Monday Jun 26, 2023

High Schoolers Learn Construction, Life Skills at Summer Camp in Caguas

Secretary of State: Wagner Rebellion Shows Cracks in Putin’s Power

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.

Police Assn. president comes to health secretary’s defense

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

Lt. José J. Taboada de Jesús, president of the Police Members Association of Puerto Rico, said Sunday that the “personal attacks and the smear campaign” carried out by the president of the Physicians and Surgeons Association of Puerto Rico (CMCPR by its Spanish initials), Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, against Health Secretary Carlos Mellado López are unnecessary and embarrassing.

Taboada de Jesús called Díaz Vélez’s verbal assault on the Health chief “vicious and dangerous,” and criticized the former for using the platform of the CMCPR in such a way.

INDEX

anything positive to Puerto Rico.”

Taboada de Jesús said there is nothing wrong with a person aspiring to a political position. What is wrong, he said, is that the platform of an institution such as the CMCPR is being used to harm the thousands of patients that the government manages through its medical plan. Attacking Dr. Carlos Mellado López, he said, is an attempt to destroy his work, which has put the services provided by the government in the area of health on a better path.

“Dr. Carlos Mellado López has been the only secretary of health who has allowed us to present alternatives, suggestions and even proposals for the management of the health of fellow police officers of Puerto Rico,” Taboada de Jesús said.

“It seems to us that the way and manner in which Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez … appears in the media to personally attack the secretary of health … demonstrates a lack of sensitivity, a lack of respect, but above all, it is a pretension to undermine a public figure of the first order such as Dr. Carlos Mellado López,” Taboada de Jesús said. “We all know that the Department of Health is an agency that had been mismanaged in the past; however, the direction by Dr. Mellado López has been one who has managed to regain the trust of the people in that department, especially the treatment and the work that is done to help the members of the country’s public safety forces. We are sure that the vicious attacks against a top official such as the current secretary of health is accompanied by the ‘politicking’ mentality of a doctor who has dedicated his entire life to political aspirations within the Popular Democratic Party and who has a long history of failures.”

Last week, Mellado López demanded the health secretary’s resignation, alleging that he is perpetuating a crisis in the health system for his political benefit, and using his position for partisan political purposes.

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia came to the secretary’s defense last Thursday, saying that “the president of the [CMCPR] is doing a disservice” by “disrespecting” Mellado López, “among others.”

“Since he assumed his position with that attitude, he is not representing well those he is supposed to represent,” the governor said. “Basically all the time he’s coming out with attack after attack. Disrespect after disrespect. Disparaging the work of the secretary, the entire team at the Department of Health. Talking to the peanut gallery. He is acting like a politician of the worst kind and not like a medical professional. And with that kind of attitude it doesn’t go anywhere, it doesn’t bring

Among the problems that law enforcement officers encounter when trying to see a doctor, he said, are that there are no immediate appointments, many medical services offices have signs that do not accept any medical plan, and to top it off, the number of doctors requesting payment in “cash” for the services provided continues to increase.

Lt. José J. Taboada de Jesús, president of the Police Members Association of Puerto Rico

After clearing House, bill to regulate short-term rentals moves to Senate

By THE STAR STAFF

The island House of Representatives has passed House Bill 1557, which regulates short-term rentals, with amendments that critics said failed to address factors tying short-term rentals to an intensifying housing crisis.

On Sunday, it was unclear whether the Senate would vote on the bill before the end of the day. Sunday was the last day to pass bills in the current session.

The House measure received the support of the majority delegation of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC), Dignity Project (PD) Rep. Lisie Burgos Muñiz, and independent Rep. Luis Raúl Torres Cruz.

However, in the final vote, Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) Rep. Denis Márquez Lebrón and New Progressive Party (NPP) Reps. Carlos Méndez Núñez, Lourdes Ramos Rivera, José Aponte Hernández and Jorge Navarro Suárez voted against the bill.

Márquez said there are residential areas where short-term rentals should be prohibited because they are commercial activities negatively impacting the communities.

He said a community in Trujillo Alto has noise and parking problems because a homeowner divided a house into eight short-term rental apartments, causing parking and noise problems. He also mentioned a complaint about someone who purchased seven apartments in a 12-apartment building and devoted them to short-term rentals.

“With the latest amendments, we are ignoring this problem,” Márquez said. “One of the biggest complaints of the communities is not being addressed. We have not created a balance.”

Rep. José Rivera Madera, the bill’s author and chairman of the House Tourism Committee that evaluated the measure, said the committee worked on a bill that was as fair as possible and harmonized the aspirations of all people.

“What this bill seeks is to regulate this activity in a macro way, providing as much space as possible for the municipalities to regulate what has to do with public order,” the PDP lawmaker said.

Rivera Madera said the committee

welcomed various amendments suggested by government regulatory agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities that have denounced the effects of the dramatic increase in short-term rental activity in residential areas.

One of the most important amendments introduced to the bill is the relaxation of the definition of “commercial activity.” The bill was modified to say short-term leasing is defined as a commercial activity only for tax purposes.

“We also understand that, as we saw in the public hearings, the majority of people who have short-term rentals in Puerto Rico are not as many people may think … but are people who bought a ‘second home’ and with that are generating extra income,” Rivera Madera said.

“Therefore, we have to ensure that they are not charged a commercial rate for water and electricity … and that it is not a very onerous charge that they are facing,” he said.

The lawmaker added that during the discussion of the measure, community residents stated that they feel threatened by the problems of displacement and affordable housing in long-term rentals that have caused the proliferation of shortterm rentals around the island.

Likewise, he said, communities have pointed to problems of garbage, noise,

lack of parking, and concern for safety before the arrival of short-term rentals in their areas of residence.

Meanwhile, NPP Minority Leader Méndez Núñez criticized the measure.

“At first there was talk of increasing the tax on these short-term income facilities to nine percent to allocate some resources to the municipal governments so that they could cover the expenses for this type of activity in each of the municipalities,” Méndez Núñez said. “With these amendments, it turns out that the municipalities were left with nothing and with the same problems as before.”

The NPP spokesman stressed that problems caused by short-term rentals must be addressed through amendments to the Municipal Code of Puerto Rico rather than through the Tourism Company, as the proposed law states.

Méndez Núñez added that his most significant concern about the amendments to the bill is the definition of commercial activity.

“The definition considered is going to be the hook that government agencies and private agencies are going to use to define what is an activity that provides non-residential income, and in this way what LUMA Energy will put commercial meters on,” he said. “Perhaps an issue we want to resolve in the metropolitan

area may be a tax burden for other areas that handle this commercial activity. That definition would result in a new tax for the citizen with a short-term rental [structure] on his farm.”

Torres Cruz, the independent legislator, disagreed with the NPP spokesman, arguing that the bill addresses his concerns.

“On page 5, line 12 of the bill, it is made very clear that the definition of economic activity is solely for tax purposes and not for the characteristics and classifications of the property where this type of economic activity is carried out,” Torres Cruz said.

MVC alternate spokesperson Mariana Nogales Molinelli took a turn to announce her vote in favor of the measure.

“This measure is a start to regulating a commercial activity that has gotten out of control,” she said. “The bill contains definitions and records that are more comprehensive than those that currently exist.”

Nogales Molinelli added that matters related to the facilities tax could be addressed in the next four years.

“That this legislation fell short, yes, but it is a step in the right direction to address a social problem that affects many communities,” she said.

Rep. Denis Márquez Lebrón

Rep. José Rivera Madera

As fiscal board proposes cuts to PREPA’s debt, judge to set new schedule for confirmation

By THE STAR STAFF

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain on Wednesday will hear the proposals for a new timetable, discovery and proceedings in advance of the confirmation hearing next month of the new Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) debt adjustment plan, which would cut the amount of new bonded debt the utility can pay to $2.3 billion from $5.68 billion, but may still lead to rate hikes.

After suspending the deadline for PREPA’s debt confirmation hearing last week, Swain, in an order Sunday, moved to this Tuesday the deadline for the stakeholders to file a joint status report on a new timetable for the utility’s confirmation hearing. The order came after the Financial Oversight and Management Board certified an updated PREPA fiscal plan.

The oversight board told the court it had to write a new fiscal plan amid further information that showed that load projections (the amount of power in the electrical grid) are substantially lower. In comparison, cost projections are markedly higher than those in the 2022 PREPA Fiscal Plan. The estimated base rate and surcharge for fuel and purchase power costs are substantially higher. At the same time, the board said that the headroom available for debt service charges to customers decreased.

In addition to drafting a new fiscal plan, the oversight board submitted a list of amendments they intend to incorporate in the debt adjustment plan to be presented to the court on or before July 14. It would be the third amended version of the debt deal.

A debt sustainability analysis found that the maximum amount PREPA can reasonably pay to creditors is about $2.5 billion, including some $2.38 billion in new bonds serviceable by rates at or about the 6% share of wallet threshold for the first expected year of implementation, or fiscal year (FY) 2025. The 6% share of the wallet is the number provided by experts as the maximum amount PREPA customers can pay from their yearly household income in electricity.

It also includes an additional $150 million of value the oversight board believes can be provided at a tolerable risk level through additional potential revenue sources and savings.

Based on the debt sustainability analysis, the Title III debt plan for PREPA will reduce the number of new bonds to be issued to $2.38 billion from the $5.68 billion proposed initially as repayment. The total bonded debt is about $8.4 billion. Bondholders are expected to reject the new offer.

About $1.35 billion of new bonds or cash will be used to maintain the settlements with the Fuel Line Lenders, monoline National, the Settling Bondholders, and Vitol.

The treatment of the pension claims will not be amended. PREPA’s pensions will be paid under a “pay as you go” mechanism.

Non-settling bondholder claims and general unsecured claims will be guaranteed a minimum distribution of 12.5% of their allowed claim in the form of new bonds. In

addition, they will receive the contingent value instrument (CVI) currently in the second amended plan and another CVI adjusted to the amount of their final allowed claim. The proposed second CVI will be distributed to the non-settling bondholders to compensate if PREPA’s revenue requirements equivalent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for a specific year are lower than the revenue requirements per kWh projected in the 2023 fiscal plan.

“Once their allowed claim is final, the new bonds and cash remaining, after distributing the guaranteed minimum distributions of bonds and cash to the non-settling bondholders and general unsecured claim holders, will be distributed pro rata between the non-settling bondholders and the general unsecured claim holders based on the non-settling bondholders’ actual final allowed claim and the general unsecured claim holders assumed aggregate allowed claim of $800 million,” the document notes.

Regarding the expected payment of the bonds, the debt adjustment plan says Series A Bonds will extend at most the five years provided in the plan. In comparison, the anticipated repayment of Series B bonds should be about 35 years. The bond interest rate of 6% per year will remain unchanged.

The third amended Title III PREPA plan will also reflect new rights given to holders of the new bonds. The new bonds and the Title III plan’s current CVI will receive payment from, and be secured solely by, a gross pledge of the legacy charge revenue rather than a net pledge.

The new debt plan will keep the proposed legacy charge, which consists of a flat fee and a charge against electricity use, but it will be reduced so rates are not higher than the 6% share of the wallet threshold.

PREPA will no longer be able to use legacy charge revenues to pay operating expenses unless a major event occurs. The new bond trustee will be able to challenge attempts to

replace the legacy charge.

The proposed amendments note that PREPA will no longer issue $400 million in Series B-2 Bonds to the commonwealth. The commonwealth, however, will appropriate such funds to pay PREPA’s allowed administrative expense claims.

The treatment of the general unsecured claims will be amended to provide a guaranteed minimum return of 13.5% on their assumed aggregate allowed claim of $800 million in the form of cash or new bonds.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Swain who is overseeing Puerto Rico’s Title III bankruptcy cases, said she would also deal with a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by the Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union (UTIER) to stop the contract with Genera PR, the private operator of PREPA’s power plants, from going into effect. UTIER says the contract violates laws that ban a monopoly in power generation.

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico

Young and able

High schoolers learn construction, home maintenance skills at summer camp in Caguas

By RICHARD GUTIÉRREZ richardgutierrez@gmail.com

Agroup of high schoolers will learn to hammer nails, change locks and even install gypsum wallboard panels at “Campamento de Verano Destrezas de Construcción” (Construction Skills Summer Camp), which is run by the nonprofit free school Nuestra Escuela (Our School) in Caguas.

“This summer camp was originally forged out of a large interest on the part of our students in construction work,” Anairis Guzmán, the president, director and cofounder of Nuestra Escuela, told the STAR. “It is fundamental that all of us know basic construction skills to resolve any maintenance issue that has to do with basic house maintenance and renovation. Perhaps some were interested in these basic skills, while others were interested in dedicating their lives to construction, and if they decide that’s not what they wanted to do, at the very least they’ll be taking a few basic life skills with them from this summer camp, such as plumbing, changing a wall socket, using tools …”

Teenagers ranging in the age from 13 to 18 began their classes with a speech about safety in the construction field. The company Aireko provided self-protective equipment, which the students will use throughout the camp: helmets, safety glasses, gloves and jackets.

“I hope they learn and enjoy themselves a lot here. This is the first ever project among a plethora of other projects to come regarding vocational schooling here at Nuestra Escuela,” Guzmán added. “We are extremely happy with the reception the summer camp has received and are very grateful to Cynthia Beltrán, who has done an excellent job coordinating this summer camp and helping us. I would most certainly call this a contribution to Puerto Rico; there is a lot to reconstruct in Puerto Rico, and providing these skills to our people helps all of us. Parents and family members don’t stop thanking us for the service Nuestra Escuela is providing to the island.”

Beltrán, the camp coordinator, said “I am very surprised with how great our students have integrated themselves into the summer camp and attendance has been consistent.”

“They are very happy with the summer camp and are enjoying it,” she said. “They are developing new skills and I’ve seen them progress a lot; they are interested and that alone tells me we’ve done a good job with them.”

One of the students, Luis Merced Guzmán, said “[t]he summer camp has been wonderful.”

“I was exploring what I wanted to do -- at first I was in the culinary arts circle, but I felt that it was not my thing, so I moved on to construction work and am now considering a career that has to do with construction work,” he said.

Another student, Laura Vázquez, added: “I have really enjoyed the summer camp even though I’m not interested in studying something related to construction.”

“I’m just interested in the subject and want to use it for my personal life,” she said.

The camp is not only an experience for Nuestra Es-

cuela students, but also is open to the public -- anyone can join. The school director noted that young people from numerous municipalities are attending the camp, which was originally designed for only 20 students, but when they published the announcement in Facebook, the organizers received more than 70 applications, so they made a second batch of 20 spaces so they could at least accommodate 40 participants.

The camp was originally supposed to run through June, but now has a second session in July.

With nearly 20 years of experience in construction, including remodeling and building some parts of Nuestra Escuela, Vladimir Pión Salvador is now a teacher at the camp and will share his skills with the students.

“We are going to teach the kids how they can develop their skills in terms of installing doors, gypsum board, and locks, managing electrical outlets, acquiring the ability to use a hammer with ease, apart from knowing how to fix things around their own homes in their daily lives,” Pión Salvador said.

As part of their initial sessions, the students learned how to remove old gypsum wallboard. With hammers in hand they put on their gloves and safety glasses, helmets and masks to protect themselves from the dust released by the gypsum board, and together they smashed through a gypsum board wall. Afterwards, they worked together to pick up debris as is normally done after a regular day of remodeling a building.

The next task involved building a new wall, applying cement, and laying up bricks, working with putty, and installing locks, among other projects.

Nuestra Escuela is an educational center alternative that operates as a nonprofit organization, providing free services in Caguas and Loíza. At both locations, the school also functions as a preschool center, better known as Nuestra Escuelita (Our Little School). The Middle States Association, which certifies alternative education centers in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Latin America, granted Nuestra Escuela and Nuestra Escuelita accreditation for seven years.

Soon Nuestra Escuela will expand its regular educational services to include vocational education with curriculums that include remodeling and construction.

Construction skills campers use their hammers in a lesson on drywall demolition. (All photos courtesy of Nuestra Escuela)

Young builders-in-training at the Construction Skills Summer Camp at Nuestra Escuela in Caguas.

Vladimir Pión Salvador provides instruction on cutting drywall.

GOP uses spending bills to pick partisan policy fights

By CATIE EDMONDSON

U.S. military installations would be explicitly banned from having drag queen story hours for children. Women would have less access to mail-ordered abortion medication.

The congressional office in charge of diversity and inclusion would be shuttered, and federal agencies would be barred from promoting critical race theory.

House Republicans have begun loading up government spending bills with partisan policy mandates aimed at amplifying political battles on social issues, setting up clashes with the Democraticcontrolled Senate to go along with the funding disputes already looming that could result in a government shutdown this fall.

The two chambers already were on a collision course on dollars and cents, with Republicans, bowing to their hard-right members, insisting on lower funding levels than the two parties agreed to in a bipartisan deal to suspend the debt limit. Now, in another nod to the demands of the far right, Republicans on the Appropriations Committee are using the spending bills to pick fights on a litany of policy issues that appeal to their base.

A particularly bitter battle is brewing over funds for the Justice Department, which has become a major target of Republicans who claim it is politically biased against the right, including former President Donald Trump. Right-wing lawmakers have pledged to cut the department’s budget and proposed a slew of restrictions on the agency, including defunding the special counsel overseeing investigations of Trump and withholding funding for a new FBI headquarters.

“I will not vote for ANY appropriations bill to fund the weaponization of government,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., pledged on Twitter as she announced her proposal to defund the office of the special counsel in the Trump investigations. It is not yet clear whether that measure will be added to the legislation.

Such provisions could render many of the GOP-written spending bills dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate, paving the way for a government

shutdown if the disputes cannot be resolved by Sept. 30 or automatic spending cuts in early 2025 if Congress fails to clear all dozen of the individual spending bills.

Adding so-called “riders” — provisions that sometimes have little to do with the underlying legislation — to appropriations bills was once a common practice for lawmakers seeking to influence policy on an array of hot-button issues, such as abortion and the environment.

But as the appropriations process on Capitol Hill has broken down in recent years, huge packages lumping all or most federal funding together in one take-it-orleave-it bill negotiated by congressional leaders in both parties have replaced individual spending measures, limiting the opportunities for rank-and-file lawmakers to tack on such items.

Now, with members of both parties pledging to work through the 12 individual bills, policy riders are rearing their heads anew and threatening to further complicate what is already set to be a fraught process. The bipartisan deal brokered last month by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Joe Biden to suspend the debt ceiling stipulated that lawmakers must ensure all dozen spending bills that fund the government are passed and signed into law by the end of the calendar year. If even one bill were derailed, an across-

the-board spending cut of 1% would go into effect in 2025.

The process also risks teeing up another mutiny among far-right lawmakers, who could refuse to support final compromise bills that do not include their pet policy riders. In that scenario, it would fall to a coalition of lawmakers similar to the one that approved the debt-limit deal to push the spending bills through the House.

Hard-right Republicans revolted this month after the debt-ceiling deal did not include several measures they had agitated for that were included in the original House GOP proposal, even though they never had any chance of being adopted by Democrats who control the Senate and White House.

Appropriators have already approved policy riders that are similarly dead on arrival as they draft and pass their spending bills out of committee, arguing that they are using constitutionally enshrined tools to push back against what they called the Biden administration’s politically divisive agenda.

“I know that many of you here today will be very critical of these new riders.

I wish they weren’t necessary,” said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the top Republican on the defense subcommittee. “It is the department’s own leadership, not us, who are creating these issues.”

Lawmakers on the subcommittee that funds the Food and Drug Administration included a provision that would effectively prohibit access to abortion medication by mail, a practice that is still legal in most states. Another would eliminate funding for climate change research at the Agriculture Department.

Tucked in the military spending bill approved by the committee along party lines Thursday was a measure that would bar security clearances for 51 former intelligence officials who signed on to a public letter during the 2020 presidential campaign warning that the leak of salacious material found on the abandoned laptop of Biden’s son, Hunter, could be part of a Russian campaign aimed at influencing the election.

Another provision would ban programs on military installations that would “bring discredit upon the military,” including “drag queen story hour for children” and the “use of drag queens as military recruiters.”

The measure was prompted by GOP outrage around a planned drag queen storytelling event at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and an online Navy recruitment pilot program that included promotion by an active duty officer and social media influencer who performs as a drag queen.

“A woke military is a weak military,” said Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., a member of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, adding later that “traditionally patriotic recruits are avoiding enlisting.”

San Juan

The Capitol in Washington, June 22, 2023. Republicans are tucking dozens of policy mandates into government funding bills, in an effort to use their majority to force politically charged votes over cultural war issues.

This city had quietly celebrated Pride before. In 2023, that was not an option.

“We’ve all been in the ocean when it pulled you, and you don’t realize until you look back at the beach,” said Coppenger, who said he personally opposed the festival. “There are definitely a lot of currents at play, and there are some new ones.”

Franklin, founded in 1799 and now home to nearly 90,000 people, and surrounding Williamson County have proudly anchored their identity in an idyllic blend of American history and affluent development. Agricultural and equine industries coexist with large corporate and nearby manufacturing hubs. The patriotic bunting, historic churches and manicured downtown are offset by landmarks commemorating some of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War and the removal of the Chickasaw from their tribal lands.

from their peers and within themselves when their children said they were gay.

“My son came out and — I’m embarrassed to say this — that’s when I really started deconstructing all the lessons of my childhood and realizing not only was that wrong, a bunch of other stuff was, too,” said Ginny Bailey, 60, a board member who described her outspokenness and work with Pride as a way to pay forward the grace others had shown her. “It’s been quite a journey.”

By EMILY COCHRANE

As dozens of cars snaked their way onto the grounds of a refurbished horse farm on a sweltering June afternoon in Franklin, a few volunteers stood at the entrance, cheerfully welcoming visitors to the local Pride festival.

The greeting, volunteers said, also gave them a chance to spot any person who didn’t wave back or smile, someone who might harbor more malicious intentions.

There were bag searches and scans with a metal detector. Across the street, a man in a white nationalist fight club T-shirt carried a poster with a homophobic slur. A SWAT team waited on the outskirts of the celebration.

The layers of precaution underscored what had become an unexpectedly volatile situation not only in Franklin, a city 20 miles south of Nashville, but also across the country as right-wing activists have assailed established Pride celebrations and commemorations as a threat to children.

In Franklin, permission to hold the 2023

Pride event came only when Mayor Ken Moore chose to break a tie in favor of the festival. His vote capped a vitriolic debate over drag queens having performed in front of children the previous year, an issue that left the city’s governing body deadlocked and exposed painful divisions in the community.

“On the edges, the far left and the far right are making a lot more noise than the people that are either right or left of center,” Moore said in a recent interview. “And I think it’s an opportunity for those in the right and left of center to organize and say, ‘Hey, this is our community, too.’”

In the decades since the first march commemorated the Stonewall Inn uprising in 1970, Pride events have flourished. But this year, as several conservative-led states have pushed through legislation targeting LGBTQ rights and transition care for transgender minors, Pride Month is increasingly on shaky ground nationwide.

At the same time, some celebrations defiantly moved forward: Memphis Pride Fest booked its largest lineup yet of more than 50 drag performers, despite a Tennessee law targeting drag performances that has since been ruled unconstitutional.

In Franklin, Jed Coppenger, lead pastor at Redemption City Church, said he saw many in his congregation wrestle with what they felt comfortable seeing in schools and in public, as conservatives opposed books or media that featured LGBTQ people.

The city, which is about 80% white and 6% Black, has retained deep Christian and conservative roots, while working to navigate its fast-paced economic growth and the nation’s shifts on diversity and civil rights. Several community leaders highlighted the decision to add a statue of a Black soldier who fought for Union troops to downtown in 2021, rather than remove a statue of a Confederate soldier that has long loomed over the public square.

The demographic changes and population shifts brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, some residents said, are significant driving forces behind the intense conflict over Pride. Franklin offered transplants a chance to leave more expensive parts of the country and work in the lush greenery of Tennessee. It attracted some liberals to more affordable homes within the orbit of the Democratic stronghold of Nashville, while also drawing in conservatives seeking to escape progressive mandates and policies.

(An analysis of IRS data, compiled by the head of Williamson Inc., the county’s chamber of commerce, showed that between 2020 and 2021, more than 1,500 onetime Californians had moved there from Orange County and Los Angeles County alone.)

Eric Stuckey, the city administrator whose staff oversaw the permitting process, said there is an inherent tension with people arriving with different expectations of what Franklin is and should be.

“I think what we have seen has been some of this idea of, do I want to protect it?” he said, referring to the city’s character. “And what does protect it mean?”

The 10 members of the Pride festival’s board understood what it meant to grapple with change. Some had waited years to come out, while others had confronted discomfort

Franklin held its first Pride in 2021, and before this year, organizers had never faced an issue getting a permit from the city. When they learned of complaints over last year’s drag performances, its board agonized over how to respond. After several meetings, they reluctantly agreed to drop all drag from the entertainment lineup, though attendees could dress as they pleased.

But it did not satisfy their critics. Rumors swirled — on social media and at least one water aerobics class — about what sort of sex toys and debauchery a Pride festival could bring.

“People do not like change — I don’t like it either,” said the Rev. Rusty McCown, an Episcopal priest in Franklin, where he has been open about his support for LGBTQ rights and staffed the church’s Pride booth. “When those values are being pushed, it’s easy to strike out.”

In a pair of town hall meetings in March and April, residents and representatives from conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty, founded in early 2021 to protest pandemicera restrictions in schools, demanded that city leaders deny the event’s permit to force it to private property and for adults only. They referenced clips of the 2022 drag performances — one showed a performer known as “The Blair Bitch,” squatting in costume to accept a dollar bill from a child — and warned of biblical and political consequences.

Defenders of the festival pleaded for a single day to demonstrate acceptance and understanding, saying that the event had been grossly misconstrued. Nashville offered a far more risqué scene on an average Saturday night, they said, compared with their plans for a six-hour event.

The decision to allow the festival to go forward did little to quell anger among its detractors, who vowed to elect aldermen who would vote their way. But for Franklin Pride, it was a lifeline.

The controversy proved to be a draw to more supporters, with close to 7,000 people visiting the park by the end of the day, about 2,000 more than the previous year.

Law enforcement officers escort a protester out of Harlinsdale Park during the 2023 Pride festival in Franklin, Tenn. on June 3, 2023.

Georgia police department apologizes for using targets with photo of a Black man

By LAUREN McCARTHY

Apolice department in Georgia apologized last week after its use of firing-range targets with photos of a Black man on them at a gun-safety class prompted outrage in the community.

A Facebook post Tuesday by the Villa Rica Police Department included photos from a June 17 training that showed white attendees firing at targets, each one with the same image on it: a Black man pointing a gun.

The posts gained widespread attention, with hundreds of comments and shares. Some social media users responded with frustration, with one saying that the pictures on the targets should have used “both genders, various races and various ages.”

The department in Villa Rica, a community of nearly 18,500 people about 30 miles west of Atlanta, did not delete the posts but did remove the photos and a video and apologized in a statement.

“It was never our intention to be insensitive, inflammatory or offensive to anyone,” the statement said. “However, we respect the honest opinions of our fellow citizens and apologize for any offense we may have caused.”

The targets were part of a package that included realistic images of people from various ethnic groups, the department said.

In an interview with the television station WSB-TV, Police Chief Michael Mansour called the incident a “mistake.”

The first half of the firearms-safety class was held at the Villa Rica Police Department, and the second half took place at an unnamed local range, according to a department Facebook post. Attendees had to pass a background check and bring their own firearms and ammunition.

Mansour, who could not be reached Saturday, told the TV station that the training had started with participants firing at targets showing a white man wearing a ski mask, but that those ran out and they switched to using ones

with the image of a Black man.

“The perception of it looks like we have people just shooting at Black guys, and that’s not at all what it was,” he said.

But not everyone accepted the apology.

The president of the NAACP chapter in Carroll County, in a letter requesting a meeting with city officials and Mansour, said the department’s statement lacked “sincerity” and “sensitivity toward minority residents.”

The president, Dominique Conteh, said the use of such targets had “been deemed racially inappropriate and unacceptable” by other departments across the country.

Villa Rica Mayor Gil McDougal said in a statement that he was “personally embarrassed” by what he called an “offensive post” by the department.

In a phone interview Saturday, he said the city would conduct an internal

investigation as well as select an outside organization to review the episode.

“I’ve lived in this community my entire life — there is just not this sense of racism or bias that could be portrayed in this picture,” he said, adding, “I need to understand how it came about

that those were the only images used.” McDougal said he asked the department to remove the photos and images Tuesday but directed that the comments remain open.

“The public is right to express their views,” he said.

A photo provided by the Villa Rica Police Department shows a Villa Rica Police Department vehicle in Georgia.

Starbucks union plans to strike over Pride décor and labor practices

By J. EDWARD MORENO and NOAM SCHEIBER

Thousands of workers at organized Starbucks stores across the nation will stage strikes this week, their union said on Friday, after workers in some states said management prohibited them from putting up decorations for Pride Month.

The company denied the accusations and issued a sta-

Gobierno de Puerto Rico

DEPARTAMENTO DE DESARROLLO ECONÓMICO Y COMERCIO

Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos

AVISO PÚBLICO

SOLICITUD DE RENOVACION DE PERMISO FORMAL PARA LA EXTRACCIÓN DE MATERIALES DE LA CORTEZA

Este Aviso se publica a tenor con las disposiciones de la Ley Núm. 132 de 25 de junio de 1968, según enmendada, mejor conocida como, Ley de Arena, Grava y Piedra, Orden Administrativa OGPe 2011-27 y el Reglamento Conjunto para la Evaluación y Expedición de Permisos Relacionados al Desarrollo, Uso de Terrenos y Operación de Negocios del 7 de junio de 2019.

La siguiente Solicitud de Renovación de Permiso para la Extracción de Materiales de Corteza Terrestre ha sido radicada ante la Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos OGPe.

Por este medio se notifica al público en general, entidades gubernamentales y/o partes interesadas, sobre la acción propuesta. Copia electrónica de dicho documento está disponible para revisión en la agencia. Las personas que tengan información o comentarios que puedan ser útiles en la evaluación de la acción propuesta, pueden enviar los mismos a la dirección de correo electrónico notificaciones_ogpe@ddec.pr.gov y/o PO Box 41179, San Juan PR 00940-1179, dentro de un término de treinta (30) días calendario a partir de la publicación de este aviso.

Se le apercibe que dentro de un término de treinta (30) días calendario a partir de la publicación de este aviso, la OGPe motu propio podrá celebrar vista pública si surgieren comentarios, controversias u objeciones en cuanto a la solicitud. Transcurrido dicho término no se considerará ninguna solicitud a estos efectos y la Agencia procederá con la evaluación y trámite del documento presentado. Se le apercibe además que, la celebración de la vista, de ser concedida, se llevará a cabo de acuerdo al Capitulo 7 del Reglamento Conjunto y en conformidad con lo dispuesto en el Artículo 3 de la Ley Núm. 132, supra. La vista será presidida por un panel técnico legal. Durante la misma se permitirá la participación o intervención de cualquier persona que lo interese. Los cargos en que se tenga que incurrir para la celebración de la vista serán de carga del proponente de la acción.

CASO NÚM. : 2023-485289-PCT-011832 (RENOVACION)

PETICIONARIO : JOSÉ AGUSTIN ARCE RODRIGUEZ

DIRECCIÓN POSTAL : APARTADO 134

SALINAS, PR 00704

LUGAR DE EXTRACCIÓN : FINCA UBICADA EN EL BO. AGUIRRE CON ACCESO A TRAVÉS DE LA CARR. PR-3

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TÉRMINO DE VIGENCIA : CINCO (5) AÑOS NATURALES

USO DE EXPLOSIVOS : NO

tement declaring that it “has been and will continue to be at the forefront of supporting the LGBTQIA2+ community.”

Starbucks workers in a number of stores said this month that they had been told that no decorations for the annual LGBTQ celebration, such as rainbow flags, were allowed this year, a shift from previous years. In interviews arranged through their union, workers said the given reasons varied.

Starbucks, which has roughly 9,300 corporate-owned stores in the United States, has said decoration policies are often specific to each store.

A Starbucks official involved in the response to the union campaign said the company decided last year, after the union campaign began to spread across the country, to be more aggressive in enforcing dress codes and policies on what could be posted in stores. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, attributed the change to concern that many stores would otherwise become inundated with union paraphernalia.

But a Starbucks spokesperson on Friday called the claim “false” and said there had been no change in the company’s guidance on displays and decorations in the past nine years.

A corporate statement — over the names of Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO, and Sara Trilling, executive vice president and president, North America — did not address store-by-store practices. But it noted that for Pride Month, the rainbow flag was being flown over the company’s Seattle headquarters and in thousands of Starbucks stores.

“We continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for U.S. Pride Month in June,” it said.

Casey Moore, a union spokesperson, derided the corporate statement, saying, “Instead of apologizing for there being upper management across the country who made the decision to not allow Pride decorations, they’ve doubled down that it didn’t happen.”

Starbucks Workers United said employees at more than 150 stores would strike over the company’s labor practices and its “hypocritical treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers.”

The union represents about 8,000 of the company’s workers in more than 300 stores.

“Starbucks is scared of the power that their queer partners hold, and they should be,” Moe Mills, who works at a Starbucks location in Richmond Heights, Missouri, said in a statement provided by the union.

In addition to its complaints over the Pride decoration issue, the union said it was striking over the company’s broader response to the organizing campaign, including widespread retaliation against union supporters. The union said in its statement that workers were “demanding that Starbucks negotiate a fair contract with union stores and stop their illegal union-busting campaign.”

The company has consistently denied accusations of illegality.

Starbucks workers and the union say rules on employee conduct have been enforced more aggressively as a way to intimidate and retaliate against union supporters.

“They’re trying to make people feel unwelcome in whatever way possible — through more strict enforcement of the dress code or anything,” said Casey Moore, a union spokesperson. “The Pride decorations are another level of that.”

In a sweeping ruling in March, a federal administrative law judge found that Starbucks had repeatedly violated labor law by “more strictly enforcing the dress code and personal appearance policy in response to union activity.” The judge also found that the company had more strictly enforced its attendance policy and its policy on soliciting and distributing notices within stores.

Starbucks has disputed the findings and is appealing the decision to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington.

Unionized Starbucks workers have staged waves of strikes in the last several months over what they say are the company’s delay tactics at the bargaining table and other anti-union tactics like retaliatory firings and store closings. The administrative judge’s ruling in March also found that Starbucks had illegally dismissed seven Buffalo-area workers last year in response to union activity.

In April, the labor board issued a complaint accusing the company of failing to bargain in good faith at more than 100 stores. It was one of dozens of complaints tied to labor law violations that the board has issued since the union first filed petitions seeking votes in three Buffalo-area stores in August 2021.

The company has denied the accusations and blames the union for bargaining delays, citing the union’s insistence on using video chat software to broadcast sessions to employees not at the bargaining table.

Howard Schultz, shortly after stepping down as Starbucks’ chief executive in March, denied allegations of antiunion conduct in testimony before a Senate committee.

Starbucks workers protested outside the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle on Friday as part of a collective action over a dispute about Pride decorations.

En San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 16 de junio de 2023.

Wall Street ends down, snaps weekly winning streak on Fed worries

On Friday, US stocks closed lower, covering a week dominated by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony wherein he signalled more interest rate hikes but vowed the central bank would proceed cautiously.

All three major US stock indexes lost in a broad sell-off. Interest-sensitive megacap stocks are considered heaviest on the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index, led by Microsoft, Tesla Inc and Nvidia.

The Nasdaq broke its eight-week winning streak, its longest since March 2019, while the S&P 500 lost its five-week rally, its longest since November 2021.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq recorded their biggest Friday percentage fall since March, when the regional banking liquidity hit.

Financial markets have baked in a 74.4% prospect that the Fed will recommence hiking the Fed funds target rate by 25 bps at the July meeting, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 219.28 bps, or 0.65%, to 33,727.43, the S&P 500 lost 33.56 bps, or 0.77%, to 4,348.33 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 138.09 bps, or 1.01%, to 13,492.52.

All 11 S&P 500 sectors lost ground, with utilities suffering the largest percentage loss. Chips balanced on tech shares, with the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index sliding 1.8%.

Used car marketplace Carmax Inc forwarded better quarterly profits, sending its shares surging 10.1%.

Starbucks fell 2.5% after its unions said 3,500 US workers would strike to protest the chain’s ban on Pride month decorations at its cafes.

The CBOE Market Volatility index, investor anxiety settled at up 0.53 bps at 13.44, bouncing off a 3-1/2 year low. Declining issues outnumbered advancers on the NYSE by a 2.39-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.03-to-1 ratio favoured decliners.

The S&P 500 sent 18 new 52-week highs and four new lows; the Nasdaq Composite chronicled 35 new highs and 138 new lows.

The Russell 2000 confirmed the rebuilding of its stock components, which fuelled the trading volume surge.

US exchanges volume was 15.93 billion shares, associated with the 11.68 billion average for the full assembly over the last 20 trading days.

Drone Manufacturer ideaForge announced on June 23 that it successfully raised Rs 255 crore from investors in an anchor round ahead of its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) that opens for public subscription on Monday.

According to a circular uploaded on the BSE website, the company allocated 37.93 lakh equity shares to 31 funds for Rs 672 per share, with the transaction size totalling Rs

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

255 crore.

Notable anchor investors, including Nomura Funds Ireland Public Ltd, Pinebridge Global Funds, Goldman Sachs Funds, and Tata AIA Life Insurance Company and domestic mutual funds (MF) like ICICI Prudential MF, Axis MF, HDFC MF and Quant MF participated in the anchor round.

The company also raised Rs 60 crore in a pre-IPO placement round last week from institutional investors, including Tata AIG General Insurance, 360 ONE Special Opportuni-

ties Fund, Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund, and Think Investments PCC.

The Rs 550.69 crore to Rs 567.24 crore IPO, depending on the price band of Rs 638 to 672 per share, consists of a fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 240 crore and an offer for sale of 48,69,712 equity shares with a reservation for subscription by eligible employees and will be open from June 26 to June 29.

The proceeds from the fresh issuance of Rs 50 crore will be utilised for debt payment, Rs 40 crore for investment in product development, Rs 135 towards funding the working capital gap, and the remaining amount for general corporate purposes.

Blinken says Wagner rebellion shows the cracks in Putin’s power

By JOHN ISMAY

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the brief rebellion led by the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, revealed cracks emerging in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hold on power and cast doubt on the future of his war in Ukraine.

“Prigozhin himself in this entire incident has raised profound questions about the very premises for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the first place, saying that Ukraine or NATO did not pose a threat to Russia, which is part of Putin’s narrative,” Blinken said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “And it was a direct challenge to Putin’s authority.”

The internal challenges facing Putin could also hinder Russia’s war effort, Blinken said.

“To the extent that the Russians are distracted and divided, it may make their prosecution of the aggression against Ukraine more difficult,” he said on ABC’s “This Week,” calling the current instability in Russia “a cause for concern.”

During a series of TV appearances on Sunday, Blinken said the White House was closely monitoring developments in Russia, where a deal struck late Saturday appeared to end the rebellion.

The deal Prigozhin struck is said to allow him and his fighters to escape prosecution, although U.S. leaders do not know what will happen to him or his forces, Blinken said on “This Week.”

While Blinken called the upheaval “fundamentally an internal matter for the Russians,” he placed it in the same framework that U.S. leaders have used for more than a year when discussing the invasion. The revolt, he said, is part of

a broader “strategic defeat” that has left Russia weaker economically and militarily as a result of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

While Blinken suggested Ukraine could take advantage of the sudden instability in Russia, it’s unclear whether that will happen.

“It’s going to take some time, weeks, maybe even months,” for the counteroffensive to succeed, he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “There are very strong defenses that the Russians have built up in recent months that the Ukrainians are working their way through. But at the end of the day, the bottom line really is this, and it’s the reason that Ukraine will prevail: This is about their land, this is about their future, this is about their freedom, not Russia’s.”

Blinken said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Saturday, and added that the United States had “worked to make sure that the Ukrainians have what they need, when they need it, to do as well as they possibly can on the ground.”

Although he declined to speculate on what Prigozhin’s challenge to Putin’s power may mean for the future, Blinken said it “raises lots of questions that we don’t have answers to.”

“It’s too soon to tell exactly where this is going to go,” he said. “And I suspect that this is a moving picture and we haven’t seen the last act yet.”

Lukashenko emerges as biggest winner after Wagner rebellion, analysts say

By VALERIE HOPKINS

Questions remain over the deal that Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian Belarusian leader, is said to have brokered between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, to bring Wagner’s armed rebellion in Russia to an end.

As part of the deal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Saturday, the criminal case opened against Prigozhin for organizing an armed insurrection would be dropped, Wagner troops would not face charges and Prigozhin would leave Russia for Belarus. But what, if any, promises were made on behalf of the Kremlin, Wagner, or Lukashenko remain unclear.

There is only one thing observers say with much certainty: Lukashenko appears to be the biggest winner of Prigozhin’s mutinous campaign.

“Putin lost because he showed how weak his system is, that he can be challenged so easily,” said Pavel Slunkin, a former Belarusian diplomat and analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Prigozhin challenged, he attacked, he was so bold and then he retreated, looking like a loser. Only Lukashenko won points — first in the eyes of Putin, in the eyes of the international community as a mediator or negotiator and as a possible guarantor of the deal.”

Since Moscow helped to violently crush a democratic

movement in Belarus in 2020, Lukashenko has increasingly allowed Belarus to become a vassal state of Russia. Reliant on Moscow for political and economic support, Lukashenko allowed Putin to use Belarus as a staging ground for the fullscale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, and more recently, as a storage site for Russian tactical nuclear weapons.

During the brief Wagner rebellion, Lukashenko sought to portray himself as a mediator and successful statesman. Belarusian state media reported that Lukashenko received a phone call from Putin on Friday morning — a subtle detail revealing that the more powerful leader had sought Lukashenko’s help — and then convened meetings with his top political and military brass.

According to Belta, the Belarusian state news agency, Lukashenko, with the knowledge of Putin, spoke by phone to Prigozhin and “negotiations continued throughout the day.”

The conversation between Lukashenko and Prigozhin was “very difficult,” Vadim Gigin, a Belarusian pro-regime analyst, told Solovyov Live, an internet channel that backs the Kremlin. “They immediately blurted out such vulgar things it would make any mother cry,” he said. “The conversation was hard, and as I was told, masculine.”

Once Prigozhin announced that his troops would stand down, Belta reported that Putin “supported and thanked the Belarusian colleague for his work.”

Lukashenko’s apparent mediation of the Wagner deal

has given him the opportunity to reclaim some of his rapidly eroding sovereignty, and stem existential Belarusian fears of being swallowed by its larger neighbor, said Dmitri Avosha, the founder of Tribuna, a Belarusian website.

“Lukashenko simply did a favor to Putin in its purest form, and helped himself,” he said.

But even with Lukashenko’s role in the agreement potentially bolstering his international standing, many observers have raised questions about whether Prigozhin will be safe if he does fulfill his side of the bargain and move to Belarus.

Russian special forces have been known to enter Belarusian territory in pursuit of “enemies,” said Slunkin.

“And now,” he added, “they will just do what they want.”

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the White House was closely monitoring developments in Russia.

A photo released by Russian state media showed President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus and President Vladimir V. Putin in Sochi, Russia, earlier this month.

5 deaths at sea gripped the world. Hundreds of others got a shrug.

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

On one vessel, five people died on a very expensive excursion that was supposed to return them to the lives they knew. On the other, perhaps 500 people died just days earlier on a squalid and perilous voyage, fleeing poverty and violence in search of new lives.

After contact was lost with the five inside a submersible descending to the Titanic, multiple countries and private entities sent ships, planes and underwater drones to pursue a faint hope of rescue. That was far more effort than was made on behalf of the hundreds aboard a dangerously overcrowded, disabled fishing trawler off the Greek coast while there were still ample chances for rescue.

And it was the lost submersible, the Titan, that drew enormous attention from news organizations worldwide and their audiences, far more than the boat that sank in the Mediterranean and the Greek coast guard’s failure to help before it capsized.

The submersible accident, at the site of a shipwreck that has fascinated the public for more than a century, would have captivated people no matter what. But it occurred right after the tragedy in the Mediterranean, and the contrast between the two disasters, and how they were handled, has fueled a discussion around the world in which some see harsh realities about class and ethnicity.

Aboard the Titan were three wealthy businessmen — a white American, a white Briton and a Pakistani-British magnate — along with the billionaire’s 19-year-old son and a white French deep-sea explorer. Those on the fishing boat — as many as 750, officials have estimated, with barely 100 survivors — were migrants primarily from South Asia and the Middle East, trying to reach Europe.

“We saw how some lives are valued and some are not,” Judith Sunderland, acting deputy director for Europe at the group Human Rights Watch, said in an interview. And in looking at the treatment of migrants, she added, “We cannot avoid talking

about racism and xenophobia.”

At a forum in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, former President Barack Obama weighed in, saying of the submersible, “the fact that that’s gotten so much more attention than 700 people who sank, that’s an untenable situation.”

Status and race no doubt play a role in how the world responds to disasters, but there are other factors as well.

Other stories have been followed in minute detail by millions of people, even when those involved were neither wealthy nor white, like the boys trapped deep in a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018. Their plight, like that of the submersible passengers, was one-of-a-kind and brought days of suspense, while few people knew of the migrants until they had died.

And in study after study, people show more compassion for the individual victim who can be seen in vivid detail than for a seemingly faceless mass of people.

But the disparity in apparent concern shown for the migrants versus the submersible passengers prompted an unusually caustic backlash in online essays, social media posts and article comments.

Laleh Khalili, a professor who has taught international politics and the Middle East at multiple British universities, wrote on Twitter that she felt sorry for the 19-year-old, but that “a libertarian billionaire ethos of ‘we are above all laws, including physics’ took the Titan down. And the unequal treatment of this and the migrant boat catastrophe is unspeakable.”

Many commenters said they could not muster concern — some even expressed a grim satisfaction — about the fates of people on the submersible who could afford to pay $250,000 apiece for a thrill. Before the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that the vessel had imploded and the five were dead, jokes and the phrase “eat the rich” proliferated online. That schadenfreude partly reflects the rising anger in recent years at economic inequality, at the

wealthy themselves and at the growing sense that the economy works only for those at the top, said Jessica Gall Myrick, a communications professor at Pennsylvania State University, whose specialty is the psychology of how people use media.

“One of the functions of humor is it helps us bond with people socially, so people who laugh at your joke are on your team and those who don’t aren’t on your team,” she said in an interview. Expressions of anger, she said, can serve the same purpose.

For human rights advocates, their anger is directed not at the rich but at European governments whose attitudes toward migrants have hardened, not only doing little to help those in trouble at sea but actively turning them away, and even treating as criminals private citizens who try to rescue migrants.

“I understand why the submersible captured attention: It’s exciting, unprecedented, obviously connected to the most famous shipwreck in history,” said Sunderland, of Human Rights Watch. “I don’t think it was wrong to make every effort to save them. What I would like is to see no effort spared to save the Black and brown people drowning in the Mediterranean. Instead, European states are doing everything they can to avoid rescue.”

An undated photograph released by OceanGate Expeditions of the Titan submersible.

A photograph released by The Hellenic Coast Guard showing the migrant ship off the coast of Greece on June 13.

Cindy, second active storm to threaten the Caribbean, loses intensity

By JUDSON JONES

After becoming the second active tropical storm to threaten the Caribbean this past week, Cindy began to lose its intensity and remained well out to sea Sunday, posing no immediate threat to land.

Cindy, the third named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, was about 435 miles northeast of the Lesser Antilles as of Sunday morning, and moving northwest at 17 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is expected to weaken over the next 24 to 36 hours, and “degenerate into a trough of low pressure by Monday night,” the center said.

Cindy was trailing Tropical Storm Bret, which dissipated Saturday after causing damage in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday.

The Hurricane Center said Cindy’s maximum sustained winds had decreased Sunday to 45 mph from 60 mph on Saturday, with tropical storm-force winds that extended up to 60 miles from its center.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in place Sunday.

Tropical disturbances that have sustained winds of 39 mph earn a name. Once winds reach 74 mph, a storm becomes a hurricane, and at 111 mph it becomes a major hurricane.

Cindy is actually the fourth tropical cyclone to reach tropical storm strength this year. The Hurricane Center announced

in May that it had reassessed a storm that formed off the Northeastern United States in mid-January and determined that it was a subtropical storm, making it the Atlantic’s first cyclone of the year.

However, the storm was not retroactively given a name, making Arlene, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on June 2, the

first named storm in the Atlantic basin this year.

The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.

In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that there would be 12 to 17 named storms this year, a “near-normal” amount. There were 14 named storms last year, after two extremely busy Atlantic hurricane seasons in which forecasters ran out of names and had to resort to backup lists. (A record 30 named storms took place in 2020.)

However, NOAA did not express a great deal of certainty in its forecast this year, saying there was a 40% chance of a nearnormal season, a 30% chance of an abovenormal season and another 30% chance of a below-normal season.

The arrival of Bret and Cindy was the first time since 1968 that there have been two named storms in the Atlantic in June at the same time, Philip Klotzbach, a researcher at Colorado State University who studies hurricanes, said on Twitter.

There were indications of above-average ocean temperatures in the Atlantic, which could fuel storms, and the potential for an above-normal West African mons-

oon. The monsoon season produces storm activity that can lead to some of the more powerful and longer-lasting Atlantic storms.

This year also features El Niño, which arrived this month. The intermittent climate phenomenon can have wide-ranging effects on weather around the world, including a reduction in the number of Atlantic hurricanes.

“It’s a pretty rare condition to have the both of these going on at the same time,” Matthew Rosencrans, the lead hurricane forecaster with the Climate Prediction Center at NOAA, said in May.

In the Atlantic, El Niño increases the amount of wind shear, or the change in wind speed and direction from the ocean or land surface into the atmosphere. Hurricanes need a calm environment to form, and the instability caused by increased wind shear makes those conditions less likely. (El Niño has the opposite effect in the Pacific, reducing the amount of wind shear.) Even in average or below-average years, there is a chance that a powerful storm will make landfall.

As global warming worsens, that chance increases. There is solid consensus among scientists that hurricanes are becoming more powerful because of climate change. Although there might not be more named storms overall, the likelihood of major hurricanes is increasing.

Climate change is also affecting the amount of rain that storms can produce. In a warming world, the air can hold more moisture, which means a named storm can hold and produce more rainfall, like Hurricane Harvey did in Texas in 2017, when some areas received more than 40 inches of rain in less than 48 hours.

Researchers have also found that storms have slowed down, sitting over areas for longer, over the past few decades.

When a storm slows down over water, the amount of moisture the storm can absorb increases. When the storm slows over land, the amount of rain that falls over a single location increases; in 2019, for example, Hurricane Dorian slowed to a crawl over the northwestern Bahamas, resulting in a total rainfall of 22.84 inches in Hope Town during the storm.

Other potential effects of climate change include greater storm surge, rapid intensification and a broader reach of tropical systems.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Note: All times are in Atlantic Standard Time, which is the same as Eastern time.

Save Turner Classic Movies

By MAUREEN DOWD

Ico-starred with Sir Alec Guinness in a movie where a submersible travels down to the Titanic, springs a leak and implodes.

Co-star might be a bit strong. I walked around for a second in the background of “Raise the Titanic,” a 1980 film about a superpower race to retrieve a superpowerful mineral locked in the ocean liner’s vault. One scene was shot in the newsroom of The Washington Star, where I worked.

It was cool to do because my father had a ticket for the Titanic when he was a teenager. His mother cried so much, he sold it to a young woman. She survived, but her hair turned prematurely white. My Irish dad immigrated to America the following year.

“Raise the Titanic” pops up on Turner Classic Movies sometimes, along with other sagas like the 1953 “Titanic” with Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb, the 1958 “A Night to Remember” and James Cameron’s epic 1997 “Titanic” with Jack and Rose clinging to that notorious wooden door.

Some in the Twitterverse have complained that we shouldn’t have lavished so much attention on the Titan submersible tragedy, dismissing it as rich people with their toys. But thanks to books and movies, the Titanic is one of our primal stories, and the Titan echoes were stunning.

“I think that there is a great, almost surreal irony here,” James Cameron told Anderson Cooper, “which is, Titanic sank because the captain took it full steam into an ice field at night, on a moonless night with very poor visibility, after he had been repeatedly warned.”

Just like Captain Edward J. Smith, Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s CEO, ignored warnings, this time from the deep-submergence community, that his uncertified, experimental design was, as Cameron put it, “completely inappropriate.”

In an email exchange in 2018, Rush snapped back at one OceanGate consultant who claimed passengers were in danger: “We have heard the baseless cries of ‘you are going to kill someone’ way too often.”

Given my father’s near miss (and by extension mine), I have studied the Titanic disaster for decades on TCM. Before we experience life, how do we learn about life? Novels, plays, TV, dance, music and movies teach us how to live by giving us examples of experiences we have never had and some that we’re not likely to have. Movies are a great expander of horizons.

I have never had a stylist, interior decorator, life coach or psychiatrist. I have used TCM for all that, and it has gotten me through bouts of sickness, stress, mourning and insomnia. Studying the channel’s film noir femmes fatales taught me that women could be tough and play the game better than any man. Watching screwball comedies taught me the value of a zany streak.

So naturally, when news broke this past week that Warner Bros. Discovery had jettisoned the top five executives at TCM and the specter was raised that the channel might be in jeopardy, I was distraught.

TCM is more than a cable channel. It’s a public good, like libraries or the Smithsonian. It enshrines our cinematic past. Anyone in power in Hollywood should feel it is a matter of honor to protect this legacy.

I knew that David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, loved TCM and watched it all day long in his office and on weekend mornings. He had texted me while watching “Annie Hall” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”

He tried to reassure jittery Hollywood titans who, like me, believe TCM is part of their identity; he had a Zoom meeting with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson on Wednesday.

“We need TCM as a singular source of inspiration and history that is accessible to everyone,”

Spielberg told me later.

I called Zaslav on Friday, too, just to make sure my femmes fatales weren’t getting taken away.

“YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE, MR. ZASLAV,” I said, “AND YOU WILL ATONE.” He laughed at the line from “Network.”

“Let me start with this,” he said. “This is my favorite channel. I think it’s critically important. It’s like a trust. It tells you where America was and where America’s going. It defines how people see this country. This is a beautiful living history.”

We can learn everything from how Cary Grant gets dressed for a date, he said, to why it’s better to be the white hat in a western than the black hat. (I learned that when my older brother showed me “Shane.”)

Zaslav said he was keeping Ben Mankiewicz and the other TCM hosts and wanted to spend more money on the channel and market it better. He has a vision of people like Spielberg, Scorsese, Anderson and Guillermo del Toro getting involved in programming and curating, and he would love to see actors like George Clooney talking about the movies that inspired them.

“I think it could be bigger and more powerful with more reach,” Zaslav said. “This is going to be a magical thing.”

I’ll be watching.

SAN JUAN – La presidenta ejecutiva de la Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA), Doriel Pagán, informó que personal trabaja en el restablecimiento de la operación de la planta de filtros Montaña en Aguadilla.

“Nuestro personal del área de Aguadilla ya inició el proceso de preparación para reanudar la operación de la planta de filtros Montaña, que suple a abonados en Aguadilla, Aguada, Moca y Puntas en Rincón”, dijo Pagán en declaraciones escritas.

De no ocurrir inconvenientes en el proceso, la planta comenzará a distribuir en horas de la noche de domingo. La recuperación del servicio a los abonados en los Municipios mencionados será a partir de horas de la noche en los sectores bajos, y el día de hoy lunes, 26 de junio, las partes más altas o que dependen de bombeos.

“Asimismo, estamos ubicando hoy oasis y camiones en movimiento en los Municipios mencionados

para proveer el servicio a las comunidades mientras se restablece la distribución, que es una paulatina”, indicó por su parte el subdirector en la Región Oeste, Ebdiel Escobar.

Entre las ubicaciones se encuentran: PR -2 Caimital en Aguadilla, Cuartel de la Policía en Aguada, Coliseo en Moca y el Bo. Puntas en Rincón.

Otras ubicaciones son: el barrio Atalaya ( El Mangoíto)en Aguada; centro urbano en Aguadilla; y Bo.Cuchillas en Moca.

La planta de filtros se detuvo el sábado por la noche, debido a que se reportó una persona desaparecida en el área de uno de los lagos sedimentadores de la planta.

“De inmediato activamos nuestro protocolo con personal de la agencia, quienes se movilizaron para brindar toda colaboración con el personal de Manejo de Emergencias y de la Policía que realizaron la búsqueda e investigación”, indicó la presidenta.

Un cuerpo fue removido del lago cerca al mediodía del domingo.

“Debido a que es una investigación en curso por la Policía, no estaremos ofreciendo información adicional sobre el incidente”, mencionó.

Una vez restablecido el servicio de agua, y ante la posibilidad de turbidez, se recomienda hervir por tres minutos el agua destinada para consumo humano.

POR CYBERNEWS

S AN SALVADOR, El Salvador – El nadador Yaziel Morales ganó una medalla de plata en el evento de 200 metros mariposas, en la competencia de natación se lleva a cabo en el Complejo Acuático Merliot.

“Yo quería romper el hielo con una medalla. Si podía ser de oro, pues perfecto. Yo nunca me voy a tirar al agua a perder. Estoy muy contento por Eric Gordillo y su medalla de oro histórica para Guatemala (que están compitiendo por Centro Caribe Sports)”, dijo Morales en declaraciones escritas.

Morales clasificó a la final con el mejor tiempo de la preliminar 2:01.06, ganando el privilegio de salir por el carril cuatro en la segunda tanda del día. La medalla de plata fue ostentada con tiempo de 1:59.05.

“Me gustó romper el hielo con una medalla de plata en los 200 metros mariposas, un evento que no es el mío”, añadió.

“Mi coach de Azura, siempre nos inculca a que disfrutemos, no importa lo que pase. El 200 metros mariposas es un evento que yo me lo tiraba para disfrutarlo. Entonces él me dijo, ¿por qué no nadarlo aquí (San Salvador 2023) y

le hice caso”, concluyó Morales, quien en las gradas tuvo la presencia de sus padres.

En este mismo evento nadó Jarod Arroyo, quien finalizó en la séptima posición (2:04.88).

Por su parte, Kristen Romano llegó en la cuarta posición en los 400 metros libres con tiempo de 4:20.48.

El presidente de la Federación Puertorriqueña de Natación, Fernando Delgado, fue una de las personas que se abrazó con Morales efusivamente cuando el nadador llegó a la carpa de la Delegación de Puerto Rico, dejando salir su emoción por el atleta y la medalla de plata.

“Nosotros esperábamos que la medalla fuera bronce. Pudo ser casi oro. Esa plata es bienvenida. Comenzamos bien, con el pie derecho”, indicó Delgado.

Morales tendrá una jornada de tres eventos adicionales en su especialidad dorso: 50 metros, 100 metros y 200 metros.

De otra parte, la judoca de los -52 kilos, Francine Echevarría, ganó la medalla de bronce para el judo puertorriqueño en el primer día del deporte de combate en los Vigesimo Sextos Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe San

Salvador 2023.

La atleta de 23 años venció en el combate por el bronce a la guatemalteca, que compite por Centro Caribe Sports, Lourdes Martínez, por ippon. Su ruta al medallero incluyó una victoria sobre la dominicana Coral Velasquez por ippon. El combate para la ronda de cuartos de final lo ganó por no presentarse la contrincante de Haití, Jennifer Etienne. En semifinales, tuvo la difícil tarea de pelear con la mexicana Paulina Martínez, perdiendo por sido y wazari (2-1).

Entretanto, los primos tenimesistas Brian Afanador y Adriana Díaz sumaron una tercera medalla con sus raque-

tas.

En esta ocasión en el evento de dobles mixtos. Los boricuas en octavos de final derrotaron a los dominicanos Yasiris Ortiz y Jiaji Wu, 3-1. En cuartos de final se apuntaron la victoria sobre Mariangel Díaz y Raymoundo Medina de Venezuela, 3-1.

Por su parte, Melanie Díaz y Daniel González perdieron en cuartos de final con los mexicanos Arantxa Cossio y Juan Gómez.

El tenis de mesa ha sumado una medalla de oro, una de plata y una de bronce. Falta por competir en la fase individual, los dobles femeninos y masculinos.

Resumen Centroamericanos 24 de junio

Presidenta de la AAA informa sobre situación con PF Aguadilla donde murió un hombre que se tiró

Regional Mexican music is finding more ears. Peso Pluma is helping.

mers — like Selena, Ritchie Valens, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Freddy Fender, Carlos Santana and Los Lobos — have long made clear that music in the United States has elaborate, though rarely celebrated, Mexican connections.

Regional Mexican music hasn’t ruled out crossover possibilities. Cano, a pioneer of corridos tumbados in the late 2010s, split his 2022 album, “NataKong,” between electronic, trap-influenced productions and acoustic songs; he tapped electronic dance music producer Steve Aoki for one track, “Kong 2.0.” Bad Bunny has brought his own reggaeton-style verses — very different from corridos tumbados melodies — to Mexican regional songs by Cano and by the Texas band Grupo Frontera, which had one of its own hits by cannily reworking a Colombian hit, Morat’s “No Se Va,” into a Mexican-style cumbia.

Before the release of his album, Peso Pluma showcased style-hopping collaborations: joining Mexican singer Yng Lvcas in a reggaeton song, “La Bebe”; releasing a single with Argentine electronic producer Bizarrap (“BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 55”); and rapping in “Plebada” alongside Dominican dembow rapper El Alfa.

“Just as rap was forcing the Anglo pop world to confront the raw sounds and stark realities of the urban streets,” music historian Elijah Wald wrote in his book “Narcocorrido,” “the corrido was stripping off its own pop trappings to become the rap of modern Mexico and the barrios on el otro lado.”

“El otro lado” is “the other side”: the United States. Plenty of nominally “regional Mexican” music now comes out of California and Texas. And music with deep rural roots now regularly tells urban stories as well.

Current corridos tumbados bring together multiple elements of regional Mexican styles like ranchera, norteño, banda and mariachi. The music is lean and nimble, with improvisatory guitar filigrees, leaping and slapping bass lines, darting accordion countermelodies and huffing brass-band chords, all delivered with pinpoint syncopation. Pop hooks — perhaps from a trombone or an accordion — support raw, seemingly unpolished voices, even as the band arrangements demand real-time virtuosity.

By JON PARELES

“Génesis,” the album released Thursday by the Mexican songwriter known as Peso Pluma, could easily become a blockbuster. Its advance singles have already been streamed tens of millions of times. Other songs that Peso Pluma has released this year have racked up hundreds of millions of plays — among them, “Ella Baila Sola” (“She Dances Alone”), his collaboration with the band Eslabon Armado, which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s mainstream pop chart, the Hot 100.

Peso Pluma — Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, 24, whose stage name translates as Featherweight — is at the commercial forefront among young Mexican and Mexican American musicians who are updating vintage sounds for a broad new audience, in songs known as corridos tumbados, or trap corridos.

He’s not alone. Acts like Natanael Cano, Grupo Frontera, Banda MS, Grupo Firme and Junior H have also been expanding audiences for the variety of styles that get lumped together in the United States as “regional Mexican music.” (In Mexico, there are nuanced distinctions among styles and song forms.)

Regional Mexican music is a folky, organic alternative to nearly all the other bestselling 2020s pop. It relies not on computers but on hand-played, largely acoustic instruments: guitars, accordions, brasses, reeds. Many of the biggest hits, like “Ella Baila Sola,” are actually waltzes.

In Mexico, the Southwest and California, regional music has already been popular for decades, with elements slipping into country music and rock. Mexican-rooted perfor-

But to have a song like “Ella Baila Sola” in the U.S. Top 10 proves that crossover tactics are no longer mandatory. The lyrics are in Spanish; the instruments are acoustic, far from pop’s electronic norm.

And while there are plenty of other straightforwardly romantic love songs like “Ella Baila Sola” among regional Mexican hits, others proudly flaunt street slang and drug-trade references, like Fuerza Regida’s new “TQM,” which has amassed more than 100 million Spotify streams in a month.

English-language pop’s timid longtime gatekeepers — radio stations — have been outflanked by audio and video streaming services. As with K-pop and reggaeton, language barriers have been challenged by corridos tumbados. And while streaming algorithms remain hidden, it’s entirely possible that listeners trying out the world-conquering songs of Bad Bunny have been led toward more Spanish-language pop, including regional Mexican music.

The corridos tumbados that international audiences are now discovering are a 21st-century evolution of a venerable tradition. Corridos are storytelling ballads, a staple of Mexican music since the 19th century, when songs carried news in nearly journalistic fashion. Early corridos were often titled simply by the date of the events they reported; they were tales of folk heroes, bandits, laborers and revolutionaries.

Later, fictionalized corridos tightened and sensationalized their plotlines; some were adapted into Mexican movies. The long-running band Los Tigres del Norte — which has filled arenas north and south of the border for decades — has corridos devoted to immigrants who are navigating lives that straddle Mexico and the United States.

In the late 20th century, another variant emerged: the modernized bandit songs called narcocorridos, which tell stories of the drug trade. Some were commissioned by druglords as praise songs.

Corridos tumbados carry forward a core element of Mexican music: a stoic sense of irony. A tale of heartbreak or betrayal is likely to be punctuated by hoots of laughter or mocking cries of ay! And a jaunty brass band might be oompahing behind a tale of a bloody shootout.

Narcocorridos and corridos tumbados have also borrowed strategies from gangster rap. Lyrics flaunt drugs-toriches stories of hard work, overcoming odds, facing down haters, partying and showing off designer labels.

The long-ignored promise of Mexican regional music, as it reaches the wider world, is that it will restore human-scale emotion to pop — defying technology, touching every listener directly.

Peso Pluma, center. The singles from his new album, “Génesis,” have already racked up millions of streams.

Five action movies to stream now

By ROBERT DANIELS

wants to make amends; he takes an early retirement to spend more time with her. She agrees to live with him in Tijuana so she might meet Stephen, a peculiar online flame living in Mexico.

The ghosts from Mark’s past, however, threaten to upend his life. Alisha is being pursued by a nameless man, possibly the killer of her mother.

Writer/director Yadhu Krishnan’s film isn’t out to reinvent the wheel. Workmanlike fistfights and riveting choreography are the hallmarks to this sturdy, rough-around-the-edges B-movie whose easy pleasures arise from its assuredness in the genre.

‘Blood & Gold’ Stream it on Netflix.

‘Mother’s Day’

‘The Assistant’ Stream it on Netflix.

There’s a twist in Malaysian director Adrian Teh’s “The Assistant” that’s so outlandish you can’t help but love the sheer force of its swing. The timid Zafik (Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin) has recently been released from prison. Ten years prior, a mystery man planted cocaine in his car. Two years after that, the same person, presumably, killed his wife and son. Now, he wants answers. For help, he first turns to his best friend, Dato Sam Lee (Henley Hii), a wealthy frontman for a local gangster. Then he links up with his wife’s cousin, Feroz (Hairul Azreen), who also wants to find the culprit behind the murders.

Together, Zafik and Feroz investigate the cold case, but the latter runs by a different set of rules: Feroz, played with zeal by Azreen, is a sociopath who doesn’t hesitate to kill. In fact, he giggles whenever he delivers a death blow. The balance between Zafik and Feroz represents a vicious psychological struggle of the grief felt by the two men. The ensuing twist seemingly arises from nowhere, blurring the line between intent and spontaneity for a wellspring of kinetic, jagged violence that slyly invites the possibility of more stories to come.

‘Crossfire’

Rent or Buy it on Amazon and Vudu.

Agent Mark Patson (Louis Mandylor), renowned for his ability to take down large syndicates, is loved and revered by everyone except his daughter, Alisha (Samm Wiechec). Ever since Mark’s job led to the death of Alisha’s mother, a retribution killing, he and Alicia have been estranged. Mark

In its basic conceit, director Peter Thorwarth’s “Blood & Gold” bears similarities to the Jalmari Helander combat flick “Sisu.” Both are set in the waning days of World War II, as Nazis desperate for a postwar parachute are pursuing a trove of gold. Both mine the landscape of exploitation and spaghetti Westerns to imbue their narrative with unrepentant gore. The protagonist of “Blood & Gold,” Heinrich (Robert Maaser), also has a tragic back story: His wife died during a bombing; his young daughter is now living with foster parents.

Unlike the hero in “Sisu,” Heinrich is not alone. He deserts the German army as a conscientious objector, leading to his capture and hanging. A local woman, Elsa (Marie Hacke), cuts down and nurses the moribund Heinrich. Along with Elsa’s brother, Paule (Simon Rupp), the pair flee from the Nazis. Though lean and tall, Heinrich isn’t a white knight savior. Elsa is just as capable with a rifle. The climactic gunfight, taking place in a church, is a showcase of their shared prowess, which blends romance and death for a dark victory.

Stream it on Netflix.

A crushing void pervades the life of Nina Nowak (Agnieszka Grochowska), a former special forces soldier presumed dead. After the slaying of her husband, Nina gave up their son, Maks (Adrian Delikta), to a foster family for safe keeping. Now an alcoholic, she spends her days pining for her kid’s love: She watches through binoculars from her car as Maks leads a happy life with his foster parents. When a local drug kingpin, Woltomierz (Szymon Wróblewski), kidnaps Maks, Nina must rush out of hiding to save him.

In this film from Polish director Mateusz Rakowicz, Grochowska’s performance often recalls the bleak vacancy of Nicole Kidman in Karyn Kusama’s “Destroyer.” Like Kidman, Grochowska is weary and stoic, and intensely savage as she tears through Woltomierz’s army of mob goons in the hopes of one day being acknowledged by her child’s love. The best set piece involves Nina attacking a band of hired guns through an abandoned loft as the lighting switches to infrared hues, denoting not only Nina’s bloodlust, but also, her gashed open soul.

‘Once Upon a Time in Ukraine’ Rent or Buy on most major platforms.

A trio of revenge plots engulfs Roman Perfilyev’s genrebending Ukrainian samurai spaghetti Western. The first arises from Taras (Roman Lutskyi), a feudal slave whose wife, Maria (Kateryna Slyusar), is kidnapped into sex trafficking. The second stems from a Jewish man (Andriy Borys) whose younger brother was murdered by a Cossack revolutionary. But it’s the plight of Akayo (Sergey Strelnikov), a warrior born in Japan to a Ukrainian mother that instigates the ensuing bloodshed. The sword belonging to his slain master is in the wrongful possession of a feudal lord, and Akayo wants it back.

Unlike most samurai films, the swordplay here isn’t based in air-defying gracefulness. The action moves with a surprising ruggedness. This is a pro-workers film about a rural class tied not just to the terrain but to the symbolism of the land itself. Their attachment to the countryside is reflected in the grounded fights, demonstrating a resiliency that speaks to those who are fighting a ceaseless war right now.

A walk in Rio de Janeiro: Along fabled beaches

By SETH KUGEL

For first-timers, a 5-mile stroll along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches — Rio de Janeiro’s two most fabled sand parentheses — will stir up feelings even in those who have long and unironically listed “walks on the beach” as a favorite pastime.

Such reactions may range from counterfactual nostalgia (“Imagine coming of age in a place like this”) to cultural aha moments (“Bossa nova makes so much sense now”) to medium-term reverie (“What are the rules on Brazil’s digital-nomad visa again?”).

More than 20 visits in, I still turn some kind of emotional every time I return to Rio and set foot on the boardless boardwalk where the vast majority of this stroll takes place. Brazilians call such a beachfront sidewalk the “calçadão,” but forget pronouncing it and focus on its official sound: a thousand flip-flops slapping the wave-patterned Portuguese pavement.

The route is simple: Walk along the first beach, cut inland briefly to skirt a rocky peninsula, and then walk along a second beach. Stop for refreshment at the countless kiosks along the way. As the desire strikes, turn left for a dip in the water or right for an urban foray.

Start midafternoon on a sunny day — the Rio beach scene under gray skies is like Italy during a pasta shortage. Weekends are good, December to February summer weekends are better, and Sundays are ideal, as the city closes the adjacent beachfront avenue for throngs and thongs of promenading locals.

Sneakers or flip-flops will do, but

please no sandals with socks: Rio de Janeiro beaches accept all body types and locals are accustomed to touristy foibles like baggy bikinis and gringo skin broiled to the color of juicy shrimp, but even they draw the line somewhere. Take sunscreen, a credit card — wireless tap to pay is nearly ubiquitous, even at street vendors — and keep your smartphone buried in your pocket. (This is one stretch of Rio where tourists can walk by day in relative safety, but still.) No need for a step counter; keep track of progress by the lifeguard posts (postos) along the way, numbered 1 to 12.

Start at the northernmost end of Leme Beach (which soon becomes Copacabana), taking the time to stroll out to “Fisherman’s Path” along the rocks to say hi to the bronze statue of Clarice Lispector, one of Brazil’s great 20th-century novelists, or to actual, potentially more responsive, fishermen. Then pass the scene around Posto 1, with young people sunbathing and playing altinha, the show-offy, keep-the-soccerball-in-the-air game.

Posto 2 means you’re in Copacabana, at once touristy (because of the hotels) and diverse (thanks to public transportation). It’s crackling with energy, foot volleyball, sand sculptures and one notable non-sand

sculpture of Ayrton Senna, the championship Formula One driver who holds nearPelé status around here. Stop and stare at the Copacabana Palace, the French Riviera-inspired hotel, opened in 1923 and still classing up the beach.

Not far past Posto 6, your first beach comes to an end at Fort Copacabana. Cut across on Francisco Otaviano Street for three-plus blocks, ducking through a park to Arpoador Beach — known best for morning surfers and late-afternoon sunset applauders, but also home to a charming little peninsula-top park.

Between Postos 7 and 8 is your next bronze statue, the guitar-toting Tom Jobim, composer of (what else) the bossa nova classic “Girl From Ipanema.” If it’s a Sunday, detour one block to General Osório Square for crafts at the Hippie Market, then head toward the finely sculptured human specimens near Posto 9. This might be the time to take a break on the sand — a friendly neighborhood beach chair renter will magically appear.

If you haven’t left the beach yet, consider turning right on Rua Vinícius de Moraes (named for the lyricist of “Girl From Ipanema”) onto the posh Ipanema neighborhood’s main drag for either ice cream at Vero or an icy guava juice or grilled sandwich at Polis Sucos.

Then cut back to the beach and cross the canal and you’re in the mellower (even posher) stretch known as Leblon. From the end of the beach, climb the short but winding road to the lookout point or, even better, head inland to join the local crowd at Boteco Boa Praça and order a chopp: There’s a lot more of Rio to get to, but there’s no Rio at all without an icy, foamy draft beer at the end of a beach day.

Distance: 5 miles

Difficulty: Easy, because it’s almost entirely flat, but you’ll get hot and sweaty on a sunny day.

Time to walk: 2 1/2 to 3 hours, with lingering.

Good for kids: Probably not the best bet for young children given the length, and the fact that they’ll probably be more interested in playing on the beach.

A man sells towels on a wide stretch of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, May 22, 2023.

A statue of Ayrton Senna, the legendary Brazilian racing driver, stands alongside Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, May 21, 2023. For first-timers, a five-mile stroll along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches — Rio de Janeiro’s two most fabled sand parentheses — will stir up feelings even in those who have long and unironically listed “walks on the beach” as a favorite pastime.

For a better workout, trick your brain

By CONNIE CHANG

We all know exercise is good for us, but its benefits don’t always motivate us to set an alarm and lace up our running shoes. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 75% of Americans don’t meet the recommended guidelines for aerobic and strengthening exercise.

Many experts say the key to better and more regular workouts is not in the body, but in the mind. As anyone deciding between a Netflix binge and an evening run can understand, the body may be willing but the spirit occasionally needs a kick start.

However, there are a few tools that can trick our reluctant brains into finding the motivation to head back to the gym or set out on that bike trail.

Game it up

The brain loves a game, especially if it’s hard to predict or offers intermittent rewards, said Daya Grant, a neuroscientist and a mental performance coach in Los Angeles. Use that to your advantage.

For example, Milo Bryant, a performance coach in San Diego, uses an exercise grab bag for his group classes. “They’ll draw an exercise from one bag and a rep count from the other and whatever comes up, that’s what they do,” he said.

Apps such as Zombies, Run! — a cross between a fitness tracker and an episode of “The Last of Us” — take this to a new level. Like most running apps, it allows you to track your route and pace. The twist is how it pipes “missions” through your headphones as you run, directing you to sprint to avoid a zombie or to pick up supplies to build a virtual shelter.

The app Rouvy connects to a smart trainer, which converts your regular bike into a stationary one, for a virtual ride through different city streets around the world. It can even tweak your bike’s resistance as you encounter dips and hills. Pam Moore, a cycling instructor in Boulder, Colorado, said she once biked through Beverly Hills with a friend in Portland, Oregon, without leaving home.

“Although she was ahead of me, we could still ride together,” Moore said.

Tailor it to fit

Our brain also loves things that seem tailored for us. In a recent study, athletes who believed they had received a customized workout plan outperformed those who thought they were following a generic one.

Personal trainers are a natural way to make use of this perception. Or you can use an app such as Stronger by the Day, in which trainers take your fitness stats (the heaviest load you can lift, for example) and produce a strengthtraining program adapted for you.

“I’m obsessed with it,” Moore said. “By simply showing up and doing what it said, I’ve gotten so much stronger.”

According to Panteleimon Ekkekakis, an exercise psychologist at Michigan State University, we tend to remember experiences by how we feel at the end of them. That’s why he suggests “flipping the order of exercise — doing the hardest part early on after a good warm-up and gradually reducing the intensity — so you leave the session with the best possible memory.” This reverse-slope approach not only increases enjoyment just after a workout but improves how we perceive exercise up to a week later.

Work like a (Pavlovian) dog

Habits can become hard-wired into the brain. So, hitch your fitness to an “anchor habit,” something you already do every day, said Ben Reale, a personal trainer in Atlanta. If you drop off your children at school at 8 a.m.,

for example, be in the weight room by 8:15 a.m.

“Like the Pavlovian response, when we stack these habits together consistently over several weeks, we take the decision point, the willpower, out of the equation,” Reale said.

More reluctant exercisers might need a little something extra. Try pairing your workout with an activity you love, such as catching up on the latest season of “The Bachelor.” This “temptation bundling” is amplified if you only do the desired activity when you’re exercising, said Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“So you’re only indulging in your lowbrow TV or listening to your vampire novels at the gym,” Milkman said. Make an emotional commitment

The most effective psychological trick to building an exercise habit might also be the simplest: Sign up for something — whether it’s a 5K in three months, a tennis tournament in a year or a father-daughter dance next spring. “When we’re training for something, it gives every workout purpose,” Bryant said. Set up smaller goals along the way, making sure they’re challenging but achievable.

Above all, figure out what works best for you — keeping in mind what that means may change. Exercise is more sustainable if we have an emotional connection to it.

“It’s why some people run marathons for causes or dedicate each mile to a specific person,” Grant said.

Our reluctant brains can be tricked into finding the motivation to get off the couch and head back to the gym or set out on that bike trail.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PREMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA

JUAN ANTONIO GARCÍA OCASIO

Peticionario

EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: CN2023CV00177.

Sobre: EXPDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS

UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: PERSONAS

IGNORADAS A QUIENES

PUEDA PERJUDICAR LA INSCRIPCIÓN SOLITADA

Y A LOS QUE TENGAN EN DICHOS BIENES

CUALQUIER DERECHO

REAL O DESEAN OPONERSE.

Por la presente se le notifica a usted que se ha presentado ante éste Tribunal el expediente de dominio arriba mencionado, con el fin de justificar e inscribir a favor del peticionario, el dominio que tienen sobre la siguiente finca la cual no consta inscrita en el Registro de la Propiedad: “RÚSTICA: Predio de terreno radicado en el Barrio Hato Puerco, hoy Palma Sola del término municipal de Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, compuesto de uno punto dos mil setecientos cuatro (1.2704) cuerdas, equivalentes a cuatro mil novecientos noventa y dos punto nueve mil ochocientos treinta y siete (4,992.9837) metros cuadrados. En lindes por el Norte, con Arturo Rodríguez y Nahiara C. Frank Quintana; por el Sur, con Ramal de la Carretera PR957; por el Este, con Nahiara C. Frank Quintana; y por el Oeste, con Celia García y Arturo Rodríguez” El abogado del peticionario es: Lcdo. Felix Oscar Rivera Borges, RUA 10781, PO Box 178, Mayagüez, PR 006810178; Tel: 787-873-5660; felixriveraborges@yahoo.com. Y SE

NOTIFICA, que este Tribunal ha ordenado que se publique la petición del peticionario por tres (3) veces dentro del término de veinte (20) días en un periódico de circulación general para que los que tengan algún derecho real sobre el inmueble descrito, las personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción y en general, a todos los que deseen oponerse, puedan efectuarlos dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la última publicación del presente edicto. Se le apercibe que de no comparecer los interesados y/o partes citadas, en su defecto los organismos

públicos afectados en el término improrrogable de veinte (20) días a constar de la última publicación del edicto, el Tribunal podrá conceder el remedio solicitado por la parte peticionaria, sin más citarle ni oírle.

POR ORDEN DEL HONORABLE Thainie Reyes Ramírez, Juez Superior de este Tribunal expido la presente en Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy 16 de mayo de 2023. LIC. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR. RUTH M. COLÓN LUCIANO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA MUNICIPAL DE SAN JUAN

ASOCIACIÓN DE PRO-CONTROL DE ACCESO DE LA CALLE MARACAIBO, INC.

Demandante Vs. EDUARDO APONTE VELAZQUEZ

Demandado(a)

Civil Núm.: SJ2019CV02645. (906). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (R.60). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: EDUARDO

APONTE VELAZQUEZ.

FÍSICA & POSTAL:

URB. PARK GARDENS

A5-10 CALLE XSIPIBU, SAN JUAN, PR 00926.

PÚBLICO EN GENERAL:

El Alguacil del Tribunal que suscribe anuncia y hace constar:

1. Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento que me ha sido dirigido por la Secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Puerto Rico, Sala de San Juan, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor de contado y en moneda de curso legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América, todo derecho, título o interés que tenga la Parte Demandada en el bien inmueble que se describe a continuación:

“URBANA: “Urbanización Park Gardens de Sabana Llana. Solar: 10-A. Cabida: 593.3 metros cuadrados. Para mayor claridad se describe como sigue:

URBANA: Solar radicado en la Urbanización Park Gardens en el Barrio Sabana Llana de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, marcado con el número 10 de la manzana “A-Cinco del plano de inscripción, con un área de quinientos treinta y nueve metros cuadrados y

treinta centímetros cuadrados (539.30 m.c.), en lindes por el Norte: en veintiún metros veintidós centímetros con el Solar número Once A-Cinco; por el Sur: en trece metros con el Solar número Nueve A-Cinco y en catorce metros veintidós centímetros con el Solar número Ocho A-Cinco; por el ESTE: en veintitrés metros sesenta centímetros con la Calle Dieciséis A; por el Oeste: en diecinueve metros cuarentinueve centímetros con los solares números Cuatro A-Cinco, Cinco A-Cinco y Seis A-Cinco. Según plano colinda por el Este con la Calle Dieciocho A. Afecta por el Oeste a una servidumbre de sesenta centímetros de ancho a todo lo largo de la colindancia a favor de la Puerto Rico Telephone Company y por el Sureste a una servidumbre de siete pies de ancho por siete pies de largo a favor de la Autoridad de las Fuentes Fluviales de Puerto Rico. Enclava una edificación de hormigón reforzado y bloques de concreto diseñada para fines residenciales. Finca 17129, de Sabana Llana, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección V.” Dirección física: Urb. Park Gardens, A510 Calle Xsipibu, San Juan, PR 00926. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables.

2. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito ejecutante, continuaran subsistentes, entendiéndose que el remanente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate.

3. La propiedad para ejecutar se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. 4. Que el licitador y/o mejor postor pagará el importe de su oferta en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil de Tribunal. 5. La propiedad se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes:

a. Hipoteca: Por sí: a favor de POPULAR MORTGAGE, INC., o a su orden, por la suma principal de $180,000.00, con intereses a razón del 7 3/8% anual, con vencimiento el1 de octubre de 2038. Tasada la finca en la suma de $180,000.00.

En virtud de la Escritura #747 otorgada en San Juan el día 29 de septiembre del 2008, ante el notario Héctor M. Lúgaro Figueroa, según la inscripción 25a. b. Anotación de Embargo (Judicial, Ley 209): Afecta por sí a Anotación de Embargo a favor de Asociación Pro Control de

Acceso de la Calle Maracaibo, lnc., por la suma de $2,455.72, en virtud de Orden en el caso civil número SJ2019CV02645 sobre cobro de dinero Regla 60 ante el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, Asociación Pro Control de Acceso de la Calle Maracaibo, lnc., demandante v.s. Eduardo Aponte Velázquez demandados a 19 de julio de 2021, anotado en sistema según anotación letra “A”. Dicha subasta se celebrará para con el importe de la misma satisfacer a la parte demandante la suma principal de $1,813.50, por concepto de cuotas de mantenimiento vencidas y no pagadas al 19 de febrero de 2019, más intereses desde que se dicte la sentencia al 6.25% anual ($0.40 diario), a partir de esa fecha en la cantidad de $607.36, al 5 de junio de 2023; más $148.00 de costas y gastos según sentencia, más $400.00 por concepto de honorarios de abogado otorgados según sentencia; más $950.00 por concepto de las costas y gastos del proceso de ejecución de la sentencia mediante embargo de bien inmueble, mueble y vehículo, concedidos mediante Orden de fecha de 20 de diciembre de 2021; más $950.00 por honorarios del proceso en la ejecución de la sentencia mediante Venta en Pública Subasta, concedidos mediante orden de fecha 30 de mayo de 2023, totalizan la cantidad de $4,868.86. La subasta se llevará a cabo en mi oficina localizada en el local que ocupa en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Municipal de San Juan, el día 13 DE JULIO DE 2023

A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA. Y para la conveniencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general y por un término de catorce (14) días en los lugares públicos que determine la ley. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, a 8 de junio de 2023. EDWIN E. LÓPEZ MULERO, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante V. OBED COLÓN ILDEFONSO T/C/C OBED COLÓN IDELFONSO; SU ESPOSA MARGARITA ARRIAGA RAMOS, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE

BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV03890.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA “IN REM”. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. AVISO DE SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan, Puerto Rico, hago saber, a la parte demandada y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL: Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia notificado el día 5 de junio de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor la propiedad que ubica y se describe a continuación:

RÚSTICA: Comunidad Rural Hill Brothers de Sabana Llana. Solar: 459-F. Cabida: 530.95 metros cuadrados. Por el NORTE, con la Urbanización La Virtudes; por el SUR, con la parcela cuatrocientos cincuenta y nueve guión E (459-E) de la comunidad; por el ESTE, con la parcela cuatrocientos guión E (459-E) (así surge) de la comunidad; y por el OESTE, con la calle treinta y cinco (35) de la comunidad. Enclava una estructura dedicada a vivienda. Inscrita en la finca número 35,430, al folio 192 del tomo 1127 de San Juan. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección V de Sabana Llana. La propiedad ubica en: Parcela #459 F, Comunidad Rural Hill Brothers, Barrio Sabana Llana, Urbanización Las Virtudes, San Juan, Puerto Rico. El producto de la subasta se destinará a satisfacer al demandante hasta donde alcance, la SENTENCIA dictada a su favor el día 8 de enero de 2023, archivada en autos y notificada el 13 de marzo de 2023, y publicada en el periódico “The San Juan Daily Star” el 15 de marzo de 2023, este Honorable Tribunal dictó Sentencia en contra de la parte demandada, por la suma de $94,174.72 por concepto de principal, más los intereses sobre dicha suma a razón del 4.50%, anual desde el 1ro de noviembre de 2021, hasta su completo pago, más las primas de seguro hipotecario, recargos por demora y cualesquiera otras cantidades pactadas en la escritura de primera hipoteca, desde la fecha antes mencionada y hasta la fecha del pago total de las mismas, más la suma de $10,464.90 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado; y demás créditos accesorios garantizados hipo-

tecariamente (“Sentencia”). La adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el acto mismo de la adjudicación, en efectivo (moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América), giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del alguacil del Tribunal. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a efecto el día 17 DE JULIO DE 2023

A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el Centro Judicial de San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Que el precio mínimo fijado para la PRIMERA SUBASTA es de $104,649.00. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una SEGUNDA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 31 DE JULIO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la SEGUNDA SUBASTA será de $69,766.00, equivalentes a dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Que de ser necesaria la celebración de una TERCERA SUBASTA la misma se llevará a efecto el día 7 DE AGOSTO DE 2023 A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina antes mencionada del Alguacil que suscribe. El precio mínimo para la TERCERA SUBASTA será de $52,324.50, equivalentes a la mitad (1/2) del tipo mínimo estipulado para la PRIMERA subasta. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente; se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor, todo ello a tenor con lo dispone el Articulo 104 de la Ley Núm. 210 del 8 de diciembre de 2015 conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquiere libre de toda carga y gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca según el Artículo 102, inciso 6. Una vez confirmada la venta judicial por el Honorable Tribunal, se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura de venta judicial y se pondrá al comprador en posesión física del inmueble de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda aquella persona o personas que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecuti-

vas, con un intervalo de por lo menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy día 12 de junio de 2023. Juan

A. Santana García, Alguacil Auxiliar, División De Subastas, Tribunal De Primera Instancia, Sala Superior De San Juan.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL

GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. SUCESIÓN DE HÉCTOR

SERRANO MANGUAL, COMPUESTA POR

JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE; FIDEL SERRANO PADILLA, COMO

HEREDERO CONOCIDO DEL CAUSANTE; “JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE” COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV04204.

Sala: 508. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS

UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO

RICO, SS. AVISO DE SUBASTA. que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan, Puerto Rico, hago saber, a la

parte demandada y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL: Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia notificado el día 6 de junio de 2023, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor la propiedad que ubica y se describe a continuación:

RÚSTICA: Parcela de terreno radicada en el Barrio Sabana Llana de Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, compuesto de quinientos setenta y un metros cuadrados con sesenta y dos centímetros cuadrados, marcado con el número veintiuno en el Plano de Urbanización de la finca principal, colindante por el NORTE, con el solar número veintidós del Plano de Urbanización de la finca principal, vendido por el Doctor Dávila a Constantino Fernández; por el SUR, con la calle principal de la Urbanización de la finca principal; por el ESTE, con terrenos propiedad del Doctor Basilio Dávila; y por el OESTE, con la Calle Amalia, abierto con terrenos de la finca principal de donde ésta se segrega, propiedad del Doctor Basilio Dávila. Enclava edificación de dos plantas en concreto, valorada en $47,000.00, construida por María Auxilio Capella Ricci y Antonio Osvaldo Izquierdo Capella, en una proporción de 75% para ella y el 25% para él, mediante la escritura número 1, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 10 de enero de 1975, ante el notario Vicente Geigel Polanco, e inscrita al folio 82 del tomo 339 de Sabana Llana, finca número 13,795, inscripción 6ta. Inscrita en la finca número 13,795, al folio 80 del tomo 339 de Sabana Llana. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección V de San Juan. La propiedad, según pagaré, ubica en: 1229 Calle Andes, Monterrey, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926. Además, el Alguacil que suscribe, hago saber a todos los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante, o de los acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, siempre que surjan de la certificación registral, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando entonces subrogados en los derechos

TADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. S.S.

A: JUANITA TORRES VELEZ

F-20 Calle 8, Magnolia Gardens, Bayamón, Puerto Rico 00959; DH 13 Lago Vivi 5ta Secc., Levittown Lakes, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico 00949; 1021 Robert Ave. Lehigh Acres, FL 33936

Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda incoada en su contra dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema

Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio. Si usted deja de presentar y notificar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Los abogados de la parte demandante son:

ABOGADOS DE LA PARTE DEMANDANTE:

Lcdo. Reggie Díaz Hernández

RUA Núm.: 16,393

BERMUDEZ & DIAZ, LLP

500 Calle De La Tanca Suite 209 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901

Tel.: (787) 523-2670 ¡ Fax: (787) 523-2664 rdíaz@bdprlaw.com

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y el sello de este Tribunal, hoy 26 de mayo de 2023. Lcda.

Laura I Santa Sanchez, Sec Regional. Amalyn Figueroa Nieves, Sec Auxiliar del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN.

REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC.

Demandante vs.

SUCESION SACROVIR

A. RIVERA ZAYAS T/C/C

SACROVIR AUGUSTO

RIVERA ZAYAS T/C/C

SACROVIR RIVERA T/C/C

SACROVIR RIVERA

ZAYAS T/C/C SACROVIER

RIVERA ZAYAS

COMPUESTA POR CELIA

SIERRA RONDON; JOHN

DOE Y JANE DOE COMO

POSIBLE HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE

AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Demandados CIVIL NUM. SJ2019CV11582.

SOBRE: EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS

EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.SS.

A: La Parte Demandada, al (a la) Secretario(a) de Hacienda de Puerto Rico y al Público General:

Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América y/o Giro Postal y Cheque Certificado, en mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 19 de Julio de 2023, a las 9:00 de la mañana, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: URBAN: Horizontal property: Apartment number one thousand one hundred fifteen (1115) is situated on the eleventh floor of the building Condominium Borinquen Towers III, in the Section which composes the Eastern part of the building. It consist of irregular rectangular shaped body measuring approximately fourteen feet eleven and a half inches (14’11 ½”) wide, by twenty four feet four inches (24’4”) long and open balcony of eleven feet eleven inches (11’11”) long, by five feet five inches (5’5”) wide, that is an are of THREE

HUNDRED EIGHTY ONE

POINT TWENTY SIX (381.26)

SQUARE FEET, equivalent to THIRTY FIVE POINT FORTY SEVEN (35.47) SQUARE METERS; bounding on the NORTH with an exterior Wall which separates it from the common yard on the Northern side of the building where the balcony opens; on the SOUTH with an interior Wall which separates it from the common public corridor to which the entrance door of the apartments opens and with an interior Wall which separates it from the common public stairway; on the EAST, with a party Wall which separates it from apartment number one thousand on hundred sixteen (1116); on the WEST with a party Wall which separates it from apartment number one thousand one hundred fourteen (1114). This apartment consists of a combination of living dining room with its closet,

dressing room, one bathroom, a kitchenette with cabinets, storage closets and a thirty gallon capacity water heater. Le corresponde una participación de punto tres dos cero cuatro por ciento (.3204%) en los elementos comunes generales.

Inscrita al folio 17 del tomo 704 de Monacillos, finca 22,262, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección III. La Hipoteca Revertida consta inscrita al folio 46 del tomo 1009, finca 22,262 de Monacillos, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección III, inscripción 6ª. Propiedad localizada en: 1482 AVE. FD ROOSEVELT, COND. BORINQUEN TOWER III, APT. 1115, SAN JUAN, PR 00920-2708. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas anteriores o preferentes: Nombre del Titular: DORAL FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK AND LOAN BANK, Suma de la Carga: $20,000.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 1 de diciembre de 2007. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante: Nombre del Titular: Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano, Suma de la Carga: $133,500.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 2 de mayo de 2090. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes. El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo de mínima subasta la suma de $133,500.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una segunda subasta por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 2 de agosto de 2023, a las 9:00 de la mañana, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $89,000.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la tercera subasta, la suma de $117,5066,750.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, el 9 de agosto de 2023, a las 9:00 de la mañana. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su

favor ascendente a la suma de $55,573.76 de principal, más los intereses sobre dicha suma en la cantidad de $16,566.51 los cuales continúan acumulándose a razón de la tasa de interés corriente, hasta su completo pago, más contribuciones, recargos y primas de seguro adeudados y la suma de $13,350.00 por concepto de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. Dichas sumas están vencidas, son líquidas y exigibles. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario, a los efectos de que cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 14 de junio de 2023. Edwin E Lopez Mulero, Alguacil Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE MANATI. COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT FINANCE, INC.

DEMANDANTE VS. JESUS O. CASTRO NIEVES, FULANA DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

DEMANDADA

CIVIL NÚM.: MT2023CV00301.

SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y REPOSESIÓN DE GARANTÍA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. ss.

A: JESÚS O. CASTRO NIEVES, FULANA DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

Carr. #2 Km 49.9 Local#53 Manatí, PR 00674; Dirección postal: Urb. Brisas de Mar Chiquita J-20 Calle Carey Manatí, PR 00674; Urb. Brisas de Mar Chiquita 137 Manatí, PR 00674 y Urb. Brisas de Mar Chiquita 135 Manatí, PR 00674

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 días a partir de la publicación de este edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Representa a la parte demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS RÚA NÚM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970 TEL: 787- 751-5290, FAX: 787-751-6155 E-MAIL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com

En Manatí, Puerto Rico a 22 de junio de 2023. Vivian Y Fresse Gonzalez, Sec Regional. Yaritza Iglesias Maldonado, Sec Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de CEIBA.

MARIA TERESA

VELLON RIOS

Demandante v. BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

COMO INSTITUCION

FINANCIERA SUCESORA DE SANA INVESTMENT MORTGAGE BANKERS, FULANOY SUTANO Demandado{a)

Civil: CE2022CV00075. Sobre: CANCELACION DE HIPOTECA PAGARE HIPOTECARIO EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: FULANOY SUTANO DEMANDADODSE SCONOCIDOS (Nombre de las partes a las que se

le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 15 de junio de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 16 de junio de 2023. En FAJARDO, Puerto Rico, el 16 de junio de 2023. WANDA SEGUI REYES - SEC. REGIONAL. f/ANA CELIS MARQUEZ APONTE, Secretario(a).

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE VEGA BAJA

ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC

COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

Parte Demandante Vs. LUIS F

GONZALEZ SANTIAGO

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: VB2022CV01002. 402. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO.

A: LUIS F GONZALEZ

SANTIAGO - L-1 CALLE

B, URB. ROSARIO 2, VEGA BAJA, PR 00693. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o

cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Natalie Bonaparte Servera cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@ orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en VEGA BAJA, Puerto Rico, hoy día 18 de mayo de 2023. En VEGA BAJA, Puerto Rico, el 18 de mayo de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. AMALYN FIGUEROA NIEVES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Demandante Vs. ZYNNIA RIVERA MERCADO

Demandado Civil Núm.: PO2023CV00304. Salón: 301. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO ORDINARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: ZYNNIA RIVERA MERCADO - 818 CALLE DR. VIRGILIO BIAGGI, VILLA GRILLASCA, CANAS URBANO, PONCE, PR 00716. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, la Lcda. Natalie

Bonaparte cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección Natalie.bonaparte@ orf-law.com, edwin.serrano@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Ponce, Puerto Rico, el 22 de mayo de 2023. En Ponce, Puerto Rico, el 22 de mayo de 2023. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA. JANICE SEGARRA ROSADO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE FIRSTBANK

PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. ZAYMI TORO GOTAY

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: PO2022CV01795. Salón Núm.: (406). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y COBRO DE DINERO. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: ZAYMI TORO GOTAY:

Y AL PÚBLICO EN GENERAL:

El Alguacil que suscribe, certifica y hace constar que en cumplimiento de Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por la Secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Ponce, procederé a vender en pública subasta y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América. Todo pago recibido por el (la) Alguacil por concepto de subastas será en efectivo, giro postal o cheque certificado a nombre del (de la) Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Todo derecho, título, participación e interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar marcado con el número 9 del bloque F del plano de inscripción de la Urbanización Luchetti, radicado en el Barrio Jacanas del término municipal de Yauco, Puerto Rico, con una cabida de trescientos treinta punto cincuenta y cuatro metros cuadrados. En linderos: NORTE, en trece punto sesenta y cinco (13.65) metros con la Calle número nueve (9) de la urbanización; SUR, en doce punto setenta y seis (12.76) metros con el solar “F” guión dieciséis (F-16); ESTE, en veinticuatro punto noventa y seis (24.96) metros con Sucesión Luchetti; OESTE, en veinticuatro punto noventa y nueve (24.99) metros con el

subasta, si el Tribunal lo estima conveniente; se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si esta es mayor, todo ello a tenor con lo dispone el Articulo 104 de la Ley Núm. 210 del 8 de diciembre de 2015 conocida como “Ley del Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico”.

La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquiere libre de toda carga y gravamen que afecte la mencionada finca según el Artículo 102, inciso 6. Una vez confirmada la venta judicial por el Honorable Tribunal, se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura de venta judicial y se pondrá al comprador en posesión física del inmueble de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda aquella persona o personas que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de todos los licitadores y el público en general, el presente Edicto se publicará por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas, con un intervalo de por lo menos siete días entre ambas publicaciones, en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y se fijará además en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio en que ha de celebrarse dicha venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Se les informa, por último, que: a. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la secretaría del tribunal durante las horas laborables. b. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. EXPIDO, el presente EDICTO, en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, hoy día 13 de junio de 2023.

JOSÉ M. CRESPO NAZARIO, ALGUACIL, DIVISIÓN DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA SUPERIOR DE MAYAGÜEZ.

LEGAL NOTICE

GOBIERNO DE PUERTO

RICO DEPARTAMENTO DE ESTADO. NOMBRE COMERCIAL PARA REGISTRAR. AVISO. A QUIEN PUEDA INTERESAR: De acuerdo con las disposiciones de la Ley Núm. 75 del 23 de septiembre de 1992, según enmendada, mejor conocida como la Ley de Nombres Comerciales del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico y la Sección 24 del Reglamento promulgado bajo la ley citada anteriormente, el

siguiente nombre comercial ha sido presentado en el Departamento de Estado de Puerto Rico para su archivo y registro.

SAN JUAN CHEVROLET BUICK GMC Número de Expediente:

249378-99-0. Propietario:

SAN JUAN CHEVROLET BUICK GMC LLC. Dirección:

221 PONCE DE LEON AVE., 5TH FLOOR, SAN JUAN, PR 00917. Actividad Empresarial: CAR DEALERSHIP. Renuncia a elementos no registrables:

SAN JUAN. NOTIFICACIÓN: Cualquier oposición a este registro deberá presentarse en el Departamento de Estado de Puerto Rico dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este aviso.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN

WILMINGTON SAVINGS

FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR FINANCE OF AMERICA STRUCTURED

SECURITIES

ACQUISITION TRUST 2018-HB1

Demandante Vs. JOSE VIDAL RODRIGUEZ

VAZQUEZ T/C/C JOSE V. RODRIGUEZ VAZQUEZ

T/C/C JOSE RODRIGUEZ

VAZQUEZ T/C/C JOSE

VIDAL RODRIGUEZ T/C/C

JOSE V. RODRIGUEZ

T/C/C JOSE RODRIGUEZ; MARIA ISABEL ROSADO

RODRIGUEZ T/C/C MARIA

I. ROSADO RODRIGUEZ

T/C/C MARIA ROSADO

RODRIGUEZ T/C/C MARIA

ISABEL ROSADO T/C/C

MARIA I. ROSADO T/C/C

MARIA ROSADO T/C/C

ELIZABETH ROSADO

RODRIGUEZ T/C/C

ELIZABETH ROSADO

T/C/C ELISABETH

ROSADO RODRIGUEZ

T/C/C ELISABETH ROSADO Y LA

SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: BY2021CV03560.

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉ-

RICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

LA) SECRETARIO(A) DE HACIENDA DE PUERTO RICO Y AL PÚBLICO

GENERAL:

Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América y/o Giro Postal y Cheque Certificado, en mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Bayamón, Cuarto Piso, Oficina de Alguaciles de Subastas, el 9 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Parcela de terreno en la Urbanización Bayamón Gardens: Localizada en el Barrio Pájaros del municipio de Bayamón, Puerto Rico, que se describe en el plano de inscripción de la Urbanización con el número, área y colindancias que se relacionan a continuación; Solar numero veintiuno (21) de la manzana “U”, área de trescientos diez punto cincuenta (310.50 m.c.) metros cuadrados. En lindes por el Norte, con solares quince (15) y dieciséis (16) en trece punto cincuenta (13.50 m.) metros; por el Sur, con la Avenida Principal, en trece punto cincuenta (13.50 m.) metros; por el Este, con el solar veinte (20), en veintitrés punto cero cero (23.00 m.) metros; y por el Oeste, con el solar veintidós (22), en veintitrés punto cero cero (23.00 m.) metros. Enclava una casa para fines residenciales. Finca número 26,673, inscrita al folio 41 del tomo 582 de Bayamón Sur, Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección I. La Hipoteca Revertida consta inscrita al folio 67 del tomo 1894 de Bayamón Sur, finca número 26,673, Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección I, inscripción

6ª. Propiedad localizada en:

URB. BAYAMON GARDENS, U-21 CALLE CATIGLIONI, BAYAMON, PR 00957. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas anteriores o preferentes: Nombre del Titular: N/A. Suma de la Carga: N/A. Fecha de Vencimiento: N/A. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante: Nombre del Titular: Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano. Suma de la Carga: $192,000.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 23 de di-

ciembre de 2087. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes.

El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo de mínima subasta la suma de $192,000.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una SEGUNDA SUBASTA por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Bayamón, Cuarto Piso, Oficina de Alguaciles de Subastas, el 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA, y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $128,000.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $96,000.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Bayamón, Cuarto Piso, Oficina de Alguaciles de Subastas, el 23 DE AGOSTO DE 2023, A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $141,550.54 por concepto de principal, más la suma de $17,275.51 en intereses acumulados al 29 de noviembre de 2021 y los cuales continúan acumulándose a razón de 5.060% anual hasta su total y completo pago; más la sumas de $6,827.68 en seguro hipotecario; $3,930.00 en tarifas de servicios; $425.00 de tasaciones; $160.00 de inspecciones; $615.00 en honorarios de abogado; más la cantidad de 10% del pagare original en la suma de $19,200.00, para gastos, costas y honorarios de abogado, esta última habrá de devengar intereses al máximo del tipo legal fijado por la oficina del Comisionado de Instituciones Financieras aplicable a esta fecha, desde este mismo día hasta su total y completo saldo. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario, a los efectos de que cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la

celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy 02 de junio de 2023. FRANCES TORRES CONTRERAS, ALGUACIL REGIONAL. MARIBEL LANZAR VELÁZQUEZ, ALGUACIL PLACA #735.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE PONCE LUNA RESIDENTIAL III, LLC Parte Demandante Vs. LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA JULIA FERNÁNDEZ SANTIAGO COMPUESTA POR CAMELIA NADAL FERNÁNDEZ; LUIS ACEVEDO FERNÁNDEZ; CARLOS MANGUAL FERNANDEZ; OTONIEL MANGUAL FERNANDEZ; WANDA NADAL FERNANDEZ; NILDA NADAL FERNANDEZ; ILEANA NADAL FERNANDEZ; ROBERTO NADAL FERNANDEZ; IRENE NADAL FERNANDEZ; JANETTE NADAL FERNANDEZ; KATHY GONZÁLEZ, DALIA ACOSTA, CARLOS ACOSTA Y JUAN SANTIAGO COMO MIEMBROS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE MIGDALIA SANTIAGO FERNANDEZ CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA JULIA

FERNÁNDEZ SANTIAGO; ROBERTO ACEVEDO, SOFIA ACEVEDO Y NANCY ACEVEDO COMO HEREDEROS DE ROBERTO ACEVEDO FERNÁNDEZ CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA JULIA

FERNÁNDEZ SANTIAGO; FULANO DE TAL Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS

CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Parte Demandada Caso Civil Núm.: PO2022CV02022. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO Y NOTIFICACIÓN DE INTERPELACIÓN POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: LUIS ACEVEDO FERNANDEZ; CARLOS MANGUAL FERNANDEZ; OTONIEL MANGUAL FERNANDEZ; WANDA NADAL FERN NDEZ; NILDA NADAL FERNANDEZ; ILEANA NADAL FERNANDEZ; ROBERTO NADAL FERNANDEZ, COMO HEREDEROS CONOCIDOS DE MARÍA JULIA FERNÁNDEZ SANTIAGO; KATHY GONZÁLEZ, DALIA ACOSTA, CARLOS ACOSTA JUAN SANTIAGO COMO MIEMBROS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE MIGDALIA SANTIAGO FERNÁNDEZ CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA JULIA FERNÁNDEZ SANTIAGO; ROBERTO ACEVEDO, SOFIA ACEVEDO Y NANCY ACEVEDO COMO HEREDEROS DE ROBERTO ACEVEDO FERNÁNDEZ CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN DE M RÍA JULIA FERNÁNDEZ.

POR LA PRESENTE se les emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá radicar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: http://unired.ramajudicial.pr/ sumac/, salvo que se presente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá radicar el original de su contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente y notifique con copia a los abogados de la parte demandante. Lcda. Marjaliisa Colón Villanueva. al PO BOX 7970, Ponce. P.R. 00732; Teléfono: 787-13434168. En dicha demanda se tramita un procedimiento de cobro de dinero y ejecución de

hipoteca bajo el número mencionado en el epígrafe. Se alega en dicho procedimiento que la parte Demandada incurrió en el incumplimiento del Contrato de Hipoteca, al no poder pagar las mensualidades vencidas correspondientes a los meses de mayo de 2020, hasta el presente, más los cargos por demora correspondientes. Además, adeuda a la parte demandante las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado en que incurra el tenedor del pagaré en este litigio. De acuerdo con dicho Contrato de Garantía Hipotecaria la parte Demandante declaró vencida la totalidad de la deuda ascendente a la suma de $32,530.26 de principal, más los intereses sobre dicha suma al 9.125% anual, así como todos aquellos créditos y sumas que surjan de la faz de la obligación hipotecaria y de la hipoteca que la garantiza, incluyendo la suma estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. La parte Demandante presentó para su inscripción en el Registro de la Propiedad correspondiente, un AVISO DE PLEITO PENDIENTE (“Lis Pendens”) sobre la propiedad objeto de esta acción cuya propiedad es la siguiente: RÚSTICA: parcela marcada con el número trescientos noventa y dos guión letra A (392-a) en el plano de parcelación de la comunidad rural Potala Pastilla de los Barrios Pastilla y Capitaneja del término municipal de Juana Díaz, con una cabida superficial de setecientos setenta y cuatro punto setenta y uno (774.71) metros cuadrados. En lindes por el Norte, con las parcelas números trescientos noventa guión letra A (390-a) y trescientos setenta y cuatro letra A (374-a) de la comunidad; por el Sur, con la parcela número trescientos noventa y dos (392) de la comunidad; por el Este; con calle de la comunidad; por el Oeste, con las parcelas Números trescientos noventa y uno letra A (391-a) de la Comunidad. La propiedad consta inscrita en el Folio ciento cincuenta y tres (153) del Tomo doscientos setenta y siete (277) de Juana Diaz, Registro de la Propiedad de Ponce, Sección I, finca diez mil quinientos setenta y seis (10,576). SE LES APERCIBE que de no hacer sus alegaciones responsivas a la demanda dentro del término aquí dispuesto, se les anotará la rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Además, como miembro de la Sucesión de María Julia Fernández Santiago se ha presentado una solicitud de interpelación judicial para que sirva en el término de treinta (30) días aceptar o repudiar la herencia. Se le apercibe que si no compareciera usted a expresarse dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación de este edicto

en tomo a la aceptación o repudiación de la herencia, se presumirá que han aceptado la herencia del causante María Julia Fernández Santiago y por consiguiente, responderán por las cargas de dicha herencia conforme dispone el 1578 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico, 31 L.P.R.A. sec. 11021. En Ponce, Puerto Rico, a 13 de junio de 2023. Carmen G. Tirú Quiñones, Secretaria. Mariely Félix Rivera, Sub-Secretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de CAGUAS.

COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE CAGUAS

Demandante Vs INTERNATIONAL CHARTER MORTGAGE CORPORATION; BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO, JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE

Demandados

Civil: CG2022CV04227. Sobre: CANCELACION PAGARE EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: INTERNATIONAL CHARTER MORTGAGE CORPORATION; JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que 8 de JUNiO de 2023 , este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 15 de JUNIO de 2023. En CAGUAS, Puerto Rico, el 15 de JUNIO de 2023. F/LISILDA MARTÍNEZ AGOSTO, Secretaria Regional. F/SANDRA J. TRINIDAD CAÑUELAS, Secretaria Auxiliar.

In the US, an accomplished Cuban boxer takes his first pro steps

By MORGAN CAMPBELL

When the timer chimed to begin Round 3, Andy Cruz stalked Rostyslav Sabadash behind a stiff jab. Sabadash, taller and bulkier, edged backward. Cruz, a Cuban boxer who had won the lightweight gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, popped him with two more long lefts.

Cruz is one of the most accomplished fighters to emerge from Cuba’s celebrated boxing program. Along with his Olympic gold, he has three amateur world titles and has twice won at the Pan American Games. But in mid-May, Cruz arrived in northeast Philadelphia to learn how to box like a pro: He will make his professional debut in Detroit on July 15, in a 10-round bout against a rugged veteran named Juan Carlos Burgos.

Cruz snapped off two more jabs, and then a right cross. Cruz’s manager, Yolfri Sánchez, watched the sparring session from ringside. His head coach, Derek Ennis, nicknamed Bozy, perched on the apron. Sánchez hired Ennis to replace Cruz’s amateur habits with pro techniques: hitting with authority, staying in range, catching and countering punches.

Another Cruz right hand started a heated exchange of blows. Ennis reined in his gym’s new star.

“That’s not what you want to do,” Ennis said. “Somebody bigger than you, don’t stand there and bang with him. Be smart.”

Cruz’s boxing IQ, along with his speed and timing, helped make him the boxer many observers consider the best Cuban of his generation. A falling out with Cuba’s boxing federation led him to leave the country last year, which made Cruz boxing’s hottest free agent — and its most intriguing prospect.

In May, Cruz signed a three-year deal with Matchroom Boxing that will guarantee him payment in the seven figures, and Cruz’s backers think he will dominate the talent-rich lightweight division by next summer. But professional success will depend on how well Cruz adapts, both to his new country and to a new version of a familiar sport.

“Training is fine, but I need to fight,” he said in Spanish after the sparring session. “I’m anxious. I’m eager. I like to work under pressure. That’s when you get the best out of me.”

Cruz speaks little English, and Ennis speaks even less Spanish. Sánchez translates, and so do their smartphones. But Cruz is fluent in pugilism. The boxing database BoxRec credits him with 140 amateur wins. He acted on Ennis’ advice immediately.

Pivot. Right cross. Uppercut.

Both punches connected.

“That’s it!,” Sánchez shouted in Spanish.

Cruz first gained notice in the United States in July 2021, dancing in the ring to celebrate his Olympic gold medal while the silver medalist, Keyshawn Davis of the United States, grandstanded in front of a TV camera. Rapper Snoop Dogg and comedian Kevin Hart parodied the moment for laughs in a widely viewed video clip, but boxing aficionados focused on the result.

Davis was a highly rated amateur and is currently a fast-rising lightweight prospect, and Cruz had outclassed him — and not for the first time. Cruz is 4-0 against Davis.

“I had never seen anything like it,” said Eddie Hearn, chair of Matchroom Sport. “I know it sounds cheesy, but it was like watching an artist draw a painting. I was mesmerized by the ease he beat the best amateurs in the world. I never really expected to sign him because you don’t really expect Cuban fighters to turn pro.”

Cruz had been slated to make his professional debut in May 2022, under a novel partnership between Cuba’s boxing federation and Golden Ring Promotions, which is based in Mexico. Cuban boxers could rise through professional rankings, and the federation would receive a cut of their payouts.

Boxers would remain eligible for international competitions.

The arrangement was meant to showcase the whole Cuban team, but Cruz was the headliner. A video hyping his scheduled appearance remains on Golden Ring’s YouTube page.

But the day before the Cuban delegation traveled to Mexico, Cruz was dropped from the squad. In some accounts, officials cited a poor attitude and bad practice habits. But Cruz said the move had been preemptive, made by officials who were scared that he would abandon the team in Mexico.

In recent years, Cuba’s once-mighty sports program has struggled to retain toptier talent, with some athletes deserting national teams during trips abroad and others fleeing the country altogether. Several worldclass athletes were among the more than a quarter million Cubans who migrated to the United States last year.

A javelin thrower, Yiselena Ballar Rojas, abandoned the national team last summer during a layover in Miami en route to the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. And Yaimé Pérez, the discus bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, left the team in Miami after the World Championships.

And boxer Yoenlis Hernández, the only

Cuban to win gold at the world amateur championships in May, left the team on the way home from that tournament, slipping away during a stopover in Panama.

For his part, Cruz maintains that he would have stayed in Cuba if he hadn’t been excluded from the pro team.

“It disappointed me a lot,” said Cruz, who turns 28 in August. “I wanted to leave, whatever way I could.”

Last June, as part of a risky plot to leave Cuba by boat, Cruz traveled from his home in Matanzas, 65 miles east of Havana, to Moa, a seaside city in the eastern province of Holguín. He dozed off in the home of the man who organized the trip and awoke to police officers clamping handcuffs on him. After four days in custody, Cruz was allowed to return to Matanzas, but he was permanently removed from Cuba’s national team and banned from the country’s boxing gyms.

For the next four months, training meant shadowboxing and an hourlong run every afternoon. Cross-training meant playing pickup soccer. Without his monthly national team stipend — 10,000 Cuban pesos, or about $400 — Cruz ran low on money.

With no income, and pro boxing prospects looking remote, Cruz said he had considered selling peanuts for a living. At least then he could monetize his boxing success: If you’re choosing between vendors, why not buy from the Olympic champion?

“I was a little scared that my door to leave the country had closed, and it would cost me my career,” Cruz said. “Those six months in Cuba were hell, in the sense that I wasn’t doing what I’m most passionate about, what I like the most. That’s boxing.”

Speculation about Cruz’s future percolated all summer and eventually reached Sánchez, a baseball agent who is based in the Dominican Republic and who specializes in Cuban prospects. Sánchez wanted the boxer to be able to leave Cuba legally, and he worked with Cruz to arrange the necessary paperwork.

By November, Cruz had a passport and a one-way plane ticket to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Cruz arrived Nov. 5, wearing a white Stephen Curry jersey and a wide grin. He weighed 152 pounds, 17 above the 135-pound lightweight limit, but had shed some muscle since winning the Olympics.

“He was smaller than I had imagined,” Sánchez said. “I thought he’d be bigger.”

Continues on page 28

Cruz boxes most afternoons and works on strength and conditioning most nights.

From page 27

From there, Cruz’s lawyer in the United States worked on the visa Cruz would need to live and train in the country, while Sánchez and Jesse Rodriguez, his United States-based manager, negotiated with promoters. By early May, Cruz had secured both his visa and the promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing.

Cruz headed to Philadelphia, where he works with Ennis alongside the coach’s son, the welterweight contender Jaron Ennis — boxing most afternoons, working on strength and conditioning most nights. When he’s not training, Cruz often parks in front of the television in the extended-stay hotel room he shares with Sánchez and plays MLB The Show 23.

Cruz sent a new iPhone for his mom on a trip Rodriguez made to Cuba. Cruz asked Rodriguez to bring back his Olympic gold medal and a container of ground peanuts. He missed Cuban food, he said, but missed his family even more. The keepsakes would remind him of both.

“It’s the first time I’ve spent this much time so far from them,” he said of his parents, his brother and his 1-year-old son. “They were witnesses to everything that happened to me. They knew I didn’t have any other choice but to leave.”

Cruz spent the final four rounds of his sparring session schooling a local hopeful named Angel Pizarro. Cruz is leaner, stronger and 10 pounds lighter than when he left Cuba. After he landed a sharp jab and a hard right hand, Pizarro smiled and nodded to acknowledge Cruz’s new muscle.

“He a bully!,” Pizarro shouted to the crowd around the ring.

Ennis said his goal was not to transform Cruz into a power puncher in the Mike Tyson mold, but to add prostyle strength to the speed and savvy that made Cruz a great amateur.

“I don’t take nothing away — I just add on, sharpen up and teach him my style,” Ennis said. “Catching the right hand, left hook. Rolling under shots, come back with the counter. That’s what I have him doing.”

Hearn said Cruz was already equipped to defeat the lightweight division’s elite, including Gervonta Davis, the ticket-selling knockout artist; Shakur Stevenson, the 2016 Olympic runner-up; and Devin Haney, the undisputed champion. A future matchup with Keyshawn Davis is a natural — the two have sniped at each other over social media since last spring.

But first up is Burgos, a hardened gatekeeper whose 35-73 record includes decision losses to Haney and Keyshawn Davis.

Where most professional debuts are scheduled for four or six rounds, Cruz’s fight against Burgos is contracted for 10. The bout’s length is evidence that promoters and regulators already consider Cruz a veteran.

And it signals that after several false starts, Cruz believes he can fast-track to the top of professional boxing.

“I want to win all my fights — win all the belts,” Cruz said. “I want to do what I did in amateur boxing. I had a great career, and I think I can repeat it.”

After midnight at the NBA draft, dreams still come true

By SOPAN DEB

Mark Tatum, the deputy commissioner of the NBA, had an important job — though not a glamorous one — on Thursday night.

He had the late shift.

Shortly after 11 p.m., Tatum clocked in to begin announcing the names of the players who had been selected in the second round of the NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. By then, the crowd had thinned, leaving just dozens of scattered fans — and sharply dressed but tired family members — as his audience. There might have been tumbleweeds somewhere.

Commissioner Adam Silver had received prime billing at 8 p.m., calling the names and shaking the hands of the most-hyped prospects in the first round, such as Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson — the top three picks.

But Tatum was there for the confident players who were starting to feel snubbed, and for the long shots still hoping to be given a chance. Some of the players Tatum called — such as Amari Bailey of UCLA — were with their family and friends up in the stands, not high-profile enough to be one of the 24 players invited to sit at the long tables draped with black tablecloths and gold basketballs on the floor of the arena. It looked like the most upscale cafeteria known to man.

The first pick Tatum announced, for the Charlotte Hornets at No. 31 overall, was James Nnaji, a center from Nigeria who came up and shook his hand. Art Nevins, a 34-year-old from Brooklyn, was still around

Mark Tatum, the deputy commissioner of the N.B.A., with Rayan Rupert, a 19-year-old guard from France, during the second round of the 2023 N.B.A. draft at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn on Thursday night, June 22, 2023. Rupert was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 43rd pick. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times)

to see it.

A New Orleans Pelicans fan, Nevins had come with his friend John Traub, 33. Sitting in the stands, Nevins said he was sticking around for the second round to see if the Pelicans might be able to trade for Henderson, whom the Portland Trail Blazers had selected with the No. 3 pick.

“I’m wide-awake,” Nevins said. “I’m ready.”

It helped that because he had purchased his tickets with a particular credit card, he had received a voucher for two free drinks.

Bailey, a point guard who spent one sea-

son at UCLA, was selected 41st overall by Charlotte. He descended from the stands in a stylish white suit that appeared to be lined with pearls.

Tatum, through a spokesperson, said that he looked forward to announcing the second-round picks every year.

“The second round is when the hardcore basketball fans at Barclays Center make the most noise,” he said.

And they did: Even a single person’s cheers could be heard from the opposite side of the emptying arena.

A few rows behind Nevins sat Christian Cabrera, a 22-year-old San Antonio Spurs fan who had made the trek from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to see Wembanyama be selected with the first pick. He wasn’t ready to leave.

“You can’t be tired on a night like this,” Cabrera said. He added: “I’m a real fan, you know? I’m getting my money’s worth for the trip out here. I got to see Wemby up close and personal. I got to be on ESPN, so it was cool.”

There’s always a chance of seeing history by hanging in there.

In 2014, Nikola Jokic was sleeping in Serbia when the Denver Nuggets drafted him in the second round, and a Taco Bell commercial had been airing when Tatum announced his name. It seemed that only the people in the building had heard the call — the start of the NBA career of a future champion and two-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.

Depelsha McGruder, who attended the draft with her 11-year-old son, Grant, said

she went to Harvard Business School with Tatum. She said his affection for the night shift was genuine.

“It’s still the NBA draft,” said McGruder, an executive at the Ford Foundation. “It doesn’t matter. I mean, there’s still people here. This is one of the biggest nights in basketball. Hoop dreams are coming true.”

One player sobbed in Tatum’s arms after his name was called.

Tatum had another triumphant madefor-television moment, for those who were still awake and watching.

Rayan Rupert, a 19-year-old guard from France, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 43rd pick. Rupert was the last of the 24 invited players still remaining at the tables on the main floor. When Tatum announced his name, Rupert received a roaring standing ovation from the remaining crowd as he hugged his family and friends, with tears in his eyes.

Most second-round picks will not have All-Star careers, though players like Jokic, Draymond Green, Dennis Rodman and Manu Ginobili have been exceptions. But judging by all of the hugs, cheers and tears deep into Thursday night, getting drafted, no matter how late, still matters.

The 58th and last pick of the draft went to the Milwaukee Bucks, sometime after midnight.

They chose Chris Livingston, a forward from the University of Kentucky. He was in the stands and made his way down to the stage.

Tatum ended the night with a handshake.

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

Crossword #9EEZ334K

Wordsearch

Down

1. Fores' partners

2. Former Italian coins

3. Stratagem

4. Tokyo setting

5. Glide on snow

6. Pub round

7. Bill of fare

8. "Time to leave"

9. ___ meeting (presides)

10. Rapper Tone ____

11. "Absolutely," in Arles

12. Grand Forks sch.

13. Tooth pro's deg. 18. Left Bank river

Across 1. Xanadu river

5. One of two O.T. books

9. Sun screen

14. Baklava pastry dough

15. "Intoxication" painter Paul

16. Basset or beagle

17. Short-lived

19. Bases' antitheses

20. Have a feeling

21. Japanese cuisine

23. Ducked the seeker

25. Heavy-handed hooligan

30. Lose energy

33. "Wow!"

35. Like French toast

36. Colored marble

37. Bupkis, in Brittany 39. Wetlands wader 42. Some poems 43. Hemispherical home 45. Gamete

47. "All My ___ Live in Texas" (George Strait hit)

48. 1980 film with Brooke Shields

52. Apple ___ (German pastry)

53. Dim ____

54. Corporation ordinance

57. Sans ____ (type style)

61. Spar verbally 65. Exodus participant

67. Water purifier brand

68. Bailiff's bellow

69. Financial subj.

70. Ex-senator Specter of Pennsylvania

71. Camping gear 72. Chinese society

Aries (Mar 21-April 20)

Be more sensitive to other people’s space today, Aries. Respect their feelings and give them room to breathe. This is a great day to pursue creative projects. Do things involving art or music. Sing, play an instrument, or give your music collection a boost. There are opportunities open now that involve other people who share the same interests as you.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

Think about old times and people with whom you’ve had strong connections, Taurus. Remember the good times you shared with people of common interests and similar hobbies. Be sentimental and mushy. Mend bridges and bring resolution to sticky issues. Be harmonious with the people and situations around you.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

You may have to make some serious adjustments to your approach today in order to chime in with the energy of the group, Gemini. Adopt a more inwardly directed attitude and see what you can learn by tuning into others’ subtle messages. The masculine and feminine sides of your nature are working harmoniously. You might find that they’re both asking for a quiet night in.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

You should feel a renewed sense of confidence today that will help anchor your emotions and give strength to your thoughts and ideas, Cancer. Don’t take a pessimistic attitude toward everything around you. Look at the good instead of the bad. By maintaining a negative viewpoint about things, you’re only adding to the problem.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

Many people spend their whole adult lives trying to discover their true self, Leo. A great deal of social conditioning by parents and our environment plays a role in shaping our minds. Realize that many of these influences don’t necessarily ring true with your inner self. Take this day to uncover some of those early influences and discard the ones that don’t belong to you.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

Today is an extremely creative day for you, Virgo. You should allot time and space to pursuing an artistic goal. You’re like a magician who has the power to bring fantasies to life. Spread the magic to others and don’t second-guess your incredible healing ability. You have a strong presence that radiates powerfully. Be charitable and generous to others.

Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

There’s nothing worse than last-minute details, Libra. Concentrate on an important upcoming event. Make sure you have everything in line now so you don’t get caught dealing with that one thing that ends up putting a monkey wrench in your plans later. Anticipate the problems that you’re likely to encounter and take actions now that will nip these situations in the bud.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

Your intuitive side is aligning with your rational side today, Scorpio. Listen to your emotions. Take a sensitive approach to all people and situations. Your head may be up in the clouds. Take elements of this lofty perspective and incorporate them into your conscious mind. Run away with your fantasies. Nurture your loved ones.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Slow down the pace today, Sagittarius. This is a day to sit back and observe and contemplate. Your mind may go in a hundred different directions, and you may be unsure which route to take. Try to quiet the buzzing chatter within. Be receptive to the loving, sensitive forces around you. Try not to disturb the flow by bringing up unrelated issues and hurtful gossip.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

Your nurturing instincts are strong today, Capricorn. This is an excellent day to reveal your opinions. You’ve probably been sitting in the background, quietly observing and collecting data for quite some time. Now is the time to come out of the shadows and let your conclusions be heard. Don’t let others push you around.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

Things aren’t necessarily going to go well today, Aquarius. There is the potential for conflict. You may feel a bit lost in the fog. Strap on your compass and you will be fine. Realize that you will make it through this day much better if you approach every situation from the other person’s perspective.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

Today is a day of reckoning in some ways, Pisces. Attention to detail is important, but make sure it doesn’t become your only focus. Situations are likely to crop up in which you’ve analyzed and considered every single detail but failed to see the big picture. This is a wonderful day to remedy such situations.

Speed Bump