Thursday Jul 6, 2023

Photo: Richard Gutiérrez/The San Juan Daily Star

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.

Economic incentives have cost gov’t over $16 billion in tax expenditures

By THE STAR STAFF

Economic incentives for businesses cost Puerto Rico’s government $16.3 billion in tax expenditures as of tax year 2023, a figure that should reach $16.5 billion in tax year 2024, according to a government report.

Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés Alicea announced Wednesday the publication of the fourth Tax Expenditure Report (TER) for the taxable year 2024 as required by the commonwealth Fiscal Plan that the Financial Oversight and Management Board certified in April.

Tax expenditures are revenue losses attributable to provisions of Act No. 1 of Jan. 31, 2011, the Internal Revenue Code for a New Puerto Rico, that deviate from the tax structure’s benchmark law. The revenue loss could be due to a special exclusion, deduction, exemption, credit, preferential rate of tax, or a deferral of tax liability.

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the government to individuals, groups, and sectors that represent economic activities that promote the development and social welfare of the citizenry,” Pares Alicea said in a statement Wednesday.

The Treasury chief noted that in mid-June, the audited financial statements corresponding to fiscal year 2021 were also published, an effort that was positively received by the credit rating agency Fitch Ratings, as previously reported by the STAR.

He said tax expenditures are the counterpart of regular expenditures presented in the general government budget and complete the picture of government investment in public policy objectives.

A tax expenditure comes from the government’s use of the tax system to pursue policy goals such as encouraging savings, stimulating employment, stimulating economic activity, encouraging foreign investment and protecting national industries. In such circumstances, the tax system fulfills a role like a spending program; however, unlike a spending program in which taxes are collected and spent by the government, a tax expenditure reduces revenues when the taxpayer engages in activities that further the policy goal.

Like any other tax law, incentive acts result from legislation passed by the Puerto Rico Legislature and signed by the governor. The incentive acts generally lower the tax rate applicable to businesses whose operations qualify thereunder and sign an agreement thereof with the island government. The $16 billion-plus cost comes from the Economic Incentives for the Development of Puerto Rico & Act 60.

The incentive acts are designed to encourage economic activity in Puerto Rico and the tax benefits provided qualify as tax expenditures.

The report, meanwhile, lists some 432 tax expenditures in total. It also notes that the government projected $269 million in tax expenditures under Act 20-2019, the Export Services Act, for tax year 2023 and the number should go to $272 million in 2024.

The cost of Act 22-2012, the Transfer of Investors to Puerto Rico Act, was projected at $648.9 million for 2023 but the number should grow to $652 million in 2024.

“We remain consistent with our commitment to informing citizens regarding the administration of public funds, in this case, about the tax benefits granted by

It was the fourth Tax Expenditure Report issued by the Treasury Department. The first report, corresponding to the taxable year 2017, was published in June 2019. The second, corresponding to taxable year 2018, was published in May 2021, and the third, with the cost estimates from 2017 to fiscal year 2023, was published in March 2022.

Among other things, The TER “provides a definition for ‘tax expenditures,’ describes the method used to identify tax expenditures, and provides a list of tax expenditures with estimates of their cost,” the report says. “New estimates are provided for the cost of tax expenditures for the tax years 2021 through 2026, under tax laws in effect in year 2021.”

“This TER also includes revised estimates for the tax year 2020, for the major tax regimes in Puerto Rico,” it notes.

Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés Alicea

Rep. Aponte Hernández calls on Senate leadership to get on with appointments

By THE STAR STAFF

Veteran New Progressive Party (NPP) Rep. José Aponte Hernández urged the leadership of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) majority in the Senate on Wednesday to “evaluate” all of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia’s appointments with the detail and responsibility they deserve.

“The role of the Senate is to evaluate each nominee on their merits, taking everything into consideration,” the former speaker of the island House of Representatives said. “However, what we have seen these past three years is a lack of action with the study of each nominee. In fact, in the last session that ended on June 30, 40 nominations ranging from 2022 were not addressed; that is, including prosecutors and commissioners of the Industrial Commission, to name a few.”

Aponte Hernández stressed that several prosecutors, including two in the Ponce region, were left “without work” for not having been considered during

the session that ended on June 30, but at the same time PDP lawmakers criticize the Department of Justice for not having enough prosecutors working cases.

“What we ask for is a detailed, but agile, evaluation of each nomination, not only of those who ‘remained’ pending in the last session, when the governor renominates them, but also of all those

who are appointed to fill vacancies in the coming months,” the at-large legislator said. “We can differ on the merits of someone appointed to occupy the position; what the Senate cannot do is not attend to them with the care, speed and responsibility they deserve.”

Aponte Hernández added that the lack of action, field evaluation, confirmation hearings and debate on the Senate floor may have the effect of deterring professionals from occupying positions that require confirmation from that legislative body.

“We have to be clear that the effect of delays in evaluations, the delay and, in some cases, the non-holding of public hearings and the lack of debate in the chamber leads many professionals to take a second and third look at entering into public service to lead a unit or occupy a position that requires confirmation in the Senate,” he said. “The accumulation of nearly three years of delays with hundreds of nominees is going to have that effect, not only now, but in the future as well.”

Also on Wednesday, the former executive director of the Office of Innovation and Technology Services (PRITS), Nannette Martínez Ortiz, requested not to be renamed because the Senate has not confirmed her appointment during the current regular session.

“Serving Puerto Rico has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever lived,” Martinez Ortiz said in a written statement. “I thank Gov. Pedro Pierluisi for having trusted in my leadership and knowledge to lead one of the offices that became more relevant when experiencing the pandemic emergency. I thank my family for their sacrifice, and all PRITS employees for their commitment and dedication.”

According to press reports, Antonio Ramos Guardiola has been picked as the interim director of PRITS.

The appointment of Martínez Ortiz was returned to the Appointments Committee back in April as part of a negotiation process between the NPP and PDP delegations in the Senate.

Estudios Técnicos calls for economic strategy to reduce PR’s dependence on federal emergency funds

By THE STAR STAFF

Although federal funds have stabilized Puerto Rico’s economy since Hurricane Maria destroyed infrastructure in 2017 and then during the COVID-19 pandemic, the island government must develop an economic strategy that does not depend on emergency funds, according to the most recent financial publication, ETI Trends, from Estudios Técnicos Inc.

The impact of federal funds has been so significant in the last decade that in the fiscal year (FY) 2013 they represented 30.2% of Puerto Rico’s gross national product (GNP). For FY 2021 that percentage increased to 58.5%, after aid for the hurricanes and COVID-19. The federal funds include money received by individuals, government, public corporations, municipalities, the private sector and others, indicates ETI Trends, a report from ETI’s Economic Policy and Analysis Division.

“It is hoped that this magnitude of funds related to the pandemic will not continue. Already for fiscal year 2022, they [federal funds] decreased compared to 2021,” the report says,

noting that in 2022 the percentage of federal funds fell to 50.8%, or a total of $39.7 billion.

“What remains are the funds that will be disbursed in the coming years, including CDBG-DR [Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery], CDBG-MIT [Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation], and FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], and programs unrelated to reconstruction. An example of these funds are those authorized by Congress for the Medicaid program (destined for the Vital Plan), to be distributed over the next five years,” the report says. “Four questions arise from this brief account: How does a reduction in federal funds impact Puerto Rico’s GNP? Do these funds contribute to improving social mobility and sustainable development? How to achieve sustainable development that is not dependent on federal funds? How to migrate to a development strategy centered on endogenous [internal] factors?”

The ETI report highlighted the following data:

• In FY 2021, according to the [Puerto Rico] Planning Board, individuals (government,

public corporations, municipalities, the private sector, and others), received $42.8 billion in federal funds.

• This figure was 58.5% of nominal GNP (without discounting inflation), compared to 30.2% in FY 2013, and 38.0% in 2019.

• The absolute increase received in FY 2021 compared to 2019 was $15.9 billion, while the nominal GNP increased by $2.2 billion,

showing extreme dependence on these funds.

• In FY 2022, total receipts decreased by $3.1 billion, $2 billion for individuals.

• Most individual allocations are Social Security and Medicare payments, representing 58.0% of that total. Those are funds to which there is a vested right because people pay for them. They represent 45% of federal funds received in FY 2022.

The impact of federal funds in Puerto Rico has been so significant that in fiscal year 2021 they represented 58.5% of Puerto Rico’s gross national product, after aid for the hurricanes of 2017 and 2022 and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from Estudios Técnicos.

Rep. José Aponte Hernández

‘No transparency here’

Activists protest toll station they say has been planned without public consultation

By RICHARD GUTIÉRREZ richardsanjuanstar@gmail.com

The cost of living in Puerto Rico has gone up significantly in recent years, with many things becoming more expensive, and this is also true for highway tolls.

Island residents have protested hikes in the electricity bill in the past, and in 2015 people protested a general rise in taxes from 7% to 16%. Therefore, it is no surprise that there’s a group organized specifically to combat the rise in traffic tolls, a group known as No mas peajes Guaynabo (No More Tolls for Guaynabo).

The activist organization, led by environmentalist and community leader Myrna Conty, held a press conference on Wednesday along the Martínez Nadal Expressway under the bridge in the Piedras Blancas neighborhood, where they were protesting the construction of a new toll station on the highway in the direction of “La Muda” and PR-1 North Street.

“This new construction has not been consulted with the people, and this construction site has absolutely zero signage from the government,” Ángel González, a spokesperson for No More Tolls for Guaynabo told the STAR. “We are here warning the people about the plans these people have to build this and, secondly, it is absolutely unfair to the people of Puerto Rico.”

González said that if it wasn’t for TV star “El Guitarreño,” they wouldn’t have found out about the project, either.

“There has been no public hearing; there

is not a single sign on the road that states that they are working on a new toll [station] site,” he said. “This government expresses so freely that they like to talk with open doors, but there is no transparency here. We believe this is a violation of the law, to construct a new toll site without informing the people first and foremost.”

The spokesperson added that “this toll would affect anyone coming from San Patricio to Guaynabo South, and PR-1 North Street toward Caguas and Aguas Buenas, which includes neighborhoods such as: Camarones, Mamey, Hato Nuevo, Guaraguao, Bo. Río Sonadora, Lomas del Sol and 173 Street.”

A noteworthy detail related by the activists is that according to the Guaynabo municipality, not even the mayor knew about the new toll site.

Apart from the injustice of not informing the people about the new construction site, the activists worry about the economic impact that a new toll station is going to have on the people, considering that every year toll rates have risen, among the plethora of other expenses that are weighing on islanders. They believe that adding a new toll station would raid the people’s pockets even more.

“This is supposed to be a free street; it was made to give people of these communities’ access to another street without having to take all the twists and turns of the mountain. Many of the people who live in these neighborhoods are low-income folks, so their budget is already tight, adding an extra weight to an already tight budget is absolutely unfair,” Conty told the STAR. “The worst part is that they’re setting up the ‘invisible’ toll site right after the ramp that drops from the Piedras Blancas Bridge at kilometer 6.8 to the Martinez Nadal highway, which affects people who come from Santa

Members of the citizen-activist group No mas peajes Guaynabo (No More Tolls for Guaynabo) say: “We believe this is a violation of the law, to construct a new toll site without informing the people first and foremost.”

Rosa as well; these people would be paying $1 for [traveling] two kilometers of the street, which is outrageous.”

Another concern expressed by the activists is that if the government starts implementing tolls with one “free” street, they will use that as a precedent to continue implementing tolls in other streets that don’t have tolls.

“People have been passing through this street for free for over 20 years; if we let them start charging tolls on a street that has been free for over 20 years, what do you think is going to happen to all the other streets, like [Highway] 30 from Caguas to Humacao?” said Guaynabo resident Efraín Irizarry, a retired highway engineer. “If a city that has an active group like us denouncing these things lets this come to fruition, then less-active municipalities won’t stand a chance.”

Irizarry added that he’s “tried to gather the paperwork for this project, which would include official permits, but unfortunately this has not been possible.”

He also believes that in the case of this project, “the purpose is to simply gather as much money as possible without any concern for the individual economic situation of the

drivers.” Irizarry went into detail about the economics of the project, stating that “if over 20,000 cars a day pass by the toll site from the north, this would equal up to $5.2 million a year.”

The activists also had things to say about the overall unfairness of highway tolls.

“Tolls act as a regressive tax, which means everyone pays the same amount of money for them, but not everyone MAKES the same amount of money,” González said. “It’s the most unfair form of taxation for the citizenry. When you take a look at the facts, over 50% of the population is under the poverty line; it’s preposterous that they want to implement these tolls.”

No More Tolls Guaynabo called on all island residents to sign a petition that is circulating on the internet directed specifically to Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia. The petition/ letter is also available on their Facebook page “No mas Peajes en Guaynabo.” For additional assistance people can email the group at nomaspeajesenguaynabo@gmail.com. The activists also called on the people to raise their voices by writing letters to La Fortaleza and stating their opinions on radio shows.

Suspect in slaying of tourist in Isla Verde turns himself in

By THE STAR STAFF

Authorities announced Wednesday that Carlos Aníbal Rosado Martínez, 23, wanted by authorities for the murder of tourist Tommy Grace, 17, turned himself in at the San Juan Court.

Rosado Martínez faces charges filed in absentia Monday for first-degree murder, two for attempted murder and violations of the Weapons Law, including carrying and using firearms without a license.

Judge Geisa Marrero, of the Carolina Court, validated the charges and issued an arrest warrant for Rosado Martínez and set bail at $1.4 million.

The events date back to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday when Grace, along with his stepfather, Marice Shanron Gaines,

39, and his maternal uncle, Aron Proctor Amani, 30, were spending time on the beach off Gardenia Street, behind the Casa Cuba Beach Club in Isla Verde, and an altercation broke out. It has not yet been revealed what motivated the crime since that evidence has not yet been obtained. The case remains under investigation.

Rosado Martínez was placed under arrest after his voluntary surrender at the San Juan Court.

Health secretary appeals to US Congress to address gaps in Medicare Advantage coverage

By THE STAR STAFF

Health Secretary Carlos Mellado

López on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. congressmen requesting that the Puerto Rico government’s lack of jurisdiction when it comes to supervising insurers under Medicare Advantage contracts be addressed.

“We need legislative action and the support of U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra to strengthen the regional office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and the Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico,” Mellado said in a written statement.

In his letter, addressed to 27 members of Congress, Mellado called for an increase in “permanent” funding and for addressing federal health plan coverage gaps for U.S. citizens living on the island. He also urged that Puerto Rico be included in poverty-related incentives and adjustments based on regional factors such as the Average Geographic Adjustment.

Mellado said Medicare Advantage rates in Puerto Rico were 24% below the national average in 2011, and are now 41% below the national average, 37%

below Hawaii, the lowest state, and 22% below the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Health chief also asked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to develop specific policies to address the irregular and unfair practices in Puerto Rico’s health system, which he said contradicts the local government’s efforts to retain medical professionals on the island.

“Puerto Rico is the only jurisdiction in which the local Medicaid program does not pay the monthly premium of $164.94 of Medicare Part B for dual-eligible beneficiaries,” Mellado said.

Currently, about 648,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries reside on the island.

In addition, the Health secretary noted that the prevalence of diabetes in Puerto Rico is 19.5% compared to 10% in the continental United States. The cost of living in Puerto Rico is high, and more than half of the population lives below the federal poverty level, he pointed out.

Recently, the Mellado and the Health Insurance Administration sent a notice of fines to the four insurers of the Vital Plan, as the Medicaid-funded government health plan is called, for almost $100 million.

Morovis to host Patron Saint Festival next week

By THE STAR STAFF

Everything is ready for the celebration of the traditional Patron Saint Festival in honor of Our Lady of Carmen, which will be held from Wednesday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15 in the Juan Evangelista Rivera public square in Morovis, Mayor Carmen Maldonado González announced this week.

The events will feature rides of all kinds and kiosks with traditional food, drinks and sweets, as well as stalls of authentic Puerto Rican crafts.

“On Wednesday the 12th, we start with the Children’s Day events, with the rides at $3 from 6 p.m. onwards,” the mayor said in a press release. “On Thursday we start at 7 p.m. with the Urbanez Band, followed by Rumba Caliente and ending the night in a big way with the Puerto Rico Gana event, directed by DJ Alex.”

On Friday, the musical events also begin at 7 p.m. with Grupo SI C Logra, followed by Frankie Ruiz Jr. and His Orchestra, and ending with one of the most in-demand bands, Grupomanía, which since its debut

in 1993 has filled the squares throughout Puerto Rico and abroad with joy. On Saturday, Kitín Rosario and His Orchestra are in charge of opening the night’s entertainment at 7 p.m., followed by Orquesta Camínalo, in a tribute to Gilberto Santa Rosa, and ending the night with Oscarito El Más Loco and His Orchestra.

Sunday, the final day of festivities, begins at 3 p.m. with the Conjunto Típico Moroveño, followed by Sonora Boricua at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. in the midway area, the Frozen Show for children is to be presented. In the public square, the Municipal Band of Morovis and Rika Swing will take the stage, followed by closing act Domingo Quiñones and His Orchestra.

“We have worked on these holidays with great love and detail for the enjoyment of all resident Moroveños, Moroveños who live elsewhere and visitors from all over Puerto Rico,” Maldonado González said.

“We are particularly grateful to the Liberty company and Cooperativa Moroveña for their valuable contributions, as well as to the businesses and professionals who generously contribute to these festivities.”

Health Secretary Carlos Mellado López

Morovis Mayor Carmen Maldonado González

Biden sidesteps any notion that he’s a ‘flaming woke warrior’

By REID J. EPSTEIN

President Joe Biden memorably jumped the gun on Barack Obama in endorsing same-sex marriage more than a decade ago, but at a June fundraiser near San Francisco, he couldn’t recall the letters LGBTQ.

And even as the Democratic Party makes the fight for abortion rights central to its political message, Biden last week declared himself “not big on abortion.”

At a moment when the American political parties are trading fierce fire from the trenches of a war over social and cultural policy, the president is staying out of the fray.

White, male, 80 years old and not particularly up-to-date on the language of the left, Biden has largely avoided becoming enmeshed in contemporary battles over gender, abortion and other hotly contested social issues — even as he does things like hosting what he called “the largest Pride Month celebration ever held at the White House.”

Republicans have tried to pull him in, but appear to recognize the difficulty: When GOP presidential candidates vow to end what they derisively call “woke” culture, they often aim their barbs not directly at Biden but at big corporations like Disney and BlackRock or the vast “administrative state” of the federal government. Republican strategists say most of their party’s message on abortion and transgender issues is aimed at primary voters, while Biden is seen as far more vulnerable in a general election on the economy, crime and immigration.

Biden’s armor against cultural attacks might seem unlikely for a president who has strongly advocated for LGBTQ people, the leader of a party whose fortunes ride on the wave of abortion politics, and a man who owes his presidency to unbending support from Black Democratic primary voters.

Yet despite adopting positions over the years that pushed Democrats — and then the country — to embrace more liberal attitudes on social issues, Biden has kept himself at arm’s length from elements of his party that could pose him political problems. In June, the White House said it had barred a transgender activist who went topless at its Pride event.

And while Biden’s age has become one of his chief political weaknesses, both

his allies and adversaries say it also helps insulate him from cultural attacks by Republicans.

“Everybody wants to talk about how old Joe Biden is, but the truth of the matter is it’s his age and his experience that allow him to be who he is and allow him to say the things and to help people in a way that nobody else can,” said Henry R. Muñoz III, a former Democratic National Committee finance director. Muñoz, who is gay, had Biden serve as his wedding officiant in 2017.

Much of Biden’s loyalty from LGBTQ Democrats stems from his 2012 endorsement of same-sex marriages when Obama was still officially opposed to them. Biden’s position was seen as politically risky at the time, before the Supreme Court in 2015 recognized the right of same-sex couples to marry, but has evolved into something he bragged about during his 2020 campaign.

He has also been on the forefront of recognizing transgender rights. In his first week in office, Biden ended the Trump-era ban on transgender troops in the military. In December, he signed into law federal protections for same-sex marriages.

At the same time, Biden has not adopted the terminology of progressive activists or allowed himself to be drawn into public debates that might leave him outside the political mainstream. On Thursday, after

the Supreme Court’s major ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions, a reporter asked him, “Is this a rogue court?”

Pausing to think for a moment, Biden responded, “This is not a normal court.”

He also does not always remember the words most American politicians use to describe LGBTQ people. At the fundraiser near San Francisco last month, Biden lamented the Supreme Court’s decision last year that ended the national right to an abortion and suggested the court was coming for gay rights next.

Paraphrasing two of the conservative justices, he said: “There’s no constitutional right in the law for H-B, excuse me, for gay, lesbian, you know, the whole, the whole group. There’s no constitutional protection.”

During a stop at the Iowa State Fair during his 2020 campaign, a conservative provocateur trailing the Democratic presidential candidates asked Biden, “How many genders are there?”

Biden replied: “There are at least three. Don’t play games with me, kid.”

Then, perhaps not realizing that his inquisitor was a right-wing activist, Biden added: “By the way, first one to come out for marriage was me.”

Sarah McBride, a Delaware state senator who recently began a campaign to become the first transgender member of

Congress, said Biden’s language gave him the ability to solidify Democrats behind a progressive social agenda and “reach communities and demographics that are not yet fully in the coalition.”

“He’s not getting caught up on rhetoric that isn’t understandable for your middleof-the-road voter,” McBride said.

She also pointed to Biden’s age as helpful for making Democrats’ case on social issues without alienating skeptical voters.

“His background allows him to say things that I think would be heard as more radical if they were said by a younger politician,” she said.

As majorities of Americans have accepted same-sex marriage, social conservatives have made opposition to transgender rights a mainstay of their politics. And Republicans running to displace Biden have tended to focus on energizing GOP primary voters rather than making a villain out of the president.

“It’s hard to paint an 80-year-old white man as a flaming woke warrior,” said Whit Ayres, a longtime pollster for Republican candidates.

Biden has never presented as a leftwing culture warrior. A Catholic, he has long been wary about jumping headlong into fights over abortion rights. Even as his campaign and party are preparing to make his reelection bid a referendum on Republican efforts to further restrict abortion, Biden proclaimed to a crowd of donors in suburban Washington that he himself was not eager to do so.

“You know, I happen to be a practicing Catholic,” Biden said last week. “I’m not big on abortion. But guess what? Roe v. Wade got it right.”

President Joe Biden makes remarks about the Supreme Court’s ruling that the race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were unlawful, at the White House in Washington on Thursday, June 29, 2023.

Stumping on July 4, Trump’s rivals pitch themselves to early-state voters

Trump, skipped the hustings, staying home with his family and firing off vulgar social media posts.

Yet the minions of his campaign and his own bulky shadow still hung heavily over his competition.

In Urbandale, Iowa, where Trump’s former vice president and current competitor, Mike Pence, was marching in the parade, spectators broke into a chant — “Trump, Trump, Trump” — as he passed by.

In the old days — before super political action committees flooded the airwaves, social media brought politicians’ messages directly to voters’ smartphones and partisans were glued to their favored cable news shows — showing up on the Fourth of July really mattered.

touring the northern border near Vermont, which he said faces problems similar to those at the southern border in his home state: low resources and increased drug trafficking. Those were the sorts of issues he wanted to tackle, he said. But for now, he added, he was just happy to simply be out shaking hands.

“Today is about meeting people, right?” Hurd said. “Not everybody is doom scrolling on social media or consuming cable news.”

And Trump? “I’m sure people are thankful he’s not out,” he said. “He comes with a lot of baggage.”

By JAZMINE ULLOA and JONATHAN WEISMAN

At a high school cafeteria in Merrimack, New Hampshire, earlier this week, where patriotic music blasted from the speakers and the lunch tables were decked in star-spangled napery, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota mingled with families who were digging into eggs, sausage and pancakes at a Fourth of July breakfast hosted by the local Rotary Club. Nelson Disco, 88, one of the prospective voters in the small crowd, had a couple of questions for him. What was he running for? And with which party?

“You’ve got some competition,” Disco exclaimed, as the North Dakota governor told him he was seeking the Republican nomination for president.

But Burgum was undeterred: “Feeling great” about the race, he said.

It was the final Fourth of July before New Hampshire’s first-in-the nation Republican primary, set for February, and the famed kingmaking caucuses in Iowa — plenty of time to make up ground, but it was clear for the darkest of dark horses who were burning shoe leather Tuesday that there was a lot of ground to make up.

Some better-known competitors were in New Hampshire too. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is in a distant second place in the Republican primary polls to former President Donald Trump, walked in two parades, including one that also drew Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is still well back in the pack. The weather was less than agreeable: DeSantis, Scott and others walking in the afternoon parade in Merrimack, New Hampshire, were soaked when a rainstorm swept through.

Independence Day campaigning is a tradition in New Hampshire and Iowa, as old as the caucuses and the primary in those states. That would be more than a century of front-runners and also-rans at the parades, picnics and pancake breakfasts of the Granite State. This year, however, there was a twist: The prohibitive front-runner,

“Retail has always been mostly theater, but now it’s all a performance for the cameras, not about meeting regular people and listening to their concerns,” said Fergus Cullen, a former chair of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee.

This year, Trump’s rivals hoped it still did matter. In Merrimack, New Hampshire, volunteers and supporters backing DeSantis waited to walk with their candidate in the Fourth of the July parade there, standing near a dance troupe in hot pink shirts, a wooden float filled with members of the Bektash Shrine Clowns and a yellow school bus decorated as the boat from the Boston Tea Party.

But it was another Republican presidential hopeful, Scott, who caused a stir first, showing up on the parade route trailed by a passel of photographers and television cameras.

“Hopefully some of those voters will become our voters,” Scott told reporters when asked his thoughts on the people in DeSantis and Trump gear who were coming up to shake his hand. “But at the end of the day, we thank God that we have folks that are committed to the country, committed to the concept that the conservative values always work.”

Outside a pancake breakfast in Merrimack, New Hampshire, former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas and his wife, Lynlie Wallace, mixed with runners at a road race.

Hurd, a moderate Republican and a fierce critic of Trump’s who is trying to get his fledgling presidential campaign out of the starting gate, said he had just finished

If there were glimmers of hope for the dark horses, it came from voter acknowledgment of that baggage, which now includes felony charges in New York connected to the payment of hush money to a porn star and federal felony charges in Miami accusing him of misusing highly classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

In Iowa, Jim Miller, 73, was sitting along the Urbandale parade route with his wife and other family members. He said he had voted for Trump twice but had been disappointed in his attitude. He wants a candidate who puts being American ahead of being a Republican or a Democrat.

Asked to compare Pence with Trump, Miller said: “Not even close. I’d take Pence any day.”

As for Burgum, he expressed an understanding of just how steep his climb would be to even get into contention for his party’s presidential nomination. The name recognition challenge is “familiar,” he said. But he also noted that people had underestimated him when he left a lifelong career in the private sector to run for governor in 2016.

He won that race by 20 percentage points, and he has not been seriously challenged in North Dakota since.

Not everyone was in the dark on his campaign. A volunteer, Maureen Tracey, 55, rushed up from the back of the room to ask for a selfie with him. She said she liked Burgum because, like Trump, he seemed “different from a politician.” But unlike Trump, she added, Burgum seemed to be someone she could trust.

Trump “has hurt too many people, and when you hurt so many people, there is no trust,” Tracey said.

Signs for Donald Trump’s campaign in the back of an Iowa Republican truck before an Independence Day parade in Urbandale, Iowa, on July 4, 2023.

Mass shooting in Philadelphia: What to know

By SARAH MERVOSH

An attacker using a military-style rifle killed five people and injured two children during a shooting spree in a Philadelphia neighborhood Monday, firing shots on the open street and bringing terror to passersby before being caught by the police. Officials said they are treating the shooting as a random attack.

The shooting was one of at least 348 incidents across the nation this year in which four or more people were injured or killed, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Here’s what we know and don’t know so far.

What happened?

The assailant, dressed in a ski mask and body armor, opened fire in the Kingsessing neighborhood of southwest Philadelphia sometime after 8 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

The shooting is believed to have begun at a home and moved to the street, where the attacker fired a barrage of shots at cars and people in the neighborhood. One woman’s car was hit while she was driving her family home, injuring her children.

The attack ended when the police chased the assailant into an alley and made an arrest.

The shooting, which unfolded on the eve of Independence Day, cast a shadow over celebrations and added to the nation’s growing apprehension over mass shootings, including a deadly attack at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, last year.

Who were the victims?

The five people killed in Philadelphia had been out running errands, were on their way home from work or lived in the neighborhood. They ranged in age from 15 to 59.

The youngest, Dajuan Brown, 15, was a rising sophomore at the Jules E. Mastbaum High School, a career and technical school in Philadelphia. He was staying at his grandmother’s house for the summer.

The teenager “had his own little spice on his dancing,” said his mother, Nyshyia Thomas, 34, who said that her son’s death would be especially hard on his siblings.

Thomas said she was still processing that she would never again see her “baby,” who had lifted the spirits of those around him. “You were sad around him, he wasn’t letting you be sad,” she said.

Lashyd Merritt, 20, had been on his way to the store when he was shot and killed. He had recently graduated from high school and was working for the IRS, according to his brotherin-law, Dominique Evans.

“He was a kind person,” Evans said. “Very caring, smart.”

Dymir Stanton, 29, was “good with people,” said Willa Mae Dill, an aunt who lives in the neighborhood and enjoyed frequent visits with her nephew. A sports fan, he had a girlfriend and a 4-year-old daughter.

Ralph Moralis, 59, who worked in restaurants, was on his way home from work and had been chatting with a friend moments before gunfire broke out, said the friend, Omar Davis. “Good dude,” Davis said. “He grew up in this community. Everybody knows him.” Moralis had been scheduled to walk a daughter down the aisle at her wedding this weekend, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31, who lived in the neighborhood,

was also killed. Police have said they believe he was home alone at the time of the shooting and was perhaps the first victim.

Two children, ages 2 and 13, were hospitalized with injuries from the shooting and were in stable condition.

Who is the suspect?

The suspect, Kimbrady Carriker, 40, was arraigned Wednesday morning on more than 30 counts, including murder, attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment.

There was some confusion initially about Carriker’s gender identity, and in a news conference Tuesday, authorities used the pronouns “they/them” to describe him. But Wednesday, officials from the district attorney’s office said they had no information indicating that the suspect considered himself anything but male.

Carriker appeared in a courtroom Wednesday via video. He was represented by a public defender and offered one-word answers from a chair in the corner of a cinder-block room, his arms tightly crossed across a white jumpsuit. He was ordered held without bond on the murder charges, and a hearing was set for July 24.

Authorities have released few details about a possible motive.

The district attorney, Larry Krasner, said the shooting had “the characteristics of a lot of random mass shootings that occur in the United States.” He added, “This does not appear to be a whole bunch of people who knew each other very well.”

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How to deal with financial trauma

By JULI FRAGA

Rahkim Sabree owns a home in Hartford, Connecticut, invests and has money in savings. But that isn’t always enough to make him feel secure. Unexpected expenses, regardless of the cost, bring him discomfort.

“I get very anxious when I have to spend money,” Sabree, a 33-year-old financial coach and consultant, said. This sometimes causes him to postpone paying for necessities like new shoes or household repairs.

During his teenage years, Sabree, who is Black, lived with his family in subsidized housing and paid for groceries with food stamps. “When things got really bad, we went without electricity and water,” he said. More than once, they were nearly kicked out. Seeing an eviction notice on the door was embarrassing, Sabree recalled.

Those experiences shaped how he spends and saves. Feeling in control of his money brings peace, Sabree said. But when that control slips away, anxiety creeps in. “It feels like something is happening to me, instead of me making something happen,” he said.

Experiences like Sabree’s can lead to what financial psychologists call “financial trauma” — an intense and enduring emotional response to current or past financial distress, said Alex Melkumian, a psychologist and the founder of the Financial Psychology Center in Los Angeles.

Financial trauma can cause negative thoughts, flashbacks and anxiety — symptoms that mirror post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Unlike everyday stress, trauma doesn’t wax and wane. It ends up injuring your relationship with money, said Thomas Faupl, a financial therapist in San Francisco.

Unlike PTSD, financial trauma is not a mental health diagnosis, so financial advisers and therapists often overlook it. Many people are never told that scary experiences involving money can hurt their financial and psychological health, Faupl said. Despite this, a 2016 survey found that 25% of Americans, including 36% of millennials, reported symptoms of PTSD caused by financial distress.

Recognize stress signals

One telltale sign of financial trauma is money avoidance, Melkumian said. In other words, some traumatized people might refuse to create a budget, open their bills or discuss their finances.

Avoidance can also mean neglecting to spend when you should. For example, Sabree used to chalk his behavior up to frugality. But he realized that unlike saving for a rainy day, his choices were sometimes driven by a desire to avoid another brush with poverty.

Any painful experience involving money can make you feel unsafe, said Aja Evans, a financial therapist in New York City. This often leads to negative thoughts, she explained, such as “I’ll never have enough money” or “I’ll never be good with money.”

Overspending can also be evidence of financial trauma. You might try to compensate for feeling deprived as a child by overindulging as an adult. For instance, you could blow your savings on a vacation, eat out too much or spend all your money shopping online.

Chantel Chapman, a 40-year-old entrepreneur in Richmond, British Columbia, was once a spendthrift in this way. For nearly a decade, she bought gifts, outfits and dinners that she couldn’t afford, she said. This left her with nearly $10,000 in credit card debt and $10,000 in tax debt, which hindered her savings.

Like Sabree, Chapman grew up without financial security. But while Sabree’s financial trauma made him frugal, Chapman’s resulted in overspending.

“I had a lopsided relationship with money,” she said. Chapman said that she feared debt but that her desire to belong with a wealthier crowd had made her spend beyond her means. Trauma turned her into a people pleaser, she said, adding, “I thought I had to look a certain way to be accepted.”

Look out for triggers

Any thought, feeling or memory paired with the trauma can trigger distress. For example, if you lost money during the 2008 financial crisis, seeing the stock market tumble can produce anxiety. Or if you’re saddled with student loan debt, the end of the payment pause may be unnerving.

“It can feel like watching a scary movie all over again,” said Michelle Griffith, a senior wealth adviser at Citi Personal Wealth Management.

When the emotional tide is high, Griffith recommends letting facts drive decision-making. “Even bear markets rebound,” she said. And for the past 70 years, the stock market has fallen 5% several times each year. Knowing that dips are temporary can help ease the sting, Griffith said.

While no one can predict the future, being able to spot your triggers puts you in a better position to take care of yourself, Evans said. Even taking a few deep breaths, going for a walk or talking with a friend is calming, making it less likely that you’ll resort to impulsive actions, she said.

Establish financial boundaries

Boundaries help us feel safe in relationships, and they can keep our financial behaviors in check, too.

For example, Evans recommends that overspenders re-

Experiences like economic hardship or medical expenses can distort people’s feelings and behaviors around money, causing them to sabotage their financial futures.

move credit cards from apps and online stores. The thrill of a purchase provides a dopamine rush, which can hamper your self-control, she said. But if your credit card isn’t handy, it’s harder to indulge.

People who avoid money can take tiny risks, such as pushing themselves to spend $10 or $20 on a joyful experience. Melkumian calls this “mandatory splurging,” and said it was one way to step out of your safe zone. It’s doing the opposite of what the negative emotion is telling you to do, he said.

Any behavior that intercepts avoidance is also beneficial. Griffith suggested setting up automatic transfers of money from your checking account to your savings each month. You can also automate your monthly bill payments and allocate funds from each paycheck to your retirement account.

Find support

Recovering from financial trauma is a two-pronged approach. You need to address the financial aspect as well as the trauma that caused it, Faupl said.

Talking with a financial therapist who specializes in financial trauma is the first step. With a background in psychology and money, the financial therapist can help you understand the relationship between your painful experience and your financial issues. For instance, if your family fought about money when you were a child, Faupl said, you might avoid difficult financial conversations as an adult. Or if you grew up without financial security, you may hoard money later in life.

In addition to therapy, taking a financial literacy class or speaking with a financial adviser can set you up for success.

Wall Street dips on jitters ahead of Fed minutes

Wall Street’s main indexes fell on Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s June meeting minutes, while weak U.S. and China economic data as well as rising Sino-U.S. tensions dented investor sentiment.

May U.S. factory orders rose less than expected, according to a Commerce Department report, fanning fears of a slowdown due to high interest rates after data on Monday showed manufacturing slumped further last month.

Investors are focused on the Fed minutes, expected to be released around 2 p.m. ET, for clues on the central bank’s monetary policy path.

More economic data, including the non-farm payrolls, is scheduled for release later this week that could help determine the Fed’s rate trajectory.

Bets for a 25-basis-point rate increase in July stood at 88.7%, while traders have priced in just a 17.7% chance the central bank would deliver another hike in September, according to CME’s Fedwatch tool.

“Chairman Powell has mentioned that there is a bit of a tug of war at the Fed between those who are more dovish versus the more hawkish faction of the Federal Open Market Committee,” said Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist for LPL Financial.

“So the question has always been why did they choose that (June) meeting to skip rate hikes, because it was the first break in a nonstop campaign of raising rates.”

Chip stocks Intel and Micron Technology fell 2% each after China said it would control exports of some metals widely used in the semiconductor industry as tensions between Beijing and Washington rise over access to high-tech microchips.

The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index lost 1.4%.

After a sharp AI-fueled rally in the first half of the year, Wall Street kicked off the new quarter with slim gains in a holiday-shortened session on Monday, led by Tesla after the electric-vehicle company posted record second-quarter deliveries.

At 11:46 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 56.47 points, or 0.16%, at 34,362.00, the S&P 500 was down 2.44 points, or 0.05%, at 4,453.15, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 9.20 points, or 0.07%, at 13,807.58.

Eight of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors declined by midday. Material shares led losses, down 2.0%.

Meta Platforms rose 3.4%, outpacing its megacap tech and growth peers, ahead of the expected release of its Twitter-rival app, Threads, on Thursday.

“Investors can’t help but be a little excited about the prospect that Meta really has a “Twitter-Killer” poised to launch on the app store,” said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell.

United Parcel Service slid 1.5% after the Teamsters Union and the postal service operator accused each other of

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walking away from negotiations over a new contract.

Moderna rose 3% after the drugmaker signed an agreement to work towards opportunities to research, develop and manufacture mRNA medicines in China.

General Motors added 1.1% after the car maker reported upbeat second-quarter U.S. auto sales, helped by easing supply chain pressures.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.64-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 1.74-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P index recorded 14 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 37 new highs and 45 new lows.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq was still on track for a gain of more than 29% in the first half of the year, its biggest such gain in 40 years. On Thursday it managed to pare losses and close barely lower but was under pressure throughout the day from losses in megacaps including Amazon, Meta Platform, Nvidia and Microsoft.

The Philadelphia semiconductor index managed a small 0.13% gain but underpeformed during the session, with a 4% decline in Micron Technology shares leading losses even though the chipmaker beat estimates for third-quarter results.

By CASSANDRA VINOGRAD

Ukraine’s military launched an overnight strike on the Russian-occupied city of Makiivka, setting off a huge blast and conflicting claims over what had been hit.

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials indicated that the attack in Makiivka was significant, but they differed on descriptions of the target. The attack came months after an assault by Ukraine’s forces on the city caused one of the largest losses of life for Russia’s troops in a single incident since the full-scale invasion.

Video of a massive fireball lighting up the night sky in Makiivka, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, started circulating on social media late Tuesday. Ukraine’s military shared the video in a post on the Telegram messaging app, saying that a “Russian base” in Makiivka had “ceased to exist,” thanks to Ukraine’s forces.

The claim could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Videos geolocated by The New York Times confirmed that an explosion occurred on the outskirts of Makiivka. The initial explosion ignited multiple secondary explosions and flares before setting off a massive blast, suggesting the site

may have been an arms depot.

Pro-Russian officials in Makiivka accused Ukraine on Wednesday morning of using Western-supplied long-range rockets and artillery to attack civilians. One man was killed and 68 civilians were wounded, the state-owned Russian

news agency Tass reported, citing the local pro-Kremlin administration. It also quoted a local official, Igor Kimakovsky, as saying that HIMARS rockets and artillery had hit “peaceful” districts of the city. Those claims could also not be independently verified.

Makiivka has symbolic resonance in the 17-month-long war: A Ukrainian strike on a barracks there killed dozens of Russian soldiers on New Year’s Day, in an attack that prompted criticism of the Russian military among some prominent supporters of Moscow’s war effort and subsequent claims of retaliatory strikes from Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

At the time, Russian authorities blamed troops in Makiivka for exposing their location by using cellphones, enabling a strike by Ukrainian forces equipped with long-range weaponry from Western allies.

Adjacent to the city of Donetsk, Makiivka lies only about 10 miles from Ukrainian-held Avdiivka to the northwest — well within the roughly 50-mile range of the HIMARS rockets the United States has sent to Ukraine.

The HIMARS system is most effective against stationary targets that can be identified in advance and pinpointed, such as ammunition dumps, infrastructure or troop concentrations.

Ukraine strikes Russian-occupied Makiivka Biden hosts Sweden’s prime minister as the Nordic nation looks to join NATO

By KATIE ROGERS and MICHAEL CROWLEY

As President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden at the White House on Wednesday, both men are hoping for the Nordic nation’s swift acceptance into NATO.

But that looks highly unlikely — and the issue threatens to disrupt the alliance’s planned show of unity against Russia next week at a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The problem facing Biden and Kristersson is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Erdogan has blocked Sweden’s membership bid, saying Sweden has harbored Kurdish exiles and refugees affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist group.

In a statement, the White House said that Biden and Kristersson would “reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible.”

The issue is critical for NATO, which is loath to show signs of internal division at its annual summit, particularly as the war in Ukraine grinds on. Sweden broke from decades of neutrality following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year by seeking to join NATO. Erdogan has also invested himself deeply in the matter, having long insisted that Western nations do not take his concerns about Kurdish terrorism seriously enough.

Every other member of the NATO alliance has approved Sweden’s membership, apart from Hungary, whose foreign minister said Tuesday that his country would sign off once Turkey had done so, according to Bloomberg.

Western officials have worked for months to placate the Turkish leader, to no avail. And while U.S. officials say the matter is one for Turkey and Sweden to resolve directly,

Biden has said he supports the sale of new F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits that Erdogan has long sought from Washington.

U.S. officials insist their support for the arms sale is not linked to Erdogan’s position on Sweden. But after a late May phone call with the Turkish leader, Biden told reporters: “He still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”

Key members of Congress, including the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, say they will block such a deal unless Erdogan makes way for Swedish membership. Analysts say it is unclear whether Biden can convince them to change their position.

As recently as Monday, Erdogan reiterated his opposition to Sweden’s admission in bitter terms.

“We have made it clear that the determined fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia are our red line,” Erdogan said. “Everyone must accept that Turkey’s friendship cannot be won by supporting terrorism or by making space for terrorists.”

Erdogan has been dug in since last spring, when Sweden and Finland first applied together to join the alliance, in what Biden depicted as a major setback for President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

The Turkish leader has since relented on Finland, which won the required unanimous approval to join the alliance in April, becoming its 31st member.

But even after a May reelection victory that U.S. officials hoped would allow Erdogan to relax his position, as well as the implementation of a new Swedish anti-terrorism law, he has stood his ground on Sweden.

Recent events could complicate matters with predominantly Muslim Turkey: Two men burned pages from a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque last week, in a demonstration that Sweden’s police and a court had approved.

During a joint news conference with Turkey’s foreign minister on June 12, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Sweden had addressed Turkey’s concerns “appropriately and effectively.” He added that the Biden administration’s “expectation is that this will happen by the time of the Vilnius Summit in July.”

Biden has been firm about Sweden’s eventual membership: “It will happen,” he said in a June 1 commencement address to the U.S. Air Force Academy. “I promise you.”

Ukrainian soldiers of the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade unload water from a truck at a front line position near Avdiivka, in eastern Ukraine, July 5, 2023.

President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, July 5, 2023.

After protests, France holds hasty trials for

By CATHERINE PORTER and JULIETTE GUÉRON-GABRIELLE

The clerks were on strike in the Nanterre courthouse, so the accused burglars, homeless thieves and domestic abusers had to wait. It was 5 p.m. by the time Yanis Linize was ushered into the courtroom, a few blocks from the traffic circle where young Nahel Merzouk was shot by a police officer just a week ago, setting off protests across the country.

A bike courier from a southern suburb of Paris, Linize was swept up in the anger and emotion that erupted over the death, and the widespread perception that racial discrimination had played a role in it.

He faced charges of issuing death threats to police and of promoting damage to public property.

“I was angry because of everything that is happening,” Linize, 20, told the panel of three black-robed judges before him. “Someone died. That’s serious.”

After five nights of fury over Merzouk’s killing, the country has calmed down and begun to assess the damage: more than 5,000 vehicles burned, 1,000 buildings damaged or looted, 250 police stations or gendarmeries attacked, more than 700 officers injured.

Some 3,400 people were arrested as a massive police presence set out to restore order.

The justice system is running almost around the clock to process them. Many are being funneled through hasty trials, known as comparutions immédiates, where prosecutors and courtappointed lawyers traditionally churn through simple crimes such as traffic violations, theft or assault, often when the accused is caught in the act.

After flooding the streets with 45,000 officers night after night, the French state is looking to send a second harsh message. Justice Minis- ter Éric Dupond-Moretti advised prosecutors to systematically seek prison sentences for people charged with physical assault or serious vandalism.

“Very clearly, I want a firm hand,” DupondMoretti told France Inter radio Monday.

The court in Nanterre, the Paris suburb where Merzouk lived and died, held special sessions over the weekend. All sorts of people have appeared: paramedics, restaurant employees, factory workers, students and unemployed people.

Squeezed in among robberies and domestic violence, the trials go fast. Linize’s lasted less than two hours.

He appeared in a glass defendant box, wearing a blue vest zipped up to his chin, his long brown hair falling neatly around his face, and his hands folded politely behind his back.

Police arrested him for chanting “Justice for Nahel, we will kill you all.” He told the court he was shouting “Justice for Nahel, no more deaths.” Nearly three years ago he was convicted of assaulting a police officer, and had been working to pay off a 10,000-euro ($11,000) fine since then — a heavy lift, given that he earns just 1,500 euros a month. He lives with his parents.

After his arrest, police accessed his phone and found videos he had made. The judge read out messages from Snapchat stories that Linize shared with 20 friends.

In one, he offers cash to people who can provide him with mortar tubes to launch fire works — which were the main weapons used by protesters to fight police. In a video he post ed at 3:25 a.m., he is holding a gas canister and saying, “I am going to burn everything in the housing project.”

But all of it is posture, he maintained, saying he didn’t burn, smash or steal anything. “All that, it’s just words,” he told the judges. “I’m just saying what passes through my mind.”

President Emmanuel Macron has blamed social media — Snapchat and TikTok in particular — for accelerating the violent response to the teenager’s shooting, by enabling rioters to quickly coordinate and by fueling copycat behavior. Experts say its effect is one notable difference from 2005, when France was rocked by three weeks of riots after the deaths of two teenagers who were fleeing a police check. Back then, smartphones and social media barely existed.

The lead judge read out several of the messages Linize shared, declaring he planned to “fight the police this evening” and damage everything.

“You wanted to scare the state,” the judge said. “You said nothing resulted from the messages you sent, but you’re not in control of that.”

Linize’s court-appointed criminal lawyer, Camilla Quendolo, worked on cases through the weekend. One common denominator she saw was the shock at the teenager’s death among many protesters, some of whom even knew the victim.

“The message from the prosecutor’s office has been very clear, very precise and systematic. But on the bench, it has really depended on the judge,” said Quendolo, who spends 30% of her time working as a public defender.

“It’s a good and bad thing,” she added. “They aren’t robots, which is good, but at the same time, it creates a disparity between people.”

In court, she reminded the judges that her client had no dangerous items on him at the time of arrest — “no weapon, no fireworks, nothing.” His words were simply political, she said.

Especial de Gomas

Amsterdam tries to dim the glare on its red-light district

By CLAIRE MOSES

It has been a goal sought after by Amsterdam for years: dissuading rowdy, brawling tourists from overtaking the red-light district.

The Dutch city announced new measures this spring to crack down on noise and substance abuse, which residents have long complained about in the district. But sex workers, bartenders and entrepreneurs say the new rules haven’t been effective in making the area safer or quieter.

Now the city is pushing a more drastic move: setting up a location for legal prostitution in another neighborhood to spread out demand — an idea that has set off mixed reactions from the industry.

The new rules introduced this spring set earlier closing times for bars (2 a.m., and no new entry after 1 a.m.); stopped sex workers from working after 3 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.; and banned marijuana smoking in the street. But many sex workers say the regulations make them less safe because they have less time to earn enough money to cover the cost of their rooms, pressuring them to accept clients they would otherwise turn down.

“The problem isn’t between 3 and 6 o’clock in the morning,” said Phoebe, 29, a coordinator at the Prostitution Information Center in the red-light district who asked to be identified only by her first name because she is also a sex worker.

“Sex workers are being asked to compromise on their safety and well-being,” she said.

Bar owners are unhappy, too, saying that the earlier closing times mean they are mis-

sing out on thousands of euros in revenue per month and that rowdy customers are still a reality.

“There aren’t fewer problems,” said Bartho Makkinga, who works at a bar in the neighborhood. “For the real troublemakers, there’s no difference.”

On top of being known for window prostitution and sex shops, the red-light district is one of Amsterdam’s oldest neighborhoods and full of the city’s signature canals, cobblestoned streets and narrow homes. To keep tourists in check, the city has enforced a one-way system for pedestrians by closing off the bridges that cross the canals and adding the presence of so-called hosts in red vests who answer questions and inform people of the rules.

But “it’s always busy, and there’s always chaos,” said Thomas de Rijk, one of the hosts, on a recent evening.

Efforts to decrease nuisance and criminal activity in the area are not new. In 2019, the city banned tours of the neighborhood. And in March, Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, began a campaign aimed at British men ages 18 to 35, telling them to “stay away.” The sale of alcohol is also banned in shops after 4 p.m.

from Thursday to Sunday.

“The red-light district has become such a symbol that you’d almost forget that it’s a residential area,” said Femke Halsema, Amsterdam’s mayor. The neighborhood has always been a center for trade, art and small businesses. The new rules and a place for legal prostitution elsewhere in the city are supposed to bring back those original functions, she said.

For decades, the city has tried to make the neighborhood more livable for locals, including battling a heroin epidemic in the 1970s and now today’s excessive tourism, said Tim Verlaan, an urban historian at the University of Amsterdam.

Cheap flights and the expansion of Amsterdam’s airport have played a part in increasing the number of visitors and large groups of young people coming over for bachelor parties or drinking weekends. “It’s very easy to get here from anywhere in the world,” Verlaan said.

Last year, Amsterdam saw about 20 million visitors, according to figures provided by the city. It has about 900,000 residents and is on track to have 30 million annual tourists by 2030, said Halsema.

Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, July 2, 2021. Halsema wants to create an erotic center for legal prostitution in another part of the city.

Meet the new guardian of the Amazon

By MANUELA ANDREONI

There was a lot of talk about deforestation and biodiversity at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. One of the leaders at the gathering with huge responsibility in that area, and a huge task ahead of her, was Marina Silva, Brazil’s new environment minister.

I want to introduce you to Silva, 64, because of the enormous importance of her job.

She’s served as environment minister before, from 2003 to 2008, and put in place policies and protections that ultimately reduced the rate of deforestation by 80%. Now, back in office under Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, there’s enormous hope that she can repeat that feat.

Born in the Amazon to a family of rubber tappers, Marina Silva, who is generally known in Brazil by her given name, was directly affected by many of the problems that plague people in the forest. Loved ones died of malaria after a new road brought deforestation and diseases to the her area. There were few basic services available, so she only learned how to read when she was 16. Her mentor, the environmentalist and trade union leader Chico Mendes, was murdered

for his activism.

Silva’s first run as minister ended when she quit after facing what she called resistance from important political interests. For years, she distanced herself from Lula and only recently opted to support him again. This time, the job will be harder. She acknowledges that the forest is in a much more precarious state than when she first took office almost two decades ago. The previous president, Jair Bolsonaro, undid many of the measures she helped to put in place to protect the Amazon. Deforestation rates rose sharply.

She has a long to-do list, which starts with strengthening Brazil’s environmental protection agencies and getting the Amazon Fund, an initiative funded by foreign partners to fight deforestation, running again.

I talked to her about how she’s feeling about the task ahead. These are excerpts from our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

Manuela: You said yourself that the challenge is enormous. The whole world seems to be looking at you as the person who can save the Amazon, a crucial tool in the fight against climate change and the biodiversity crisis. How do you carry this weight?

Marina: First of all, this weight will never be one person’s alone. It’s a collective job, but the biggest leader coordinating it is President Lula. He took this agenda on himself, the climate agenda, of ridding Indigenous lands of illegal mining, of getting to 2030 with zero deforestation.

Manuela: A lot has changed in the Amazon since you left the ministry. Bolsonaro supporters there have even shot at the police to oppose the election result. How will you handle these new challenges?

Marina: There was also, back then, great resistance. Let’s not forget that sister Dorothy in Terra do Meio region was murdered as a reaction to us creating protected areas there. There was a lot of tension. It’s incomparably bigger now, but there is a comparative advantage. We had to build the structures, which led to positive results, from nothing. Now, we won’t start from nothing. We have a legacy that will be updated.

Manuela: What can we expect in terms of global cooperation for the Amazon rainforest forest?

Marina: We have high hopes that philanthropic organizations can help the Amazon Fund to get resources. We already have a few philanthropic organizations that help fund government agencies. Now, at COP27, the Moore Foundation said it was interested in a partnership. We talked to the Bezos Foundations, the DiCaprio Foundation. There are also governments that are very, let’s say, eager to broaden

their cooperation with Brazil on several fronts.

Manuela: What gives you hope about the future of the forest?

Marina: I think what gives me hope is that a significant part of the Brazilian population decided to vote for a government platform that defends democracy, is committed to protecting the forest, Indigenous people and fighting climate change, while also curbing inequality. We know that what we are doing is something that’s very difficult, but it’s exactly the size of the challenge that makes our commitment grow.

Marina Silva at an election rally in Maua, Brazil, on Aug. 25, 2018. She has returned to office as Brazil’s enviroment minister, a post she held from 2003 to 2008.

POR CYBERNEWS

SAN JUAN – El secretario del Departamento de Hacienda, Francisco Parés Alicea, anunció el miércoles, los dos periodos de ventas exentas del pago del Impuesto sobre Ventas y Uso (IVU), en la compra de uniformes y materiales escolares para el año escolar 2023-2024.

“Emitimos la Carta Circular de Rentas Internas 2311, estableciendo el primer periodo de exención de IVU en ciertas compras escolares, desde las 12:00 de la medianoche del viernes, 14 de julio de 2023 hasta las 11:59 de la noche del sábado, 15 de julio de 2023. El segundo periodo de ventas sin IVU, será desde el 4 de enero de 2024, a las 12:00 de la medianoche, hasta las 11:59 de la noche del viernes, 5 de enero de 2024”, informó el funcionario.

“Exhortamos a todos los padres y tutores a que verifiquen las listas escolares, para que hagan sus preparativos de cara al inicio del nuevo año escolar. Para información detallada sobre esta exención, puede acceder a la Carta Circular a través del enlace: https://hacienda.pr.gov/publicaciones/carta-circularde-rentas-internas-num-23-11-cc-ri-23-11”, dijo el funcionario.

Es importante señalar que, el término uniforme escolar se refiere específicamente al requerido por la institución educativa para ser utilizado por los estudiantes y que no puede tener un uso general o continuo fuera de la escuela. Además, se consideran uniforme escolar aquellas piezas de ropa y calzado que complementen una o más piezas del uniforme, según es requerido por la entidad educativa.

No se incluyen los siguientes artículos: hebillas de correa vendidas por separado; máscaras de disfraz; parches y emblemas; equipo y artículos de coser;

POR CYBERNEWS

CAYEY – El gobernador Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia dijo el miércoles que solicitará asesoramiento para determinar si firma o no el proyecto que busca prohibir las bolsas plásticas desechables que se venden en los comercios.

“Bueno, en el pasado yo he firmado proyectos que tienen que ver con artículos de plástico, si mal no recuerdo. Y en este caso pues lo voy a evaluar cada vez que yo puedo apoyar medidas que protegen el ambiente, que mejoran el ambiente, lo hago. Pero tomaré mi decisión luego de recibir el insumo de entre otros departamentos, el Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, de igual manera el Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor, el Departamento de Desarrollo Económico y Comer-

materiales de costura; maletines; cosméticos; artículos para el pelo; carteras de mano; pañuelos; joyería; equipo protector contra lesiones o enfermedades, como mascarillas, caretas, cascos; equipo deportivo y recreativo como zapatillas de ballet, calzado deportivo de ganchos, patines y hombreras, entre otros.

Los materiales que se incluyen en el periodo de ventas exentas de IVU son: los escolares, los de arte y de música, los escolares instructivos comprados al detal y medios de almacenaje de computadoras (storage media), incluyendo discos, discos compactos y memorias (flash drives).

Entre los materiales escolares se encuentran también las carpetas; bulto escolar; calculadora; cinta adhesiva; tiza; compás; crayolas; goma de borrar; cartapacios, acordeones expansibles, plásticos y sobres manila; pega, adhesivo y adhesivo en barra; marcadores, incluyendo fluorescentes; tarjetas de afiche (index cards) y cajas para almacenarlas; loncheras; papel suelto, con líneas para libretas de argolla, para copias, cuadriculado, de calcar, manila, papel de color, cartulina y de construcción; cajas de lápices y otras cajas para materiales; sacapuntas; lápices; bolígrafos; transportadores (protractors); reglas y tijeras.

En el caso de los materiales de arte y música, estos son los usualmente utilizados en cursos de arte o música o en cursos de estudios, como referencia para aprender la asignatura. Estos incluyen, el barro y esmaltes; pinturas, incluyendo

cio, el Departamento de Justicia, entre otros. Todos esos departamentos tendrán que asesorarme. No incluía AAFAF y lo debo incluir también porque hoy día tenemos un plan fiscal que incide en muchos temas. Así que cuando yo reciba el insumo de todos esos departamentos tomo mi decisión, pero tengo que decir que cada vez que tengo la oportunidad de proteger el ambiente, lo hago”, dijo el gobernador a preguntas de la prensa.

El proyecto sustitutivo aprobado pretende enmendar la Ley 247 de 2015 para la Promoción de Bolsas Reusables y la Reglamentación del Uso de Bolsas Plásticas.

Si el gobernador lo firma, se elimina y prohíbe el uso de bolsas plásticas desechables y se ordena su reemplazo por alternativas eco amigable como las bolsas reusables.

acrílicas, de témpera y de aceite; brochas; libretas de dibujo y de bosquejos; acuarelas; instrumentos musicales y mapas y el globo terráqueo de referencia.

Todos los libros impresos y electrónicos están exentos del pago de IVU durante todo el año. Esta exención es aplicable tanto a la compra como al alquiler de los mismos. Los libros impresos son publicaciones que se editan de una sola vez o a intervalos, mientras que los electrónicos también conocidos como libros digitales, ciberlibros o ‘e books’, son la versión electrónica o digital de un libro impreso.

Las libretas de notas compradas al detal, independientemente de su tamaño, también está exentas del pago del IVU durante todo el año.

Como regla general, las compras bajo planes de ‘lay away’, mediante vales (rain checks), por correspondencia, teléfono, correo electrónico, internet o certificados y tarjetas de regalo, cualifican para la exención del IVU, cuando su pago y entrega ocurre dentro de las fechas establecidas en la Carta Circular.

Hacienda anuncia periodos de ventas exentas del pago del IVU para el regreso a la escuela

Gobernador se va a asesorar sobre proyecto que prohíbe bolsas plásticas para determinar si lo firma

With Indiana Jones’ return, looking back at the opening scene of ‘Raiders’

By JASON BAILEY

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (now in theaters) is the first film in that franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg, who developed the character all those years ago with George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, as well as screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan. Yet the handoff of directorial duties to James Mangold doesn’t feel like a strain, because Spielberg established the character of the globetrotting archaeologist and the style of his cinematic escapades so adroitly over the first four films.

In fact, he set them in stone in the very first sequence of the very first movie — as we can see in a shot-by-shot look that classic sequence today.

We first see Indiana Jones less than 30 seconds into 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” — but it’s a carefully prepared hero entrance, holding back Harrison Ford’s distinctive visage as long as possible. Instead, we first see him from the back, in a frame that nevertheless introduces the character and his distinctive iconography (his hat, bullwhip and jacket).

This continues for a few minutes; we only see Indiana Jones from behind, in shadow or in disembodied close-ups, like when he uses his bullwhip to snatch a pistol from the local who is about to betray him. “That’s when you first see him with the bullwhip,” Lucas explained in a 1978 story con-

ference that was tape-recorded, transcribed and made available a few years ago. “That’s where the plot comes alive.” After that move, we finally see his face as he steps into the light.

Our first look inside the cave is creepily atmospheric — dark and torchlit, with our view of our hero initially blocked by cobwebs. “This is the first scene in the movie,” Spielberg, at the time still best known as the director of “Jaws,” strategized. “This scene should get at least four major screams.”

Part of the M.O. of the Jones movies is how sequences constantly top themselves. We get a prime early example of that when Satipo (future “Doc Ock” Alfred Molina) is alarmed by a sprinkling of spiders on Indy’s back — only to turn and reveal his own back covered in spiders.

Few filmmakers are as aware of their audience as Spielberg, and he uses Satipo as an audience surrogate; he reacts as we do, registering shock and fear at the various dangers, booby traps and skeletons they encounter along their way.

Yet the director always plays fair. We see all of the dangers of the cave, at normal speed, on their way in — so we’re prepared for Indy and Satipo to face them, at top speed, on the way out.

With both his good looks and lightning-fast reflexes established, we also quickly get a sense of Dr. Jones’ intelligence. He sees every potential trap and carefully sidesteps it: where he walks, the light his body crosses, the careful replacement of the idol with the sand bag.

Spielberg cuts tautly, back and forth, between Indy attempting the switch and Satipo watching in fear (again, the audience surrogate), building tension that seems to deflate when he successfully manipulates the swap.

And then all bets are off.

In their breakdown of the sequence, Spielberg voiced three different variations of one idea: “What we’re just doing here, really, is designing a ride at Disneyland.” (There would, subsequently, be an immensely popular Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.) And that’s what they do, creating a lightningfast, whiplash-inducing series of ascents and dips, traps and

Continues on page 18

Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Vampire’ takes a note from Taylor Swift: Leave a mark

By JON CARAMANICA

On “Drivers License,” one of the great singles of the 2020s, Olivia Rodrigo has been played for a fool by an ex, but the song — pulsing, parched, destitute — remains centered in her pathos. She may have been abandoned, but the person who did the damage is still an object of, if not exactly affection, then obsession: “I still hear your voice in the traffic/ We’re laughing/ Over all the noise.” At the song’s conclusion, she is alone, and lonely.

That was the Rodrigo from 2 1/2 years ago, when she was reintroducing herself to the world as a human after a stretch as a Disney actress automaton. The Rodrigo who appears on “Vampire,” the first single from her forthcoming second album, has now lived through some things. Her sweetness has curdled.

“Vampire” is nervy and anxious, a tripartite study in defiance that begins with Elton John-esque piano balladry a la “Drivers License” — a head fake in the direction of naiveté.

But Rodrigo knows better now, or at least knows more: Rapid stardom has both bolstered and cloistered her. “I loved you truly,” she sings, deadpan, then almost cackles the next line, “You gotta laugh at the stupidity.” The song continues in this vein, through a boisterous up-tempo midsection and a rowdy, theatrical conclusion. Her subject matter — romantic disappointment, being left in the lurch — is the same, but the stakes are much greater now.

“I used to think I was smart/ But you made me look so naive,” she sings. It is the sort of insider-outsider awareness that can only come from being both the object and the subject at once — powerful enough to author your own story, vulnerable enough to fall prey to someone else’s wiles.

It is, in short, Rodrigo’s “Dear John.”

Over a decade after its release, “Dear John” remains one of the most powerful songs in Taylor Swift’s catalog, and also among the most idiosyncratic. Purportedly about a dismal romantic engagement with John Mayer, it is produced in the style of Mayer, dressed liberally with blues guitar noodling.

Lyrically, it’s not only astute, it’s vicious. Swift begins with a similar unjaundiced shrug — “Well, maybe it’s me/ And my blind optimism to blame” — then goes on to surgically, savagely disassemble her foe: “You are an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry/ Never impressed by me acing your tests.”

“Dear John” appeared on “Speak Now,” Swift’s third album, released when she was 20. It wasn’t a single, but it was one of a pair of songs on the album — the other was “Mean,” about a fierce critic of her artistry — in which Swift began cre-

Olivia Rodrigo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala in New York, May 2, 2022. The pop singer’s new single dismantles a former paramour who was entranced by fame, borrowing a tactic from Taylor Swift’s career-shifting

“Dear John.”

atively and publicly reckoning with the public version of herself. Her earlier songwriting felt winningly insular, almost provocatively emotionally intimate. But “Dear John” announced Swift as a bolder and riskier performer and songwriter, one unafraid of using stardom as her ink, and who understood that the celebrity most people knew provided as much fodder as her inner life.

Rodrigo is 20 now, and “Guts,” due in September, will be her second album. And while “Drivers License” and its fallout became tabloid fodder, the public narrative wasn’t encoded into the song itself.

“Vampire” changes that. Rodrigo’s target here is someone attempting to be glamorous, or perhaps glamour itself: “Look at you, cool guy, you got it/ I see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when I close my eyes/ Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise.”

The relationship itself, Rodrigo learns, is a transaction,

With Indiana Jones’ return, looking back at the opening scene of ‘Raiders’

From page 17

saves, fake-outs and tight squeezes. Indy finally seems home free … and then comes the topper.

The most memorable image in a scene full of them plays out just as Lucas described it in 1978. “There is a 65foot boulder that’s form-fitted to only roll down the corridor

coming right at him,” he explained. “And it’s a race. He gets to outrun the boulder.”

And shockingly, he does. He ends up covered in cobwebs and escaping empty-handed, but at least he escapes … … using a conveniently placed vine to make a skin-ofhis-teeth getaway, accompanied by, for the first time, John

too. “The way you sold me for parts/ As you sunk your teeth into me,” she yowls, before anointing her ex with the coldest moniker imaginable: “fame [expletive].” That insult usually begins with “star” rather than “fame,” but Rodrigo knows that the condition of fame is far more toxic than any one person, and that someone who craves it is perhaps uninterested in personhood at all.

On “Drivers License,” Rodrigo still saw the other woman as an enemy, or source of tension, but now on “Vampire,” she understands what the lines of allegiance truly are, marking an emergent feminist streak. Here, she finds kinship with her ex’s other partners, and lambastes herself for thinking she ever was the exception: “Every girl I ever talked to told me you were bad, bad news/ You called them crazy, God, I hate the way I called ’em crazy too.”

There’s an echo here of Swift’s realization on “Dear John” that she, too, is closer kin to the other aggrieved women than to her ex: “You’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand/ And I look back in regret how I ignored when they said/ ‘Run as fast as you can.’”

After sweeping past it for most of her career, Swift has just begun revisiting this moment — last month, she played “Dear John” live for the first time in more than 11 years, at one of the Minneapolis stops of her Eras Tour. That’s likely because Swift’s rerecording of “Speak Now,” part of her ongoing early album reclamation project, is being released this week.

But she also used the moment to both reflect on her maturation, and to urge her devoted, sometimes ferocious fans not to live in, or dwell on, her past.

“I’m 33 years old. I don’t care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote and the memories we made together,” she said from the stage. “So what I’m trying to tell you is, I’m not putting this album out so you should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago.”

When Swift began reporting on her own fame on “Dear John,” it had the secondary effect of activating phalanxes of fans who went to war on her behalf, too. But over the course of the past decade, something interesting happened: The battle became theirs more than hers. They hold on to her wrongs with pitbull-like grip, ensuring, in a way, that Swift can’t fully grow up.

So if “Dear John” is a creative guidepost for “Vampire,” this cautionary note offers a suggestion of what might come from it: a call to arms, a hardening of your outer shell, a conflagration that burns long after you light the match and walk away.

Williams’ unforgettable main theme. And then, once in the plane, we find out that (the previous sequence notwithstanding) there is one thing Indiana Jones is afraid of: snakes.

“In the end all it is a teaser,“ Lucas said of this opening, as they mapped it out years in advance. And he’s right; it’s a marvelous preview of the thrills, chills and laughs of the film that will follow. But the “Raiders” opening did more than that: it set a template for the “Indiana Jones” series — and for the thrill-ride blockbusters of the 1980s and beyond.

Who says a walk can’t be a workout?

By JANCEE DUNN

During our monthlong series dedicated to the joys of walking, this time we’re turning our walk into a workout.

Walking, at any intensity, is good for you. A slow, steady pace has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But research suggests that increasing the length of your walk can lower the risk of premature death and diseases such as cancer — and raising intensity brings additional benefits.

To help us level up our walks, I reached out to Janet Dufek, a professor of kinesiology and nutrition sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I also took a fitness-focused walk with Martinus Evans, a certified running coach and the founder of Slow AF Run Club.

Evans and I explored Prospect Park in Brooklyn, where he reminded me that a workout walk, more than anything else, should be fun. “We’re not elite athletes,” he said. “We’re walking for joy, and we can make up our own rules.”

Involve the arms

Walking engages large muscle groups — such as glutes and quads — but if it’s your only form of movement, try adding exercises that focus on your upper body, Dufek said.

Consider bringing 1- or 2-pound weights, Evans said. You can use them while you’re walking, or pull over and do bicep curls or shoulder presses.

Dufek suggested trying arm motions such as air punching: Hold the weights and extend your arms, as if you’re boxing. You can also make a “T” shape with your arms as you hold the weights, bending and extending at the elbow.

Instead of weights, you can bring full water bottles, which can serve as makeshift weights as you start out, Dufek added. They will also serve as motivation to stay hydrated later in your walk, she added, “as you drink down your stash.”

If you don’t want to carry weights, you can swing your arms more vigorously or try arm circles. Start with wide arcs and slowly “minimize them until they’re very small circles,” Evans said. Go in one direction for 30 seconds, then switch to the other direction.

Use your environment

As you walk, Evans said, look for ways to build in a little more activity. When we passed a park bench, he suggested we do a few squats. (“Get up, sit back down.”) Another option: Stop and do 10 standing calf raises. (Raise your heels slowly, hold for a few seconds and then lower your heels back to the ground.)

Change your pace and route

You can boost your workout by walking on different terrain, Dufek said. “It is harder to walk on loose trail dirt than on a sidewalk,” she said. If you can go to the beach, Dufek added, dry sand is “an extreme walking surface” that requires more effort.

You can also vary your intensity and speed, she said. Pick up the pace for 30 seconds, she said, and then recover for three minutes.

Consider a contest

If you’re walking with someone, try engaging in “a little friendly competition,” Evans said. “You can say, ‘All right, the last person to the stoplight — and you got to walk, no running — buys coffee.’”

Count dogs, not minutes

To build endurance and keep on the trail longer, don’t fixate on time, Evans said. Instead, he suggested counting “all the dogs you see, and make it a goal not to go home until you see 25 dogs.” Or you can count stoplights, he said, or fire hydrants. “Make it fun,” he said.

As Evans and I walked along, we pointed out pups to each other. At the end of our walk, we sat on a bench and totaled up everything we had seen. Ten dogs. Two hot dog vendors. And, Evans reminded me, one shirtless guy on a unicycle.

“If you’re counting shirtless guys on unicycles instead of dogs,” he said, “your walk may be shorter.”

There are simple ways to increase intensity without turning your stroll into a slog.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN

MIGUEL ANIBAL GARCIA

ALGARIN; ROSA MARIA CABRERA SANCHEZ Peticionarios EX-PARTE

Civil Núm.: BY2023CV02767. (605). Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO CONTRADICTORIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: TODOS LOS QUE

TENGAN CUALQUIER

DERECHO REAL EN LA FINCA QUE MÁS ADELANTE SE DESCRIBE, PERSONAS

IGNORADAS, NATURALES O JURÍDICAS, A QUIENES

PUEDA PERJUDICAR

LA INSCRIPCIÓN DE DICHA FINCA A FAVOR DE LOS PETICIONARIOS Y A LAS PERSONAS DESCONOCIDAS, NATURALES O JURÍDICAS QUE

TUVIEREN DERECHO

A OPONERSE O SE CREYERON CON DERECHO A OPONERSE A LA INSCRIPCIÓN DEL INMUEBLE QUE

SE DESCRIBE MÁS ADELANTE.

POR LA PRESENTE se le notifica que se ha presentado ante este Tribunal el expediente arriba mencionado con el fin de justificar el dominio a favor de los Peticionarios sobre la siguiente propiedad: RÚSTICA: Predio de terreno identificado como solar 9 en el Plano de Inscripción Sustituto, radicado en el Barrio Guaraguao Arriba del término municipal de Bayamón, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 3,575.3620 mc., equivalentes a 0.9097 cuerdas, en lindes: por el NORTE, en 10.65 metros lineales, 26.34 metros lineales y 31.94 metros lineales, con la Carretera Estatal P.R. 812 que le sirve de acceso, el remanente de la finca de la cual se segrega y el solar 8, respectivamente; por el SUR, en 18.91 metros lineales con terrenos del Dr. Jesús F. Soto; por el ESTE, en 61.18 metros lineales con terrenos de la sucesión Federico Sufront; y por el OES-

TE, en cuatro alineaciones que totalizan 158.96 metros lineales, con terrenos de Jesús Soto y Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados. Los Peticionarios adquirieron la propiedad por Compraventa de Rafael Algarín Erazo y Elisa De Jesús Alvelo mediante escritura 11 otorgada el 22 de mayo de 1993 ante el Notario Público Elliot Merced Montañez. La propiedad antes descrita surge de la finca matriz que se describe a continuación: RÚSTICA: Compuesta de 6.1377 cdas., equivalentes a 24,123.4080, ubicado en el Barrio SANTA OLAYA del término municipal de Bayamón, Puerto Rico, colindando por el NORTE, con el Dr. Alberto Sánchez, por el SUR, con el Dr. Jesús E. Soto, Por el ESTE, con el Sr. Baltazar Nieves Rodríguez, y el Sr Federico Sufront y Roberto Mercado, y por el OESTE, con el Dr. Alberto E. Sánchez. Enclava una estructura de hormigón para fines residenciales. La finca fue adquirida en dominio por declaración judicial. Consta inscrita al folio 6 del tomo 1551 de Bayamón Sur, finca número 67,914, inscripción primera y única, del Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón Sección I. SE LE NOTIFICA que este Tribunal ha ordenado que se le cite como persona que está en posesión de parte o todos los predios colindantes de la finca descrita, o tenga interés para que haga oposición a este expediente si se viere perjudicado con la inscripción solicitada; advirtiéndole que de no hacer oposición dentro del término de veinte (20) días a contar desde la publicación de este edicto, los Peticionarios podrán obtener que se apruebe este expediente y se mande a inscribir a su nombre la finca antes descrita en el Registro de la Propiedad. 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:// tribunalelectronico.ramajudicial.pr/sumac2018 salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal, notificando a la representación legal en la dirección de récord:

LCDA. LIZANNETTE MORALES CRESPO PO BOX 5272

CAROLINA, PR 00984-5272

TEL. 787-945-5233

EMAIL:

moraIescrespolaw@gmail.com

POR ORDEN DEL HONORA-

BLE Mariela Miranda Recci, Jueza de este Tribunal, expido la presente en Bayamón,

Puerto Rico, hoy a 20 de junio de 2023, bajo mi firma y sello oficial. LCDA. LAURA I. SAN-

TA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR.

NÉLIDA OCASIO ORTEGA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAGUAS

ORIENTAL BANK

Parte Demandante V. LUIS ALBERTO

VICENTY SANTINI

Parte Demandada

Civil Núm.: CG2020CV02706.

Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA.

LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS.

AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBAS-

TA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Caguas, hago saber a la parte demandada, LUIS ALBERTO VICENTY SANTINI;

Y AL PÚBLICO EN GENERAL que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 31 de mayo de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor pagadero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o giro postal, a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal, la siguiente propiedad con dirección física: [Solar #22 Calle 1, Barrio Bayamón, Cidra PR 00739] y que se describe como sigue: RÚSTICA: Solar radicado en el Barrio Bayamón de Cidra, Puerto Rico. Está marcado con el número veintidós en el plano de inscripción parcial. Tiene una cabida de mil cuatrocientos cincuenta y siete metros y cinco centímetros cuadrados, o sea, trescientos setenta y una milésimas de una cuerda. Mide y colinda por el NORTE, en setenta y un metros y setenta y cuatro centímetros con el solar número veintitrés; por el SUR, en dos alineaciones que suman sesenta y seis metros y cinco centímetros con terrenos de Domingo Rodríguez; por el ESTE, en diecinueve metros y ochenta y seis centímetros con el remanente de la finca principal; y por el OESTE, en dos alineaciones en forma de arco que suman treinta y seis metros y noventa y siete centímetros con la calle Ramal número uno y en quince metros y setenta y dos centímetros con el remanente de la finca principal. Ins-

crita al Folio 239 del Tomo 226 de Cidra, finca número 9,013, inscripción 14ta, Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección 2da. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) HIPOTECA constituida por Luis Alberto Vicenty Santini, soltero, en garantía de un pagare, aff. #6248, a favor de The Money House Inc., o a su orden, por $137,499.00 con intereses al 4% vencedero el 1 de abril de 2046, según escritura 123 otorgada en San Juan, el 11 de marzo de 2016, ante el notario Priscilla M. Santiago Acosta, inscrita al Sistema Karibe de Cidra, finca 9013, según inscripción 15ª. (ii) ANOTACIÓN DE DEMANDA radicada el 29 de octubre de 2019 en la Sala de Caguas del Tribunal de Primera Instancia en el caso civil número CG2019CV04059, sobre cobro de dinero y ejecución de hipoteca Scotiabank de Puerto Rico, demandante v. Luis Alberto Vicenty Santini, demandado. Por la misma se reclama el pago de $129,690.18, más otras sumas, garantizados por la hipoteca que resulta de la inscripción 15ta. Inscrita el 9 de abril de 2020 al Tomo Digital Karibe de la finca 9,013 de Cidra. Anotación “A”. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (ii). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma satisfacer la sentencia dictada el 16 de julio de 2021, mediante la cual se condenó a la parte demandada pagar a la parte demandante la cantidad ascendiente a En dicha sentencia, se determinó que la parte demandada, adeuda a la parte demandante la suma de $129,690.18 de principal con intereses al 4% anual desde el día 1 de mayo de 2019 hasta su completo pago, cargos por demoras, más las cantidades debidas de contribuciones e impuestos, primas de seguro contra riesgo y seguro de hipoteca hasta su completo pago, más la cantidad estipulada de $13,749.90 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 1 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 10:45 DE LA MAÑANA, en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de CAGUAS, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma, la cantidad de $137,499.00 sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 8 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 10:45 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, $91,666.00. Si

Thursday, July 6, 2023

no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el 15 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 10:45 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar en la que regirá como tipo mínimo, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $68,749.50. 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 estos, sin destinarse a su extinción cualquier parte del remanente del precio de licitación. La propiedad para ejecutar será adquirida 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 CAGUAS, Puerto Rico hoy 22 de junio de 2023. Alejandro Urbina Roque, Alguacil Auxiliar Placa #997, Tribunal De Primera Instancia, Sala De Caguas.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante V. ABDIEL ARMANDO DIAZ CARRION; ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO A TRAVÉS DE HONORABLE SECRETARIO DE JUSTICIA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV01826. Sobre: COBRO DE DINEROEJECUCIÓN 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 San Juan, 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: Propiedad Horizontal: CONDOMINIO PUERTA DEL SOL de Sabana Llana. Apartamento: 301. Cabida: 1,408.13 Pies Cuadrados. Apartamento residencial 301, de forma rectangular localizado en el piso Número tres (3) del Condominio Puerta Del Sol que ubica en la Carretera Estatal Número 181, del Barrio Sabana Llana de Rio Piedras, Municipio de San Juan, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 1,408.13

The San Juan Daily Star

pies cuadrados, siendo sus medidas lineales sesenta y seis pies de largo (66’0”) por veintidós pies con siete pulgadas de ancho (22’7”); en lindes por el NORTE, en una distancia de veintidós pies con nueve pulgadas (22’9”) con terrenos donde enclava el edificio; por el SUR, en una distancia de veintidós pies con nueve pulgadas (22’9”) con terrenos donde enclava el edificio; por el ESTE, en una distancia de sesenta y seis pies (66’0”) con terrenos donde enclava el edificio y por el OESTE, en una distancia de sesenta y seis pies (66’0”), con el pasillo central del piso y la escalera. La puerta principal del apartamento tiene acceso al pasillo central del piso. Esta unidad residencial consta de los siguiente: sala, comedor, baño, pasillo con closet, biblioteca, laundry, cocina, tres cuartos dormitorios con su closet, dormitorio “master” con “walkin” closet y baño. El apartamento tiene un porciento de participación en los elementos comunes generales de punto cero cero nueve cero seis dos nueve (.0090629%). A este apartamento le corresponde como elemento común limitado el estacionamiento número 99. Inscrita en la finca número 35,797, inscrita al TOMO Karibe de Sabana Llana, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Quinta Sección de San Juan. La propiedad, según pagaré, ubica en: Puerta del Sol Condo. Apt. 301-B, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926. 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 19 de mayo de 2016, expedido en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, en el Caso Civil número KCD20161021 sobre Cobro de Dinero, seguido por Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Inc., (así surge) contra Abdiel Díaz Carrión, por

la suma de $72,373.30 más intereses y otras sumas, anotado el día 18 de febrero de 2021, al tomo Karibe de Sabana Llana, finca número 35,797, Anotación A. Aviso de Demanda de fecha 11 de marzo de 2022, expedido en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, en el caso civil número SJ2022CV01826, sobre cobro de dinero y ejecución de hipoteca, seguido por Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, contra Abdiel Armando Díaz Carrión, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, a través del Secretario de Justicia, por la suma de $65,036.40, anotado el día 25 de marzo de 2022, al tomo Karibe de Sabana Llana, finca número 35,797, anotación B. Embargo a favor del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico contra Díaz Carrión, Abdiel A., Plaza del Parque 65 Carr. 848, Apto 305 Trujillo Alto, PR 00976-3019, número de cuenta xxx-xx-6921, por la suma de $1,308.78, Embargo Número CAR-20-0178, según Certificación de fecha 15 de octubre de 2019, anotado el 31 de octubre de 2019 al asiento 2019-010235-EST del Sistema Karibe. El producto de la subasta se destinará a satisfacer al demandante hasta donde alcance, la SENTENCIA dictada a su favor el día 18 de enero de 2023, archivada en autos y notificada el 23 de enero de 2023, y publicada en periódico de circulación general, The San Daily Star”, el 26 de enero de 2023, este Honorable Tribunal dictó Sentencia en contra de la parte demandada, por la suma de $65,036.40 por concepto de principal, más los intereses sobre dicha suma a razón del 6.25%, anual desde el 1ro de noviembre de 2015, hasta su completo pago, más las primas de seguro hipotecario, recargos por demora y cualesquiera otras cantidades pactadas en la escritura de primera hipoteca, desde la fecha antes mencionada y hasta la fecha del pago total de las mismas, más la suma de $6,636.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado; y demás créditos accesorios garantizados hipotecariamente (“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 7 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 9:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en el Centro Judicial de San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Que el precio mínimo fijado para la

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. ANSELMO PEREZ RIVERA, ELBA REVERON FUENTES Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA

POR AMBOS, ADMINISTRACION DE LOS SISTEMAS DE RETIRO DE LOS EMPLEADOS DEL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, JOHN DOE

Demandado(a)

Civil: BY2023CV01694. Sala:

701. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO POR LA VÍA JUDICIAL. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: ANSELMO PEREZ RIVERA, ELBA REVERON FUENTES Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS COMO TENEDORES

DESCONOCIDOS DEL PAGARE. JOHN DOE COMO TENEDOR DESCONCIDO DEL PAGARE.

(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 28 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 28 de junio de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico, el 28 de junio de

2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. MARÍA E. COLLAZO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR. LEGAL NOTICE

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

LA PAZ PHARMACY INC.

Demandante V. TENSHI CORPORATION; JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO Y CUALESQUIER PERSONA DESCONOCIDA COMO POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA OBLIGACIÓN CUYA CANCELACIÓN POR DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA

Demandado(a)

Civil Núm.: AR2023CV00798.

Sobre: CANCELACIÓN O RESTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO Y CUALESQUIER PERSONA DESCONOCIDA COMO POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA OBLIGACIÓN CUYA CANCELACIÓN POR DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA.

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

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 27 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 ARECIBO, Puerto Rico, el 28 de junio de 2023. Vivian Y. Fresse González, Secretaria. Yanitza Iglesias Maldonado, Secretaria Auxiliar.

NAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE HUMACAO ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante V. JULIO VELÁZQUEZ

APONTE, FULANA DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandado(a)

Civil: HU2022CV01036. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JULIO VELÁZQUEZ APONTE, FULANA DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS. A SUS DIRECCIONES

CONOCIDAS: PO BOX 851, HUMACAO, PR 00792 Y URB. MANSIONES DEL CARIBE, AB 14 CALLE OPALO, HUMACAO, PR 00792. P/C LCDO. JAIME RUIZ SALDAÑA.

(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 27 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 27 de junio de 2023. En Humacao, Puerto Rico, el 27 de junio de 2023. IVELISSE

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

LEGAL NOT ICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V.

SUCESION DE LUIS ALBERTO PEREZ MERCADO COMPUESTA

POR FULANO DE TAL Y ZUTANO DE TAL Demandado(a)

Civil: PO2023CV00074. 406.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA, COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: FULANO DE TAL Y ZUTANO DE TAL, COMO HEREDEROS DÉSCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE LUIS ALBERTO PEREZ MERCADO.

P/C: LIC. XANA M. CONNELLY PAGÁN. 33 RESOLUCION ST SUITE 201, EDIFICIO CHUBB, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, 00920-8212. (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 28 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 29 de junio de 2023. Ponce, Puerto Rico, el 29 de junio de 2023. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA. EREINA AGRONT LEÓN, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR CAROLINA MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT LLC.

Demandante V. LA SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL EMILIO CALCAÑO DE JESÚS, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO COMO RAFAEL CALCAÑO DE JESÚS Y COMO RAFAEL E. CALCAÑO DE JESÚS, COMPUESTA POR

RAFAEL ÁNGEL CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, JAVIER EMIILIO CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, ERIC RENÉ CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, RAÚL ENRIQUE CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, MARÍA DE LOS SANTOS CALCAÑO MALDONADO, ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA Y CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados Civil Núm.: LO2023CV00029. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE INTERPELACIÓN. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S. S.

A: LA SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL EMILIO CALCAÑO DE JESÚS, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO COMO RAFAEL CALCAÑO DE JESÚS Y COMO RAFAEL E. CALCAÑO DE JESÚS, COMPUESTA POR RAFAEL ÁNGEL CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, JAVIER EMILIO CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, ERIC RENÉ CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, RAÚL ENRIQUE CALCAÑO LÓPEZ, MARÍA DE LOS SANTOS CALCAÑO MALDONADO. El Artículo 1578 del Código Civil de 2020, dispone: “Transcurridos treinta (30) días desde que se haya producido la delación, cualquier persona interesada puede solicitar al tribunal que le señale al llamado un plazo, para que manifieste si acepta la herencia o si la repudia. Este plazo no excederá de treinta (30) días. El tribunal apercibirá al llamado de que, si transcurrido el plazo señalado no ha manifestado su voluntad de aceptar la herencia o de repudiarla, se dará por aceptada.” Por la presente el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, conforme al Art. 1578, supra, y el caso Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 DPR 689 (2005), les ordena que el término de treinta (30) días, hagan declaración aceptado o repudiando la herencia del causante, RAFAEL EMILIO CALCAÑO DE JESÚS, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO COMO RAFAEL CALCAÑO DE JESÚS Y COMO RAFAEL E. CALCAÑO DE JESÚS. Se les apercibe a los herederos antes mencionados que de no expresarse dentro de ese término de treinta (30) días en torno a la aceptación o repudiación de herencia, la misma se tendrá

por aceptada. Los abogados de la parte demandante son: Lcdo. Andrés Sáez Marrero T.S.P.R. Núm. 18074 TROMBERG, MORRIS & POULIN, LLC 1515 South Federal Highway, Suite 100 Boca Ratón, FL 33432 Tel. 877-338-4101 / Fax: 561-338-4077 prservice@tmppllc.com / asaez@tmppllc.com

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 26 de junio de 2023. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA GENERAL. KEILA GARCÍA SOLÍS, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante Vs. LUIS E. DEL VALLE OCASIO Demandado

CIVIL NÚM.: TJ2022CV00531

SALÓN: 406 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: LUIS E. DEL VALLE OCASIO- URB. LOURDES 669 CALLE BERNADETTE, 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 3 de mayo de 2023. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 3 de mayo de 2023.

Lcda. Kanelly Zayas Robles, Secretaria. Maricruz Aponte Alicea, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

DEMANDANTE VS. LUIS R. BORRERO VICENTY

DEMANDADO

CIVIL NÚM.: TJ2022CV00518

SALÓN: 406 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: LUIS R. BORRERO VICENTY- URB. CIUDAD UNIVERSITARIA C-5

CALLE AE, 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 3 de mayo de 2023. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 3 de mayo de 2023. Lic.

Kanelly Zayas Robles, Secretaria. Maricruz Aponte Alicea, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, como agente de FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC DEMANDANTE VS. JUAN CORTA SANCHEZ DEMANDADO

CIVIL NÚM.: TJ2022CV00538 SALÓN: 406 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: JUAN C. ORTA SANCHEZSAINT JUST 13 CALLE BETANIA, TRUJILLO ALTO, PR 00976-3030. 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 de 3 de mayo de 2023. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 3 de mayo de 2023. Lic. Kanelly Zayas Robles, Secretaria. Maricruz Aponte Alicea, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

SALA DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, como agente de ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC

Demandante Vs. LYDIA ROSADO CARRILLO

Demandado

CIVIL NÚM.: GB2022CV00779

SALÓN: 503 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: LYDIA ROSADO CARRILLO3071 AVE. ALEJANDRINO PMB 275 GUAYNABO, PR 00969-4816.

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, el Lcdo. Kevin

Sánchez Campanero cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección kevin.sanchez@ orf-law.com, y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EX-

TENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de marzo de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico, el 15 de marzo de 2023. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria Regional.

Ivette M. Marrero Bracero, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CRÉDITO AGUAS BUENAS

Parte Demandante V.

AURELIZ COLÓN MOYA

Parte Demandada

Civil Núm.: BY2023CV02116.

Sala: 505. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO

POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDEÑTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: AURELIZ COLÓN MOYA.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que notifique a:

AGS LEGAL COLLECTIONS, LLC

Abogados de la parte demandante

Lcdo. Ricardo A. Acevedo Bianchi - RUA 20637

Lcdo. José R. González RiveraRUA 13105

Lcdo. Juan A. Santos Berríos RUA 9774 P.O. Box 10242

Humacao, Puerto Rico 00792

Teléfono: (939) 545-4300

Email: rab@agslegalpr.com o jrg@agslegalpr.com

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva, con copia a la representación legal de la parte demandante, dentro de los 30 días de haber sido publicado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día su publicación. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Extendido bajo mi firma y Sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 26 de junio de 2023. Lcda. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria

Regional. Militza Mercado Rivera, Sub-Secretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL

DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de ARECIBO.

RAFAEL ANGEL

CHICO DIAZ

Demandante v. CARMEN CHICO, GERMAN ANTONIO

CHICO DIAZ, VICTOR

LUIS CHICO DIAZ, JOSE

LUIS RODRIGUEZ CHICO, JORGE RODRIGUEZ

CHICO Y VICTOR RIVERA

FIGUEROA

Demandado(a)

Civil Núm. AR2021CV00345.

Sobre: LIQUIDACIÓN DE COMUNIDAD DE BIENES HERE-

DITARIOS. NOTIFICACIÓN DE

SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: CARMEN CHICO Y VICTOR RIVERA

FIGUEROA

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 1 de junio de 2022, 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 2022. En ARECIBO, Puerto Rico , el 28 de junio de 2022.

VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, Secretario(a). f/ PILAR

H.MERCADO GONZALEZ, Secretario(a) Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CARO-

LINA

PMC ISLAND

INVESTMENT LLC

Demandante Vs. FIRSTBANK PUERTO RICO; BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO; FULANO DE TAL Y MENGANO MAS CUAL

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CA2023CV02012. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE HIPOTECA REPRESENTADA POR PAGARÉ HIPOTECARIO EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LFFIRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: FULANO DE TAL, Y MENGANO MAS CUAL. Se emplaza y notifica a ustedes que se ha presentado una demanda en este caso, en la cual en síntesis, la parte demandante alega que se extravió un pagare hipotecario que estaban en poder de “FirstBank Puerto Rico”, y solicita que se ordene la cancelación de la hipoteca que lo garantiza. El pagaré fue librado por el Sr. Antonio Varela Hernández, y su esposa, la Sra. Ursel Reinmold De Varela, a favor de “Banco Popular de

Puerto Rico”, o a su orden, por la suma de $84,000.00, más intereses y créditos accesorios, vencedero el 1 de marzo del 2027, según surge de la escritura #40, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 6 de febrero del1997, ante la Notario Público María V Pérez Quiñones. La referida escritura consta inscrita al folio 17 del tomo 822 de Carolina Sur, del Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección Segunda (II) de Carolina, finca #33,025, inscripción 4ta. Pueden ver la demanda en su totalidad en este Tribunal. Los abogados de la Parte Demandante lo son: Sandra De L. Tous-Chevres y Raúl J. Tous Bobonis, Urb. Santa María, 1789 Calle Diamela, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00927-6330, teléfonos 751-8834\3824, a quien deberá notificar la contestación de la demanda dentro de los próximos 30 días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Por la presente se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los próximos 30 días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Se le apercibe que si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Dado bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal y por Orden del mismo hoy 30 de junio de 2023. Lcda. Kanelly Rayas Robles, Secretaria Regional. Keila García Solís, Sub-Secretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

MARVIN FLORES MOJICA Peticionario EX-PARTE

Civil Núm.: SL2023CV00103.

Sala: 304. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. CITACIÓN POR EDICTO. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: LA SUCESIÓN DE GUMERSINDO TORRES, LA SUCESIÓN DE PABLO

FLORES OCASIO Y TODA PERSONA QUE TENGA ALGÚN DERECHO REAL SOBRE EL INMUEBLE QUE MÁS ADELANTE SE DESCRIBE, PERSONAS IGNORADAS A QUIENES PUEDA PERJUDICAR LA INSCRIPCIÓN SOLICITADA DEL DOMINIO A FAVOR DE LA PARTE PETICIONARIA; Y EN GENERAL A TODO EL QUE DESEE OPONERSE A COMPARECER O ALEGAR CUALQUIER DERECHO. Por la presente se notifica a usted que se ha presentado ante este Honorable Tribunal a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), el Expediente de Dominio arriba mencionado, con el fin de justificar e inscribir a favor del promovente el dominio que tiene sobre la finca que se describe continuación: RÚSTICA: Predio de terreno radicado en el Barrio Jagual de San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, compuesto de dos mil trescientos ochenta y tres metros con tres mil cuatrocientos cincuenta y ocho diezmilésimas de metros cuadrados; iguales a seis mil sesenta y cuatro diezmilésimas de una cuerda. En lindes por el NORTE en treinta y un metros con setenta centímetros con Gumersindo Torres; por el SUR en cuarenta metros con ochenta y tres centímetros con la finca principal propiedad de Pablo Flores Ocasio; por el ESTE en dos alineaciones distintas una de treinta y un metros con noventa y siete centímetros y otra de treinta y tres metros con setenta y cuatro centímetros con la finca principal de la propiedad de Pablo Flores Ocasio; y por el OESTE con la finca principal de Pablo Flores Ocasio en una distancia de sesenta y siete metros con cincuenta y seis centímetros. En este solar hay edificada una casa de cemento destinada a vivienda, compuesta de cuatro habitaciones dormitorios, sala, comedor, cocina, cuarto de baño, balcón en su frente, con instalaciones de agua y luz eléctrica. Este Tribunal ordenó para que la pretensión del promovente fuera publicada por tres (3) veces en el término de veinte (20) días en un periódico de circulación general diaria en Puerto Rico, para que la Sucesión de Gumersindo Torres, cuyos miembros se desconocen por la parte peticionaria, y toda persona que tenga algún derecho real sobre el inmueble descrito, personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción, y en general a todos los que deseen oponerse a comparecer o pueda alegar lo que a su derecho convenga, dentro del térmi-

no de veinte (20) días a partir de la última publicación del presente edicto. Se le notifica que podrán presentar su oposición utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio en cuyo caso deberá presentarla en la secretaría del tribunal, notificando copia de la misma al abogado del promovente, el Lcdo. Ian Lebrón Ward, con oficina en San Juan y la siguiente dirección postal: Condominio El Centro I, 500 Ave. Muñoz Rivera, Suite 249, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00918; con el siguiente número de teléfono 787.751.4391 y los correos electrónicos que se indican a continuación: ianlebronward@gmail.com y notificacionesvegaward@gmail. com. Se le informa que este Tribunal ha señalado vista en este caso para el 30 de agosto de 2023 a las 9:00 de la mañana, a la cual podrán comparecer. Se le apercibe que de no comparecer, los interesados y/o partes citadas, o en su defecto los organismos públicos afectados, a alegar lo que el derecho proceda, en el término improrrogable de veinte (20) días a contar de la última publicación del edicto, el Tribunal podrá conceder lo solicitado por la parte peticionaria, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, el 05 de junio de 2023. Lisilda Martínez Agosto, Secretaria Regional. Yamaira M. Ríos Carrasco, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

MILTON DAVID RODRIGUEZ ASENCIO, JOANN LIMARY ACOBE

SANTOS

Demandante V.

JAMES T BARNES OF PUERTO RICO, INC., JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE, COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS DE PAGARE EXTRAVIADO

Demandado(a)

Civil: TA2023CV00100. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JAMES T BARNES OF PUERTO RICO, INC., JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE, COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS DE PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que sus-

cribe le notifica a usted que el 27 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 28 de junio de 2023. En Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, el 28 de junio de 2023. Laura I. Santa Sánchez, Secretaria. Maritza Bonilla Hernández, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

THE MONEY HOUSE, INC.

Demandante V. LA SUCESIÓN VÍCTOR MANUEL LIZARDI PÉREZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO COMO VÍCTOR M. LIZARDI

PÉREZ VÍCTOR LIZARDI

PÉREZ, VÍCTOR MANUEL

LIZARDI, VÍCTOR M. LIZARDI Y VÍCTOR

LIZARDI, COMPUESTA

POR: VÍCTOR MANUEL

LIZARDI CASILLAS, VÍCTOR ORLANDO

LIZARDI CASILLAS, FULANO DE TAL Y FULANA DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS

CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN: C:ENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CG2023CV01127.

Sobre: 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: LA SUCESIÓN DE VÍCTOR MANUEL LIZARDI PÉREZ, TAMBIÉN

CONOCIDO COMO VÍCTOR M. LIZARDI PÉREZ, VÍCTOR LIZARDI PÉREZ, VÍCTOR MANUEL LIZARDI, VÍCTOR M. LIZARDI Y VÍCTOR LIZARDI, COMPUESTA POR VICTOR MANUEL LIZARDI CASILLAS, VICTOR ORLANDO LIZARDI CASILLAS, FULANO DE TAL Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN. Queden emplazados y notificados que en este Tribunal se ha radicado Demanda sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca en su contra. Conforme al caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentario vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 DPR. 689 (2005) y el Artículo 1578 deI Código Civil, 31 L.P.R.A. §11021, se le requiere a la Sucesión de Sucesión de Víctor Manuel Lizardi Pérez que en el término de treinta (30) días, haga Declaración aceptando o repudiando la herencia del causante. Se les apercibe que de no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar la herencia dentro del término provisto, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. 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 y deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), el cual podrá 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, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su discreción, lo entiende procedente. Los abogados de la parte demandante son:

Lcdo. Andrés Sáez Marrero

T.S.P.R. Núm. 18074 TROMBERG, MORRIS & POULIN, LLC

1515 South Federal Highway, Suite 100 Boca Raton, FL 33432 Tel. 877-338-4101 / Fax: 561-338-4077 prservice@tmppllc.com / asaez@tmppllc.com

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 29 de junio de 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz has been studying the grass court masters. That means Andy Murray.

By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN

Carlos Alcaraz took a little time to rest after coming up short in the French Open last month, and then he embarked on the next step toward strengthening one of the few remaining weaknesses in his tennis development — playing on grass.

For Alcaraz, the 20-year-old world No. 1, that meant getting enough training sessions and matches on the surface that is at once the most traditional and most quirky in the sport. It also meant hours of watching videos of Andy Murray, the two-time Wimbledon champion and one of the masters of grass court tennis.

On a day of rain that caused the cancellation or suspension of nearly every match not contested on the two covered courts at London’s All England Club, Alcaraz showed that his homework was paying off, and Murray provided the young Spaniard with a fresh batch of study material.

Alcaraz has never advanced past the round of 16 at Wimbledon, but he has left no doubt about his goals for his third go-round at this most venerated of tennis competitions.

“To win the tournament,” he said after the 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 pounding he delivered to Jeremy Chardy of France. “I have a lot of confidence right now.”

An afternoon of play against Chardy, who had announced that he planned to retire after this tournament, was sure to help with that. There was little chance that Chardy was going to provide much of a challenge for Alcaraz at 36 years old, ranked 542nd in the world, and with just one tour level win this year.

But for Alcaraz, who grew up mostly playing on red clay, the value of the day came not from the difficulty of his opponent. It came from spending more time on the sport’s most beguiling surface. With each match at Wimbledon Alcaraz gets closer to the inevitable — when the most talented young player becomes every bit as good on grass as he is everywhere else.

This is where watching videos of Murray comes in. Alcaraz knows how to hit a tennis ball as well as and as hard as anyone, and his drop shot is as good as it gets on clay and hard courts. He’s also just about the fastest player in the game, especially on clay and

hard courts. But he has said he needs to learn how to adapt his speed and his repertoire of shots to the grass.

Few players have shown how to do that better than Murray, who won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, and showed why Tuesday afternoon in his 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 dismantling of Ryan Peniston, a fellow Briton.

There are others who have conquered grass, of course, namely Roger Federer, who won a record eight men’s singles titles at Wimbledon and spent the afternoon chatting quietly in the front row of the royal box with Catherine, Princess of Wales, after he was celebrated with a video and a standing ovation. Alcaraz has studied his matches, too.

And then there is Novak Djokovic, who has won the last four singles titles here, seven overall, and is on a 29-match Wimbledon winning streak. The problem with studying Djokovic is that he moves differently than everyone else on grass.

Djokovic has somehow figured out how to glide and slide as if he were on clay or a hard court. When others try to play that way, they often end up on their backsides or with a strained groin. It is a style of grass court tennis that should come with a “don’t try this” warning.

Alcaraz didn’t. Not on his way to the title

at the grass court tuneup at Queen’s Club two weeks ago, or against Chardy on Tuesday, when he displayed plenty of signs of his Murray/Federer imitation game.

Alcaraz took on balls ever so slightly earlier, a necessary move since they barely bounce on grass. He decelerated and turned with a series of quick stutter steps instead of his usual lightning quick plant-and-pivot. He showed off his improving serve, firing 10 aces, with plenty of them sliding off the court, including a final one on match point into the deep-wide corner of the service box that slid off the court before Chardy could move for it.

“Every time that I get out to the court playing, it’s better for me,” he said when it was over. “I get more experience that is really, really important on that surface.”

Murray does not lack for experience on grass and has almost always looked comfortable at the All England Club, making the third round in his debut in the main draw in 2005, when he was just 18 years old. Tuesday’s win over Peniston provided plenty of grass court study tips.

Alcaraz often talks about how he begins every match wanting to play aggressively. Murray showed that on grass, aggression can take many forms beyond Alcaraz’s crushing forehands.

He played blocked backhand returns of

serve that died in the front of the court to set up passing shots and sent drop volleys nearly sideways. In some rallies he produced a series of strokes that passed ever closer to the top of the net, and slid ever lower as they landed on the grass. One passing shot while Peniston was at the net darted toward his feet as if it fell off a table as soon as it passed over the tape. It was all over in 2 hours and 1 minute, one of Murray’s easier days on Centre Court, though he confessed to feeling nervous early on.

“I like to feel that way,” he said “If I was going on the court and felt flat, didn’t have any emotion when I’m walking out there, that’s something that would probably be a bit wrong.”

When Peniston committed his final error, Murray celebrated with the slightest of fist pumps and a brief wave to the crowd.

He noted that the last time Federer had watched him on Centre Court was in the final of the 2012 Olympics, when Federer was cheering on his countryman and Murray’s opponent that day, Stan Wawrinka.

“I was glad to get a few claps today,” Murray said.

Murray skipped the French Open to begin his preparations for Wimbledon, the tournament he believes offers him the best chance to play into the second week.

Those chances likely improved Tuesday when the match between his potential opponents, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem, was suspended shortly after Thiem won the first set. The match was slated to resume Wednesday, with the winner taking on Murray, almost undoubtedly on Centre Court, today.

Murray said he does not study draws, preferring instead to focus only on his next match rather than waste time on hypotheticals. If he did, he would find a potential opponent in the semifinals who would be familiar with his tricks.

Carlos Alcaraz on his way to a dominant first-round win at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

At Wimbledon, everyone’s chasing Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina

By DAVID WALDSTEIN

Elena Rybakina was nervous. She was embroiled in her first match on Wimbledon’s Centre Court as defending champion. She was facing a tough opponent in Shelby Rogers. The roof was closed and she was recovering from a virus.

Even more daunting, one of the greatest players ever to walk that court, Roger Federer, was now sitting just a few feet behind her, in the royal box, watching her struggle.

“Yeah, maybe that’s why I was nervous,” Rybakina said after she recovered to beat Rogers on Tuesday, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Federer, now retired, was back at Wimbledon for a visit. As a player, he was a member of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis, along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. As a spectator, he was watching a player some experts, including Chris Evert, believe is part of an emerging big three of women’s tennis.

Rybakina, the third-ranked player in the world, along with No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, comprise the top of the women’s tennis pyramid. Together, they have won the last five major tournaments, and the eventual winner of this year’s Wimbledon is expected — but obviously not guaranteed — to come from their elite group, as well.

Those who think it is premature to crown a triumvirate of women’s tennis will find the 24-year-old Rybakina in agreement.

“I think it’s too early to say anything about just three players because it’s not like it was Roger or Djokovic,” Rybakina said. “It’s still too far.”

All three players are younger than 26, and all have the necessary tools to win multiple tournaments and remain at the top of the rankings. Left out of the grouping are players like Jessica Pegula, ranked No. 4. But Pegula said she agrees that the top three are the class of the women’s game and deserve the recognition, even if she would like to expand the number to four someday.

“I think it’s too early to say anything about just three players because it’s not like it was Roger or Djokovic,” Elena Rybakina said after her first-round win on Tuesday. “It’s still too far.”

“I think it’s exciting to have something for us to talk about and for fans to get involved in and hopefully be excited to watch them battle it out,” Pegula said Saturday. She beat Lauren Davis in the first round Monday. “But I hope I’m part of that conversation at some point. I guess that’s all I have to say.”

Ons Jabeur, who lost to Rybakina in last year’s Wimbledon final and to Swiatek in the U.S. Open final, is a solid grass court player, who could also stake a claim to this year’s Wimbledon title. Jabeur is another who believes that Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina have set themselves apart.

“For me it’s inspiring to see them doing great,” Jabeur said. “You can learn a lot from them.”

Coco Gauff, who is only 19 and ranked No. 7, could also intrude into the mix one day. But not yet, not after she lost to Sofia Kenin, a former No. 4 player who is 24, in the first round Monday.

As Rybakina said Tuesday, “anyone can still beat anyone.”

As Wimbledon opened under rainy London skies, each one of the three top players had at least one question to answer on court before she could lift the trophy. Swiatek, 22, from Poland, has struggled on grass and never made it past the fourth round in her three attempts here. She won her second-round match handily on Wednesday, 6-2, 6-0, over Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain.

She demonstrated good form at Bad Homburg, a grass-court tournament before Wimbledon, but became ill and had to withdraw after winning a quarterfinal match. She looked fully recovered in her first-round win over Lin Zhu on Monday and a title here would give her three of the last four majors.

Rybakina won Wimbledon last year with an amazing run of confidence and form, defeating Jabeur in three sets for her first Grand Slam title. But her conditioning remains in doubt. A virus forced her withdrawal from the French Open last month, and she said the condition worsened afterward. She is OK now, she said, but she had to lighten her

workouts leading up to Wimbledon.

Sabalenka did not even play at Wimbledon last year. She is from Minsk, Belarus, and the tournament banned all players from Russia and Belarus from competing because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’ cooperation with that military incursion.

The amiable Sabalenka opened her news conference Saturday, before the tournament started, by saying she would not answer questions about politics because she had already done so several times. (Rybakina was born in Moscow but plays for Kazakhstan).

Sabalenka said she could barely even watch the tournament last year during her impromptu staycation.

“I didn’t watch Wimbledon a lot,” she said. “I felt so bad, and I just couldn’t watch it. Every time if Wimbledon would be on TV, I would cry.”

Hence, she has played only eight matches on grass the past two years, including only two this year leading up to Wimbledon, and has gone 5-3. Perhaps more concerning than the surface was her devastating loss at the French Open last month. Serving for the semifinal match at 5-2, she allowed Karolina Muchova to come back and win.

Sabalenka, 25, who won her first major tournament at this year’s Australian Open, was asked this week about her level of confidence on grass, and said, “I don’t like to speak about confidence.”

She continued, “For me it’s a little weird. I just want to say that I have strong belief that I can do well on grass. I already did it. I feel good on grass.”

She certainly played well on it in her first-round victory Tuesday. Federer left after Andy Murray won and missed seeing Sabalenka hit a masterful between-the-legs shot from the baseline, with her back to the net. Her opponent, Panna Udvardy of Hungary, was ready at the net to volley it away for the point. Sabalenka smiled and raised her fist to salute the artistic rally, on her way to a straight sets victory, 6-3, 6-2.

“I missed this place a lot,” she said on court afterward, “that’s why I played my best tennis today.”

Sudoku

How to Play:

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

Sudoku Rules:

Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

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

Crossword

Answers on page 30

Wordsearch

Aries (Mar 21-April 20)

Open up and reveal more of your sensitive side, Aries. The more willing you are to share with others, the more they will feel comfortable sharing things with you. Your head and heart are in agreement, so use this to your advantage. Ground your mind and use it to take a rational approach to your feelings. The truth of the situation will become clear.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

Things should go well for you today as long as you can keep the drama to a minimum. You can jump over any hurdle in your way, so don’t worry about a thing. You have a sharp, intuitive wit about you that’s grounded in the real world. Take care of the details and plan your next big move. Clean, organize, and throw away things that no longer serve you.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

You may have to bring yourself down to ground level in a rather sobering fashion, Gemini. Maybe you’re forgetting an important piece of a goal that you’ve been shooting for. This is a good day to review your progress and deal with any details that require attention. Keep your adventurous spirit alive, but have at least one foot on solid ground.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

You have a tremendous ability to understand the inner workings of any situation, Cancer. You may need to give someone a reality check to make sure they’re on the same page as you. Use your criticism constructively so you don’t alienate yourself from the people. Help to fill in the blanks in a situation that isn’t fully understood by all parties, and move the project to the next level.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

Don’t say anything about someone behind his or her back that you wouldn’t want to say if the person were standing right next to you, Leo. Feelings are easily hurt on a day like this. People will instinctively know that you’ve been saying negative things about them. Come clean with any confessions that you might need to make toward someone you love. Be honest and open with your feelings.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

When it comes to decisions, Virgo, do what’s best for you today. Don’t feel like you need to perform certain tasks just because of guilt over a past situation. Do things because you want to, not because you feel obligated to someone else. The only obligation you have is to you. If it’s truly your desire to help someone out, then go for it, but don’t sacrifice too much of yourself in the process.

Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

It’s time to settle down from the rapid-fire activities of the past few days and retreat to a quieter state of mind, Libra. Take care of the details you failed to attend to while you were out having fun. Now is the time to turn inward and reflect. Rely on your inner reserves as opposed to your outwardly directed actions. Stay grounded and let your emotions work with your rational side.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

This is an excellent day in which your thinking is clear and your emotions stable, Scorpio. Use this powerful combination of a solid frame of mind and compassionate feelings to express yourself in a sincere, positive fashion. There’s a great deal of power on your side helping you track down your goals and get exactly what you want.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Turn your energy inward today, Sagittarius. Make a detailed list of what you need to get done in order of priority. It’s time to take inventory and get organized. Detail-oriented projects are favored, and you have much more patience and concentration than usual. Slow down the pace and remember to smell the roses as you pass by.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

Your head and heart are working in concert today, Capricorn. Things are coming together just as you expected them to. Have confidence in yourself. More than likely, you have the perfect solution to every situation. Maybe your incredible perception of the circumstances will catch someone off guard. Be prepared for some surprised reactions.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

Your head and heart are working in concert today, Capricorn. Things are coming together just as you expected them to. Have confidence in yourself. More than likely, you have the perfect solution to every situation. Maybe your incredible perception of the circumstances will catch someone off guard. Be prepared for some surprised reactions.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

This is your day, Pisces, so don’t let anyone take it away from you. The key will be to get a head start on whatever goals you wish to accomplish. Don’t waste time thinking about exactly how you’re going to accomplish them. Just get started. The first step is the most important. You’re grounded right now, helping you get a better handle on what it is you need to do.

Speed Bump