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.
Some 20 students from Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, along with students from island public schools who are interested in marine and ocean science, were the first in Puerto Rico to take part in a summer internship entitled “Project OCEANOS” (Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness with NASA Observations and Science) for Hispanic/Latino students.
and marine sciences. Some of the subjects included:
* Marine plankton, where students studied the ecosystems of different organisms that are suspended on the ocean surface and don’t have the capacity to swim or go against water currents, in Cayo Enrique on Magueyes island and in the bioluminescent bay in Lajas better known as La Parguera.
“Project OCEANOS presents itself as a unique opportunity, created specifically to attract Puerto Rican students from high school and the first few years of college to the marine and ocean sciences,” said Juan Torres Pérez, leader of the initiative and an investigator/ scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley in California. “The goal is to have the students do a summer internship on the island. The students are trained in the use of tools NASA uses for the remote preparation, water quality analysis and analysis of tropical marine ecology. Once the internship is over, it is expected for the students to serve as agents of change, spreading the message of oceanic resource conservation to their family, friends and their respective communities.”
Project OCEANOS is subsidized by the NASA Science Activation Program. Its main purpose is to educate and teach high school and college students in their first year of studies about the study of oceans, marine ecosystems, the coasts, the atmosphere, and planet earth and its surface, among other subjects. The project has numerous leaders and experts from the scientific community in Puerto Rico who are specialized in ocean and marine science.
Directed by the NASA Ames Research Center, at Moffett Field in California, OCEANOS was executed for the first time in Puerto Rico by scientific and educational collaborators including NASA Ames Research Center, EcoExploratorio: Puerto Rican Science Museum, CariCOOS, Bio-Optical Oceanography Laboratory of the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus (RUM by its Spanish acronym), University of Miami, Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, the Marine Environment Society (“Sociedad Ambiente Marino”) and the Puerto Rico Ecological Workshop (“Taller Ecológico de Puerto Rico), among other collaborators that put in the work in order for the initiative to come to fruition.
As a part of the internship project, students developed investigations into five main topics with the mentorship and scientific resources of experts in the field of ocean
* Coral reefs, where the students investigated the conjunction of coral colonies and how they were formed; many different species of coral were studied as part of the subject, which also took place in Lajas and whose purpose was to educate students about the protection of marine life.
* Water quality, which focused on quality of water at Playa Punta Soldado in Culebra, where the physical and chemical attributes of the beach were examined, apart from the state of the organisms that reside at the beach.
The students also participated in educational activities from Inter-American University and visited key sectors of the Marine Environment Society in Culebra and the RUM research site on Magueyes island.
“We feel honored to be a part of project OCEANOS with the means of providing young Puerto Ricans the option, the tools and educational experiences to understand ocean and marine science to the fullest,” said Jenny M. Guavera, the executive director of the EcoExploratorio Inc.
The main purpose of Project OCEANOS, which is subsidized by the NASA Science Activation Program, is to teach high school and first-year college students about the study of oceans, marine ecosystems, the coasts, the atmosphere, and planet earth and its surface, among other subjects.
Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González and the party’s secretary of federal and international affairs (SAAFI by its Spanish initials), Pablo José Hernández Rivera, on Tuesday will begin meetings in Orlando, Florida with members of the Puerto Rican diaspora to discuss the 2024 election.
Ortiz González also announced that he will soon appoint a liaison with the diaspora who will work within SAAFI.
“The Puerto Rican community in the states maintains a strong connection with island affairs,” Ortiz González said. “Those thousands of Puerto Rican brothers and sisters have historically worked closely with the PDP, and we will make sure those efforts resume. The PDP will strengthen ties with our people and insert them into the important issues we will work on for Puerto Rico.”
Both Ortiz González and Hernández Rivera established that the mission in Orlando is to organize PDP supporters in the diaspora to promote the pro-commonwealth party’s agenda, include Puerto Rico
in U.S. politics, mobilize the resources of the diaspora to support the PDP in the elections through fundraising or remote volunteering, and support the needs of the diaspora from Puerto Rico.
“Throughout the history of Puerto Ricans in the United States, to the extent that they are integrated into the political process, whether as Democrats, Republicans, or independents, they have made
progress by occupying elective positions or generating media space in favor of [Puerto Rico’s] causes,” Hernández Rivera said. “We celebrate and promote that.”
Hernández Rivera has particular experience in this type of work, since he served as coordinator of the PDP’s absentee voting campaign during the 2008 election season.
Pablo Cáceres Pérez, a Puerto Rican community leader who will participate
in the meetings, pointed out that “to the extent that we strengthen the ties of collaboration and support, we are advancing as a society.”
The former director of the Florida regional office of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration pointed out that “all Puerto Ricans must mobilize and exercise the right to vote.”
“Additionally, we must remain alert on important issues that affect our communities inside and outside the island, such as health, education, and public safety, among others,” Cáceres Pérez said.
The PDP officials will also meet with the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Mi Familia Vota, dedicated to building Latino political power by expanding the electorate, strengthening local infrastructure, and engaging voters all year round.
“Respecting the principles of neutrality of this organization, we endorse its work to promote that more Latinos and particularly Puerto Ricans are part of the political processes in their communities,” the PDP president said.
Mi Familia Vota currently operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas.
It’s no secret that school is just one month away for Puerto Rico’s youth, and the annual summer vacation will soon draw to a close.
While this may only seem like a difficult time to handle for students, the truth is that parents don’t get away from the difficulties of the back-to-school season. Finding the right items to buy, going into stores filled with hundreds of people, with the items running out of stock, the extraordinarily long lines and finding the right shoe size is not necessarily an enjoyable experience.
According to multinational financial service network Deloitte, 37% of American parents spent about 661$ per child on school supplies during the 2022 back-to-school season. Considering that around 55% of children in Puerto Rico are living under the poverty line, this is a tough season for parents and their wallets. Thankfully, some island municipalities understand this reality and are taking action to alleviate some of the economic burden that comes with backto-school shopping. Arecibo is one of those
municipalities.
Last Friday, following through on his commitment the youth of Arecibo, Rep. José “Memo” González, in collaboration with the Office of Socioeconomic and Community Development of Puerto Rico (ODSEC by its Spanish acronym) and the Governor’s Office, impacted more than 500 low-income families by giving away school material kits, just ahead of the start of classes in August. Materials were also given away to the childcare agency Hogar Infantil Santa Teresa.
“On Friday, more than 500 families that live in Arecibo benefited from the school materials given away to the youth of our town, even backpacks were given away for the preparation of going back to school in August,” said González, the District 14 (Arecibo and Hatillo) representative. “I am very grateful to attorney Thais Reyes from the ODSEC and all of the personnel from the Office of the Governor, representing Caridad “Cary” Pierluisi, for joining and supporting such an important event for our people.”
“We are aware that these times are very difficult for families, which is why we planned this event, to help alleviate the economic
weight of back-to-school items,” the legislator added. “On Friday we proceeded to give away backpacks, pencils, notebooks and other school materials that may be needed, with the aim of promoting a better school environment for the youth, the future of Arecibo and Puerto Rico.”
Also on hand at the event was Rep. Gabriel Rodríguez Aguiló, the alternate New Pro-
gressive Party minority leader in the island House of Representatives, as well as officials from the Anti-Addiction and Health Services Administration.
Hogar Infantil Santa Teresa, which is attached to the Family Department, actively maintains an enrollment of around 20 boys and girls who come from homes where they were mistreated.
“On Friday we proceeded to give away backpacks, pencils, notebooks and other school materials that may be needed, with the aim of promoting a better school environment for the youth, the future of Arecibo and Puerto Rico,” District 14 Rep. José “Memo” González said.Popular Democratic Party President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González
Agrassroots movement has transformed the historic Alto de Cuba sector in Adjuntas into a model project for alternative local redevelopment.
The effort has resulted in the solar energization of 30 residences, the Sharon Cedeño grocery store, the installation of solar lighting in alleys and shared spaces, the painting of a mural that highlights the history of the community, and the total reconstruction of the home of Magda Báez, a resident who has lived under a blue awning since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017.
Located in the center of the Adjuntas with a population of almost one hundred inhabitants -- including 19 minors and 19 older adults -- the community has a high prevalence of diseases such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and thyroid disorders. The families live primarily in humble structures.
After a dialogue process between community leaders and Casa Pueblo leaders, on Feb. 14, the area’s transformation process began with the installation of 204 solar panels that provide a combined solar power of 60 kilowatts with batteries. In turn, the residents worked on their social organization structure. They agreed to self-impose a monthly fee to create a collective emergency fund.
The grocery store now has a grid-connected system with 24 400-watt monocrystalline modules, 12 250-amp sealed batteries, and a 15-kilowatt inverter. The store’s electricity
bill was reduced from $400 to $5 per month, allowing it to contribute a large amount to the emergency fund and cushion price inflation to benefit the community.
Sharon Cedeño, its owner, no longer thinks about closing her business. Instead, she diversified her inventory with meats and ice cream, which she had stopped offering because energy instability caused her merchandise to be lost with some regularity.
Meanwhile, 30 Alto de Cuba houses were solarized with six photovoltaic panels, four batteries that provide a reserve of 12 kilowatts, and a 5,000-watt inverter. Families are receiving reductions in their bills of about 50%, which means savings for each family ranging from $20 and $40 per month. The adjoining company Sol de la Montaña was in charge of the installation and provides maintenance of the photovoltaic systems.
This collaborative project included direct support from New York-based Let’s Share the Sun, the donation of all solar panels by the Honnold Foundation, the environmental organization Censat Agua Viva de Colombia, and the Hispanic Federation.
The project is part of an energy “insurrection” promoted by Casa Pueblo to build energy independence and climate adaptation, recognizing energy as a human right for everyone and not just for those who can afford or finance a photovoltaic system.
Casa Pueblo, in consultation with numerous civic and philanthropic organizations, has carried out more than 400 solar energy projects in urban and rural areas of Adjuntas since Hurricane Maria: 140 houses in communities, six grocery stores, three hardware stores, two restaurants, a barbershop, the La Misericordia home for older adults, fire stations and medical emergency centers, among many other sites.
During the next few weeks, officials will complete the Adjuntas Pueblo Solar microgrid by installing a one-megawatt battery.
By THE STAR STAFFAuthorities on Sunday arrested several protesters who were demanding the dismantling of a shoreline structure being built on a property in La Parguera whose owner reportedly is related to the husband of Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón.
The protesters arrived early in the morning after a call made by Eliezer Molina on social media. Molina urged the protesters to bring drills to tear down the alleged illegal construction.
According to Telenoticias, the protesters began to remove a pier and other structures at the property being built in a maritime-land area that according to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources is within a protected reserve.
In May, DNER Secretary Anaís Rodríguez Vega acknowledged that at the site “we see mangrove cutting and we see construction material in the area in the videos.”
“That goes without saying,” she said. “Mangrove cutting is not allowed and construction in the reserve is also not allowed and we are talking about a protected natural reserve.”
On Sunday, the DNER insisted that active cases of violations at La Parguera are being handled through administrative and legal means.
“As always, protests are permitted as long as laws
and regulations are respected,” the statement said, citing Rodríguez Vega.
Labor and Human Resources (DTRH by its Spanish initials) Secretary Gabriel Maldonado González congratulated athlete Alysbeth Félix Boyer and shooting competition official Mario B. England Sárraga for their performances during the just-concluded XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador 2023.
“We celebrate the success of both who, in their respective disciplines, demonstrated the sporting excellence that distinguishes Puerto Rico,” Maldonado González said. “On behalf of our governor, Pedro Pierluisi, the employees of the DTRH and yours truly, we congratulate them and recognize the legacy that their deeds leave in the history of the Central American Games.”
Félix Boyer recently joined the DTRH team and serves as a specialist in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of Puerto Rico, while England Sárraga works as an employment and unemployment services officer in the Employment Security Bureau.
By THE STAR STAFF
Rep. Lourdes Ramos Rivera on Sunday lamented the death of Luis Ayala del Valle, a former legislator from the western region of Puerto Rico.
Ramos described Ayala del Valle as a consistent and productive legislator, affable and friendly to all, loyal to his work and responsible to his constituents.
He served as chairman of the House Labor and Treasury committees, and was a former director of training
and work companies in the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation as well as a promoter of tourism in Cabo Rojo.
“I always distinguished his cordial and respectful character, as well as his mettle in defending his convictions and our ideals, without damaging the friendship that united him with people of different ideologies,” Ramos said. “He was a tireless worker and loving father. A great friend.”
The family of the former legislator had not offered details on funeral services as of press time on Sunday.
Félix Boyer won bronze medals in the individual long jump and heptathlon competitions. England Sárraga, meanwhile, served as a referee in the discipline of shotgun shooting.
The Puerto Rico delegation concluded its participation in the San Salvador 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games on Saturday with a total of 96 medals. That sum surpassed the figures of Maracaibo 1998 (80), Veracruz 2014 (84), Barranquilla 2018 (87) and Santiago de los Caballeros 1986 (92), and equaled Cartagena de Indias with 96 medals.
The island delegation’s 25 gold medals, meanwhile, surpassed the gold medal count obtained in Barranquilla 2018 (20), Mexico City 1990 (21) and Cartagena de Indias 2006 (24). Puerto Rico also earned 27 silver medals and 44 bronze medals in San Salvador.
Puerto Rico placed sixth in the final standings, based on the gold medal count, behind Mexico (145), Colombia (87), Cuba (74), Venezuela (32) and the Dominican Republic (25), which finished in fifth place on the strength of its 36 silver medals.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Sunday that it has granted funds for various public plazas to boost the economic and social
development of towns on the island.
With its theatrical performances and music events for residents and visitors, Los Fundadores Public Square in the Municipality of Santa Isabel, for instance, represents one of the most important meeting places in the southern coastal town. It is one of several plazas to which FEMA granted funds to boost the economic and social development of the area.
Irma Bermúdez, a resident of Santa Isabel, recalls with great enthusiasm the renowned artists who have performed in the plaza. She also said that what she enjoys most about visiting the plaza today is “the camaraderie, seeing friends and telling anecdotes.”
Likewise, Deputy Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator Andrés García Martinó highlighted the great meaning that the gathering places have for Puerto Rico’s families.
“For many years they were the commercial backbone of the municipalities and today they are part of the history of their towns, while they continue to contribute to socioeconomic development,” he said. “With these funds, we seek to support renovations that continue to create opportunities
for the residents of their communities.”
The Municipality of Santa Isabel has made over $557,000 available for repairs to Los Fundadores. Some of the work already completed includes the replacement of sidewalks, the construction of a new stage and new tables in the kiosk area, and the installation of artificial grass.
The Municipality of Barranquitas, meanwhile, also received obligations for its public square. Over $47,000 will be used for lighting, ornamental trashcans and the replacement of a glass skylight.
In that regard, Barranquitas Mayor Elliott Colón Blanco said, “It is of the utmost importance for us to maintain our facilities in optimal condition for the benefit of our constituents and the thousands of people who visit our beautiful plaza.”
To date, FEMA has awarded over $30.6 billion for more than 10,700 Public Assistance projects aimed at rebuilding a more resilient Puerto Rico. Of that sum, over $3.8 billion is earmarked for more than 6,400 municipal reconstruction projects throughout the island.
The air gets thick with humidity as summer arrives in South Florida. Evening thunder murmurs. The tropics begin to stir.
Then, something magical happens: The mango trees bear fruit. In good years, they produce so much that strangers give away mangoes on their lawns. Neighbors pack them in boxes to mail to loved ones. Friends offer homemade pies.
This has been a very good year.
During the month of June, Zak Stern, the founder of Zak the Baker, his bakery in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, invited customers to bring in six local mangoes in exchange for a loaf of bread. He started taking in about 200 a day.
“I think we’ve got enough mango jam for, like, the next five years,” he said.
The Miami summer scares off tourists and part-timers who only care to experience the glorious winter. The roads get emptier. The days get slower.
The reward for hardy locals who remain year-round, sweating and suffering through hurricane season, comes in the form of the seductive mango, blushing from trees in yards, streets and strip malls.
“This,” said Stern, who grew up in suburban Kendall, “is a gift to the folks who stay.”
What he and other South Florida mango evangelists cherish most about the peak June-to-August season is how sharing a beloved fruit brings people together in a relatively young, multinational city with few widely shared traditions. Mangoes remind immigrants of the places they left — and help them feel like Miami, with its hodgepodge of cultures and languages, is home.
“For people who are originally from tropical countries — say, Southeast Asia, or the Caribbean, or Latin America — they grow up with mangoes,” said Jonathan H. Crane, a tropical fruit crop specialist at the University of Florida’s tropical research and education center in Homestead, south of Miami. “So there’s a connection with mangoes from their childhood.”
I grew up with mangoes in Venezuela but did not fully appreciate their succulence until I moved to Miami two decades ago. Without a yard of my own, I trawl the suburbs for fruit residents put out for sale, saving some for my mother’s mango ceviche. A friend hosts an annual mango daiquiri party that has become one of my favorite ways to celebrate the start of summer. Inevitably, it rains.
Most everyone has mango stories. Stern likes to eat them over the sink, juice dribbling down his chin. Xavier Murphy, who is from Jamaica, has gone through such lengths to try to protect his East Indian mango tree from hungry wildlife that one year, he used his children’s life-size cutout of a Jonas brother as a scarecrow. (It worked, for a while.) Natalia Martinez-Kalinina, who was born in Cuba and raised in Mexico, bakes mango pies in honor of her grandmother, who would give away buckets full of mangoes every summer in Cuba.
“It’s become this really lovely communal exchange,” Martinez-Kalinina said. “People text me and say, ‘I have mangoes — do you need more for mango pie?’”
Mangoes originated in Southeast Asia and were spread by colonists across the globe — including, in the mid-19th century, to South Florida, where wealthy landowners cultivated them as a potential moneymaking crop. But workers from the Bahamas and Cuba also brought seeds in their pockets because the fruit reminded them of home, said Timothy P. Watson, an English professor at the University of Miami who is working on a book about the history of mangoes in Florida.
“They literally mix here in Miami,” he said of the varieties from around the world. “The combination produces mango culture, which is now one of the very few things that joins people together in this incredibly fractured metropolitan area. It’s a complicated story — and a bitter story, in many ways.”
Florida mangoes dominated the commercial market in the United States until Hurricane Andrew destroyed nearly half of the state’s groves in 1992. International trade agreements then made it cheaper to import mangoes that had once grown in Florida from Latin America and the Caribbean. Perhaps 1,500 acres remain in Florida’s mango industry, Crane estimated.
Cold weather hurt the crop last year, but a more typical winter and spring led to a bountiful harvest this year, with no biting temperatures to threaten the fruit or the flowers that precede it.
Although commercial operations have mostly withered, mangoes still thrive in backyards and in the small specialty market, Crane said, as mangophiles demand varieties that cannot be found in grocery stores.
“I like anything but being bored,” said Walter Zill, 81, who sells mangoes from the roughly 40 varieties he grows
with his wife, Verna, in the Palm Beach County city of Boynton Beach. “A person can eat a lot of mangoes without ever getting tired of them.”
His brother, Gary Zill, grows some 90 varieties to sell in nearby Lake Worth, including nearly two dozen of his own cultivars with names like Coconut Cream and Pineapple Pleasure. In the 1960s, his father’s nursery sold a mere 16 varieties.
In the upscale Miami suburb of Coral Gables, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has 550 varieties of mango, one of the most diverse collections in the world. Bruce Greer, the president of the board of trustees, helped start an annual mango festival. Now in its 30th year, it is expected to draw as many as 8,000 visitors this weekend.
A few months ago, Greer’s sister came to town and wanted to take her daughter to see the house where she and Greer lived as children. The two mango trees their father had planted in the early 1960s — a Haden and a Kent — were still there, thriving.
“I literally remember my dad putting them in when I was 6 years old,” said Greer, who has 22 trees of his own. “They went through I don’t know how many owners. They went through my whole life.”
That inspired Greer to envision a new “Million Mango Project” for Fairchild to promote tree plantings across Miami, with the goal of bringing people closer to the prized fruit and shade to neighborhoods with limited tree canopy.
“We’re going to reintroduce these mangoes into the landscape,” he said.
Two years ago, shortly after moving into a historic home in Coral Gables, Catalina Saldarriaga found herself inundated with fruit from two big mango trees on her property that she thinks must be at least 60 years old. This year, she is again collecting 70 to 80 mangoes each day.
“It may be my favorite fruit,” said Saldarriaga, 64, who grew up in Colombia with much smaller mangoes. “But you can only eat one or two a day.”
She gives the rest to friends, family, her cleaning lady, the contractors fixing her pergola. The mangoes that fall to the ground, uneaten by iguanas, birds or squirrels, she leaves out on a grassy patch by her driveway for passersby to take for free.
One man stopped on his bicycle to thank her. Someone left flowers.
“What a delight,” she said, “that someone else can also enjoy them.”
allies, who have leaned on the nation’s judiciary as a last resort to block a series of sweeping laws that target transition care, legislation they say would be harmful to young people’s health.
Until the ruling Saturday, judges had been compelled by the argument that the laws are discriminatory against transgender people and violated the Constitution, ruling to either temporarily or permanently block their enforcement.
The decision also underscores how tenuous and uncertain the medical and political landscape is for transgender youth and their families, as conservativeled states have enacted a series of laws designed to curb LGBTQ rights and access to health care. Twenty states have approved bans or restrictions on transition-related medical care, leaving many families and medical providers to consider moving their homes and practices for access to that care.
the Tennessee Legislature had the standing to regulate such treatment.
He did, however, offer a caveat, particularly since several other judges decided to rule against similar bans in other states. He wrote that “these initial views, we must acknowledge, are just that: initial. We may be wrong.”
His decision was joined by Judge Amul Thapar, who was named to his seat by former President Donald Trump.
Senior Judge Helene N. White, who was also confirmed to her seat on the court during the Bush presidency, said she would have narrowed the scope of the injunction temporarily blocking the law from going into effect, rather than overturning it altogether. But unlike the other judges on the panel, she said she believed the law is likely unconstitutional, by discriminating on the basis of sex.
By EMILY COCHRANEAfederal appeals panel on Saturday said a Tennessee law that would ban hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender youth could go into effect, marking the first time a federal court has allowed a law banning transition care to fully take hold in the United States.
The ruling, issued by a divided three-
judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati, comes less than two weeks after a district court judge temporarily blocked the ban on hormone therapy and puberty blockers. The judges, who will now consider a broader appeal on the temporary hold on the law, said a final decision would come before Sept. 30.
The decision is a notable blow to transgender youth, their families and their
In Tennessee, the Legislature’s Republican supermajority rallied around such a law, calling it SB 1 as a sign of its importance to the lawmakers’ agenda. Once in effect, the law prevents doctors from beginning transition care for new patients and ends existing care for current patients by March 2024.
But just days before the law was set to go into effect on July 1, Judge Eli J. Richardson of the Middle District of Tennessee had decided to temporarily preserve access to hormone therapy and puberty blockers, though he allowed the implementation of the law’s ban on transition surgeries for minors.
But the appeals panel, led by Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, found that Richardson had overstepped by issuing a statewide ruling and questioned whether the challengers would prevail with their argument that the law violated constitutional rights.
“Life-tenured federal judges should be wary of removing a vexing and novel topic of medical debate from the ebbs and flows of democracy by construing a largely unamendable federal constitution to occupy the field,” wrote Sutton, who was named to the court by former President George W. Bush and became chief judge in 2021. He also argued that
In her opinion, where she both concurred with and dissented from the majority, she also stressed that the decision was only preliminary.
But Republicans, who have framed the law as a necessary mechanism to protect children from risky medical treatment, celebrated the panel’s decision Saturday.
“The case is far from over, but this is a big win,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in a statement, predicting that the state is likely to win its broader defense of the law.
In a joint statement, legal groups challenging the ban on behalf of transgender Tennessean youth, their parents and a doctor called the ruling “beyond disappointing and a heartbreaking development.”
“As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want all the transgender youth of Tennessee to know this fight is far from over, and we will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently defeated and Tennessee is made a safer place to raise every family,” said the coalition, which includes the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.
The appeals panel will now consider a more permanent decision on the temporary ruling, while the district court hears arguments over the constitutionality of the underlying law.
By EDGAR SANDOVAL
Aself-described white nationalist who wrote that Hispanics were “invading” America before fatally shooting 23 people at a Walmart store in El Paso was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life terms for his conviction on federal hate crimes charges.
For two days this week, relatives of victims confronted the shooter during an emotional hearing in federal court, where they called him a coward and described some of the gaping wounds caused by the AK-47-style rifle that he used in the shooting, which also left 22 people injured, including an infant.
Several of the victims’ relatives had hoped the shooter, Patrick Crusius, would be sentenced to death. Texas prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty when Crusius is tried later on murder charges in state court. “Life sentence is not justice for you,” Luis Juarez Jr., who lost his father in the massacre, told Crusius.
The federal sentencing in the attack, one of the deadliest on Latinos in U.S. history, follows a plea agreement in February that recommended that the defendant be imprisoned for life in exchange for pleading guilty to hate crimes and weapons charges.
El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks told reporters Thursday that he owed it to the aggrieved families to bring state capital murder charges. “It is a tremendous burden,” he said.
Hicks said he expected Crusius to be turned over to state custody by October or November for the murder trial, for which no date has been set. “We will be pursuing the death penalty,” he said.
After the sentencing Friday, Dean Reckard, whose mother was killed in the shooting, stood up and yelled at Crusius, “We will be seeing you again, coward. No apologies, no nothing.”
Relatives of the victims cried and hugged one another in the courthouse hallways after the hearing was adjourned. Crusius showed no emotion as he was escorted out of the courtroom.
His defense lawyer, Joe Spencer, said his client was suffering from “severe mental illness” when he committed the crimes. He said that at a young age, Crusius heard voices and felt presences that were not there, and was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition that caused him to have violent thoughts and hallucinations.
“Patrick acted with his broken brain, centered in delusions,” Spencer told the court. “We hope that we have provided some answers to what feels uncomprehensible.”
One of the prosecutors, Ian Martinez Hanna, an assistant U.S. attorney, rejected that notion and said in court that the shooter was motivated by an ideology of hatred. He said Crusius planned the attack well in advance, purchased a rifle six weeks before the attack and drove 10 hours to a location where he knew he would be able to find a large number of Hispanic people in one place. “When he went in there and looked at the barrel of his rifle,” Martinez Hanna said, “he wanted to eliminate a class of people. He failed.”
The defendant, he told the court, was “a danger to all of us.”
The crime occurred Aug. 3, 2019. Prosecutors say Crusius drove to El Paso from Allen, Texas, a city near Dallas, and attacked the Walmart store, which is in a popular commercial district near Cielo Vista Mall, a retail complex with dozens of restaurants and stores that is usually crowded on weekends.
Crusius stalked shoppers and employees in the aisles and behind cash registers. He shot a couple who had been married for 70 years, a 15-year-old boy who had dreamed of joining the Border Patrol and a young mother who was shielding her infant son.
Crusius surrendered to a Texas state trooper who pulled him over, telling the trooper, “I’m the shooter.”
A little more than 15 minutes before the attack began, Crusius published a hatefilled manifesto online that promoted a claim, widely espoused by white supremacists, that
wealthy and powerful people facilitated immigration from mainly Black and brown countries to replace white people in the United States and Europe.
He told police officers after his arrest that he identified as a “white nationalist” and wanted to kill Latinos because “they were immigrating to the United States.” El Paso was his target, he told them, because it was a Latino-majority city with strong cultural ties to the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez just across the border.
El Paso has long been seen as an Ellis Island of the Southwest, a destination for migrants from all over the world who want to enter the United States. Immigrants make
up about one-quarter of the city’s population. The sentencing Friday was a rare legal proceeding against a mass shooter. Many such attacks end with the shooters dying in confrontations with police or taking their own lives.
Last year, a jury sentenced to life in prison the young man who killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida. In 2015, a jury sentenced the man who killed 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, to life in prison with no chance of parole. Two years later, a federal jury recommended the death penalty for a white supremacist who gunned down nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina.
After Friday’s sentencing in El Paso, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the case reflected the Justice Department’s “unwavering” commitment to combating hate crimes.
“No one in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence — that they will be targeted because of what they look like or where they are from,” he said in a statement.
During the three-day sentencing hearing this week, Crusius appeared defiant at times, smiling and nodding his head when relatives of victims hurled insults at him.
At one point, Reckard, whose mother was battling Parkinson’s disease when she was killed, asked Crusius to look at photos of her that were displayed on several screens in the courtroom. Crusius craned his neck to see.
“Do you sleep good at night?” Reckard asked him, his voice trembling with anger. Crusius nodded.
“Are you sorry for what you did?”
This time, Crusius nodded yes.
Kathryn Keeler and her husband, Stuart de Haaff, own an olive oil company in the hills of central California. The couple spend their days harvesting olives, bottling the oil, labeling the glass bottles and shipping them out, relying primarily on UPS to get their product to kitchens throughout the United States.
They are far from alone. UPS handles about one-fourth of packages shipped each day in the United States, according to the Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index, many of them for small businesses like Keeler’s company, Rancho Azul y Oro.
But with the labor contract between UPS and 325,000 of its workers expiring at the end of the month and a potential strike looming, business owners around the country are facing what could be the latest in a series of supply chain disruptions that they have confronted since the start of the pandemic.
Some are preemptively turning to FedEx, the next largest private carrier in the United States, or the U.S. Postal Service. Others are calling their third-party shippers — firms that work with the likes of UPS, FedEx and DHL to handle their clients’ shipping needs — to ensure that their packages can still get to their final destinations even if there is a strike.
The logistical challenge is just one more burden on businesses that have been stretched thin over the past few years.
“Maybe a larger business can withstand those types of situations,” Keeler said. But as small-business owners, she and her husband “don’t have a lot of extra time in our day to be on the phone with the post office or FedEx.”
Since 2020, the pandemic has strained the global supply chain in a number of ways. E-commerce reached record levels as stuck-at-home Americans bought clothes, furniture,
workout equipment and groceries online. Companies had to navigate COVID-related shutdowns at factories in China and Vietnam. There were worldwide delays when a large container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal, leading to containers piling up at the Port of Los Angeles. Those situations affected the way goods came into the United States.
A UPS strike could hobble the way brands move their wares domestically.
“This is something that affects us on our home turf, and how do we solve for that?” said Ron Robinson, the CEO of BeautyStat Cosmetics, which uses UPS to ship its skin care products to retailers such as Ulta and Macy’s.
One strategy that his team will lean on is trying to bundle packages, sending as many as it can out at once, he said.
Switching to another carrier is going to cost some companies.
Ryan Culver, the CEO of Platterful, a monthly charcuterie board subscription service, also uses UPS. Switching over to FedEx Express — necessary to ensure the meats in his packages reach consumers in time — would cost about $5 to $10 more per delivery.
Teri Johnson, the founder of Harlem Candle Co., received an email June 26 from her third-party shipper about a potential UPS strike. It suggested she switch to FedEx. That will cost her about $2 extra for each candle shipped in the greater New York area. Sending her candles to California will cost even more.
“We don’t really have a choice right now,” Johnson said.
FedEx said it was accepting additional volume for a limited time and would assess how much capacity its network could accommodate. “Shippers who are considering shifting volume to FedEx, or are currently in discussions with the company to open a new account, are encouraged to begin shipping with FedEx now,” the company said in a post on its website Thursday.
The Postal Service said in an emailed statement that it “has a strong network, and we have the capacity to deliver what is tendered to us.”
Larger companies are relying on sophisticated backup plans that have been tested over the past few years. The pandemic and previous tariff trade wars pushed many major retailers with global supply chains to diversify the countries where their vendors are and the parcel carriers they use.
“We’ve been focused on investing in a lot of transportation solutions that allow us to more nimbly move freight between carriers,” said Alexis DePree, the chief supply chain officer at Nordstrom. “We can do that with a lot more flexibility and speed than we were able to in the past.”
Some third-party carriers are seeing a boost in their businesses as the possibility of a UPS strike comes into focus for their clients. Stord, a third-party logistics and technology provider based in Atlanta whose clients include apparel makers and consumer-package companies, has been sending emails out telling its clients not to worry. Stord uses a cloud-based platform to offer services like warehousing and fulfillment and handles tens of thousands of their packages a day.
By combining the volume of its broad portfolio of client
brands and using software to make decisions, Stord has the leverage to better negotiate prices with the large parcel carriers, said Sean Henry, the company’s CEO.
“We’ve been negotiating with FedEx and USPS about rates around UPS so our customers don’t have to do that,” he said.
Stord said more of its clients had asked it to negotiate with carriers on their behalf. He said that equated to “tens of millions of dollars of annual revenue” for his business.
Still, some business owners are not letting the possibility of a UPS strike stress them out just yet.
Bill McHenry, president of Widgeteer, which sells cookware to large retailers, said he felt “kind of numb” after navigating the pandemic-related challenges. “I’ve seen a lot of stuff and the stories that I’ve heard and things we’ve had to go through and survive — not just the pricing but the upheaval of thinking you have a container but don’t,” he said.
He said the potential rail strike last December had been a bigger concern for him.
In the meantime, the possibility that a deal could be reached between UPS and the union that represents its workers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, remains. The union announced Wednesday that negotiations had broken down, after previously saying the sides had reached a tentative agreement. If an agreement is not reached, a strike could happen as early as Aug. 1.
If that occurs, “we would be collateral damage,” Keeler said.
As second-quarter earnings approach, investors are looking at beaten-down sectors which might gain ground regardless of whether the U.S. economy falls into recession this year.
While the benchmark S&P 500 has gained nearly 15% year-to-date driven by a handful of megacap growth and technology names, some sectors have lagged, including the S&P 500 healthcare, which is down 4.7%. The financials sector is down 2%, while energy is nearly 9% lower.
These unloved sectors are growing attractive to investors increasingly torn over whether a long-feared U.S. recession will ever materialize.
Global fund managers increased their allocations to healthcare and banks by about 5 percentage points in June, while cutting holdings of popular recession plays such as cash and consumer staples companies, BofA Global said.
Large asset managers such as BlackRock and Wells Fargo highlighted healthcare as a favored sector in their recent outlooks for the rest of the year.
Some large banks have improved their U.S. economic outlooks, with Goldman Sachs cutting the chance of a recession within the next 12 months to 25% from 35%. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, increased its estimate for firstquarter Gross Domestic Product growth to an 2% annualized rate from its initial 1.3% estimate.
Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist for LPL Financial noted a “tug of war” in the market over the likelihood of a recession.
“But until we hear from companies that they are cutting their labor force, then we think that we will not have a dire earnings season and some of these lagging sectors will become more favorable,” she said.
The U.S. economy added the fewest jobs in 2-1/2 years in June, but persistently strong wage growth pointed to still-tight labor market conditions, new data on Friday showed, all but ensuring the Federal Reserve will resume raising interest rates later this month.
That will likely continue to weigh on stocks overall as borrowing costs increase. Overall, earnings in the S&P 500 are expected to fall 5.7% in the second quarter, largely due to declining margins, Refintiv data showed.
Despite that dim picture, “cheap” valuations and stable healthcare earnings make the sector increasingly attractive to invest in if the economy does slow in the second half, said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist for Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
The healthcare sector trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17.6, well below the 20.1 ratio of the broad S&P 500.
“We think the Fed will do whatever it takes to get inflation back down close to 2%, and that’s why we think we will see a Fed-induced recession” in the coming months, he said.
HEALTHCARE, FINANCIALS
Medical devices and diagnostics are still benefiting from a backlog of delayed care during the coronavirus pandemic, and demand could continue to grow regardless of the direction of the economy, said Max Wasserman, a portfolio manager at Miramar Capital. He is bullish on companies such as Abbott Laboratories, which is down nearly 3% year to date.
“As things continue reopening we expect to see more data that confirms that people are coming back into the healthcare system,” he said.
Financials will likely continue to benefit from the Fed ratehiking and the belief that worst of this year’s regional banking crisis has passed, said Tom Ognar, a portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments.
He is focusing on companies such as LPL Financial Holdings Inc and Morgan Stanley in the wealth management sector that appear to have more secular growth opportunities than the big banks, he said.
Big banks start reporting second-quarter results next week.
“If rates stay higher for longer and the Fed has to battle inflation for longer that will only mean that these companies will earn more for longer and buy back more stock,” he said.
Five Ukrainian commanders of the Azov Regiment, extolled in Ukraine for defending the port city of Mariupol last year during an 80-day Russian siege before they surrendered as prisoners of war, have been given a heroes’ welcome after returning home.
The men appeared with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before crowds late Saturday in the western city of Lviv after returning to Ukraine from Turkey, where they had been held since September under the terms of a prisoner exchange with Russia. Denys Prokopenko, one of the commanders who was returned, said that the freed fighters would rejoin the front lines, according to a video posted on Twitter by local news media.
“We will definitely have our say in battle,” Prokopenko told reporters in Lviv. Asked whether he would fight on the front lines, he replied, “That is why we returned to Ukraine.”
Moscow reacted angrily to the news that the Azov fighters had returned to Ukraine. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry S. Peskov, accused Turkey of breaking an agreement to keep the men on its territory until the end of the war. There was no immediate comment from the Turkish authorities. The government in Ukraine did not offer a public explanation for how or why the fighters came to be returned.
Peskov claimed that the decision was tied to what he said was Ukraine’s failure in a counteroffensive that began last month.
Ukraine claims it is making small but steady gains in its grueling campaign to reclaim territory in the south and east of the country. But Peskov said that Turkey had been put under pressure by fellow NATO members to allow the Ukrainians to return home to distract attention from the faltering effort to regain territory. He offered no evidence for his claims.
Russian forces reduced Mariupol to rubble before capturing it, but the Azov fighters then held out for weeks in the city’s giant Azovstal steel works, living in underground bunkers under a relentless bombardment. They surrendered May 20 under orders from the government in Ukraine. Still, their resistance made them a symbol of the country’s military defiance and many Ukrainians saw their return as an urgent national priority. Zelenskyy has repeatedly pledged to secure the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The Azov fighters are reviled in Russia,
and the Kremlin propaganda machine has long sought to use the far-right origins of their regiment as proof of its false claim that the Ukrainian state has been infested with Nazism.
The men were in Turkey under a deal announced in September, under which 215 Ukrainian prisoners of war were released in exchange for the release of Viktor Medvedchuk, a wealthy Ukrainian businessperson and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and 54 other Russian prisoners of war. It was not clear how many members of the Azov battalion remain imprisoned.
Zelenskyy visited Ankara, Turkey, on Friday and Saturday for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before of a major NATO summit in Lithuania that begins Tuesday, at which Ukraine’s fledgling application for membership of the alliance will be high on the agenda. Turkey has opposed Russia’s
invasion, and Erdogan has expressed support for Ukraine’s application for membership in NATO, but he has also sought to maintain a close relationship with Putin.
Ukraine’s bid has been a thorny issue for the alliance, with some members pressing for faster action than others. In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria aired Sunday, President Joe Biden said that it was “premature” to begin the process to allow Ukraine to join while fighting continued.
Ukrainian officials said Sunday that no decision had been made about whether Zelenskyy would attend the summit in person, although NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that Zelenskyy would participate in the first meeting of a new NATO-Ukraine Council.
The Azov fighters returned home on the 500th day since Russia launched its full-scale
invasion of Ukraine. Many Ukrainians view that date both as a moment to reflect on the death and destruction that the country has faced, but also as the start of a new phase of heroic resistance to Moscow.
Here’s what else to know:
— In a recorded interview with ABC’s “This Week,” Zelenskyy said that Putin would be “forced to seek dialogue with the civilized world” if Ukraine’s counteroffensive successfully advanced to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. But he reiterated that he would not agree to any peace deal that hands territory over to Russia.
— Zelenskyy acknowledged in the ABC interview that he wished the counteroffensive was moving faster. Hanna Malyar, a deputy Ukrainian defense minister, reported fierce fighting but no significant changes along the eastern and southern fronts Sunday evening. But she said Ukraine’s forces had managed to advance on the southern flank of the ruined city of Bakhmut, where Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said in a Telegram post that Ukraine’s troops were making progress.
— President Andrzej Duda of Poland met with Zelenskyy on Sunday during a visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk, where they attended a church service to mark the anniversary of massacres of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II. Poland, another NATO member, is one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters.
— The death toll from Russian shelling of Lyman, a city in the Donetsk region, on Saturday rose to nine, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Ukrainian regional governor, wrote on Telegram. Another civilian was also killed Saturday in the town of Avdiivka, he said.
— Ukraine appeared to confirm that its forces were behind an explosion in October that destroyed part of the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, one of the most spectacular strikes against Moscow’s interests since the fullscale invasion began.
While Ukrainians celebrated the attack on the bridge as a humiliation for Putin, who had taken personal pride in its construction, the Ukrainian government had not officially claimed it. But on Saturday, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Hanna Malyar listed the explosion as one of the country’s achievements in the 500 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. Responding to the post, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the Ukrainian government was a “terrorist regime.”
Apolitical crisis erupted in the Netherlands on Friday night, with the prime minister offering the resignation of his government to the king, meaning there will be new elections in the fall. Here’s what you need to know.
Why did the Dutch government collapse?
Unable to convince the more centrist members of his four-party governing coalition to back more restrictive migration policies, the conservative prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, offered his resignation to King Willem-Alexander in writing on Friday night and spoke to the king in person about it on Saturday in The Hague.
The collapse underscores the potency of immigration as an arbiter of Europe’s politics, and how stopping far-right parties from capitalizing on it is a growing problem for mainstream politicians.
Rutte’s four-party coalition included his own party, the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, as well as the centrist pro-European D66 and two centrist Christian parties: CDA and Christian Union.
With his government feeling pressured on the migration issue by parties to the right, Rutte had been talking for months to his coalition partners about measures to further control the number of refugees coming into the country. On Friday night, the parties decided they could not come to a compromise and chose to dissolve the coalition, plunging the country into political uncertainty.
“It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy,” Rutte said on Friday. “And today, unfortunately, we have to draw the conclusion that those differences are irreconcilable.”
What were the proposed policies that led to the breakup?
The government had been debating terms of family reunification for refugees and also whether to create two classes of asylum: a temporary one for people fleeing conflicts, and a permanent one for people fleeing persecution.
The goal of both proposals was to reduce the number of refugees, as rightwing parties outside the coalition were seeing political gains by appealing to
growing voter concerns in the Netherlands about immigration.
While the other coalition parties were ready to agree with the two-tier asylum system, they would not agree to back Rutte’s proposal for a two-year waiting period before refugees living in the Netherlands could be joined by their children.
Last year, more than 21,000 people from outside the European Union sought
asylum in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch government. More than 400,000 people immigrated to the Netherlands overall in 2022, the office said, an increase from the year before.
The large numbers of arrivals have strained the Netherlands’ housing capacity, which is suffering a shortage for the country’s more than 17 million people.
What happens now?
Although he resigned as prime minis-
ter, Rutte will remain in charge of a caretaker government until general elections are held.
Dutch voters will head to the polls in the fall, probably in November. It’s unclear whether Rutte will stay on as leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, but he indicated Friday night that he would be open to it and Dutch media have speculated that he will.
Many of the party’s faithful are still happy with Rutte, said Marcel Hanegraaff, an associate professor of political science at the University of Amsterdam.
If Rutte’s party — which can count on the steady support of about 20% of Dutch voters, according to Hanegraaff — manages to win the election, he would be tasked with forming a new coalition government, his fifth. But he may face the same set of coalition problems.
Who is Mark Rutte, and what does his future hold?
Rutte has weathered many political storms. He is the Netherlands’ longest serving prime minister, coming into power in 2010. For surviving at least one other government collapse and multiple other political obstacles, he has earned the nickname “Teflon Mark.”
But Dutch politicians from other parties have said it is time for a new prime minister.
Caroline van der Plas, leader of the Farmer-Citizen Movement, a pro-farmer party that swept local elections in the Netherlands this year, said she wanted a new leader and welcomed a chance for voters to go the polls this fall, two years earlier than expected.
Analysts in the Netherlands expect the Farmer-Citizen Movement, which currently has one seat in the 150-member parliament, to do well in the coming elections. Polls show they could come in as the nation’s second-biggest party.
Dutch farmers are angry at Rutte’s government for announcing reductions in nitrogen pollution to preserve protected nature reserves — a policy the farmers believe unfairly targets them.
Attje Kuiken, leader of the Dutch Labor Party, wrote on Twitter that “Mark Rutte is done governing.” She added that she wanted new elections quickly, “because the Netherlands needs a government that shows vigor and makes decisions.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen came to China amid hopes that the United States could restart a relationship that has been deteriorating for years and had gotten off the rails recently over significant points of tension — including the war in Ukraine, a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. territory and was shot down by the American military, and the two countries’ escalating exchange of restrictions on trade.
After 10 hours of meetings over two days in Beijing, Yellen said at a news conference on Sunday that she believed the United States and China were on a steadier footing despite their “significant disagreements.”
“We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive,” Yellen said.
Yellen announced that the two sides would pursue more frequent communication at the highest levels, describing improved dialogue as a way to prevent mistrust from building and fraying a relationship that she called “one of the most consequential of our time.” Her trip followed one a few weeks by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And later this month, John Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate change, will visit China to restart global warming negotiations.
Yet a meaningful easing of the economic tension may not be likely. Yellen headed back to Washington on Sunday with no announcements of breakthroughs or agreements to mend the persistent fissures between the two nations. And Yellen made clear that the Biden administration has serious concerns about many of China’s commercial practices, including its treatment of foreign companies, and policies that the United States views as efforts at economic coercion.
On her trip, the first by a U.S. Treasury secretary in four years, Yellen met with four of the most powerful Chinese leaders involved in economic policymaking under President Xi Jinping, who is at the start of his third term in office: Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 official; Yellen’s counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng; the finance minister, Liu Kun; and the newly installed party chief of the People’s Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng.
Hours before Yellen’s news conference, China’s official news agency, Xinhua, issued a report on her visit that described the talks as constructive but also reiterated what China sees as key areas of dispute. The report expressed China’s continued objections to the Biden administration’s emphasis on preserving U.S. national security through trade restrictions.
“China believes that generalizing national security is not conducive to normal economic
and trade exchanges,” Xinhua said. “The Chinese side expressed concern about U.S. sanctions and restrictive measures against China.”
The U.S.-China relationship is enormously consequential. Their economies, the world’s two largest, together represent 40% of global output and remain integral partners in many ways. They sell and buy critical products from each other, finance each other’s businesses, and create apps and movies for audiences in both countries.
Chinese officials raised their own concerns with Yellen. The Treasury secretary said they discussed the tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on Chinese imports, which have been left in place. While Yellen has criticized tariffs as ineffective, she suggested that the administration would not make any decision about the levies until an ongoing internal review of them was concluded, reiterating the position of the administration since President Joe Biden took office.
She also acknowledged Chinese concerns about looming U.S. restrictions on investment in China and said that she tried to explain that such measures would be narrowly targeted at certain sectors and would not be intended to have broad effects on China’s economy. Chinese officials and experts also worry that the administration’s efforts to limit China’s access to certain technology could impair their development of high-potential industries such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
China has had its own broader restrictions on outbound investment since 2016, as it has encouraged Chinese companies and households to steer clear of overseas real estate speculation and has pushed them instead to invest
abroad in sectors of strategic value such as aircraft production, heavy manufacturing and cybersecurity.
Wu Xinbo, dean of international studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, cautioned that Yellen’s trip would not result in a substantive improvement in relations unless it was accompanied by changes in the Biden administration’s policies toward China.
“So far, we haven’t seen any sign that Biden will rethink his economic policy toward China,” he said.
The desire for more dialogue struck some analysts as a significant development, with both countries at least talking about their disagreements after months of silence.
He Weiwen, a former official at China’s Ministry of Commerce who is now a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing, welcomed Yellen’s comment that both China and the United States could thrive.
“China and the U.S. have profound differences, so constant, direct exchanges are not only constructive but of crucial importance,” he said.
Chinese economic policymakers have a long history of working more closely with the Treasury Department, which has historically valued China as a sizable investor in U.S. bonds and as a potential market for American financial services. The Commerce Department and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, with their greater emphasis on fostering employment and industrial selfreliance, have tended to have more fractious relationships with their Chinese counterparts.
This was particularly true during the Trump administration. Liu He, who was the vice pre-
mier overseeing international economic policy until He Lifeng succeeded him four months ago, tried repeatedly to reach compromises on trade and economic matters with Steven Mnuchin, who served as Treasury Secretary under former President Donald Trump. But Mnuchin was unable to persuade Trump, who ended up imposing tariffs on a wide range of Chinese exports as retaliation for what he said were unfair business practices.
Many U.S. businesses with ties to China, along with Chinese officials, had hoped for friendlier relations under Biden. Instead, tensions between the U.S. and China have grown deeper over the past two years and became downright frosty after the spy balloon episode in February.
While Yellen’s visit was seen as a positive step, many experts in both China and the United States cautioned against expecting a lot to change.
“Yellen’s trip will likely turn down the temperature on the economic relationship for a bit and remind the U.S. and China that they share some commercial interests, even if waning, and they need to talk through thick and thin — perhaps business conditions will improve at the margins,” said Mark Sobel, a former longtime Treasury official.
But given national security concerns in both countries, a perception in China that the U.S. seeks to contain its economic advancement and hawkish political language on both sides, he said, “Yellen’s trip will hardly change the underlying dynamic and trajectory of the economic relationship.”
Despite the disagreements between the U.S. and China, Yellen was greeted warmly during her first visit to Beijing as Treasury secretary.
In a meeting with Li, he mentioned that a rainbow had appeared overhead upon her arrival and suggested it was a symbol of hope that ties between the two countries could be mended.
After Yellen was spotted dining on Thursday night at a restaurant that serves cuisine from the province of Yunnan, Chinese state media wrote about her impressive use of chopsticks and reported that bookings at the restaurant were up after she was seen eating mushroom dishes on social media.
Yellen also met with Chinese experts on climate finance and had lunch with a group of Chinese women who are economists and entrepreneurs. She suggested that there are many areas where the United States and China can find agreement.
“Our people share many things in common — far more than our differences,” Yellen said at the lunch.
The Superhumans Center is full of war amputees learning to walk on artificial limbs or smoking cigarettes clutched in prosthetic fingers. Yet this philanthropically supported hospital for wounded Ukrainians is not antiseptically depressing, as hospitals often are. Perhaps that’s because of the admiration that Ukrainians feel for these veterans, leading them to carry their stumps with pride — and to plan a return to the front with artificial arms and legs.
“I do not see disabled people,” Oleksandra Kabanova said as she sat waiting for her husband, Oleh Spodin, to complete a physical therapy session. “I see superheroes.”
She eagerly shared the story of how Spodin lost his leg: He volunteered to go out and rescue a wounded comrade. “He’s very sexy without a leg,” she added, beaming.
That’s where I think Vladimir Putin miscalculated when he invaded Ukraine last year: He underappreciated Ukrainian grit and resilience. I suspect some Americans make the same mistake. Month after month, Ukrainians have lost buildings, heat, electricity, lives — yet they are ready to keep sacrificing, and there is a societywide reverence for those who have given so much.
A recent poll found that 78% of Ukrainians had close relatives or friends killed or injured in the fighting. That’s a staggering toll, yet if anything, it has strengthened Ukrainian determination rather than weakened it. On each of my visits to wartime Ukraine, what has struck me the most is not the immense suffering but the even more overwhelming resolve to win.
While the pain and difficulty faced by those struggling to learn to walk again are enormous, the public adulation is a salve.
“This week, a woman tried to embrace me at a bus stop,” said Denys Kryvenko, 24, who lost both legs and an arm in January in fighting near Bakhmut. “People have tried to give me food, give me money, give me hugs.”
Kryvenko said that even as a triple amputee, he is going to rejoin his unit on the front line.
“My unit is waiting for me,” he insisted. He is discussing two roles: either as an instructor for paramedics — he is proof of the value of tourniquets, three of which saved his life — or as a counselor to coach soldiers struggling in bleak times.
Bohdan Petrenko, 21, whom I met when he was practicing walking with his artificial leg, is likewise planning to rejoin his military unit as soon as he fully recovers from the mortar injuries that took his leg and mangled his arms. Petrenko said he would return to the front as a radio man or drone operator.
Petrenko had a crush on a girl in his hometown before the war but had never dared ask her out, and when fighting broke out, she evacuated to Poland. On a trip back to Ukraine to visit her parents, she heard he was injured and when passing through Lviv stopped by to visit him in the hospital.
“She never left,” he added. “She’s still here. It’s magical.”
They’re now living together, he said, adding, “Someone can have all his arms and legs and still not be successful in love, but an amputee can win a heart.”
The West should surely do a better job providing Ukraine with the F-16s, tanks and long-range missiles it needs to end this war. But what may matter even more than weaponry is the value of the Ukrainian determination to win — even on prosthetic legs.
The war amputees are stoical about their challenges, for they’ve lost friends and, by that standard, feel fortunate. “After the amputation, I didn’t feel so bad,” mused Yevhen Tiurin, 30, with a grin. “The problems in my leg were now over.”
The nurse treating him, Olha Baranych, was impressed. “Something clicked in my heart,” she recalled. They married and are expecting their first child
Yevhen Tiurin with his wife, Olha Baranych, at home in Lviv, Ukraine in July 2023. Month after month, Ukrainians have lost buildings, heat, electricity, lives — yet they are ready to keep sacrificing, and there is a society-wide reverence for those who have given so much, Nicholas Kristof writes.
in August.
Kabanova, the woman who thinks her husband looks sexy without a leg, acknowledges that heroes aren’t always family-friendly. Being alone while Spodin was on the front was “10 months of hell,” she said. When he was injured the first two times, she begged him to come home to her.
Spodin refused. Then on Feb. 15, he called Kabanova and sounded different, weak.
“Are you injured?” she asked.
“My leg is missing,” he said faintly but, trying to maintain his humor, added, “A piece of me will stay behind forever.”
Kabanova becomes teary at the recollection. “People thought that girls would dump guys after their injuries,” she said fiercely. “No way! It doesn’t work that way.”
Spodin’s amputation was imperfect, so he had to undergo another surgery to reshape the stump, and now he’s waiting for the wound to heal so that he can get a prosthetic limb — and then he’ll be back to war.
“Amputation is a temporary difficulty,” Spodin explained. “These are just new conditions in our lives that we must adjust to.”
Contact Kristof at Facebook.com/Kristof, Twitter. com/NickKristof or by mail at The New York Times, 620 Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10018.
SAN JUAN – Salud Integral en la Montaña (SIM), una destacada organización sin fines de lucro dedicada a brindar atención médica de calidad a comunidades de escasos recursos, se complace en anunciar que ha sido galardonada con cinco prestigiosos premios. Estos reconocimientos fueron otorgados por un Comité Independiente de Premiaciones de la Alianza de Centros de Salud Comunitaria, Inc., a entidades reconocidas por el gobierno federal como “Federally Qualified Health Center” bajo la sección 330 de la Ley de Salud Pública Federal, en su Simposio Anual este fin de semana celebrado en el Hotel Convento.
Los premios recibidos por Salud Integral en la Montaña se encuentran en dos categorías: - Vital 2022: Mayor por ciento de Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT); Mayor por ciento en High Cost High Need ( HCHN); Utilización; Aumento en Membresía;- Medicare Advantage 2022: Aumento en Membresía.
La Dra. Gloria del C. Amador, Presidenta y Principal Oficial Ejecutiva de SIM, recibió personalmente estos galardones, junto al Presidente de su Junta de Directores, Ignacio Febus, el señor Án-
gel Vega, Vicepresidente de Finanzas y la Dra. Ada Santos, pasada Directora Médica de SIM., durante el Simposio Anual de la Alianza de Centro Comunitarios 330 y dijo: “Estos reconocimientos son un testimonio del compromiso y la dedicación de cada uno de los empleados de SIM para proporcionar servicios de atención médica primaria, especializada y preventiva óptima a los pacientes de las comunidades de los municipios en la Montaña. Además, validar nuestro genuino compromiso y compasión con los pacientes que son nuestra razón de ser. También agradeció a los miembros de la Junta de Directores de SIM por apoyar cada uno de los esfuerzos que hoy logran ser galardonados.”
SIM opera una red de Centros de Salud Integral ubicados estratégicamente en los municipios de Barranquitas, Bayamón, Comerío, Corozal, Naranjito, Orocovis y Toa Alta.
“Estos centros brindan atención médica primaria, preventiva y especializada, así como servicios de sala de emergencias, a aquellos que enfrentan limitaciones en su acceso a la atención médica privada. En total, SIM brinda asistencia médica a sobre 64,000 pacientes no duplicados en la Montaña. Además de su amplia gama de servicios clínicos, Salud Integral en la Montaña ofrece pro-
gramas especializados, como Salud en el Hogar y Hospicio La Montaña, Familias Saludables, Farmacia Especializada, entre otros, para satisfacer las necesidades de salud de las comunidades a las que sirve.”, explicó Amador.
Al mismo tiempo, la pasada Directora Médica de SIM, Dra. Ada Santos añadió: “Estos galardones reconocen el arduo trabajo y la dedicación de todo el equipo de SIM, de nuestros médicos, enfermeras, personal de apoyo clínico y la gerencia.”
F AJARDO – Las autoridades rescataron entre la noche del sábado y la madrugada del domingo a 23 personas de una embarcación que encalló entre el Cayo Icacos y el Cayo Lobos, al noreste de las costas de Fajardo.
“En el día de ayer habían vigentes avisos y advertencias relacionado a las condiciones del tiempo. En medio de truenos, rayos y condiciones desfavorables en el mar, no era momento para salir a navegar. Estar atento a las condiciones del tiempo, así como respetar las alertas emitidas por las agencias pertinentes, es parte del sentido de prudencia que debe tener todo aquel que maneje una embarcación”, dijo el teniente Ángel García Martínez, director de la Marítima de la Policía en Fajardo en declaraciones escritas.
El oficial le pidió a los ciudadanos a evitar salir al mar en medio de condiciones del tiempo que pueden poner en riesgo sus vidas y la de los rescatistas.
Mencionó además investigarán las razones por las cuales la empresa, que se supone mantenga acuerdo con embarcaciones privadas para asistir en circunstancias como las ocurridas ayer, se negó a brindarle el servicio a la tripulación.
Según se informó, se recibió una llamada tele-
fónica a través del sistema de emergencias 9-1-1, sobre una embarcación de nombre Punta Higuera, marca Bertram, color blanca, de 52 pies de eslora encallada con pasajeros a bordo.
Los agentes de la Unidad Marítima FURA Fajardo, localizaron la embarcación encallada y rescataron a las 23 personas.
En las labores de rescate, colaboraron voluntarios que ayudaron a movilizar a los tripulantes hacia la
embarcación de FURA.
Las personas, fueron transportadas en buen estado en la embarcación Cobra 01 hacia la división marítima de la Policía en Puerto Chico en Fajardo. Estos fueron evaluados por paramédicos en el lugar.
El agente Erick Toro, supervisado por el sargento Sánchez y bajo la dirección del teniente Ángel García Martínez de la Unidad Marítima de FURA, estuvo a cargo de la operación.
Autoridades rescatan a 23 personas en embarcación privada que encalló en Fajardo
Salud Integral en la Montaña es galardonada con cinco premios por su excelencia en la
do do” or a “yeah yeah.” He had a knack for tattoo melodies and chord progressions so juicy that you want to bite into every section of almost every song.
Michael learned early on how to shade his singing. He could get it to coo and wail and susurrate; Ridgeley played a feisty, insinuating, shirt-unbuttoning guitar, an element I can now hear (and thanks to this film, appreciate). They made three albums in as many years, then stopped when the costs of fame became too much for Ridgeley but were barely meeting Michael’s expectations for himself. Wham!, for Michael, was the ground floor. To hear both men tell it, he was the stronger songwriter, and he really knew how to produce a record.
By WESLEY MORRISThe new documentary about George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley and the music they made as Wham! — it’s just called “Wham!” — found me in a moment of need for a nostalgic, fantastical elixir, something short, sweet and tangential to my feeling of national blues. For one thing, Wham!, the duo, made soul music that popped. And the movie dances past all of the thorny moral and ethical questions of white people making Black stuff. Those questions don’t exist at all in this movie. That’s the fantasy. And I’m here for it. But also: Wham! didn’t have any thorns.
Here were two white boys from England of solid Greek Cypriot (George) and Egyptian (Andrew) stock, born during Motown’s ascent in the early 1960s and, in adolescence, bonded as disco was handing the party baton to new wave and rap. They synthesized it all (plus a little Barry Manilow and Freddie Mercury, and some Billy Joel) into a genre whose only other alchemists, really, were Hall & Oates. In every one of the duo’s roughly two dozen songs — including “Everything She Wants,” “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “I’m Your Man,” jams all — there’s influence but, in the movie’s conjuring, no anxiety. Race doesn’t quite exist here.
The film doesn’t bother with journalism or criticism or music history. Just a lot of pictures and archival interviews, performance footage, outtakes and music videos. It’s essentially adapted, by director Chris Smith and some very busy editors, from scrapbooks that Ridgeley’s mother kept, celebrating everything from the duo’s first attempt to storm the
airwaves in 1981 to its acrimony-free breakup in 1986. That’s where things end, a year before the release of Michael’s megahit album “Faith,” and decades before his death in 2016 at 53. There’s no mention made either of Ridgeley’s misapprehended, out-of-print solo album from 1990, “Son of Albert.”
There aren’t even any talking heads. The disembodied voices of Michael and Ridgeley guide the whole thing — rumination and memory as narration. (Most of Michael’s comes from a BBC Radio interview.) They explain how they met as schoolkids in the mid-1970s and took over a miniblock of 1980s culture. You get to hear Ridgeley still warmly call Michael by his nickname, Yog, for he was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, and see their looks pinball from leather bar to Richard Simmons.
Nothing here’s overthought or pumped up. To invoke the words of a different beacon of catchiness, “Wham!” is a teenage dream. You could drink it from a coconut. You’re permitted to embrace Michael’s dexterous approach to Black music and Ridgeley’s affable interpretation of Michael’s blueprint as the way — a way — things could be. Easy, frictionless. You hear Michael rhyme on “Wham! Rap” just about as bodaciously as Grandmaster Flash or with some of Kurtis Blow’s humor, and no cold sweats follow. The homework had clearly been done. So instead you say: He just … had It.
I mean, the early 1980s were awash in young white Brits making hits, at least partially, out of slicked-up Motown: ABC, Bananarama, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Soft Cell. I’d say that sound came most naturally to Michael; it seemed most elastic to him. He really could make the most of a “do
My favorite story in the documentary involves a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, that Michael took to record “Careless Whisper” with the legendary Muscle Shoals rhythm section under the supervision of producer Jerry Wexler, another legend. Michael didn’t like what they did with the song. The movie lets you hear some of it, and the trademark warmth is what seems to be missing. There’s something almost metronomic about it. (If there were a moment for somebody to come in and do some explaining, this would be it. What exactly displeased George and eventually Andrew?) But I love this story because it stars these different generations of white soul musicians with divergent tastes in Black music. Maybe Wexler and the boys didn’t hear “Careless Whisper” the way Michael did. But he had the confidence (and the nerve) to take it home and redo it until it became the screen of silk and smoke we know today.
“I’m never gonna dance again, the way I danced with you.” What a work of melodrama! Where’d it come from? Who did Michael do wrong? “Wham!” alludes to personal struggles — Michael with his sexuality; Ridgeley with partying. Michael recounts coming out to Ridgeley early on but to almost no one else. Success becomes his identity. In the film, that identity’s lowest moment happens at the end of 1984, when “Last Christmas,” on its way to being Wham!’s fourth U.K. chart-topper in the calendar year, is kept from the spot by “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” the all-star charityfor-Africa record, which Wham! is on. Michael is bummed that he keeps himself stuck at No. 2.
Michael chose to let ambition define him. But there is a kind of desperation in the average Wham! song, a crisis about either being trapped in lovelessness or excluded from love — a crisis audible, even to my young ears, as a wail from the closet. (The bouncy, blow-dried music videos were always a different story: What closet?) Meanwhile, the movie about the men who made these songs is all bright side. A little desp rarely sounded so good.
A pair of more candid, if more conventional, documentaries exist about the darkness and light of Michael’s life. This one? It’s a prequel, one that personifies the Wham! Experience: over before you know it.
‘Wham!’
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” In 1963, he wrote the score for the film “Sunday in New York,” a romantic comedy starring Jane Fonda, Rod Taylor and Cliff Robertson. (Nero appeared briefly as himself.)
His career took off. He had a million-selling single on Columbia Records with an instrumental version of the theme from “Summer of ’42,” the 1971 blockbuster film, with a score by Michel Legrand, about the end of one young man’s adolescence as America plunged into World War II. His album of the same name also sold 1 million copies.
In the 1970s, Nero quit nightclubs and turned to composing for, and conducting, orchestras.
South Florida, St. Louis and other cities, often performing 100 concerts a year.
He had his detractors. Some deplored the liberties he took in blurring the lines between classical and jazz, although what he did was hardly new; the Gershwins had done it, as had, among others, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. Nero made light of his critics.
“I did an arrangement that mixed the ‘1812’ Overture and ‘Over the Rainbow,’” he recalled. “Somebody called and said, ‘How can you do that to “Over the Rainbow”?’”
By ROBERT D. McFADDENPeter Nero, the concert pianist who soared to popularity in the 1960s with a swinging hybrid of classics and jazz and kept the beat for nearly six decades with albums, club and television dates, and segues into conducting pops orchestras, died Thursday in Eustis, Florida. He was 89.
His daughter, Beverly Nero, said he died at the At Home Care Assisted Living Facility, where he had lived in recent months.
It was not quite accurate to say, as a New York newspaper, The World-Telegram and Sun, did in 1962, that Peter Nero played classical music with his left hand and popjazz with his right. But that was only a paraphrase of his own primer for audiences.
“We shall play ‘Tea for Two,’” he would say. “Since our arrangement is complex, we’d like to explain what we’ll be doing. My right hand will be playing ‘Tea for Two,’ while my left hand will play Tchaikovsky’s Fifth. My left foot will be fiercely tapping out the traditional rhythm to the Tahitian fertility dance. My right foot will not be doing too much. It will just be excited.”
To generations of fans, Nero was a national treasure. He appeared with Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and other headliners; released 72 albums; conducted the Philly Pops for 34 years, often with one hand while the other played a
piano; and delivered a nostalgic mix of jazz and classics that let listeners reconnect with the soundtracks of their youth.
A remarkable interpreter of George Gershwin, he was also a natural showman — bantering with audiences, making up the program as he went along, tearing through medleys of Liszt, Prokofiev, the American songbook and mesmerizing variations of “I Got Rhythm,” and pounding home with a blowout finale of “An American in Paris.”
In midcareer, Nero quit smoky piano lounges for the concert stage and reinvented himself as a player-conductor of the Philly Pops and other orchestras. He wrote a cantata based on the diary of Anne Frank, marked national holidays with patriotic musicales in Philadelphia, and for decades packed them in at symphony halls, college unions and small-town community centers.
“Still touring the country at 80, Nero presented a dazzling display of talent and showmanship,” The Times-Enterprise of Thomasville, Georgia, (population 18,000), said in a 2015 review. “Nero’s stamina was incredible, his nimble fingers dancing gracefully, then racing madly, then dancing gracefully again across the keys to sublime effect.”
He won Grammys in 1961 (best new artist) and 1962 (best performance with an orchestra, for “The Colorful Peter Nero”) and was nominated for eight more. He appeared often on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The
Anne Frank’s posthumously published “The Diary of a Young Girl,” which told of two years of hiding during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, provided lyrics and scenario for Nero’s first composition for a full orchestra. He used her words for 15 songs and vividly recalled his collaboration with a girl who had died in a concentration camp a quarter of a century earlier.
“Writing ‘Anne Frank’ was perhaps the most emotional experience of my musical life,” Nero said in a 2018 interview for this obituary. “I was so moved by the diary, I wanted to do something almost biblical. I wrote the bulk of it in just three weeks. Once I got on a roll, I couldn’t stop. Everything just fell into place.
“Anne was way advanced for her years,” he continued. “She was not just religious or spiritual. What came through was her faith in the goodness of man.”
Nero’s was the first musical treatment of a story widely known from film, television and theatrical dramas, and from books in many languages. A blend of rock, symphonic and traditional Jewish music, it had its debut at a synagogue in Great Neck, New York, on Long Island, in 1971, and was performed under his baton in several cities. In 1973, he conducted the Greater Trenton Symphony in a version that featured his 15-year-old daughter, Beverly, in the title role.
In 1979, Nero was named musical director and player-conductor of the Philly Pops. He moved to Media, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, and for 34 years was the Pops’ star attraction. Audiences marveled at his ability, standing up, to play the piano with one hand while seamlessly conducting the orchestra with the other. He also conducted orchestras in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Washington,
He was born Bernard Nierow in Brooklyn on May 22, 1934, one of two sons of Julius and Mary (Menasche) Nierow. His father was a deputy commissioner of the New York City Youth Board. His mother taught Spanish at James Madison High School in Brooklyn.
Bernard began piano lessons at 7 and showed extraordinary ability. His parents bought him a used Steinway. “It was $1,100, which was a lot of money back then,” he recalled. “It was the only time they borrowed money.”
He attended the High School of Music and Art (now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts), studied part time at the Juilliard School of Music and took private lessons from esteemed pedagogues Abram Chasins and Constance Keene. He attended Brooklyn College — he studied psychology but not music, he said, because he didn’t need to — and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1956.
That year he married Marcia Dunner. They had two children, Jedd and Beverly, and were later divorced. His 1977 marriage to Peggy Altman and his later marriage to Rebecca Edie, a Philly Pops pianist, also ended in divorce.
Besides his daughter, Nero is survived by his son, Jedd; three grandchildren; and his brother, Alan.
Nero left the Philly Pops in 2013 in an acrimonious dispute over his $500,000-a-year salary. The orchestra, whose fading audiences prompted it to file for bankruptcy, asked him to take a big pay cut, but he refused. Despite its shaky finances, the orchestra has survived, although it was recently evicted from its longtime home and its future looks uncertain.
Nero returned to the concert circuit with his longtime bassist, Michael Barnett. They played their last gig on Valentine’s Day 2016 at a Central Florida retirement community, the Villages. Nero had lived there since 2018.
For months leading up to Jean Franco Rivera’s one-year wedding anniversary, he had the perfect plan to celebrate: Travel to Disney World and go on all his favorite rides with his husband, Ahmed, and brother-in-law, Luis. The three men, all gay and Latino, are originally from Puerto Rico, but now live in Texas. As the trip approached, Jean Franco, 42, said they felt somewhat concerned about traveling to a state that had passed legislation targeting LGBTQ people in recent months.
But in the end, they went.
And on a recent Saturday, they were just part of the usual throng of people at the Orlando, Florida, theme park, waiting in line for Space Mountain, Guardians of the Galaxy and Jean Franco’s favorite ride, Flight of Passage. At Disney World that day, you would never have known that the League of United Latin American Citizens, the NAACP and the LGBTQ organization Equality Florida had all recently issued warnings telling people to reconsider coming to Florida because of the policies of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican lawmakers.
I had traveled to Florida in the wake of the NAACP’s advisory to see whether the warnings had any effect. The Riveras and other travelers told me that while they were against many laws recently passed in Florida, they didn’t feel that canceling their vacations would help anyone — or change the policies. In fact, several travelers said that they visited Disney and certain parts of Florida to get away from politics.
“Coming to Disney, especially, is like entering a safe zone,” said Stephanie Kate Jones, who was visiting the park from Wales in the United Kingdom. “Coming here is a way to escape reality and the stress of everyday life.”
And while the warnings were widely covered outside the state, they have so far seemed to have little or no impact on tourism numbers.
“Travel has always transcended politics,” said Stacy Ritter, the president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, the Fort Lauderdale tourism organization. “People have always traveled to places where they don’t agree with the politics because they want to see something new, different. They want an experience. They want a vacation.”
DeSantis vs. Disney DeSantis, who was overwhelmingly
Tourists in Miami Beach, Fla., March 31, 2023. Even as civil rights groups suggest travelers should rethink trips to the state because of policies enacted by its Republican lawmakers, it remains a tourism juggernaut.
reelected in 2022, has introduced socially conservative policies, from the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” education bill limiting gender and sex education to the decision to bar the teaching of Advanced Placement African American history because it was a form of “indoctrination” to a tough crackdown on unauthorized immigration.
DeSantis, who recently entered the 2024 presidential race, has also been in a dispute with Disney since last year, when the company said it would pause political donations in Florida because of the sex education bill. The two sides then began battling for control of the board that oversees Disney World’s development, with DeSantis trying to take control of it and limit Disney’s authority.
Disney sued the governor over the issue this spring and in May the company said it was scrapping a $1 billion development in Orlando.
While announcing his candidacy for presidency, DeSantis said that the NAACP advisory was “a total farce.” The travel warnings, he said, were a political stunt. “These left wing groups have been doing it for many, many years. And at the end of the day, what they’re doing is colluding with legacy media to try to manufacture a narrative,” he said.
But Brandon Wolf, the press secretary of Equality Florida, said that the organization has received an increasing number of inquiries about whether it is safe for LGBTQ travelers to go to Florida. “We felt it imperative that we answer the incoming inquiries honestly and completely,” he said.
In announcing LULAC’s advisory, the group’s president, Domingo Garcia, had warned that “DeSantis’ enforcement regulations will treat us like criminals, transporting a dangerous person who only wanted to visit
family or enjoy Disney World.”
And Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP said in an email in response to DeSantis’ comments: “As long as our contributions to this country and the powerful stories of our rich backgrounds, continued struggle and survival are denied, Black Americans need not pour our labor, time, or money into the state.”
The Sunshine State Juggernaut
Florida is a tourism juggernaut. In 2022, it had 137.6 million visitors, the most in its history, according to Visit Florida, the state tourism organization, and in May the governor’s office proudly shared that Florida welcomed 37.9 million people in the first three months of this year.
Orlando remains the most-visited city in the United States — 74 million people traveled there in 2022. According to Visit Florida, in 2021, visitors to the state contributed $101.9 billion to Florida’s economy and supported more than 1.7 million Florida jobs.
While many Floridians said that travel warnings from civil rights organizations have symbolic meaning, few said they were concerned that people would stop visiting the state altogether. Some people recalled the backlash over North Carolina’s 2016 “bathroom bill,” which kept transgender people from using bathrooms that aligned with their gender. The fallout over that bill was immediate and significant, leading to its repeal.
Nicolas Graf, associate dean at New York University’s School of Professional Studies’ Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, said a state’s policies might keep those who are politically active from visiting a destination, but “the notion that travelers — business or leisure travelers — will really change their behavior due to politics, I think that’s a minority of people.”
The advisories come after years of work by tourism officials across the state to expand its visitor base. In 2021, for example, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that it had changed its name to Visit Lauderdale and it had a new flashy tagline: “Everyone Under the Sun.”
Visit Lauderdale was just one of several tourism boards in the state that, in the past decade, have recognized that international, Black, Latino and LGBTQ travelers have the discretionary income to spend on vacations and real estate and that it would be smart to appeal to them.
But these days, tourism boards, destination marketing organizations and travel businesses around the state are trying to figure out how to keep appealing to a diverse range of travelers.
Many of them prefer not to address the controversy directly. Florida’s tourism marketing organizations are funded through a bed tax — when a traveler checks into a hotel or resort, a percentage of what they pay for their stay goes to fund the work done by visitors’ and tourism organizations. That tax is controlled by state statute. Leaders of three destination marketing organizations, all asking to speak anonymously, said that while they do not support the recently enacted laws they are worried that criticizing DeSantis publicly could lead to retaliation by the Legislature, which could cut back or eliminate funding for their organizations.
Jen Cousins, the co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project and a mother of four who is part of a federal suit challenging the sex education bill, said she believes that players in the travel industry, including cruises, airlines, destination marketing organizations and others, should speak up against the recent legislation. She also noted that in meetings with the education secretary, Miguel Cardona; the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Adm. Rachel Levine; and the secretary of health and human services, Xavier Becerra, she and other activists were told they had the support in Washington, but, she said, “no one has stepped in.” The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Ritter, the president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, was willing to go on the record.
“Do I think the impact will be felt immediately? No, I don’t,” she said.
But, she said, she’s already seeing business and corporate travelers, who make up a significant part of the travel industry, look elsewhere. In the week after the civil rights organizations issued their warnings, seven large conferences and conventions walked back their plans to be in Fort Lauderdale, she said. Many event organizers, Ritter said, are looking ahead to events happening three to five years from now and far fewer are considering Florida. Her organization isn’t even bidding for certain events because they feel like a lost cause.
“And that’s directly related to state policies,” she said.
Anew shortage of a type of penicillin crucial to the fight against syphilis is alarming infectious disease experts, who warn that a protracted scarcity of the drug could worsen the U.S. epidemic of the sexually transmitted infection.
The shortage, announced by the drugmaker Pfizer in a letter last month, involves Bicillin L-A, a long-acting injectable antibiotic also known as penicillin G benzathine. The company cited significant increases in demand because of the rising rate of syphilis infections, as well as Bicillin’s recent use as an alternative to amoxicillin, another antibiotic that has periodically been scarce and is prescribed for more general infections like strep throat.
Steven Danehy, a spokesperson for Pfizer, said it would likely take about a year for the company to ramp up production by 50% at its plant in Rochester, Michigan, and ultimately manufacture enough Bicillin to meet demand and shore up reserves.
Syphilis has been on the rise in the United States since 2000, reaching 176,713 cases in 2021, which was an increase of nearly 75% since 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Congenital syphilis tripled during that four-year period, to 2,855 cases, including 220 stillbirths or infant deaths. Rates are highest among the infants of Native American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Black mothers.
Bicillin is the only recommended treatment for pregnant women who are infected and is very effective at preventing transmission to the fetus if provided early enough. Congenital syphilis has a high fatality rate and can otherwise cause preterm birth and severe birth defects.
Among adult syphilis cases, nearly one-fourth are in women; just under one-third are in men who have sex only with men; and about one-fifth are in men who only have sex with women.
The infection can cause sores and a rash and, if left untreated, can seriously damage the internal organs, nervous system, eyes and ears, and can be fatal.
Pfizer also warned that its supply of a rarely used pediatric version of Bicillin would soon run out because the company had begun using that drug’s production line to increase the adult formula. Doctors turned to it in the last year in lieu of amoxicillin during an increase in the number of strep throat cases.
Bicillin is also used to manage rheumatic heart disease and rheumatic fever, which are particular health risks, albeit uncommon, for children. Multiple antibiotic alternatives are available for these conditions, according to Dr. Meg Doherty, director of global HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections programs at the World Health Organization.
To ward off bacterial infections, military recruits receive Bicillin during boot camp, where the drug is known as the “peanut butter shot” because of its color and consistency. According to Dr. Ryan C. Maves, a professor of infectious diseases at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, recruits otherwise face a high risk of invasive streptococcal infection.
Alternatives to Bicillin for pregnant women are under
development and review but are years away from becoming available to them, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an infectious disease expert at the University of Southern California. He urged the Biden administration to pay Pfizer for some 500,000 doses to encourage production.
The Bicillin shortfall is but one element of a widespread drug shortage crisis that has left doctors and pharmacists scrambling for vital therapeutic staples and forced them to ration treatments like chemotherapy. A recent Senate report also characterized the supply problems as a threat to national security.
Most drug companies have not been particularly keen on developing antibiotics, in part because the profit margin for this class of drugs is typically far lower than the next blockbuster drug that could be worth billions of dollars.
A bipartisan group in Congress recently reintroduced the $6 billion Pasteur Act, a Netflix-like subscription model that would act as a financial incentive for research and development by pharmaceutical companies. While the legislation could address drug shortages, its main goal is to combat the global threat of drug-resistant pathogens.
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, a trade association for public health associations, said rates of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea are all surging “in part due to a public health landscape that is stretched dangerously thin, resulting in a lack of STI prevention, testing and treatment.”
He and others criticized Pfizer for inadequate production of the drug, given the decadeslong rising trajectory of syphilis infections. But Pfizer’s spokesperson, Danehy, said
the company had invested $38 million in its Michigan plant to improve manufacturing after a previous shortage of Bicillin in 2017.
Harvey also denounced the Biden administration for agreeing in the debt ceiling deal to slash $400 million from the CDC’s budget for STI prevention.
To stretch the Bicillin supply, the CDC recommends that doctors give preference to pregnant patients and infected or exposed infants. Other patients should instead be prescribed doxycycline for two to four weeks, depending on the disease stage. But experts expressed worry that such individuals, including the partners of pregnant women, might have trouble sticking to the twice-daily pill regimen, potentially compromising its effectiveness.
Eric Tichy, division chair of supply chain management at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said Pfizer likely stands alone in producing Bicillin for the U.S. market because of the considerable complexity and expense of manufacturing the drug.
But other experts objected to Pfizer’s pricing practices. “Here’s a prime example of why leaving public health to the free market can be disastrous,” Tim Horn, director of medication access at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, an advocacy group, said in an email.
“Since 2013, the price of Bicillin L-A has increased an astonishing 275%,” Horn said.
Danehy said the list price for a 4-milliliter Bicillin L-A syringe is $470 and that the company adjusted prices to ensure proper, quality supply.
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A: RAUL RAMOS SILVA POR SI; INEABELL PAGAN RIVERA, POR
SI: Y AL PUBLICO EN GENERAL:
El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior, Centro Judicial de Bayamón, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hago saber a la parte demandada, y al PUBLICO EN GENERAL: y a todos los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante, o de los acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, siempre que surjan de la certificación registral, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando entonces subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el día 12 de marzo de 2020 por la Secretaria del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor la propiedad que se describe a continuación: Dirección Física: Lote 5-E 830 KM 2 4 GOVEO
BAYAMON, PR 00957: RÚS-
TICA: LOTE CINCO “E” (5-E): Predio de terreno radicado en el Barrio Cerro Gordo del término municipal de Bayamón, con una cabida superficial de novecientos ocho punto cuatro mil seiscientos sesenta y cinco (908.4665) metros cuadrados, equivalentes a cero punto dos tres uno uno (0.2311) cuerdas. En lindes por el NORTE, con Lote cuatro “D” (4-D) a segregarse, en una distancia de
veintiocho punto quince (28.15) metros; por el SUR, con camino dedicado a uso público, en dos
(2) alineaciones de veinticuatro punto cinco (24.5) metros y dos punto ochenta y dos (2.82) metros; por el ESTE, con camino a dedicarse a uso público, en dos
(2) alineaciones de veintiocho punto setenta y dos (28.72) metros y dos punto ochenta y dos (2.82) metros; y por el OESTE, con solar siete (7) segregado mediante el caso dos mil uno guion quince guion mil doscientos sesenta y nueve “DP” (2001-15-1269-DP), en una distancia de treinta y dos punto treinta y nueve (32.39) metros.
Consta inscrita al folio 12 del tomo 1859 de Bayamón Sur, finca numero 76,382; Registro de la Propiedad Sección Primera de Bayamón. El producto de la subasta se destinará a satisfacer al demandante hasta donde alcance, la SENTENCIA dictada a su favor, ascendente a la suma de $272,974.38, por concepto del préstamo hipotecario objeto del presente procedimiento, con intereses al 4.01743% anual, desde el 1 de octubre de 2013; cargos por demoras mensuales, las cantidades adeudadas de contribuciones e impuestos, primas de seguro contra riesgos y seguro de hipoteca, hasta su completo pago, más la cantidad de $27,465.70 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados, disponiéndose que si quedare algún remanente luego de pagarse las sumas antes mencionadas el mismo deberá ser depositado en la Secretaría del Tribunal para ser entregado a la parte interesada previa solicitud y orden del Tribunal. La venta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca. La adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el acto mismo de la adjudicación, en efectivo (moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América), giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del alguacil del Tribunal. LA PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a efecto el 2 DE AGOS-
TO DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina del referido Alguacil, localizada en el Centro Judicial de Bayamón, Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Que el precio mínimo fijado para la PRIMERA SUBASTA es de $274,656.95. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una SEGUNDA SUBASTA, la misma se llevará a efecto el día el 9 DE
AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 11:00
DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo
para la SEGUNDA SUBASTA será de $183,104.63 equivalentes a dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una TERCERA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día el 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la TERCERA SUBASTA será de $137,328.48, equivalentes a la mitad (1/2) del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente; se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor, todo ello a tenor con lo dispone el Articulo 104 de la Ley Núm. 210 del 8 de diciembre de 2015 conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquiere libre de toda carga y gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca según el Artículo 102, inciso 6. Una vez confirmada la venta judicial por el Honorable Tribunal, se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura de venta judicial y se pondrá al comprador en posesión física del inmueble de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda aquella persona o personas que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas, con un intervalo de por lo menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se
entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate.
EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de junio de 2023.
EDGARDO ELÍAS VARGAS
SANTANA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR PLACA #193, DIVISIÓN DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN
BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Demandante V. ÁNGEL BÁEZ FRANCO, SU ESPOSA NYRIA
MARIE DÍAZ FERRER
T/C/C NYRIA M. DÍAZ FERRER Y SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR
AMBOS
Demandados
Civil Núm.: BY2022CV01833.
Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. AVISO DE SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hago saber, a la parte demandada y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL: Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia notificado el día 12 de junio de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor la propiedad que ubica y se describe a continuación: RÚSTICA: Parcela de terreno con una cabida de novecientos cuarentisiete metros cuadrados con doce centésimas de otro, y en lindes por el NORTE, en curva y una distancia de trientinueve metros seiscientos cincuentinueve milésimas de otro, con la carretera número ochocientos once y la parcela A dedicada a uso público para la ampliación de dicha carretera; por el SUR, en veintinueve metros seiscientos setenticuatro con terrenos pertenecientes a La Iglesia Católica, y en dieciséis metros con doscientos cuarenta y cinco milésimas de otro con terre-
nos dedicadas a uso públicos y designados parcela B, para la exposición del camino municipal; por el ESTE, en catorce metros quinientos ochentiocho milésimas de otro con el solar número dos, y en diecinueve metros con terrenos pertenecientes a la Iglesia Católica; y por el OESTE, en cuarentitres ciento sesentidos milésimas de otro, con el solar número cuatro. Inscrita en la finca número 5,658, al folio 174 del tomo 81 de Naranjito. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección de Barranquitas. La propiedad ubica en: 811 RD KM
1.2 Barrio Cerro Abajo, Naranjito, Puerto Rico 00719. Además, el Alguacil que suscribe, hago saber a todos los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante, o de los acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, siempre que surjan de la certificación registral, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando entonces subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante: Aviso de Demanda de fecha 11 de abril de 2022, expedido en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Centro Judicial de Bayamón, Sala Superior de Bayamón, en el caso civil número BY2022CV01833, sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca, seguido por Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, contra Angel Báez Franco, y su esposa Nyria Marie Díaz Ferrer también conocida como Nyria M. Díaz Ferrer, por la suma de $7,753.85, anotado el día 23 de junio de 2022, al tomo Karibe de Naranjito, finca número 5,658 Bis, anotación A. El producto de la subasta se destinará a satisfacer al demandante hasta donde alcance, la SENTENCIA dictada a su favor el día 28 de abril de 2023, archivada en autos y notificada el 1 de mayo de 2023, este Honorable Tribunal dictó Sentencia en contra de la parte demandada, de la que surge que se ha incumplido con las cláusulas dela escritura de hipoteca por haberse dejado de pagar las mensualidades vencidas al 11 de abril de 2022, adeudándosele a la parte demandante la totalidad de la deu-
da ascendente a: $14,814.14 (“Sentencia”). La adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el acto mismo de la adjudicación, en efectivo (moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América), giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del alguacil del Tribunal. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a efecto el día 22 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el cuarto piso, Oficina de Alguaciles de Subastas de Centro Judicial de Bayamón, Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Que el precio mínimo fijado para la PRIMERA SUBASTA es de $14,250.00. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una SEGUNDA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 29 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la SEGUNDA SUBASTA será de $9,500.00, equivalentes a dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una TERCERA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 5 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la TERCERA SUBASTA será de $7,125.00, equivalentes a la mitad (1/2) del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente; se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor, todo ello a tenor con lo dispone el Articulo 104 de la Ley Núm. 210 del 8 de diciembre de 2015 conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquiere libre de toda carga y gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca según el Artículo 102, inciso 6. Una vez confirmada la venta judicial por el Honorable Tribunal, se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura de venta judicial y se pondrá al comprador en posesión física del inmueble de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda aquella persona o personas que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento
de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas, con un intervalo de por lo menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 20 de junio de 2023.
EDGARDO ELÍAS VARGAS
SANTANA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR PLACA #193, DIVISIÓN DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR ORIENTAL BANK COMO AGENTE DE SERVICIO DE THE MONEY HOUSE, INC.
Demandante Vs. VICTOR IVAN TORRES
ALVAREZ LA SUCESION DE RUBEN SANCHEZ FIGUEROA COMPUESTA POR FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE LA SUCESION; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM); ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA
Demandados
Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV00457.
Sala: 508. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA “IN REM” (VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente CERTIFICA, ANUNCIA y hace CONSTAR: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de
Sentencia que le ha sido dirigido al Alguacil que suscribe por la Secretaría del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN, SALA SUPERIOR, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América el 01 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 9:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en su oficina sita en el local que ocupa en el edificio del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN, SALA SUPERIOR, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble de su propiedad que ubica en: #803 CALLE CERES, URB. DOS PINOS, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00923 y que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar número ciento treinta y nueve de la Urbanización Dos Pinos, radicada en el Barrio Sabana Llana de Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, compuesto de quinientos metros cuadrados con quince centímetros, en lindes: por el NORTE, con el solar ciento treinta y ocho, distancia de treinta metros; por el SUR, con el solar ciento cuarenta, distancia de treinta metros con catorce centímetros; por el ESTE, con parte del solar ciento treinta y uno y parte del solar ciento treinta y dos, distancia de dieciséis metros con sesenta y siete centímetros; y por el OESTE, con la calle tres antes, hoy Calle Ceres, distancia de dieciséis metros con sesenta y siete centímetros. Sobre dicho solar enclava una casa para fines residenciales. La propiedad antes relacionada consta inscrita al Folio 190 del Tomo 117 de Sabana Llana, finca número 5,039 (antes 12,829), en el Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección Quinta. El tipo mínimo para la primera subasta del inmueble antes relacionado, será el dispuesto en la Escritura de Hipoteca, es decir la suma de $203,054.00. Si no hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta del inmueble mencionado, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el día 8 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 9:00 DE LA MAÑANA. En la segunda subasta que se celebre servirá de tipo mínimo las dos terceras partes (2/3) del precio pactado en la primera subasta, o sea la suma de $135,369.33. Si tampoco hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el 15
hoy día 21 de junio de 2023.
GRETCHEN M. JEREZ SEDA, ALGUACIL DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA, SALA SUPERIOR.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-
NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE HUMACAO
FIRSTBANK
PUERTO RICO
Demandante V.
ANGEL LUIS MENDOZA
SANTANA T/C/C ANGEL
L. MENDOZA SANTANA
T/C/C ANGEL MENDOZA
SANTANA, ERMELINDA
RIVERA RIVERA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR
AMBOS; JONALICE
MENDOZA RIVERA; JOE
SANTANA MALDONADO
Demandados
Civil Núm.: HSCI201601016. (205). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.
A: PUBLICO EN GENERAL.
El Alguacil del Tribunal que suscribe anuncia y hace constar: A. Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento que me ha sido dirigido por la Secretaria del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Puerto Rico, Sala de Humacao, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor de contado y en moneda de curso legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América y cuyo pago se efectuará en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, todo derecho, título o interés que tenga la Parte Demandada en el bien inmueble que se describe a continuación:
RÚSTICA: Predio de terreno situado en el Barrio Peña Pobre del término municipal de Naguabo, Puerto Rico, compuesto de 0.70 cuerdas, equivalentes a 2,786.20 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, con Juan Cotto antes, hoy Teodoro Benítez; por el SUR, con la carretera que conduce de Naguabo a Juncos o sea con la carretera número 31 y con la franja de terreno dedicada a uso público; por el ESTE, con Fermín Rosario antes, hoy Sucesión de Avelino Viera y por el OESTE, con el solar número 1 previamente segregado y con la franja de terreno dedicada
a uso público. Enclavan dos casas de concreto armado y bloques. Inscrita al folio 275 del tomo 118 de Naguabo, Finca # 6,691-A del Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección de Humacao. Dirección Física: Carr. 31 KM. 12.6 Barrio Peña Pobre, Naguabo, PR. 00718. B. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado están de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante las horas laborables bajo el epígrafe de este caso. C. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito ejecutante, continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. D. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para satisfacer a la parte demandante el importe de la sentencia que ha obtenido ascendente a la suma principal de $76,354.75, la suma de $3,258.59, que incluye intereses según pactados, cargos por demora y otros cargos, que se acumulan diariamente hasta su total y completo pago, más la suma de 10% del principal, por concepto de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se celebrará el día 24 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 9:00 DE LA MAÑANA en la Oficina del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Humacao, por el tipo mínimo de $83,640.00. De declararse desierta dicha subasta se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 31 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 9:00 DE LA MAÑANA en el mismo lugar antes mencionado. El precio para la segunda subasta lo será 2/3 partes del precio mínimo de la primera, o sea, $55,760.00. De declararse desierta dicha segunda subasta, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 7 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023 A LAS 9:00 DE LA MAÑANA en el mismo lugar antes mencionado. El precio para la tercera subasta lo será 1/2 del precio mínimo de la primera, o sea, $41,820.00. Y PARA QUE ASÍ CONSTE, y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general y por un término de catorce (14) días en los sitios públicos conforme a la ley, expido la presente bajo mi firma y sello de este tribunal, hoy 27 de junio de 2023 en Humacao, Puerto Rico. JOSÉ L. RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ, ALGUACIL REGIONAL INTERINO. SONIA GUASP ROSA, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR #653. ***
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA DE SALINAS ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC
Demandante Vs. EDWIN PEREZ TORRES
Demandado
CIVIL NÚM.: SA2022CV00354
SALÓN:____ SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.
A: EDWIN PEREZ TORRESURB EXT. CARMEN, E8 CALLE ANTONIO LEDEE RIVERA, SALINAS, PR 00751.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr. salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, la Lcda. Natalie Bonaparte cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com, edwin.serrano@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EX-
TENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, en Salinas, Puerto Rico, hoy día 8 de mayo de 2023. En Salinas, Puerto Rico, el 8 de mayo de 2023. Marisol Rosado Rodríguez, Secretaria. Santa Meléndez Rivera, Secretaria Auxiliar.
SERVICES, LLC, COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC
Demandante Vs. ORLANDO DIAZ MORALES
Demandado
CIVIL NÚM.: TJ2022CV00533
SALÓN: 406 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. SS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.
A: ORLANDO DIAZ MORALESCARR. 181, KM 0.9, BO DOS BOCAS, TRUJILLO ALTO, PR 00976. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr. salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, la Lcda. Natalie Bonaparte cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com, edwin.serrano@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com.
EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, en Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy día 12 de mayo de 2023. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 12 de mayo de 2023. Lcda. Kanelly M. Zayas Robles, Secretaria. Maricruz Aponte Alicea, Secretaria Auxiliar.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE COMERÍO BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Demandante V. LA SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL COSME COSME
RIVERA GÓMEZ COMPUESTA POR CARMEN MARÍA COSME RIVERA Y RAMONA COSME RIVERA; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA; DEPARTAMENTO DE JUSTICIA
Demandado
Civil Núm.: CR2023CV00073. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S.
A: CARMEN MARÍA COSME RIVERA Y RAMONA COSME RIVERA.
Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Se le apercibe que de no contestar la demanda dentro del término aquí estipulado, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia sin más citarle ni oírle. Por la presente el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, conforme al caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 D.P.R. 689 (2005), le ordena que en el término de treinta (30) días, haga declaración aceptando o repudiando la herencia de la SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL COSME COSME Y LA SUCESIÓN DE JUANA RIVERA GÓMEZ. Se le apercibe que de no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar la herencia dentro del término que se le fijó, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. Los abogados de la parte demandante son: Lcdo. Guillermo A. Somoza Colombani, P.O. Box 366603, San Juan, PR 009366603. Tel. (787) 919-0073, Fax (787) 641-5016. Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 28 de junio de 2023. ELIZABETH GONZÁLEZ RIVERA, SECRETARIA GENERAL. CARMEN A. TORRES TORRES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE TOA ALTA BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Demandante V. JOSÉ PAULINO; LA SUCESION DE MARGARITA NEGRÓN MARRERO COMPUESTA
POR FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANO DE TAL HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y JOSÉ LUIS HORNEDO MONTAÑEZ POR SI Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL USUFRUCTUARIA; DEPARTAMENTO DE HACIENDA; DEPARTAMENTO DE JUSTICIA
Demandados
CIVIL NÚM. TA2023CV00173
SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA
POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. S.S.
A: FULANO DE TAL, POSIBLE HEREDERO DESCONOCIDO DE LA SUCESION DE MARGARITA NEGRÓN MARRERO; MENGANO DE TAL, POSIBLE HEREDERO DESCONOCIDO DE LA SUCESION DE MARGARITA NEGRÓN MARRERO Y JOSÉ LUIS HORNEDO MONTAÑEZ POR SI Y EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL USUFRUCTUARIA
Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Se le apercibe que de no contestar la demanda dentro del término aquí estipulado, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia sin más citarle ni oírle.
Por la presente el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, conforme al caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 D.P.R. 689 (2005), le ordena que en el término de treinta (30) días, haga declaración aceptando o
repudiando la herencia de la SUCESIÓN DE MARGARITA NEGRÓN MARRERO. Se le apercibe que de no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar la herencia dentro del término que se le fijó, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. Los abogados de la parte demandante son: Lcdo. Guillermo A. Somoza Colombani, P.O. Box 366603, San Juan, PR 009366603. Tel. (787) 919-0073, Fax (787) 641-5016. Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 27 de junio de 2023. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria General. Martha E. Rosario Rosa, Secretaria Auxiliar.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO ORIENTAL BANK
Demandante V. WILSON ACEVEDO RIVERA, POR SÍ Y COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SUCESIÓN DE MADELYN ROSADO RODRÍGUEZ;
JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE COMO MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE MADELYN ROSADO RODRÍGUEZ
Demandados
Civil Núm.: HU2022CV00510. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Humacao, hago saber a la parte demandada WILSON ACEVEDO RIVERA, por sí y como miembro de la Sucesión de Madelyn Rosado Rodríguez, JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE como miembros desconocidos de la Sucesión de Madelyn Rosado Rodríguez y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL; que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 6 de marzo de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta por el precio mínimo de $89,250.00 y al mejor postor, pagadero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o giro postal, a nombre del alguacil del tribunal, la propiedad que se describe a continuación: PEÑA POBRE COMMUNITY, E STREET, LOT #334, NAGUABO, PR 00718, y que se describe de la siguiente manera:
RUSTICA: Solar marcado con el #334 en el plano de parcelación de la Comunidad Rural Peña Pobre del barrio Peña Pobre del término municipal de
Naguabo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 0.0890 cuerda, equivalente a 350.01 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el Norte, con la parcela #335 de la comunidad; por el Sur, con la parcela #333 de la comunidad; por el Este, con la calle E de la comunidad y por el Oeste, con la parcela #337 de la comunidad. Finca 7852 inscrita al folio 40 del tomo 139 de Naguabo, Registro de la Propiedad de Humacao. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) Hipoteca constituida por Wilson Acevedo Rivera y su esposa Madelyn Rosado Rodríguez en garantía de un pagaré, aff#.2843, a favor de Oriental Bank & Trust , o a su orden, por $89,250.00 al 3.50%, vencedero el 1 de septiembre de 2042, según Esc. #215 en Las Piedras a 14 de agosto del 2012 ante Susana I. Valtueña, inscrita al Sistema Karibe de Naguabo, finca #7852 inscripción 9na. y última, Registro de la Propiedad de Humacao. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (i). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma satisfacer la sentencia dicta el 4 de octubre de 2022, mediante la cual se condenó a la parte demandada pagar a la parte demandante la suma de $71,064.35 de principal, más $1,030.69 de interés al .50% anual, al 1 de abril de 2022, que continuarán acumulándose a razón de $6.8144 diario hasta el saldo total, $292.21 de otros cargos, $8,925.00 de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, más cualquier otro desembolso que haya efectuado o efectúe la parte demandante durante la tramitación de este caso para otros adelantos de conformidad con el Contrato Hipotecario, incluyendo primas de seguro de hipoteca, prima de seguro de siniestro y cargos por demora. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 1 DE AGOSTO DEL 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina del Alguacil, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Humacao, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma la cantidad de $89,250.00, sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 8 DE AGOSTO DEL 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la que servirá como tipo mínimo, dos terceras (2/3) partes del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $59,500.00. Si no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el día 15 DE AGOSTO DEL 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar en la que regirá como tipo mínimo, la mitad del
precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $44,625.00.
El Alguacil que suscribe hizo constar que toda licitación deberá hacerse para pagar su importe en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América, de acuerdo con la Ley y de acuerdo con lo anunciado en este Aviso de Subasta. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables. Se entiende que todo licitador que comparezca a la subasta señalada en este caso acepta como bastante la titulación que da base a la misma. Se entiende que cualquier carga y/o gravamen anterior y/o preferente, si la hubiere al crédito que da base a esta ejecución continuará subsistente, entendiéndose, además, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción cualquier parte del remanente del precio de licitación. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Vendida o adjudicada la finca o derecho hipotecado y consignado el precio correspondiente, en esa misma fecha o fecha posterior, el alguacil que celebró la subasta procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura pública de traspaso en representación del dueño o titular de los bienes hipotecados, ante el notario que elija el adjudicatario o comprador, quien deberá abonar el importe de tal escritura. El alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial al nuevo dueño, si así se lo solicita dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la confirmación de la venta o adjudicación. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del deudor la ocu-
pen. Y PARA CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS LICITADORES Y DEL PUBLICO EN GENERAL y para su publicación de acuerdo con la Ley, expido el presente Edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal. En Humacao, Puerto Rico, hoy 27 de abril de 2023.
JOSÉ LUIS RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ, ALGUACIL REGIONAL INTERINO, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE HUMACAO. WILNELIA RIVERA DELGADO, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR #249.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO SALA SUPERIOR. BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
DEMANDANTE VS. LA SUCESION DE SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ PAGAN COMPUESTA
POR IRIS GONZALEZ CUPEREZ; MAYRA
RODRIGUEZ MONTES, NYDIA RODRIGUEZ MONTES, SAMUEL
RODRIGUEZ MONTES, DESIRE RODRIGUEZ MONTES, LEONARDO
SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ ANDINO; FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL COMO
POSIBLES HEREDEROS
DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)
DEMANDADOS
CIVIL NUM.: FA2022CV00915.
SALA: 307. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA (VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente CERTIFICA, ANUNCIA y hace CONSTAR: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que le ha sido dirigido al Alguacil que suscribe por la Secretaría del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO, SALA SUPERIOR, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, giro postal, o cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados
Unidos de América a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal el 9 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 3:00 DE LA TARDE, en su oficina sita en el local que ocupa en el edificio del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO, SALA SUPERIOR, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble de su propiedad que ubica en: CONDOMINIO
HILLSIDE VILLAGE, EDIFICIO OLAS, APT. D-302, RIO GRANDE, PR 00745 y que se describe a continuación: URBANA:
Propiedad Horizontal: Unidad Residencial con el número 302 del Bloque (“Cluster”) D del Edificio Olas del Régimen de Propiedad Horizontal conocido como Condominio Hillside Village, sito en el Barrio Mameyes del término municipal de Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Consta de una planta con un área aproximada de construcción de mil cuatrocientos cuatro (1404) pies cuadrados, equivalente a ciento treinta metros cuadrados con cuarenta y tres centímetros (130.43). Colinda por el NORTE, con áreas comunes; por el SUR, con áreas comunes; por el ESTE, con apartamento número D-301; por el OESTE, con apartamento número E-301. Esta unidad es el modelo típico. Su entrada es al lado Sur en el tercer piso del edificio a través de un portal techado que da a un pasillo de entrada que conecta al área de sala-comedor en el lado Este, que a su vez da a un balcón en el lado Norte. La cocina se encuentra en el lado Este. Consta de tres (3) dormitorios con closet, uno de ellos “master” con baño, un área para “laundry, dos closets y un baño en el pasillo que conecta los dormitorios. Tiene asignado los estacionamientos número 146 y 147. Tiene una participación de cuatro mil ochocientos noventa y dos diez milésimas de un porciento (0.4892%) en los elementos comunes y limitados. La propiedad antes relacionada consta inscrita al Folio 144 del Tomo 481 de Rio Grande, Finca número 25,970, en el Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, Sección Tercera. El tipo mínimo para la primera subasta del inmueble antes relacionado, será el dispuesto en la Escritura de Hipoteca, es decir la suma de $208,000.00. Si no hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta del inmueble mencionado, se celebrará una segunda subasta en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el día 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 3:00 DE LA TARDE. En la segunda subasta que se celebre servirá de tipo mínimo las dos terceras partes (2/3) del precio pactado en la primera subasta, o sea la suma de $138,666.67. Si tampoco hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta se celebrará una tercera subasta en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el día 23 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 3:00 DE LA TARDE. Para la tercera subasta servirá de tipo mínimo la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado para el caso de ejecución, o sea, la suma de $104,000.00. La hipoteca a ejecutarse en el caso de epígrafe fue constituida mediante la Escritura de
hipoteca número 80 otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 20 de abril de 2011, ante el Notario José E. Franco Goméz y consta inscrita al Folio 6 del Tomo 483 de Río Grande, finca número 25,970, inscripción 3ra, Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, Sección Tercera. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer al Demandante total o parcialmente según sea el caso el importe de la Sentencia que ha obtenido ascendente a la suma de $202,732.93 por concepto de principal, desde el 1ro de mayo de 2013, más intereses al tipo pactado de 5.75% anual que continúan acumulándose hasta el pago total de la obligación. Además, la parte co-demandada, La Sucesión de Samuel Rodríguez Pagán, adeuda a la parte demandante los cargos por demora equivalentes a 5.00% de la suma de aquellos pagos con atrasos en exceso de 15 días calendarios de la fecha de vencimiento; los créditos accesorios y adelantos hechos en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca; y las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado equivalentes a $20,800.00. Además, la parte co-demandada, La Sucesión de Samuel Rodríguez Pagán se comprometió a pagar una suma equivalente a $20,800.00 para cubrir cualquier otro adelanto que se haga en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca y una suma equivalente a $20,800.00 para cubrir intereses en adición a los garantizados por ley. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al Procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO, SALA SUPERIOR durante las horas laborables. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titulación del inmueble y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio de remate. La propiedad no está sujeta a gravámenes anteriores y/o preferentes según surge de las constancias del Registro de la Propiedad en un estudio de título efectuado a la finca antes descrita. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores desconocidos, no inscritos o presentados que sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargos o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca del actor y a los dueños, poseedores, tenedores de o interesados en
títulos transmisibles por endoso o al portador garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito del actor que se celebrarán las subastas en las fechas, horas y sitios señalados para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les conviniere o se les invita a satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, otros cargos y las costas y honorarios de abogado asegurados quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. La propiedad objeto de ejecución y descrita anteriormente se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores una vez el Honorable Tribunal expida la correspondiente Orden de Confirmación de Venta Judicial.
Y para conocimiento de licitadores del público en general se publicará este Edicto de acuerdo con la ley por espacio de dos semanas en tres sitios públicos del municipio en que ha de celebrarse la venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Este Edicto será publicado dos veces en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas. Expido el presente Edicto de subasta bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 5 de julio de 2023.Mildred I Toro Colon, Alguacil Auxiliar. Jorge A Ortiz Estrada, Alguacil Regional Interino #622.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE HUMACAO.
ELIEZER ORTIZ
SANTIAGO Y AIDA VIOLETA BURGOS
PERELES POR SI Y EN REPRESENTACION DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS.
PETICIONARIOS EX PARTE
CIVIL NUM: LP2020CV00228. SOBRE: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. CITACIÓN POR EDICTO.ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PR.
A: Cristino Pi ñero Hernández, Jesús Hernández, Juan De Jesús Velázquez, Santos Velázquez Lebrón y Rufino Medina, sus herederos, causahabientes o cesionarios, con paraderos y/o direcciones desconocidas; Santiago Velázquez Báez, con
última dirección conocida en 298 Lane School Road, West Virginia, 25976-000; Wilmington Savings, con última dirección conocida en 8023 East 63 Rd Plane. Suite 700, OK 74133 y Alineyris E. Sepúlveda Ramos, con paradero y dirección desconocidos y, asimismo, a todo el que tenga algún interés o derecho real sobre el inmueble descrito en la Petición de Dominio del caso de epígrafe, a las personas ignoradas, a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción, a los anteriores dueños, o sus herederos y, en general, a toda persona que desee oponerse. POR LA PRESENTE: se les notifica que los Peticionarios de epígrafe han presentado una Petición para que se declare a favor de ellos, el dominio que tienen sobre la siguiente propiedad: “RUSTICA: Parcela de terreno radicada en el Barrio Montones del término Municipal de Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, compuesta de DIEZ PUNTO VEINTISIETE CUERDAS (10.27 cdas.). En lindes por el NORTE, con Cristino Pi ñero Hernández y Santos Velézquez Lebrón; por el SUR, con Don Rufino Medina; por el ESTE, con Juan De Jesús Velázquez; y por el OESTE, con Jesús Hernández.”Enclava una estructura dedicada a vivienda.” Este Tribunal ordenó que se publique la pretensión por tres (3) veces durante el término de veinte (20) días en un periódico de circulación general diaria, para que todas las personas arriba mencionadas y todas aquellas desconocidas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción o deseen oponerse, puedan así hacerlo dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la última publicación del presente edicto. Por tanto firmo expido la presente en Humacao, Puerto Rico, a 29 de junio de 2023. Ivelisse C Fonseca Rodriguez, Sec Regional. Dalias Reyes de Leon, SubSecretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA DE MAYAGÜEZ.
CARMEN MARÍA
RODRÍGUEZ RODRÍGUEZ
R/P POR SU APODERADA
CARMEN CATALINA
NEGRÓN RODRÍGUEZ
DEMANDANTE Vs. MARTA QUIÑONES, DANIEL SALADO Y
CIVIL NÚM.: MZ2023CV00498. SOBRE: USUCAPIÓN EXTRAORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. SS.
CARR. 348 KM. 1.8 BUZÓN
POR LA PRESENTE: Se le notifica a usted. Sucesión de Marta Quiñones, que la parte demandante de epígrafe ha radicado en esta Secretaría una Demanda de Usucapión Extraordinaria que aquí se menciona. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la Demanda de Usucapión Extraordinaria 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), al cual puede acceder utilizado la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramaiudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del. Tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitando en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal en el ejcrcicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente.
LCDA LOURDES M ORTIZ PAGÁN
9,103 P.O. BOX593 CABO ROJO, PR 00623 Tel (787) 831-1984/Fax 833-5118 lourdesm_ortizpagan@hotmail.com
EXPEDIDO POR ORDEN DEL TRIBUNAL, en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico hoy 28 de junio de 2023. Lcda. Norma G Santana Irizarry, Sec Regional II. F/ Rebeca Medina Figueroa, Sec Auxiliar del Tribunal I.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMIERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN.
GERARDO R. MARZAN RODRIGUEZ, Demandante, V. GUILLERMO J. ALONSO, SU ESPOSA GLORIA C. CASTRO, LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS, Y ALEJANDRO ROSENFELD, Demandados
CIVIL NUM. SJ2023CV06188.
INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO DE ARRENDAMIENTO DE BIEN, INMUEBLE Y DA1IOS Y PERJUICIOS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. A: Guillermo J. Alonso, su esposa Gloria C. Castro, ambos por si y como miembros de Ia Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 309 White Rock Ct, Lexington, SC 290742 POR LA PRESENTE se le notifica que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal por la parte demandante una demanda sobre incumplimiento de contrato de arrendamiento, cuyos hechos se detallan en la misma, la cual puede ser examinada en la secretarIa de este Tribunal. REPRESENTA a el demandante èl bufete MARZAN, LLC (Lcdo. Angel R. Marzán Santiago) con dirección en Ave. Fernández Juncos #1420, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00909, teléfonos (787) 727-5710, fax (787) 268-1835, e-mail: angelmarzan@marzanllc.com. Se le advierte que este edicto se publicará en un periódico de circulación general una sola vez y que si no comparece en el término de treinta (30) días desde su publicación, el demandante podrá solicitar que se dicte sentencia en rebeldía, declarándose con lugar la demanda, sin más citarle ni oírie. EXPEDIDO, bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal, hoy 30 de junio de 2023. Griselda Rodriguez Collado, Secretaria. Michelle Rivera Rios, SubSecretaria.
Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de BAYAMON.
NELSON PÉREZ CLAUDIO Y LUZ SELENIA RUIZ RIVERA
Demandante v. JOHN DOE, SUCN. JUAN PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ Y JOSEFA ÁLVAREZ COMPUESTA POR ANTONIA PÉREZ ÁLVAREZ, NICOLASA PÉREZ ÁLVAREZ, CARMEN NERY PÉREZ ÁLVAREZ, AMAURY PÉREZ CLAUDIO, HERIBERTO PÉREZ CLAUDIO, MARÍA DEL CARMEN CRUZ PÉREZ, AITZA CRUZ PÉREZ, ZORAIDA PÉREZ, LETICIA PÉREZ MONZÓN, WINDY ENID PÉREZ, DORIS
Demandado(a)
Civil: DO2021CV00148. SALA
403. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO, DOMINIO CONTRADICTORIO USUCAPIÓN EXTRAORDINARIA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.
A: A: JOHN DOE, Sucn. Juan Pérez Rodríguez y Josefa Álvarez ,Fulano de Tal, Mengano de Tal y a las personas ignoradas o desconocidas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción solicitada en la demanda, o en su defecto, los organismos públicos afectados.
(Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)
EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 23 de junio de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 28 de junio de 2023 . En BAYAMON , Puerto Rico , el 28 de junio de 2023 . LCDA. LAURA
I. SANTA SANCHEZ, Secretaria. F/ KATHERINE SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ, Secretario(a) Auxiliar.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL
GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO ESTRELLA HOMES II LLC
Parte Demandante V. VÍCTOR
RIVERA DEL MORAL
Parte Demandada
Civil Núm.: HU2022CV00442.
Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA.
LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO
LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Humacao, hago saber a la parte demandada VÍCTOR RIVERA DEL MORAL, y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL; que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 22 de febrero de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta por el precio mínimo de $95,507.78 y al mejor postor, pagadero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o giro postal, a nombre del alguacil del tribunal, la propiedad que se describe a continuación: RD
901 KM 8.5 BO CAMINO NUEVO, YABUCOA, PR 00767, y que se describe de la siguiente manera: RÚSTICA: PARCELA DE TERRENO LOCALIZADA EN EL BARRIO CAMINO NUEVO DEL TÉRMINO MUNICIPAL DE YABUCOA, CON UNA CABIDA DE 1075.19 METROS CUADRADOS, EQUIVALEN-
TES A 0.274 CUERDAS. EN LINDES POR EL NORTE, CON PROPIEDAD DE VÍCTOR DEL MORAL; POR EL SUR, CON LA PARCELA A, ÁREA PARA USO PÚBLICO (PARCELA
B) Y TERRENOS DE LA SEÑORA JUSTINA RIVERA DEL MORAL; POR EL ESTE, CON LA PARCELA A Y EL CAMINO MUNICIPAL; Y POR EL OESTE, CON PROPIEDAD DE VÍCTOR DEL MORAL, ENCLAVA UNA CASA. Finca 11783-B inscrita al folio 265 del tomo 782 de Yabucoa, Registro de la Propiedad de Humacao. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) Hipoteca constituida en garantía de un pagaré, a favor de Metro Island Mortgage Inc., o a su orden, por $95,507.78 al 5.375%, vencedero el 1 de julio del 2035, según Esc. #177 en San Juan a 30 de junio del 2005 ante Jorge Laborde Corretjer, inscrita al folio 778 del tomo 292 de Yabucoa, finca #117838, inscripción 10ma, Registro de la Propiedad de Humacao. (ii)
DOCUMENTO PENDIENTE:
Al asiento 2022-080599-HU01, el 17 de junio del 2022 se presentó Demanda radicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Humacao, en el Caso Civil#HU2022CV00442, sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca, seguido por Luna Residential II, LLC demandante vs Víctor Rivera Del Moral demandado, por $67,403.63. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (i). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma satisfacer la sentencia dicta el 11 de octubre de 2022, por la suma de $78,735.73, de los cuales el balance principal es $67,403.63
más intereses acumulados por el principal adeudado al interés anual de 5.37500% desde 01 de enero de 2020. Dicho interés continuará acumulándose hasta el saldo total de la deuda o su reinstalación. Adicionalmente, la parte demandada adeuda recargos por la suma de $454.58 por cada una de las mensualidades realizadas luego del día quince de la fecha de vencimiento de dicha mensualidad. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 1 DE
AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina del Alguacil, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Humacao, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma la cantidad de $95,507.78, sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 8 DE AGOSTO DEL 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la que servirá como tipo mínimo, dos terceras (2/3) partes del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $63,671.85. Si no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el día 15 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar en la que regirá como tipo mínimo, la mitad del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $47,753.89. El Alguacil que suscribe hizo constar que toda licitación deberá hacerse para pagar su importe en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América, de acuerdo con la Ley y de acuerdo con lo anunciado en este Aviso de Subasta. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables. Se entiende que todo licitador que comparezca a la subasta señalada en este caso acepta como bastante la titulación que da base a la misma. Se entiende que cualquier carga y/o gravamen anterior y/o preferente, si la hubiere al crédito que da base a esta ejecución continuará subsistente, entendiéndose, además, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción cualquier parte del remanente del precio de licitación. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho
a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Vendida o adjudicada la finca o derecho hipotecado y consignado el precio correspondiente, en esa misma fecha o fecha posterior, el alguacil que celebró la subasta procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura pública de traspaso en representación del dueño o titular de los bienes hipotecados, ante el notario que elija el adjudicatario o comprador, quien deberá abonar el importe de tal escritura. El alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial al nuevo dueño, si así se lo solicita dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la confirmación de la venta o adjudicación. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del deudor la ocupen. Y PARA CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS LICITADORES Y DEL PUBLICO EN GENERAL y para su publicación de acuerdo con la Ley, expido el presente Edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal. En Humacao, Puerto Rico, hoy 27 de abril de 2023.
JOSÉ LUIS RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ, ALGUACIL REGIONAL INTERINO, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE HUMACAO. WILNELIA RIVERA DELGADO, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR #249.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA lNSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN GERMAN.
LlLlBETH PABON ORTIZ DEMANDANTE v.
LUIS ANGEL
SANTANA RUIZ
DEMANDADO
Civil Núm.: SG2023RF00025.
Sobre: DIVORCIO, RUPTURA IRREPARABLE. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.
A: LUIS ANGEL
SANTANA RUIZ
POR LA PRESENTE, se le emplaza para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la Demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplaza-
miento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento 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, de no tener representación legal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente.
Lcda. Caren A. Ruiz Pérez RUA Número 19,900 # 160 Ave. Universidad Interamericana
San Germán, PR 00683
Tel-Fax: 787-264-4444
Email: ruizcaren@yahoo.com
Expedido bajo mi firma y el Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 22 de junio de 2023. LCDA. N0RMA G. SANTANA IRIZARRY, Secretario(a). Militza Lorenzo Vega, SubSecretaria.
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO ESTADO
LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE ARECIBO SALA SUPERIOR DE MANATÍ BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Demandante Vs. LUIS ENRIQUE
SANTIAGO ABRAHAM, ANA CELIA ABRAHAM LOPEZ
Demandados
Civil Núm.: AR2019CV02071. (Sala 102). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA.
AL: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.
A: LUIS ENRIQUE
SANTIAGO ABRAHAM, ANA CELIA ABRAHAM LOPEZ.
Yo, EDWIN R. RIVERA CORDERO, 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 24 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA en mi oficina, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Manatí, Manatí, 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 Manatí 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 31 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS
10:00 DE LA MAÑANA y en caso de no producir remate ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el 7 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023, A LAS
2:00 DE LA TARDE en mi oficina sita en el lugar antes indicado. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: RUSTICA: Solar marcado con el No. 23-D del plano de inscripción del Proyecto UM-7-44, denominado RESIDENCIAL LA FUENTE radicado en el Barrio Florida Adentro, lugar Algarrobo del término municipal de Florida, con un área superficial de 325.00 metros cuadrados, en lindes por el Norte, con el solar 22-D, en una distancia de 25.00 metros lineales; por el Sur, con el solar 24-D, en una distancia de 25.00 metros lineales; por el Este, con la Calle No. 5, en una distancia de 13.00 metros lineales; y por el Oeste, con el solar 6-D, en distancia de 13.00 metros lineales. La escritura de hipoteca se encuentra inscrita al folio 101 del tomo 82 de Florida, Registro de la Propiedad de Manatí, finca número 2383, inscripción 5ta. La dirección física de la propiedad antes descrita es: Carretera 140, R 629 K 53, Residencial La Fuente D-23, Florida, Puerto Rico 00650. La Subasta se llevará a efecto para satisfacer a la parte demandante la suma de $40,280.62 de principal, intereses al 4.00% anual, desde el día 1ro de noviembre de 2020, hasta su completo pago, más la cantidad de $5,924.00 estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado más recargos acumulados, así como cualquier otra suma estipulada en el contrato de préstamo, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. Que la cantidad mínima de licitación en la primera subasta para el inmueble será de $59,240.00 y de ser necesaria una segunda subasta, la cantidad mínima será una equivalente a 2/3 parte de aquella, o sea la suma de $39,493.33 y de necesitarse una tercera subasta la cantidad mínima será la mitad del precio pactado, es decir la suma de $29,620.00. De declararse desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si esta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente.
Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor. La propiedad se adjudicará al mejor postor, quien deberá satisfacer el importe de su oferta en moneda legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América en el momento de la adjudicación y que las cargas y gravámenes preferentes, si los hubiese, continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad a ser vendida en pública subasta se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Podrán concurrir como postores a todas las subastas los titulares de créditos hipotecarios vigentes y posteriores a la hipoteca que se cobra o ejecuta, si alguno o que figuren como tales en la certificación registral y que podrán utilizar el montante de sus créditos o parte de alguno en sus ofertas. Si la oferta aceptada es por cantidad mayor a la suma del crédito o créditos preferentes al suyo, al obtener la buena pro del remate, deberá satisfacer en el mismo acto, en efectivo o en cheque de gerente, la totalidad del crédito hipotecario que se ejecuta y la de cualesquiera otro créditos posteriores al que se ejecuta pero preferente al suyo. El exceso constituirá abono total o parcial en su propio crédito. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto para conocimiento y comparecencia de los licitadores, bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Manatí, Puerto Rico, a 20 de junio de 2023. EDWIN R. RIVERA CORDERO, ALGUACIL DE LA DIVISIÓN DE EJECUCIÓN DE SENTENCIAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR MANATÍ.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE HUMACAO.
COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO PADRE
SALVADOR RUFFOLO (PARROCOOP)
Demandante vs. R.F. MORTGAGE AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION PAN
AMERICAN FINANCIAL CORPORATION FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANO DE TAL
Demandados
CIVIL NUM: HU2023CV00706.
SOBRE: CANCELACION DE PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO.
ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EL
A: DEMANDADOS Pan Americam Financial Corporation; Fulano De Tal; Mengano De Tal como Tenedores Desconocidos de Pagaré Hipotecario Extraviado como cualquier otra persona que tenga interés propietario en el Pagaré Hipotecario a favor de R.F. Mortgage and Investment Corporation, o a su orden, por $84,000.00, según consta de la Escritura #565, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 22 de diciembre del 1998, ante el Notario Público José F. Cardona Jiménez, la cual fue modificada según consta de la Escritura #1,397, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 19 de agosto del 1999, ante el Notario Público Armando J. Martínez Vilella la cual grava finca que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Parcela de terreno radicada en el Barrio Mambiche sector Blanco, del Municipio de Humacao, Puerto Rico, compuesta de 1,503.62, metros cuadrados equivalentes a 0.3826 cuerdas y en lindes por el NORTE, con un camino municipal y Luis Gilberto González; por el SUR, con un camino municipal; por el ESTE, y OESTE, con la finca principal de le que se segrega. Inscrita en el Folio #1 del tomo #525 de Humacao, finca #16817, inscripción 3ra. Catastro número “255-051-476-30000”. Por la presente quedan notificados que la Demandante; Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Padre Salvador Ruffolo (PARROCOOP), ha radicado en este Tribunal una Demanda de Pagaré Extraviado en la cual la parte demandante alega que el Pagaré antes descrito se ha extraviado. Se apercibe que si transcurrido Treinta (30) días desde la publicación de este Edicto, no ha habido reparos u oposición contra la demanda interpuesta, este Tribunal dictará Sentencia de acuerdo con lo solicitado en la misma. Usted 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”. En cumplimiento de una orden dictada por este Tribunal expido el presente bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal en Humacao, Puerto Rico, a 30 de junio de 2023. Ivelisse Fonseca Rodriguez, Sec Regional. Keila Perez Figueroa, Sec Auxiliar.
Justin Verlander pitches for the New York Mets and won two World Series titles with the Houston Astros, but he will always be a part of Detroit. It was there that he started his storied career, won his first of three Cy Young awards and his one MVP award and fired two of his three career no-hitters.
So when three Tigers pitchers combined to throw the ninth no-hitter in club history — and the 20th combined no-hitter in major league history — Verlander was paying attention. As was the rest of his family: Their group chat quickly blew up with talk of the first no-hitter thrown at Comerica Park since Verlander handcuffed the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 and the old highlights that were being shown during the broadcast.
“My wife informed me of how young she was when that happened and then somebody else told me how young I looked,” Verlander said, smiling and good-naturedly muttering an expletive that emphasized how long ago that was.
Verlander does not know Matt Manning, the Tigers right-hander who mowed through the Toronto Blue Jays for the first 6 2/3 innings during Detroit’s 2-0 win Saturday, nor is he familiar with the relievers who took over from there: Jason Foley (1 1/3 innings) and Alex Lange (one inning). But more than any other active player, he knows that ballpark, that city and that team’s history.
“Forever when certain things happen, I think my name will always kind of pop up,” Verlander said. “As long as I played there and some of the cool things I was able to accomplish there, when you’re tied to an organization like that, of course there’s some part of you that wishes them well, no doubt.”
The Blue Jays, however, may not wish Verlander or the Tigers well. Toronto was the opponent when Verlander threw the second no-hitter of his career, on May 7, 2011, and it was the Blue Jays, yet again, that he no-hit as a member of the Houston Astros on Sept. 1, 2019.
While Verlander is one of only six pitchers to throw three or more no-hitters — Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax (four) and Larry Corcoran, Bob Feller and Cy Young (three each) are the others — he has also become well acquainted with combined no-hitters. He was in the dugout for two of them last year: Hous-
ton’s blanking of the New York Yankees in June (Cristian Javier, Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly) and the Astros’ memorable tag-team no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series (Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Pressly).
In one festive way, Verlander said, combined no-hitters create a better celebration because it is more team-oriented when multiple pitchers are involved. The World Series no-hitter, Verlander said, was “cool, unbelievable.”
But at the same time, he pointed out, “not to take anything away from the combined no-hitter, but you can even see in the media, just the way it’s covered,” that
the accomplishment is different. And with the way the game is changing, he noted, combined no-hitters are going to become the norm rather than the exception. Indeed, 12 of the 20 have occurred since 2000, and nine of those have come since 2018.
While analytics have played an important role in the change, with some teams adhering to the principle of not allowing a starting pitcher to face an opposing batting order for a third time in a game, it also calls into question whether baseball is doing a disservice to some by not properly developing starting pitchers.
“I hope that Major League Baseball
doesn’t wait too long to address that because you get what you asked for, right?”
Verlander said. “Teams are looking for players who throw 100 miles an hour and have one really good off-speed pitch. So instead of developing good pitching, as a younger player you’re obsessing over throwing the ball hard and spinning it.
“So you break instead of waiting for yourself to naturally develop. So you get what you ask for.”
Verlander, 40, said that he and his teammate Max Scherzer, 38, who has tossed two career no-hitters, sometimes discuss this topic. Between them, Verlander and Scherzer have pitched in 939 games, thrown 38 complete games, worked 5,997 2/3 innings and earned 456 victories.
In a separate conversation on Friday, Scherzer said: “I can’t stand what I see from young pitchers. I don’t feel like anybody’s developing arms anymore. All the arms are breaking.”
In Manning’s case, the timing of his masterpiece was a factor in addition to modern strategy. A first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Manning, 25, was making only his fifth start of the season after suffering a fractured bone in his right foot in April. A sore shoulder limited him to 12 starts in 2022.
“He was laboring a ton,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters after Saturday’s game. “I almost took him out after the fifth and after the sixth. I sent him out for the seventh, but once a runner gets on, we have to worry about winning the game.”
Overall, the three Tigers pitchers combined for 116 pitches and nine strikeouts. Manning walked three batters and hit one, while Foley and Lange were perfect in their shorter stints.
It was an achievement for all three pitchers without any doubt, but one that came without the same level of distinction of a pitcher having finished what he started. Verlander believes MLB needs to find a way to encourage teams to get back to developing top-tier starting pitchers who can pitch deep into games. That could help make lasting memories for the fans who come out to watch, rather than just having them see a series of hard-throwers.
“I hope we don’t look up years from now and see an entire league of just guys who nobody knows their names,” Verlander said.
The walls around Victor Wembanyama, as he sat for a news conference Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, were plastered with images of past winners of the Las Vegas Summer League tournament. There were NBA stars who played there in the early days of their careers and a photo of LeBron James from 2018, when he showed up wearing gold shorts that said “Lakers” on the front in his first public appearance after signing with the team.
The summer league debuted the year after James’ rookie season, so its first marquee rookie was Dwight Howard, the top pick in 2004. As Wembanyama spoke with reporters, a picture of a smiling Howard could be seen on a wall to his right.
“The Beatles?” one team executive had joked earlier that night when asked what he would compare to the hysteria around Wembanyama, whom the San Antonio Spurs selected first overall last month. The closest real comparison is to James’ entry into the league in 2003.
Wembanyama had just finished his debut performance in a Spurs jersey, when he scored nine points with eight rebounds, three assists and five blocks. He made 2 of 13 shots and sometimes looked tired.
None of this will matter for his longterm future, nor does it predict what his career will be. But Wembanyama’s first few days in Las Vegas didn’t just introduce him to NBA play, they also introduced him to the absurdity of fame’s glare. He came out of that experience a bit subdued, but still smiling and poised as his journey continued.
Wembanyama only finished his French season three weeks ago, the week before the NBA draft. That he would be selected first overall was a foregone conclusion, but it still brought him to tears when it happened.
The Spurs immediately began molding him. He went to dinner the next day with some of the organization’s legends — Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Sean Elliott and Manu Ginóbili — to start learning from them.
They knew his body needed a break, so they had him skip their games in Sacramento last week to save his debut for Las
Vegas. He will also skip the World Cup this year, where he would have bolstered the French national team.
And when Wembanyama began playing and practicing with the Spurs’ summer league team, together they focused on learning again.
“There is an eagerness that’s very clear as a coach,” said Matt Nielsen, who is coaching the Spurs’ summer league team. “He’s wanting to do the right thing.”
Friday night’s game featured Wembanyama and the Spurs against the Charlotte Hornets and Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in June’s draft.
The Thomas & Mack Center is a
worn-down arena on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that once a year dresses itself up as the center of the NBA world.
All 30 NBA teams show up a couple of weeks after the NBA draft for the summer league with rosters that include their most recent draft picks, whom they pray won’t get injured during the exhibition games. Scouts, team owners and executives dot the lower bowls, and every so often the league’s biggest stars take a break from casinos, clubs and sponsorship appearances to stop by and sit courtside for a game.
A typical summer league crowd might
fill half the lower bowl, and a good crowd packs it and maybe spills into the upper decks. On Friday night, the entire arena was filled to the top with nearly 18,000 spectators hoping to see something spectacular.
Wembanyama had some bright moments but did not produce the kinds of moments the crowd had waited breathlessly for. He missed a layup and a dunk, in all 11 of the shots he took. He was not the focal point of the Spurs offense for most of the game. Defensively, his natural size and 8-foot wingspan meant he could block jump shots even when he was late getting to the shot.
At least once, his victim was Miller, who scored 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds.
After the game Wembanyama talked about wanting to improve his conditioning, and said he was “exhausted” every time he came out of the game. He needed to better understand the plays called by the point guard, and the team’s defensive system, he said.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight, but I’m trying to learn for the next games,” Wembanyama said. “The important thing is to be ready for the season.”
It was a levelheaded response from Wembanyama, who seemed less effervescent but still poised.
That didn’t stop observers from drawing conclusions about his future or fans of pop star Britney Spears from mocking his performance.
Yes, Britney Spears.
She had tried to approach Wembanyama from behind Wednesday night and was stopped by a Spurs security guard who swung his left arm in her direction. Las Vegas police said the security guard’s actions caused Spears to hit herself in the face, but Spears said the response was overboard and asked for an apology.
Wembanyama said he never saw her face during the encounter, but her fans, nonetheless, remained irritated. Police said no charges would be filed.
That minor controversy had marked the start of Wembanyama’s time in Las Vegas, and highlighted the absurdity that can come with fame. It passed, though, just as the memory of a mundane start can, too, as Wembanyama’s career progresses.
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
1. TV mouse ____ Gigio
2. Southern cross-country hwy.
3. Facts
4. Leered at
5. Delay, as payments
6. Class-conscious belief
7. "Delta of Venus" author Anaïs
8. Public health org.
9. Snarky sound
10. Secondhand business
11. In ____ (bogged down)
12. "Pretty Woman" actor
13. Utilizes 18. Went berserk 21. Sound of support 23.
25. Amnesty International and the American Red Cross, e.g.: Abbr. 26. Former Oldsmobile model
Arboreal folivore 28. Like ears or brains 29. Wee hour
Garage items
Valuable find
Coastal recess
Burn quickly
Affectedly elegant
Qin dynasty follower
AARP member (abbr.)
Former cable co.
Arena chant
Was restless
Schoolteachers' org.
53. "The Simpsons" mouse
54. "Turn ____" (Norah Jones song)
55. "Climb ____ Mountain" (Mother Abbess' song in "The Sound of Music")
69. "Barney Miller" org.
56. Kid's summer spot
58. "C'mon,
Answers on page 30
Aries (Mar 21-April 20)
You’re in tune with the atmosphere around you today because of your tolerance, humanity, and the respect you have for everyone, no matter what their position in society or intellectual capacity. Generosity is coming alive inside you, Aries. The one thing you want to do is understand the people close to you. Support them and show them that they can count on you.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
If you tend to be a little anxious about solitude, Taurus, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dependent on the people close to you. That isn’t the only contradictory thing about your behavior. You tend to want to bring people together while keeping your distance. From now on, you should try to be a little clearer in your relationships.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Sometimes it’s hard for you to believe something unless you see it firsthand, Gemini. However, the period you’re in now may be pushing you to try and understand some of the mysteries on faith. Though you probably aren’t one to do this very often, you may be feeling some kind of mystical impulse that makes you think about the nature of your beliefs.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Love is in the air, Cancer! You may encounter some wonderfully passionate situations today. You’re ready to live these marvelously rich and emotional experiences to the fullest. Put your doubts and insecurities away for the time being. Lose yourself in pleasure and the unknown. Have a great time!
Leo (July 24-Aug 23)
Today’s powerful astral phenomena will encourage you to develop your skill as a visionary, Leo, no matter what you do with your day. You’re one of those rare people who can sense before anyone else the changes that will happen in the world. Let these feelings encourage you. Use them to believe in tomorrow.
Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)
It’s time to get down to work, Virgo. At the moment, you can’t depend solely on your natural creativity, spontaneity, imagination, and originality to get by. You need to demonstrate a certain amount of pragmatism and self-discipline to reach your goals. This will certainly seem more difficult than it really is. It’s time to have faith in attributes other than your intuition.
Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)
What do you want? It isn’t always easy to live with others, Libra. You may ask too much of the people close to you and not be able to stand it when they don’t live up to your high expectations. Your idealism makes it hard for you to compromise. This attitude can cause conflict and make you hard to live with. Change it.
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
It’s possible you took a chance on someone who has disappointed you, Scorpio. You were especially tolerant and patient, but now it’s time to finally settle things and put your cards on the table. Don’t be afraid to do what you have to do in order to protect yourself and the people you love.
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)
Have been letting yourself go lately, Sagittarius? Now it’s time to take better care of your body. This new initiative will make you feel happier and more ready to tackle life again. You may hesitate over whether or not you should try some of the alternative medicines that you hear about.
Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)
Have you recently lost some faith in the future, Capricorn? Isn’t it time to do something about it, especially where your personal life is concerned? You could find the answers to these questions if you’d take a second look at the quality of your close relationships. Who knows? Love might give you back your enthusiasm for life.
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
If you have a tendency to do a little too much dreaming, reality could catch up with you now. The time has come to react immediately, Aquarius. Certain financial or professional goals may see some delays. You need to figure out how to get things going again in a more concrete and secure direction. Don’t let anything get past you today.
Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)
Everyone has impulsively bought something without really thinking about it first. As far as you’re concerned, Pisces, it happens a little more often than it should. Have you looked at your closet full of the clothes you never wear? Why do you keep them? Is it reassuring? Don’t get caught up in fashion crazes. Try to be more careful with your money.
