimed at using the border situation for their political advantage.

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

If President Joe Biden moves ahead with a plan to block people who illegally cross into the United States from claiming asylum, it is likely to face a swift legal challenge, much the way an effort by his predecessor in 2018 was blocked by the courts.

Politically, such a setback may not even matter.

For Biden, simply issuing an executive action just before his State of the Union address on March 7 could bolster his reelection campaign by demonstrating that he is unilaterally trying to secure the border over Republican opposition.

The president’s aides have seized on the decision by Republican lawmakers last month to kill a bipartisan border measure when polls show Americans are deeply concerned about the number of people crossing from Mexico after fleeing gangs, torture and economic distress in Central and South America.

“Folks, doing nothing is not an option,” Biden told the nation’s governors Friday during a meeting at the White House, suggesting that they pressure lawmakers to revive the border bill in the days ahead.

But if they do not, Biden is betting that he can appeal to voters who are concerned about immigration by invoking his executive authority to show that he is willing, in his own words, to “shut down the border” amid a surge in migration.

The plan under consideration would mirror the bipartisan bill that congressional Republicans thwarted. But even the

White House acknowledges that executive action — even if it survived legal challenges — could not provide the sort of money and resources for controlling the border that Biden had wanted Congress to approve.

Still, the strategy represents a drastic reversal in American politics. Former President Donald Trump and Republicans have spent the past decade fanning the flames of fear and insecurity about the border, while Democrats positioned themselves as the defenders of persecuted people who deserved a chance at the American dream.

That dynamic has changed in the past several years, as Biden struggled to contain record-breaking numbers of people trying to enter the United States from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, and countries in Africa and Asia.

As many of those immigrants poured into Democratic-led cities like New York, Denver and Chicago — sent in part by the Republican governor in Texas — Democrats began demanding stronger controls at the border. Many Democrats in Congress, even some who have long been champions of immigration, have echoed those requests.

The White House has called out Republicans for tanking the very restrictions that they have been demanding for years. Biden’s aides have characterized the move as craven politics and a gift to Trump, whose yearslong assault on the asylum system has been a centerpiece of his political identity and his presidency.

After the failure of the bipartisan immigration bill, which

Speaker Mike Johnson, whose opposition to the bipartisan border bill helped kill it, accused Biden this week of not being serious about solving a problem that Republicans say he was responsible for.

“Americans have lost faith in this president and won’t be fooled by election-year gimmicks that don’t actually secure the border,” Johnson said in a statement. “Nor will they forget that the president created this catastrophe and, until now, has refused to use his executive power to fix it.”

White House officials said this week that no decision had been made about whether the president would issue the executive action. But if an announcement comes soon, it would signal that Biden and his team recognize how central the issue of migration is to the campaign.

Migrants and asylum seekers waiting on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico on May 10, 2023. President Joe Biden has made a point of calling out Republicans for tanking the border restrictions they have demanded for years. (Meridith Kohut/The New York Times)

Trump defeats Haley in South Carolina, a crushing blow in her home state

By MICHAEL GOLD

Former President Donald Trump easily defeated Nikki Haley in South Carolina’s Republican primary Saturday, delivering a crushing blow in her home state and casting grave doubt on her longterm viability.

Trump’s victory, called by The Associated Press, was widely expected, and offers fresh fodder for his contention that the race is effectively over. Haley pledged to continue her campaign, but Trump has swept the early states and is barreling toward the nomination even as a majority of delegates have yet to be awarded.

“This was a little sooner than we anticipated,” he said in Columbia, South Carolina, minutes after the race was called, adding that he had “never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now.”

Throughout his victory speech, Trump made it clear that he was eager to turn his attention to the general election, at one point telling the crowd: “I just wish we could do it quicker. Nine months is a long time.”

He also did not mention Haley by name, alluding to her only twice: once to knock her for a disappointing finish in a Nevada primary contest with no practical value, and once for supporting an opponent of his in 2016.

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and a Republican presidential candidate, casts her vote in the South Carolina Republican primary on Kiawah Island, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. South Carolina voters went to the polls on Saturday to cast ballots that could well determine the political fate of the state’s former governor, Haley, in her long-shot bid to derail former President Donald Trump’s march to the Republican nomination. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)

In her election-night speech in Charleston, South Carolina, Haley congratulated Trump on his victory. But she said the results — he was beating her 60% to 39% as of late Saturday — demonstrated that “huge numbers of voters” were “saying they want an alternative.”

Trump, however, won South Carolina in 2016 and has remained popular in the state since, with polls before the primary consistently showing him with double-digit leads.

Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and a United Nations ambassador during Trump’s administration, had hoped to buck the odds, but her loss at the hands of voters who are arguably the most familiar with her politics will fuel further uncertainty about her path forward.

During her speech, Haley sounded more serious and less upbeat than she had after defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire. But she said she planned to stay in the race through Super Tuesday on March 5, arguing that Americans deserved a chance to choose a candidate.

“In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak,” she told supporters. “They have the right to a real choice. Not a Soviet-style election with

only one candidate.”

Haley has staked her campaign on drawing support from independents and more moderate Republicans, particularly in states where primaries are not restricted to voters registered with one party.

But that strategy fell short in New Hampshire last month — the early-voting state where she was closest to Trump in polls — and in South Carolina, raising questions about whether it will succeed in Michigan, which holds its primary Tuesday, and any of the 16 states that vote on Super Tuesday on March 5.

Still, Haley has insisted she will stay in the race, arguing that she is providing an alternative for voters opposed to Trump and maintaining that Americans deserve a chance to choose a candidate.

So far, however, Republican voters have shown no sign of turning away from Trump, even as he faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases. Trump’s legal problems have been at the forefront of his bid, as he tries to use the unprecedented collision between the campaign trail and courtrooms to rally his base behind him.

Trump’s first criminal trial, on charges connected to a hush-money payment to a porn actor in 2016, is scheduled to start March 25 in New York City, meaning his trial could overlap with dozens of Republican primaries and caucuses.

Whether Haley will remain in the race by then is an open question. Donors have continued to pour money into her bid, giving her the cash to keep going. She will travel to Michigan on Sunday and has planned stops in a number of states before the Super Tuesday contests, when 36% of Republican delegates will be up for grabs.

“We don’t anoint kings in this country,” Haley said Tuesday. “We have elections. And Donald Trump, of all people, should know we don’t rig elections.”

The Trump campaign has repeatedly signaled its desire to focus on the general election and an anticipated matchup against President Joe Biden, who won South Carolina’s Democratic primary early this month.

In a speech earlier Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, Trump focused entirely on Biden rather than addressing Haley, his more immediate opponent.

Trump and his team have called on Haley to drop out of the race, pointing to his delegate tally and his lead in polls as proof that she has no mathematical path to the nomination.

Suspect in killing at University of Georgia is denied bond as a shaken campus mourns

By ADEEL HASSAN, EILEEN SULLIVAN and ALESSANDRO MARAZZI SASSOON

A26-year-old man charged with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student at the University of Georgia in Athens will remain in jail after he was denied bond at a hearing Saturday, authorities said.

The suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, lived in an apartment complex about 1 mile from a wooded trail where the body of Laken Riley, 22, was found Thursday afternoon, said Jeffrey Clark, the chief of university police. Riley, a student at nearby Augusta University and a former student at the University of Georgia, had been reported missing by friends after she did not return from a run.

Ibarra, a resident of Athens who is not a U.S. citizen, migrated to the United States from Venezuela, authorities said. He was arrested by the Border Patrol for crossing the border illegally in September 2022 and was released quickly with temporary permission to stay in the country, a federal law enforcement official said Saturday. That release, or parole, was a practice the administration used when officials were overwhelmed with high numbers of crossings. The administration ended that practice about six months later.

It was typical for many Venezuelans to be released with permission to stay temporarily because they could not be repatriated back to their country due to strained diplomatic relations. Some 6 million Venezuelans have fled their troubled country, the largest population displacement in Latin America’s modern history.

On Saturday, it was not clear what Ibarra’s immigration status was.

Many conservative politicians, including Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, on Saturday linked the killing to the immigration policies of President Joe Biden, which they contend have overwhelmed the country with more migrants than the system can handle. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, urged the president to close the border.

“House Republicans will continue to fight tooth and nail for a return to law and order,” Johnson said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

On Friday, the Justice Department said that Ibarra had a brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, who was also from Venezuela and who had been charged with possessing a fake green card.

Authorities said the suspect and Riley did not know each

other, characterizing the killing as “a crime of opportunity,” and that Riley died by “blunt force trauma.” Jose Ibarra is also charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another person. It was unclear Saturday whether Ibarra had any legal representation.

At the apartment complex listed as the address for the suspect, one resident, Manuel Alcides, 26, said there were many Venezuelan migrants living in the building. Alcides, who is also from Venezuela, said that he regularly spoke with a handful of the migrants, but none of them knew Ibarra or his brother, whose listed address was nearby, or were aware of when they had arrived.

“It’s a danger for our community because society will look at this error and think the rest of us could be a threat,” Alcides said of the killing. “But we’re not all the same.”

Students walk on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., Sept. 25, 2014. A man charged with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student at the university will remain in jail after he was denied bond at a hearing Saturday, authorities said. (Nick Dentamaro/The New York Times)

Man convicted in transgender woman’s killing

By REBECCA CARBALLO

ASouth Carolina man was found guilty Friday in the killing of a transgender woman in what authorities said was the first federal murder trial of someone charged with a hate crime based on gender identity.

After deliberating for several hours, jurors found the man, Daqua Lameek Ritter, guilty of a hate crime in the murder of the woman, Dime Doe, in 2019.

“It stands as a testament to our commitment to prosecute these crimes,” said Brook Andrews, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina. “It also stands as a reminder that Dime’s life mattered. It’s a tremendous result for us and the people in that community.”

Federal officials have previously prosecuted hate crimes based on gender identity.

A Mississippi man received a 49-year pri-

son sentence in 2017 as part of a plea deal after he admitted to killing a 17-year-old transgender woman. However, this is the first murder case in the country to make it to trial where someone was charged with a hate crime based on gender identity, Andrews said.

Ritter, who was also found guilty of obstructing justice and using a firearm in connection with the killing, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Ritter, who is from New York City, would visit his grandmother in Allendale, South Carolina. During this time he became close with Doe, according to court documents.

Doe grew up in Allendale, where she worked as a hairdresser, and transitioned in her early 20s, Andrews said. She was 24 at the time of her death.

Witnesses told law enforcement officials that Doe and Ritter were in a sexual relationship

Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens said that the killing was clearly affecting everyone.

“As a parent myself of a child who is walking the streets of this town every day, it is so difficult to see these kinds of experiences happen,” he said. “And so I’m feeling for the family of the young woman in question and all of her friends and loved ones.”

In posts on Instagram, Riley’s friends described her as a great friend, student and roommate, who loved running, dancing and singing, and who had an infectious laugh.

Bianca Tiller, Riley’s freshman-year roommate, told The New York Times that Riley “lit up every room she walked into and brought a smile on everyone’s face.”

“She was the first to gather us up to study together and go on coffee runs,” Tiller said. “She built so many friendships and relationships, which we are all forever grateful for and will use to honor her amazing spirit.”

in first federal trial of its

during the time leading up to her death. Ritter tried to keep the relationship a secret because he did not want his girlfriend or the community to know about it, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said that Ritter was upset that word about his sexual relationship with Doe was circulating in Allendale. Ritter became “irate” after Doe publicized their relationship, and many of his friends mocked him for it, according to court documents.

Witnesses said he threatened to harm Doe as a result, according to court documents.

Ritter had picked up Doe and was pulled over by an Allendale County sheriff’s deputy for speeding. The deputy’s body camera video showed Ritter’s “distinctive” jeans as well as a tattoo and a scar on his arm, according to court documents, which did not offer more details.

Prosecutors said Ritter then lured Doe to a remote area in Allendale and shot her three times in the head. Afterward, he burned the

kind

clothes he wore during the crime, disposed of the murder weapon and repeatedly lied to investigators, according to federal prosecutors.

Transgender people are four times as likely as cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault and aggravated or simple assault, according to a 2021 study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

One of Ritter’s defense lawyers, Joshua Kendrick, argued that there were inconsistencies in the government’s case.

He pointed to text messages that showed “a lot of respect and a calm nature” that didn’t match up with the government’s witnesses who told investigators that they knew of Ritter’s threats of violence.

“I felt we pointed out a lot of inconsistencies, the jury didn’t agree,” Kendrick said Saturday. “They reached a verdict that we respect, even though we’re disappointed about it.”

Nature has value. Could we literally invest in it?

By LYDIA DePILLIS

Picture this: You own a few hundred acres near a growing town that your family has been farming for generations. Turning a profit has gotten harder, and none of your children want to take it over. You don’t want to sell the land; you love the open space, the flora and fauna it hosts. But offers from developers who would turn it into subdivisions or strip malls seem increasingly tempting.

One day, a land broker mentions an idea. How about granting a long-term lease to a company that values your property for the same reasons you do: long walks through tall grass, the calls of migrating birds, the way it keeps the air and water clean.

It sounds like a scam. Or charity. In fact, it’s an approach backed by hardheaded investors who think nature has an intrinsic value that can provide them with a return down the road — and in the meantime, they would be happy to hold shares of the new company on their balance sheets.

Such a company doesn’t yet exist. But the idea has gained traction among environmentalists, money managers and philanthropists who believe that nature won’t be adequately protected unless it is assigned a value in the market — whether or not that asset generates dividends through a monetizable use.

The concept almost hit the big time when the Securities and Exchange Commission was considering a proposal from the New York Stock Exchange to list these “natural asset companies” for public trading. But after a wave of fierce opposition from right-wing groups and Republican politicians, and even conservationists wary of Wall Street, in mid-January the exchange pulled the plug.

That doesn’t mean natural asset companies are going away; their proponents are working on prototypes in the private markets to build out the model. And even if this concept doesn’t take off, it’s part of a larger movement motivated by the belief that if natural riches are to be preserved, they must have a price.

Beyond philanthropy

For decades, economists and scientists have worked to quantify the contributions of nature — a kind of production known as ecosystem services.

By traditional accounting methods, a forest has monetary value only when it has been cut into two-by-fours. If a forest not destined for the sawmill burns down, economic activity

actually increases, because of the relief efforts required in the aftermath.

When you pull back the camera, though, forests help us in many more ways. Beyond sucking carbon out of the air, they hold the soil in place during heavy rains, and in dry times help it retain moisture by shading the ground and protecting winter snowpack, which helps keep reservoirs full for humans. Without the tree-covered Catskills, for example, New York City would have to invest much more in infrastructure to filter its water.

Natural capital accounting, which U.S. statistical agencies are developing as a sidebar to their measurements of gross domestic product, puts numbers on those services. To move those calculations beyond an academic exercise, they need to be factored into incentives.

The most common way to do that is the social cost of carbon: a price per ton of emissions that represents climate change’s burdens on humanity, such as natural disasters, disease and reduced labor productivity. That number is used to evaluate the costs and benefits of regulations. In some countries — notably not the United States, at least on the federal level — it is used to set taxes on emissions. Efforts to remove carbon can then generate credits, which trade on open markets and fluctuate with supply and demand.

But carbon is just the simplest way of putting a price on nature. For the other benefits — wildlife, ecotourism, protection from hurricanes and so on — the revenue model is less obvious.

That’s what Douglas Eger set out to address. He wanted to work for an environmental group after college, but on his conservative father’s advice he instead made a career in business, running companies in pharmaceuticals, tech and finance. With some of his newly built wealth, he bought a 7,000-acre tract northwest of New York City to preserve as open space.

He didn’t think philanthropy would be enough to stem the loss of nature — a seminal 2020 report found that more than $700 billion was needed annually to avert a collapse in biodiversity. Government wasn’t solving the problem. Socially responsible investing, while making progress, wasn’t reversing damage to critical habitats.

So in 2017, Eger founded the Intrinsic Exchange Group with the goal of incubating natural asset companies, NACs for short. Here’s how it works: A landowner, whether a farmer or a government entity, works with investors to

create an NAC that licenses the rights to the ecosystem services the land produces. If the company is listed on an exchange, the proceeds from the public offering of shares would provide the landowner with a revenue stream and pay for enhancing natural benefits, like havens for threatened species or a revitalized farming operation that heals the land rather than leaching it dry.

If all goes according to plan, investments in the company would appreciate as environmental quality improves or demand for natural assets increases, yielding a return years down the road — not unlike art, or gold or even cryptocurrency.

“All of these things, if you think about it, are social agreements to a degree,” Eger said. “And the beauty of a financial system is between a willing buyer and seller, the underlying becomes true.”

In discussions with like-minded investors, he found an encouraging openness to the idea. The Rockefeller Foundation kicked in about $1.7 million to fund the effort, including a 45page document on how to devise an “ecological performance report” for the land enrolled in an NAC. In 2021, Intrinsic announced its plan to list such companies on the New York Stock Exchange, along with a pilot project involving land in Costa Rica as well as support from the Inter-American Development Bank and major environmental groups. By the time they filed an application with the SEC in late September, Eger was feeling confident.

That’s when the firestorm began.

The American Stewards of Liberty, a Texas-based group that campaigns against conservation measures and seeks to roll back federal protections for endangered species, picked up on the plan. Through both grassroots organizing and high-level lobbying, they argued that natural asset companies were a Trojan horse for foreign governments and “global elites” to lock up large swaths of rural America, particularly public lands. The rule-making docket started to fill up with comments from critics charging that the concept was nothing but a Wall Street land grab.

A collection of 25 Republican attorneys general called it illegal and part of a “radical climate agenda.” On Jan. 11, in what may have been the final straw, the Republican chair of the House Natural Resources Committee sent a letter demanding a slew of documents relating to the proposal. Less than a week later, the proposal was scratched.

“Natural asset companies” would put a market price on improving ecosystems, rather than on destroying them. (Alex Merto/The New York Times)

Unexpected headwinds

Eger was dismayed. The most powerful forces arrayed against natural asset companies were people who wanted land to remain available for uses like coal mining and oil drilling, a fundamental disagreement about what’s good for the world. But opponents also made spurious arguments about the risks of his plan, Eger said. Landowners would decide whether and how to set up an NAC, and existing laws still applied. What’s more, foreign governments can and do buy up large tracts of land directly; a license to the land’s ecological performance rights would create no new dangers.

There is also pushback, however, from people who strongly believe in protecting natural resources, and worry that monetizing the benefits would further enrich the wealthy without reliably delivering the promised environmental upside.

“If investors want to pay a landowner to improve their soil or protect a wetland, that’s great,” said Ben Cushing, the director of the Sierra Club’s Fossil-Free Finance campaign. “I think we’ve seen that when that is turned into a financial asset that has a whole secondary market attached to it, it creates a lot of distortions.”

Another environmental group, Save the World’s Rivers, filed a comment opposing the plan partly because it said the valuation framework centered on nature’s use to humans, rather than other living things.

For now, Intrinsic will seek to prove the concept in the private markets. The company declined to disclose the parties involved before the deals are closed, but identified a few projects that are close. One is attached to 1.6 million acres owned by a North American tribal entity. Another plans to enroll soybean farms and shift them to more sustainable practices, with investment from a consumer packaged goods company that will buy the crop. (The pilot project in Costa Rica, which Intrinsic envisioned as covering a national park in need of funding to prevent incursions from arsonists and poachers, stalled when a new political party came to power.)

Soaring US stocks could take cues from Fed as earnings wind down

Strong corporate results have helped fuel the S&P 500’s climb to new highs this year, taking the focus away from the Federal Reserve’s tortuous path towards lower interest rates. As earnings season winds down, some investors believe monetary policy will jump back in the driver’s seat.

Nvidia Corp’s (NVDA.O), opens new tab blockbuster earnings results put an exclamation point on the fourthquarter reporting period, as the AI darling’s surging shares propelled the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab to fresh record highs in the past week. The benchmark index has gained over 6.7% so far this year.

With the vast majority having reported, S&P 500 companies were on track to increase fourth-quarter earnings by 10% from the year-earlier period, according to LSEG IBES data, which would be the biggest rise since the first quarter of 2022.

As the earnings glow fades in coming weeks, the spotlight could turn back to the macroeconomic picture. One pivotal factor could be the steady rise in bond yields, which has come on the heels of shrinking expectations for how much the Fed can ease monetary policy this year without reigniting inflation.

“The market has been able to ignore the rise in yields because of the strong earnings,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones. “That focus on the path of rates and yields might come back into the forefront as we move past earnings season.”

Higher yields on Treasuries tend to pressure equity valuations as they increase the appeal of bonds over stocks while raising the cost of capital for companies and households. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield, which moves inversely to bond prices, hit 4.35% earlier last week, its highest level since late November.

While optimism on earnings and the economy has helped stocks shrug off the climb in yields, this could change if inflation data keeps coming in stickier than expected, forcing the Fed to further delay, opens new tab rate cuts.

Futures tied to the Fed’s main policy rate on Friday showed investors pricing in around 80 basis points of Fed cuts this year, compared to 150 basis points they had priced in early January.

An inflation test arrives Thursday, with the release of January’s personal consumption expenditures price index, which the Fed tracks for its inflation targets. On a monthly basis, the PCE index is expected to increase 0.3%, according to a Reuters poll of economists, up from a 0.2% rise the prior month.

“If inflation renews its downward trend, that is going to be helpful to interest rates and that can provide the next catalyst for an up move” in stocks, said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services.

At the same time, many investors believe AI fervor will continue driving stocks for the foreseeable future. Nvidia touched $2 trillion in market value for the first time on Friday, riding on an insatiable demand for its chips that made

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

the Silicon Valley firm the pioneer of the generative artificial intelligence boom.

“We believe retaining strategic exposure to the US large-cap technology sector is important, and the rise in tech stocks could go further still,” wrote analysts at UBS Global Wealth Management on Friday, adding that they believe generative AI “will prove to be the growth theme of the decade.”

This week will also bring other data including on con-

sumer confidence and durable goods that will give a broader look into the state of the economy. A number of the companies due to report results in the coming week, including Lowe’s (LOW.N), opens new tab and Best Buy (BBY.N), opens new tab, are retailers who will give insight into consumer spending.

Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital, is among the investors who see benefits if the economy continues walking a fine line to a so-called “soft landing,” in which the Fed is able to cool inflation without upending growth.

“If we can get slowing growth, slowing inflation, create an environment that the Fed can start reducing interest rates... that should help the average stock,” he said.

US and British warplanes again strike Houthi-linked targets in Yemen

(Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)

By HELENE COOPER and ERIC SCHMITT

The United States and Britain carried out another round of large-scale military strikes Saturday against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, U.S. officials said.

The strikes were intended to degrade the Iran-backed militants’ ability to attack ships in sea lanes that are critical for global trade, a campaign they have carried out for almost four months.

U.S. and British warplanes hit missile systems and laun-

chers and other targets, the officials said. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support for the operation, according to a joint statement from the countries involved that was emailed to reporters by the Defense Department.

The strikes, which the statement called “necessary and proportionate,” hit 18 targets across eight locations in Yemen associated with Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars and a helicopter.

“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, naval vessels, and the lives of innocent mariners in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” the statement said.

The strikes were the largest salvo since the allies struck Houthi targets Feb. 3 and came after a week in which the Houthis have launched attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

In a statement provided to The Associated Press, the Houthis denounced “U.S.-British aggression” and said they would not be deterred. “The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that they will confront the U.S.-British escalation with more quali-

tative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arabian Seas in defense of our country, our people and our nation,” the statement said.

On Monday, Houthi militants fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a cargo ship, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The ship, called the Sea Champion, continued on to its destination at the port of Aden in Yemen, the statement added. Central Command reported several other tit-for-tat attacks that day between U.S. forces in the area and Houthis.

On Thursday, it was more of the same. U.S. warplanes and a ship belonging to a member of the U.S.-led coalition shot down six Houthi attack drones in the Red Sea, Central Command said in another statement. The drones were “likely targeting U.S. and coalition warships and were an imminent threat,” it added.

Later that day, the statement said, the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, hitting the Islander, a Palau-flagged, Britain-owned cargo carrier. The vessel was damaged, and one person had a minor injury.

And earlier Saturday, the naval destroyer USS Mason shot down what Central Command said was an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis say their attacks are a protest against Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which was launched in response to attacks by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7.

The U.S.-led retaliatory air and naval strikes against Houthi targets began last month.

“The Houthis’ now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response,” Saturday’s statement from the U.S.-led coalition said.

In a separate statement Saturday evening, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Houthi attacks “harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries.”

The United States and several allies have repeatedly warned the Houthis of serious consequences if the salvos did not stop. But the U.S.-led strikes have so far failed to deter the Houthis. Hundreds of ships have been forced to take a lengthy detour around southern Africa, driving up costs.

Of all the Iran-backed militias that had escalated hostilities in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis have been perhaps the most difficult to restrain. While the Houthis have continued their attacks, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria appear to be observing a period of quietude since the United States carried out a series of strikes against Iranian forces and the militias they support in Syria and Iraq on Feb. 2.

Middle East experts say that after nearly a decade of evading airstrikes in a war with Saudi Arabia, the Houthis have become skilled at concealing their weaponry, putting some of it in urban areas and shooting missiles from the backs of vehicles before scooting off.

Houthi fighters after the Arab Spring uprising, in San, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2015. Another round of large-scale military strikes Saturday by the U.S. and Great Britain against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants was intended to degrade the Iran-backed militants’ ability to attack ships in sea lanes that are critical for global trade, U.S. officials said.

Biden caught in a political bind over Israel policy

By AARON BOXERMAN and JONATHAN WEISMAN

The Biden administration’s reversal of Trump-era policy on settlements in the occupied West Bank reflects not just its rising frustration with Israel, but the political bind the president finds himself in, just days before the Democratic primary in Michigan, where a large Arab American population is urging voters to register their anger by voting “uncommitted.”

During a trip to Argentina on Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called any new settlements “inconsistent with international law,” a break with policy set under the Trump administration and a return to the decadeslong U.S. position.

The Biden administration is increasingly fed up with the Israeli government’s conduct in the war in the Gaza Strip and beyond, with officials speaking out more publicly on contentious issues, said Nimrod Novik, a fellow at the Israel Policy Forum think tank. As an example, he cited a U.S. decision to slap financial sanctions on four Israelis — three of them settlers — accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank at a time when settler violence against Palestinians has increased.

Yet, Novik called Blinken’s remarks “too little, too late,” adding that the admin-

istration’s moves “in practice, are disjointed. The message is there, but it’s a tactical statement where the overall strategy is unclear.”

The United States has long been Israel’s most important international ally. Since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 left 1,200 dead in Israel, mostly civilians, Washington has consistently backed Israel’s blistering campaign in Gaza. The Biden administration has also shielded Israel from international censure by blocking cease-fire resolutions at the U.N. Security Council, even as the death toll in Gaza nears 30,000, according to health officials in the enclave.

That stance has increasingly left President Joe Biden in a no-win situation. His recent moves to press the Israeli government to wind down the war in Gaza and enter negotiations toward a Palestinian state have angered some ardent supporters of Israel in the United States. Yet they have come nowhere close to placating Israel’s fiercest critics on the political left and the Arab American community.

Shortly after Oct. 7, Arab Americans and progressive voters were largely standing back as even Jewish Republicans were praising Biden’s pro-Israel response.

Those same Jewish Republicans are now castigating the president. The Republican Jewish Coalition, which had backed the

administration after Oct. 7, called the new settlement policy “yet another lowlight to its campaign of undermining Israel.”

The group ticked off other policies the administration has aimed at reining in the Israeli response to the Hamas attacks, including sanctions against West Bank settlers who commit acts of violence and pressuring the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize a Palestinian state.

“The communities at issue, located west of the West Bank security barrier, are not preventing peace,” said Matt Brooks, the group’s longtime CEO. “Palestinian terrorism is.”

But those steps fall far short of what young progressive voters and Arab Americans are demanding: an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza and a halt to U.S. military aid to Israel. Those calls are only getting louder as Netanyahu shows no sign of relenting.

“Biden’s sanctions on settler violence and the declaration that settlements are illegal would be inadequate at any time in recent years given how deep Israel’s apartheid has become entrenched,” said Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian American who heads the Palestine-Israel program at the Arab Center in Washington. “But now he’s backing a genocide in Gaza. This is like showing up to a five-alarm fire with a cup of water while giving fuel to the arsonist.”

In fact, the political imperatives for the Israeli prime minister and for the U.S. president are opposite. Biden needs the war to end so he can reassemble the coalition that got him elected in 2020. But Netanyahu wants it to continue until the complete rout of Hamas, to stave off his own political

reckoning from an angry electorate — and potentially help his ally, Donald Trump, return to power.

Blinken’s declaration appears to have been triggered by an announcement by Bezalel Smotrich, a senior Israeli minister, that a planning committee would soon discuss moving ahead with over 3,000 new housing units in the settlements. Most would be in Ma’ale Adumim, where three Palestinian gunmen killed one Israeli and wounded several others Thursday.

Smotrich called the new units “an appropriate Zionist response” to the attack.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly condemned settlement expansion in the West Bank — where roughly 500,000 Israelis now live among some 2.7 million Palestinians — as an obstacle to the long-standing U.S. goal of a two-state solution. In recent weeks, Netanyahu has repeatedly said he worked for years to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, which he has long said would endanger Israel’s security.

Palestinians hope the West Bank will be an integral part of their future independent state, but Israeli settlements have slowly taken over sizable chunks of the territory. Palestinian officials called Blinken’s declaration long overdue and not nearly enough.

“Reversing an illegal act by the previous administration has been overdue for 3 1/2 years,” Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, said in a phone call Saturday. “For the love of God, I don’t understand why Blinken and President Biden sat on their hands on this issue — and many others — for all this time.”

Still, Blinken’s declaration was “better late than never,” Zomlot said, adding that Palestinians expected “real actions” against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank rather than “baby steps.”

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Palestinian men work to repair cars damaged, like the building behind them, in a February settler rampage in the West Bank village of Huwara, March 15, 2023. The Biden administration’s reversal of Trump-era policy on settlements in the occupied West Bank reflects not just its rising frustration with Israel, but the political bind the president finds himself in. (Samar Hazboun/The New

Ukraine marks 2nd anniversary of Russian invasion, determined despite setbacks

By MARC SANTORA

In solemn ceremonies and small vigils, state visits, stirring speeches and statements of solidarity, Ukraine and its allies marked the dawn of the third year of Russia’s unprovoked invasion with a single message: Believe.

“When thousands of columns of Russian invaders moved from all directions into Ukraine, when thousands of rockets and bombs fell on our land, no one in the world believed that we would stand,” said Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s newly named top military commander. “No one believed, but Ukraine did!”

On the 731st day of the war, Ukrainian soldiers once again find themselves outmanned and outgunned, fighting for their nation’s survival while also trying to convince a skeptical world that they can withstand the relentless onslaught, even as they suffer losses on the battlefield and are challenged up and down the front line by Russian forces.

The leaders of Canada, Belgium and Italy, as well as the head of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, were among the dignitaries who traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, in a show of solidarity. While many analysts at the outbreak of the war believed that European nations would go wobbly in their support of Ukraine in a prolonged struggle, these countries are now stepping up, trying to help fill the void left by the U.S., where Republicans in Congress have for months blocked any new military assistance to Ukraine.

With Ukraine’s allies by his side outside the wrecked hangar that once housed a gigantic Mriya cargo plane, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented awards to soldiers at Hostomel Airport, where a pivotal early battle played out two years ago.

“When our soldiers destroyed the Russian killers’ landing and didn’t allow Russia to create its foothold here, the world saw the most important thing,” he said. “It saw that any evil can be defeated, and Russian aggression is no exception.”

Soldiers carry the coffin of Andrii Katanenko, 39, a Ukrainian soldier who was killed in a Russian missile strike near Avdiivka three days earlier, during his funeral at the Church of St. Andrew in Bucha, Ukraine on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. On the 731st day of the war, Ukrainian soldiers once again find themselves outmanned and outgunned, fighting for their nation’s survival while also trying to convince a skeptical world that they can withstand the relentless onslaught, even as they suffer losses on the battlefield and are challenged up and down the front line by Russian forces. (Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times)

However, Ukrainians needed no reminders about why they are fighting or the cost of a defeat.

In Bucha — where a massacre of civilians, one of the first widely documented atrocities of the war, has became emblematic of Russia’s brutal occupation — residents gathered at a memorial where a mass grave holding the remains of 117 people was discovered. Some of the victims had been burned to death. Others had been shot. Many showed signs of torture.

“Two years of fear, two years of Russia mocking us,” Oleksandr Hrytsynenko, 77, said as he paid his respects to his fallen neighbors. “We need to arm ourselves with infinite patience.”

As people gathered outside, Vira Katanenko was inside the church preparing to

bury her son, Andrii, 39. He was killed along with two other soldiers this past week by a Russian missile in a village outside Avdiivka, a stronghold of Ukrainian defenses that fell last week to Russian troops.

“The Russians killed my son,” she said. “Will America help us get rid of the Russians?”

That is a question on the minds of many. But as Kyiv waits for an answer, the Ukrainian military pointed to the sky Saturday as evidence that it can still cause Moscow pain.

Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk said Saturday that a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft had been shot down by Ukrainian forces near Yeysk in Russia, more than 120 miles from the nearest Ukrainian controlled territory

The claim could not be independently confirmed, but the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research group, confirmed that a plane had crashed in the region, saying, “Footage posted on February 23 shows a fixed-winged aircraft falling, and geolocated footage shows a significant fire with secondary detonations.”

The A-50, with its distinct circular radar arrays rising from the fuselage,

is crucial in coordinating aerial Russian bombardments of Ukrainian positions on the front, where its forces have used powerful guided bombs to devastating effect. The loss of two A-50s in recent weeks, military analysts said, would be a significant blow that could help temporarily relieve pressure on the troops at the front.

Syrsky, who has conceded that Russia has the initiative across the front, said Ukrainian attacks on planes reflected a broader effort to use asymmetric tactics against a far larger enemy.

As part of that campaign, the Ukrainians have also vowed to take the fight to inside Russia.

Two years after the Kremlin directed missiles and rockets at cities across Ukraine, Ukrainian intelligence officials said Saturday they orchestrated a drone assault on one of Russia’s largest steel plants, one that provided raw materials for Russian companies involved in the production of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Igor Artamonov, governor of Russia’s Lipetsk region, confirmed that there was a fire at the main plant of Russian metallurgy company, Novolipetsk Steel, and said preliminary reports indicated it was caused by a drone, according a statement he released on Telegram.

Ukraine’s claims could not be independently confirmed.

For Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front, anything that can degrade the Russian war machine is welcome, but they are under no illusions. The road ahead will be as long as it is likely to be deadly.

“Every anniversary comes with the thought that it should finish,” said Shaman, 40, a battalion commander fighting in eastern Ukraine. “Every year that goes by is another year stolen from us. The time is spent away from your wife and children. All life is on hold.”

Lana Chupryna, 15, has lived most of her life in the shadow of war. On Saturday, she joined other schoolchildren under a bridge in Irpin that was blown up by Ukrainian soldiers desperate to slow the Russian advance on Kyiv in the opening days of the war.

“Feb. 24 was just an ordinary day,” she said of the start of Russia’s invasion. “I was supposed to go to school, but at five in the morning, shelling began. I went to my mom, and she said that war had started.”

She still struggles to understand how her life had been turned upside down, but the memories of those first days, she said, “will remain in my soul, I think, forever.”

By ROSS DOUTHAT

Imagine a short story from the golden age of science fiction, something that would appear in a pulp magazine in 1956. Our title is “The Truth Engine,” and the story envisions a future where computers, those hulking, floor-to-ceiling things, become potent enough to guide humans to answers to any question they might ask, from the capital of Bolivia to the best way to marinade a steak.

How would such a story end? With some kind of reveal, no doubt, of a secret agenda lurking behind the promise of all-encompassing knowledge. For instance, maybe there’s a Truth Engine 2.0, smarter and more creative, that everyone can’t wait to get their hands on. And then a band of dissidents discovers that version 2.0 is fanatical and mad, that the Engine has just been preparing humans for totalitarian brainwashing or involuntary extinction.

This flight of fancy is inspired by our society’s own version of the Truth Engine, the oracle of Google, which recently debuted Gemini, the latest entrant in the great artificial intelligence race.

It didn’t take long for users to notice certain … oddities with Gemini. The most notable was its struggle to render accurate depictions of Vikings, ancient Romans, American Founding Fathers, random couples in 1820s Germany and various other demographics usually

characterized by a paler hue of skin.

Perhaps the problem was just that the AI was programmed for racial diversity in stock imagery, and its historical renderings had somehow (as a company statement put it) “missed the mark” — delivering, for instance, African and Asian faces in Wehrmacht uniforms in response to a request to see a German soldier circa 1943.

But the way in which Gemini answered questions made its nonwhite defaults seem more like a weird emanation of the AI’s underlying worldview. Users reported being lectured on “harmful stereotypes” when they asked to see a Norman Rockwell image, being told they could see pictures of Vladimir Lenin but not Adolf Hitler, and being turned down when they requested images depicting groups specified as white (but not other races).

Nate Silver reported getting answers that seemed to follow “the politics of the median member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.” The Washington Examiner’s Tim Carney discovered that Gemini would make a case for being child-free but not a case for having a large family; it refused to give a recipe for foie gras because of ethical concerns but explained that cannibalism was an issue with a lot of shades of gray.

Describing these kinds of results as “woke AI” isn’t an insult. It’s a technical description of what the world’s dominant search engine decided to release.

There are three reactions one might have to this experience. The first is the typical conservative reaction, less surprise than vindication. Here we get a look behind the curtain, a revelation of what the powerful people responsible for our daily information diet actually believe — that anything tainted by whiteness is suspect, anything that seems even vaguely non-Western gets special deference, and history itself needs to be retconned and decolonized to be fit for modern consumption. Google overreached by being so blatant in this case, but we can assume that the entire architecture of the modern internet has a more subtle bias in the same direction.

The second reaction is more relaxed. Yes, Gemini probably shows what some people responsible for ideological correctness in Silicon Valley believe. But we don’t live in a science-fiction story with a single Truth Engine. If Google’s search bar delivered Gemini-style results, then users would abandon it. And Gemini is being mocked all over the non-Google internet, especially on a rival platform run by a famously unwoke billionaire. Better to join the mockery than fear the woke AI — or better still, join singer Grimes, the unwoke billionaire’s sometime paramour, in marveling at what emerged from Gemini’s tortured algorithm, treating the results as “masterpiece of performance art,” a “shining star of corporate surrealism.”

The third reaction considers the two preceding takes and says, well, a lot depends on where you think

A “Point of no return” advisory sign out for travelers at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado on Aug. 12, 2021. Google’s AI engineers imagine themselves to be building something nearly godlike, something that might solve problems in ways we can’t even imagine. The more seriously you take those views, the less amusing the chatbot’s lapses become, Ross Douthat writes. (Michael Ciaglo/The New York Times)

AI is going. If the whole project remains a supercharged form of search, a generator of middling essays and infinite disposable distractions, then any attempt to use its powers to enforce a fanatical ideological agenda is likely to just be buried under all the dreck.

But this isn’t where the architects of something like Gemini think their work is going. They imagine themselves to be building something nearly godlike, something that might be a Truth Engine in full — solving problems in ways we can’t even imagine — or else might become our master and successor, making all our questions obsolete.

The more seriously you take that view, the less amusing the Gemini experience becomes. Putting the power to create a chatbot in the hands of fools and commissars is an amusing corporate blunder. Putting the power to summon a demigod or minor demon in the hands of fools and commissars seems more likely to end the same way as many science-fiction tales: unhappily for everybody.

Magnífico el inicio del Mundial

POR EL STAR STAFF

ARECIBO – El alcalde de Arecibo, Carlos ‘Tito’

Ramírez Irizarry, junto a la senadora de distrito, Elizabeth Rosa Vélez, fueron parte de la inauguración del Mundial de Surfing, donde deportistas de 55 países compiten en las clasificatorias finales para ser parte de las Olimpiadas 2024 en París, Francia.

“Para nuestra ciudad es una gran alegría recibir a miles de visitantes de todo el mundo que han llegado a nuestra ciudad para ejercer uno de los valores más importantes que unen a los pueblos, que es el deporte. Durante los pasados meses hemos trabajado mano a mano con los organizadores para garantizar que este evento sea de calidad mundial. La inauguración es un augurio muy, muy bueno”, señaló el alcalde.

Ramírez Irizarry participó previamente de la conferencia de prensa oficial, donde agradeció la labor de todos los servidores públicos municipales “que han

de Surfing

en Arecibo, serán 10 días de actividades

estado, están y estarán laborando detalladamente en las diversas obligaciones del evento. Mis compañeros de labores han confirmado sin duda alguna que Are-

Álvaro Abreu domina el 10k Llanero

POR CYBERNEWS

TOA

BAJA – El orocoveño Álvaro Abreu fue el primer corredor en llegar a la meta el domingo, en la cuarta edición de la carrera 10k Llanero, en Toa Baja.

Abreu cruzó la meta al frente de una matrícula de 1,200 corredores en tiempo de 32:06. Mientras, la cagüeña Mónica Passu se alzó con el primer lugar en

Triunfa Cayey en la Liga de Equipos de Ajedrez de Puerto Rico 2024

la rama femenina con tiempo de 38:09, informó el director técnico de la carrera, José “Joe” Laboy.

La carrera, que tuvo su disparo de salida a las 6:30 de la mañana y que también contó con un 5k, discurrió por la carretera PR-165 hasta la entrada de Palo Seco y regresó al Balneario Punta Salinas. Las categorías incluyeron masculino y femenino de 16 años en adelante, toabajeños y silla de ruedas, con premios que sobrepasaron los 9 mil dólares.

POR EL STAR STAFF

C AYEY – El alcalde de Cayey, Rolando Ortiz Velázquez, celebró el triunfo de los ajedrecistas cayeyanos en el evento Liga de Equipos de Ajedrez de Puerto Rico 2024. “Nuestro equipo, denominado ‘Los de Cayey’ revalidaron como campeones en este evento celebrado desde el lunes 19, hasta el jueves, 22 de febrero”. Los de Cayey ganaron todos sus matches y acumularon un total de 18.5 puntos de 20 posibles. Cayey sigue dominando el ajedrez puertorriqueño por la constancia de sus jugadores y la proyección que realizan de esta disciplina .Los integrantes del equipo fueron los siguientes:

1er Tablero: Gran Maestro Yusnel Bacallao Alonso

2do Tablero: Maestro FIDE Edgardo J. Almedina Ortiz

3er Tablero: Maestro Candidato Diego “La Maravilla” Zilleruelo Irizarry

4to Tablero: Maestro Candidato Miguel A. Boggiano Pereira

cibo brilla en su organización y compromiso”. El alcalde aprovechó para desear la mejor de las suertes a la delegación boricua de surfing. La misma está compuesta por tres surfistas hombres y tres mujeres: Brian Toth, Dwight Pastrana y Ricardo Delgado, así como Havanna Cabrero, Mía Calderón y Jolari Carreras.

Por su parte, la senadora Rosa Vélez expuso que el evento culmina el 3 de marzo del 2024 y representa una gran exposición para nuestra ciudad de Arecibo, y para todo el distrito, pues se impacta positivamente al comercio, particularmente al turismo y de suministros. Felicito a los organizadores por tan excelente inicio.

El área de La Marginal (avenida Víctor Rojas) en Arecibo, lugar del evento, fue particularmente atendida por diversas brigadas municipales, en una labor en conjunto con el comité organizador puertorriqueño, presidido por el banquero y líder olímpico, Richard Carrión.

1er Suplente: Jonathan Barreto Arzola

2do Suplente: Marco Rodríguez Labrador

En septiembre del pasado año, Almedina Ortiz, nuevamente se coronó como el campeón en Puerto Rico, luego de acumular una puntuación de 8 de 9 posibles en el evento más reciente de la Federación de Ajedrez de Puerto Rico, de la que Almedina es parte.

“En Cayey tenemos muchos campeones y líderes deportivos en muchos campos, y es importante que se sepa que nuestro campeón ha logrado este título en 4 ocasiones, primero en el año 2013, seguido en el 2014, luego en 2018 y ahora en el 2023”, señaló Ortiz Velázquez.

El joven ajedrecista descubrió su pasión por esta disciplina deportiva en la Escuela Ramón Emeterio Betances, en Cayey, y ya llevo más de 20 años en esta disciplina. “Este es un juego para desarrollar la inteligencia, mientras más lo juegas, te desarrollas, porque piensas y creas estrategias mentales. El cerebro es como el resto del cuerpo, cuando vas al gimnasio desarrollas músculo, pues eso mismo pasa con el ajedrez”, aseguró Almedina.

Onstage, a feisty Olivia Rodrigo tests out life after girlhood

By JON CARAMANICA

As a pop star, Olivia Rodrigo wields a rather unusual arsenal of weapons.

She is an acute writer and an un-selfconscious singer. She largely abhors artifice. She is modest, not salacious. In just three years, she has achieved something approaching stratospheric fame — a four-times platinum debut album and a Grammy for best new artist — while somehow remaining an underdog.

But the weapon she returns to again and again is a very pointed and versatile curse word, one that she used to vivid effect on both her 2020 breakout hit, “Drivers License,” the first single from her debut album, “Sour,” and on “Vampire,” the Grammynominated single from her second album, “Guts,” released last year. It’s in plenty of other places, too, giving her anguished entreaties an extra splash of zest. She wants to make it clear that underneath her composed exterior, she’s boiling over.

On Friday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, during the opening performance of the Guts World Tour, Rodrigo couldn’t get enough of that word. She used it for emphasis, to connote dismissiveness and to demonstrate exasperation. But mostly she used it casually, in between-song banter, not because she needed to, but because using it felt like getting away with something.

Much of Rodrigo’s music — especially “Guts,” with its detailed and delirious ruminations about new fame and its discontents — is about how it feels to act bad after being told how important it is to be good. It’s situated at the juncture where freedom is just about to give way to misbehavior.

This was true of her performance as well, which brought the perfection and order of musical theater to the pop-punk and piano balladry that her songs toggle between. Over an hour and a half, Rodrigo alternately roared and pleaded, stomped and collapsed. She led a reverent 11,000-person crowd — a sizable leap from the theaters she played on her first tour — in singalongs that were churchlike and raucous, but never rowdy.

Throughout the concert, Rodrigo made gestural nods to abandon — singing the first verse of “Get Him Back!” through a megaphone, knocking the mic stand down at the end of “All-American Bitch,” performing spicily for a camera peering up from beneath

terated by her arrangements. She offered a contrast to Rodrigo, who sings about sex in glancing references and punchlines, often hidden in the middle of a verse. (Beginning in April, the openers will be Remi Wolf, PinkPantheress and, very promisingly for the cross-generationally curious, the Breeders.)

That subject matter is still too raw for Rodrigo, who never places herself too far away from her youngest fans, or her younger self. But that might change soon. Rodrigo turned 21 a few days before this show, perhaps the final publicly acknowledged demarcation line between youth and adulthood. She did not let it pass without comment.

“I went to the gas station the other day and bought a pack of cigarettes,” she said, sitting at the piano after “Drivers License,” in what threatened to be the night’s sole moment of genuine misbehavior.

But then she confessed, “I promise I didn’t consume it, but I just bought it just because I could.” Did she add a curse word for emphasis? She fudging did.

McCausland/The New York Times)

a clear section of the stage on “Obsessed.”

While she has an exuberant stage presence, she is not a full-service pop star, and is better for avoiding that trap. Rodrigo is on her surest footing when performing faithful, unflashy recitations of her songs. She opened the night with a boundlessly energetic “Bad Idea Right?” followed by “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” perhaps the truest statement of purpose from her last album, and let the dry, groaning ’90s guitars telegraph anxiety and gloom.

Those songs emphasize Rodrigo’s yen to rock, which is earnest and studied and bolstered by an impressively roaring band that lent her a soupçon of grit. But she followed with an even more powerful troika of howling repudiations: “Vampire” into “Traitor” into “Drivers License,” a string of slow ballads that are among her most invigorating songs. (Almost as moving was hearing three young girls, maybe 8 years old, screaming their brains out to “Traitor” while watching its music video in the back of a tricked-out Mercedes Sprinter van in the parking lot before the show.)

But making her songs feel big didn’t require much besides the songs themselves. At the end of “The Grudge,” Rodrigo stood pointedly alone at the foot of the stage, a flash of self-sufficiency and defiance. (Dancers

joined her for several songs, and for some, she danced along with them awkwardly.) Late in the performance, she sang a gasping “Happier” and the casually sinister “Favorite Crime” while seated at the edge of one of the stage’s tentacles. And although she was floating over the crowd on a crescent moon for “Logical” and “Enough for You,” two of her most heartbreaking songs, it was the firm quiver in her voice that thrilled the most, not the spectacle up in the air.

At the merchandise booths, vendors were selling the accouterments of girlhood: lavender butterfly-shaped tote bags, star-shaped stickers that adhere to your face (to emulate the “Sour” album cover) and Band-Aids with Rodrigo catchphrases. And onstage, the performers were advertising the power of girlhood: the members of Rodrigo’s band and dance troupe were all female, nonbinary or transgender.

Rodrigo has made supporting young women part of the tour, too: Proceeds from each ticket go to her charitable organization, Fund 4 Good, and will support “communitybased nonprofits that champion girls’ education, support reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence.”

The opener was Chappell Roan, a sexually frank singer whose big voice was obli-

Olivia Rodrigo performs during the opening night of her first arena tour at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Friday night, Feb. 23, 2024. The opening night of the pop star’s Guts World Tour had sparkle and abandon, but making her songs feel big didn’t require much besides the songs themselves. (OK

SAG Awards 2024: ‘Oppenheimer’ dominates the night

By KYLE BUCHANAN

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” scored three big wins at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday night, adding even more industry prizes to its formidable war chest.

The film’s top honor, the SAG Award for best ensemble, brought cast members, including Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt, to the stage. Their co-star Kenneth Branagh noted that they were last together in July, when they walked out of the biopic’s premiere in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike.

“This is a full-circle moment for us,” Branagh said.

Thus far, “Oppenheimer” has won top prizes at the Golden Globes, BAFTA and Critics Choice Awards and is considered the frontrunner for the best picture Oscar. Last year’s best-picture winner, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” also triumphed at the SAGs first, though only five of the last 10 ensemble winners have gone on to Oscar glory.

Going into Saturday, “Oppenheimer” had won top prizes at the Golden Globes, BAFTA and Critics Choice Awards, and is considered the front-runner for the best picture Oscar.

The SAG Awards have a much better track record when it comes to clarifying the individual acting races, since those winners have matched up exactly with the

Ruddy

Hernández

Oscars each of the last two years. In the competitive best actor race, “Oppenheimer” star Murphy triumphed over Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) and Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), among others, for his performance as the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb during World War II.

FILM

what seemed like a reference to the current world situation. Noting that Hollywood was built by studio chiefs such as Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer, men who fled antisemitism in Eastern Europe, she said, “Now I dream of a world where such prejudice is a thing of the past.”

But the actress, filmmaker and singer focused mostly on her love of film, fondly recalling going to the movies at a theater near Erasmus Hall High School in the New York borough of Brooklyn. “That make-believe world was much more pleasant than anything I experienced,” she said, explaining that she didn’t like reality. “I wanted to be in the movies.”

Later, as a working actress, she recalled, her first film, “Funny Girl” (1968), set the tone for her career, thanks to director William Wyler and cinematographer Harry Stradling. “They had no problem with young women with opinions,” she added.

Here is a complete list of winners:

Outstanding Cast “Oppenheimer”

Actor in a Lead Role

Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”

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And though “Poor Things” star Emma Stone won the BAFTA for best actress last weekend, “Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone triumphed at SAG for her turn as an Osage woman whose family members are murdered by her husband (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his uncle (Robert De Niro).

Actress in a Lead Role

Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

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In the supporting races, SAG honored Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who played a grieving school cook in “The Holdovers,” and Downey, who delivered a seething performance as a political operative in “Oppenheimer.” Both stars have dominated the season and will almost certainly cruise to Oscar-night victory.

Ensemble in a Drama Series

“Succession”

Ensemble in a Comedy Series

“The Bear”

Actor in a Drama Series

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“Why me, why now? Why do things seem to be going my way?” Downey joked in his latest acceptance speech, adding, “Unlike my fellow nominees, I will never grow tired from the sound of my voice.”

In her own speech, Randolph sought to inspire her fellow actors.

“How lucky are we to do what we do?” she said. “For every actor out there waiting for their chance, let me tell you that your life can change in a day.”

Elsewhere at the ceremony, Barbra Streisand accepted a lifetime achievement award with

Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”

Actress in a Drama Series

Elizabeth Debicki, “The Crown”

Actor in a Comedy Series

Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Actress in a Comedy Series

Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”

Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Steven Yeun, “Beef”

Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Ali Wong, “Beef”

Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series

“The Last of Us”

What to know about the risk of food poisoning from listeria

By MELINDA WENNER MOYER

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced an expanded recall of dairy products and other foods that may have been contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

The recalled products — all with ingredients manufactured by California-based Rizo López Foods — include cheese, yogurt, sour cream, salad dressings and kits and other foods that use Rizo López’s products. They have been sold under many brand names and by supermarkets including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market and Marketside.

Most people who ingest listeria don’t get very sick, if they develop symptoms at all. But certain highrisk individuals can fall seriously ill. About 1,600 people in the United States develop serious listeria infections, known as listeriosis, every year — and about 260 of those infections are fatal, said Laura Gieraltowski, a public health researcher with the CDC’s outbreak response and prevention branch.

In the current outbreak, there have been 26 confirmed cases across 11 states, including 23 hospitalizations and two deaths.

Here’s what you need to know about listeria to stay safe.

How does listeria end up in food?

Listeria bacteria are naturally found in soil, which means they also end up on or inside things that come into contact with the soil, such as plants and animals.

“We find it pretty much everywhere in nature when we look for it,” said Catherine Donnelly, an emeritus professor at the University of Vermont who has studied listeria for decades.

The bacterium is also “a hardy germ, and it is tough — it can survive for a long time,” Gieraltowski explained. Food contaminated with listeria can deposit the bacteria on counters, deli slicers and other surfaces where food is prepared and pro-

The outbreak primarily affects foods containing soft cheeses such as ricotta and cotija, which have a neutral pH and contain lots of water that the bacteria can use to multiply, said Jasna Kovac, a professor of food science at Penn State University.

cessed, where it can linger and contaminate other foods.

“It forms biofilms, which are structures that allow it to attach to things like stainless steel,” Donnelly said.

Cantaloupes are often implicated in listeria outbreaks because the “rind has got all those bumps and grooves which are really great little spots for bacteria to hide out in” and which resist washing off, Gieraltowski said. Then, when people slice into it, listeria are transferred onto the knife and the parts of the fruit they eat.

The current outbreak primarily affects foods containing soft cheeses such as ricotta and cotija, which have a neutral pH and contain lots of water that the bacteria can use to multiply, said Jasna Kovac, a professor of food science at Penn State University. Listeria don’t grow nearly as well in harder cheeses such as cheddar and Parmesan because those are more acidic and contain less water.

What do symptoms look like, and how can you avoid an infection?

It can take anywhere from a few

days to up to three months for symptoms to appear because the bacteria grow so slowly inside the body, Donnelly explained.

Most people who get sick from contaminated food will have flu-like symptoms — fever, diarrhea, vomiting — for a few days, or they may not have any symptoms. They likely will not need any kind of treatment and will start to feel better on their own, Gieraltowski said.

But people who are 65 and older, who are pregnant or who have weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of having listeria infections that spread from the intestines to the blood, Kovac said. When this happens, people tend to experience more severe flu-like symptoms and may need to be hospitalized. A fetus can also be infected, because listeria bacteria can cross the placenta.

For these reasons, the CDC recommends that people in high-risk groups avoid foods commonly contaminated with listeria, including unpasteurized soft cheeses, premade deli salads, and cold-cuts, meats and

cheeses that were sliced at a deli but have not been reheated. (The bacteria can be killed by heating food to a high enough temperature.)

Another way to minimize your risk is to put food in the refrigerator within two hours of preparing it, Kovac said.

And always keep your fridge at or below 40 degrees. Many people keep theirs at slightly higher temperatures that can allow listeria to thrive, Donnelly explained. A few degrees cooler can make “a huge difference.”

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Help! I missed a cruise and the cruise line’s own travel insurance won’t pay.

By SETH KUGEL

Dear Tripped Up,

After graduating from college in 2022 and working for a year, I used my bonus and some of my savings to book a nine-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line for my partner and me. Our $7,657 cruise package included airfare from Atlanta to Barcelona, Spain, via Newark, New Jersey, and Norwegian’s own BookSafe Travel Protection Plan, which included travel insurance and also allowed me to “cancel for any reason” for a 75% credit. Weather delayed our first flight, we missed the connection, and United Airlines could not get us to Barcelona in time to embark. I called Norwegian, and agents suggested I buy last-minute tickets on a different airline, but I don’t have that kind of money. And even if I did, there were no direct flights to later ports, and I was unwilling to risk missing another connecting flight. So we spent the night in the Newark airport, paid for a return flight to Atlanta the next morning and canceled the cruise and remaining air legs. I got $1,184 back right away from Norwegian and then an additional $232 back (for my return flight) from travel insurance when I filed a trip delay claim, but a trip cancellation claim for the cruise was denied outright. I feel I should at least get the 75% credit — otherwise what was the protection plan for? Can you help? — Ivy, Atlanta

Dear Ivy,

You’re not the first traveler to write Tripped Up after missing a cruise because of flight delays on the very itinerary the cruise company booked for them.

You also went out of your way to solve this problem on your own: first, registering complaints with the Better Business Bureau, the Georgia attorney general, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Florida (where Norwegian is based), all to no avail. Even when I offered to help, you didn’t stop and — before I could do anything — prodded Norwegian into giving you a slightly-morethan-75% credit, or $5,420, for a future cruise “as a gesture of good will.” Impressive.

I would have moved on to help another Tripped Up reader, but Norwegian’s use of the responsibility-shirking phrase “as a gesture of good will” bugged me. I wanted to know why BookSafe didn’t cover you and what other cruise customers can do to protect themselves.

The BookSafe plan actually has two main parts: a travel insurance policy, administered by Aon Affinity and underwritten by Nationwide; and a “cancel for any reason credit feature,” provided by Norwegian itself.

I read through the fine print, and it turns out (and Aon confirms) the travel insurance portion does not provide reimbursement for a cruise if airline issues cause a traveler to miss it. But under the Cancel for Any Reason component, it looks to me as if Norwegian should have given you that credit with no hassle.

I tried to confirm that with Norwegian, but the company declined to answer most of my questions, instead responding with imprecise statements via email.

operators like Carnival, Disney, MSC, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Viking. I used the New York versions for consistency and looked specifically at how well they covered issues caused by delays and cancellations of “common carriers” — airlines, trains and the like.

All the plans have “trip delay,” “trip cancellation” and “trip interruption” coverage administered by insurance companies. Most include a separate “cancel for any reason” credit portion that the cruise lines administer themselves. (Only MSC does not.)

A young woman booked her first big trip, a Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian, but missed the boat when her flight was delayed — since she bought the cruise line’s own travel protection plan, why is she stuck with the bill? (Miguel

Porlan/The New York Times)

“Although Norwegian Cruise Line provides flight arrangements as part of its cruise offering,” the first email read, “we do not have control over the operations of the airlines and are not responsible for any flight modifications or cancellations.”

“It is because of the very nature of unexpected situations, such as this, that we strongly recommend all guests purchase travel insurance,” the statement continued.

But again, you purchased the travel protection plan and the insurance portion did not cover you. As for the Cancel for Any Reason credit component, Norwegian sent another email, which you forwarded, that read, “We are unable to issue credits for the penalties assessed to your reservation as this does not qualify under Cancel for Any Reason prior to departure.”

When you complained to the Better Business Bureau initially, Norwegian doubled down, giving it same wording.

I can’t understand why. For the credit to kick in, BookSafe clearly states you need only cancel “prior to the ship’s departure,” not prior to your flight’s departure. You forwarded me a cancellation document, dated the day you flew back to Atlanta — which was also the day the cruise set sail. That would seem to qualify, unless Norwegian determined the cancellation took place minutes or hours after the ship departed. That would be pretty disingenuous of it, considering you had been on the phone with the company since the night before, asking about your options.

When I asked Norwegian about the original rejection, I got a statement saying you “had incorrectly filed a claim for a trip delay instead of a trip cancellation claim” and that the credit was “later added” to your account.

To me, that’s somewhere between muddled and false. What actually happened was that you filed a “trip delay” claim to Aon that turned out only to cover your flight back to Atlanta. (That’s what trip delay coverage does, cover unexpected expenses.) Then, you filed a “trip cancellation” claim, also to Aon, but that was never going to work: Trip cancellation coverage lapsed once you got on the plane, and yet another kind of coverage, “trip interruption,” kicks in. But filing for that wouldn’t have done you any good: Norwegian’s trip interruption policy does not cover airline delays.

That’s why you ended up — after some blood, sweat and tears, that is — with the 75% credit from Norwegian.

I got curious and decided to compare the fine print of BookSafe with the default travel protection plans at cruise

I focused on trip interruption, which typically provides a maximum benefit of 125% or 150% of the trip’s value. That means a traveler could in theory be reimbursed for the full cost of the cruise, plus additional expenses incurred because of the interruption.

Three of the seven plans I looked at — Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Princess — leave airline issues out of trip interruption benefits entirely, making it impossible, in a situation like yours, to claim the value of a missed cruise in its entirety. “That is shocking,” said Jason Schreier, chief executive of the travel division of Aegis General Insurance.

“Ninety-five percent of travel insurance plans you’ll find have common carrier issues in both trip cancellation and interruption benefits,” he said.

The other four cover delays to varying extents. Carnival mentions only weather issues. MSC and Viking cover mechanical problems, weather delays and strikes — pretty standard language, but not all encompassing. Only Disney’s plan allows trip interruption to kick in for “any delay of a common carrier,” as long as it causes you to miss at least half the trip. Schreier told me that the cruise lines themselves will often scratch common perils from custom plans to reduce liability. When I asked Norwegian about this, the company referred me to Aon Affinity. But Beth Godlin, president of Aon Affinity Travel Practice, wrote that Aon “works with many different cruise lines” and customizes plans “to meet the needs of the cruise line.”

Finally, there’s that cancel-for-any-reason-for-partialcruise-credit element. As we learned, Norwegian’s plan, as well as those of Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess and Disney, do include flight issues by allowing travelers to cancel right up to the ship’s departure. Only Viking’s is different — ending once you board your first flight. (Again, MSC does not offer this benefit at all.)

I’d warn against choosing a cruise line on the sole basis of whether its protection plan covers common carrier delays — you’d just be asking for something different to go wrong. But Ivy, as you use your credit, I’d consider putting in the time to look into buying a separate insurance plan, using comparison sites like TravelInsurance.com or Squaremouth, or going directly to companies like Aegis, which Schreier points out has a cruise-specific package and a “Stress Less” feature that might have paid on the spot for a flight on a different airline to get you to Barcelona on time.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a great cruise and can at least temporarily forgive Norwegian for what happened — as a gesture of goodwill.

An asteroid wiped out dinosaurs. Did it help birds flourish?

By CARL ZIMMER

Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the Gulf of Mexico. The catastrophe led to the extinction of as many as three-quarters of all species on Earth, including dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex. But some flying feathered dinosaurs survived and eventually evolved into the more than 10,000 species of birds living today, including hummingbirds, condors, parrots and owls.

Based on the fossil record, paleontologists have long argued that the asteroid’s impact was followed by a big pulse of bird evolution. The mass extinction of other animals may have eliminated a lot of competition for the birds, giving them the chance to evolve into the remarkable diversity of species that fly around us today.

But a new study on the DNA of 124 bird species challenges that idea. An international team of scientists found that birds began diversifying tens of millions of years before the fateful collision, suggesting that the asteroid had no major effect on bird evolution.

“I imagine this will ruffle a few feathers,” said Scott Edwards, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University and one of the study’s authors. The research was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dinosaurs evolved primitive feathers at least 200 million years ago, not for flight but most likely for insulation or a mating display. In one lineage of small bipedal dinosaurs, those feathers became more complex and then ultimately took the creatures into the air as birds. How feathers turned into wings for flight is still debated. But once birds evolved, they diversified into a variety of forms, many of which became extinct when the asteroid plunged the Earth into a yearslong winter.

When searching for fossils of the major groups of birds alive today, scientists have found almost none that formed before the asteroid hit. That striking absence has led to a theory that the mass extinctions cleared the evolutionary arena for birds, allowing them to explode into many new forms.

But the new study came to a very different conclusion.

“We found that this catastrophe didn’t have impact on modern birds,” said Shaoyuan Wu, an evolutionary biologist at Jiangsu Normal University in Xuzhou, China.

Wu and his colleagues used the birds’ DNA to reconstruct a family tree that showed how the major groups were related. The oldest split created two lineages: one that includes today’s ostriches and emus, and the other with the rest of all living birds.

The scientists then estimated when the branches split into new lineages by comparing the mutations that accumulated along the branches. The older the split between two branches, the more mutations each lineage built up.

The team included paleontologists who helped to fine-tune the genetic estimates by examining the age of 19 fossils of birds. If a branch appeared to be newer than a fossil that belonged to it, they adjusted the computer model that estimated the pace of bird evolution.

Michael Pittman, a paleontologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the new study, said it was particularly noteworthy because of the fossil analysis. “They had a dream team of paleontologists,” he said.

The study found that living birds shared a common ancestor that lived 130 million years ago. New branches of its family tree steadily split off throughout the Cretaceous Period and afterward at a fairly steady pace, both before and after the asteroid impact. Wu said that this steady trend might have been fueled by the growing diversity of flowering plants and insects during the same period.

Jacob Berv, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan who was not involved in the study, said it illustrated state-of-the-art methods for crunching huge amounts of genetic data to reconstruct evolutionary history. But he did not agree with its conclusion.

If the new study was right, there should be fossils of all major groups of living birds from well before the asteroid impact. But almost none have been found.

“The signal from the fossil record is not ambiguous,” Berv said.

Berv suspects that the correct story comes from the fossils and that most major groups of birds emerged after

the asteroid impact. The potential problem with the new study, he said, is that it assumes that the bird DNA accumulated mutations at a steady rate from one generation to the next.

But the devastation of the asteroid’s impact — causing forests to collapse and creating shortages of prey — might have led to the deaths of bigger birds, while smaller birds survived. Small birds take less time to reproduce, and they would produce many more generations — and many more mutations — than birds did before the impact. If scientists ignore this kind of mutational overdrive, they will get the timing of evolution wrong.

Still, Berv acknowledged that scientists are just starting to develop methods that could allow them to better estimate the rate of evolution and integrate it with other evidence such as DNA and fossils. “I suspect that will reconcile some of the debates,” he said.

Emus in Hamilton, Mont., on Feb. 5, 2013. Today’s birds began their evolution into more than 10,000 species long before the fateful collision, a new genetic study found. (Tony Demin/The New York Times)

Dr. José B. Morales Claudio Médico Generalista

Niños,

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DEMANDANTE V. SUCESIÓN DE MARILU RABASSA LABOY COMPUESTA POR: FULANO DE TAL, FULANA DE TAL, ZUTANO DE TAL, ZUTANA DE TAL, A, B Y C COMO HEREDEROS

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Civil Núm. GM2018cv00108

(202). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y Ejecución de Hipoteca por la Vía Ordinaria. AVISO DE VENTA EN PÚBLICA SUBAS-

TA. Yo, HECTOR MARQUEZ

NERIS, Alguacil Supervisor de la División de Subastas del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Guayama, los demandados y al público en general les notifico que, cumpliendo con un Mandamiento que se ha librado en el presente caso por el Secretario del Tribunal de epígrafe con fecha 2 de febrero de 2023 y para satisfacer la cantidad adeudada de $74,071.05 de principal mediante Sentencia dictada en el caso de autos el 26 de agosto de 2019, notificada y archivada en autos el 26 de agosto de 2019, y publicada mediante edicto en el periódico “The San Juan Daily Star” el 20 de septiembre de 2019, procederé a vender en pública subasta, al mejor postor en pago de contado y en moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América, mediante efectivo, giro o cheque certificado a nombre del Alguacil de este Tribunal todo derecho, título e interés que hayan tenido tengan o puedan tener los deudores demandados en cuanto a la propiedad localizada en el Municipio de Patillas, Puerto Rico, el bien inmueble se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar marcado número 13 del bloque “A” (A-13) en el plano de la Urbanización Portales de Jacaboa radicada en el barrio Jacaboa del

término municipal de Patillas, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 928.46 metros cuadrados. En lindes al Norte, en una distancia de 12.33 metros con Avenida San José y en una distancia de 19.19 metros con el lote I-17; al Sur, con cuatro alineaciones que suman 38.48 metros con Sucesión Pedro Vázquez; al Este, en una distancia de 38.85 metros con Brisas de Tolima, Inc., y al Oeste, en una distancia de 21.03 metros con el lote A-12 y en una distancia de 6.50 metros con la Avenida San José. Enclava una estructura de hormigón para uso residencial. Consta inscrita al folio 97 del tomo 225 de Patillas, finca 10,289, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. Con el importe de dicha venta se habrá de satisfacer a la parte demandante las cantidades adeudadas, en el caso de epígrafe, que se desglosan de la siguiente forma: $74,071.05 principal, 6.5% de intereses, los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta el saldo total de la deuda; $61.44 de gastos por mora, los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta el saldo total de la deuda; más costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. El tipo mínimo para la subasta será la suma de tasación pactada, la cual es $97,189.00 según la escritura de hipoteca para la propiedad descrita. De declararse la subasta desierta, se procederá a una segunda subasta y servirá de tipo mínimo de 2/3 del precio mínimo antes mencionado; $64,792.67. Si tampoco hubiere remate ni adjudicación en esta segunda subasta, se procederá a una tercera subasta, en la cual regirá como tipo mínimo ésta la 1/2 del precio mínimo antes mencionado; $48,594.50 La primera subasta se llevará a cabo el 7 de marzo de 2024, a las 11:30 de la mañana. De no comparecer postor alguno se llevará a efecto una segunda subasta el 14 de marzo de 2024, a las 11:30 de la mañana. De no comparecer postor alguno se llevará a cabo una tercera subasta el 21 de marzo de 2024, a las 11:30 de la mañana. La subasta o subastas antes indicadas se llevarán a efecto en mi oficina, localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Guayama. Del Estudio de Título realizado surgen los siguientes gravámenes: Servidumbres a favor de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica de Puerto Rico y Puerto Rico Telephone Company. Se advierte a los licitadores que la adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el mismo acto de la adjudicación en moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica y para conocimiento de la parte deman-

dada y de toda(s) aquella(s) persona(s) que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de los licitadores y el público en general y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general, una vez por semana durante el término de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, y para su fijación en tres (3) lugares públicos del municipio en que ha de celebrarse la venta, tales como, la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía y se le notificará además a la parte demandada vía correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores, previa orden judicial dirigida al Registrador de la Propiedad de la sección correspondiente para la cancelación de aquellos posteriores. Se les advierte a todos los interesados que todos los documentos relacionados con la presente acción de ejecución de hipoteca, así como la de la subasta, estarán disponibles para ser examinados, durante horas laborables, en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante, continuarán subsistentes; entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Y para conocimiento de los demandados, de los acreedores posteriores, de los licitadores, partes interesadas y público en general, expido el presente Aviso para su publicación en los lugares públicos correspondientes. Librado en la Sala de Guayama, Puerto Rico, a 16 de febrero de 2024. HECTOR MARQUEZ NERIS, ALGUACIL.

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Monday, February 26, 2024 22

AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados

Civil Núm.: PO2020CV01124. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: LA PARTE DEMANDADA, AL (A LA) SECRETARIO(A) DE HACIENDA DE PUERTO RICO Y AL PÚBLICO

GENERAL:

Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Ponce, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América y/o Giro Postal y Cheque Certificado, en mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Ponce, el 12 DE MARZO DE 2024, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: “URBANA: Solar radicado en la URBANIZACION VILLA SERENA, localizado en el Barrio Felicia Dos, en el término municipal de Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, que se describe en el plano de inscripción de la urbanización y que se encuentra inscrito en el registro de planos, con número, área y colindancias que se relacionan a continuación: Solar número ONCE (11) del Bloque “E”. Área del solar de CUATROCIENTOS PUNTO TREINTA Y SIETE METROS CUADRADOS (400.37 M.C.). En lindes por el NORTE, con el solar número diez del bloque “E”; por el SUR, con la calle número seis y un medio arco; por el ESTE, con la calle número uno y un medio arco; y por el OESTE, con el solar número doce del bloque “E” doce.” Enclava edificación para fines residenciales. Inscrita al folio 200 del tomo 184 de Santa Isabel, finca 7,896, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución se encuentra inscrita al Tomo Karibe, finca 7,896 en Santa Isabel, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama, inscripción 4ª. Propiedad localizada en: URB. VILLA SERENA, E-11 (98) CALLE GUAJATACA, SANTA ISABEL, PR 00757. Se-

gún figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas anteriores o preferentes: Nombre del Titular: N/A. Suma de la Carga: N/A. Fecha de Vencimiento: N/A. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante: Nombre del Titular: N/A. Suma de la Carga: N/A. Fecha de Vencimiento: N/A. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes. El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo de mínima subasta la suma de $368,250.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una SEGUNDA SUBASTA por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Ponce, el 19 DE MARZO DE 2024, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $245,500.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $184,125.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Ponce, el 27 DE MARZO DE 2024, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $196,853.08 por concepto de principal, más la suma de $15,882.05 en intereses acumulados al 30 de septiembre de 2020 y los cuales continúan acumulándose a razón de 2.44% anual hasta su total y completo pago; más la sumas de $11,053.82 en seguro hipotecario; $4,790.00 en cargos por servicio; $450.00 en tasaciones; $180.00 en inspecciones; $1,818.30 de adelantos de costas y honorarios; más la cantidad de 10% del pagare original en la suma de $36,825.00, para gastos, costas y honorarios de abogado, esta última habrá de devengar intereses al máximo del tipo legal fijado por la oficina del

Comisionado de Instituciones

Financieras aplicable a esta fecha, desde este mismo día hasta su total y completo saldo. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario, a los efectos de que cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en Ponce, Puerto Rico, hoy 20 de diciembre de 2023. Javier Segarra Maldonado, Alguacil Regional. Miguel A. Torres Ayala, Alguacil Auxiliar Placa #560.

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MENGANO DE TAL Y MENGANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERES EN LA SUCESION; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA Y CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS

MUNICIPALES

Demandados

CIVIL NUM. FCD2015-0137 (406) SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA POR LA VIA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: La Parte Demandada, al (a la) Secretario(a) de Hacienda de Puerto Rico y al Público General: Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Carolina, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque gerente, giro postal, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América al nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, en mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Carolina, el 2 de abril de 2024 a las 9:45 de la mañana, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a

Continuación: URBANA: Solar número 2 del bloque “WR” en la Urbanización Villa Fontana localizada en el Barrio Sabana Abajo en la municipalidad de Carolina, Puerto Rico, con un área superficial de 289.28 metros cuadrados, colindando por el Norte, con el solar número 1 distancia de 21.75 metros; por el Sur, con el solar número 3 distancia de 21.75 metros; por el Este, con la calle número 34 distancia de 13.30 metros; y por el Oeste, con los solares número 20 y 21 distancia de 13.30 metros. Enclava una casa de concreto. Consta inscrita al folio 96 del tomo 219 de Carolina, finca número 8201, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección Primera de Carolina. Propiedad localizada en: Villa Fontana WR2 Vía Donatela, Carolina, PR 00983. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución no está gravada por

cargas posteriores o preferentes a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes. El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo mínimo de subasta la suma de $36,100.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una segunda subasta por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Carolina, el 9 de abril de 2024 a las 9:45 de la mañana, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $24,066.67 dos tercios (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la tercera subasta, la suma de $18,050.00 la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Carolina, el 16 de abril de 2024 a las 9:45 de la mañana. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $24,269.04 de principal; más intereses al tipo pactado de 12.50000% anual desde el 1ro. de febrero de 2005, hasta el saldo total de la deuda; cargos por mora los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta la notificación de la sentencia, los créditos accesorios y adelantos hechos en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca; más la suma de $3,610.00 por concepto de honorarios de abogado, posterior a la notificación de la sentencia acumulará el interés legal. Además de cualesquiera sumas de dinero por concepto de contribuciones, primas de seguro hipotecario y riesgo, los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta el saldo total de la deuda; así como cualquier otra suma que se haga en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario, a los efectos de que cualquier persona o

The San Juan Daily Star

personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy día 8 de febrero de 2024. HECTOR

PEÑA RODRIGUEZ, ALGUACIL DE SUBASTAS TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CARO-

LINA SALA SUPERIOR

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN

JUAN

607-609

CONDADO ST., LLC.

Demandante, V. MILDRED EUGENIA

PACINI DE LA ROSA, FULANO DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandada.

CIVIL NÚM.: SJ2022CV00775 (903) SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA.

A: LOS CODEMANDADOS DE EPIGRAFE Y AL PÚBLICO EN GENERAL:

El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente anuncia y hace constar que en cumplimiento de una

Sentencia en Rebeldía dictada en el caso de epígrafe el 10 de mayo de 2022, notificada el 11 de mayo de 2022, y publicada el 13 de mayo de 2022, una Orden de Ejecución de Embargo emitida el 1 de mayo de 2023 y un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Embargo emitido el día 5 de mayo de 2023, que le ha sido dirigido por la Secretaria del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, procederá a vender en subasta, y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América, y/o giro postal, dinero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o cheque certificado a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal, o letra bancaria, con similar garantía de todo título, derecho o interés de los demandados de epígrafe sobre el inmueble que adelante se describe. Se anuncia por la presente que la subasta habrá de celebrarse el día 18 de

marzo de 2024; a las 11:30 de la mañana, en mi oficina localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan, sobre el inmueble que se describe a continuación: UR-

BANA: Propiedad Horizontal: Oficina #706. Colinda por el OESTE, en 27’ 2”, con la pared interior que lo separa de la oficina #705; por el ESTE, en igual medida, con la pared interior que lo separa de la oficina #707; por el NORTE, en 15’ 4”, con pared interior que lo separa del pasillo común; y por el SUR, en igual medida, con la pared exterior del edificio hacia su colindancia con la calle denominada “Rolan”. Comprende un área de 423 pies cuadrados, aproximadamente, y tiene su entrada y salida hacia el Norte, por el pasillo común con el cual colinda por ese lado. La oficina descrita se separa del quinto piso del edificio denominado Condominio Condado. Le corresponde una participación en los elementos comunes equivalente a un porcentaje del 0.016%. FINCA NÚMERO: 4905, inscrita al folio 215 del tomo 151 de Santurce Sur, Registro de la Propiedad, Sede Metropolitana, sección primera de San Juan. Dirección física: 609 Condado St., Suite 706, San Juan PR 00907. La subasta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer al demandante, total o parcialmente, según sea el caso, de la referida sentencia que fue dictada por la suma de $10,046.40 de principal adeudado, más los intereses a razón de $89.62 mensuales, penalidades por retrasos al 10% mensual, intereses legales al 4.25% desde la fecha de la sentencia y aquellos intereses que se continúen acumulando desde el día 31 de noviembre de 2021, a razón de $13.23 diarios; costas, gastos, penalidades, recargos y $1,000.00 por concepto de honorarios de abogados. Esta subasta no tiene fijación de tipo mínimo por tratarse de una ejecución de sentencia por embargo. Y PARA CONOCIMIENTO DE LAS PARTES INTERESADAS y del público en general, se advierte que los autos de este caso y demás instancias están disponibles para ser inspeccionadas en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de San Juan, durante las horas laborables. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad del inmueble y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito del ejecutante, incluyendo el gravamen por las contribuciones sobre la propiedad inmueble adeudadas, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda responsable de los mismos sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores.En testimonio de lo cual,

expido el presente aviso, el cual firmo y sello, hoy 14 de febrero de 2024, en San Juan, Puerto Rico. Edwin E. López Mulero, ALGUACIL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SAN JUAN. ***

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE SAN GERMAN

ANA IRIS MARTINEZ RUIZ

Peticionaria

EX PARTE

CARMEN REYES RUIZ

ORTIZ también conocida por CARMEN R. RUIZ

ORTIZ por CARMEN RUIZ

ORTIZ y por CARMEN RUIZ

Causante

CIVIL NUM: SG2024CV00058

SOBRE: DECLARATORIA DE HEREDEROS EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS

EE.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: BIENVENIDO

MARTINEZ, FULANO DE TAL, FULANA DE TAL y/o Cualquier otra persona de nombre desconocido con grado de consanguinidad, parentesco o afinidad y con interés en los bienes y pasivos del caudal relicto de la Sucesión de Carmen Reyes Ruiz Ortiz; direcciones desconocidas

DE: ANA IRIS

MARTINEZ RUIZ

Por la presente se le notifica a usted que la parte peticionaria Ana Iris Martínez Ruiz, ha presentado ante este Tribunal petición de declaratoria de herederos, solicitando la concesión del siguiente remedio: Se dicte Resolución declarando a FERNANDO MARTINEZ RUIZ

Y ANA IRIS MARTINEZ RUIZ, y a sus dos (2) nietos que le sobreviven EDISON MARTINEZ, JR. Y ERICA MARTINEZ, en representación de su hijo Edison Martínez Ruiz, también conocido por Edison Martínez quien le premurió, como los únicos y universales herederos de CARMEN REYES RUIZ ORTIZ, también conocida por CARMEN R. RUIZ ORTIZ, por CARMEN RUIZ ORTIZ y por CARMEN RUIZ. Representa a la parte peticionaria la abogada cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: LCDA. MARGGIE RODRIGUEZ PEREZ

RUA NUM. 20,363

#182 CALLE RAMON EMETERIO BETANCES SUR MAYAGÜEZ, PUERTO RICO 00680 TEL. (787)265-1111

e-mail: mrplawoffices@gmail.com

Se le apercibe que conforme al Artículo 552 del Código de Enjuiciamiento Civil de Puerto Rico, 32 L.P.R.A. sec. 2301,

la peticionaria de epígrafe anuncia el fallecimiento de DON CARMEN REYES RUIZ ORTIZ, también conocida por CARMEN R. RUIZ ORTIZ, por CARMEN RUIZ ORTIZ y por CARMEN RUIZ el día 11 de septiembre de 2007 en la ciudad de San Germán, Puerto Rico. Los nombres de los hijos que le sobreviven a la causante son: FERNANDO MARTINEZ

RUIZ Y ANA IRIS MARTINEZ

RUIZ. Por lo que se hace un llamado a Cualquier otra persona de nombre desconocido con grado de consanguinidad, parentesco o afinidad y con interés en los bienes y pasivos del caudal relicto de la Sucesión de Carmen Reyes Ruiz Ortiz o a los que se crean con igual grado o mejor derecho para que comparezcan a reclamar dentro de un plazo de treinta (30) días a contar de la publicación del edicto. El presente edicto se publicará UNA VEZ, en un periódico de circulación diaria general en la Isla de Puerto Rico. Que de no comparecer los que se crean con igual grado o mejor derecho a reclamar dentro del plazo de treinta (30) días a contar de la fecha de la publicación del edicto, apreciadas las pruebas, se dictará el auto, según lo previsto por la ley del caso, haciendo declaración de las personas con derecho a la herencia sin más citarle ni oírle. Por haber la peticionaria acreditado las gestiones para conocer la identidad y circunstancias personales de algunos de los herederos, y no conociendo las mismas; se le ha relevado del cumplimiento de notificación de la copia de la demanda y del emplazamiento. Deberán comparecer a través del SISTEMA Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual podrán acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su comparecencia en la secretaria del Tribunal. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy de 2 de febrero de 2024. Norma G. Santana Irizarry, Secretaria Regional. Santa Rodríguez Bonilla, Secretaria Auxiliar del Tribunal Confidencial II.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

DEMANDANTE VS. LUIS MANUEL ROVIRA BURSET; CARLOS ROVIRA BURSET, DALIA JOSEFiNA CALIIMANO GUARDIOLAYLA

SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

CIVIL NUM: SJ2024CV00574. SOBRE: COBRO DE DiNERO Y EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA (VÍA ORDiNARIA). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, El Presidente de los Estados Unidos, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. A la parte co-demandada: IDALIA JOSEFINA

CALIMANO GUARDIOLA, POR SI Y COMO REPRESENTANTE DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA CON CARLOS ROVIRA BUIRSET; a las siguientes direcciones: (a) URB. BOR1NQUIEN GARDENS #1916 CALLE JUAN B. UGALDE SAN JUAN, PR 00926-6323; (b) COND. LA GIRALDA #119 CALLE COLOMER APT. 1.-B SAN JUAN, PR 00907-2774. Por la presente se le(s) notifica que se ha radicado en la Secretaría de este Tribunal una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca en su contra, en la cual se alega entre otras cosas que la parte demandada adeuda a la parte demandante por concepto de hipoteca la suma de $89,600.69 por concepto de principal, desde el 1ro de agosto de 2023, más intereses al tipo pactado de 2.875% anual que continúan acumulándose hasta el pago total de la obligación. Además la parte demandada adeuda a la parte demandante las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado equivalentes a $9,430.00. Además la parte demandada se comprometió a pagar una suma equivalente a $9,430.00 para cubrir cualquier otro adelanto que se haga en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca y una suma equivalente a $9,430.00 para cubrir intereses en adición a los garantizados por ley y cualquiera otros adelantos que se hagan en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca número 245, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 12 de julio de 2006, ante el notario Manuel E. Maldonado Pérez, modificada mediante la escritura número 378, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 19 de julio de 2021, ante el Notario Público Ricardo Rangel Rivera, de la finca número 21,574, inscrita al Folio 130 del Tomo 603 de Santurce Norte, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección Primera. Por razón de dicho incumplimiento, y al amparo del derecho que le confiere el Pagaré, el demandante ha declarado tales sumas vencidas, líquidas y exigibles en su totalidad. Este Tribunal ha ordenado que se le(s) cite a usted(es) por edicto que se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general. Por tratarse de una obligación hipotecaria y pudien-

do usted tener interés en este caso o quedar afectando por el remedio solicitado, se le emplaza por este edicto que se publicará una vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general de Puerto Rico. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal y notifique copia de la Contestación de la Demanda a las oficinas de CARDONA & MALDONADO LAW OFFICES, P.S.C. ATENCION al Lcdo. Duncan Maldonado Ejarque, P.O. Box 366221, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-6221; Tel (787) 622-7000, Fax (787) 6257001, Abogado de la Parte Demandante. Dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto, apercibiéndole que de no hacerlo así dentro del ténnino indicado, el Tribunal podrá anotar su Rebeldía y dictar Sentencia, concediéndose el remedio solicitado sin más citarle(s) ni oirle(s).

EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y con el Sello del Tribunal. DADA hoy 22 de febrero de 2024, en San Juan, Puerto Rico. GRISELDA

RODRIGUEZ COLLADO, Sec Regional. Brenda Baez Acaba, Sec Serv a Sala.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE ARECIBO.

FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE

ASSOCIATION T/C/C FANNIE MAE

DEMANDANTE VS. SUCESIÓN DE ALMA

HOMS MADERA T/C/C

ALMA LUZ HOMS

MADERA COMPUESTA

POR SUS HEREDEROS

CONOCIDOS JOSE HOMS MADERA, ROBERTO HOMS MADERA, VILMA

HOMS MADERA, MILTON HOMS MADERA; SUCESION DE ANGELA HOMS FRATICHELLI COMPUESTA POR SUS HEREDEROS

CONOCIDOS DEBORAH

HOMS, LILLIAN STROUP, NATALIE DAVIDSON, GORDON CLOSE Y ANGELA STARLING; SUCESION DE INGRID HOMS; SUCESION DE LESTER HOMS

FRATICHELLI; SUCESION DE RAUL CABANILLAS HOMS; SUCESION

DE AWILDA HOMS FRATICHELLI; SUCESIÓN DE CESAR BUJOSA

VIRUET COMPUESTA

POR SUS HEREDEROS CONOCIDOS VILMA ESTHER BUJOSA ROSARIO, POR SI; Y CESAR BUJOSA SANTOS, POR SI; FULANO DE TAL

Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERES EN DICHAS SUCESIONES

DEMANDADOS

CIVIL NÚM.: AR2023CV00014. SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (IN REM). EDICTO ANUNCIANDO PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe, funcionario del Tribunal de la Sala Superior de Arecibo, Puerto Rico, por la presente anuncia y hace saber al público en general que en cumplimiento con la Sentencia dictada en este caso con fecha 3 de octubre de 2023, y según Orden y Mandamiento del 9 de febrero de 2024 librado por este honorable Tribunal, procederé a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor, y por dinero en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal con todo título derecho y/o interés de la parte demandada sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: RUSTICA: Radicada en el Barrio Factor del término municipal de Arecibo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de mil treintitres punto doscientos setenticinco metros cuadrados y en lindes: por el NORTE, en veintitrés metros, con terrenos de Anastacio Santiago; por el SUR, en veintitrés metros, con la Carretera Estatal número seiscientos ochentidos; por el ESTE, en cuarentiun metros, con terrenos de la Sucesión de José Rivera; y por el OESTE, en cuarenta y ocho punto ochenticinco metros, con el remanente de la finca principal de la cual se segrega propiedad de la Sucesión Ramón Diaz. Finca Número 16,704, inscrita al folio 170 del tomo 419 de Arecibo. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección I de Arecibo. Dirección Física: BARRIO FACTOR, 682 RD KM 9.3 ARECIBO PR 00612. Se anuncia por medio de este edicto que la primera subasta habrá de celebrarse el día 18 de marzo de 2024, a las 9:00 de la mañana, en mi oficina sita en el edificio que ocupa el Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior de Arecibo. Siendo ésta la primera subasta que se celebrará en este caso, será el precio mínimo aceptable como oferta en la Primera Subasta, eso es el tipo mínimo pactado en la Escritura de Hipoteca para la propiedad, la suma de $50,000.00. De no

haber remanente o adjudicación en esta primera subasta por dicha suma mínima, se celebrará una segunda subasta el día 26 de marzo de 2024, a las 9:00 de la mañana, en el mismo lugar antes señalado en la cual el precio mínimo serán dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $33,333.33. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta segunda subasta por el tipo mínimo indicado en el párrafo anterior, se celebrará una tercera subasta en el mismo lugar antes señalado el día 3 de abril de 2024, a las 9:00 de la mañana, en la cual el tipo mínimo aceptable como oferta será la mitad (1/2) del precio mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $25,000.00. Si se declare desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo mínimo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. El Honorable Tribunal dictó Sentencia In Rem, declarando Con Lugar la demanda al incumplir la parte demandada con los términos del contrato hipotecario y ordenando la venta en pública subasta del inmueble antes descrito. A tenor con la Regla 51.3 (b) de Procedimiento Civil y el Artículo 99 de la Ley 210-2015, conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmobiliaria del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”, el tribunal ordenó que el Alguacil de este Tribunal luego de haberse efectuado la correspondiente publicación de edictos en un periódico de circulación general, proceda a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor la propiedad descrita en las Determinaciones de Hechos de la Sentencia y que del producto de dicha venta, proceda a pagar en primer término los gastos del Alguacil, en segundo término las costas y honorarios de abogados según concedidos en esta sentencia, en tercer término los intereses acumulados por esta sentencia, en cuarto término los recargos acumulados, en quinto cualquier suma antes indicada como sobregiro en la cuenta de reserva y en sexto término hasta la suma de $19,302.99, para cubrir el principal pendiente de pago más los intereses acumulados hasta el día de la Venta Judicial, disponiéndose que si quedare algún remanente luego de pagarse las sumas antes mencionadas el mismo deberá ser depositado en la Secretaría del Tribunal para ser entregado a los demandados previa solicitud y orden del Tribunal. Se dispone que una vez celebrada la subasta y vendido el inmueble relacionado, el alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial a los nuevos dueños dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la

The San Juan Daily Star

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 20 de febrero de 2024. En Camuy, Puerto Rico, el 20 de febrero de 2024. Vivian Y. Fresse González, Secretaria. F/Johanna González Vilella, Secretaria Auxiliar del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE NARANJITO EN BAYAMON

ISLAND PORTFOLIO

SERVICES, LLC COMO

AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC

Parte Demandante Vs. REYNALDO

VAZQUEZ APONTE

Parte Demandada

CIVIL NÚM. NJ2023CV00058

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO.

EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDIC-

TO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: REYNALDO VAZQUEZ

APONTE • BO LOMAS

JAGUAS CARR 164 KM

8.3, NARANJITO PR 00719

• BO LOMAS JAGUAS

CARR 164 KM 7.8, NARANJITO PR 00719 • PO BOX 294, NARANJITO PR 00719-0294.

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

Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelectronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono

(787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@ orflaw.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Naranjito en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 22 de noviembre de 2023. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria. Marilyn Colón Carrasquillo, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC

Parte Demandante Vs. VERONICA K ORTIZ VARGAS

Parte Demandada CIVIL NÚM. AG2022CV01089

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: VERONICA K ORTIZ VARGAS • BO CAMASEYES

CARR 459 K2 H1 INT, AGUADILLA PR 00603

• HC 5 BOX 56835, AGUADILLA PR 00603.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelectronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Kevin Sánchez Campanero cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin. sanchez@orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orflaw. com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, hoy día 22 de noviembre de 2023. Sarahí Reyes Pérez, Secretaria. Gisela Serranos Pérez, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

CARRINGTON

MORTGAGE SERVICES LLC

Demandante Vs. JUAN MANUEL

DELGADO LARACUENTE

T/C/C JUAN M. DELGADO

LARACUENTE T/C/C JUAN DELGADO

LARACUENTE T/C/C JUAN M. DELGADO

T/C/C JUAN DELGADO; DAMARIS CABAN SOTO

T/C/C DAMARIS CABAN Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA ENTRE AMBOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: AR2023CV02204.

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

A: DAMARIS CABAN

SOTO T/C/C DAMARIS CABAN, POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES.

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. 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 paro mi firma, y sello del Tribunal, en Arecibo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 23 de enero de 2024. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA.

ALEXANDRA ÁLVAREZ NATAL, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. SUCESIÓN DE JUAN

BAUTISTA SERRA MALDONADO COMPUESTA POR MARTHA SERRA, CELESTE SERRA T/C/C

ANA CELESTE SERRA, DAVID SERRA, SYLVIA SERRA, YOLANDA SERRA Y FRANK SERRA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (C.R.I.M.) parte con interés

Demandados CIVIL NÚM.: BY2024CV00207 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO E INTERPELACION. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS

A: MARTHA SERRA, CELESTE SERRA T/C/C ANA CELESTE SERRA, DAVID SERRA, SYLVIA SERRA, YOLANDA

SERRA Y FRANK SERRA

• H-47 Calle 1, Ext Villa Rica, Bayamón, PR 00959

• H-47 1 Ext. Villa Rica, Bayamón, PR, 00959-5017

• 456 Dekalb Ave. #16B, Brooklyn, NY 11205 • 325 Classon Ave. #13F, Brooklyn, NY 11205 • 76 Vesey St., Newark, NJ 07105.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento, notificando copia de la misma al abogado de la parte demandante. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Se le advierte, además, a los herederos que, conforme al caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 2005 TSPR 50, Op. De 22 de abril de 2005; tienen la opción de aceptar o repudiar la herencia del causante, dentro del tér-

mino de 30 días a partir de su emplazamiento. De no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar dicha herencia dentro del término que se le fijó para contestar a la demanda incoada en su contra, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada, así como el presente emplazamiento.

ABOGADOS DE LA PARTE

DEMANDANTE:

Lcdo. Reggie Díaz Hernández

RUA NÚM.: 16,393

BERMUDEZ & DIAZ LLP

Attorneys at Law Suite 209

500 Calle de la Tanca

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901

Tel.: (787) 523-2670

Fax: (787) 523-2664 rdíaz@bdprlaw.com

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA

y el Sello del Tribunal, hoy 5 de febrero de 2024. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria. Lureimy Alicea González, SubSecretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE TOA ALTA

ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante V. ANGEL D.

DIAZ MORALES

Demandado.

CIVIL NUM.: BY2023CV07038

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO

POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTOP OR EDICTO.

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

A: ANGEL D.

DIAZ MORALES

POR MEDIO del presente edicto se le notifica de la radicación de una demanda en cobro de dinero por la vía ordinaria en la que se alega que usted adeuda a la parte demandante, Oriental Bank, ciertas sumas de dinero, y las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado de este litigio. El demandante, Oriental Bank, ha solicitado que se dicte sentencia en contra suya y que se le ordene pagar las cantidades reclamadas en la demanda.

POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el 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/tribunalelectronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra, y con-

ceder el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente, sin más citarle ni oírle. El abogado de la parte demandante es: Jaime Ruiz Saldaña, RUA número 11673; Dirección: PO Box 366276, San Juan, PR 00936-6276; Teléfono: (787) 759-6897; Correo electrónico: legal@jrslawpr. com. Se le advierte que dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes a la publicación del presente edicto, se le estará enviando a usted por correo certificado con acuse de recibo, una copia del emplazamiento y de la demanda presentada al lugar de su última dirección conocida: Urb. Pabellones, 383 Calle Pabellon de Guatemala, Toa Baja, PR 00949-2265. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal en Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, hoy día 5 de febrero de 2024. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria Regional. Marita Bonilla Hernández, Ses Serv a Sala.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL

GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA

ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante V.

JOHN DOE & RICHARD ROE

Demandados

CIVIL NUM: CA2024CV00269.

SOBRE: CANCELACION DE HIPOTECA CON INSTRUMENTO EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZArVIIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. SS.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE, personas desconocidas que se designan con estos nombres ficticios, que puedan ser tenedor o tenedores, o puedan tener algún interés en el pagaré hipotecario a que se hace referencia más adelante en el presente edicto, que se publicará una sola vez. Se les notifica que en la Demanda radicada en el caso de epígrafe se alega que el 9 de enero de 2004, se otorgó un pagaré a favor de Oriental Bank & Trust, o a su orden, por la suma de $142,200.00 de principal, con intereses al 6.25% anual, con vencimiento el 1 de febrero de 2034, ante la notaria Lymarie Jiménez Lopez. En garantía del pagaré antes descrito se otorgó la escritura de hipoteca nUmero 26, en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 9 de enero de 2004, ante la notaria Lymarie Jiménez López, inscrita al folio 145 del tomo

1506 de Carolina, finca 53932, inscripción 4, Registro de Ia Propiedad de Carolina, Sección II. El inmueble gravado median-

te la hipoteca antes descrita es la finca 53932 inscrita al folio 35 del tomo 1257 de Carolina, Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, Sección II. La obligación evidenciada por el pagaré antes descrito fue saldada en su totalidad. Dicho gravamen no ha podido ser cancelado por haberse extraviado el original del pagaré. El original del pagare antes descrito no ha podido ser localizado, a pesar de las gestiones realizadas. Oriental Bank & Trust es el acreedor que consta en el Registro de la Propiedad. Oriental Bank fue último tenedor conocido del pagaré antes descrito. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 dIas de haber sido publicado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el dIa del diligenciarniento. 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: lmps:// www. poderjudial.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 SecretarIa del Tribunal y notificar copia de la mismas al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. 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, sí el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, se La apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Nüm. 57-2029, titulada Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para Ia Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menos fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para Ia privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (ArtIculo 33, incisos b y f. de la Ley NUm. 57-2023). Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Representa a la parte demandante el Lcdo. Javier Montalvo Cintrón, RUA# 18,682, Delgado Fernández, LLC, P0 Box 11750, Fernández Juncos Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910-1750. Tel. [787] 274-1414, jmontalvo@ delgadofernandez.com Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 6 de febrero de 2024. Lcda. Kanelly Zayas Robles, Secretaria Regional.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

YUSUF KELLEY

NEGGERS, representado por su apoderada SARA HERNÁNDEZ-SABORIT MARTÍNEZ

Parte Demandante Vs. FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE

CORPORATION (FDIC) como síndico de DORAL BANK, BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO, FULANO Y MENGANO DE TAL, posibles tenedores desconocidos del pagaré

Parte Demandada

CIVIL NÚM. SJ2024CV01168 SOBRE: 505 CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO POR LA VÍA JUDICIAL. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: FULANO Y MENGANO DE TAL, POSIBLES TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS DEL PAGARÉ, cuyas identidades y direcciones se desconocen Queda usted notificado que en este Tribunal se ha radicado demanda sobre cancelación de pagaré extraviado por la vía judicial. El 26 de julio de 2002, Xavira Neggers Crescioni, siendo soltera, constituyó hipoteca en garantía de un pagaré suscrito bajo el número de testimonio 10,563 a favor de Doral Bank o a su orden, por la suma de $165,000.00, intereses al 6.50% anual y vencimiento al 1ro de agosto de 2017, según consta de la Escritura núm. 585 autorizada por el notario Edgardo Del Valle Galarza, sobre la siguiente propiedad: URBANA:

PROPIEDAD HORIZONTAL: Apartamento No. 201. Propiedad Horizontal de forma sustancialmente rectangular dedicada a vivienda, localizada en el 2ndo. piso del Condominio San Justo 50, sito en el No. 50 de la Calle San Justo del Municipio de San Juan, Puerto Rico, con un área privada de 816 pies cuadrados. Colinda por el NORTE, en 40’ 6” con pared exterior que da a la Calle San Sebastián; por el SUR, en 32’ 2” con pared interior que a su vez lo separa de la escalera y Apartamento No. 200; por el ESTE, en 26’ 6” con pared exterior que da a la Calle San Justo; y por el OESTE, en 32’ 6”, con pared exterior que a su vez lo separa del solar propiedad de la Sucesión Fernández. Consiste este apartamento de sala-comedor, pasillo, 3 cuartos dormitorios, cocina y un baño. Forma parte de este apartamento la azotea 201-B, con área de 748 pies cuadrados que sumados al

área del apartamento dan un total de 1564 pies cuadrados. Su puerta principal de entrada y salida comunica a la calle San Justo a través de una escalera de aprovechamiento común del edificio. PORCENTAJE: 25% en los elementos comunes generales. Por Escritura no.16, otorgada en San Juan el 8 de diciembre de 1982 ante Benjamín F. Rodríguez se mensuró la azotea 201-B por el Agrimensor Eugenio Rojas Nacer Lic. 3068, resultando la misma con la siguiente descripción: Azotea 201-B: Forma parte del apartamento 201 del Condominio San Justo 50. Tiene cabida superficial de 838.2933 pies cuadrados equivalentes a 77.872401 metros cuadrados. Colinda por el NORTE, con la Calle San Sebastián; por el SUR, con la Azotea 200-A, propiedad del Licenciado Francisco Vincenty y elementos comunes del Condominio San Justo 50; por el ESTE, con la Calle San Justo; y por el OESTE, con un solar propiedad de la Sucesión Fernández. Inscrita al folio 111 del tomo 149 de San Juan, Finca 3575, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección I. La hipoteca consta inscrita al tomo móvil 185 de San Juan, Finca 3575, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección I. Inscripción séptima. La obligación evidenciada por el referido pagaré fue pagada en su totalidad, pero el referido pagaré no se ha podido cancelar por haberse extraviado. La parte demandada deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal. Se le advierte que, si no contesta la demanda, radicando el original de la contestación en este Tribunal y enviando copia de la contestación al abogado de la parte demandante, Lcdo. Christian M. Castillo Moreno, cuya dirección es: 138 Ave. Winston Churchill PMB 658, San Juan, PR 00926, Teléfono: 787-6033014, correo electrónico christian_castillo_m@yahoo.com dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto, excluyéndose el día de la publicación, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará Sentencia en su contra, concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal, hoy, 8 de febrero de 2024, en San Juan, Puerto Rico. GRISELDA RODRIGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA. MICHALLE RIVERA RIOS, SUBSECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA SALA SUPERIOR.

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante v. YOVANI PAULINO ROJAS, YASHIRI CASILLAS LOPEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL

DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados CIVIL NUM.: CA2019CV02290. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. AVISO DE SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior, Centro Judicial de Carolina - {243 Pueblo}, Carolina, Puerto Rico, hago saber, a la parte demandada y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL: Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el día 5 de febrero de 2024 - {250 Fecha mandamiento}, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor la propiedad que ubica y se describe a continuación: RUSTICA: Parcela marcada con el #625 en el plano de parcelación de la comunidad rural San Isidro del Barrio Canóvanas del término municipal de Canóvanas (antes municipio de Loiza), Puerto Rico. Con una cabida superficial de 0.0801 CUERDAS equivalentes a 314.68 METROS CUADRADOS. En lindes por el NORTE, con la parcela 360 de la comunidad; por el SUR, con la calle 20 de la comunidad; por el ESTE, con la parcela 624 de la comunidad; por el OESTE, con la parcela 626 de la comunidad. Inscrita la hipoteca en virtud de la Ley 216 al folio 1287 del tomo 445 de Canóvanas, finca número 7,470, inscripción sexta del Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, Sección Tercera. La propiedad ubica en: Bo. San Isidro, Parcela 625, Canóvanas, PR. El producto de la subasta se destinará a satisfacer al demandante hasta donde alcance, la SENTENCIA dictada y notificada en este caso el 21 de diciembre de 2021, y publicada en un periódico de circulación general de Puerto Rico (“The San Juan Daily Star”) el 24 de diciembre de 2021 - {248 Fecha sentencia}, en el presente caso civil, a saber la suma $72,232.22 por concepto de principal, más los intereses sobre dicha suma a razón del 6.5%, anual desde el 1ro de diciembre de 2018, hasta su completo pago, más las primas de seguro hipotecario, recargos por demora y cualesquiera otras cantidades pactadas en la escritura de primera hipoteca, desde la fecha antes

mencionada y hasta la fecha del pago total de las mismas, más la suma de $8,820.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado; y demás créditos accesorios garantizados hipotecariamente. La adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el acto mismo de la adjudicación, en efectivo (moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América), giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del alguacil del Tribunal. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a efecto el día 2 DE ABRIL DE 2024 A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el Centro Judicial de Carolina, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Que el precio mínimo fijado para la PRIMERA

SUBASTA es de $88,200.00. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una SEGUNDA

SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 9 DE ABRIL DE 2024 A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la SEGUNDA SUBASTA será de $58,800.00, equivalentes a dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una TERCERA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 16 DE ABRIL DE 2024 A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la TERCERA

SUBASTA será de $44,100.00, equivalentes a la mitad (1/2) del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente; se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor, todo ello a tenor con lo dispone el Articulo 104 de la Ley Núm. 210 del 8 de diciembre de 2015 conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquiere libre de toda carga y gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca según el Artículo 102, inciso 6. Una vez confirmada la venta judicial por el Honorable Tribunal, se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura de venta judicial y se pondrá al comprador en posesión física del inmueble de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda aquella persona o personas que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas, con un intervalo de por lo

menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en Carolina - {243 Pueblo}, Puerto Rico, hoy día 8 de febrero de 2024. Alguacil Héctor Peña Rodríguez, División de Subastas Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de Carolina.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante V. LA SUCESIÓN DE PEDRO SANTIAGO ORTIZ COMPUESTA POR PAMELA SANTIAGO

RAMOS; JAVIER ALBERTO SANTIAGO SANTIAGO Y VERÓNICA SANTIAGO SANTIAGO; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA; DEPARTAMENTO DE JUSTICIA

Demandados

CIVIL NÚM. AR2023CV01332

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA

POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EM-

PLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO.

ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉ-

RICA. PRESIDENTE DE LOS

ESTADOS UNIDOS. ESTADO

LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. S.S.

A: PAMELA SANTIAGO RAMOS; JAVIER ALBERTO SANTIAGO SANTIAGO Y VERÓNICA

SANTIAGO SANTIAGO

• PR 129, Km 10.0, Calle Alegre, Hatillo, Puerto Rico 00659 • 441 Alafaya Wood Blvs. Apto. C, Oviedo FL 32765; • Urb.

Atenas, Calle Hernández

Carrión #E-24, Manatí PR 00674 • 1046 Cork Wood Orive, Oviero FL 32765. Por la presente se le emplaza

y notifica que debe contestar la demanda 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, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Se le apercibe que de no contestar la demanda dentro del término aquí estipulado, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia sin más citarle ni oírle. Por la presente el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, conforme al caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaría vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc. 164 D.P.R. 689 (2005), le ordena que en término de treinta (30) días, haga declaración aceptando o repudiando la herencia de la Sucesión de Pedro Santiago Ortiz. Se le apercibe que de no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar la herencia dentro del término que le fijó, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. Los abogados de la parte demandante son: Lcdo. Guillermo A. Somoza Colombani, P.O. Box 366603, San Juan, PR 00936-6603. Tel. (787) 9190073, Fax (787) 641-5016. Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 5 de febrero de 2024. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. BRENDA TORRES MUÑIZ, Sec Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CATAÑO CEFERINO SANCHEZ

RODRIGUEZ, ELIU SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ, t/c/c ELIUD SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ Y MAGALI SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ

Demandantes Vs. BANCO POPULAR DE PR, como sucesor en Interes de DORAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION; JOHN DOE & RICHARD ROE

Demandado CIVIL NÚM.: CT2024CV00004 (401) SOBRE: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADOS DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: JOHN DOE & RICHARD ROE

Por la presente se emplaza y se les notifica que se ha presentado en la Secretaría de este Tribunal la demanda del caso de epígrafe solicitando la cancelación del Pagaré suscrito a favor de Doral Mortgage Cor-

poration, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $50,000.00, con vencimiento el 01 de noviembre de 2013, y habiéndose constituido por la escritura número 977 otorgada en San Juan, el 04 de noviembre de 1998, ante el Notario Público Eric Hernandez Batalla, inscrita al folio 19 del tomo 71 de Cataño, Registro Bayamon IV, finca número 3296, inscripción 7ma. Representa a la parte demandante la abogada cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: ENEL M. PEREZ MONTE RUA 9019

Reina Isabel 175, La Villa de Torrimar Guaynabo PR 00969

Tel.: (787) 646-9168

Lcdaenelperez@gmail.com

Se le apercibe que si no comparecieran ustedes a contestar dicha demanda dentro del término de 30 días a partir de la publicación de este edicto se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. La parte demandada deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo 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, advirtiéndosele que de no hacerlo se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. Dado en Cataño, a 9 de febrero de 2024. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA MUNICIPAL DE OROCOVIS ANDENO CO

Demandante v. RONALD HARRINGTON CRUZ Demandado

CIVIL NÚM.: OR2023CV00197 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: RONALD HARRINGTON CRUZ • PO BOX 1053, OROCOVIS PR 0072. Se le notifica que la parte demandante ha presentado ante este tribunal, demanda contra usted, solicitando la concesión del siguiente remedio: Cobro de Dinero. Representa a la parte demandante, el abogado cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: Brito.Legal

1607 Ave. Ponce de León

St. GM6 #232

San Juan, PR 00969

Tel. 787-705-1011

E-mail: adrian@brito.legal

POR LA PRESENTE, se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento. 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 se presente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. En Orocovis, Puerto Rico a 8 de febrero de 2024. ELIZABETH

GONZALEZ RIVERA, Secretaria. ANYBELL DIAZ TORRES, Sub - Secretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE MAYAGÜEZ SALA SUPERIOR DE MAYAGÜEZ

MIGUEL ANGEL ROSADO

CRUZ Y OTROS

Demandante V. BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

MARIANO S. NAJERAURRIOLA

MNAJERALAW@GMAIL.COM

Caso Núm.: MZ2023CV01624

(Salón 302) Sobre: CANCELACIÓN O RESTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JOHN DOE

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

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 8 DE FEBRERO 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 14 de febrero de 2024. En Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, el 14 de febrero de 2024. Norma G. Santana Irizarry. F/Jossie Bobe Rodríguez, Secretaria Auxiliar del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

MARILYN YARITZA LUGO MONTALVO DEMANDANTE V.

ISMAEL PANTOJAS ADAMES DEMANDADO

CIVIL NÚM. AR2024RF00132. Sobre: DIVORCIO POR RUPTURA IRREPARABLE. EDICTO. EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: ISMAEL PANTOJAS ADAMES.

Por la presente se les notifica que se ha radicado contra usted una Demanda donde se le solicita al Honorable Tribunal que disuelva el vinculo matrimonial existente entre las partes de epígrafe por la causal de Ruptura Irreparable; con cualquier otro pronunciamiento que en Derecho corresponda. Se le emplaza y requiere para que notifique al Lcdo. Orlando Joshua Nazario Morales, a su dirección física y postal: Ave. Universidad Interamericana #143 Ofi. 1-C San Germán, Puerto Rico, 00683. Teléfono (787) 234-8143. Email: lcdo.ojnazario@gmail.com, abogado de la Parte Demandante, con copia de vuestra contestación a la Demanda radicada en este caso contra usted, dentro de un término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la publicación de este Edicto. Debe presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Se le apercibe que de no comparecer a formular alegaciones dentro de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la fecha de la publicación de este Edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia de acuerdo con lo solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 15 de febrero de 2024. Vivian Y Fresse Gonzalez, Secretaria. Jackeline J Rivera Ramos, Sub Secretaria.

Like Tampa Bay, Arizona becomes a team to emulate

Blake Snell. That’s a staredown over perceived value, which always happens in free agency. They will find spots soon enough.

If MLB had a hard deadline for free agents to sign, that could inspire more deals. But the union would most likely never agree to that, believing it would give too much leverage to the teams. The ground rules are different, of course, in salary-cap leagues like the NFL and the NBA — and a salary cap, as we know, is a nonstarter in baseball.

In baseball’s system, with no maximum or minimum payroll, the Tampa Bay Rays are the envy of the industry: They win a lot without spending a lot. But the Rays win because of relentless innovation and consistent messaging at the major league level; they are the only team with the same manager, hitting coach and pitching coach since 2018. It’s a tough formula to replicate.

It’s also painful when teams try to be like the Rays without recognizing who they really are. The Rays maximize everything they have; it is maddening to see a team operate like the Boston Red Sox, who have more but don’t use it.

talent has finished last in three of the past four seasons and shown little urgency to do much about it.

Craig Breslow, the new chief baseball officer, has made moves that could lead to an 84-win season. But that’s not what the Red Sox used to be about. Third baseman Rafael Devers spoke for everyone when he told reporters Tuesday that the owners “need to make an adjustment to help us players to be in a better position to win.”

Not all big deals work. The New York Mets, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres had the three highest payrolls last season, and all missed the playoffs. The Los Angeles Angels, ahem, would love a do-over on their deal with the indifferent Anthony Rendon.

But sometimes you get what you pay for. Shortstop Trevor Story (six years, $140 million) has mostly been injured in his first two years with Boston and has hit just .227/.287/.398. The same winter the Red Sox signed Story, the Rangers spent $500 million on two middle infielders, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

By TYLER KEPNER / THE ATHLETIC

On the morning of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ first full-squad workout last week, their managing general partner, Ken Kendrick, lamented the fact that he had not secured public funding for ballpark renovations.

“We may run out of time in Phoenix,” he told reporters. “We hope that won’t happen.”

That’s a discouraging backdrop to begin the defense of a National League championship. But give Kendrick credit for this: The team’s projected opening day payroll — $135.4 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts — would be its highest ever.

The Diamondbacks exemplify the risks and rewards of the expanded playoff system approved by owners and players in the last collective bargaining agreement. Arizona reached the postseason with only 84 wins, then got hot in October and turned that third wild-card spot into an NL pennant.

The good vibes turned sour against the Texas Rangers in the World Series. After splitting the first two games in Texas, the Diamondbacks lost three in a row at home, never even holding a lead. When it was over, general manager Mike Hazen acknowledged

that he had “a lot of regrets” about leaving the team with only three viable postseason starters.

Within a few weeks, he had addressed the problem by signing Eduardo Rodríguez to a four-year, $80 million deal. Hazen also bolstered the offense, with a trade for third baseman Eugenio Suárez; one-year deals with outfielders Joc Pederson and Randal Grichuk; and a three-year, $42 million contract extension for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Many other teams, though, spent the winter trying to shape a roster that might win 84 regular-season games. And it highlights a concern by the players union in the last collective bargaining agreement talks.

The owners wanted to expand the playoff field to 14 teams from 10. The players feared that with fewer wins needed to reach the playoffs, teams would have less incentive to spend big on their rosters. The sides settled on a 12-team field — three division winners and three wild cards in each league — and in each of the first two seasons of the format, a sixth seed has reached the World Series. (The well-funded 2022 Philadelphia Phillies were the other.)

This isn’t about all those unsigned Scott Boras clients: Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, J.D. Martínez, Jordan Montgomery and

Chaim Bloom, the former Rays executive who led Boston’s baseball operations from late 2019 through last September, had the unenviable task upon arrival of trading Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. There’s no winning a deal like that, but it is troubling how thoroughly the Red Sox have receded.

Since the Red Sox fired Dave Dombrowski in late 2019 — a year after winning a title — they have seemed determined to field a team of prospects and buy-low imports. A team that once proudly and boldly chased top

Last season, Seager and Semien were the two best position players in the American League. The front office kept spending around them, and it paid off in the World Series. Jacob deGrom was hurt, of course, but another free-agent starter, Jon Gray, saved the Rangers in relief after Max Scherzer got hurt in Game 3. Yet another, Andrew Heaney, spun five sharp innings in Game 4, when Arizona tried a bullpen day and fell flat.

The Diamondbacks noticed the difference and spent like a team that is trying to win a championship. If more teams had that goal, this would not have been such a listless offseason.

An Arizona Diamondbacks game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Aug. 29, 2022. “The Diamondbacks exemplify the risks and rewards of the expanded playoff system approved by owners and players in the last collective bargaining agreement,” Tyler Kepner writes. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times)

Spring training at Coachella: Can MLS cash in on its preseason?

By KEN BELSON

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Dan Perkin and Scott Bissmeyer, work buddies on vacation, sat on metal bleachers watching the Portland Timbers play the San Jose Earthquakes in the first of four preseason Major League Soccer games that day.

They had spent $125 each on VIP day passes, which included food, drink and access to tents to keep cool. Selfdescribed “MLS road trippers,” they have visited numerous MLS stadiums and have watched teams in Tucson, Arizona, where as many as 11 clubs came together for preseason training in the past.

But this year, with 12 MLS teams — along with two from the United Soccer League and four from the National Women’s Soccer League — gathered at a 1,000-acre property outside Palm Springs, California, for preseason training, Perkin and Bissmeyer decided to check it out.

“Compared to Tucson, they put on a nice operation here,” Perkin said of the site, the Empire Polo Club, best known as the annual site of the Coachella Music Festival. “If you’re going to drive six hours, we might as well treat ourselves.”

MLS — and, more specifically, the entertainment conglomerate AEG, which owns the LA Galaxy, one of the league’s 10 original franchises — is hoping more fans start thinking like Perkin and Bissmeyer.

Pro sports leagues have for years tried to make money off their preseasons by marketing them to fans who want an up-close look at their team in a casual — and less expensive — setting. MLB has its spring training in Florida and Arizona, complete with exclusive jerseys and caps. NFL teams open practices to fans during their training camps each summer. The NBA holds its Summer League in Las Ve-

gas.

But during its 30-year history, MLS had not had many large-scale training camps marketed to fans. The league experimented with the concept in the late 1990s, but the effort fell apart. Teams in warm-weather states prefer to stay home while other teams fly to Sun Belt states to train. Some teams prefer to travel to Spain, Mexico and beyond to prepare for the season. This month, Inter Miami flew to Asia and Saudi Arabia to showcase Lionel Messi, though an exhibition game in Hong Kong went awry when the Argentine star didn’t play.

In late 2021, however, Dan Beckerman, chief executive of AEG, had an idea. What if the Empire Polo Club could be repurposed to host MLS teams in February, a relatively quiet part of the calendar?

Beckerman thought AEG could marshal its subsidiaries to sell sponsorships, tickets, merchandise and food to give the event the feel of baseball’s spring training, where fans are able to see a number of teams playing close to one another.

“I wondered if we could create something like the Cactus League with some meaningful competition and quality fields,” Beckerman said, referring to baseball’s spring training in and around Phoenix. “But I had no idea if it could work.”

Beckerman said cold-weather soccer clubs had for years asked the Galaxy if they could train at their facilities in Carson, California. But with only eight fields, there was never enough space. So despite the potential awkwardness of one MLS team making money off its rivals, Beckerman asked Tom Braun, the Galaxy’s president of business operations, if the polo club, much of it lush Bermuda grass lawns, could be used.

Braun had a commitment from six teams before he discovered that many of the fields had divots from the polo horses and concert festivals. The Galaxy’s head groundskeeper, Shaun Ilten, patched together enough fields in time for the inaugural training camp in 2022 that, because of COVID-19 restrictions, did not have fans.

The teams were pleased, and last year a dozen clubs showed up and AEG sold tickets and sponsorships. This year, the Coachella Valley Invitational, as it is known, had 18 teams. Food trucks and exclusive merchandise like bucket hats and

team decals were added. Attendance was expected to grow about 40%, to about 30,000 fans over the seven match days. The invitational ends Saturday, with the NSWL teams playing; the MLS season began this week.

“This is our version of thinking out of the box,” Braun said. “Our hope is to get teams to commit to this for the long term.”

Preseason games don’t count toward the standings, but they are essential to coaches, who need to evaluate their players, and doing that on high-quality fields is critical to preventing injuries. AEG promises teams two dedicated practice fields each and access to four- and five-star hotels with at least 40,000 square feet for meetings, training rooms and equipment. The teams pay their way to California and for the hotels, as well as for what Braun called a “reasonable” rental fee for the fields.

There are no locker rooms, so players come to the polo club dressed in their soccer gear. Each team is assigned a dedicated groundskeeper to meet the requests of each coach. AEG provides goals, tents and other equipment, and it spent about $2 million renting high-end gear for a makeshift gym.

“We’re certainly in the business of making money, but we want this to run efficiently,” Braun said, adding that the event was a “long-term build, but I wouldn’t put it past being a moneymaker in the short

term.”

Still, he said, it won’t succeed unless the teams are happy.

“You look at the backdrop, the pitches, it’s perfect,” said Phil Neville, the coach of the Timbers. “We’re traveling 11 months of the year, so we don’t need more air travel on top of that.”

Neville and other coaches liked working with the players in semi-isolation. It allows their teams to bond over dinner, rounds of golf or games of the tabletop soccer hybrid known as teqball. The addition of fans, as well as small scoreboards and announcers, also helped give the games a more authentic feel.

“It’s definitely more organized this year, where we get here and play,” said Keaton Parks, a midfielder on New York City FC. “Last year, it felt more like a youth tour where we sat around awhile waiting to play.”

Based on the reaction of many fans, the experiment is off to a good start. Maria De Luca, who lives in Toronto, was sitting with her sons, Emi, 10, and Mati, 11, watching Minnesota United play Chicago Fire FC. She thought paying $25 for a day pass was a bargain, and it allowed the soccer-loving boys, who both wore Messi Argentina shirts, to meet the players and see the game up close. She said they would return next year because her husband attended an annual conference in Palm Springs.

The New York City Red Bulls face off against the L.A. Galaxy at the Coachella Valley Invitational, in Indio, Calif., Feb. 17, 2024. AEG, the entertainment giant, is trying to monetize soccer’s preseason, like other sports have done, but will fans follow? (Alex Welsh/The New York Times)

Te ayudamos a Vender, Alquilar, Comprar y Administrar tu Propiedad

How to Play:

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

Sudoku Rules:

Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

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

Crossword

Aries (Mar 21-April 20)

You’re likely to be feeling especially sensuous right now, Aries. You exude a sort of innocent eroticism and draw many admiring glances. You’re feeling alive and passionate, eager to embrace your life and the special people in it. This would be a great day to plan a romantic evening at home. Cook a nice meal, chill some wine, light some candles, and let nature take its course.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

Try not to let yourself get sucked into participating in idle gossip, Taurus. There will be rumors flying today, and you’d be well advised to take cover. While it’s true that there is some truth to the gossip, the embellishments to the story have blown everything out of proportion. Feelings are likely to get hurt. If you don’t want yours to be among them, steer clear of the water cooler.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

Let’s hope you aren’t afraid of heights, Gemini, because today could have you climbing several rungs on the corporate ladder. It seems your hard work over these last few months has paid off. Don’t hesitate to accept the challenge that’s offered to you. If you’re worried about skeletons buried in your office filing cabinets, you’d do well to come clean with the information. Likely your bosses will respect you for your candor and courage.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

It’s likely that you’re feeling ready for a change, Cancer. It isn’t that you’re dissatisfied with your job or environment, rather that your mind is hungry for new challenges. You may be able to satisfy this hunger by taking on more responsibility at work or signing up to attend some evening classes after work. Any new and different activity will give your mind the stimulation it craves.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

Certainly there are advantages and disadvantages to the high level of intuition you have. Today you may feel weighed down by some strange thoughts that enter your head. Only time will tell if they are true premonitions or simply weird daydreams. In the meantime, you’d probably be best served by ignoring them completely. Life is too short to play the “what if” game.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

While your enthusiasm is high, your resistance may be a bit low, Virgo. Take extra good care of yourself during this busy time. Your tendency is to overdo things, attending too many parties and shopping until the stores close. Your social life is in high gear right now, but you’ll have to allow yourself some time to rest if you’re going to have any hope of enjoying it.

Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

Colleagues may be a bit on edge, Libra. You’ll have to choose your words carefully. If you feel as though you’re walking on eggshells, you are. There’s definite tension in the air. And while you can’t identify the source, you can certainly see it manifested on the faces of your co-workers. Today wouldn’t be a good day to offer constructive criticism of any kind. Don’t rock the boat.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

This is bound to be a fascinating day, Scorpio. You may have a foreign visitor who fills your mind with visions of adventures in faraway lands. Anyone you meet today is likely to be interesting, so be receptive to any new people who enter your life. Your curiosity and sense of adventure are piqued. You may decide to take a trip. If you do, be prepared for romance. It’s definitely in the stars for you.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Your creativity is at an all-time high today, Sagittarius. You’re inspired to embark on some long-term creative projects, and you have the energy to see them through to the end. This is a time for you to take a leap of faith and plunge right in. Hesitation will get you nowhere. Whatever it is you’ve been dreaming of doing, do it now.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

Be sure to open your mail and answer the phone today, Capricorn, as you’re likely to receive some interesting information from a friend or business associate. It could be that a deal that’s been in the works has just been signed, or a romantic interest you’ve been pursuing finally returns your affections. Whatever the day brings, it’s likely to be favorable.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

You can expect a warm and friendly environment at work today, Aquarius. Enjoy the conversations with your co-workers, but don’t take anything at face value. There may be someone in your midst out to sabotage you. You don’t need to worry about it too much, just take care to document any ideas or insights you have. You may need proof that they’re original.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

An intense passion has been released within you, Pisces. You find it hard to resist the urge to take your loved one and run away to some deserted island. You could use a break from civilization. But if you can’t quite make it to that island, how about creating an oasis right in your own home? Order some food from your favorite restaurant, bring it home, and enjoy an intimate evening with your partner.