Monday Jul 8, 2024

2 GOOD MORNING

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

Camacho Semidei named new PDP secretary general

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González on Sunday announced several appointments in the party structure.

Among them is a new secretary general, Juan Luis Camacho Semidei, along with three auxiliary secretaries.

“Juan Luis has been a partner in many struggles in the PDP; he knows the structure of our party and is part of that new generation of leaders committed to working for Puerto Rico,” Ortiz González, who is the party’s candidate for governor, said at a press conference at PDP headquarters in San Juan. “He, and Deputy Secretary Yaramary Torres, will finish the work already started and execute new projects in our party.”

“Our team is the only one with the strength to stop the NPP government and bring real change to Puerto Rico,” Ortiz González added. “For this reason, it is essential to strengthen our political structure and execute the work agenda that we have outlined.”

The party president added that Gerardo “Toñito” Cruz Maldonado will continue in his role as alternate electoral commissioner.

“Our electoral team has a lot of work for the next few months,” Ortiz González said. “That is why it is essential that the office of [PDP Electoral] Commissioner Karla Angleró and the alternate commissioner, Toñito Cruz, dedicate all their efforts to the work ahead of us.”

Camacho Semidei stated meanwhile that “My priority will be to work hand in hand with [Ortiz González] to strengthen our base and ensure an effective organization in every corner of the island.”

By THE STAR STAFF

B“I have always worked hard for our party and have defended its postulates,” he added. “Now I will work tirelessly so that every ‘popular’ goes out to vote and, as our president says, together we will win in November.”

Ortiz González also announced the appointment of Ayleen Figueroa to be in charge of public policy for the PDP. Since last year, Figueroa, along with Villalba Mayor Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, has led the work on the party’s government plan. A government affairs attorney, Figueroa is a former secretary of the House of Representatives and has led legislative committees and public policy working groups.

The party president also announced the inclusion of Erick Vázquez and Jorge Quiles Gordillo in the organizational structure of the PDP. Vázquez will assume the post of assistant secretary of young adult professionals, while Quiles Gordillo will be the assistant secretary of political organization.

usinesses in Boquerón, a barrio in the southwestern coastal municipality of Cabo Rojo, criticized LUMA Energy for the constant interruptions in electrical service during the long July 4 weekend.

Merchants Association President Henry Correa said the situation could worsen due to recent problems with power outages if remedial actions are not taken immediately.

“Since last Wednesday morning, this electrical problem has been hurting the livelihoods of all merchants,” Correa lamented. “It is a dire situation, especially considering that we have more than 200,000 visitors in Boquerón and the electricity is not at its peak.”

Ángel Rodríguez, a businessman and member of the Association, expressed his concern about the potential for more extensive blackouts. He too pointed out that the town has been experiencing frequent power outages, especially worrying during the high summer season when the numbers of both local and foreign visitors increase.

“With the rise in temperatures, electricity consumption is higher, and I fear the electrical system may not be able to handle it, leading to more extensive blackouts,” Rodríguez said.

The owner of the Boquemar parador also pointed out that the electrical system problem has been seen in fuel expenses. Additionally, they have had to make more equipment purchases, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, which are being damaged by irregular fluctuations in the electricity supply.

Popular Democratic Party President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González said the party’s freshly minted secretary general “has been a partner in many struggles in the PDP; he knows the structure of our party and is part of that new generation of leaders committed to working for Puerto Rico.”

Bond insurer National withdraws support for PREPA’s debt plan

By THE STAR STAFF

The Financial Oversight and Management Board has lost the support of monoliner National Financial Guarantee Corp. for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) plan of adjustment.

The information is contained in a recent informative motion.

National, which had signed on to the original plan, withdrew its support because of the oversight board’s response to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit decision that bondholders have an $8.5 billion secured claim, rather than a $2.4 billion claim, as U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who is overseeing the Title III bankruptcy case, had ruled in March 2023.

The oversight board has asked Swain to reopen the proceedings only to value the bondholders’ secured claim, which, the First Circuit ruled, can be paid only from the system’s net revenue. The board argued that no new vote on the plan is necessary because bondholders’ claims that it has misappropriated money during bankruptcy are moot and that the supplemental confirmation hearing could be heard in September, which could mean an end to PREPA’s seven-year-long bankruptcy.

Non-settling bondholders, meanwhile, argued that the

First Circuit’s June 12 decision opens up certain disputes that need to be decided.

The bondholders want to dismiss the Title III case, which, if granted, would leave creditors seeking their claims in disparate commonwealth-level court proceedings. They also are litigating what they say might be as much as $6 billion in net revenue that PREPA has misappropriated since the beginning of the bankruptcy proceedings. Bondholders also want to challenge the law governing the Title III cases as an unconstitutional non-uniform bankruptcy law.

Both parties are disputing whether their claim needs to be estimated. The oversight board argues that it does and that the confirmation proceeding should be opened to determine what that amount is. Once that’s done, the board argues, as long as bondholders receive the full amount of their secured claim, they can’t object to how other money is spent in the bankruptcy.

Bondholders said they planned to argue that no such estimation is necessary – the amount they will be paid is the amount of net revenue the utility ultimately generates. They also say they can challenge other deals the oversight board has made – with fuel line lenders, unsecured creditors, or settling bondholders – if those creditors are being paid with net revenues.

National said it is no longer a party to the deal because

Fiscal board bars gov’t from implementing salary hikes for cafeteria workers

By THE STAR STAFF

The Financial Oversight and Management Board has informed the island government that it can not implement Act 41-2024, which increases the base salary of school cafeteria employees in the School Dining Division of the Puerto Rico Department of Education (DE) to $12 per hour.

In a letter last week to Omar J. Marrero Díaz, executive director of the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority, the oversight board said that while it acknowledged the critically important role performed by school cafeteria employees and recognizes the necessity of revising their current base salaries, the way the new base salaries were set is inconsistent with the Civil Service Reform (CSR) in the Certified Fiscal Plan.

The CSR covers the DE at the government’s request.

“The Oversight Board understands that compensation matters should be managed centrally and in compliance with the CSR, which contains a robust, market-based, data-driven methodology to establish base salaries,” the board said in its letter. “Such methodology follows best practices and ensures competitive and fiscally responsible salaries across the entire government.”

The DE’s Classification and Remuneration Plan is being revised consistently with CSR methodology, the oversight board noted.

“Accordingly, any adjustments to the base salaries of personnel working in the School Dining Division of the PRDE should be considered as part of the revisions to its Classification and Remuneration Plan,” the board said.

Ensuring that salary adjustments are conducted in alignment with CSR methodology and within the context of the revision of the DE’s Classification and Remuneration Plan will result in competitive, equitable and fiscally responsible

salaries based on market data for school cafeteria employees in the DE’s School Dining Division as well as for all other DE employees, the board added.

“The Oversight Board has already committed funding for updating employee salaries and policies in the Central Government through the CSR, including at PRDE, as part of an effort to transform human capital capabilities in thePuerto Rico government,” the oversight board said.

Additionally, the board said Act 41 is inconsistent with the fiscal plan because it costs some $21 million per fiscal year, according to the government’s own analysis.

“The government fails to provide a method to pay for the new incremental expenditures,” the oversight board said. “Legislation that has a negative fiscal impact without corresponding savings or offsetting measures is inconsistent with the Fiscal Plan.”

Act 41 was also enacted in violation of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, commonly known as PROMESA, because a reprogramming would likely be necessary to account for its additional cost, the board said.

Moreover, the estimate prepared by Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia must provide details regarding how the $21 million per year cost was estimated, a requirement that was not satisfied by the inclusion of a single budget impact chart, which provides no data sources or explanation.

the oversight board is failing to recognize the legal reality of the case in light of the First Circuit’s decision and isn’t going to file a plan to garner broad bondholder and monoline support. The board said National withdrew from the deal because the upcoming amended plan will use certain funds provided to National to pay non-settling bondholders. The Financial Oversight and Management Board said that while it acknowledged the critically important role performed by school cafeteria employees and recognizes the necessity of revising their current base salaries, the way the new base salaries were set is inconsistent with the Civil Service Reform in the Certified Fiscal Plan.

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain

By THE STAR STAFF

Comptroller Yesmín Valdivieso Galib announced on Sunday that her office will conduct an evaluation of the government’s actions in the areas of governance, financing and public policies regarding climate change.

Comptroller to evaluate climate change initiatives

The assessments will be carried out during July to consolidate data into the Climate Scanner tool.

“With this project we join other audit institutions around the world to carry out independent evaluations,” the comptroller said in a written statement. “In this way we can obtain reliable information on financing, governance and public policies related to global warming and climate change in Puerto Rico.”

The project consists of collecting information on government initiatives regarding the allocation of public resources, formulation of public policy and the participation of different actors in governance. In addition, it will be possible to assess the level of commitment of governments to the commitments in the 1994 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“We are in the execution part of this project, the con-

clusions of which will be presented at the end of 2024,” Valdivieso said. “We seek the cooperation of public and private entities to conclude this work, which will constitute a great contribution to knowledge and transparency of information, consistent with our constitutional mission.”

The Climate Scanner rapid review tool, designed to standardize analysis criteria that is used in each country, would provide accessible information, with clear language and visual resources. The project aims to assess governments’ climate actions, consolidate local data with global data, and substantiate possible future audits in specific areas. In addition, the project, which follows a standardized methodology, seeks to communicate the results of relevant information in the web application, share experiences and contribute to the global voice of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions.

Regulator moves to fine LUMA, Genera PR & PREPA daily for failure to deliver a plan for dealing with outages

By THE STAR STAFF

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) announced late last week the imposition of daily fines of $25,000 on LUMA Energy, Genera PR and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) for failing to deliver on time plans for improvements to the electrical system to mitigate recurring failures and eliminate weak points that affect the quality of service.

The plans were required in a June 13 resolution with a deadline of July 3.

“The constant blackouts recorded in recent weeks and days are causing significant suffering to the people, affecting their quality of life and daily activities. Clearly, it is urgent to identify and mitigate such failures to ensure a safe, reliable and efficient electricity supply,” PREB Chairman Edison Avilés Deliz said in a written statement. “The requests for extensions by the three companies, [coming] late in themselves, did not persuade the Bureau and betray their lack of urgency in

addressing a critical problem for Puerto Rico.”

The PREB granted the two private operators and the public corporation until July 10 to show cause for why it should reconsider its decision.

In addition, the regulator clarified that the fines imposed on LUMA and Genera must be paid with the money received under their respective contracts and should not be considered as a cost attributable to consumers.

PREPA Executive Director Josué Colón Ortiz said the threat of fines was misapplied in the case of the public corporation he heads.

“Under the current legal system, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau is in charge of implementing the regulatory framework of Puerto Rico’s energy system,” Colón Ortiz said in a written statement. “In turn, the Public-Private Partnerships Authority is in charge of the administration of the contracts signed with LUMA Energy and Genera PR, which manage and operate the transmission and distribution assets, and generation of the public corporation, respectively. Therefore, as expressed in the order issued by the Energy Bureau on June 13, 2024, and in compliance with their contractual responsibilities, it is up to both private operators to present the plans requested by the Energy Bureau for improvements to the energy system to mitigate recurring failures and eliminate weak points that may affect the quality of the electricity service.”

“The reality is that, with an approximate annual budget of $700 million, in the case of LUMA Energy, and $345 million, in the case of Genera PR, both entities have the budget, the resources and the contractual responsibility to attend to such an important request with the greatest urgency,” the PREPA chief continued. “The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, with a substantially smaller budget of just $47 million, and

always looking out for the better well-being of the people of Puerto Rico, has in recent years presented multiple motions to the regulatory body with concrete projects to strengthen Puerto Rico’s energy system. Although we recognize the jurisdiction of the Energy Bureau in these matters, the reality is that the Electric Power Authority is not responsible for making the plans for improvements to the energy system that LUMA Energy and Genera PR are responsible for, nor is it up to PREPA to compel LUMA Energy and Genera PR to comply with the Energy Bureau’s requirement. For this reason, and although the Electric Power Authority will comply with the order issued today by the Energy Bureau, we believe that it is not appropriate to impose any fine against the public corporation for these reasons.”

Comptroller Yesmín Valdivieso Galib

The San Juan Daily Star Monday, July 8, 2024 5

‘Deadly storm’ expected to strengthen as it nears the Texas coast

By EDGAR SANDOVAL, MIRANDA RODRÍGUEZ and MARÍA JIMÉNEZ MOYA

Officials warned that not enough people were leaving the Texas coast before an expected landfall from a Category 1 hurricane, as forecasters cautioned that Beryl could intensify even more than predicted before arriving early Monday — as it did when tearing through the Caribbean last week, killing at least 11.

“It will be a deadly storm for people who are directly in that path,” said Dan Patrick, the state’s lieutenant governor, at a Sunday afternoon news briefing. He said traffic data showed that roads were relatively clear, and worried that beach vacationers weren’t aware of the danger approaching.

Here are the key things to know:

The forecast: Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph on Sunday afternoon, making it a tropical storm. It was expected to strengthen before landfall somewhere between Galveston and Corpus Christi, and to bring damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge and up to 15 inches of rain, according

to assist in local preparation and recovery efforts. The Texas Division of Emergency Management has also readied the National Guard, search-and-rescue teams, and other emergency responders.

to the National Hurricane Center. More than 1 million people across Texas were under a hurricane warning.

Texas makes preparations: State officials issued a disaster declaration for 121 counties, which enables state resources

The storm’s impact so far: Before reaching the Gulf of Mexico, Beryl plowed through the Caribbean, flattening islands, inundating communities and becoming the first hurricane to reach Category 5 status this early in the season. It made landfall twice last week — once in Carriacou, a small island north of Grenada, and then in Mexico. In the wake of the storm, Caribbean leaders have already called for more action on climate change from Western countries. Climate change’s role: Researchers have found that climate change has increased the frequency of major hurricanes, because warmer ocean temperatures provide more energy that fuels these storms. It is also making hurricanes intensify faster and produce more rain with a higher storm surge. Beryl’s quick escalation to a major hurricane is a bad sign for the rest of the season, forecasters say.

In New Orleans, Harris jabs at Trump and avoids talk of Biden bowing out

By JAZMINE ULLOA

Vice President Kamala Harris typically spends the Fourth of July weekend with her husband, Doug Emhoff, at their home in Los Angeles, grilling hot dogs for their Secret Service agents. But as concerns over President Joe Biden’s age and mental acuity have continued to simmer in recent days, Harris has been on the road, relentlessly defending his record in interviews and before crowds of supporters.

On Saturday, in an appearance at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, neither Harris nor her interviewer, Caroline A. Wanga, the CEO of Essence, mentioned Biden’s teetering campaign for reelection or the high-stakes interview he gave to ABC News on Friday.

Instead, in a roughly 30-minute conversation onstage, Harris spoke of her biography, jabbed sharply at former President Donald Trump and promoted the Biden administration’s achievements on issues like Black maternal health, student debt and housing.

“Understand what we all know,” she said. “In 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want.”

She warned of Trump’s open praise for dictators, his promise of retribution against his political enemies and the new latitudes of immunity that the Supreme Court had granted him.

These are pivotal moments for Harris. The intense scrutiny that has befallen Biden as pressure mounts on him to step aside has begun to make its way to his most likely successor. She had made an early and surprise appearance at the Essence festival Friday night, walking in to Beyoncé’s “Freedom” after being introduced by comedian Punkie Johnson.

“Let us always celebrate the diversity, the depth and the beauty of our culture,” Harris had said to resounding cheers.

Leaders with several progressive organizations and women’s advocacy groups said Friday that they were working to raise Harris’ profile and highlight her achievements, regardless of whether Biden chooses to step aside.

The vice president remains largely undefined in the public, according to their polling, though she and the issues in her portfolio — such as reproductive rights and gun violence — are highly popular with the groups that Biden seeks to shore up, including women, young people and voters of color.

Trump and his Republican allies have also escalated their criticisms of Harris. On his social media site, Truth Social, Trump described her as his “potentially new Democrat Challenger” and called her “Laffin’ Kamala Harris,” an apparent reference to her laugh.

Leaders with UltraViolet, EMILY’s List and other women’s groups released a joint statement denouncing Trump’s attacks on Harris, saying that he could not stand to see a Black woman who was smarter, tougher and more respected than he was “getting the praise she deserves for her leadership.”

Harris’ appearance in New Orleans was part of her efforts to energize Black voters, a constituency vital to Democrats’ success in November. Before she was interviewed

onstage, Harris took photos with members of the Congressional Black Caucus at a booth set up by national Democratic groups to register voters and raise awareness of the Biden administration’s accomplishments.

Despite their high praise for Harris, some attendees said they hoped the party would stick with Biden as its presidential nominee.

“I think that he still has a heart to lead this country,” Jeanetta Hawkins, 62, a small-business owner in St. Louis, said of Biden.

Tiffany Altman, 36, brought along a copy of Harris’ book “The Truths We Hold” in hopes of getting it signed. Watching Biden during the presidential debate had been “painful,” she said. But she was crushed when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016, and she doubted that the United States was ready for a Black woman in the White House.

The sentiment was a common one, though recent studies have shown that female and nonwhite candidates are winning races at rates that equal or exceed those of their white male counterparts.

A photo provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration shows the view from a research aircraft nicknamed Miss Piggy during a flight through the eye of Hurricane Beryl on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (NOAA via The New York Times)

Gobierno de Puerto Rico

DEPARTAMENTO DE RECURSOS NATURALES Y AMBIENTALES

AVISO AMBIENTAL

INTENCIÓN DE RENOVAR PERMISO DE INYECCIÓN SUBTERRÁNEA

El peticionario, Neuroimágenes de Puerto Rico, cuya dirección postal es PMB 119, HC-01 Box 29030, Caguas, Puerto Rico 00725, representado por el Dr. Julio Calcaño, ha solicitado al Área de Calidad de Agua (ACA) del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) la renovación del Permiso de Operación (UIC-10-32-0017) para un sistema de inyección subterránea (SIS) Clase VC-1, bajo las disposiciones del Reglamento para el Control de la Inyección Subterránea (RCIS) y la Ley Federal de Agua Potable Segura, según enmendada 42 USC 300f et seq. (LFAPS). El SIS consiste en un tanque séptico de 7.9 pies de ancho por 14.41 pies de largo por 8.83 pies de profundidad líquida con una capacidad de 7,543 galones y un pozo filtrante de 9.66 pies de ancho por 9.66 pies de largo por 8 pies de profundidad líquida con un área de percolación de 309.12 pies cuadrados para la disposición de 295 galones por día de aguas usadas provenientes de los baños y cocina de la oficina médica. El referido SIS estará ubicado en las instalaciones de Neuroimágenes de Puerto Rico, localizado en la Carretera PR-1, Km 23.7, Bo. Río en Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Luego de realizada la evaluación correspondiente de los documentos sometidos, el DRNA tiene la intención de renovar el permiso de operación para la instalación antes indicada en conformidad con los requisitos del RCIS y de la LFAPS. Esta notificación se hace para informar que el DRNA, ha preparado el borrador del permiso de operación de forma tal que el público interesado pueda someter sus comentarios con relación al mismo. El permiso contiene las condiciones y prohibiciones necesarias para cumplir con los requisitos reglamentarios aplicables.

Copia de la solicitud del permiso que sometió el peticionario ante el DRNA, el borrador del permiso y otros documentos relevantes estarán a la disposición del público para ser examinados, a petición del interesado mediante el envío de un correo electrónico a inyeccionsubterranea@ drna.pr.gov, o visitando el ACA, cuya oficina está localizada en el Piso 3, Ala A, del Edificio de Agencias Ambientales Cruz A. Matos, Carretera PR-8838, Km 6.3, Sector El Cinco, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Copia de dichos documentos pueden adquirirse en el ACA, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. de lunes a viernes o escribiendo a la siguiente dirección postal: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, San José Industrial Park, 1375 Avenida Ponce de León, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926.

Las partes interesadas o afectadas pueden enviar sus comentarios por escrito al Sr. Ángel R. Meléndez Aguilar, Gerente del ACA, o solicitar una vista pública por escrito a la Secretaria del DRNA, a la dirección postal o correo electrónico antes indicado. Los comentarios por escrito o la solicitud de vista pública deberán ser sometidos al DRNA no más tarde de treinta (30) días a partir de la fecha de publicación de este aviso. La fecha límite para someter comentarios puede ser extendida si se estima necesario o apropiado para el interés público. La solicitud para una vista pública deberá señalar la razón o las razones que en la opinión del solicitante ameritan la celebración de esta. De realizarse una vista pública los interesados o afectados tendrán una oportunidad razonable para presentar evidencia o testimonio sobre si se emite o deniega el permiso, si la Secretaria determina que dicha vista es necesaria o apropiada. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 17 de junio de 2024.

Autorizado por la Oficina del Contralor Electoral: OCE-SA-2024-00071.

Much of western US is broiling under record-breaking heat

By JACK HEALY and HOLLY DILLEMUTH

Millions of people across the western United States were broiling under record-breaking heat Saturday, with little relief in sight over the coming days, according to forecasters.

From Oregon to California to the deserts of Arizona, several cities have seen stifling temperatures in recent days. Jacob Asherman, a forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, said the blistering temperatures were being fueled by a ridge of high-pressure air that had parked over much of the West, preventing hot air near the surface from rising higher in the atmosphere.

While many of these cities — like Las Vegas, where temperatures were forecast to reach 117 degrees over the weekend — expect triple-digit temperatures every summer, some residents in other regions were caught off guard by what is predicted to be a long stretch of sizzling days.

In Portland, Oregon, temperatures were forecast to hover around 100 degrees for five straight days starting Friday, conditions that once would have been considered unusual for a region where summers were so mild that people rarely needed air conditioners. The sweltering temperatures prompted Gov. Tina Kotek to declare a statewide heat emergency, warning that the extreme heat represented a “new normal” of a changing climate.

“Both the record-breaking temperatures and the duration of heat present a clear and present danger, particularly for children, elders, people with disabilities and people who work outside,” Kotek said in a statement.

The Pacific Northwest in recent years has been raked by deadly heat waves that have killed hundreds. In summer 2021, temperatures soared to 30 degrees above normal, and there were about 600 more deaths in Washington and Oregon than typical.

This weekend, Portland city workers opened cooling centers that let people seek respite in air-conditioned buildings, and they set up outdoor misting stations at parks. Some parts of southern Oregon were expected to get even hotter, with temperatures in Medford forecast to hit 110 degrees Saturday.

On Saturday, the streets and light rail in downtown Portland were almost deserted as temperatures headed toward the upper 90s. But Highway 26 leading from Portland to the cooler shore was choked with traffic.

In the southern Oregon mountain town of Ashland, where temperatures hit 111 on Saturday afternoon, a crepe restaurant owner planned to surrender to the heat by closing early.

the shade outside the cooling center. “I’m grateful,” Battaglia said, adding that they had few other ways to flee the heat. “If this wasn’t here, that would be hard.”

They planned to stay close to the cooling center Saturday — at least until 8 p.m., when it closes for the night and they return to their campsite on the night lawn.

Across the West, even cities accustomed to sweating through triple-digit temperatures were struggling under the heat this past week. The desert oasis of Palm Springs, California, recorded a record high temperature of 124 degrees Friday. Phoenix also broke a daily record Friday, when it was 118 under cloudless skies, and forecasters said there was little chance of any monsoon storms that would bring relief to the city in the summer months.

In Northern California, the city of Redding saw temperatures soar to 117 degrees, leading officials in its county to extend the hours for cooling centers at libraries and community centers. Forecasters predicted that Redding could hit 120 degrees Saturday.

“I didn’t think Redding got that hot,” Asherman said. “It’s a scorcher.”

Officials across Western states warned that the extreme heat and winds could spawn new wildfires in the days ahead.

Blistering temperatures in and near Yosemite National Park — reaching 103 degrees in Yosemite Valley on Saturday — were adding to the challenges as firefighters worked to contain a 908-acre wildfire that started near Mariposa, California, on Thursday. The fire, named the French Fire, was about 25% contained by Saturday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Some parts of the eastern half of the country were also baking, a few weeks after a drawn-out heat wave caught many by surprise. For millions from Texas to New Jersey, a blanket of heat and humidity was creating dangerous conditions. In Raleigh, North Carolina, temperatures soared to 106 degrees Friday, breaking a record there.

Asherman said the triple-digit temperatures would continue to bake well into the coming week and gradually spread the misery toward the Plains states.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” he said. “The pattern is so stagnant.”

Lcda. Anaís Rodríguez Vega

Secretaria

Este anuncio se publica conforme a lo requerido por la Ley Núm. 416-2004, según enmendada, conocida corno “Ley sobre Política Pública Ambiental”, los reglamentos aprobados a su amparo; y las leyes y reglamentos federales aplicables. El costo del Aviso Público es sufragado por la entidad peticionaria.

About 20 homeless people, who are especially vulnerable during heat waves, made their way to the city’s only designated cooling center, where there was cold water, slices of watermelon, potato salad and other snacks, as well as yoga mats for people who wanted to lie down.

Avram Sacks, volunteer coordinator for the cooling center, picked up people from the “night lawn,” a designated campsite near the police station, and took them to the cooling center Saturday. “I would want someone to do it for me if I was living outside in this heat,” Sacks said. “It’s pretty unbearable.”

Sacks estimated that half of the people in Ashland did not have air conditioning in their homes, and he said that more were likely to need assistance if the heat persisted.

Grizzly Battaglia and his wife, who are homeless, sat in

Children cool off in a park fountain during a heatwave in Mountain House, Calif., July 2, 2024. (Mike Kai Chen/The New York Times)

New Fortress enters data center development sector

By THE STAR STAFF

New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE), the parent company of Genera PR, the private operator of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s legacy power plants, has entered into the data center sector.

The company has announced the launch of Klondike Digital Infrastructure, a power and data center development business dedicated to working with hyperscale clients to build and operate data centers. The venture comes in response to a significant need for turnkey digital infrastructure to support the next stage of explosive growth in artificial intelligence (AI).

Klondike is revolutionizing the industry by utilizing behind-the-meter, on-site power, NFE said. The innovative approach addresses all major constraints of digital infrastructure development, providing grid stability, significant transmission capacity, power reliability, energy cost savings and scalability.

“Power and infrastructure are the bottleneck of the AI race,” said Wes Edens, CEO & founder of Klondike and NFE

chairman & CEO. “With the rapid development of AI and the accompanying explosive growth in power demand, we are building larger-scale data center solutions to accommodate the needs of our hyperscale clients. And because we produce our own power, we can provide certainty to our customers more quickly than our competitors.”

Artificial intelligence has the potential to overstress the existing power grid and utilities, leading to higher electricity costs for consumers and potential grid instability. Klondike is focused on independent power sources that utilize behind-the-meter power, an approach that not only reduces the demand for power from the grid but also contributes power back to it.

Klondike is currently developing a geographically diverse portfolio of data center sites to satisfy the requirements of hyperscale users. The company has more than 1,000 acres of developable land across sites in Brazil, Ireland and the United States. The locations have large existing power plants or permits in process to build several gigawatts of power, connectivity to fiber networks, and access to transmission and water.

$235,000 settlement is reached in police raid of a Kansas newspaper

By EMMETT LINDNER

Almost one year after authorities raided the Marion County Record, a Kansas weekly newspaper, a former reporter has reached a $235,000 settlement as part of a lawsuit she filed over the search, which set off a national discussion about press freedoms.

The settlement, dated June 25, brought an end to a lawsuit filed by the former reporter, Deb Gruver, against Gideon Cody, who resigned as the Marion city police chief in October in the face of mounting pressure.

Gruver’s lawsuit claimed Cody had caused injury to her hand while forcibly obtaining her personal cellphone during the raid. Body-camera footage corroborated Gruver’s account, according to Eric Meyer, the newspaper’s publisher.

Meyer said Saturday that body-camera audio recorded Cody “saying that it just made his day.”

Gruver, who left the newspaper last fall, said in a letter to the editor that she “no longer wanted to work in a town where the majority of ‘leaders’ clearly don’t respect the Fourth Estate or the U.S. Constitution,” the Record reported.

On Aug. 11, local police and county sheriff’s deputies raided the office of the Record and the homes of a council member and Meyer. The raid at the newsroom sparked outrage and a nationwide debate over First Amendment rights.

A search warrant was issued about one hour before the raid in which officers searched the newsroom and opened drawers and removed computers, cellphones and other materials from the Record’s office. Seven law enforcement officials spent more than two hours in Meyer’s residence, where his mother was at the time, he said.

Authorities said the search was part of an investigation into how a document, which contained information about a local restaurant owner’s steps to restore her driver’s license, had been obtained by the newspaper. Authorities said the acquisition may have constituted identity theft and other crimes.

No article containing the government record had been published, and the Record said it had obtained the document from a confidential source.

Less than a week after the raid, Marion County’s top

The Marion County Record newsroom in Marion, Kan., Aug. 12, 2023. Almost one year after the authorities raided The Marion County Record, a Kansas weekly newspaper, a former reporter has reached a $235,000 settlement as part of a lawsuit she filed over the search, which set off a national discussion about press freedoms. (Chase Castor/The New York Times)

prosecutor, Joel Ensey, ordered officials to return the seized devices because there was insufficient evidence to justify the searches.

Two days after the searches, Joan Meyer, the 98-yearold mother of the publisher and co-owner of the paper, died, in part because of the distress caused by the raid on her home, Eric Meyer said.

The raid also came days after the Record had questioned Cody about his departure from the Kansas City Police Department, after accusations that he had made sexist and insulting comments.

Gruver “was the reporter who had obtained initial information on the police chief that we did not publish at the time,” Meyer said. “The material for that was in her desk, and they searched her desk during the raid.”

Another part of her lawsuit against the county sheriff, Jeff Soyez, and Ensey remains pending. Lawsuits filed by four other employees of the newspaper also remain pending.

The city’s insurance carrier will pay the settlement in Gruver’s case. City officials and Cody could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.

One of the lawsuits, filed by Meyer, is on behalf of the newspaper’s parent company and the estate of Meyer’s mother. The lawsuits accuse local officials of trying to silence the paper and say that the raids contributed to the death of Meyer’s mother.

“One of the things that we’ve seen out of this is that the people who have responded to us have come from across the political spectrum,” Meyer said. “There aren’t too many things in this world right now that bring Democrats and Republicans together.”

Wes Edens, CEO & founder of Klondike Digital Infrastructure and New Fortress Energy chairman & CEO (newfortressenergy.com)

Earnings season to test hopes for broader stocks rally

Hopes that the U.S. stocks rally will broaden beyond megacaps like Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab will be tested in coming weeks as investors learn whether profit growth from other companies is starting to catch up with that of the tech-related leaders.

The S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab has rallied 16% so far in 2024, driven by a handful of massive stocks poised to benefit from emerging artificial intelligence technology. Only 24% of stocks in the S&P 500 outperformed the index in the first half, the third-narrowest six-month period since 1986, according to BofA Global Research strategists.

Meanwhile, the equal-weight S&P 500 (.SPXEW), opens new tab -- a proxy for the average stock -- is only up around 4% this year. As of Tuesday, about 40% of S&P 500 components were down for the year.

Second-quarter earnings kick off next week with major banks including JPMorgan (JPM.N), opens new tab and Citigroup (C.N), opens new tab reporting on July 12. Investors will be watching whether profits from other companies are catching up with the “Magnificent 7”: Nvidia, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab, Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab, Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab and Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab, many of which rebounded from struggles in 2022.

Investors generally view a narrow rally as more fragile, because weakness in just a few big stocks could sink indexes, but some hope gains will spread during the second half.

More companies are projected to post improved earnings as many investors expect the economy to navigate a soft landing, which could boost stocks trading at more moderate valuations than market leaders.

“If we’re looking for a catalyst to have broader participation in this rally this year, the second-quarter earnings reporting season may well be the start of that,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth.

It’s lost 34% over the past year while the wider S&P 500 rose 25%.

The S&P 500 is trading at about 21 times forward earnings estimates, but if the top 10 stocks by market value are excluded that figure drops to 16.5 on average for the rest of the index, Hogan said.

In a further sign of the narrow rally, the information technology (.SPLRCT), opens new tab and communication services (.SPLRCL), opens new tab sectors, which include most of the Magnificent 7, are the only two of 11 S&P 500 sectors to outperform the broader index this year.

Earnings among the Magnificent 7 rose 51.8% year-onyear in the first quarter compared to 1.3% earnings growth for the rest of the S&P 500, according to Tajinder Dhillon, senior research analyst at LSEG.

That gap is expected to shrink, with forecasts for Magnificent 7 year-on-year earnings rising 29.7% in the second quarter and earnings among the rest of the index up 7.2%, according to LSEG.

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

“We think greater balance in profitability could lead to broader market participation in the coming quarters,” Chris Haverland, global equity strategist with the Wells Fargo Investment Institute (WFII), said in a note on Tuesday.

The WFII suggests investors trim gains in the technology and communication services sectors to take advantage of weakness in energy, healthcare, industrials and materials.

Later in the year, the Magnificent 7’s profit advantage is expected to diminish further. The group’s year-on-year earnings growth is expected to be 17.4% in the third quarter and 18.3% in the fourth. That compares with rest-of-index earnings growth of 6.8% in the third quarter and 13.9% in the fourth.

PUERTO RICO STOCKS

COMMODITIES

CURRENCY

“We anticipate that we’re going to have nearly all sectors of the S&P participating in earnings growth in 2024,” said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer for Northern Trust Wealth Management.

Not everyone is convinced that other groups are poised to catch up, as AI remains a dominant theme. Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth Management, said he had doubts about earnings growth meeting expectations, due to weak consumer spending, sticky inflation and other concerning economic indicators.

Data on Friday showed U.S. job growth slowed marginally in June, with major stock indexes little changed in morning trade following the report.

Britain’s new leader is about to get a crash course in statecraft

By MARK LANDLER

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain will barely get his feet under the desk in No. 10 Downing St. before he flies to Washington this coming week to attend a NATO summit. A week after that, he will play host to 50 European leaders at a security meeting at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

It’s a crash course in global statecraft for Starmer, Britain’s first Labour prime minister in 14 years. But it will also give him the chance to project an image of Britain that is uncharacteristic in the post-Brexit era: a stable, conventional, center-left country amid a churning tide of politically unsettled allies.

In Washington, Starmer will encounter President Joe Biden, who is resisting calls to abandon his race for reelection because of age-related decline. He will meet with President Emmanuel Macron, whose attempt to fend off the far right in France appears to have backfired, and with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, whose coalition has been weakened by the advance of the hard right in European Parliament elections.

Depending on how the U.S. presidential election goes, Starmer could someday even find himself in a position not unlike that of another German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was viewed as a bulwark of the rulesbased international order when Trump was president.

For Starmer to assume that mantle, however, he will have to find a way to jumpstart Britain’s economy, according to Darroch. Diplomatic power correlates with economic power, and Britain’s anemic economy — combined with its decision to leave the European Union — has diminished the country’s role in international affairs.

Darroch also said that Starmer should overcome his reputation for caution and try to do something bold with Europe. He has ruled out rejoining the bloc’s vast single economic market, since that would mean allowing people from Europe the freedom to live and work in Britain, or its customs union, which would mean accepting some of the bloc’s rules on tariffs and duties.

Any significant deal would involve difficult trade-offs, but Starmer, who opposed leaving the EU does not carry the baggage of Conservative predecessors like Boris Johnson, who fronted the Brexit campaign and cultivated a reputation as someone who relished a scrap with Europeans.

“They haven’t been insulted by Labour the way they were by the Tories,” said Darroch, who also served as Britain’s permanent representative to the EU. “He doesn’t have that legacy; he doesn’t have that baggage.”

the University of Manchester.

Israel and Gaza pose a trickier issue for Starmer. He has called for a cease-fire in the conflict, but he took awhile to get there, which angered those on the left wing of his party as well as Muslim supporters of Labour.

David Lammy, who was appointed foreign secretary by Starmer on Friday, described his boss’s approach to the war as shaped by his background as a human rights lawyer. He said in an interview in April that Starmer would continue to support Israel but demand that it comply with international law.

Starmer’s success with Labour may raise hopes among some that Britain’s embrace of a center-left party could be replicated in France and the United States. But it is equally plausible that Britain could be a harbinger of something else: an anti-incumbent revolt and simmering populism, embodied in Britain by the insurgent Reform party, that could play out elsewhere. That was the case in 2016, when voters backed the Brexit referendum six months before the United States elected Donald Trump.

Britain’s shift to Labour, analysts pointed out, was not about ideology so much as about fatigue with a Conservative government and distrust of political institutions in general. That same fatigue exists in France, under an unpopular centrist president, and in the United States, under an aging Democratic one.

For now, however, diplomats said that Starmer’s remarkable election victory would give him a sheen of political stardust with his fellow leaders, for whom such victories have been in short supply lately.

“The huge victory means that he’ll be mobbed at the NATO summit,” said Kim Darroch, who served as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. “Everyone will want to talk to him; everyone will want a selfie with him.”

Starmer traveled widely abroad when he was a human rights lawyer. But his expertise does not lie in foreign policy, and during the election campaign, he mainly sought to avoid significant daylight with the Conservative government on the two major issues of the day: the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.

Starmer has pledged to maintain Britain’s military support of Ukraine, which has enjoyed broad public backing from the start of the war. As Labour Party leader, he worked hard to shake off a reputation for hostility to NATO and suspicion of the military that had taken root under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.

“One of the things that was disastrous under Corbyn is that he didn’t have a commitment to NATO, he didn’t have commitment to defense, and people didn’t like that,” said Robert Ford, a professor of political science at

“The situation in Gaza is a description of hell on Earth,” Lammy said. “Man-made

famine, no significant medical assistance at all, people eating cactus. The Labour Party has played the best role it could as an opposition party.”

Lammy has said that a Labour government will fuse progressive values with a realistic approach to the world — a formula he called “progressive realism.”

“There was a lot of magical thinking in the Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak period,” Lammy said, referring to the four Conservative prime ministers who preceded Starmer. “And a harking back to an era long gone, and not enough focus on today’s challenges.” The

San Juan Daily Star

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain is cheered after delivering remarks outside 10 Downing Street in London on Friday, July 5, 2024. Starmer will travel to a NATO summit this coming week, where he will represent a rare point of centrist stability among unsettled allies. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Reformist candidate wins Iran’s presidential election

By FARNAZ FASSIHI

In an election upset in Iran, the reformist candidate who advocated moderate policies at home and improved relations with the West won the presidential runoff against a hard-line rival, according to results released by the Interior Ministry on Saturday.

The winner, Masoud Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, got 16.3 million votes to defeat Saeed Jalili with 13.5 million votes. It was a blow to the conservative faction in Iran’s ruling establishment and a major victory for the relatively moderate reformist camp, which had been sidelined from politics for the past few years.

After polls closed at midnight, turnout stood at about 50%, roughly 10 percentage points higher than in the first round, with about 30.5 million ballots cast, according to the Interior Ministry.

The first round had a record-low turnout, as many Iranians boycotted in protest. But the prospect of a hard-line administration that would double down on strict social rules, including enforcing mandatory hijabs for women, and remain defiant in negotiations to lift international economic sanctions apparently spurred Iranians to turn out.

“The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, compassion and trust,” Pezeshkian wrote on social media after his win. In another post, he thanked the young people “who came to work lovingly and sincerely for Iran” and “shined a ray of hope and confidence in the future.”

Pezeshkian said during the campaign that he recognized fixing the economy was inextricably linked to foreign policy — namely, the standoff with the West over the nuclear program — and would negotiate to lift sanctions.

He has said he opposes the mandatory hijab law and wants peaceful relations with the West. But when it comes to Iran’s animosity toward Israel, that is a matter of state policy set at the highest levels, from which the incoming president is unlikely to diverge.

While Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wields the most power in government, analysts said the incoming president will set domestic policy and influence the shape of foreign policies.

“A reform-minded president, despite all the limitations and failures of the past, is still meaningfully better; in some significant way, it would put some constraint on the authoritarianism of the Islamic Republic,” said Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle Eastern studies

at George Washington University.

Pezeshkian’s supporters took to the streets before dawn Saturday, honking horns, dancing and cheering outside his campaign offices in many cities, including his hometown, Tabriz, after he was announced the winner. On social media, they congratulated Iranians for turning up at polls to “save Iran,” a campaign slogan of Pezeshkian’s.

“The end of the rule of minority over majority,” said Ali Akbar Behmanesh, a reformist politician and head of Pezeshkian’s campaign in the province of Mazandaran. “Congratulations for the victory of wisdom over ignorance,” he added in a post on the social platform X.

Some conservative supporters of Jalili said on social media that regardless of who won, the turnout was a victory for the Islamic Republic, and they hoped the new administration would work to bridge divisions among political factions.

“Once again, the great will of the Iranians was manifested and embarrassed the enemies of the revolution, the system and the Islamic homeland, and especially the evil efforts and planning of the Western Zionist media empire,” Khamenei said in a statement congratulating the winner. He called for the country to pull together for the sake of prosperity.

The special election was held because President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May. Pezeshkian’s new term will last four years.

Elections in Iran are not free or fair by

a little better,” she said, “and if there is a president who can or wants to make those small changes, it’s enough for now.”

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Pezeshkian served in parliament for 16 years, including a stint as deputy parliament speaker, and as health minister for four years. After his wife died in a car accident, he raised his children as a single father and has never remarried, which is somewhat unusual in Iran. That, and his identity as an Azeri, one of Iran’s ethnic minorities, endeared him to many voters. He campaigned with his adult daughter by his side at every rally and major speech.

Pezeshkian promised to work with his rivals to solve Iran’s many challenges.

Jalili campaigned on the message that he would safeguard revolutionary ideals and remain defiant against challenges like sanctions and nuclear negotiations. He congratulated the victor Saturday, saying he wanted to help the government address the country’s problems.

Western standards, and the selection of candidates is tightly vetted by the Guardian Council, an appointed committee of 12, with six clerics and six jurists. But the government has long viewed voter turnout as a sign of legitimacy.

The two candidates in the runoff, from opposite ends of Iran’s constrained political spectrum, represented different visions for Iran, with consequences for domestic and regional politics.

In the days before the election, Pezeshkian’s campaign rallies attracted larger and younger crowds. Prominent politicians like Mohammad Javad Zarif, a former foreign minister, campaigned for him and said the choice was between “day and night.”

The message that voters should turn up out of fear of Jalili appeared to have resonated.

“I’m going to vote, because if I don’t vote, the Islamic Republic won’t be toppled, but it will help elect a hard-line president that I do not accept,” Ghazal, a 24-year-old fashion designer in Tehran, the capital, said in a telephone interview. Like others interviewed, she asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of drawing the government’s attention.

Sedigheh, a 41-year-old pediatrician in Tehran, also abandoned her boycott and voted for Pezeshkian on Friday, even though she said by telephone that she had no hope that any president could bring about the meaningful changes that people demanded.

“I voted because I think we need small and incremental changes that make our lives

In the days before the vote, prominent politicians and clerics called Jalili “delusional,” compared him to the Taliban in Afghanistan and warned that his presidency would put the country on a collision course with the United States and Israel.

Reformists in Iran said that Pezeshkian’s election campaign was a boost for their political movement, which many inside and outside the country had written off after being marginalized in parliamentary elections and the last presidential election, in 2021. That year, competitive candidates were disqualified, while those who remained faced a disillusioned electorate.

Many Iranians have called for an end to authoritarian clerical rule in waves of protests, including a 2022 uprising led by women in which crowds chanted, “Conservatives, reformists, the game is over.”

The government brutally cracked down on the dissent, killing more than 500 people and arresting tens of thousands during that latest uprising. The widespread anger and loss of hope were reflected in the fact that half of eligible voters, about 61 million, sat out this election, saying that a vote for the government would be a betrayal of all victims.

Mahsa, a 34-year-old accountant in Isfahan, said by telephone that she refused to vote and was not buying the logic that she had to pick between “bad and worse.”

“I see this election as government propaganda — a kind of ridiculous mask behind which everything is controlled by a dictator,” she added.

Why Biden is unlikely to defy the naysayers

By ROSS DOUTHAT

In a way, we’ve been here before. A presidential candidate seemingly unfit for office but nonetheless in position to be his party’s standard-bearer. A media drumbeat demanding that somebody, somehow, step in and push him out. A raft of party leaders and important officeholders hanging around uncertainly with their fingers in the wind.

As with Joe Biden in 2024, so it was with Donald Trump at various times in 2016 — both during the primary season and then especially in the fall when the “Access Hollywood” tape dropped and it seemed the GOP might abandon him.

For Biden and his inner circle, an arguable lesson of that experience is that they aren’t actually finished, they don’t have to listen to the drumbeat and they can just refuse to leave and spite all the naysayers by winning in the end.

After all, it didn’t matter that not only the mainstream press but much of right-wing media deemed Trump unfit for high office — that Fox News anchors tried to sandbag him in the early Republican debates, that National Review commissioned a special issue to condemn him, that long-standing pillars of conservative punditry all opposed him. It didn’t matter that his rivals vowed “never” to support him, that the former Republican nominee for president condemned him, that leading Republicans retracted their endorsements just weeks before the election. Trump proved that nothing they

did mattered so long as he refused to yield.

But I don’t think history will repeat itself. I think Biden will bow out, his current protestations notwithstanding, because of three differences between the current circumstance and Trump’s position eight years ago.

First, while both political parties are hollowed out compared with their condition 50 years ago, the Democrats still appear more capable of functioning and deciding as a party than the Republicans. Biden’s own presidency is proof of that capacity: He became the nominee in 2020 in part because of a seemingly coordinated effort to clear the field for him against Bernie Sanders, exactly the thing the GOP was incapable of managing four years earlier with Trump.

This greater party capacity is, in part, a reflection of the fact that Democrats generally seem to like and trust their leaders more than Republicans trust theirs — and especially more than Republicans trusted their leaders during Trump’s rise to power. Figures like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi are seen as successful and admirable and ideologically reliable by their co-partisans, whereas in 2016 Mitt Romney and John McCain were perceived as political losers, the party’s congressional leaders as unreliable at best and the most recent Republican administration as a failure. That means if leading Democrats reach the point where they tell Biden, “It’s over,” they’ll have more credibility and leverage within their own coalition than any Republican leader had in 2016.

“As the belief that Joe Biden is fully equipped to be president dissolves like mist on a Delaware morning, some of his defenders have fallen back on the idea that the American presidency is not really a man but a team,” writes New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. (Alain Pilon/The New York Times)

and less stable periods of Trump’s presidency, depending on which subordinates he hired.)

Dr. Ricardo Angulo Founder PO BOX 6537 Caguas PR 00726

Second, having the media and the intelligentsia turn fully against you is more devastating for a Democratic president, because the Democrats generally see themselves as the party that trusts the mainstream press and academic expertise and respectable opinion, whereas Republicans generally assume that those forces are biased or blinkered or somehow out to get them.

Telephones: (787) 743-3346 • (787) 743-6537 (787) 743-5606 • Fax (787) 743-5100

Manuel

María de L. Márquez Business

R. Mariani

María Rivera

To be sure, there are plenty of Democrats who regard the wave of negative coverage for Biden since the debate as a put-up job or a media conspiracy; social media is full of those voices at the moment. But in its natural posture, the Democratic Party really cares about its reputation among figures of cultural authority in a way that the Republican Party in its natural posture does not. So Biden’s incapacity, and the wave of elite anger at its concealment, has already created a greater sense of tension for Democratic politicians and staff members and apparatchiks than could ever exist on the Republican side.

Finally, even after Trump’s most disgraceful moments in 2016, Republicans found ways to reconcile themselves to his candidacy, to take the path of least resistance, by telling themselves that things might get better — that he could hire better advisers, lay off social media, learn to discipline himself, grow into the role of presidential candidate or ultimately president.

This was mostly self-deception, but it was a story that people could cling to or talk themselves into as a means to avoiding difficult choices. (And there were, in the end, more

With Biden’s condition, though, even the most ardent partisans have to know in their hearts that things will not get any better, that they can only deteriorate from here. Hoping for a moral breakthrough or a sudden discovery of personal discipline from a public figure is generally naive. But hoping for a reversal of the aging process is a different level of delusion, a higher bar to clear.

Some Democratic partisans are showing they can clear it. But not enough, I think, for Joe Biden to simply dig his heels in and survive.

The San Juan Daily Star

Alcalde de Guaynabo implementa programa “Agua pa’l campo” con la instalación de 13 generadores para estaciones de bombeo de la zona Sur

POR EL STAR STAFF

GUAYNABO

– Buscando alternativas para resolver los problemas de servicio de agua en las zonas sur de la Ciudad, el alcalde de Guaynabo, Edward O’Neill Rosa estableció el proyecto “Agua Pa’l Campo”. Este programa es resultado de un acuerdo colaborativo con la Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA) para la instalación de trece (13) generadores en las estaciones de bombeo que suministran agua a las zonas altas. La inversión municipal para la compra e instalación de los generadores fue de $849,302. Estos generadores serán ubicados en las estaciones de bombeo de la AAA y, en caso de interrupciones del servicio de energía eléctrica, garantizarán la continuidad del suministro de agua a las zonas altas de las comunidades del sur de Guaynabo.

“Reconocemos que la inestabilidad del servicio de energía eléctrica afecta el suministro de agua en las comunidades altas de Guaynabo. Esta iniciativa, en colaboración con la AAA, evitará que se interrumpa el bombeo, asegurando que las familias no sufran por la falta de agua. Agradezco la diligencia de la directora, Doriel Pagán, quien ha estado atenta a estos trabajos”, expresó el alcalde O’Neill Rosa.

Por su parte, la presidenta ejecutiva de la Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, Ing. Doriel I. Pagán, indicó que “los generadores eléctricos en las estaciones de bombeo serán de gran beneficio para los clientes en las partes altas de Guaynabo. En eventos de fluctuaciones de voltaje o falta de servicio, estas estaciones entrarán en operación con los generadores de emergencia. Agradecemos al alcalde, Edward O’Neill, por su colaboración”.

De los trece generadores, doce ya han sido instalados en las siguientes estaciones: Barrio Río 1 y 2, estación Hato Nuevo 1 y 2, estación Sonadora, estación La Marquesa, estación Linda Gardens, estación Lomas del Sol, estación López Cases 1, 2 y 3, estación Camarones “Grande” y estación Camarones (centro).

Cayey asigna $1.2 millones para atender filtraciones de techo de hogares de en personas de mayor edad

POR EL STAR STAFF

CAYEY

– El alcalde de Cayey, Rolando Ortiz Velázquez, informó que una de las secuelas generadas por los pasados huracanes y tormentas es la gran cantidad de hogares construidos en cemento donde las filtraciones afectan la calidad de vida y las pertenencias de los residentes.

“En mi visitas a las comunidades hemos identificado que esto es uno de los más grandes problemas que tiene nuestros adultos mayores. En muchos casos son personas que que no tienen quien les pueda asistir en la limpieza y sellado de los techos, aparte del costo que eso conlle-

va. Estos casos se han evidenciado en los reclamos que recibimos en la Oficina de Ayuda al Ciudadano”, explicó el alcalde.

Ante esta situación, el Municipio determinó asignar la cantidad de $1.2 millones de fondos municipales para atender este tipo de casos, que serán evaluados conforme a criterios particulares de necesidad, ingresos y composición familiar. “Como en otras situaciones, acudimos además al valor del voluntariado para que las personas u organizaciones que conozcan del tema e interesen participar, se comuniquen con el Municipio. Gracias a Dios en Cayey, la solidaridad florece constantemente y estamos muy agradecidos de eso”, añadió Ortiz Velázquez.

Legisladores del PNP catalogan de inmovilista al PPD ante decisión de dejar la papeleta de la consulta de estatus en blanco

POR

EL STAR STAFF

SAN JUAN – El expresidente de la Cámara de Representantes, José Aponte, junto a los representantes José ‘Che’ Pérez y Víctor Parés, señalaron al Partido Popular Democrático (PPD) de “continuar con el inmovilismo” al decidir dejar la papeleta en blanco en la consulta de estatus pautada para el 5 de noviembre, en conjunto con las elecciones generales.

Los tres legisladores del Partido Nuevo Progresista también sostuvieron que la posición del actual presidente de la Pava, el representante Jesús Manuel Ortiz, es la misma del exgobernador Alejandro García Padilla (2013-2016), quien nunca hizo nada para solucionar el asunto del estatus.

“La decisión del Partido Popular, impulsada por su presidente, Jesús Manuel Ortiz, es más de lo mismo, es otra

acción dirigida a intentar perpetuar el status quo, la colonia, donde estamos hoy. Un estatus indigno que permite la imposición de la Junta de Supervisión y Administración Financiera, que nos coloca en desventaja, pero ellos prefieren suplicar en el Congreso en vez de reclamar, exigir, lo que nos lleva a ser ciudadanos estadounidenses de segunda clase por vivir en la colonia. Esta decisión es continuar con el inmovilismo, por eso han dejado de ser relevantes en la discusión pública”, comentó Aponte.

“El actual Presidente del PPD toma una página del libro de su principal asesor, Alejandro García Padilla, quien en la campaña del 2012 prometió celebrar una asamblea de estatus y, aun con el control de la Legislatura, nunca lo hizo. Es la misma posición

de la delegación del PPD en el Senado y la Cámara en el cuatrienio de Alejandro la cual creó una comisión especial para atender el asunto y la misma jamás se reunió, ni siquiera para aprobar su propio reglamento. Es el no hacer absolutamente nada, eso es lo que pretende el Partido Popular”, añadió Pérez.

La pasada semana el gobernador, Pedro Pierluisi, firmó una Orden Ejecutiva, utilizando como base el Artículo 2.1 de la Ley 165-2020, el cual faculta en ley al Gobernador de Puerto Rico a convocar una consulta sobre el estatus político de la Isla.

La consulta será entre las opciones de la estadidad, la independencia directa y la independencia mediante un tratado de libre asociación.

The San Juan Daily Star

Five science fiction movies to stream now

By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

In this month’s sci-fi picks, life on Mars, a social dystopia set in near-future London and a meet-cute after a spaceship accident.

‘Mars Express’

French director Jérémie Périn’s impressive debut feature is set on Mars, which is now habitable under extensive domes, but this animated movie isn’t about terraforming or life on the red planet. Rather, Périn explores the tensions among humans, robots, androids and newcomers called “organics.” And he does it with an action-packed, often violent noir thriller (this is not a film for young children).

The central character is private detective Aline Ruby (voiced by Morla Gorrondona in the English dub), who is hired to locate a missing cybernetics student. In the process, she and her robot sidekick, Carlos (Josh Keaton), uncover a far-reaching conspiracy that involves some powerful people.

Pretty standard stuff in terms of plot mechanics, but “Mars Express” undergirds its suspenseful, skilfully directed set pieces with weighty philosophical concerns, like the meaning of personhood and the quest for increased autonomy. The world building is superb, with such thoughtful details as a minibar that automatically shuts off when it senses the presence of someone in recovery, a patch that allows for telepathic communication and students making extra money in “brain farms.”

Note that except on Amazon, which lists French and English audio, “Mars Express” only seems to be available dubbed; it’d be great to have wider access to the subtitled original cast, led by Léa Drucker as Aline. (Rent or buy it on most major platforms.)

‘The Kitchen’

Speaking of world-building: The term is often used in relation to settings that are distant in space or time, and quite remote from our present circumstances. “The Kitchen” is a social dystopia set in near-future London so the differences with our reality are relatively minor, but they are very effectively deployed. Directors Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares ground their story in two issues of great interest to millions, if not billions of people: the scarcity of housing and the difficulty of maintaining familial bonds in a fraught environment.

Izi (rapper-actor Kane Robinson, from the series “Top Boy”) has just learned that he’s finally landed a new

apartment. This means that he can finally leave the dilapidated, overcrowded housing complex known as the Kitchen, where even taking a shower becomes an endurance test. His neighborhood is packed with narrow alleys and small stalls, police drones fly overhead and violence is a constant presence. The prospect of moving out is a godsend for Izi, but his meeting the newly orphaned Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) upends his plans — it’s harder to leave when someone anchors you.

“The Kitchen” joins the growing ranks of futuristic movies pointedly dealing with class warfare, and its description of a world in which the gap between haves and have-nots has deepened to a trench is all too familiar. (Stream it on Netflix.)

‘Animalia’

If your definition of an alien invasion involves ships hovering above Earth and major destruction, just know that Sofia Alaoui’s beautifully shot take on the genre is definitely ... not that. Still, the mysterious, elliptical Moroccan movie “Animalia” exerts a pull of its own as its central character, a pregnant young woman named Itto (Oumaima Barid), faces a series of unexplained events.

When the wealthy family she has married into leaves for an outing, Itto enjoys some quality alone time at home. Soon, however, things start to go off the rails. Animals behave strangely, army vehicles barrel down the streets, roadblocks are hastily erected. The movie holds back on the explanations, and as her husband, Amine (Mehdi Dehbi), tries to arrange for a reunion, Itto’s journey acquires a mystical tinge.

Yet Alaoui does not stray into woo-woo New Age-isms and offers pointed views on the emancipation of women in Morocco, and their role in both the family and society. It takes confidence and skill to keep an audience invested in a movie while withholding information, and Alaoui clearly has both. (Rent or buy it on most major platforms.)

‘Molli and Max in the Future’

“So we have to go in a circle to go forward?” This question, asked in writer-director Michael Lukk Litwak’s debut feature, neatly encapsulates the romantic-comedy genre. After all, in rom-coms two people spend way too much time avoiding an attraction that’s obvious to everybody else. Such is the case with Molli (Zosia Mamet) and Max (Aristotle Athari), who meet cute in a spaceship accident. His jalopy gets totaled, so she must give him a ride back to his Oceanus home — Max is part fish, though he passes as human. Their

banter is finger-snapping fast, so obviously they’re meant to be together.

Alas, it’ll take them a dozen years and various tribulations to figure it out. Molli joins a cult and becomes a space witch, for example; at one point they even help each other cyber-date. Made with essentially a green screen, a few props and a lot of imagination, and carried with terrific zest by Athari and Mamet, this sci-fi comedy delivers more laughs per minute than most efforts with a higher budget and higher profile. I can’t wait to see what Litwak comes up with next. (Stream it on Amazon.)

‘Invaders From Proxima B’

With the kids out of school, Ward Roberts’ goofy hybrid of body switcheroo a la “Freaky Friday” and alien invasion is a good pick for family viewing. A gigging musician and absentee dad, Howie (Roberts) happens to be home on the night a small spaceship crashes into the family backyard. From it emerges Chuck (voiced by Roberts), a diminutive Oscar the Grouch-type puppet that looks as if made from an old parka’s faux-fur trim.

Chuck is a grumpy rapscallion who’s been dispatched from a trillion miles away to save Earth from way worse aliens, the Draconians. For some highly debatable reason, Chuck must take human form, and Howie just happens to be available. The movie further expands on the body-swapping mayhem when Howie’s wife (Samantha Sloyan) and daughter (Bo Roberts) enter the fray. As if this weren’t enough, a pair of “Men in Black” types (Mike C. Nelson and Richard Riehle) try to get their hands on Chuck for their own nefarious reasons. An unabashedly DIY lark, “Invaders From Proxima B” fully commits to its silliness and lowbrow humor — the early fart joke is a warning flare — and does the furry-creature feature proud. (Rent or buy it on Fandango at Home.)

“Mars Express”

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

RAMÓN

MARIERA RODRÍGUEZ

Peticionario EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: GR2024CV00122. Sala: 602. Sobre: PETICIÓN DE DOMINIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: SUCESIÓN DE RAMÓN MAGDALENO MARIERA Y SUCESIÓN DE LUCAS BENÍTEZ.

El peticionario ha radicado en este Tribunal una Solicitud para que se declare a favor de la Ramón Manera Rodríguez el dominio de la siguiente finca: RÚSTICA: Solar localizado en el Barrio Jaguar del término municipal de Gurabo, carretera Ciento Ochenta y Uno (181) Km. Cuarenta y Uno punto Nueve (41.9), con cabida de Ochocientos Setenta y Cuatro metros cuadrados con Nueve Mil Quinientas Setenta y Cinco diezmilésimas de otro (974.9575 m.c.). En linderos por el Norte, en Veinticinco punto Novecientos Cincuenta y Siete metros (25.957 m) con finca matriz por el Sur, en Veintiséis punto Seiscientos Setenta y Un metros (26.71 m) con finca matriz; por el Este, en Treinta y Tres punto Quinientos Noventa metros (33.590 m) en cinco alineamientos, con carretera Ciento Ochenta y Uno (181); y por el Oeste, en Treinta y Dos punto Trescientos Ochenta y Nueve metros (32.3 89 m) con finca matriz. Representa al peticionario, la abogada cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono es el siguiente: Lcda. Ivette Rossana García Cruz PO BOX 373151 Cayey, PR 00737-3151

E-mail: garciacruzlaw@gmail.com

Habiéndose dictado Orden por el Honorable Tribunal para que la solicitud de la peticionaria sea publicada por tres (3) veces en el término de veinte (20) días en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, para que cualquier persona con interés y/o las personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la presente causa de acción de dominio y a todo ciudadano que tenga algún derecho real en dicho bien, para que comparezcan a alegar sus derechos dentro de los veinte (20) días de la última publicación del edicto. Se les apercibe que, si no com-

parecieren a contestar dicha petición dentro del término establecido, se dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado. En Caguas, Puerto Rico, a 31 de mayo de 2024. LISILDA MARTÍNEZ AGOSTO, SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS RAMÓN MARIERA RODRÍGUEZ Peticionario EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: GR2024CV00122. Sala: 602. Sobre: PETICIÓN DE DOMINIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: CUALQUIER PERSONA CON INTERÉS Y/O PERSONAS IGNORADAS

A QUIENES PUEDA PERJUDICAR LA PRESENTE CAUSA DE ACCIÓN Y A LOS QUE TENGAN CUALQUIER DERECHO REAL SOBRE LA FINCA OBJETO DE ESTE PROCEDIMIENTO. El peticionario ha radicado en este Tribunal una Solicitud para que se declare a favor de la Ramón Mariera Rodríguez el dominio de la siguiente finca: RÚSTICA: Solar localizado en el Barrio Jaguar del término municipal de Gurabo, carretera Ciento Ochenta y Uno (181) Km. Cuarenta y Uno punto Nueve (41.9), con cabida de Ochocientos Setenta y Cuatro metros cuadrados con Nueve Mil Quinientas Setenta y Cinco diezmilésimas de otro (974.9575 m.c.). En linderos por el Norte, en Veinticinco punto Novecientos Cincuenta y Siete metros (25.957 m) con finca matriz por el Sur, en Veintiséis punto Seiscientos Setenta y Un metros (26.71 m) con Nueve metros (32.389 m) con finca matriz. Representa al peticionario, la abogada cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono es el siguiente:

Lcda. Ivette Rossana García Cruz PO BOX 373151 Cayey, PR 00737-3151

E-mail: garciacruzlaw@gmail.com

Habiéndose dictado Orden por el Honorable Tribunal para que la solicitud de la peticionaria sea publicada por tres (3) veces en el término de veinte (20) días en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, para que cualquier persona con interés y/o las

personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la presente causa de ación de dominio y a todo ciudadano que tenga algún derecho real en dicho bien, para que comparezcan a alegar sus derechos dentro de los veinte (20) días de la última publicación del edicto. Se les apercibe que, si no comparecieren a contestar dicha petición dentro del término establecido, se dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado. En Caguas, Puerto Rico, a 31 de mayo de 2024. LISILDA MARTÍNEZ AGOSTO, SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE UTUADO SALA SUPERIOR

DIÓGENES PÉREZ

GONZÁLEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO POR DIÓGENES PÉREZ HILDA NELLIE RODRÍGUEZ DOMINGUEZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA POR HILDA N. RODRÍGUEZ LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandantes Vs. SUCESIÓN DE JUAN GONZÁLEZ AVILÉS, también conocido por Juan González, Juan González Gómez y Juan González González COMPUESTA POR JOHN DOE, JANE DOE, su viuda María Aurora Heredia Rivera Y OTROS

SUCESIÓN DE CRISTINA

GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA COMPUESTA por el viudo, LUIS E. FERNANDEZ y sus hijos NILKA JOSEFINA FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Nilka J. Fernández, LYRDA EUNICE FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Lirda E. Fernández, JUAN LUIS

FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocido por Juan L. Fernández, GLADYS MARGARITA

FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Gladys Fernández González, MARÍA

ISABEL FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, CARMEN FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ,

también conocida por Carmen Fernández, ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Esther Fernández De Torres y Esther Fernández Torres y DAISY FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Daisy Fernández De Torres

SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA

AURORA HEREDIA RIVERA, también conocida por Aurora Heredia COMPUESTA

POR JOHN DOE, JANE DOE Y OTROS MIGUEL GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES compuesta por este y JANE DOE JUAN GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES compuesta por este y JANE DOE JUAN JOSÉ

GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

compuesta por este y JANE DOE LUIS

GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

compuesta por este y JANE DOE GLADYS

MARGARITA FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Gladys Fernández González y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE NILKA

JOSEFINA FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Nilka J. Fernández y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE LYRDA EUNICE FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Lirda E. Fernández, y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE JUAN LUIS

FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocido por Juan L. Fernández, y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

compuesta por este y JANE DOE GLADYS

MARGARITA FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Gladys Fernández González, y la SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA por ésta y JOHN DOE. MARÍA ISABEL FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE CARMEN FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Carmen Fernández, y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Esther Fernández De Torres y Esther Fernández Torres y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE DAISY FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, también conocida por Daisy Fernández De Torres y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES compuesta por esta y JOHN DOE JOHN DOE, JANE DOE, ASEGURADORAS X, Y y Z y OTROS

Demandados

Civil Núm.: JA2024CV00022. Sobre: DOMINIO CONTRADICTORIO, SENTENCIA DECLARATORIA Y PROCEDIMIENTO ESPECIAL DE EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO, REANUDACIÓN DE TRACTO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: SUCESIÓN DE JUAN

GONZÁLEZ AVILÉS (T/C/C POR JUAN GONZÁLEZ

T/C/C JUAN GONZÁLEZ

GÓMEZ T/C/C JUAN

GONZÁLEZ GONZÁLEZ) COMPUESTA POR SU VIUDA MARÍA AURORA

HEREDIA RIVERA, SUS HIJOS CRISTINA GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA (PREMUERTA), MIGUEL GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA,

JUAN GONZÁLEZ

HEREDIA, JUAN JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA, GLADYS MARGARITA GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA (T/C/C GLADYS GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA Y LUIS GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA (FALLECIDO), Y JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE, ESTOS ÚLTIMOS COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE JUAN GONZÁLEZ AVILÉS. JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA AURORA HEREDIA RIVERA (T/C/C AURORA HEREDIA). SUCESIÓN DE CRISTINA GONZÁLEZ

HEREDIA, COMPUESTA POR SU VIUDO, LUIS E. FERNÁNDEZ, SUS HIJOS NILKA JOSEFINA FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ

(T/C/C NILKA J. FERNÁNDEZ), LYRDA EUNICE FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C LIRDA E. FERNÁNDEZ), JUAN LUIS FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C JUAN L. FERNÁNDEZ), GLADYS MARGARITA FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C

GLADYS FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ), MARÍA ISABEL FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ, CARMEN FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C CARMEN FERNÁNDEZ), ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ DE TORRES T/C/C ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ TORRES) Y DAISY FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C DAISY FERNÁNDEZ DE TORRES), Y JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE, ESTOS ÚLTIMOS COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE CRISTINA GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA. NILKA JOSEFINA FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C NILKA J. FERNÁNDEZ), JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. LYRDA EUNICE

FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C LIRDA E. FERNÁNDEZ) JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. JUAN LUIS FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C JUAN L. FERNÁNDEZ), JANE DOE Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. GLADYS MARGARITA FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C GLADYS FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ), JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

COMPUESTA POR

ESTOS. MARÍA ISABEL FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ, JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

COMPUESTA POR

ESTOS. CARMEN

FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C CARMEN FERNÁNDEZ), JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

COMPUESTA POR

ESTOS. ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ

GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ DE TORRES T/C/C ESTHER FERNÁNDEZ TORRES), JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES

COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. DAISY FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ (T/C/C DAISY FERNÁNDEZ DE TORRES), JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. MIGUEL GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA, JANE DOE Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. JUAN GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA, JANE DOE Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. JUAN JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA, JANE DOE Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL

DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. LUIS GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA, JANE DOE Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ESTOS. GLADYS MARGARITA GONZÁLEZ HEREDIA, JOHN DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

ESTOS. JOHN DOE, JANE DOE Y OTROS COMO PARTES DESCONOCIDAS A QUIENES PUDIESES AFECTAR LOS REMEDIOS SOLICITADOS EN LA DEMANDA. ASEGURADORAS X, Y Y Z. PABLO MORALES, SUCESIÓN DE PABLO MORALES.

El Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior de Utuado, dictó la siguiente providencia: “Vista la Demanda y la solicitud de que se autorice el emplazamiento por edicto al amparo de la Regla 4.6 de Procedimiento Civil, de las cuales surge que las siguientes partes son partes necesarias y legítimas en el pleito, y que existe contra estos una reclamación que justifica la concesión de un remedio, se ordena su emplazamiento mediante la publicación de edicto: 1. Sucesión de Juan González Avilés (t/c/c por Juan González t/c/c Juan González Gómez t/c/c Juan González González) compuesta por su viuda María Aurora Heredia Rivera, sus hijos Cristina González Heredia (premuerta), Miguel González Heredia, Juan González Heredia, Juan José González Heredia, Gladys Margarita González Heredia (t/c/c Gladys González Heredia y Luis González Heredia (fallecido), y John Doe y Jane Doe, estos últimos como herederos desconocidos de Juan González Avilés. 2. John Doe y Jane Doe como herederos desconocidos de la Sucesión de María Aurora Heredia Rivera (t/c/c Aurora Heredia). 3. Sucesión de Cristina González Heredia, compuesta por su viudo, Luis E. Fernández, sus hijos Nilka Josefina Fernández González (t/c/c Nilka J. Fernández), Lyrda Eunice Fernández González (t/c/c Lirda E. Fernández), Juan Luis Fernández González (t/c/c Juan L. Fernández), Gladys Margarita Fernández González (t/c/c Gladys Fernández González), María Isabel Fernández González, Carmen Fernández González (t/c/c Carmen Fernández), Esther Fernández

The San Juan Daily Star

González (t/c/c Esther Fernández De Torres t/c/c Esther Fernández Torres) y Daisy Fernández González (t/c/c Daisy Fernández De Torres), y John Doe y Jane Doe, estos últimos como herederos desconocidos de Cristina González Heredia. 4. Nilka Josefina Fernández González (t/c/c Nilka J. Fernández), John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 5. Lyrda Eunice Fernández González (t/c/c Lirda E. Fernández) John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 6. Juan Luis Fernández González (t/c/c Juan L. Fernández), Jane Doe y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 7. Gladys Margarita Fernández González (t/c/c Gladys Fernández González), John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 8. María Isabel Fernández González, John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 9. Carmen Fernández González (t/c/c Carmen Fernández), John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 10. Esther Fernández González (t/c/c Esther Fernández De Torres t/c/c Esther Fernández Torres), John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 11. Daisy Fernández González (t/c/c Daisy Fernández De Torres), John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 12. Miguel González Heredia, Jane Doe y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 13. Juan González Heredia, Jane Doe y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 14. Juan José González Heredia, Jane Doe y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 15. Luis González Heredia, Jane Doe y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 16. Gladys Margarita González Heredia, John Doe, y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por estos. 17. John Doe, Jane Doe y otros como partes desconocidas a quienes pudieses afectar los remedios solicitados en la demanda. 18. Aseguradoras X, Y y Z. 19. Pablo Morales, Sucesión de Pablo Morales. Dicho edicto se publicará una (1) sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. La Parte Demandante queda relevada de dirigir a dichas partes codemandadas copia del emplazamiento por edicto y de la demanda por correo certificado a la última dirección conocida, por ser esta desconocida. Se ordena a la Secretaría del Tribunal expedir el emplazamiento por edicto correspondiente.” La Parte Demandante, Diógenes Pérez González (t/c/c Diógenes Pérez) y su esposa Hilda Nellie Rodríguez Domínguez (t/c/c

Hilda N. Rodríguez), ha solicitado del Tribunal que ordene al Registrador de la Propiedad a que proceda a inscribir el predio de terreno, que a continuación se describe, a su favor: RÚSTICA: Parcela de terreno con el número 3 del caso C-2341, radicada en el Barrio Jayuya Arriba del término municipal de Jayuya, compuesta de 3 cuerdas, equivalentes a una hectárea, diez y siete áreas, noventa y una centiáreas y mil ochocientos sesenta y ocho diez milésimas de otra. Lindante por el Norte con Pablo Morales; por el Sur con un camino municipal; por el Este con la parcela #4 y por el Oeste con la parcela #1. Se segrega de la Finca Número 1,073 a favor de los Estados Unidos de América, al Folio 73 del Tomo 22 de Jayuya, inscripción primera, según consta de la escritura pública número 258, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico el 9 de septiembre de 1959. Número de catastro: 243052-124-03-000. Contiene una estructura dedicada a vivienda. Se le emplaza y se le requiere que presente su alegación responsiva a la Demanda presentada, dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto, que se publicará una (1) vez en un periódico de circulación general del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, por Orden del Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de Utuado, Puerto Rico, notificando copia de la misma al abogado de la Parte Demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra, ello sin más citarle ni oírle. La representación legal de la Parte Demandante es la Lcda. Cynthia V. Rosario González, RUA 17,416, Urb. Villamar, Calle Domingo Rubio 34, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612. Teléfono / Celular: (787) 4006376 y (787) 878-9633. Correo electrónico: cvionnette@yahoo. com Expedido bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal para su publicación, en Utuado, Puerto Rico, hoy día 4 de junio de 2024.

DIANE ÁLVAREZ VILLANUEVA, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. MARIELA QUILES BORRERO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

REGION JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN. ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante v. MARIA LOURDES MELENDEZ MACHUCA

t/c/c MARIA DE LOURDES MELENDEZ MACHUCA

Demandados CIVIL NÚM.: SJ2023CV11605. Sobre: Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, hago saber a la parte demandada, MARIA LOURDES

MELENDEZ MACHUCA T/C/C

MARIA DE LOURDES MELENDEZ MACHUCA y al PÚBLICO

EN GENERAL; que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 5 de junio de 2024, 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: Condominio San Luis, 54 Calle Palmeras, Apt. 703, San Juan Puerto Rico 00918 y que se describe como sigue: URBANA: Apartment number 703, situated on the lot described on the center of the seventh regular floor of the Resident Section, that is Building B, of Condominio San Luis, upon entering the said building from Palmeras Avenue. Its boundaries are as follows: On the NORTH, with wall with the building; on the SOUTH, with wall of the building and wall separating it from the emergency stairway; on the EAST, with wall separating it from the principal and service lobbies, with wall separating it from the service stairway and with wall separating it from apartment type #1; and on the WEST, with wall of the building. The main entrance to this apartment which gives access to the principal lobby is located on the East side of this apartment. The kitchen door and the service bedroom door of this apartment which gives access to the service lobby is also located on the East side. It consists of an individual private area, of a joint right of co-ownership in the areas of Local Condominium of Building B, of a joint right of co-ownership in the areas of general condominium of the structure known as “Condominio San Luis”; and of a right of exclusive use over space for parking one automobile, all of the above rights being necessary for the adequate use and enjoyment of the apartment. The description of the aforesaid private area and the rights inseparably annexed to it area as follows: Private

Area: Private area belonging exclusively to the owner or owners of this apartment, which area is contained within the above stated boundaries of the apartment and which comprises an approximated area of one thousand nine hundred thirty five square feet, equivalent to one hundred fifty and two hundred twenty eight thousandths square meters. It includes the following rooms: living room, dining-room with air conditioning closet, master bedroom with adjoining bathroom and closet, two additional bedrooms each with adjoining closet, common bathroom, hall with one closet between the bedrooms, kitchen with one closet, service bedroom adjoining bathroom, service porch adjacent to the kitchen and covered terrace adjacent to the living room. The bathrooms are fully equipped, including hot and cold water installations. The kitchen is equipped with an electric range, kitchen sink and kitchen cabinets. There is an electric cloth dryer installed in the service porch. Joint right of co-ownership in the areas of local Condominium of Building B a joint right of co-ownerships, together with the other owners of apartments in Building B, equivalent to four and nine hundred seventy six thousandths percent in all the title and interest to the areas of local Condominium of Building B, which percentage shall determine the share belonging to the owner or owners of this apartment in the profits and common expenses in the said elements of local condominium, as well is the representation of the owner or owners of the apartment for voting purposes in matters dealing with the elements of local condominium of Building B at the general meeting of owners of Condominium San Luis. The afore-mentioned areas of Local Condominium in Building B area the following: The following facilities which area found in the basement: Reservoir for the storage of water. Compartment for water pumps for the use of the building. Compartment for the main light, power and telephone installations. Janitors room with garbage incinerator. Compartment for storing property of the tenants of the building. Small storage closet. The following facilities which are found on the ground floor. A lobby which gives access to the passenger elevator. A lobby which gives to the service elevator and access to the service elevator and to the stairway which leads to the higher floors of the building. Compartment for the use of the janitor of the building. Compartment for one service toilet for the use of the service personnel of the building. Office space. The following facilities which are found in each one of the seven regular floor: A principal lobby

which gives access to the three apartments to the passenger elevator, to the emergency stairway and to the service lobby. The emergency stairway in turn gives access to the kitchen and service quarters of apartment type number two. However, in the seventh regular floor the principal lobby also has access to the service quarters of apartment type #2, and the emergency stairway will not have access to the kitchen and service quarters of apartment type #2 except through the service porch. A service lobby which gives access to the kitchen and servants quarters of apartment type #1 and #3, to the service elevator, to the service stairway, to the incinerator the compartment for the use of the janitor through the service stairway landing and to the principal lobby does not have access to the service quarters type #1 except through the kitchen. Compartment for the use of the janitor with a sink and its corresponding water and sewage installations. The following facilities are found in the eight floor where the penthouse is situated. Roof garden located over apartment type #3 and occupying that part of the root of the seventh floor which is not occupied by the penthouse and by the emergency stairway. The area of this roof level is approximately one thousand eight hundred twenty square feet, equivalent to one hundred forty-one and three hundred thousandths square meters, which area is not included in the building area of Building B. A principal lobby which gives access to the passenger elevator and to the emergency stairway as well as to the penthouse, to the roof garden and to the service lobby. A service lobby which gives access to the service elevator, to the service stairway and to the principal lobby. This lobby also gives access to the kitchen of the penthouse to the incinerator and to the compartment for the use of the janitor through the service stairway landing. Compartment for the use of the janitor with sink and its corresponding water and sewage installations. The following facilities which are found on the ninth floor. Compartment to be used as access to elevator machine rooms and the root of the penthouse. Area comprising the roof of penthouse. The following facilities are found on the tenth floor: Compartment for panel and equipment room of the passenger and service elevators. Concrete water reservoir located on tops of walls of service stairway. The following facilities which serve the several floors of the building. A passenger elevator for the use of the owners and tenants of the building and their guests which serve the ground floor, the seven regular floors and the penthouse. A service elevator

which serves the basement, the ground floor, the seven regular floor and the penthouse. A garbage incinerator in the basement which is connected to the incinerator flue of the building. An incinerator flue extending from the basement to the tenth floor. This flue has a receptacle accessible from the service lobby of the ground floor, of each of the seven regular floors and of the penthouse, to be used for the disposal of garbage of the residents of the building as well as for the deposit of trench accumulated from cleaning the common areas. Water pumps are located in the basement for the supply of water to the building. An electric sub-station with its necessary transformers, the latter to be furnished by the Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority is located at the basement for supplying light and power to the building. The owner of the commercial Building, that is Building A has the right to install or have installed by the Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority three transformers and accessory equipment necessary for the transformers, on the premises wherein the electric sub-station is situated; provided however that right of use here in above granted to the owner of Building A does not give the latter any property rights in Building B. A service stairway of approximately three feet eight inches wide, equivalent to one and twenty-one thousandth meters, which connects the basement to the ninth floor. This stairway is an interior stairway and connects the lobby of the ground floor with the service lobby of each one of the regular floors and with that of the penthouse. An emergency stairway of approximately three feet eight inches wide, equivalent to one twenty-one thousand meters, connecting the ground floor to the eighth floor. This stairway is an exterior stairway and connects the lobby of the ground floor with the principal lobby of each one of the regular floors and with that of the penthouse. Small iron stairway connecting the ninth and tenth floor. A shaft for each one of the elevators which extends from the basement to the ninth floor. All cold water plumbing throughout Building B installed outside the private areas. Electric wiring net throughout Building B which supplies electricity and power to each one of the distributing panels of the individual apartments and to the common elements of Building B. Provision for light, telephone, and water connections to the public utilities. The foundations bearing walls and columns of Building B. Joint of Co-Ownership in the General Condominium Areas of Building A and B. A joint right of Co-Ownership, together with the other owners of apartments in Building B and with the owner or owners of

Building A, equivalent to four and one hundred fifty three thousandth percent in all the title and interest to the General Condominium Areas of Building A and B which percentage shall determine the share belonging to the owner or owners of this apartment in the profits and common expenses in the said elements of general condominium, as well as the representation of the owner or owners of the apartment for voting purposes in matters dealing with said elements of general condominium at the General Meeting of Owners of Condominium San Luis. Finca 427 inscrita al Folio 32 del Tomo 22 de Puerta de Tierra, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección I. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) HIPOTECA en garantía de un pagaré a favor de Scotiabank P.R., o a su orden, por $337,000.00, al 3.125% vencedero el 1 de abril de 2041, según Esc. #27 en Guaynabo, a 31 de marzo de 2016, ante Rina Cofiño Hernandez, inscrita al Sistema Karibe de Puerta de Tierra, Finca #437, inscripción 12ma. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (i). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma satisfacer la sentencia dictada el 21 de marzo de 2024, mediante la cual se determinó que la cantidad adeudada y vencida, ascendiente a $278,627.13 de principal, más intereses acumulados, más cargos por demora, más costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, según pactado, más cualquier otro desembolso que haya afectado o efectúe la parte demandante durante la tramitación de este caso para otros adelantos de conformidad con el Contrato Hipotecario. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 29 de julio de 2024, a las 10:30 de la mañana en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma, la cantidad de $337,000.00 sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 5 de agosto de 2024, a las 10:30 de la mañana, en el mismo lugar, en la que servirá como tipo mínimo, dos terceras (2/3) partes del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $224,666.67. Si no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el día _12 de agosto de 2024, a las 10:30 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, $168,500.00. El Alguacil que suscribe hizo constar que toda licitación deberá hacerse para pagar su importe en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América, de

acuerdo con la Ley y de acuerdo con lo anunciado en este Aviso de Subasta. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables. Se entiende que todo licitador que comparezca a la subasta señalada en este caso acepta como bastante la titulación que da base a la misma. Se entiende que cualquier carga y/o gravamen anterior y/o preferente, si la hubiere al crédito que da base a esta ejecución continuará subsistente, entendiéndose, además, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de 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 San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 24 de junio de 2024. PEDRO HIEYE GONZALEZ, ALGUACIL, TRIBUNAL DE PRI-

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

Wordsearch

July 8, 2024 22

A stubborn and unconventional player decides to retire at the top of his game

By DERMOT CORRIGAN / THE ATHLETIC

Midfielder Toni Kroos played his final game in professional soccer last Friday: Germany’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in their European Championship quarterfinal. Kroos, 34, said in May that he would hang up his oldschool white boots this summer. A few weeks later, he won a fifth Champions League trophy with Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium. Over the past month, he had been starring for his country on home soil at Euro 2024.

So why, when he is at the top of his game, is Kroos stepping aside?

He said well in advance that he would finish on his terms.

A stubborn and unconventional character who has always liked to do things his way, Kroos was never going to emulate his former Madrid teammates Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo by playing into his late 30s.

Instead, his plan was to go out at the very top. He initially retired from international soccer in 2021 after experiencing a series of disappointments with Germany, allowing him to focus on a final few years with Madrid.

He might even have retired altogether last summer, but he eventually agreed to stay another season in Madrid. Then he accepted a call from Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann — only two years his senior — to return for this summer’s Euros.

Speaking to German magazine Kicker last month, Kroos said that he knew many players tried to play for as long as possible but that his view was different.

“I simply want to be remembered as the 34-year-old Toni Kroos who played his best season for Real at the end,” he said. “I’ve achieved that. I take it as a compliment that many people think the timing is too early.”

From his start in professional soccer as a talented teenager, Kroos steered his career in unexpected and distinctive directions.

After spells with local clubs Greifswalder and Hansa Rostock, he agreed to a move to Germany’s biggest club, Bayern Munich, at the age of 16. But he didn’t fit in at the Bavarian club at first. When he returned after a successful 18 months on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes was unsure how to best use Kroos’ skills. Homegrown hero Bastian Schweinsteiger was still the main man in midfield, and an injury meant that Kroos missed the team’s 2013 Champions League final win against Borussia Dortmund.

There was similar uncertainty with the national team. Germany manager Joachim Low brought a 20-year-old Kroos to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, then used him sparingly off the bench. For Euro 2012, Low preferred the more physical midfield duo of Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira, with Mesut Ozil the first choice in the No. 10 role. Kroos’ only start was in the semifinal match that Germany lost to Italy.

Many German fans and pundits felt that Kroos’ use of possession was too slow and methodical and did not help decide games. He was not an all-action, box-to-box midfielder in the mold of Lothar Matthaus, Stefan Effenberg or Michael Ballack. Nor was he a floating No. 10 playmaker in the line of Thomas Hassler, Mehmet Scholl or Ozil.

But Kroos thrived when Pep Guardiola arrived at Bayern in the summer of 2013 and placed him in a deeper role, giving him more influence. Bayern began to build moves slowly and painstakingly — not in the traditional, direct German approach — and Kroos was happier than ever on the field.

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Low made use of Guardiola’s influence. Fielded as a deep playmaker, Kroos played 689 of 690 minutes as Germany won the trophy. He registered two assists in the opening 4-0 win against Portugal, provided the free kick for Mats Hummel’s winning header in the quarterfinal against France, and scored two goals and made one assist in the 7-1 semifinal hammering of Brazil. His control and precision were key in the 1-0 win against Argentina in the final.

Just 24, Kroos was about to enter his peak, but another surprise decision was coming. Within weeks of helping Germany become world champions for the fourth time, Kroos left the country. Annoyed that Bayern had offered a bigger contract to his international teammate Mario Götze, he forced a move to Madrid.

Kroos was immediately more comfortable in the Spanish capital, with coaches Carlo Ancelotti and then Zinedine Zidane trusting him with the reins of the team. The superbly balanced midfield of Kroos, Casemiro and Modric steered Madrid to a record three straight Champions League titles under Zidane, from 2016 to 2018.

Internationally, problems were looming again. Kroos played every minute of Germany’s Euro 2016 campaign in France, where they lost, 2-0, to the hosts in the semifinal. The 2018 World Cup was a disaster: Although Kroos scored a 95thminute free-kick winner against Sweden, defeats to Mexico and South Korea meant that Germany exited at the group stage for

the first time in 80 years.

The delayed Euro 2020 tournament brought more failure, with Kroos and Co. eliminated by England in the Round of 16.

The ensuing criticism of Kroos played a large role in his decision to retire from international soccer in 2021, at age 31. If he was not wanted by his country, it wasn’t a problem — he was happy to focus on his club.

In an interview with The Athletic in 2020, Kroos said he would finish his career at Madrid. The idea of playing for a smaller team, or at a less-competitive level, never appealed. Nor did the idea of following his former teammates Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to play in the Saudi Pro League.

“They talk about ambition, but it’s all about money,” Kroos told Sports Illustrated last year. “In the end, that’s a decision for money, and against football.”

Kroos has also said the match calendar places too many demands on top players, and he has criticized the governing bodies UEFA and FIFA. Spending more time with his wife and three young children was more important to him than constant travel, training and games.

The idea to return with Germany had started with Nagelsmann, a younger coach from the Guardiola school who also left Bayern last year.

“Julian reached out to me and explained his vision for the national team,” Kroos told magazine FourFourTwo last month. “We spoke for a very long time about his ideas and philosophies. He also asked me for mine. It was clear to us that those ideas aligned.”

Not everyone in Germany was convinced. Some pundits still felt those ideas and philosophies weren’t right for the national team. Before the tournament, captain Ilkay Gundogan was asked about some fans’ disparagingly referring to Kroos as “Querpass Toni” — Sideways Toni. Gundogan laughed it off and praised his teammate, perhaps not surprisingly given that he is another midfielder not in the typical German mold whose game developed under Guardiola.

Kroos’ performance against Scotland in the tournament’s opening game was a prime example of how he could control a game. He completed 100 passes of a possible 101 and dismantled Scotland with the intelligence and accuracy of his distribution, as Germany ran out as 5-1 winners.

The German public embraced the Kroos farewell tour. At stadiums around the country, his name was featured on more replica jerseys than any other. Chants of “Toni, Toni, Toni!” erupted whenever he came over to take a corner.

That acclaim should be normal for the most decorated player in German history. He won 34 trophies for club and country over his career — the only title missing was the European Championship. Given how the past few months had played out, it would have been no surprise if he had guided Germany past Spain on Friday and on to win the final in Berlin on July 14. But it was not to be.

Despite his ability and distinguished career, Kroos has only once been named the German soccer player of the year, in 2018. Speaking to Kicker last month, he was asked about critics who may have been jealous of him.

“They have an opinion,” he said. “I created facts.”

Toni Kroos with Real Madrid in 2018 (Wikipedia)

The San Juan Daily Star

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21