Tuesday Jan 14, 2025

‘Respect the Vote of the People’

Josefina Santos/The New York Times

2 GOOD MORNING

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

Loíza mayor demands emergency declaration for seafront community subject to erosion

By THE STAR STAFF

Loíza Mayor Julio Nazario is demanding that the new central government administration declare the Parcelas Suárez community an emergency zone, as 12 families are in imminent danger due to severe coastal erosion in the area.

This past weekend, a tidal event generated waves reaching heights of up to 13 feet on the island’s northeastern coast, resulting in the closure and loss of roads, including PR-10. Nazario on Monday stressed that while part of the community benefits from a rock barrier built with the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), there are still unprotected sections where two houses are critically at risk.

“The area that is not protected …” the mayor said. “It is clear that the sea has encroached, and this is a pressing concern. [Grid operator] LUMA [Energy] had to

remove an electricity pole on Saturday around two in the afternoon. Engineer Josué Colón [the island’s energy czar] assessed the situation and approved the removal of that pole. However, no one is considering the urgent need to protect the remaining houses -- that’s my main focus.”

Nazario also criticized the lack of response to her urgent plea for assistance this past weekend. Waldemar Quiles, the designated secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), failed to address her concerns, she said.

“I can state unequivocally that while Josué Colón came by and the new DNER secretary called to say he would send [agency personnel], they never showed up,” Nazario said. “He informed me, ‘Mayor, I live in Utuado. I can’t make it there, so someone else should come.’ I need to document this. If the government does not declare this an emergency zone, I am left without funds to take any action. I have nowhere else to go.”

Quiles did visit the area on Monday, as mentioned on social media and as confirmed by the Loíza mayor. Nazario also recounted a harrowing experience from the weekend when she was swept away by a wave while trying to guide a family to safety. “There were about ten feet between us and the danger. At that moment, I mistakenly thought the sea was far away,” the mayor recounted during a radio interview. “Suddenly, I remarked to my companions, ‘Wow, that wave is really high, but it’s far from us.’ As soon as I said that, the wave surged and engulfed us up to our necks. Thankfully, there was a tree nearby; one person grabbed it while another pulled me to safety. When the wave receded, we managed to escape the area before another wave came crashing in behind us.”

Governor to Senate: Vote for statehood is not open for negotiation

By THE STAR STAFF

During the inaugural session of the 20th Legislative Assembly, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón urged senators on Monday to respect the will of the electorate, which, she said, has favored statehood in multiple consultations.

“The people of Puerto Rico have exercised their vote, not once, not twice, on more than three occasions,” the governor said. “Just as you were elected, respect the vote of the people in favor of statehood. We cannot choose what suits us. The same people who voted for me and voted for you also voted for statehood. We cannot chain this people to the injustice of not receiving equality in federal programs, condemning our people to poverty.”

The governor also stressed the importance of working beyond party lines for the benefit of the population.

“Let us think of our humble people, who only want to have enough to pay for their electricity, their water, their medicines and guarantee their children’s education,” she said. “I ask them to put God first in their decisions. If God is with us, who can be against us?”

Rivera Schatz slams left-wing governments in Senate welcome speech

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, meanwhile, used his welcome speech in the Senate on Monday to criticize the Puerto Rican Independence Party and the left-wing governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

“Our people, through their vote, rejected the hypocrisy of those who claim to be patriots but instead destroy and denigrate Puerto Rico,” Rivera Schatz said. “They [the people] have

oppress them and enjoy a governance model that is by the people and for the people.”

He encouraged the island’s youth to engage in political, social and governmental processes.

“Their contributions are essential,” he said. “Values such as humility, respect, and the desire to serve others are timeless; they do not change with each generation or trend. Innovation, modernity, and youth are not at odds with morality, faith, or free will. We will create ample opportunities for our young people to contribute their valuable insights.”

Rivera Schatz also invited senior citizens to participate in the island’s political discourse.

Lajas, calling on religious leaders to intervene with the governor.

made it clear that trying to hide the truth from them is futile. We Puerto Ricans are discerning. Lies will never be able to disguise themselves successfully, no matter how well they are painted or how magnificent their façade. Hollow phrases will not suffice.”

“What is false cannot evolve for the better, nor can it become genuine; it will always be condemned to be uncovered and replaced by the truth,” the pro-statehood Senate president added. “This is the mission of our Senate: to condemn falsehoods and replace them with authenticity.”

“We had free, democratic, and fair elections,” Rivera Schatz said. “I hope and trust that our brothers in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua can free themselves from the dictatorships that

“We will direct our attention and efforts toward their well-being,” he said. “The circumstances of their lives often treat them unfairly. Abandonment or neglect in hospitals, hospices, or their own homes must end. We must eliminate intolerance toward their slow walking or actions. We must defend and cherish our elders! They deserve it, and it is our duty as a government and as Christians.”

To his fellow senators, the upper chamber leader said: “The positions we occupy are meant to serve with decency, honesty, and ethics. Honor does not stem from titles, wealth, positions, decorations, or awards. True honor, values, and principles flourish in the hearts and minds of good people; they thrive where good seeds are sown, and are reflected in the actions of those who are honest and just. That is our goal and commitment.”

Rivera Schatz stated that legislative work must reflect the concerns and complaints he encountered during his tour around Puerto Rico.

“We will defend our principles and values, protect the Puerto Rican family, and safeguard our children,” he said. “We will not allow anyone to attack them. We will uphold our government program and intensify our efforts to turn Puerto Rico into a state of the union.”

Independent Sen. Molina Pérez: We are going to recover our country

Independent Sen. Eliezer Molina Pérez, who was elected as a write-in candidate, offered a message full of commitment to the Puerto Rican people, highlighting his political independence.

“We are the first senator in history elected by direct nomination, representing the six million Puerto Ricans who left and the three million who continue to struggle on the island,” Molina said. “We will not allow the name of our people to continue to be crushed due to a lack of awareness and character in the leadership.”

The activist-turned-senator also referred to recent controversies over administrative decisions related to La Parguera, a seaside sector of

“Here it is our fortune to have many religious leaders,” he said. “I sincerely ask each one of you to speak with the governor and that you, since you have the ability to speak with God, speak with God. The governor says that thanks to God, an administrative order appeared that no one knows who made it, where today an advantage will be given to those in La Parguera who have the ability to generate income. Even the people who are close to the governor. Against all science, against all logic. We are going to continue fighting it. So I tell you, pastors, when you speak with God, tell him that in Puerto Rico the beaches belong to the people and to be careful not to sink Lajas

and La Parguera like Venice is sinking. Boricua, forward, we are going to recover our country. This, this has just begun.”

Aponte blasts Maduro for suggesting Brazil invade PR

Echoing Rivera Schatz’s message to the Senate, meanwhile, another veteran New Progressive Party legislator, Rep. José Aponte Hernández, announced the filing of a concurrent resolution this week to express the island House of Representatives’ emphatic rejection of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro for his remark about using the armed forces of Brazil to invade Puerto Rico with the purpose of imposing independence on the island by force.

“In the style of a tyrant and oppressor, on the 11th of January of 2025, Maduro made public statements against the People of Puerto Rico,” Aponte Hernández said in a written statement. “The aforementioned statements represent an affront to the democratic values that rule our

Continues on page 4

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón (Facebook via Governor Jenniffer González Colón)

Sen. Eliezer Molina Pérez

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz (Facebook via Governor Jenniffer González Colón)

Bad Bunny announces historic residency at PR Coliseum: ‘No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí’

By THE STAR STAFF

Bad Bunny announced on Monday his historic residency titled “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí,” which will take place at the Puerto Rico Coliseum José Miguel Agrelot “el Choliseo” in Hato Rey under a series of 21 concerts that will begin on July 11 of this year. Exclusive performances for residents of Puerto Rico

In homage to his homeland, the first nine performances will be reserved exclusively for residents of Puerto Rico. Tickets for these concerts will be available starting this Wednesday at 10 a.m., only for in-person purchase at various authorized points on the island. In addition, local attendees will be able to opt for VIP packages with benefits such as priority entry and limited edition gifts.

Resident-only show dates:

Friday, July 11; Saturday, July 12; Sunday, July 13; Friday, July 18; Saturday, July 19; Sunday, July 20; Friday,

July 25; Saturday, July 26; Sunday, July 27.

Ticket sales for global fans

Fans outside of Puerto Rico will be able to register at nomequieroirdeaqui.com (where more information can also be obtained) until today to receive a pre-sale code. Concerts will be available to everyone starting Aug. 1. Global pre-sale will begin this Friday at 10 a.m. AST.

VIP experiences and packages with hotel stays

VIP packages, which include hotel stays, premium tickets, priority access, and exclusive gifts, will be available this Wednesday through nomequieroirdeaqui. com. The packages will be offered in collaboration with Vibee.

Additional residency dates:

Friday, Aug. 1; Saturday, Aug. 2; Sunday, Aug. 3; Friday, Aug. 8; Saturday, Aug. 9; Sunday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 15; Saturday, Aug. 16; Sunday, Aug. 17; Friday, Aug. 22; Saturday, Aug. 23; Sunday, Aug. 24.

Aguadilla mayor’s inauguration set for Wednesday

By THE STAR STAFF

Aguadilla Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción will take the oath of office Wednesday to begin his second term as the northwestern municipality’s top executive. The main inauguration ceremonies will take place at 5 p.m. on San Carlos Avenue in front of City Hall. The ceremony will feature the participation of renowned Puerto Rican singer Chucho Avellanet.

Prior to Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremonies, various activities have been organized that will serve as a backdrop for the main event. Today, a consecration service will be held at

6 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Caimital Alto neighborhood.

On Wednesday, the Holy Mass of Inauguration will take place at 10 a.m. at the San Carlos Borromeo Parish, presided over by Msgr. Ángel Luis Ríos Matos. Later, at 1 p.m., the U.S. Postal Service will be holding a pictorial cancellation ceremony at the City Hall Museum.

“The beginning of my second term represents the commitment I have to my people that Aguadilla continues to progress and develop,” Roldán Concepción said. “In four years we have managed to lay the foundations

Governor to Senate: Vote for statehood is not open for negotiation

From page 3

system of government where the sovereign, the people, express their choice at the polls without fear of persecution or reprisals.”

According to press reports, Maduro said during the International Anti-Fascist Festival in Caracas on Saturday that “Just as in the north they have a colonization agenda, we have a liberation agenda.”

“And our agenda was written by Simón Bolívar,” he said. “The freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we will achieve it with Brazilian troops … leading the way.”

Maduro was sworn in for a third term as

Venezuela’s president last Friday after elections in July that the United States and other governments say were stolen. Edmundo González, the opponent the U.S. and others say won the election, remains in exile in Spain, while the country’s top opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has been in hiding inside Venezuela, according to reports by The New York Times and other outlets.

Whether or not Maduro’s statements are to be taken seriously by anyone in Puerto Rico, the United States, or Brazil for that matter, Aponte was not about to let the Venezuelan leader’s words go unanswered.

“Puerto Rico has been part of the United

States since 1898,” the former speaker of the island House said. “Since 1917 we have been U.S. citizens with rights and responsibilities, and the people express their will at the polls.”

The results of numerous public referendums since 2012 have favored statehood by wide margins over independence, he noted.

“In the last plebiscite on political preference, more than 58% voted in favor of the admission of the island to be a state of the union,” Aponte said.

for the development of our city; now we will begin the new era of our City of Enchantments.”

“We have arrived here because our people understood the message of unity and work that we have developed over the past four years and that have been for the benefit of all Aguadilla residents,” the mayor added. “This new four-year term, which will be framed within the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the [town’s] founding, will begin with the same impetus, commitment and dedication that has been the spearhead for the successes and achievements attained.”

Rep. José Aponte Hernández

Aguadilla Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción

The San Juan Daily Star Tuesday, January 14, 2025 5

‘Red flag’ warning issued as more dangerous winds are forecast for LA

By AMY GRAFF, JONATHAN WOLFE and CLAIRE MOSES

Strong winds forecast for late Monday threatened to reverse some of the hardfought gains firefighters have made in recent days, as they battle the sprawling fires that have devastated Southern California.

Officials issued a rare fire danger alert for Tuesday until Wednesday afternoon. That same kind of alert was issued a week ago before the Eaton fire, which has burned parts of Altadena and Pasadena, and the Palisades fire on the west side of Los Angeles. They are now partly under control, but only after growing into two of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

In anticipation of the new threat, fire crews and resources are being deployed to at-risk areas, including around the Palisades fire, officials said. While winds in the coming days may not be as strong as those last week, their duration could increase the fire risk.

“We are not in the clear as of yet,” Kristin M. Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, said at a news conference Monday. “We must not let our guard down.”

Here’s what we’re covering:

— Containment updates: Firefighters slowed the progress of the Eaton fire, near Altadena and Pasadena, over the weekend.

The 14,000-acre blaze did not grow Sunday and was 33% contained by Monday morning, according to Cal Fire, while the 23,700-acre Palisades fire on the west side of Los Angeles was 14% contained.

— Death toll: The Eaton fire has killed 16 people, making it one of the deadliest in California’s history, and at least eight people have died in the Palisades blaze.

Another 16 people have been reported missing in the areas of the two fires, and officials have warned the number of fatalities is likely to rise.

— Scale of destruction: The total area burned by the past week’s fires — nearly 40,000 acres — is larger than the city limits of San Francisco. And while the number of people under evacuation orders

has dropped slightly to 92,000, from more than 100,000 Sunday, many more have been warned they may have to evacuate. The largest fires have damaged more than 12,000 structures, a category that includes houses, cars and outbuildings.

— Early moments: While it remained unclear what started the fires, power lines near the Eaton and Palisades fires were live when those blazes started and may have played a role. “We are looking at every angle,” Dominic Choi, the assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said Monday, adding that arson had not been ruled out as a cause.

Firefighters fight the burning Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles, Jan. 8, 2025. Days after a devastating wildfire, residents of Pacific Palisades have started sifting through the ruins, and their memories. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)

Middle-class dreams lie in ruins in Palisades mobile home park

By JACOB BERNSTEIN

Up on Amalfi Drive in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, luxury homes owned by celebrities are still standing. But down at the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates, a mobile home community on Pacific Coast Highway just across from the beach, all of the nearly 200 homes are destroyed.

“Nothing but ruins,” said Maria Nol, who lived in a mobile home there with her daughter, her son-in-law and her three grandchildren.

Nol was one of many people who worked and struggled their way to a middle-class life but has now been digging through rubble for anything that remained.

“The media is advertising and publicizing all the celebrities that lost their homes, but the people who live here inherited homes from their parents who bought in the ’70s,” Nol’s daughter, Lynda Park, 43, said Friday.

Park had worked at the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church. That also burned to the ground last week. So did the home of the family her mother worked for as a cleaner.

Nol owned the house in the 16000 block of Pacific Coast Highway but did not have an insurance policy on it. Getting one had become too expensive, she said, given the high probability of a natural disaster in this scenic but fire- and landslide-prone area.

“The only things we have left are the clothes we have on,” Park said.

She wore a blue down vest on top of a white T-shirt and Gap jeans. Her mother had on a red zip-up sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Nol estimated her own clothes cost around $50.

A few feet away was their neighbor, Bonnie Kanner, 63.

That morning, Kanner had been so frazzled that she put her top on inside out. Now, she was using her iPhone to photograph the debris around her home, as required by her homeowners insurance policy. The policy provides for $400,000 in coverage, she said — $250,000 for the property itself, and $150,000 for her personal effects.

She would have to submit an inventory of her possessions to collect the full amount, but all her records burned in the fire. Left of her was a hollowed-out washer and dryer. To her right was a circular object about 3 feet in diameter with charred springs.

“My trampoline,” she said. Kanner used a metal detector to look for her sterling silver cutlery. After it started beeping, she extracted something metallic that resembled Play-Doh from the rubble. Her forks, knives and spoons had melted together.

She left the ruins of her home with the melted clump of silver. She said she might be able to resell it, probably for a few hundred dollars.

Members of an inmate firefighting team battle the Palisades fire near Mandeville Canyon Road in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)

With hearings imminent, partisan fight escalates over Trump Cabinet

By CARL HULSE and KAROUN DEMIRJIAN

Aquiet but bitter partisan clash is underway on Capitol Hill over President-elect

Donald Trump’s choices for key Cabinet posts, as Republicans face immense pressure to fast-track confirmations and Democrats charge that they are cutting corners on vetting for critical administration jobs.

The feud is coming to a head as senators are planning a crowded schedule of confirmation hearings this week, with more than a dozen planned and more possible before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Republican senators who attended a private planning session with Trump at the Capitol last week said that he urged them to stay united behind his picks after some Republicans have expressed their own reservations about certain candidates. Some have also sided with Democrats in insisting that senators must be allowed to review FBI background checks and other pertinent material on the nominees before passing judgment.

Those at the Republican meeting said Trump made a special appeal for Pete Hegseth, his choice for defense secretary, who is scheduled to appear before the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. They said he singled out Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and military veteran, by name in a sign of the importance he is placing on the confirmation.

But Democrats on the committee have begun raising objections about a potential lack of access to background materials — such as an FBI report on Hegseth, who settled a civil case with a woman who accused him of sexual assault, and has faced allegations of sexual harassment, drinking on the job and financial mismanagement. Democrats say the FBI report on Hegseth might be shared only with the top Republican and Democrat on the panel, a break with normal procedures in which committee members are generally allowed access to such reports.

Some have also demanded to see financial and other records for veterans advocacy groups that Hegseth was overseeing when they ran into financial trouble, raising questions about his management skills when he is in line to run a department with an $849 billion budget and close to 3 million employees.

“They are stonewalling us,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said about the Republican resistance to providing Democrats the documents they seek about Hegseth. “Without putting too fine a point on it, they think they can blow us off.”

Democrats had generally withheld their fire on many of Trump’s candidates and the confirmation process for a time, preferring to

kota, Trump’s pick for Interior secretary, and Chris Wright, his choice to lead the Energy Department. Heinrich said Lee did so without gaining the traditional consent of the Democratic minority and without required documents being made available to Democrats.

“To be clear: The documents that the Energy and Natural Resources Democrats do not have are not just paperwork,” Heinrich said in a statement. “These are the documents, disclosures and ethics agreement that are required by our committee rules and the law.”

In a statement, Lee accused Democrats of “wasting time” and said he had “made every effort to work with our Democratic colleagues, but we won’t give in to delays that undermine the American people’s mandate.”

Other Republican lawmakers have said that the snowstorm that shuttered the capital this week, along with a federal day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter, has slowed paperwork such as financial disclosures and that the required material should be available soon.

Democrats jumped on the disputes as a way to raise questions about the Republican approach.

allow Republicans to quarrel among themselves about the qualifications and backgrounds of some of the president-elect’s choices. But as the hearings have grown closer, they have become more outspoken and critical of how Republicans are handling the process.

At the same time, influential allies of Trump, including Elon Musk, have stepped up a pressure campaign directed at Republicans. They are trying to get lawmakers to quickly confirm his chosen candidates without acquiescing to Democratic demands to slow their consideration over demands for paperwork or findings by the FBI, an agency that many conservatives do not trust.

“Unacceptable,” Musk posted on his social media site in response to a conservative post that criticized Republicans for “playing games” with Trump’s Cabinet picks by abiding by long-standing Senate committee rules about vetting.

Hegseth met Wednesday with Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, who said the conversation between the two did “not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers.”

The Armed Services Committee is not the only panel facing conflict. Sen.Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has accused Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the new chair, of repeatedly breaching protocol and precedent by unilaterally setting hearings for next week on the prospective nominations of Gov. Doug Burgum of North Da-

“Republicans choosing to rush nominees is quickly becoming a pattern,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “It’s hard not to wonder what are the Republicans trying to hide about these nominees from the American people.”

Democrats are limited in their ability to derail any disputed nominations, which require only a majority vote for confirmation, though they can erect procedural roadblocks and slow the process.

In recent meetings, Schumer has urged the Democrats on the committees with the most contentious nominees to take a double-barreled approach: Use the sessions to showcase contrasts between the policy goals of the parties while pulling back the curtain on the nominees in the hopes of breaking off at least four Republicans to provide the votes to defeat them or force them to withdraw.

Republicans said they expected spirited opposition from Democrats on some of the nominees, though several are expected to move through without much trouble.

“I expect them to vigorously question and probably oppose the president’s nominees,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “That’s certainly their prerogative.”

But Cornyn said he shared a desire for the required vetting material, saying, “I think it is important to have a confirmation process with the appropriate background checks so there are no surprises.”

Pete Hegseth, the former FOX anchor and Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Defense, at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. A quiet but bitter partisan clash is underway on Capitol Hill over Trump’s choices for key cabinet posts, as Republicans face immense pressure to fast-track confirmations and Democrats charge that they are cutting corners on vetting. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

More companies are buying bitcoin, betting on rewards over risks

By DAVID YAFFE-BELLANY and JOE RENNISON

Acouple of weeks after the presidential election, Joe Davy, the CEO of the marketing firm Banzai, sent an email to the company’s board of directors: He wanted Banzai to start buying bitcoin.

On the face of it, a plunge into the freewheeling world of cryptocurrencies was a strange move for Banzai, a Nasdaq-listed company known for its corporate webinar product. But the election of Donald Trump, who embraced bitcoin on the campaign trail, had galvanized the crypto industry and sent prices skyrocketing. Davy argued that the investment would protect the company’s finances in case inflation devalued the U.S. dollar, a common but widely contested claim made by crypto enthusiasts.

On Nov. 26, Banzai announced that it would spend up to 10% of the funds it held in its corporate treasury on bitcoin. (The company reported $4.3 million in cash in its latest quarterly report.) “It ended up being a pretty straightforward conversation,” Davy said in an interview. “It makes sense to own this thing.”

As the price of bitcoin has soared, a small but growing number of businesses that have nothing to do with crypto — like Banzai — have started to build up stockpiles, linking their financial performance, at least in part, to volatile digital currency markets.

The investments are a sharp pivot away from the cautious approach of the traditional corporate treasury department, whose focus is typically safeguarding cash rather than risking it for a higher return. Typical reserve assets include steady, predictable securities such as U.S. government bonds and money market funds.

“I cannot understand how a risk-averse board could justify an investment in digital assets, given we know they swing quite significantly,” said Naresh Agarwal, an associate director at the Association of Corporate Treasurers, a trade organization. “It is quite an opaque market.”

The companies buying crypto are following the example set by MicroStrategy, a business analytics software firm that started amassing bitcoin in 2020. It has since built a bitcoin stash that has risen to more than $40 billion, dwarfing the value of its software business. Michael Saylor, the company’s executive chair and a former bitcoin skeptic, has become a prominent evangelist for the digital currency.

The strategy has produced astonishing returns for shareholders: MicroStrategy’s stock has risen more than 2,000% over the past four years. It now serves as a proxy for the price of bitcoin, which was worth around $12,000 per coin when the company started buying and surged to a milestone of $100,000 last month.

By one estimate, more than 70 publicly traded companies now invest in bitcoin, including several that started buying it as Trump promoted crypto last year. Many of those companies work directly in the crypto industry, like Coinbase, the prominent U.S. exchange. But the group is widening. Rumble, the conservativeleaning social media firm, announced in November that it was planning to spend up to $20 million on bitcoin. Other firms that have bought the asset include a medical technology supplier, a cannabis grower and Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle manu-

facturer.

“We are just believers,” said Bruce Rodgers, the CEO of LM Funding, a company founded as a real estate debt collection business that shifted to mining bitcoin a few years ago and held more than $14 million of the cryptocurrency in mid-December. “We are going to accumulate all the coin we can.”

The growing corporate adoption of bitcoin shows that the cryptocurrency, once dismissed as a passing fad, has attained a semblance of mainstream legitimacy. The purchases also mean that more investors will be exposed, whether they know it or not, to the vagaries of cryptocurrencies, which are prone to sudden surges and precipitous drops. In December, MicroStrategy joined the Nasdaq-100 index, a cornerstone of college savings plans and retirement accounts.

“It’s going to bring crypto and crypto’s volatility into more people’s portfolios whether or not they’re intentionally investing,” said Lee Reiners, a former Federal Reserve official who teaches at Duke University Law School.

Bitcoin did not originate as a corporate investment tool. It was designed to provide the basis for a renegade financial system that would allow people to exchange funds without relying on banks or other intermediaries. Early supporters also envisioned it as a long-term store of value, programmed to have a limited supply so that governments couldn’t print more of it.

The price of bitcoin has fluctuated wildly over the years, plunging in late 2022 after a series of bankruptcies upended the

industry and soaring last year as Trump promised to ease regulation.

As bitcoin began to surge in 2024, Semler Scientific, a California company that makes medical devices and builds software for disease detection, settled on a new way to deploy its reserves. The company had considered using the funds to acquire other businesses or buy back its own stock, two common uses of corporate cash.

Ultimately, the company decided to invest all but the cash it needed for day-to-day operations in bitcoin, beginning in May. Eric Semler, the firm’s chair, said in an interview that he has spoken with managers of large funds restricted from buying crypto who were looking for other ways to gain exposure to its lofty returns.

“There aren’t many proxies for bitcoin in the stock market,” Semler said. “There are reasons to own stocks like ours or MicroStrategy’s that are differentiated.” It means that the company could benefit from both the rising value of the bitcoin it holds and increased demand for its stock as a crypto alternative. The company’s share price has risen more than 80% over the past six months.

Not long after the election, the CEO of Rumble, Chris Pavlovski, mused online about adding bitcoin to his company’s balance sheet. Saylor of MicroStrategy responded: “I would be happy to discuss why & how with you.”

They eventually spoke on the phone, and on Nov. 25, Rumble announced that it was allocating up to $20 million of its excess cash to buy bitcoin, citing “the election of a cryptofriendly U.S. presidential administration.” Rumble’s stock has jumped about 70% in the past month, in part because of a major investment in the company by Tether, a crypto company. Rumble representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Not everyone has responded with enthusiasm to the corporate bitcoin purchases. Davy of Banzai said he had fielded some concerned calls from shareholders after the company revealed its plans. In the months before the announcement, Banzai had restructured its debt and completed a 1-for-50 reverse stock split to maintain its listing after its share price fell too low.

“People had divisive opinions,” he said of the bitcoin plan. “I got a couple of phone calls from people who were like: ‘What the hell is going on over there? What are you thinking?’”

And even as the market has surged, some companies have moved to distance themselves from crypto, showing the limits of bitcoin’s appeal. Last year, Reddit sold most of its crypto holdings, a few months after revealing that bitcoin was part of its treasury.

In December, the Free Enterprise Project, a conservative advocacy group, introduced a proposal at Microsoft’s shareholder meeting calling for the company to consider putting bitcoin on its balance sheet. Saylor praised the effort on social media and gave a presentation to shareholders. The proposal, opposed by Microsoft’s management, was resoundingly defeated, with only around 0.5% of shareholders in favor.

“I guess it tells you that mainstream investors still are a little bit blind to the opportunity,” Saylor said in an interview. “It will be on a lot of other agendas.”

Joe Davy, the founder and chief executive of the marketing firm Banzai, on Bainbridge Island, Wash., Dec. 18, 2024. Davy said it “makes sense” to spend up to 10 percent of the company’s cash on bitcoin. (Grant Hindsley/The New York Times)

Stocks

S&P 500 wipes post-election gains as bonds haunt

Alook at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan

Wall Street’s S&P 500 index has all but wiped out its postelection gains, weighed by bond markets fearful of an inflation and interest rate resurgence if the hot economy gets stoked by President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

With the fourth-quarter corporate earnings season about to unfold from Wednesday, the S&P 500 clocked another 2% loss for the week and closed on Friday less than 1% from where it ended polling day on Nov. 5.

With bond yields and the dollar still chomping at the bit first thing on Monday, S&P500 futures are down 1% ahead of the bell and the VIX ‘fear index’ topped 22 for the first time this year - also back where it was on election day.

The latest cloud over the stormy new year market was rooted in ostensibly good news and another impressive U.S. employment report, where payrolls growth exceeded forecasts and the unemployment rate fall. That’s made it clear any lingering Federal Reserve concern about a softening labor market are wide.

If the jobs side of the equation is holding up or even tightening, then the Fed - and the Treasury bond market - now has to assess the risk of a re-acceleration of still above-target inflation.

That’s especially so as Trump plans for deportations of illegal migrants, and tax cuts and tariff rises are expected to aggravate the broader wage and price picture, while potentially adding public debt risks.

Trump’s inauguration next week now stands as a pivotal market moment, with his Treasury Secretary pick Scott Bessent due for his Senate confirmation hearing this Thursday.

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

But we get a firm reality check on the inflation picture from Wednesday’s release of the December consumer price report, while Monday’s New York Fed survey of consumer inflation expectations will act as an appetizer.

With not even one full Fed rate cut left priced in futures markets for the whole year, the interest rate market is now toying with the idea that the Fed easing cycle is over after just 1 percentage point of cuts - with some now even murmuring about the chances that rates move back up from here.

The Treasury market has been running scared for over a month, with benchmark 10-year yields topping 4.8% early Mon-

day for the first time since late 2023 - more than 40bps above the Fed policy rate.

In an extraordinary move, 10-year yields have now risen 115 basis point since the Fed began easing in September.

Two-year yields vaulted 4.4% for the first time since July.

The dollar index keeps building a head of steam as a result, hitting its highest since 2022 first thing Monday.

Agitating the price picture even further has been a rebound in U.S. crude oil prices that saw them touch their highest since August on Monday, and with year-on-year gains of 8% the most since July.

The San Juan Daily Star

The San Juan Daily Star Tuesday, January 14, 2025 9

Battles rage inside Russia, with waves of tanks, drones and North Koreans

By MARC SANTORA and LIUBOV SHOLUDKO

Five months after Ukrainian forces swept across the border in the first ground invasion of Russia since World War II, the two armies are engaged in some of the most furious clashes of the war there, fighting over land and leverage in the conflict.

The intensity of the battles recalls some of the worst sieges of eastern Ukraine over the past three years, including in towns like Bakhmut and Avdiivka, names that now evoke memories of mass slaughter for soldiers on both sides.

The fighting, in the Kursk region of Russia, has taken on a layer of significance for the territory’s potential to play a role in any ceasefire negotiations. Facing the prospect of an unpredictable new U.S. president — who has vowed to end the war swiftly, without clarifying the terms — Ukraine hopes to use Russian territory as a bargaining chip.

Russia, relying on North Korean reinforcements, hopes to knock that territory out of Ukraine’s grasp.

“Here, the Russians need to take this territory at any cost, and are pouring all their strength into it, while we are giving everything we have to hold it,” said Sgt. Oleksandr, 46, a leader of a Ukrainian infantry platoon. “We’re holding on, destroying, destroying, destroying — so much that it’s hard to even comprehend.”

He and other soldiers, asking to be identified by only a first name or call sign in accordance with military protocol, said that attacking North Korean infantry had made the battles far more ferocious than before.

“The situation worsened significantly when the North Koreans started arriving,” said Jr. Sgt. Oleksii, 30, a platoon leader. “They are pressuring our fronts en masse, finding weak points and breaking through them.”

Russia, with the help of an estimated 12,000 North Koreans, has retaken about half of the territory it lost over the summer. Its assaults over the past week have further eaten into the territory held by Ukraine.

But Ukrainian forces have also gone on the attack in recent days, seeking to secure an area west of Sudzha, a small town in Russia about 6 miles from the border that has become the anchor for Ukrainian forces, which seized about 200 square miles in August.

“If they keep pressing us and we don’t push back, the enemy will feel a sense of superiority,” said Andrii, 44, a military intel-

(Finbarr O’Reilly/The New York Times)

ligence officer. “When someone keeps hitting you, and you don’t hit back, the attacker will feel psychologically comfortable, even relaxed.”

The Russians have largely thwarted the assault, but fighting goes on and the situation remains unpredictable, soldiers said.

The intensity of the battles could be glimpsed on the road approaching the Russian border: A steady stream of tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles rolled past broken down and blown-up equipment.

Russian bombs and rockets exploded with thunderous force in border villages, and Ukrainian missiles could be seen streaking across the sky in the opposite direction.

Tens of thousands of drones hunted targets, too. They have transformed the battlefield, although Ukraine has improved its electronic warfare abilities, limiting the effectiveness of drones that rely on radio signals. Russia has now flooded the theater with drones guided by ultrathin fiber-optic cables, with a flying range of more than 10 miles.

The best current defense against them is a shotgun, Ukrainian soldiers said.

The renewed fighting comes against a deeply uncertain political backdrop. U.S.

President-elect Donald Trump spent months on the campaign trail questioning U.S. military assistance to Ukraine. He has said he wants to bring the war to a swift end, but has not indicated how.

Russian forces have been on the offensive for more than a year in eastern Ukraine, making steady advances despite staggering losses.

With its incursion, Ukraine aims to create a buffer zone to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city of Sumy, less than 20 miles from the border with Russia. Ukraine also wants to ease pressure on the eastern front by drawing Russians back onto their own land.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the campaign had sent a powerful message to the world that Ukraine can do more than play defense.

“It’s one of our wins, I think one of the biggest wins, not just last year, but throughout the war,” Zelenskyy said Thursday in Germany, while meeting representatives of nations providing military support to Ukraine.

Still, some military analysts have cautioned that Ukraine’s Kursk campaign could leave its forces increasingly stretched and losing ground in its own eastern Donbas region.

Many soldiers fighting in Kursk believe

that the painful losses in eastern Ukraine would have been even worse without their campaign.

“We have to understand the Russians use their most elite soldiers and best reserves in this area,” said Capt. Oleksandr Shyrshyn, 30, a battalion commander in the 47th Mechanized Brigade. “Considering what they could be doing in other parts of Ukraine, it is good.”

He was still bleary-eyed after a battle, a few days earlier, to thwart a large Russian assault.

The Russians attacked Ukrainian positions in six waves, employing more than 50 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles.

While dozens of enemy soldiers were killed and injured and a large amount of the Russian equipment destroyed, Shyrshyn said, the Russians advanced a couple of miles.

“When the first wave comes, we focus on it, deal with it, and then the next one comes,” he said. There is no time to redirect artillery or other resources as the next wave moves in from a different line of attack.

“We fall behind,” he said. “Then the next wave comes, and one of them manages to reach the required section and accomplish its task.”

It remains difficult, he said, to see how so many in the West view the war in Ukraine like a video game and refuse to see the threat Russia poses to the world.

He acknowledged the decline in Ukrainian morale over nearly three years of war, but said most soldiers still understood why they must fight. “Stopping will mean our death, that’s all,” he said.

North Korea’s entry into the war, some Ukrainian soldiers said, should alarm European nations and their allies.

The North Korean troops have fought as a disciplined, dedicated and fearless force, they said, typically moving in large formations on foot, even through minefields while under heavy artillery fire and being stalked by drones. Ukrainian authorities on Saturday said their forces captured two North Korean soldiers and that they were the first to be taken alive so far.

Oleksandr, the platoon leader, said the carnage in Kursk was as terrifying as anything he had witnessed since joining the army in 2014.

“You look and can’t fully grasp where you are, seeing every day how many people we destroy,” he said.

A Ukrainian soldier from the 82nd Brigade who returned a few hours earlier from Russia’s Kursk rests in an abandoned house in a village near the border in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region on January 8, 2025. Ukrainian soldiers are describing fierce clashes as Russian forces try to retake territory in the Kursk region that could be key in eventual cease-fire talks.

How China is erasing Tibetan culture, one child at a time

By CHRIS BUCKLEY

Across China’s west, the Communist Party is placing children in boarding schools in a drive to assimilate a generation of Tibetans into the national mainstream and mold them into citizens loyal to the party.

Tibetan rights activists, as well as experts working for the United Nations, have said that the party is systematically separating Tibetan children from their families to erase Tibetan identity and to deepen China’s control of a people who historically have resisted Beijing’s rule. The activists have estimated that around three-quarters of Tibetan students age 6 and older — and others even younger — are in residential schools that teach largely in Mandarin, replacing the Tibetan language, culture and Buddhist beliefs that the children once absorbed at home and in village schools.

When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, visited one such school in the summer, he inspected a dormitory that appeared freshly painted and as neat as an army barracks. He walked into a classroom where Tibetan students, listening to a lecture on Communist Party thought, stood and applauded to welcome him.

Xi’s visit to the school in Qinghai province in June amounted to a firm endorsement of the program, despite international criticism. Education, he said, must “implant a shared consciousness of Chinese nationhood in the souls of children from an early age.”

Chinese officials say the schools help Tibetan children to quickly become fluent in the Chinese language and learn skills that will prepare them for the modern economy. They say that families voluntarily send their children to the schools, which are free, and that the students have classes in Tibetan culture and language.

But extensive interviews and research by The New York Times show that Tibetan children appear to be singled out by Chinese authorities for enrollment in residential schools. Their parents often have little or no choice but to send them, experts, parents, lawyers and human rights investigators said in interviews. Many parents do not see their children for long stretches.

Dozens of research papers and reports from experts and

Hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children are being separated from their families and placed in boarding schools by the Chinese government.

teachers within the Chinese system have warned about anxiety, loneliness, depression and other psychological harm to the schools’ Tibetan children.

The Times reviewed and analyzed hundreds of videos posted to Chinese social media sites by Tibetan boarding schools, state media and local propaganda departments that showed how the schools operate and serve the party’s objectives.

Student life is heavy with political indoctrination. Schools, for instance, celebrate what China calls “Serfs’ Emancipation Day,” referring to the anniversary of the Communist Party’s full takeover of Tibet in 1959, after a failed Tibetan uprising and a Chinese crackdown that forced the Dalai Lama into exile. The party accuses the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, of having ruled over a slaveholding society.

Children as young as preschool age were being sent away, and parental visits were limited. The Times talked to three Tibetan parents with children of elementary-school age in residential schools who said that they had no choice and that they were not allowed to visit their children at will.

Chinese officials insist that enrollment is voluntary. In reality, the government has closed village schools and privately run Tibetan language schools while strictly enforcing mandatory education laws.

“One can hardly speak of any choice if local schools are all closed down,” said Fernand de Varennes, a human rights expert.

He and two other independent experts with the United Nations investigated the boarding schools and expressed alarm in 2023 at what they said appeared to be a

“policy of forced assimilation of the Tibetan identity into the dominant Han-Chinese majority.”

In 2021, a video surfaced online showing an elementary schoolteacher in eastern Tibet beating a child with a chair in his classroom. The video circulated on the internet in China more than 1,000 times before it was taken down.

Physical punishment is outlawed in Chinese schools, but studies by Chinese academics have found that the practice persists in Tibetan boarding schools.

The Chinese government does not say how many Tibetan children are in boarding schools. The Tibet Action Institute, an international group that has campaigned to close the schools, estimates that among children ages 6 to 18, the figure is at least 800,000 — or 3 in every 4 Tibetan children. The group arrived at its estimate, which it published in a report in 2021, based on local government statistics.

Statistics collected by the Times from local government documents across Tibetan areas show similar numbers in boarding schools, with some areas notably higher than others.

In Golog, a Tibetan area of Qinghai province, 95% of middle school students were in such schools, according to a study published in 2017 in China’s main journal on education for ethnic groups. A report from the local Legislature in 2023 said that 45 of the 49 elementary schools in Golog were residential.

The expansion of boarding school enrollment in Tibetan areas runs counter to the national trend. Chinese government guidelines issued in 2018 say that elementary schoolchildren should not, in general, be sent to such schools.

But children from ethnic minorities in border regions seem to be treated as an exception. In the far western region of Xinjiang, children of the Muslim Uyghur ethnic group have also been sent to residential schools in large numbers.

Chinese officials say such schools help children in Tibetan regions avoid long commutes. But official websites also promote instructions from Xi on minority education, arguing that youth in ethnic minority regions were at risk of having “erroneous” ideas about religion, history and ethnic relations.

To counter those threats, Xi said in 2014, children of the right age should “study in school, live in school and grow up in school.” The government’s hope is that those children will then become champions of the Chinese language and the party’s values.

But some of the starkest warnings about the toll that boarding schools are taking on Tibetan children come from within China’s education system.

Teachers, education researchers and local legislators in China have written reports describing Tibetan children as suffering from being separated from their families and from being largely confined within their schools.

Education, especially in minority areas, is a politically sensitive topic. Tibetans who oppose the boarding schools risk imprisonment if they protest.

Yet some still voice their worries. On Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, parents lamented the diminishing role that the Tibetan language plays in their children’s lives.

“After just one month in kindergarten, my child basically no longer speaks Tibetan. Now when we speak to our child in Tibetan, they only respond in Mandarin,” one person wrote in a comment. “No matter how we try to teach Tibetan now, they won’t learn it. I’m really heartbroken.”

Liberal democracy faces doubts. But collapse? Not likely.

By SERGE SCHMEMANN

Democracy, it is often heard these days, is in crisis.

The election of Donald Trump and news of political turmoil in many other democracies have created the impression that liberal democracy is everywhere in retreat in the face of authoritarians feeding on discontent over economic woes, rapid social change, mass migration, disinformation and general malaise.

Austria could get its first far-right chancellor since World War II. France is on its fifth prime minister in three years, Germany is headed for elections the chancellor is sure to lose, deeply unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada quit under pressure from his own party, a postfascist government runs Italy, Viktor Orban of Hungary continues to proudly stomp on democracy, and populist parties seem to be making inroads in every corner of Europe. Elsewhere there’s always more troubling news — from Israel, India, South Korea.

It’s easy to perceive a global trend: workers of the world losing faith in the established order and dismayed by globalization, rushing for the extremes and rallying behind populists.

“It is hard to travel in Europe these days, or even to live in Washington, without recognizing that liberal democracy is now in serious trouble in the world,” a New York Times columnist once wrote. “We are living in a time of widespread doubt about the capacity of free societies to deal with the economic, political and philosophical problems of the age.”

Many readers would agree. In fact, many did in June 1975, almost a half-century ago, when James Reston wrote those words. But democracy did not founder then, and while there is no question that it is facing serious challenges today, it is another question whether they amount to a universal democratic backsliding or worse: liberal democracy in danger of collapse.

But as the Times’ Berlin bureau chief, Jim Tankersley, suggested in a recent analysis of Germany’s plight, “not all malaise is the same.” Popular discontent in Western democracies may have broadly similar sources, but the political consequences are as different as the leaders and systems in each country. And it is ultimately leaders who shape the outcomes, argues Larry Bartels, the author of “Democracy Erodes From the Top.” Public opinion, he suggests, is less an active wave than a passive reservoir to which leaders respond — or which the less principled exploit.

“I think there’s always a tendency on the part of observers to see deep meaning in terms of shifts in public opinion,” Bartels said in an interview. “It turns out that it’s more country-specific than outside observers are likely to grant.”

Scanning the global political storms separately reveals their unique characteristics and challenges, and the way many are rooted more in a backlash against incumbent leaders than in a new embrace of the far right.

House Speaker Mike Johnson conducts a ceremonial swearing-in for new congressmen, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Mark Peterson/The New York Times)

impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after his aborted bid for emergency powers can actually be chalked up as a victory for — not a blow to — democracy.

The roots and dangers of each of these cases can be disputed, and collectively they do represent a swing away from progressive politics. But to view them as a broad democratic retreat is to limit the historical horizon to the era since the collapse of the Soviet empire, an event that briefly fueled illusions of liberal democracy’s final and irreversible triumph: an “end of history.” In fact, democracy has been sorely challenged throughout history.

That the threats to democracy are diverse may not be a great consolation to those worried about where it is headed, and there’s every reason to remain vigilant. But it should be reassuring that democracy is not facing a global extinction event but more a patchwork of storms, and that democracies have usually found a way to weather them.

Dr. Ricardo Angulo Founder PO BOX 6537 Caguas PR 00726

In France, President Emmanuel Macron was first elected in 2017, determined to upend French politics, and so they’re upended. And if Marine Le Pen, the perennial far-right contender, has made inroads, it arguably owes as much to her success in detoxifying her National Rally party as to a growth of far-right sentiment. In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party finished first in elections Sept. 29 in a reaction against the mainstream parties, but it also had to moderate its tone to get there, and it may yet fail to find the coalition parties it needs to form a government.

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In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decline reflects the failure of the three-party coalition he led to cope with the country’s economic funk. But that’s politics, not democratic backsliding, and the much-feared, far-right Alternative for Germany remains officially branded as “suspected extremist” and shunned as a potential federal ruling coalition partner by all major parties. In Canada, voters largely grew tired of Trudeau and his progressive politics after nearly a decade.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, once feared as an ultranationalist, has managed to establish herself since her election in 2022 as someone with whom Europe, and now, even more, America, can do business. Orbán, today the poster boy of illiberalism, was far less radical when he first came to power in 1998, and changed his stripes in the confusion of postcommunist power struggles. At the same time, Poland, once twinned with Hungary as a study in democracy gone awry, ousted the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party and brought back centrist Donald Tusk.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s politics in Israel, and Narendra Modi’s in India, have less to do with discontent than with distinctly national factors. And in South Korea, the efforts to

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Carmen Maldonado juramenta a su tercer cuatrienio en Morovis y anuncia nuevos proyectos

POR EL STAR STAFF

MOROVIS – La alcaldesa de Morovis, Carmen Maldonado González, juramentó en la tarde de hoy a un tercer término en la poltrona municipal, con el compromiso de continuar los proyectos de desarrollo económico mediante el turismo interno, agricultura y acción social comunitaria. Juramenta-

da por la jueza presidenta del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico, Maite Oronoz Rodríguez, la alcaldesa agradeció a todo su pueblo el respaldo recibido en las pasadas elecciones, donde acumuló 6,761 votos (54.13% del total), superando por más de 1,300 votos a su más cercano competidor. Como parte del evento, el ex secretario del Departamento de Estado y exalcalde de San Juan, Héctor Luis Acevedo se dirigió a los presentes con un enérgico mensaje a favor del servicio público.

En su mensaje a los presentes, Héctor Luis Acevedo mencionó que “llegué aquí para honrar a esta alcaldesa, voz y abanderara de los más humildes. Pido a Dios que Carmen siga en la buena ruta, en la empatía con el dolor de sus semejantes. Ella es una luchadora valiente por el voto libre y limpio. La recuerdo con un altavoz frente a Fortaleza, cuando otros callaron”.

En su mensaje a los presentes, Maldonado señaló que “hoy es un día de profunda emoción y grati-

tud. Me presento ante ustedes para juramentar como su alcaldesa para un tercer mandato; un honor que asumo con el mismo compromiso y dedicación que en el primer día de nuestra gestión. En primer lugar, agradezco a Dios por permitirme continuar sirviendo a este pueblo que tanto amo. A mi familia, que ha sido mi pilar inquebrantable, y a cada uno de ustedes, los moroveños, quienes con su apoyo y confianza han renovado mi determinación de seguir trabajando incansablemente por nuestro querido Morovis”.

La alcaldesa hizo un breve recorrido de lo logrado en los pasados ocho años, “donde emprendimos juntos un camino lleno de desafíos, pero también de esperanza. Desde el inicio, me comprometí a construir un Morovis que reflejara el esfuerzo, la valentía y la unidad de su gente. Hoy, al mirar atrás, podemos sentirnos orgullosos de lo que hemos alcanzado juntos. Hemos dejado huella y futuro en cada rincón de nuestro municipio”.

Certificado en $3 millones el déficit de Moca

POR EL STAR STAFF

MOCA – El alcalde entrante de Moca, Efraín ‘Franco’ Barreto, ofreció declaraciones oficiales sobre la situación financiera en que se encuentra el municipio.

“El equipo de transición entrante, compuesto por profesionales altamente cualificados, realizó un análisis exhaustivo desde el comienzo del proceso de transición. Dichos estudios revelaron que la administración saliente deja al municipio de Moca con un déficit descubierto que supera los $3,000,000, una situación que pone en riesgo la estabilidad financiera del municipio”.

En relación a la actividad de Toma de Posesión,

Barreto aclaró que los fondos asignados para dicha actividad fueron presupuestados por la administración saliente, y no por su equipo. “Es importante destacar que no fue este servidor quien autorizó el presupuesto para esa actividad, sino la administración saliente”, señaló Barreto.

El nuevo alcalde también enfatizó la falta de balance fiscal en el presupuesto presentado por la administración anterior. “Cada año presupuestario es independiente y debe reflejar un balance entre gastos e ingresos. Sin embargo, esa información no está debidamente reflejada en el último presupuesto. Toda esta información fue brindada por la misma administración saliente y corroborada durante las vistas de transición, que están disponibles en las plataformas

digitales”, agregó.

Barreto reafirmó su compromiso con el pueblo de Moca y aseguró que, a pesar de los retos y los atrasos impuestos, trabajará arduamente para restaurar la estabilidad financiera y administrativa del municipio. “Nuestro deber es garantizar que el municipio opere de manera eficiente y en beneficio de todos los mocanos. No permitiremos que estas dificultades obstaculicen el progreso de nuestra gente”, concluyó.

Senadores van a la final y los Indios están cerca

SAN JUAN – Los Senadores de San Juan se clasificaron a la Serie Final de la Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) al vencer a los Cangrejeros de Santurce, 2-0, en el quinto juego de la Serie Semifinal B. Por su parte, los Indios de Mayagüez tomaron ven-

taja en la Serie Semifinal al ganar 5-4 a los Criollos de Caguas en la décima entrada. En el Estadio Hiram Bithorn, los Senadores se impusieron gracias a un cuadrangular de Brantley Bell en la décima entrada y un sencillo de Jan Hernández que extendió la ventaja 2-0. La victoria fue para Alexander Castro (1-0), quien cerró el partido en la décima entrada, mientras que José Mesa Jr. (0-1) cargó con la derrota.

En Isidoro “Cholo” García, los Indios lograron empatar el juego en la novena entrada con un rodado de García y un elevado de sacrificio de Eddie Rosario. En la décima, un error de Luis Vázquez permitió que Danny Ortiz llegara a la antesala, y un sencillo de Anthony García selló la victoria de Mayagüez. Justin Yeager (1-0) se quedó con el triunfo, mientras que Ángel Reyes (0-2) cargó con la derrota.

The San Juan Daily Star Tuesday, January 14, 2025 13

Olivia Hussey, teen star of a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on film, dies at 73

By ALEX TRAUB

Olivia Hussey, whose performance as the female lead in a 1968 film adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” became its own Shakespearean tale, encompassing glory improbably achieved, helplessness with newfound power and memories that darkened over the years, died Dec. 27 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 73.

The cause was breast cancer, her publicist, Natalie Beita, said.

Hussey’s lifelong association with Juliet came from how rapturously that movie was received. Much of the reaction concentrated on the decision of its director, Franco Zeffirelli, to cast two unknown teenagers as his leads. Hussey was 15 when filming began; her co-star, Leonard Whiting, was 17.

It was standard at the time to give the roles of the desperate lovers to established stars. Leslie Howard, for one, was 43 when he made his debut as Romeo in a 1936 adaptation.

What Hussey and Whiting lacked in practiced elocution they more than made up for in emotional intensity, suggesting an identification with their characters.

Whiting sprinted from Juliet’s bedroom with a wild but innocent exuberance. When Juliet’s nursemaid (Pat Heywood) counseled that Juliet go through with a pragmatic marriage to a man other than Romeo, Hussey responded with an extraordinary facial expression — wide-eyed, horrified, stupefied — suggesting that it was her first encounter with the possibility of betraying love.

In a review for The Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote, “I believe Franco Zeffirelli’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is the most exciting film of Shakespeare ever made.” He credited the film with “the passion, the sweat, the violence, the poetry, the love and the tragedy in the most immediate terms I can imagine.”

The movie grossed nearly $39 million at the domestic box office (about $350 million today) and it won Academy Awards for cinematography and costumes.

A featurette on the making of the film captures the tenor of Hussey and Whiting’s stardom. “These are the most talkedabout teenagers in the world today,” the narrator says.

Hussey traveled widely promoting the film. At one point, in Britain, she did so much dancing at a dinner with Prince Charles that she took her shoes off, stretched her legs across his lap and received a royal foot massage.

Yet in the years to come Hussey did not have another big role that earned both box-office success and critical acclaim. She spent much time commemorating her role as Juliet.

One part of the movie was remembered for something other than artistry: a brief scene in which Romeo and Juliet wake up nude in bed together. The camera lingers on Whiting’s buttocks and registers a flash of Hussey’s breasts.

Ebert castigated those who were scandalized by the scene — “A lot of fuss has been made about the brief, beautiful nude love scene,” he wrote — and Hussey seemed initially to feel the same way, describing Zeffirelli as a father figure whom she would have liked to work with on all of her movies.

But in her 2018 memoir, “The Girl on the Balcony,” she was more ambivalent.

With Zeffirelli’s assurance, she wrote, she had thought she would be clothed in the scene, until she found herself having makeup applied “head to toe,” prompting what she called a “small panic attack.” One “dirty old man” on the crew, she wrote, had to be removed from the set.

“Nobody my age had done that before,” she told Variety in 2018, referring to the nude scene. Yet, she added, “It was needed for the film.”

During her press tour for the book, she told Fox News that the scene “was done very tastefully” and “wasn’t that big of a deal.” Zeffirelli wrote an adoring foreword to the book.

Hussey’s attitude took another turn in December 2022, when she and Whiting sued Paramount Pictures, the film’s distributor, seeking damages of up to $500 million, claiming that they had been forced to appear nude and that the movie constituted “child pornography.” The suit was prompted by a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations on claims of child sexual abuse.

A judge threw out the suit in May 2023, ruling that the scene was not pornographic.

New York magazine reported that at the time of the suit Hussey was $22,000 in debt. In an interview with Variety, Hussey said that she and Whiting had each received only 1,500 British pounds (roughly $35,000 today) for their performances.

“Looking back on all of that, Leonard and I, we felt exploited throughout,” she said.

Olivia Osuna was born April 17, 1951, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Andreas Osuna and Joy Hussey. Her father was a tango singer. Her parents divorced when Olivia was 2, and her mother took her and Olivia’s brother, Andrew, to her native England, where she worked as a legal secretary in London. The children used their mother’s surname.

Joy Hussey was an observant Roman Catholic, and Olivia would walk around her home with a towel on her head, pretending to be a nun, she recalled. She realized that what she liked was not the idea of being a nun but pretending to be one. She started attending drama school as a little girl.

In 1966, Olivia starred in a stage adaptation of Muriel Spark’s novel “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” alongside Vanessa Redgrave. She got the role of Juliet after two auditions.

Olivia Hussey played the Virgin Mary in another Zeffirelli film, “Jesus of Nazareth” (1977), and the titular role in “Mother Teresa,” a 2003 television biopic. She also starred in “Black Christmas” (1974), a horror movie that was panned at the time but that later earned Hussey the reputation as the “prototype” of the last female survivor of a slasher film, as The New York Times reported in 2015.

In later interviews, she said that the success and hoopla surrounding “Romeo and Juliet” had exhausted her, causing her to turn down movie roles opposite John Wayne and Richard Burton and to focus instead on her personal life.

Hussey’s first three marriages ended in divorce. She is survived by her husband, David Eisley; a son, Alexander Martin, from her first marriage, to Dean Paul Martin, the son of singer Dean Martin; another son, Maximillian Fuse, from her third marriage, to Akira Fuse, a Japanese pop star; a daughter, India Eisley; her brother; and a grandson. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.

Whiting, a lifelong friend of Hussey’s, once sent her a darkly comic screenplay he wrote in which Romeo and Juliet live on after their youth. Hussey responded that she could not play the part, she told Variety in 2018, for the same reason that she never went out in sweatpants: She wished to keep alive the public image of herself as Shakespeare’s Juliet.

That was how she met Eisley. He saw her at a delicatessen and introduced himself as someone who had seen her performance in “Romeo and Juliet” 50 times. He turned out to know every line of the play.

“I couldn’t resist him,” Hussey told the British newspaper The Telegraph in 2002. “I am such a die-hard romantic. I guess a part of me thinks I am Juliet.”

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were two unknown teenage leads in “Romeo and Juliet” (1968). (Facebook via Michelle Romano)

NASA will let Trump decide how to bring Mars rocks to Earth

ket stage.

NASA officials also left open the possibility that instead of the sky crane, the agency might buy a lander from a commercial company.

Nelson, who will step down as NASA administrator with the change of presidents later this month, said NASA officials under Trump’s administration would most likely be able to make a decision sometime next year.

“What we wanted to do was to give them the best possible options so that they can go from here,” Nelson said.

However, he also said that to keep the program from being further delayed, it would need Congress to provide at least $300 million this year.

Like many of NASA’s most ambitious projects, Mars Sample Return aims to do something that has never been done before, and that makes it hard to predict how difficult and expensive it will be.

Originally, the two spacecraft needed for the mission — the lander built by NASA and an orbiter built by the European Space Agency to bring the rocks back — were to launch in 2026, and NASA’s share of the cost would be $3 billion.

An independent review in 2020 concluded that a 2028 launch date was more realistic and the cost would be between $3.8 billion and $4.4 billion. A second review in 2023 found those predictions to have been too optimistic. NASA’s share of the mission would instead be $8 billion to $11 billion, the panel said. And the agency’s officials concluded the rocks would not be delivered to Earth before 2040.

“We pulled the plug on it,” Nelson said.

NASA then sought alternative ideas from aerospace companies as well as from experts within the space agency, starting from scratch on a brand-new mission or suggesting better ways to accomplish a specific part of the current plan.

A team within NASA evaluated the options and came up with changes that are more so revisions than a complete overhaul.

By KENNETH CHANG

NASA needs help fetching rocks from Mars, and last week, agency officials announced that they have not yet quite decided how to do that. Instead, they are leaving a final decision to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

But the officials said they had figured out how to potentially launch the mission and bring those red planet rocks back to Earth sooner by reducing the size and weight of the mission, known as Mars Sample Return. Cost estimates last year had risen to as much as $11 billion. With the revisions, Mars Sample Return is still expensive, but would be less than $8 billion.

“That’s a far cry from $11 billion,” Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, said during a telephone news conference Tuesday.

Bringing Martian rock and soil samples to Earth is among the top priorities of planetary scientists. While spacecraft in orbit and rovers on the surface of Mars have discovered plenty, their capabilities are limited. By studying fresh rocks up close with the latest, most powerful instruments in their laboratories, scientists could unravel mysteries of the red planet’s past, including possibly whether life ever arose there.

The first phase of Mars Sample Return is already underway. NASA’s Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, has been drilling and collecting cylindrical samples of rock and soil in Jezero Crater, which contains an ancient river delta.

The rest of the plan, devised by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, requires a complex choreography. First, a new robotic spacecraft would land near the Perseverance rover, which would then hand over about 30 of its rock samples to launch into orbit around Mars. Yet another spacecraft, from the European Space Agency, would retrieve those samples, take them back to Earth and drop them off within a small disk-shaped vehicle that would land in a Utah desert.

That plan remains essentially the same, but the key to the change was realizing that the rocket to launch the samples from the surface of Mars into orbit around the planet did not need to be as big and heavy as the initial design.

With a smaller rocket, NASA no longer had to build a lander that was larger than any it had ever made before.

Instead, the mission could again use the sky crane system, which had successfully deployed the Curiosity and Perseverance robotic rovers that are currently exploring Mars. The sky crane lowers the lander with the rocket by cable from a hovering roc-

“We’re really excited about this,” said Nicola Fox, the associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate. “As always, my priority is to find a path forward for our sample return within a balanced overall science program so that NASA’s science continues to deliver.”

One spacecraft could launch in 2030 at the earliest, the other in 2031, Fox said.

Other changes include switching from solar panels to a radioactive heat source to provide power, and simplifying the system for moving the rock samples from Perseverance to the rocket that would launch them to space.

After NASA announced that it was looking for new ideas, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory slowed its work on Mars Sample Return and in February 2024 laid off more than 500 employees, or about 8% of its workforce.

NASA officials did not discuss details of any of the commercial options. From the initial proposals, NASA had commissioned studies from eight companies, which included aerospace giants like Lockheed Martin as well as two newer rocket companies led by billionaires — Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

Musk has prioritized reaching Mars with Starship, his nextgeneration vehicle, pledging to launch versions of that rocket without any people aboard toward that destination as soon as 2026. However, Starship remains under development and has not yet orbited Earth.

In an image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, a selfie taken by the Perseverance rover at a “depot” for Martian soil samples in the Jezero Crater on Jan. 22, 2023. The Mars Sample Return effort was billions of dollars over budget and not expected to return to Earth with its samples until 2040. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS via The New York Times)

The San Juan Daily Star

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN THE INTEREST OF MATTHEW CRUZ, Child, ADALEE CRUZ, Petitioner, and PERLA ROMAN, Respondent/Mother, JERRYEL FERMAIN

a/k/a JERRYS MEDINA

HERNANDEZ, Respondent/Father.

CASE NO: 48-2024-DR008928A001OX

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR TEMPORARY LEGAL CUSTODY OF MINOR CHILD BY EXTENDED FAMILY PURSUANT TO FLORIDA STATUTES CHAPTER 751 TO: JERRYEL FERMAIN

a/k/a JERRYS MEDINA

HERNANDEZ

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Temporary Custody of Minor Child Pursuant to Florida Statutes Chapter 751 has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, on: Fenya Maria DelFyette, Attorney for Petitioner, whose address is 500 Winderley Place, Ste. 100, Maitland, FL 32751 on or before January 23, 2025, and file the original with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in and for Orange County, FL, 425 N. Orange Avenue, FL 32801, either before service on Petitioner’s attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint or petition. WAR-

NING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal of striking of pleadings.

Tiffany Moore Russell, Esq. Clerk of the Circuit Court.

By: S/Robert Hingston, Deputy Clerk.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE SALINAS WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR FINANCE OF AMERICA STRUCTURED SECURITIES ACQUISITION TRUST

2019-HB1

Demandante Vs. SUCESION CARMEN

ALICIA SUAREZ BONES

T/C/C CARMEN A. SUAREZ BONES T/C/C CARMEN SUAREZ

BONES T/C/C CARMEN

ALICIA SUAREZ T/C/C

CARMEN A. SUAREZ

T/C/C CARMEN SUAREZ COMPUESTA POR YEIRA MORET SUAREZ, JEANMARIE MORET SUAREZ, GENESIS

RIVERA MORET, KEVIN GABRIEL RIVERA MORET; JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SA2024CV00079.

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 SALINAS, 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 Salinas, el 12 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: “URBANA: Solar marcado con el número 173, manzana 4, en el plano de inscripción del Proyecto UM-18 La Carmen del término municipal de Salinas, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 296.00 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, con la calle número dos, distancia de 11.91 metros; por el SUR, con el solar número 167, distancia

de 11.88 metros; por el ESTE, con el solar número 174, distancia de 24.93 metros; y por el OESTE, con el solar número 172, distancia de 24.85 metros. Se dice que enclava una casa de vivienda de una sola planta de 16 pies de frente por 14 pies de fondo con anexo de 8 pies de frente por 8 pies de fondo.” Finca número 5815, inscrita al folio 1 del tomo 161 de Salinas, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. La Hipoteca Revertida consta inscrita al folio 198 del tomo 279 de Salinas, Finca 5815, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama, inscripción 5ª. Propiedad localizada en: 173 CALLE JOSE AMADEO, SALINAS, PUERTO RICO, 00751. Según 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: Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano. Suma de la Carga: $114,000.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 17 de enero de 2081. 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 $114,000.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una SEGUNDA SUBASTA por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Salinas, el 19 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $76,000.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $57,000.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Salinas, el 26 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA. Dicha

subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $38,039.65 por concepto de principal, más la suma de $35,432.06 en intereses acumulados al 20 de mayo de 2024 y los cuales continúan acumulándose a razón de 3.182% anual hasta su total y completo pago; $11,023.58 de seguro hipotecario (MIP); $12,859.74 de seguro; $2,425.00 de tasaciones; $452.00 de inspecciones; $2,850.50 de adelantos de honorarios de abogado; más la cantidad de 10% del pagare original en la suma de $11,400.00, para gastos, costas y honorarios de abogado. A tenor con la Regla 44.3 de Procedimiento Civil se condena a la parte demandada a pagar intereses aplicables sobre el importe de la presente sentencia incluyendo costas y honorarios de abogado, desde esta fecha y hasta que sea satisfecha. 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 Salinas, Puerto Rico, hoy 22 de octubre de 2024. ÁNGEL MERCADO QUILES, ALGUACIL REGIONAL. ROLANDO RODRÍGUEZ, ALGUACIL PLACA #037.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE ISABELA LONGBRIDGE

FINANCIAL LLC

Demandante Vs. SUCESION MARIA

ADELA DEL CASTILLO ROSADO COMPUESTA POR WILLIAM QUIÑONES

DEL CASTILLO, MARILDA

ADELA QUIÑONES DEL CASTILLO; JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESION MIGUEL QUIÑONES SEGUI COMPUESTA POR WILLIAM QUIÑONES DEL CASTILLO, MARILDA ADELA QUIÑONES DEL CASTILLO, MILTON MIGUEL QUIÑONES VELEZ, AWILDA QUIÑONES VELEZ, AIDA LILLIAM QUIÑONES VELEZ; JOHN ROE Y JANE ROE COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Demandados

Civil Núm.: IS2023CV00213. 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 Isabela, 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 Isabela, el 28 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: “URBANA: Solar marcado con el número 13 del bloque “B” del plano de inscripción de la Urbanización Reparto Lamela, radicada en el Barrio Bejucos del término municipal de Isabela, con un área superficial de 350.00 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, en 25.00 metros lineales con el solar número 11 del bloque “B” de dicha Urbanización; por

el SUR, en 25.00 metros con el solar número 11 del bloque “B”; por el ESTE, en 14.00 metros, con la Calle Número 2 de dicha Urbanización; y por el OESTE, en 14.00 metros, con el solar número 14 del bloque “B” de dicha Urbanización. Sobre este solar enclava una estructura para fines residenciales, construida de concreto reforzado, diseñada para una familia.”

Inscrita al folio 118 del tomo 117 de Isabela, finca 5238A, Registro de la Propiedad de Aguadilla. Propiedad localizada en: URB. REPARTO LAMELA, 13-B CALLE ACERINA, ISABELA, PR 00662. Según 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: Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano. Suma de la Carga: $172,500.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 17 de agosto de 2081. 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 $172,500.00, 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 Isabela, el 4 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $115,000.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $86,250.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Isabela, el 11 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la

parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $93,682.44 por concepto de principal, más la suma de $63,342.01 en intereses acumulados al 8 de mayo de 2024 y los cuales continúan acumulándose a razón de 5.060% anual hasta su total y completo pago; $17,947.62 de seguro hipotecario (MIP); $3,990.00 de cargos por servicio; $977.34 de seguro; $525.00 de tasación; $600.00 de inspecciones; $3,763.00 de adelantos de honorarios de abogado; más la cantidad de 10% del pagare original en la suma de $17,250.00, para gastos, costas y honorarios de abogado. A tenor con la Regla 44.3 de Procedimiento Civil se condena a la parte demandada a pagar intereses aplicables sobre el importe de la presente sentencia incluyendo costas y honorarios de abogado, desde esta fecha y hasta que sea satisfecha. 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 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, hoy 12 de noviembre de 2024. ANTONIA RIVERA ACEVEDO, ALGUACIL CONFIDENCIAL #763.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. ISAAC VARELA GUZMAN; ENEIDA GONZALEZ GONZALEZ

Demandados Civil Núm.: AG2024CV01417.

(601). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. Al: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL. A: ISAAC VARELA GUZMAN; ENEIDA GONZALEZ GONZALEZ; LA AUTORIDAD PARA EL FINANCIAMIENTO DE LA VIVIENDA DE PUERTO RICO, POR TENER HIPOTECA EN GARANTÍA DE PAGARÉ A SU FAVOR POR LA SUMA DE $13,900.00; COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE SANTA ISABEL, POR TENER SENTENCIA ANOTADA A SU FAVOR POR LA SUMA DE $1,242.14.

Yo, GERARDO MÉNDEZ VILLANUEVA, Alguacil Confidencial #036, Alguacil de este Tribunal, a la parte demandada y a los acreedores y personas con interés sobre la propiedad que más adelante se describe, y al público en general, HAGO SABER: Que el día 29 DE ENERO DE 2025, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Aguadilla, en el Sótano (al final del Pasillo), Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, venderé en Pública Subasta la propiedad inmueble que más adelante se describe y cuya venta en pública subasta se ordenó por la vía ordinaria al mejor postor quien hará el pago en dinero en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del o la Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Aguadilla durante horas laborables. Que en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta a celebrarse, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA para la venta de la susodicha propiedad, el día 5 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el 12 DE FEBRERO DE 2025, A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: URBANA: Solar compuesto de CUATROCIENTOS CUARENTA Y OCHO PUNTO TRES CINCO SEIS DOS (448.3562) METROS CUADRADOS, igual a CERO PUNTO UNO UNO

Demandante V. CARMEN L. VAZQUEZ RODRIGUEZ

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: HA2024CV00055. (Salón: 404 - CIVIL SUPERIOR). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - ORDINARIO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

JAN MIGUEL OTERO MARTÍNEZJAN.OTERO@ORF-LAW.COM. KENMUEL JOSÉ RUIZ LÓPEZKENMUEL.RUIZ@ORF-LAW.COM.

A: CARMEN L. VAZQUEZ RODRIGUEZ - RES. ANTONIO MARQUEZARBONA 156 EDIF 16, ARECIBO, PR 00612. (Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 07 de enero de 2025, 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 07 de enero de 2025. En Arecibo, Puerto Rico, el 07 de enero de 2025. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA. SANDRA DÍAZ CARABALLO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AGUADILLA SALA SUPERIOR DE AGUADA MIDLAND CREDIT MANAGEMENT PUERTO RICO, LLC (COMO AGENTE DE MIDLAND FUNDING LLC.)

Demandante V. MAYRA BONET RIVERA

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: AU2021CV00143. (Salón: 0001). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - ORDINARIO Y OTROS. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. GABRIEL ANTONIO RAMOS COLÓN -GABRIEL.RAMOS@ORF-LAW.COM.

A: MAYRA BONET RIVERA. (Nombre de las partes que se le

notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 27 de diciembre de 2024, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 07 de enero de 2025. En Aguada, Puerto Rico, el 07 de enero de 2025. SARAHÍ REYES PÉREZ, SECRETARIA. NOEMÍ DEL C. ROMÁN BOSQUES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

SUN WEST MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC.

Parte Demandante Vs. JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE, COMO TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS DE UN PAGARÉ HIPOTECARIO EXTRAVIADO

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2024CV11112. Salón: 905. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ HIPOTECARIO EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE. Se emplaza y notifica que se ha presentado una demanda en este caso en la cual en síntesis la PARTE DEMANDANTE alega que el 7 de julio de 2015, Reinaldo Portalatín Rodríguez suscribió un pagaré hipotecario a favor de la parte demandante, SUN WEST MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC., por la suma principal de $224,768.00, con intereses al 4.00% por ciento anual y vencedero el 1º de agosto de 2045, bajo el testimonio número 5600 ante el Notario Ricardo Marín Arias y según se hizo constar en la escritura de Primera Hipoteca número

158, otorgada en Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, el 7 de julio de 2015, ante el notario Ricardo Marín Arias. Esta hipoteca consta inscrita al tomo Karibe de Río Piedras, finca número 24,085, inscripción 2ª del Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección IV. La obligación garantizada por dicha hipoteca fue pagada en su totalidad y está vencida, quedando solamente por cancelar el pagaré que la garantizaba. La PARTE DEMANDANTE manifestó que nunca recibió el pagaré original para su cancelación y desconoce su paradero, por lo que concluyó que el pagaré estaba extraviado. Pueden examinar la demanda en su totalidad en los autos de este Tribunal. Deberá presentar su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto, a través del sistema unificado de manejo y administración de casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal. Además, deberá notificar copia de dicha contestación al Lcdo.

Joseorlando Mercado Gely; RUA 12257 P.O. Box 270386 San Juan, PR 00927 Tel. 7653027 Fax: 765-3043 jmercado@comasrevuelta.com. Se le apercibe que, si dejare de hacerlo, se dictará contra usted sentencia en rebeldía, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 03 de enero de 2025. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. DIANA C. PÉREZ SIERRA, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

A NEW VISION IN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND MATERIALS, INC.

Demandante V. FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANO DEL CUAL

Demandados Civil Núm.: SJ2024CV10996. (908). Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ HIPOTECARIO EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANO DEL CUAL, O SEA LAS PERSONAS DESCONOCIDAS

QUE PUEDAN SER TENEDORES DEL PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. POR MEDIO del presente edicto se le notifica de la presentación de una Demanda en su contra. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través de Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del Tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal, sin más citarle, ni oírle, 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. La parte demandante alega que por la Escritura de Hipoteca 149 otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 30 de noviembre de 2005, ante el Notario Público Noel González Abella, el dueño de la propiedad más adelante descrita suscribió un pagaré hipotecario a favor de FirstBank Puerto Rico por la suma principal de $3,000,000.00, devengando intereses a razón de una tasa de interés de 7.25% anual, vencedero el 1 de diciembre de 2010, autenticado mediante el affidávit número 763 ante el Notario Público Noel González Abella, y en garantía del mismo constituyó hipoteca inscrita al folio 69 del tomo 679 de Río Piedras Sur, Finca 5,566, Registro de la Propiedad) sobre la finca que se describe a continuación: URBANA: PARCELA de terreno radicada en el Barrio Quebrada Arenas en la URBANIZACION EL BUEN PASTOR de Río Piedras Puerto Rico, marcada con el No.1- B y con una cabida superficial de 3139.67 metros cuadrados, en lindes por el Norte, con el solar 7 de la Urbanización en una distancia de 87.27 metros, según el documento y según el plano en 87.29 metros; por el Sur, con el solar 1-A de la Urbanización en una distancia de 71.85 metros; por el Este, con una faja de servidumbre eléctrica en una distancia de 39.78 metros; y por el Oeste con la Calle Buen Pastor de la Urbanización en una distancia de 39.86 metros. Enclava una casa para fines residenciales. Inscrita al folio vuelto 188 del tomo 163 de Río

Piedras Sur, Sección IV de San Juan, finca número 5,566. El original del pagaré hipotecario antes mencionado se ha extraviado o la posesión la ostenta los demandados de epígrafe, sin que la parte demandante lo haya podido localizar a pesar de las gestiones realizadas,

por lo cual no lo tiene para la cancelación correspondiente en el Registro de la Propiedad y por ello comparece a este Honorable Tribunal solicitando su cancelación. Que se incluye a Fulano De Tal y a Mengano Del Cual como posibles tenedores desconocidos del pagaré hipotecario extraviado. POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO, se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la Demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto notificándole con copia de dicha contestación al Lcdo. Luis G. Parrilla Hernández, PO Box 195168 San Juan, PR 00919-5168 y/o 221 Avenida Ponce De León, Piso 5, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 00917; sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal de San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 8 de enero de 2025. SRA. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL. ENID DÍAZ RÍOS, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

KELVIN M. ROSA VELEZ, ET ALS

Parte Demandante Vs LUZ MARIA VALDEZ ORTIZ, ET ALS Parte Demandada Caso Número: EAC2010-0503. Sala: (802). Sobre: ACCIÓN CIVIL, NULIDAD DE ESCRITURA, NULIDAD DE COMPRAVENTA, SANEAMIENTO, DAÑOS Y PERJUICIOS Y OTROS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: LUZ MARÍA VALDÉZ ORTIZURB. SANTA ELVIRACAGUAS, P.R. 00725. Se le notifica a usted que se ha radicado en esta Secretaria la demanda enmendada en el caso de epígrafe. Se le emplaza y requiere que radique en esta Secretaria el original de la contestación a la demanda enmendada y que notifique con copia de dicha contestación al Lcdo. Pedro J. Pereira Esteves, PMB 471, P.O. Box 4960, Caguas, P.R., 00726-4960, teléfono 787-630-3902, abogado de l a parte demandante, dentro de los 30 días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Si dejare de hacerlo podrá dictarse contra usted sentencia en rebeldía concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la demanda. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 2 de enero de 2025. IRASEMIS DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, SECRETA-

RIA. ZAIDA AGUAYO ÁLAMO, SUB-SECRETARIA. LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante Vs SUCESIÓN DE JUAN ANTONIO MARTÍNEZ GONZÁLEZ Y OTROS

Demandado Civil Núm.: GM2024CV00926. Sala: 302. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO, EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO E INTERPERLACIÓN. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. A: DENISSE MARTÍNEZ MASSÓ, LUZ MASSÓ T/C/C LUZ DELIA MASSÓ MELÉNDEZ T/C/C LUZ DELIA MASSA MELÉNDEZ COMO PARTE DE LA SUCESIÓN DE JUAN ANTONIO MARTÍNEZ GONZÁLEZ T/C/C JUAN A. MARTÍNEZ A LAS SIGUIENTES DIRECCIONES: URB. PARQUES DE GUÁSIMAS, D1 CALLE

9, ARROYO, PR 00714, URB. PARQUES DE GUÁSIMAS, D1 CALLE

9, ARROYO, PR 00714, URB. PARQUES DE GUÁSIMAS, D1 CALLE

8, ARROYO, PR 00714, URB. PARQUES DE GUÁSIMAS, D1 CALLE C, ARROYO, PR 00714, URB. PARQUE DE GUÁSIMAS, 79 CALLE UCAR, ARROYO, PR 007142276 Y A 40 MILTON ST., WORCESTER, MA 016051734. FULANO Y MENGANO DE TAL, POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE JUAN ANTONIO MARTÍNEZ GONZÁLEZ T/C/C JUAN A. MARTÍNEZ.

Queda usted notificado que en este Tribunal se ha radicado demanda sobre ejecución de hipoteca por la vía ordinaria en la que se alega se adeuda las siguientes cantidades: $31,005.77 de principal, más intereses sobre dicha suma al 6.50% anual desde el 1 de mayo de 2024 hasta su completo pago, más $17.58 de recargos acumulados los cuales continuarán en aumento has-

ta el saldo total de la deuda, más la cantidad estipulada de $6,673.60 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados, así como cualquier otra suma que contenga el contrato del préstamo, incluyendo pero sin limitarse a gastos de mantenimiento, inspecciones y otros adelantos “corporate advances”. La propiedad que garantiza hipotecariamente el préstamo es la siguiente: URBANA: Parcela de terreno que se identifica como el Solar número 1 del bloque D de la Urbanización Parques de Guásima, sita en el Barrio Guásima del Municipio de Arroyo, con una cabida superficial de 456.99 metros cuadrados. Colindando por el NORTE: con calle número 8; por el SUR: con el solar número D-2; por el ESTE: con calle número 9; y por el OESTE: con los solares números D-18 y D-19. Enclava una estructura de hormigón para uso residencial. Inscrita al folio 308 del tomo móvil 176 de Arroyo, Finca 6576. Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. La escritura de hipoteca consta inscrita al folio 308 vuelto del tomo móvil 176 de Arroyo, Finca 6576. Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. Inscripción segunda. La demandante es la tenedora por endoso, por valor recibido y de buena fe del referido pagaré objeto de la presente acción. Se interpela a los demandados para que acepten o renuncien a la herencia de la causante dentro de los 30 días subsiguientes a la fecha que fuesen emplazados o requeridos que contesten, para darle cumplimiento el Artículo 1578 del nuevo Código Civil de Puerto Rico, 31 L.P.R.A. § 1021, entendiéndose que, si no se expresan dentro de dicho término, aceptan el caudal relicto; la renuncia se hará por instrumento público o por escrito judicial. 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 a la abogada de la parte demandante, Lcda. Belma Alonso García, cuya dirección es: PO Box 3922, Guaynabo PR 00970-3922, Teléfono: (787) 789-1826, correo electrónico: oficinabelmaalonso@gmail.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 enero de 2025 en Guayama, Puerto Rico. MARISOL ROSADO RODRIGUEZ, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL. LUZ MARIA GUZMAN SANTIAGO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR. LEGAL NOTICE

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

POPULAR AUTO LLC Demandante V. BENGIE MOISÉS RAMOS CONCEPCIÓN Y NIEVES CRUZ PÉREZ Demandados Civil Núm.: AR2024CV01330. (101). Sobre: INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO; COBRO DE DINERO Y REPOSESION DE VEHICULO DE MOTOR (10 L.P.R.A. § 2423). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: NIEVES CRUZ PÉREZ. Por la presente se le notifica que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal una Demanda en su contra en el pleito de epígrafe. El abogado de la parte demandante es el Lcdo. Jean Paul Juliá Díaz, Rivera-Munich & Hernández Law Offices, P.S.C.; P.O. Box 364908, San Juan, PR 00936-4908; Tel. (787) 6222323 / Fax (787) 622-2320. Se le advierte que este Edicto se publicará en un (1) periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda radicando el original de la misma a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal Superior, Sala de Arecibo, con copia al abogado de la parte demandante, dentro del término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la publicación del Edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. En un término de diez (10) días a partir de la publicación de este Edicto, la parte demandante le notificará por correo certificado con acuse de recibo copias del Emplazamiento por Edicto y de la Demanda a sus últimas direcciones conocidas: Carr. 113 Km. 3.0, Bo. Cacao, Quebradillas, Puerto Rico 00678 y Bzn 1852 Sector Chivas, Bo. Cacao, Quebradillas, Puerto

al folio 1 del tomo 146 de Rincón, Sección de Aguadilla. SE LE APERCIBE que de no hacer sus alegaciones responsivas a la demanda dentro del término aquí dispuesto, se les anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de! Tribunal en Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. A 19 de diciembre de 2024. SARAHÍ REYES PÉREZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ERIKA

I. CRUZ PÉREZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

FIRSTBANK

PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE CARMEN

LEYDA TORRES ORTIZ

T/C/C CARMEN LEYDA TORRES DE LEÓN

COMPUESTA POR LEYDA DELIZ COLÓN TORRES; JORGE LUIS COLON TORRES

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2024CV07451. (604). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: LEYDA DELIZ COLÓN TORRES Y JORGE LUIS COLÓN TORRES, MIEMBROS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE CARMEN

LEYDA TORRES ORTIZ T/C/C CARMEN LEYDA TORRES DE LEÓN.

Queda emplazado y notificado de que en este Tribunal se ha radicado una demanda de COBRO DE DINERO; EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA en su contra. Se le notifica que deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través de! Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de San Juan y enviando copia a la parte demandante:

Lcdo. Roberto C. Latimer Valentín PO BOX 9022512, San Juan, P.R. 00902-2512

Teléfono: (787) 724-0230

Se le apercibe y notifica que si no contesta la demanda radicada en su contra dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto,

se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citárseles, ni oírseles. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, a 27 diciembre de 2024. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. LUZ ENID FERNÁNDEZ DEL VALLE, SECRETARIA DE SERVICIOS A SALA.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. SUCESION DE BELEN PASTRANA BATISTA T/C/C BELEN PASTRANA COMPUESTA PAR ROBERTO MORALES PASTRANA; HECTOR MANUEL MORALES PASTRANA (FALLECIDO); CHRISTIAN MORALES HERNANDEZ; HECTOR MANUEL MORALES HERNANDEZ FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMA POSIBLES MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS, SUCESION DE HECTOR MANUEL MORALES PASTRANA COMPUESTA POR CHRISTIAN MORALES HERNANDEZ; HECTOR MANUEL

MORALES HERNANDEZ; FULANITO DE TAL Y SUTANITO DE TAL COMA POSIBLES MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES; SECRETARIO DE LA VIVIENDA Y DESARROLLO URBANO; ESTADOS UNIDOS Demandados Civil Núm.: FCD2017-0410. (404). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO Y MANDAMIENTO DE INTERPELACIÓN POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. A: HECTOR MANUEL

MORALES HERNANDEZ; CHRISTIAN MORALES HERNANDEZ POR SI Y COMO MIEMBROS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE BELEN

PASTRANA BATISTA

T/C/C BELEN PASTRANA Y LA SUCESION DE

HECTOR MORALES PASTRANA. FULANO(A) DE TAL

Y SUTANO(A) DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE BELEN

PASTRANA BATISTA

T/C/C BELEN PASTRANA; FULANITO(A) DE TAL

Y SUTANITO(A) DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE HECTOR MORALES

PASTRANA - DIRECCIÓN: 11-32 12 STREET VILLA CAROLINA, CAROLINA, PR 00985; DIRECCIÓN: CALLE 121 BQ 32 #11

VILLA CAROLINA, CAROLINA, PR 00985. DIRECCIÓN: 4LN 7 VIA 32 VILLA FONTANA CAROLINA, CAROLINA, PR 00983. Por la presente se les notifica que se ha presentado en este Tribunal la Demanda de epígrafe. Se le emplaza y requiere para que notifique a: Ledo. Fernando Gierbolini MONSERRATE, SIMONET & GIERBOLINI, 101 Ave. San Patricio, Edificio Maramar Plaza, Suite 1120, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00968; Tel: (787) 620-5300, abogados de la parte demandante, con copia de la contestación a la Demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto, que se publicará una (1) vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general. Se le apercibe que si no contesta la Demanda radicando el original de la misma a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal Superior dentro del término antes indicado, y notificando con copia a la parte demandante, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará Sentencia en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado a favor de la parte demandante sin más citarle ni oírle. Además, se les interpela judicialmente, a tenor con el Artículo 959 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico, 31 LP.RA. §2787, para que en un término de treinta (30) días de haber sido publicado este edicto, excluyendo el día de su publicación, acepten o repudien, mediante instrumento publico o comparecencia judicial especial, la herencia del causante, BELEN PASTRANA BATISTA

T/C/C BELEN PASTRANA Y HECTOR MANUEL MORALES

PASTRANA, apercibiéndosele que, de no expresarse dentro de dicho término, se tendrá por aceptada la herencia. Por consiguiente, según B.B.V.A. v. Latinoamericana, 164 D.P.R. 689 (2005), responderían por las cargas de dicha herencia. EXTENDIDO BAJO Ml FIRMA y el Sello de! Tribunal , en Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy día de 26 de diciembre de 2024. LCDA. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. IDA FERNÁNDEZ RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMER INSTANCIA SALA DE SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO GOBIERNO

MUNICIPAL AUTÓNOMO DE FAJARDO, REPRESENTADO POR SU ALCALDE, JOSÉ A. MELÉNDEZ MÉNDEZ Peticionario V. ADQUISICIÓN DE ESTRUCTURA EN LA CALLE CHIQUITA 268, DEL TÉRMINO MUNICIPAL DE FAJARDO; GLADYS A. NIEVES

MORALES, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN DE INGRESOS MUNICIP

ALES (CRIM), JOHN DOE Y DUEÑOS(S)

DESCONOCIDO(S)

Partes con Interés Civil Núm.: FA2024CV00841. Sobre: PROCEDIMIENTO SUMARIO DE EXPROPIACIÓN

FORZOSA DE ESTORBO PÚBLICO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: GLADYS A. NIEVES MORALES, JOHN DOE, DUENOS(S) DESCONOCIDO(S) Y/O CUALQUIER PERSONA CON ALGÚN POSIBLE INTERÉS.

Se le emplaza y notifica que, con el fin público de erradicar el abandono y peligrosidad de propiedades declaradas estorbos públicos, el Municipio de Fajardo ha radicado en esta Secretaría una Petición de Expropiación Forzosa al amparo de la Ley General de Expropiación Forzosa del 12 de marzo de 1903, según enmendada, la Ley Núm. 107 de 14 de agosto de 2020 conocida como el Código Municipal de Puerto Rico, en su Artículo 2.018 [21 L.P.R.A. §7183]; la Ordenanza Núm. 26, Serie 2014-2015, aprobada por la Legislatura Municipal de Fajardo, Puerto Rico el 4 de septiembre de 2014 y firmada por el su Alcalde el día 30 del mismo mes; y, la

Ordenanza Número 13, Serie 2021-2022, aprobada por la Legislatura Municipal el 4 de noviembre de 2021 y por su Alcalde el día 28 del mismo mes; bajo el procedimiento sumario de expropiación forzosa de estorbos públicos que establece el Artículo 4.012A del Código Municipal establecido mediante la Ley Núm. 114 del 29 de junio de 2024, para adquirir la siguiente Finca: ESTRUCTURA compuesta básicamente de dos niveles. PRIMER NIVEL con paredes y techo de lo que aparenta una residencia unifamiliar de un nivel, con área neta en concreto de 600 pies cuadrados abandonada y desmantelada; sin puertas, ventanas, sin equipos de cocinas, ni baños, ni closets, filtraciones de techos, reparaciones en empañetados, pisos de losetas de vinyl en malas condiciones, comején, el sistema eléctrico vandalizado o cableado extraído, deterioro y falta de mantenimiento en general. SEGUNDO NIVEL, un área de 600 pies cuadrados, considerada como mejoras adicionales a la residencia del primer nivel, mayormente en columnas y techos de concreto, con paredes en aproximadamente el 20% del área trasera de la estructura, con filtraciones de techo, reparaciones de empañetados y muy pocas terminaciones. Enclava en SOLAR MUNICIPAL marcado con el núm. 268, ubicado en la Calle Gumersindo Mangual del término municipal de Fajardo, Puerto Rico, también conocida como la calle Chiquita, con una cabida superficial 399.86 m.c., equivalentes a 0.1017 cuerdas. En lindes por el NORTE con el solar núm. 270 con una distancia de 25.24 metros lineales; en lindes por el SUR con el solar número 266, con una distancia de 25.99 metros lineales; en lindes por el ESTE con la Calle Gumersindo Mangual con una distancia de 15.01 metros lineales; y en lindes por el OESTE con el solar número H2 con una distancia de 16.24 metros lineales. NO CONSTA INMATRICULADA en el Registro de la Propiedad. USO PÚBLICO: ELIMINACIÓN DE ESTORBO PÚBLICO. CATASTRO NÚM.: 150-036-036-13-001. JUSTA COMPENSACIÓN: $15,000, a ser consignados a tenor con el Art. 4.012A(f) del Código Municipal. No habiéndose podido emplazar personalmente a las partes con interés antes relacionadas, por desconocer su paradero, este Tribunal ha ordenado que se le emplace por edicto, el cual se publicará una (1) vez por semana, durante tres (3) semanas consecutivas en un periódico de circulación diaria en Puerto Rico. Se le notifica que, si usted desea presentar objeción o defensa a la incautación de las estructuras descritas, debe presentar su contestación en este Tribunal

dentro del término improrrogable de 30 DÍAS, contados a partir de la última publicación de este edicto, debiendo notificar con copia de la misma a la parte peticionaria, a través de la LCDA. JOSEPHINE M. RODRÍGUEZ RÍOS - RUA 15,736: PO BOX 889 FAJARDO, PR 00728 Email: josephine.rodriguez@gmail.com. De usted no comparecer en el término aquí fijado, el Tribunal le anotará la rebeldía y dictará Sentencia en un término no mayor de 5 días. De usted comparecer o contestar la Petición, el Tribunal citara para juicio, el cual será celebrado en un término no menor de 15 días ni mayor de 30, de haberse contestado la Petición. Expedida por Orden del Tribunal, en Fajardo, Puerto Rico a 26 de diciembre de 2024. WANDA I. SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. LINDA I. MEDINA MEDINA, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE HUMACAO SALA SUPERIOR DE HUMACAO ASOCIACIÓN DE PROPIETARIOS DE PLAYA HÚCARES, INC.

Demandante V. ANTONIO VÉLEZ TORRES Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: NG2024CV00129. (Salón: 208). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - ORDINARIO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. JOSÉ R. GONZÁLEZ RIVERAJRG@GONZALEZMORALES.COM. A: ANTONIO VÉLEZ TORRES Y LISANDRA I. RIVERA SERRANO Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS - PO BOX 895, PUNTA SANTIAGO, PR 00741; 7 CALLE MARTÍ, CAGUAS, PR 00725. (Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 07 de enero de 2025, 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 08 de enero de 2025. En Humacao, Puerto Rico, el 08 de enero de 2025. EVELYN FÉLIX VÁZQUEZ, SECRETARIA. IVELISSE SERRANO GARCÍA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BARCELONETA ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC

Parte Demandante Vs. MIRIAM

ESCOBAR NEGRON

Parte Demandada

Civil Núm.: BC2024CV00121. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: MIRIAM ESCOBAR

NEGRON - EXT PARC PUNTA PALMAS 446

CALLE LAS ROSAS, BARCELONETA PR 00617; URB SANTA ELENA, C20 CALLE 6, YABUCOA PR 00767-3849. 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/tribunal-electronico, 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, Natalie Bonaparte Servera cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com.

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en BAR-

CELONETA, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de noviembre de 2024. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA. SHEILA RIVERA MORALES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE TOA BAJA ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC Parte Demandante Vs. GABRIEL J. NIEVES COLON Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: TB2023CV00178. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: GABRIEL J. NIEVES COLONURB LEVITTOWN 3084 PASEO CIPRES, TOA BAJA PR 00949-3100; URB SANTA JUANITA 26 CAMINO ESTEBAN CRUZ, BAYAMON PR 009565027.

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/tribunal-electronico, 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, Natalie Bonaparte Servera cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de noviembre de 2024. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. NEREIDA QUILES SANTANA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

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

Sudoku Wordsearch

January 14, 2025

Eagles’ investment in Barkley’s deal brings them immeasurable returns

By BROOKS KUBENA / THE ATHLETIC

In the final days of the 2024 regular season, with the Philadelphia Eagles’ having already secured the NFC’s No. 2 seed, head coach Nick Sirianni had to decide whether running back Saquon Barkley would play or sit out an inconsequential game in Week 18. It was far from a meaningless decision. Before meeting with Barkley, Sirianni consulted team owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman, assistant coaches and players. The Eagles largely owed their resurgence to the running back, but he would be denied a shot at NFL history.

Barkley was not dejected. He was content with the backstory of the 100 yards that separated him from Eric Dickerson on the NFL’s single-season rushing leaderboard. He was OK with going for the record, he told the team owner, but he didn’t want to put the team at risk.

So Barkley sat along with 18 other starters in an eventual 20-13 win against his former team, the New York Giants.

Sirianni could not accept any risk of not having Barkley available for the NFL playoffs, which for the Eagles began Sunday with a 2210 win over the Green Bay Packers in a wildcard game in Philadelphia.

The Eagles have never fielded anyone like

Once Saquon Barkley entered the equation for the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Nick Sirianni said it was “really open season on everything.” (reddit via r/eagles)

Barkley, who ran for 119 yards on 25 carries against Green Bay on Sunday. They signed him as a free agent in March, placed him behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines and set him loose within a run-oriented system that averaged the team’s most rushing attempts per game since 1951.

backs, the Eagles were so in on Barkley that they paid him more annually ($12.6 million) than any other running back in franchise history.

Alec Halaby, an assistant general manager for the Eagles whose roots are in analytics, said in August that the Eagles could not pinpoint an individual’s impact apart from his team. Football, unlike baseball, does not have a “hitter-pitcher interaction that we can really isolate.”

But Barkley, behind an inferior Giants line, averaged more yards after contact per rush in six seasons (3.0) than the Eagles’ backs averaged in the same span (2.95), per TruMedia. He totaled a team-leading 62 plays of 20-plus yards since 2018. Barkley was an outlier in the market, Halaby said, “a special player that we thought could have a unique impact on the offense and the team as a whole.”

game sweep. Barkley rushed for 409 yards in his three games against those division foes, sitting out the majority (or all) of the fourth quarter each time. Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley totaled 28 carries in those fourth quarters, which, at Barkley’s 5.8 yards per rush, would have supplied the difference on the NFL’s single-season leaderboard between Barkley (2,005) and Dickerson (2,105).

A final shot at the Giants in the regularseason finale might have, too. But there were no regrets.

“We’ll let Eric Dickerson have it,” right tackle Lane Johnson said.

He shattered LeSean McCoy’s single-season team rushing record in 13 games. His team-record 2,283 scrimmage yards included the supernatural scenes of him scoring three times in the season opener in Sao Paulo; leaping over a defender backward and outdueling the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry.

Traveling Eagles fans have chanted “MVP” in nearly every city during Barkley’s season of self-actualization. Although the odds for winning the MVP award favor Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, Barkley has his supporters in what has recently been a quarterback-only award. And despite a leaguewide devaluation of running

And Sirianni needed a spark. He hired Kellen Moore, along with two other offensive staffers, to remove the staleness from a system that stagnated during his team’s 2023 collapse. Sirianni always insisted a schematic overhaul was not warranted. The Eagles fielded a top 9 offense in terms of expected points added, or EPA, per play in each of their offensive-minded coach’s first three seasons. Sirianni still believed in a run-oriented system that leveraged dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts behind an enviable offensive line to keep defenses guessing against the run and unlock explosive one-on-one opportunities in the passing game. Once Barkley entered the equation, Sirianni said it was “really open season on everything” when he and Moore started building their playbook.

“Anything you’ve done, anything you thought about doing, anything you look at and say, ‘Man, could Saquon do this?’ The answer is yes, mostly,” Sirianni said.

He quickly corrected himself: “Not mostly. Always.”

After the Eagles’ alarming 2-2 start, Sirianni and Moore leaned hard into Barkley. The aggressive structure empowered an offensive line that secured three Pro Bowl selections.

“It’s very simple,” left guard Landon Dickerson said during the season. “If you’re in a fight, do you want to punch somebody in the face, or do you want to get punched?”

The Eagles knocked out the Dallas Cowboys twice by a combined score of 75-13. They outscored the Giants 48-16 in a two-

Barkley wanted the record for himself, for his linemen, for his family. He said his father took the news the hardest, since their last name would have been attached to NFL history for as long as the record stood. But Barkley also knows there are caveats to history’s calculations. Dickerson’s name may be first in the record book, but, according to Barkley, “the two most impressive” single-season feats belong to O.J. Simpson, who rushed for 2,003 yards in 14 games in 1973, and Barry Sanders, who gained 2,053 yards on 335 carries in 1997. Barkley is also aware that Terrell Davis owns the single-season rushing record, if you include the length of the 1998 playoffs — a stretch of 2,476 yards that ended with a Super Bowl title.

“That matters the most,” Barkley said. “That’s how I look at it. That’s how I tell my family: ‘We didn’t come here, I didn’t sign here, to break Eric Dickerson’s record. We came to win a Super Bowl.’”

Dickerson, who has often expressed he wanted to retain his record, told Bill Belichick and Jim Gray on SiriusXM that he called Barkley, congratulated him on joining the 2,000yard club and told him he wished he would have at least seen Barkley get a shot at breaking his single-season mark.

So did the Eagles’ offensive linemen. But they at least got another photograph for their wall. After Barkley broke the 2,000-yard mark against the Cowboys, he gathered with the linemen for a group photo in the locker room. Suddenly, center Landon Dickerson reached down, picked Barkley up and cradled him in his arms. The camera clicked. They’re all grinning. They’re all flashing two fingers. For 2,000 yards, yes. But with Barkley, they have a shot at winning Philadelphia’s second Super Bowl.

The San Juan Daily Star

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21