Thursday May 25, 2023

The San Juan Star

Seeking

Director Leon Ichaso, Whose Films Included “El Cantante” & “Crossover Dreams,” Dies at 74

a Balance

San Juan Ordinance Regulating Short-Term Rentals Aims to Encourage ‘Community Coexistence’ Along with Economic Development P3

Legislation Would Spare Commercial Power Customers from Being Charged Retroactively for Billing Errors

NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL

Typhoon Mawar Pounds Guam With High Winds, Knocking Out 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.

San Juan passes ordinance for regulation of short-term rentals

By THE STAR STAFF

The city of San Juan on Wednesday passed an ordinance regulating short-term rental spaces in San Juan, but not limiting their quantity.

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo said the ordinance creates a short-term rental registry and is expected to strengthen security, residential coexistence, infrastructure management and planning in the Capital City.

The ordinance does not limit the number of shortterm rentals proliferating in the capital city at a time when certain sectors have blamed this type of business for creating a shortage of affordable housing and longterm leases.

According to the ordinance, short-term rental properties will have to pay for the yearly rights to obtain and maintain a license to operate. For instance, a shared residence unit will make a non-refundable annual payment of $100; a non-shared residential unit will pay $500 annually and a furnished and regular housing unit will also pay $500 per year.

The ordinance establishes certain requirements to obtain a license, such as having a single permit from the Permitting Office; the cadastral number of the property; a sworn statement establishing that the property is in compliance with restrictive conditions, a master deed and/or regulations; and be current on all property taxes to the Municipal Revenue Collections Center.

To obtain a license, applicants must not hold commercial events within the rental properties and must maintain peace and order in the residential area. Violators could face fines, and the funds raised will go to cover the costs of setting up the licensing system and the costs of supervision at the Permit Office and the Finance Office.

“It is a priority that this regulation harmonizes the activity within short-term rentals with their community environment, allowing orderly urban growth,” Romero Lugo said in a written statement.

He emphasized that the regulation will guarantee economic development, tourism and the citizen’s right to generate additional income through the use of his or her properties. He assured that the health and safety of guests who choose San Juan as a vacation destination will be protected.

The regulation, applicable to any person who operates a short-term rental business within the limits of San Juan, enters into force 10 days after notification of the approval of the ordinance. It will affect both individuals and the digital platforms used to advertise

and facilitate rentals.

“In the Municipality, we recognize that the collaborative economy is part of the future of economic development,” the mayor said. “We have the duty to deal with those situations where an imbalance could occur between the establishment of a short-term rental and community coexistence.”

According to AirDNA data, as of November 2022, San Juan had close to 3,792 active rentals between the Airbnb and Vrbo platforms alone.

Of those, 3,225 are rental properties in their entirety, such as houses and apartments. In addition, about 493 are rooms within a residence in which the owner lives. Some 74 short-term rentals are shared rooms.

The average rate per night is around $151, which represents a median monthly income by the hosts of $2,434 per year.

The ordinance does not limit the number of short-term rentals proliferating in San Juan at a time when certain sectors have blamed this type of business for creating a shortage of affordable housing and long-term leases.

Under bill, commercial power customers would not be charged retroactively for billing errors

By THE STAR STAFF

Commercial and industrial businesses in Puerto Rico will not be charged retroactively for errors in the reading of power meters if legislation to that effect becomes law.

Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve, along with Sens. Wanda Soto Tolentino, William Villafañe Ramos and Rubén Soto Rivera, introduced legislation Wednesday to prevent businesses from having to pay vast sums of money in their energy utility bills resulting from the errors committed by LUMA Energy and their failure to read energy meters.

The charter law of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority contains a limit of 120 days for the utility to charge retroactively for any calculation errors, including errors in billing estimates to customers.

“This legal protection only applies to residential customers; therefore, commercial and industrial customers are left unprotected,” Rodríguez Veve said. “This puts commercial customers in a different position than residential ones, exposing them to retroactive billing with no time limit, which translates into excessive charges due to mistakes by the electrical system administrator. This situation may jeopardize the stability and continuity

of business in Puerto Rico.”

The senators introduced the bill amid media reports that some businesses were billed $20,000 to $30,000 because LUMA Energy estimated their consumer usage instead of reading the energy meters.

The proposed law also seeks to clarify that any ret-

roactive charge on the electricity bill is free of interest, surcharges or penalties for all customers, Soto Rivera noted.

Finally, the law addresses the reasonableness of payment plans related to retroactive charges due to billing errors. Businesses would not have to pay an initial deposit if they arrange an installment plan to pay for the retroactive charges.

“It is important that the retroactive payment of any billing error does not end up affecting a business’ ability to operate or have electricity, recognizing that the main role of the administrator is to provide essential services and supplies to citizens,” Villafañe Ramos said.

Soto Tolentino added that “[t]his legislation does justice to all energy subscribers who suffer day by day from unreasonable and arbitrary billing riddled with adjustments, charges and interest due to a public corporation that does not think about people’s pockets, or about managing consistently.”

“Subscribers are already tired of making claims and not being answered,” she said. “This measure provides one more tool for citizens to face the impositions and collections at the hands of the [Power] Authority, so we have a fiduciary and moral duty to support any measure in favor of our people.”

AES PR reports net income rebound from year-ago

By THE STAR STAFF

AES Puerto Rico reported a net income of $3.4 million in the three months ended March 31, an increase from the $1.6 million net loss reported in the January to March 2022 period, a market filing shows.

AES Puerto Rico in February had said that it would not have sufficient funds to repay the bond debt service payment due June 1. The

firm operates a 454.3-megawatt net coal-fired power plant that sells electricity to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The information submitted recently to the Electronic Municipal Market Access shows the company recording an operating income of about $6.1 million, up 233.6% from $1.8 million in the first quarter of 2022. It comes from an unaudited financial statement on May 22. According to the report, the operating income resulted from some $65.1 million in

revenues against total costs and expenses of almost $59 million.

PREPA and LUMA Energy, the private operator of PREPA’s transmission and distribution system, recently agreed to reduce the collection period of the invoices that AES Puerto Rico issues under a 25-year power purchase agreement that began in 2002 to provide immediate liquidity relief. The company has had problems because of certain regulatory changes made on the island with respect to coal.

Partner of woman found dead in plastic bag confesses

By THE STAR STAFF

The partner of a woman reported missing in Naguabo admitted Wednesday that he was responsible for her death, Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) spokesman Roberto Rivera said.

The woman’s body was found in a plastic bag, and is being investigated as a case of suspicious death.

“We started working on the scene early

after the investigation process and already … the man, who was one of the last people she was with, had changed his version of events, admitting that he had killed the woman,”

Rivera said in a radio interview on Radio Isla 1320.

According to press reports, Judith Enid Torres Pantojas’ consensual partner is 23 years old.

The body of Torres Pantojas, 40, was found Tuesday on Juan R. Garzot Street, at

the intersection of Ruiz Rivera Street.

The woman was identified by her tattoos.

The agents in charge of the case are Nelson Ramos, from the PRPB District of Naguabo, Alexander Sánchez, in charge of Homicides, and Orlando Torres, supervisor of the Homicide Unit. The prosecutor in charge of the scene was Daniel Feliciano.

The PRPB continues its investigation into the tragic case and asks anyone with additional information to contact authorities.

Sen. Wanda Soto Tolentino, one of the bill’s co-sponsors

The AES power plant in Guayama

The body of Judith Enid Torres Pantojas, 40, was found Tuesday on Juan R. Garzot Street at the intersection of Ruiz Rivera Street in Naguabo.

By THE STAR STAFF

Central University of Bayamón (UCB) Interim President Fray Oscar Morales announced on Wednesday that the school signed an agreement with American University (AUPR) to receive students from AUPR, which will soon cease to operate.

“We stand in solidarity with the AUPR in these moments of unrest,” Morales said in a written statement. “We reiterate our commitment to support them in this transition process and deeply thank its president, Juan Nazario Torres, for making us part of this collaboration in favor of AUPR students and the fulfillment of their academic and professional goals.”

As part of the established resolutions, UCB will accept all active students who meet the established standards of progress and achievement, until the summer of 2023. Likewise, it will accept inactive AUPR students who wish to resume their studies at UCB, for a period of 12 months after the signing of the agreement.

Meanwhile, an academic adviser will be appointed to work with AUPR transfers directly. In addition, transfer students will be exempted from the admission fee.

UCB staff will visit the AUPR campuses in Bayamón and Manatí, in coordination with the dean of AUPR students, in order to guide interested students around curricular issues, cost benefits, financial assistance and the variety of services available to the student body.

UCB also will guide each student on the evaluation process for credit validation. To comply with the resolution, UCB conducted an analysis of the academic

programs that the two institutions have in common and developed a series of equivalence tables, in order to streamline the transfer process.

Polytechnic University and Inter American University have made similar agreements with AUPR to accept students.

Central University of Bayamón to accept American University students Program aims to place more functionally diverse people in the workforce

By THE STAR STAFF

Labor and Human Resources (DTRH by its Spanish initials) Secretary Gabriel Maldonado González announced on Wednesday the “Infinite Talent” initiative to increase the employability of people with functional diversity in Puerto Rico.

“This challenge forces us to explore and maximize the potential of certain groups of our population that, for some reason or another, are part of the universe of approximately 1.5 million people who are outside the workforce,” Maldonado González said in a written statement.

“Although more than 50,000 people currently benefit from the services offered by the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, an agency attached to the DTRH, through Infinite Talent we intend to amplify the services aimed at this potential human capital through a robust ecosystem that involves all sectors of our society, both government and the private sector and non-profit organizations,” he

added. “Which, in addition to supporting participants to achieve a fully independent life through work, will be one of the solutions for the thousands of employers who need that additional talent to sustain their operations.”

The Infinite Talent project will offer personalized educational services and programs for people with functional diversity with the aim of connecting more people with functional diversity with inclusive employment opportunities.

Maldonado González emphasized that despite the challenges, many people with functional diversity have enormous talent that can be utilized in the labor market.

To participate in the initiative, interested parties must register on the portal https://talentoinfinitopr.com/.

Central University of Bayamón will accept all active American University students who meet the established standards of progress and achievement, until the summer of 2023.

Labor and Human Resources Secretary Gabriel Maldonado González, center left, emphasized that despite the challenges, many people with functional diversity have enormous talent that can be utilized in the labor market.

FEMA earmarks $9 million for beach renovation

By THE STAR STAFF

The seaside towns of Aguadilla, Carolina and Manatí recently received nearly $1.6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to restore their beaches as part of over $9 million that the agency has earmarked for recreational areas at those and other beaches of the island.

Alanys Liranza González is one of the 8,000 people who frequently visits the Carolina Public Beach and she is glad to be back.

“The atmosphere is always pleasant and practical, and the restoration of the area motivates one to return,” she said. “The facilities have been great to bring friends and hold activities here.”

Due to its proximity to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the Carolina Public Beach — which will receive nearly $591,000 from the agency — is one of the beaches on the northeast coast with the largest number of visitors.

“With repairs completed and others in progress, the

projects are already underway so that all Puerto Ricans can enjoy the variety of beaches on the island,” Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José G. Baquero said. “Furthermore, the works are part of the 87% of Public Assistance projects

that include mitigation measures to protect these spaces from future disasters.”

Miguel Hernández is a beach tennis instructor who will soon celebrate his 10th year of operations at the public beach in Carolina, serving students from age five to over 60.

“The sport brings the family together, [and] helps people of different ages to come and participate,” he said. “The beach has always been very active and the fact that FEMA granted these funds to renovate the facilities has kept people visiting from all over the island.”

Meanwhile, the recreational area of Los Tubos Beach in Manatí is already in its reconstruction phase, Mayor José Sánchez González said. Known for its surfing competitions, Los Tubos will benefit from over $623,000 to repair gazebos, lighting and retaining walls, among other features.

The mayor emphasized that the tourism project will not disturb the Tortuguero Lake Natural Reserve, an ecological phenomenon in which the region’s salty marine waters and the fresh subterranean waters combine.

Aguadilla launches tourism promotion campaign

By THE STAR STAFF

Under the slogan “Come to Aguadilla, Bring Your Chair,” the municipal administration of Aguadilla on Wednesday officially launched its city brand advertising campaign focused on promoting the northwestern coastal town and Puerto Rico as a tourist destination.

The campaign has as spokespeople the renowned Aguadillana designer Stella Nolasco, Major League Baseball star Carlos Delgado and young Karla Ortiz, recognized for her blog “A jeva with Sclerosis.”

At a conference held at the TRYP by Wyndham Hotel

in Isla Verde, Aguadilla Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción, Discover Puerto Rico Chief Strategy Officer Edward Zayas, Nolasco and Discover Puerto Rico Multimedia Director Jean Paul Polo discussed the details of the work done ahead of the launch of the advertising campaign and the scope of its impact on the municipality.

“There is no doubt that the western region is one with great tourism and gastronomic attributes,” Roldán Concepción said. “With this launch of our city brand we want to position our municipality, Aguadilla, as the spearhead of recreational, gastronomic and sports tourism. We want the whole world to know that Aguadilla is opening its doors for everyone to enjoy all its attractions. This is the goal of the campaign we are launching today.”

Meanwhile, a film produced for the occasion was the first of its kind that Discover Puerto Rico has created for a municipal tourism campaign. The island’s destination marketing organization (DMO), will integrate the footage of the campaign video into its efforts to promote Puerto Rico in the mainland United States and internationally.

Nolasco expressed thanks for being invited to partake in the effort to promote her beloved Aguadilla, and hope that it produces the expected results to contribute to the town’s economic development.

“For yours truly, being part of this effort is one that fills me with great joy, pride and satisfaction,” she said. “To share with Carlos Delgado, the recognized former major league player, and the young Karla Ortiz, recognized for her blog ‘A jeva with Sclerosis,’ was a unique experience, and the hours of recording where the beauties of our city are seen will undoubtedly be part of the history of this Aguadillana.”

The Carolina Public Beach, which will receive nearly $591,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for renovations, is one of the most visited beaches on the northeast coast.

Fashion designer Stella Nolasco

McCarthy renews call for spending cuts as debt talks resume at White House

By CARL HULSE and CATIE EDMONDSON

With a potential federal default just over a week away, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy renewed his call Wednesday for President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats to accept spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit and allowing the Treasury Department to avoid missing payments.

“You have to spend less than you spent last year,” McCarthy said at a news conference in the Capitol as Biden administration and Republican negotiators gathered at the White House. “That is not that difficult to do. But in Washington, somehow that is a problem.”

The administration has tried to hold the line against cuts and instead push for a freeze on current spending levels, but McCarthy has made reductions in domestic programs a central demand in the negotiations. With Republicans insisting against cuts to defense or veterans’ programs, the brunt of the reductions would affect social programs that Democrats favor.

Despite a series of regular meetings, negotiators have reported little progress on the

substance of any agreement. Still, McCarthy continued to express hope that a deal could be reached before the June 1 deadline.

“I think we can make progress today,” he told reporters at the Capitol. “I’m hoping that we can.”

Right-wing Republicans have vowed to oppose any compromise that retreats from cuts that were part of their debt-limit bill, which was approved last month along party lines, so McCarthy is likely to need a substantial number of Democratic votes to pass an agreement. But congressional Democrats are resisting cuts in the overall budget.

The House is set to begin a weeklong Memorial Day recess on Friday, and McCarthy will need to decide whether to hold members in Washington or to send them home and then call them back if an agreement can be reached. He has vowed to give lawmakers 72 hours to review any plan, meaning consideration of any deal appears to be slipping into next week.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned repeatedly that the government could exhaust its ability to meet all of its obligations by June 1.

Florida school restricts access to Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem

By AMANDA HOLPUCH

Amanda Gorman, who in 2021 became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history when she spoke at President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, said she was “gutted” this week after a Florida school said the poem she recited that day was inappropriate for its youngest students.

The Miami-Dade County school district said that one of its schools, the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, which educates children from prekindergarten through eighth grade, had determined that the poem, “The Hill We Climb,” was more appropriate for middle school students.

Gorman, now 25, said in a statement on Instagram on Tuesday that she wrote the poem “so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment.”

“Ever since, I’ve received countless letters and videos from children inspired by The Hill We Climb to write their own poems,” she said. “Robbing children of the chance to find their

voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”

The Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the nation’s fourth-largest school district by enrollment, said in an emailed statement that while the poem had been moved to a different section of the library at the Bob Graham Education Center, “no literature (books or poem) has been banned or removed.”

“It was determined at the school that ‘The Hill We Climb’ is better suited for middle school students and it was shelved in the middle school section of the media center,” the school district said. “The book remains available in the media center.”

The challenge to Gorman’s poem, which was reported by The Miami Herald, came from Daily Salinas, a parent of two students at the school, who complained in March about it and four other titles, according to records provided to The New York Times by The Florida Freedom to Read Project, an advocacy group that opposes efforts to ban and restrict access to books in the state.

The complaint against “The Hill We Climb” lists its author as Oprah Winfrey, not Gorman, and says that the function of the work is to “cause confusion and indoctrinate students.” Winfrey wrote the foreword to a hardcover edition of Gorman’s poem. Salinas could not immediately be reached Wednesday.

The other works that were challenged were “The ABCs of Black History” by Rio Cortez, “Cuban Kids” by George Ancona, “Love to Langston” by Tony Medina and “Countries in the News: Cuba” by Kieran Walsh. The reasons cited for opposing the other works include “indoctrination” and critical race theory, a graduate-level academic framework for understanding racism in the United States that focuses mainly on institutions and systems.

A committee of school representatives, including teachers, administrators, a guidance counselor and a library media specialist, decided that “Countries in the News: Cuba” could remain on the shelves. The other titles, like Gorman’s poem, were moved to shelves for middle schools students.

On Wednesday morning, Daniella Levine Cava, the Miami-Dade County mayor, invited Gorman to do a reading of the poem in the county.

“Your poem inspired our youth to become active participants in their government and to help shape the future,” Levine Cava, a Democrat, said on Twitter.

“The Hill We Climb” is a political and personal poem about national unity. At one point, Gorman reflects on what it meant for her to be in the global spotlight on Inauguration Day:

We the successors of a country and a time Where a skinny Black girl

Descended from slaves and raised by a single mother

Can dream of becoming president Only to find herself reciting for one.

Florida has become a center of a rapidly intensifying effort to ban books in schools in the United States. Last year, the state enacted three laws that target, at least in part, reading or educational materials.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters upon returning to the U.S. Capitol building after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House, where they continued negotiations over increasing the debt limit, in Washington, on May 22, 2023.

DeSantis allies’ $200 million plan for beating Trump

after the old Army training outpost, with 189 graduates of an eight-day training program the first wave of an organizing army to follow. Door knocking begins Wednesday in New Hampshire.

The endeavor echoes the “Camp Cruz” that Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign set up near Des Moines.

At the helm of the DeSantis super PAC is Jeff Roe, a veteran Republican strategist who was Cruz’s campaign manager then. In an interview, Roe described an ambitious political apparatus whose 2,600 field organizers by autumn would be roughly double the peak of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ entire 2020 primary campaign staff.

Roe also previewed some of the contrasts that Never Back Down planned to draw with Trump. He argued that Trump had shied away from key fights that motivate the Republican base and on which DeSantis has led, including on LGBTQ issues, schools and taking on corporate America.

Republican primary voters, Roe said, see the battle against the progressive left as an existential fight. He argues that DeSantis, not Trump, has led on three touchstone issues in that fight: taking on corporate America, engaging in what is being taught in schools, and confronting shifting norms and acceptance around sexual orientation and transgender medical care.

The governor’s clash with Disney touches on all three: battling a big corporation over what began as a fight over classroom discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary school. Trump sees the Disney battle as futile and has recently cheered on the company as it hit back against DeSantis.

Roe added that the intensity of the threat that Republicans perceive to their way of life is what makes electability a more salient issue for the party in 2024 and what makes DeSantis’ ability to fight those fights and still win in Florida so appealing.

By SHANE GOLDMACHER, JONATHAN SWAN and MAGGIE HABERMAN

Akey political group supporting Ron DeSantis’ presidential run is preparing a $100 million voter outreach push so big, it plans to knock on the door of every possible DeSantis voter at least four times in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — and five times in the kickoff Iowa caucuses.

The effort is part of an on-the-ground organizing operation that intends to hire more than 2,600 field organizers by Labor Day, an extraordinary number of people for even the best-funded campaigns.

Top officials with the pro-DeSantis group, a super PAC called Never Back Down, provided their most detailed account yet of their battle plan for DeSantis, whom they believe they can sell as the only candidate to take on — and win — the cultural fights that are definitional for the Republican Party in 2024.

The group said it expected to have an overall budget of at least $200 million, including more than $80 million expected to be transferred from an old DeSantis state political account, for the daunting task of vaulting the Florida governor past former

President Donald Trump, who has established himself as the dominant early front-runner.

DeSantis was set to enter the presidential race Wednesday in a live audio conversation on Twitter, and the super PAC’s enormous cash reserves are expected to be among the few advantages that DeSantis has in the race, and perhaps the most significant.

The group is already taking on many tasks often reserved for the campaign itself: securing endorsements in early primary states, sending mailers, organizing on campuses, running television ads, raising small donations for the campaign in an escrow account and working behind the scenes to build crowds for the governor’s events. Hiring is underway in 18 states, and officials said plans were in the works to assemble various pro-DeSantis coalitions, such as for voters who are veterans or those focused on issues like abortion, guns or agriculture.

“No one has ever contemplated the scale of this organization or operation, let alone done it,” said Chris Jankowski, the group’s CEO. “This has just never even been dreamed up.”

In Iowa, the group has opened a boot camp on the outskirts of Des Moines, giving the facility the code name “Fort Benning,”

“How do you beat Trump?” Roe said, pointing to DeSantis’ assertiveness on those cultural issues. “Well, you beat Trump by beating Trump. And where Ron DeSantis has beaten Trump is by doing what Republican voters want him to do the most.”

DeSantis has steadily lost ground so far in 2023 and is trailing Trump nationally in polls by an average of 30 percentage points. And as the governor’s standing has diminished, more candidates have jumped into the race, an ever-expanding field that could make the sheer math even harder for DeSantis to topple a former president with a significant base of loyalists.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, mocked the group as “Always Back Down,” calling it “a clown show of epic proportions.”

“If DeSantis runs his campaign the same way as his super PAC, he’ll be in for a rude awakening,” Cheung said.

ming the 2024 race, Roe acknowledged that Trump has been “the leader of a movement.” But in Roe’s telling, it is DeSantis alone who “has the opportunity to be the leader of the party and the movement.”

“That is a key difference,” he said. “I don’t believe people fundamentally understand that you can be a leader of a movement and not be the leader of your party. Ron DeSantis has the ability to be both. Trump does not.”

“That is a manifest separation between the two candidates,” he said.

Unlike a candidate’s campaign committee, which has to abide by strict caps for each donor, there are no limits on how much a super PAC is allowed to raise.

And this one begins with unmatched financial firepower. Never Back Down is expected to begin with around $120 million — $40 million it says it already raised and $80 million from DeSantis’ old state political committee — a sum that is equal to what Jeb Bush’s super PAC spent in total in 2016.

But there are several legal impediments to this financial freedom. The people who run super PACs are prohibited from discussing strategy with the candidate or the campaign staff. Of course, if DeSantis disagrees with any super PAC decisions, he can always say so publicly and urge them to change course.

As a result, the biggest super PACs — entities that have existed for just the last roughly 12 years — have often essentially become independent vehicles to buy expensive television advertising. That model, however, is extremely inefficient. When the election nears, the airwaves are cluttered, and candidates are guaranteed, by law, far lower rates than super PACs. It is one reason the pro-DeSantis group plans to spend so heavily on its field program, officials said, citing studies that show personal voter contact has far greater return on investment.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) delivers keynote remarks at an event hosted by Peoria County Republicans in Peoria, Ill. on Friday, May 12, 2023. As the Florida governor enters the 2024 race, a super PAC with a mountain of cash is building an army of organizers.

In Uvalde, families found purpose in grief

By TAMIR KALIFA

Alexandria Rubio’s mother and sister approached her grave one morning, the dark ink still fresh on their skin.

“My Lexi-roo, we got a tattoo for you!”

Kalisa Barboza, 18, shouted, facing the headstone. They were visiting the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery, as the family has done nearly every day in the year since their 10-year-old, known as Lexi, was killed along with 18 other students and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

Barboza and her mother, Kimberly Rubio, raised their upper arms. “Destination Lexi,” the matching tattoos said in elegant cursive, a reminder of the women’s belief that their family will eventually be reunited.

The families of the 21 people who were killed have spent the last year working their way through a wilderness of grief, anger, despair, frustration and confusion — searching, if not for peace, then at least for purpose.

The cemetery, where most of the victims are buried, has become an anchor for many of the families, as has the bond forged among them. The families decorate the graves and meticulously maintain the area surrounding the headstones; and together, they gather at the cemetery to celebrate birthdays and holidays.

Mass shootings have continued to occur across the country since the Uvalde massacre, and the process of recovery in the months since has been slow, moving season by season.

“Time doesn’t heal,” said Ana Rodriguez, whose daughter Maite was among the dead. “It shows us how to learn to live with the pain.”

Summer of outrage

In the wake of the tragedy, most of the families were drawn to the cemetery. In early June, mounds of dirt rose above the fresh graves of nearly a dozen 9- and 10-yearolds in the northern section, a constellation of anguish. Half of the victims were buried there. The others occupied places beside relatives elsewhere in the cemetery. A few were cremated.

In Uvalde, the small, mainly blue-collar and mainly Latino town not far from San Antonio, people run into each other at school activities and the town’s only supermarket. Now, these families are also connected through grief and, for many, a new sense of purpose: They want accountability for the well-documented law enforcement failures of May 24, 2022, and changes in law that

they hope will prevent other families from experiencing the same fate.

They packed school board and city meetings and held rallies, many relatives calling for stricter gun laws. Like the cemetery, the halls of power in Austin and Washington, D.C., became familiar places.

“I feel like her chapter closed and mine opened,” Rubio said of her daughter. “I feel this responsibility to her to share her story and to make change for her.”

Early on, the families began supporting one another and managing the logistics of their interwoven lives using a private message group they called “21 Angels.”

The evening before the first day of school in September, some of the parents expressed their anxiety and dread to the group. “Anyone up for a quick visit to the plaza?” Gloria Cazares, whose daughter Jacklyn, known as Jackie, was killed, wrote in response.

A little over an hour later, nine sets of parents formed a circle near the crosses still standing in the town plaza. They held hands and prayed.

A new purpose

By November, the swollen dirt above the graves had settled, and lush grass was starting to take hold. Nearly all the families gathered at the cemetery to observe Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican holiday when people commune with loved ones who have died. They set up ofrendas, and took turns visiting altars for the children and teachers.

“I like to think that we’re not bonded by just the tragedy, but by shared memories of our children,” Rubio said. “It’s almost like this puzzle that none of us have access to unless we’re together.”

The day before, a group from Uvalde traveled to Austin, where they carried a Day of the Dead altar from the state Capitol to the Governor’s Mansion nearby. They were demonstrating in favor of tighter gun regulations, including raising the minimum age to buy an assault rifle to 21 from 18. The gunman, who was 18, legally purchased the assault rifle used in the shooting.

Back home, the pain of experiencing the first of many cycles of milestones without lost family members was unrelenting.

At 6 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, Gloria Cazares and her husband, Javier, were the first to arrive at a Uvalde banquet hall for “Luv Ya Uvalde,” a Thanksgiving lunch that the family holds annually for the

community. In the dim light, surrounded by empty tables, the couple held each other, wiping away tears. Each member of the family had a role in organizing the lunch and serving food during the event, which was a favorite of Jackie’s.

“We’re now realizing she was not just a little part of our family,” Gloria Cazares said. “She was probably the biggest part of our family.”

Cazares got to work to distract herself. Then her older sister approached her and asked, “Who’s in charge of dessert?”

Cazares paused. “Jackie was.”

A quiet holiday

Xavier Lopez, known as X.J., loved the holiday season. In late November, his family attended his favorite event, Uvalde’s annual Christmas extravaganza.

As his parents, Abel Lopez and Felicha Martinez, and his siblings walked through the elaborate trail of lights and decorations to a soundtrack of a children’s choir, a loud blast pierced the air. An overloaded transformer had burst, cutting the power briefly. Martinez had a panic attack and collapsed on the grass.

“These days are supposed to be happy,” she said later that evening, “but they are just reminders that our lives are torn apart.”

Other reminders are more subtle.

Before her death, Tess Mata made a lot of noise at home. When the 10-year-old wasn’t singing along with TikTok videos or talking to her older sister on the phone, she was roller skating around the living room, the pink wheels making a distinct click clack over the tiled floor.

“When Tess was quiet, you worried,” said Veronica Mata, her mother.

“It’s just the AC — that’s how quiet it is,” her father, Jerry Mata, said. “That’s our new normal now.”

Small victories

In the spring, the Rubios, along with several Uvalde families, returned to Austin to testify before the House Select Committee on Community Safety in favor of the “Raise the Age” bill. They arrived at 7:30 a.m. wearing T-shirts with images of their lost loved ones. After waiting 13 hours, Rubio was the first to testify.

“Did you think we would go home?” she asked the committee members.

A few weeks later, the families crammed into a fluorescent-lit committee room for a vote on the bill. Two Republicans broke with their party, ensuring the bill would pass out of committee. The room erupted in applause and tears.

In the end, the bill did not reach the floor, because of Republican opposition. Still, the families said they felt they had shown that progress toward gun legislation could be made in Texas.

Kimberly Rubio and her husband, Felix, drove straight to Uvalde, arriving at the cemetery just after sundown. All Kimberly Rubio wanted to do, she said, was lie on top of Lexi’s grave. The ground in front of the headstone was wet from the sprinkler, but she lay down anyway, letting the cool water soak into her yellow shirt that read “Lexi’s mom.”

“We did it,” she whispered. “You did it.”

Kimberly Rubio sat next to her husband Felix as she testified before the House Select Committee on Community Safety at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on April 18, 2023

Default on US debt risks ‘permanently’ denting nation’s credit rating

highest rating possible,” Foster said. “But if that rule is removed, if it was reformed in a way that it was no longer a major concern in terms of creating a default scenario, then that would be a context for potentially revisiting the credit profile and that maybe could result in bringing it back to Aaa.”

S&P lowered the credit rating of the United States by one notch during a debt-limit bout in 2011, even though a deal was eventually reached and default averted. The agency has kept the rating at this slightly lower level, AA+, ever since.

“The thing that was most powerful in the 2011 decision was the political setting and that you had a very clear path to default. And it’s still there,” said John Chambers, who was part of the S&P team that downgraded the government’s rating then. “The current debate validates S&P’s decision to cut the rating and leave it there.”

A similar move by either Fitch or Moody’s would drop the United States from a small club of the most highly rated debt issuers in the world. (Many investors still consider the United States triple-A, since that’s its rating from two of the three authorities.) Moody’s awards its Aaa rating to only 12 countries, and a downgrade would place the United States in a category beneath the likes of Germany, Singapore and Canada.

By JOE RENNISON

If the U.S. government defaults on its debt even for just a few hours next week, it could have long-lasting consequences for the nation’s future. Three major ratings companies — S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings — play a big role in how damaging those consequences can be.

Because the financial fallout of a default would be severe, the agencies expect lawmakers to come to an agreement before the government runs out of cash to pay its bills, which could happen as early as next month. But if the government ends up missing a debt payment, all three companies have vowed to lower the rating of the United States as a borrower, and they may be reluctant to restore

it to its previous level, even if a deal is reached soon after the default.

The United States has never deliberately reneged on its debt in the modern era, but even a brief default would alter the perception of debt-ceiling brinkmanship as political theater and turn it into a real risk to the creditworthiness of the government, Moody’s has warned.

“Our view is that we would need to reflect that permanently in the rating,” said William Foster, the lead analyst for the United States at the rating agency. The agency has said that if the Treasury Department misses one interest payment, its credit rating would be lowered by a notch. For the United States to regain its previous top rating, according to Foster, lawmakers would have to significantly alter the debt limit or remove it entirely.

Credit ratings, which range from D or C (for S&P and Moody’s scales) to AAA or Aaa for the most pristine borrower, are embedded in financial contracts around the world, at times dictating the quality of debt that pension funds and other investors can hold or the types of assets that can serve as collateral to secure transactions. Ratings also signal the soundness of a nation’s finances, with lower-rated countries tending to face higher borrowing costs.

For the United States, a debt-limit deadlock that resulted in a default “would not be consistent with the

The United States’ standing may suffer even without a default. Foster said crossing the so-called X-date — when the government runs out of cash to pay all its bills, which could come as soon as June 1, according to the Treasury — could be enough to lower Moody’s “outlook” of the country’s rating, referring to an opinion on the likely direction of a borrower’s rating.

The United States benefits from its central role in the global economy, with the dollar the dominant currency in world trade and U.S. government debt the largest debt market in the world. Doubts about its creditworthiness could spook foreign investors and governments, which are major holders of U.S. debt, threatening the nation’s ability to finance itself on terms as favorable as in the past, and potentially even upsetting its international standing.

“That’s not good for the United States,” Indonesia’s finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, said at a recent gathering of global financial leaders.

Foster declined to comment on whether he had briefed the U.S. government on Moody’s plans for its assessment of the country’s credit rating as the debt-limit standoff continues.

“We can’t talk about our discussions with issuers, including governments, but we can say that we have ongoing discussions throughout the year, and sometimes more high-frequency discussions depending on what’s going on in a certain country at a time,” Foster said. “We always have an open channel with those governments, including the U.S.”

Currency is bundled into “straps” of 100 bank notes each at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 8, 2022.

Eunice González LND RD ED Nutricionista-Dietista

Ave. Muñoz Marin,

Y-24 Caguas Ave. El Comandante, Carolina

Stalled US debt talks, inflation woes hit stocks

New analyses by both the Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Department of the Treasury suggest the United States is rapidly approaching the date at which the government can no longer pay its bills, also known as the “X-date.” History is clear that even getting close to a breach of the U.S. debt ceiling could cause significant disruptions to financial markets that would damage the economic conditions faced by households and businesses. Real time data, shown below, indicate that markets are already pricing in political brinkmanship related to Federal government default through higher risk premia.

An actual breach of the U.S. debt ceiling would likely cause severe damage to the U.S. economy. Analysis by CEA and outside researchers illustrates that if the U.S. government were to default on its obligations—whether to creditors, contractors, or citizens—the economy would quickly shift into reverse, with the depth of the losses a function of how long the breach lasted. A protracted default would likely lead to severe damage to the economy, with job growth swinging from its current pace of robust gains to losses numbering in the millions.

In other words, defaulting on our government’s debt could reverse the historic economic gains that have been achieved since the president took office: an unemployment rate near a 50-year low, the creation of 12.6 million jobs, and robust consumer spending that has consistently powered a solid, reliable growth engine, supported by paychecks from the strong job market and healthy household balance sheets.

Because the government would be unable to enact counter-cyclical measures in a breach-induced recession, there would be limited policy options to help buffer the impact on households and businesses. The ability of households and businesses, especially small businesses, to borrow through the private sector to offset this economic pain would also be compromised. The risks engendered by the default would cause interest rates to skyrocket, including those on the financial instruments that households and businesses use—Treasury bonds, mortgages, and credit card interest rates.

There is no historical precedent for the U.S. government passing the X-date and breaching its debt ceiling without Congress raising or suspending the statutory limit on federal debt. Nevertheless, there is broad consensus amongst economists that such an event would generate an entirely-avoidable economic catastrophe.

For example, Brookings Institution analysts Wendy Edelberg and Louise Sheiner recently argued that “Worsening expectations regarding a possible default would make significant disruptions in financial markets increasingly probable” and that “such financial market disruptions would very likely be coupled with declines in the price of equities, a loss of consumer and business confidence, and a contraction in access to private

MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

credit markets.”

In fact, we have already seen evidence of significant market stress correlated with debt ceiling tensions. Yields on Treasury bills with maturity dates around the X-date have increased considerably—directly increasing the cost of borrowing for the government and thus the cost to taxpayers. Figure 1 below demonstrates this; since the middle of April, yields on short-duration Treasury bills around the expected X-date have increased by nearly 1 percentage point, or

roughly 20 percent.

The cost of insuring U.S. debt has also risen substantially and is now at an all-time high, reflecting increased worries about a U.S. default. In fact, credit default swap (CDS) spreads—the insurance premiums that must be paid to insure U.S. debt—started to increase dramatically in April, as demonstrated by Figure 2 below.

The closer the U.S. gets to the debt ceiling, the more we expect these market-stress indicators to worsen, leading to increased volatility in equity and corporate bond markets and inhibiting firms’ ability to finance themselves and engage in the productive investment that is essential for extending the current expansion.

Typhoon Mawar pounds Guam with high winds, knocking out power

By JOSIE MOYER, MAR-VIC CAGURANGAN, MIKE IVES and DERRICK BRYSON TAYLOR

Guam residents were waking up Thursday to survey the damage after a long night of whipping winds and lightning storms from Typhoon Mawar, which made its closest approach late Wednesday night and left much the U.S. Pacific territory without power.

The Category 4 storm, packing winds of 140 mph, reached its peak conditions “just prior to midnight” on Wednesday, according to a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Guam, which issued an update via livestream at 2 a.m. local time Thursday.

“Many of us have had a sleepless night so far as conditions have been thrashing across Guam for what seems like a very long time, starting early yesterday afternoon,” the meteorologist said during the livestream published on the weather service’s Facebook page. The good news, he said, was that conditions were “beginning to subside” as the storm exited the Mariana archipelago of which Guam is the southernmost and largest territory in the Pacific Ocean.

During a livestream to island residents on Wednesday night, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam urged people to stay home “for your safety and for your protection” until conditions were declared safe. Howling winds and banging sounds could be heard in the background as she spoke into the camera.

“What we are feeling right now is the eye going over the Rota Channel and the hardest of the winds of this typhoon is what we are experiencing, more so on the north,” she said, adding “I will be making an assessment of the devastation of our island as soon as it’s safe for me to go outside.”

A spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Twitter that the agency had activated its coordination center to support Guam and the Mariana Islands in the storm’s aftermath.

The storm was the strongest to hammer Guam in years and was expected to continue to generate tropical storm-force winds before weakening on Thursday, the weather service forecaster warned. The storm had moved 45 miles northwest of Guam as of 1 a.m. local time, but typhoon warnings remained in effect and were expected to

be extended through much of the morning, with another update on weather conditions expected by 8 a.m. local time, the forecaster said.

The Guam Power Authority said that the island’s energy grid was providing power to only about 1,000 of its roughly 52,000 customers Wednesday afternoon, and that it was too dangerous for repair crews to venture outside. It had not updated those figures as of early Thursday morning in Guam.

There were no immediate reports of injuries. But the storm was so strong that it broke wind sensors and radar equipment that send meteorological data to the local weather service office — and brought all but two coconut trees outside the building crashing down, including what a forecaster said was “our prized mango tree” on the property.

“Reassure your children,” forecasters had warned during a Wednesday briefing.

“You can hear the sounds, winds are howling, things are breaking. Just be together.”

The 150,000 or so people who live on Guam, an island nearly the size of Chicago that sits about 1,500 miles east of the Philippines, are used to tropical cyclones.

The last big one, Super Typhoon Pongsona, came ashore in 2002 with the force of a Category 4 hurricane and caused more than $700 million in damage.

Stronger building codes and other ad-

vances have minimized damage and deaths from major storms on Guam in recent years. In most cases, “We just barbecue, chill, adapt” when a tropical cyclone blows through, said Wayne Chargualaf, 45, who works at the local government’s housing authority.

But because it has been so long since Pongsona, “We have an entire generation that has never experienced this,” he added. “So a little bit of doubt started to creep into my mind. Are we really ready for this?”

The center of Mawar was moving northwest over the northern part of Guam on Wednesday night, weather officials said.

“The center does not need to make landfall to get catastrophic or really impactful scenarios,” Brandon Bukunt, a weather service meteorologist in Guam, said by phone.

The storm’s slow pace, about 8 mph on Wednesday night, raised the prospect of significant rainfall and flooding. A flash flood warning was in effect until Thursday morning, and the weather service said in an update that it expected up to 25 inches of rain in some areas. An extreme wind warning was also in place Wednesday night, with expected sustained winds of 115 mph or more. Guam is 14 hours ahead of Eastern time.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared an emergency for Guam, allowing

federal agencies to assist with relief efforts. Local officials also issued evacuation orders and halted commercial aviation.

The storm was also affecting the U.S. military, which has a number of major facilities on the island. All military aircraft either left the island before the storm or were placed in protective hangars, Lt. Cmdr. Katie Koenig of the U.S. Navy said in a statement on Wednesday. All military ships left as well, except for a vessel that stayed in port with an engine problem, she said.

Tropical cyclones are called typhoons or hurricanes depending on where they originate. Typhoons, which tend to form from May to October, are tropical cyclones that develop in the northwestern Pacific and affect Asia. Studies say that climate change has increased the intensity of such storms, and the potential for destruction, because a warmer ocean provides more of the energy that fuels them.

Mawar, a Malaysian name that means “rose,” is the second named storm in the Western Pacific this season. The first, Tropical Storm Sanvu, weakened in less than two days.

Mawar was expected to move toward the Philippines over the next few days, but not before leaving a path of destruction across Guam.

Carlo Sgembelluri Pangelinan, 42, who sells container homes in a store in Barrigada Heights, a hilly, affluent neighborhood near Guam’s international airport, said he doubted the storm would be worse than anything he had lived through.

Still, he added, he worried about people who did not have adequate shelter, and animals without owners to care for them. Forecasters on Wednesday night repeatedly urged residents to remain sheltered through Thursday morning.

The island’s population is predominantly Catholic, and the Roman Catholic church in Guam said in a message to its congregants on Wednesday that the fear and anxiety permeating the island was understandable, in part because Super Typhoon Pongsona had left an “indelible impression” that could still be felt more than 20 years later.

“There is good that can be found amid storms,” the message said. “The kindness and care of people that emerge during such trials is one of them.”

The center of Mawar was moving northwest over the northern part of Guam on Wednesday night, weather officials said.

What’s next for Russia after spilling so much blood for Bakhmut?

By THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF

The battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is essentially over, for now.

After 10 months of brutal artillery duels, frantic troop advances and thousands of Russian and Ukrainian casualties, Moscow’s formations are in control of the industrial hub, while Kyiv’s troops are trying to put pressure on the city’s flanks.

But what comes next for Russia, which has said it aims to capture the entire eastern Donbas region, is unclear. Earlier in the battle, Moscow had hoped to use the capture of Bakhmut as a springboard for further advances to the west — aspirationally toward the larger cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. That goal seems out of reach for now.

Russian troops appear spent, military analysts say, after suffering extensive losses in securing Bakhmut. And overall, President Vladimir Putin’s forces have shown little ability to take more territory elsewhere, having been mostly relegated to smaller-scale attacks in a smattering of towns in the country’s east.

Ukraine, in the meantime, has trained new formations, armed and equipped by the West, and is expected to launch a broader counteroffensive somewhere along the roughly 600mile front line.

This has Russia in somewhat of a defensive crouch, its forces stretched, as they build fortifications and prepare for the war’s next phase.

“We’ll probably see more localized tactical assaults,” Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said of Russian forces. “But Russia will likely primarily focus on defense and prepare for Ukraine’s counteroffensive.”

Russian forces have spent much of the winter and spring digging in and preparing for Ukraine to strike, although some units have continued to attack in areas such as Kreminna north of Bakhmut and Avdiivka to the south. Those assaults have gained the Russians little ground, and instead have decimated the population centers in their path while depleting their own ranks.

In the south, which some military analysts predict will be the focus of Ukraine’s offensive, Russian forces have dug an intricate network of primary and secondary trench lines and minefields to thwart any Ukrainian advance, according to satellite photos and analysts.

If Ukraine does manage to retake territory, analysts say, that could give Russia’s far larger air force an upper hand as Ukrainian troops push forward, outside the range of their air de-

Members of Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade drive past destroyed vehicles on a road outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine, May 19, 2023. Seizing Bakhmut took 10 months and untold lives — most likely, analysts say, Russia’s exhausted forces will settle into a defensive crouch, preparing for Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

(Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)

fenses.

Farther to the southwest, Ukraine now holds the southern port city of Kherson after reclaiming it in November. But with the Dnieper River serving as a natural boundary, Russian artillery units can shell the city from the eastern side with little risk of being overrun by Ukrainian ground forces, given the difficulty of crossing a wide, exposed waterway.

To the north, Ukrainian-backed proxy units have penetrated the Russian border in recent days, seizing a small batch of territory in what is considered a propaganda move to tie up Russian forces and embarrass the Kremlin following the seizure of Bakhmut.

But the battle for Bakhmut came at a significant cost for Russia and Ukraine and will weigh heavily on what comes next. Both sides made outsize investments in men and materiel to take and hold a relatively small and nowdevastated city, which had a prewar population of more than 70,000.

Such is the nature of the 15-month-old war: Both militaries, still rooted in Soviet-style tactics, continue to rely heavily on artillery, tanks and limited troop advances to seize and

control ground.

“The battle for Bakhmut is less important in terms of territory and more in its impact on both forces and what it reveals about them,” said Michael Kofman, the director of Russian studies at CNA, a research institute in Arlington, Virginia.

Russian forces were defeated on three fronts last year — around Kyiv, in the northeastern Kharkiv region and at Kherson. Moscow is nursing its exhausted and casualtyridden formations after brutal urban combat in Bakhmut. Ukraine, too, is plagued by casualties, but is digging in along far more favorable and higher terrain outside Bakhmut.

In recent days, Ukrainian forces have made small gains to the north and south of Bakhmut, putting their forces in a better position to prevent Russian troops from advancing further. The head of the Wagner paramilitary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose fighters were primarily responsible for the seizure of Bakhmut, has pledged to pull them from the city and turn its defense over to Russia’s uniformed ranks, risking a disorganized turnover of troops.

Wagner “isn’t really designed for defensive operations,” Lee said.

Prigozhin’s Wagner group has proved to be one of Ukraine’s most formidable foes and it remains unclear how its departure from the battlefield could affect Ukraine’s ability to put pressure on Bakhmut and beyond.

Military analysts, Western intelligence agencies and Ukrainian officials have argued over the strategic significance of the Bakhmut campaign for months. Moscow could have invested the resources elsewhere on the front line instead of wasting lives and ammunition for a few miles of land, they said. Kyiv could have retreated earlier, saving its battalions, brigades and supplies for future offensives.

Both sides’ decisions to stand and fight will have lasting effects on their future maneuvers.

The battle for Bakhmut was unique in that the Wagner group relied on formations of prison inmates to attack Ukrainian trenches, to both overwhelm their defenses and expose Ukraine’s firing positions. Russia’s ability to replenish its ranks, often with undertrained forces, had at one point been one of its advantages as it has forced Ukraine to risk its better-trained units to stop raw troops the Russians treated as expendable.

But Ukraine fought back, despite losing ground in the city and taking an outsized number of casualties. They took advantage of the open fields and tree lines on the outskirts, and used Western-supplied precision artillery such as HIMARS rocket launchers and 155-mm howitzers to wound and kill Russian troops at a distance.

Now, Moscow has to decide whether to try to advance west of Bakhmut. A few miles away lies the town of Chasiv Yar, but Ukraine can pull back to high ground in between, where it could fire down at advancing Russian troops. More likely, the Russians will focus on defending Bakhmut and its approaches.

The aftershocks of the battle for Bakhmut are not yet fully known, both in terms of overall casualties on both sides or how much equipment or ammunition was lost or destroyed. Western estimates early this year put Russia’s casualties in wounded and dead at about 200,000 since its invasion, and Ukraine’s are thought to be similar. The fight for Bakhmut has since claimed thousands more casualties.

“This chapter will close, even as fighting continues in the fields outside the city, but it speaks volumes about the Ukrainian will to fight, though soldiers may wonder whether the fight for Bakhmut was driven by political considerations over military ones,” Kofman said.

By MITRA TAJ

In the adobe house she built with her husband in a small village in Peru, Antonia Huillca pulled out a stack of documents that once represented a glimmer of hope.

They were part of an investigation into the death of her husband, Quintino Cereceda, who left one morning in 2016 to join a protest against a new copper mine and never returned.

Huillca can’t read, but she can identify key documents: a photo of her husband’s body, a bullet wound to his forehead; the question-andanswer format in which police officers describe firing live ammunition as protesters threw rocks; the logo of the mining company sending convoys of trucks over unpaved roads, sparking protests among villagers fed up with the dust.

But today, the investigation has gone cold.

For years, scores of similar cases in Peru have met a familiar fate: Investigations into the killing of unarmed civilians at protests where security forces were deployed, most of them in poor Indigenous and rural areas, are opened when they attract headlines, only to be closed quietly years later, with officials often citing a lack of evidence.

Now, the unusually high death toll during anti-government demonstrations after the removal of the country’s president last year has put accusations of abuse by security officials in the global spotlight, raising questions about why so many previous killings remain unsolved.

At least 49 civilians were killed in clashes with the police or military during protests after President Pedro Castillo was impeached in December when he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree, according to figures from the country’s ombudsman’s office.

A New York Times investigation in March found that in three towns where deadly clashes occurred, the police and soldiers had fired shotguns at civilians using lethal ammunition, shot assault rifles at fleeing protesters and killed unarmed people, often in apparent violation of their own protocols.

“We went through the same thing,” said José Cárdenas, whose younger brother, Alberto, was killed in 2015 in clashes with police during protests that also targeted a copper mine. “My brother didn’t die in an accident. He was shot.”

So far, an investigation has not led to any charges.

A lack of accountability for excessive use of force by security agencies is a serious human rights failure, according to civil rights organizations, undermining people’s faith in the authorities.

In Peru, more than 200 civilians have been killed in police and military crackdowns on protests in the past two decades, according to a list compiled by the National Human Rights Coordinator, an advocacy group.

Yet, over that same period, prosecutors have not won a single conviction against police or military officers or their superiors for killings at protests, according to human rights activists, lawyers and two state prosecutors who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media.

In most cases, investigations do not even lead to a trial, they said, adding that, instead, demonstrators and protest leaders are accused of vandalism or inciting public disorder.

Velazco, a human rights lawyer who has defended more than 200 rural protesters on various charges, including vandalism and disturbing the public order.

The prime minister’s office and the national prosecutor’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, while the Interior Ministry declined to answer questions.

The country’s current president, Dina Boluarte, who took over after Castillo was ousted, has blamed the deadly clashes on protesters who have blocked roads and attacked security forces with rocks and slingshots.

Peru is not the only South American democracy where unarmed civilians have been killed in protests as popular discontent has boiled over into the street.

Javier Puente, a scholar of Andean studies at Smith College in Massachusetts, said militaries and police have long helped weak Latin American leaders make up for the lack of strong parties and other institutions, normalizing violent solutions to political problems.

Peru’s return to democracy in 2000 after years of authoritarian rule raised expectations of broader access to justice and political representation, along with an end to the police and military abuses of Peruvians, notably against Indigenous people.

Instead, as Peru experienced a rapid economic expansion, those hopes were left by the wayside.

One democratically elected president after another became mired in corruption scandals. Inequality remained high, social conflicts festered and a global commodities boom brought huge mining projects to rural Indigenous regions.

Yauri, a member of an Indigenous community in southern Peru.

He said his father, Félix, was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet by police during a protest in 2012 over pollution from a copper mine and died from an infection to his wounds. An investigation into his death was closed in 2015.

After her husband’s death at the mining protest, Huillca said her herd of sheep dwindled to 30 from 500, as she has sold them off to support her children’s education.

To this day, she freezes up when she sees the police. “I’m afraid they’ll do the same thing to me,” she said.

As protesters die, a nation’s security forces face little scrutiny

Neil Gorsuch has given himself away

By JAMELLE BOUIE

The justices of the Supreme Court aren’t always open about their views, but there are times when they inadvertently reveal just how skewed their perspectives are.

First, a little background. Last year, the Biden administration announced it would end its predecessor’s pandemic-era policy of expelling asylum-seekers at the Mexican and Canadian borders based on a federal law that gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the power to bar entry into the United States in order to curtail the spread of infectious diseases. Title 42, as the policy came to be known, was supposedly established to protect the public. But by the time it came into effect, COVID-19 was already widespread, and there was no evidence of significant transmission by asylum-seekers and other migrants. What was true is that President Donald Trump had devoted much of his time in office to dismantling the nation’s immigration system and limiting entry as much as possible from the southern border.

Several months after the administration announced its plan to end Title 42, a U.S. District Court in Washington ruled that the policy was illegal and ordered the government to end it. A group of states with Republican attorneys general then sued to keep the policy in place, appealing their case to the Supreme Court. The dispute came to an end last week, when the Supreme Court

remanded the case to a lower court with instructions to dismiss the motion as moot. The reason, presumably, is that the federal government had already ended the COVID-19 public health emergency. There was nothing to decide.

There was, however, something interesting about the court’s order in this case. Not content to let the instruction stand on its own, Justice Neil Gorsuch added a statement. He recounted the story of the Title 42 policy, not to criticize the court’s decision but to emphasize what in his view was the defining aspect of the COVID-19 crisis.

“The history of this case,” Gorsuch wrote, “illustrates the disruption we have experienced over the last three years in how our laws are made and our freedoms observed.” It was at that point that Gorsuch dropped a doozy: “Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country.”

Gorsuch elaborated on the point: “Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale,” and “governors and local leaders imposed lockdown orders forcing people to remain in their homes.” They shuttered businesses and schools, he continues, and “threatened violators not just with civil penalties but with criminal sanctions too.”

Now, there obviously was — and still is — a debate to have about the extent of the state, local and federal responses to COVID-19, which killed more than 1.1 million people in the United States from March 2020 to May 2023 and remains among the leading causes of death. But do those measures have a chance of being the “greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country”?

Consider the competition. Were COVID restrictions a greater intrusion on civil liberties than the forced sterilization of more than 70,000 Americans under the eugenic policies of state and local governments across the country from the 1920s through the 1970s? The mass surveillance of thousands of Americans involved in liberal and left-wing politics by the federal government during the 1960s? The McCarthyite purges of thousands of Americans accused of un-American activities in the 1950s? The Palmer Raids of 1919 and 1920, in which federal agents arrested thousands of Americans on flimsy evidence with plans to deport them from the country?

That’s just the 20th century. When we look back to the 19th century, we see even more egregious peacetime assaults on the rights and liberties of Americans. Beginning in the 1890s, for example, Southern legislatures began to strip voting and civil rights from huge swaths of their states’ populations. Then there’s labor conflict. In 1877 alone, state, local and federal strikebreakers killed more than 100 people engaged in strikes and protests against railroads across the country.

Of course, any catalog of 19th century attacks on

civil liberties would be incomplete without a mention of slavery, in which millions of Americans were reduced to chattel by force of law for the better part of a century under the Constitution. And to protect and preserve the social order produced by the mass enslavement of millions of people, slaveholding states passed draconian limits on speech, from outlawing the circulation of antislavery materials to banning abolitionist speech outright.

It is certainly possible that even judged against the full weight of American history, the COVID restrictions on in-person gatherings were an exceptional and egregious assault on civil liberties. But I’m skeptical.

What is interesting to think about, however, is what it says about Gorsuch that those restrictions loom so large in his historical imagination. Perhaps they conflict with his occasional libertarian streak. Perhaps he is, like his colleague Samuel Alito, deeply offended by rules that put limits on religious services but allowed people to shop at grocery stores. Or perhaps he just didn’t think of those other historical examples at all.

In which case, Gorsuch’s denunciation of pandemic restrictions acts as an inadvertent glimpse into his view of the United States. With one notable exception (and it is quite notable) — the history of Native Americans — he is willing to ignore or doesn’t even see our long, peacetime history of repression and internal tyranny. What he seems to see instead is a long history of liberty with some significant exceptions, including our recent experience with the pandemic.

It is a shocking worldview but not, in the end, a surprising one. A justice like Gorsuch who frequently struggles to see injustice and cruelty in the present — from his votes in favor of capital punishment to his vote to let states curb women’s bodily autonomy — will surely struggle to see injustice and cruelty in the past.

Staff members with the Sergeant at Arms place “Social Distancing” markers on the floor of the press area outside the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 8, 2021.

Ordenan a LUMA devolver a los abonados ahorros por compra de combustible y energía

POR CYBERNEWS

SAN JUAN – El presidente del Negociado de Energía (NEPR), Edison Avilés Deliz., informó que se ordenó, mediante resolución a LUMA Energy devol-

ver a los abonados la reducción de costos por concepto de Compra de Combustible y Compra de Energía de los meses de marzo y abril de 2023.

“Este ajuste que se implementará en junio, representa una reducción de 5.5 centavos por kilovatio hora. Continuamos velando por el interés público y asegurando la cabal ejecución e implantación de la política pública sobre el servicio eléctrico en el Gobierno de Puerto Rico; así como la razonabilidad de las tarifas por dicho servicio”, dijo Avilés Deliz en declaraciones escritas.

“De acuerdo con los documentos presentados por LUMA, para los periodos de marzo y abril de 2023 hubo un exceso de recaudos por concepto de compra

de combustible por la cantidad de $45,997,692.36 y una deficiencia de recaudos por compra de energía por la cantidad de $5,289,606.44. Por consiguiente, se cumplen los requisitos de la disposición para el ajuste acelerado de los factores descrita en las cláusulas FCA y PPCA”, explicó el presidente del NEPR.

Según Avilés Deliz, para poder devolver el exceso de recaudo a sus clientes, LUMA también modificó la proyección de costo de compra de combustible para el mes de junio. Dicha proyección toma en consideración la disminución en el precio del combustible que se está experimentando en los pasados meses y redunda en un posible ahorro de 41.7 millones de dólares para el mes de junio.

Hacen llamado urgente a beneficiarios de Salud para recertificarse

POR CYBERNEWS

los beneficiarios deben realizar la renovación para seguir teniendo cobertura médica.

drán poco más de 30 días para completar el proceso de recertificación una vez recibida la notificación.

S

AN JUAN – El secretario del Departamento de Salud (DS), doctor Carlos Mellado López y Dinorah Collazo Ortiz, directora del Programa Medicaid, instaron el miércoles a los beneficiarios de Plan Vital y Medicare Platino a renovar su cobertura médica.

“Desde la emergencia de María y la extensión por la pandemia del COVID-19, los beneficiarios de Medicaid se acogieron a la inscripción automática, pero esta concluyó con el periodo de emergencia el primero de abril”, explicó Mellado López en declaraciones escritas.

Agregó que ahora, por disposición federal, todos

Por su parte, Collazo Ortiz detalló que Puerto Rico, así como los demás estados y territorios de los Estados Unidos, tienen un año para completar el proceso de redeterminaciones, que culmina en marzo de 2024. “Estaremos evaluando a cada participante y revisaremos los criterios de elegibilidad, según nos establece las normas federales de los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid”, indicó.

Ambos funcionarios aseguraron que los beneficiarios seguirán activos y recibirán correspondencia vía correo postal con los datos para la renovación. Collazo Ortiz hizo hincapié en que los beneficiarios ten-

Finalmente, se instó a los beneficiarios que no han recibido la correspondencia de recertificación a comunicarse mediante el correo electrónico prmprenovaciones@salud.pr.gov y completar el proceso para que la cobertura no se vea afectada.

Confirman al doctor Rafael Ramírez Rivera como nuevo presidente de la Universidad Interamericana

SAN JUAN – El doctor Rafael Ramírez Rivera fue confirmado el martes por la Junta de Síndicos de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico como presidente en propiedad de la institución.

“Nuestra Junta de Síndicos avaló el nombramiento del doctor Ramírez Rivera. Reconocemos que el doctor Ramírez Rivera cuenta con un sinnúmero de cualidades y experiencias para continuar posicionando a la Universidad Interamericana como la institución educativa líder que ha demostrado ser”, dijo el presidente de la Junta de Síndicos, José Muñoz Ávila en declaraciones escritas.

“Desde su presidencia, continuaremos aportando grandemente a nuestra sociedad como lo hemos venido haciendo por 111 años. El doctor Ramírez Rivera es recibido con el seguro compromiso de que tendrá el apoyo y el respaldo de la comunidad universitaria que compone la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto

Rico”, dijo expresó el presidente de la Junta de Síndicos, añadió.

El doctor Ramírez Rivera cuenta con un bachillerato y una maestría en Artes en Economía de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y un doctorado en Administración Educativa del recinto Metro de la Universidad Interamericana. Además, ha participado y estudiado en varias escuelas de administración como AICS Management Institute en New Hampshire College y Florida International University. Ha sido parte del Programa de Investigación de Verano de la Universidad de Oxford, del Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) en la escuela graduada de educación de la Universidad de Harvard, así como en la Escuela Graduada de Negocios de la Universidad de Stanford y en la Universidad de Bolonia.

Fungió como presidente y director ejecutivo de Humacao Community College, administrador de la Escuela de Carreras Técnicas de Antilles College en San Juan, presidente y director general de Columbia College, di-

rector de la Oficina de Licencias y Acreditaciones del Consejo de Educación Superior de Puerto Rico y como presidente de Huertas Junior College.

El nuevo presidente de la INTER, ha participado en más de un centenar de equipos evaluadores de licencias o acreditaciones con varias agencias estatales, comisiones regionales y nacionales, y organizaciones de acreditación en los Estados Unidos de América, América del Sur y Europa e India.

Leon Ichaso, whose films explored Latino identity, dies at 74

By NEIL GENZLINGER

Leon Ichaso, a Cuban American filmmaker who in “El Super,” “Crossover Dreams,” “Piñero,” “El Cantante” and other movies examined themes of Latino assimilation and cultural identity, died on Sunday at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was 74.

His sister, journalist Mari Rodriguez Ichaso, said the cause was a heart attack.

Leon Ichaso, who came to the United States as a teenager, was writing advertising copy and making television commercials in New York in 1977 when he saw an off-Broadway play called “El Super,” written by Ivan Acosta, and decided to try a new career.

“I remember he went to see it and said to me, ‘I’m going to make that movie,’” his sister said.

He proceeded to do just that, on a shoestring budget.

“I paid for the production car,” she added. “My father paid for the catering.”

The movie, released in 1979 and direc-

ted by Ichaso and Orlando Jiménez Leal, is about a Cuban man (played by Raimundo Hidalgo-Gato) living in exile in New York who works as the superintendent of an Upper West Side tenement, resisting assimilation. Critics were impressed.

“It’s a funny, even-tempered, unsentimental drama about people in particular transit,” Vincent Canby wrote in a review in The New York Times. Decades later, The Miami Herald, assessing Ichaso’s career, called “El Super” “the quintessential Cuban-exile film.”

Continues on page 18

Leon Ichaso, left, films a video featuring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez on a float during the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Ichaso, a Cuban American filmmaker who in “El Super,” “Crossover Dreams,” “Piñero,” “El Cantante” and other movies examined themes of Latino assimilation and cultural identity, died on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 74.

IF YOU, A CHILD IN YOUR CARE, OR ANOTHER LOVED ONE WERE HARMED BY ENDO OR A RELATED COMPANY, INCLUDING PAR OR AMS, OR THEIR PRODUCTS INCLUDING OPIOIDS, RANITIDINE, OR TRANSVAGINAL MESH, YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE AFFECTED BY DEADLINES IN THE ENDO BANKRUPTCY.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

On August 16, 2022, Endo International plc and certain of its affiliates filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Certain Endo affiliates manufactured and/or sold, among other things, branded opioid medications (including but not limited to OPANA® (oxymorphone hydrochloride), OPANA® ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride extended release), and PERCOCET® (oxycodone and acetaminophen tablets)), generic opioid medications, generic ranitidine medications, and transvaginal mesh. This notice is intended to inform you of your rights in this bankruptcy regarding the bar date and proof of claim process and Endo’s proposed sale of substantially all of its assets.

WHAT IS A CLAIM?

A “claim” means a right to seek payment or other compensation. If you, a child in your care, or another loved one were harmed by Endo or a related company, including Par or American Medical Systems (AMS), or their products, including opioids, ranitidine, or transvaginal mesh, you may have a claim against one or more of these entities. To make a claim, you will need to submit a proof of claim in the bankruptcy case. You may file a claim on behalf of yourself, a child in your care (including a child exposed to opioids in the womb), or a deceased or disabled relative. Examples of claims

that may be filed in the Endo bankruptcy include but are not limited to:

> Opioid Claims: Claims for death, addiction or dependence, lost wages, loss of consortium, or neonatal abstinence syndrome (sometimes referred to as “NAS”), among others.

> Ranitidine claims: Claims for cancer, including bladder, esophageal, pancreatic, stomach, and liver cancer, among others.

> Transvaginal mesh claims: Claims for pelvic pain, infection, bleeding, among others.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BAR DATE AND PROOF OF CLAIM PROCESS?

The deadline to submit your proof of claim is called a bar date. The bar date, or the deadline to submit your proof of claim, is July 7, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time). If you do not submit a proof of claim by the deadline, you will lose any rights you may have had to seek payment or compensation. You must file a proof of claim form so that it is actually received by the bar date. A proof of claim form can be filed by you, a legal guardian, survivors, or relatives of people who have died or are disabled. You do not need an attorney to file a proof of claim for you.

For a more complete list of relevant companies and products manufactured and/or sold by Endo and its related companies, including full prescribing

VISIT: EndoClaims.com

EMAIL: EndoInquiries@ra.kroll.com

information and BOXED WARNINGS for OPANA® (oxymorphone hydrochloride), OPANA® ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride extended release), and PERCOCET® (oxycodone and acetaminophen tablets), and for more complete details about the bar date and instructions on how to file a confidential personal injury claim, visit EndoClaims.com or call 877.542.1878 (Toll-Free) or 929.284.1688 (International)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SALE?

Endo intends to sell substantially all of its assets in an auction and sale process in the bankruptcy case and subject to approval by the bankruptcy court. Endo is seeking relief that the sale will be free and clear of all claims, liens, and encumbrances

If you disagree with the proposed sale, you must object to the sale in writing, so that your objection is received on or before July 7, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) Any party in interest who fails to properly file and serve its objection by the objection deadline may lose its claim against Endo’s assets if the sale is approved. Objections not filed and served properly may not be considered by the bankruptcy court. Complete details about the proposed sale, including any auction for Endo’s assets, the date of the hearing to consider the sale, and instructions on how to file an objection, are available at EndoClaims.com or by calling 877.542.1878 (Toll-Free) or 929.284.1688 (International)

From page 17

He followed “El Super” in 1985 with “Crossover Dreams,” about a salsa star on the rise who hopes to break out of Spanish Harlem and into the mainstream. The film, which Canby called “a sagely funny comedy, both heartfelt and sophisticated,” gave singer Rubén Blades his breakout acting role.

After “Crossover Dreams,” Ichaso moved away from Latino-themed films for a time and worked steadily directing television movies and episodes of “The Equalizer,” “Miami Vice” and other series. But he returned to that territory in 1996 with “Bitter Sugar,” a movie set in contemporary Cuba.

“Bitter Sugar” went against the romanticized view of life in Havana that was popular in some artistic circles at the time, painting an ugly picture of the city that included drugs and prostitution. Its protagonist starts out pro-communist but ends up so disillusioned that he tries to assassinate Fidel Castro.

Ichaso resented that many festivals did not pick up the movie — a result, he said, not only of the film world’s leftist leanings but also of festival officials’ desire not to offend the organizers of the Havana Film Festival.

“They don’t want to lose the Cuba account,” he told The New York Times in 1996. “Part of the film community very much flirts with a dictator and a country and says it’s cute to travel, have a daiquiri and ignore what’s going on just 50 yards outside the Hotel Nacional.”

Ichaso’s next major project would become perhaps his most acclaimed film: “Piñero” (2001), about Miguel Piñero, a former prison inmate turned playwright whose “Short Eyes” made it to Broadway in 1974, but who died young in 1988.

Benjamin Bratt, who was familiar to TV audiences from “Law & Order,” played Piñero, a Nuyorican, in what Stephen Holden, reviewing the movie in the Times, called “a career-defining performance.” Bratt attributed much of his success in the role to Ichaso.

“His utter faith in my ability never faltered even when mine did,” Bratt said by email. “He loved his actors, understood our delicate temperament and nurtured a trust that would embolden you to walk out on a wire with no net. He was the net, and it was very easy to love him back for this.”

In “El Cantante” (2006), Ichaso told the story of salsa singer Héctor Lavoe. Singer Marc Anthony portrayed Lavoe with Jennifer Lopez (Anthony’s wife at the time) as Lavoe’s wife.

In Ichaso’s movies, “you can almost smell the rooms the actors are in,” Anthony told The New York Times in 2007. “He knows how to create a period piece; he understands the streets, the humanity of it and the poetry of it all. He captures the essence of our people, our

neighborhoods.”

Although Ichaso continued to direct for television until recently, his last Latino-themed film was “Paraiso” in 2009. Considered the third film in his trilogy about the Cuban exile experience (following “El Super” and “Bitter Sugar”), it tells the story of a man who arrives in Miami by raft and proceeds to wreak his own brand of havoc. It was, Ichaso acknowledged in a 2009 interview with The Miami Herald, evidence of his ever-darkening view of Castro’s government.

“I do think of the three films as a trilogy, and this one is the end,” he said, “exploring the new arrivals, these new little Cuban Frankensteins that Castro makes and sets loose on the world.”

Leon Rodriguez Ichaso was born on Aug. 3, 1948, in Havana. His father, Justo Rodriguez Santos, was a poet and writer, and his mother, Antonia Ichaso, wrote for Cuban radio.

When Leon was 14, he left Cuba for Miami with his mother and his sister; his father joined them there in 1968. By then, Ichaso had tried college briefly but dropped out. The family soon moved to New York, and there Ichaso learned about filmmaking by shooting commercials for Goya Foods and other clients.

Ichaso’s marriages to Karen Willinger and Amanda Barber ended in divorce. His sister survives him.

Though Ichaso’s films were generally well regarded, he never quite ascended to the directorial A list.

“There are some directors who make a film, and they are set for life; that’s not my case,” Ichaso said in a 2007 interview with The Times. “Every time I make a film, I think, ‘This is the one.’ But then nothing happens.”

Bratt, who met his wife, actress Talisa Soto, while they were working on “Piñero,” said he admired Ichaso’s risk-taking.

“There was a lively curiosity to him, a twinkle in the eye that hinted of mischief and knowing, a survivor’s wink that told you he had been to hell and back and probably enjoyed it,” Bratt said. “He had a deep passion for poetry and music, and his films — inspired by the work of his heroes, Miles, Monk and Coltrane — were pure jazz, respectful of compositional structure but most alive when he played outside the lines, riffing, daring you to follow along.”

Leon Ichaso in 2015.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CULEBRA

JOSÉ ARMANDO

CRUZ RIVERA, ROSA

I. SANGRIA RIVERA Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR

AMBOS

Peticionarios

Ex-parte

Caso Núm.: CU2023CV00008.

Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS

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

A: PERSONAS IGNORADAS O DESCONOCIDAS A QUIENES PUEDA PERJUDICAR LA INSCRIPCIÓN SOLICITADA, LOS QUE ESTÁN AUSENTES, PERO DE NO ESTARLO DEBÍAN SER CITADOS EN PERSONA Y CUYO PARADERO SE DESCONOCE; Y, PERSONAS CON ALGÚN DERECHO REAL SOBRE LA FINCA OBJETO DEL PROCEDIMIENTO.

POR CUANTO: Ha presentado la Lcda. Josephine M. Rodríguez Ríos, con oficina en la el número 6 de la Celis Aguilera, Suite 201A, Fajardo, PR; PO Box 889, Fajardo, Puerto Rico 00738, con teléfono 787-4035056, una solicitud a nombre de los peticionarios para que se inscriba a su favor el dominio del siguiente inmueble: “URBA-

NA: Solar localizado en la calle Escudero, también conocida como la Carretera Estatal número 250, Km. 1.1 de la Comunidad Rural Clark en El Barrio Pueblo Municipio de Culebra, con una cabida superficial de 779.57 metros cuadrados, equivalentes a 0.1983 cuerdas. En lindes, por el NORTE, en 41.803 metros, con JJRG LLC; por el SUR, con Casa Blanca RIAD VI Inc en 21.919 metros y con Luis M. Santana Rodríguez en 21.135 metros lineales; por el ESTE, en 13.186 metros con Luis M. Santana Rodríguez y, en 10.365 metros, con la Carr. 250; y por el OESTE con Jesús Sanes González, en 24.705 metros lineales.”

Valor de ochenta mil dólares ($80,000.00). POR TANTO: Habiendo ordenado el Honora-

ble Juez de esta Corte se publique este Edicto tres (3) veces, dentro del término de veinte (20) días en un periódico de circulación general, para que los que tengan derecho real sobre este inmueble y en especial Gloribel Torres Sanes y Eric Omar Monell Sanes como anteriores dueños, persona ausentes, personas con algún derecho real sobre el inmueble, personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción solicitada y en general, todo el que desee o quiera oponerse pueda efectuarlo dentro del término de Veinte (20) días a partir de la última publicación de este edicto, libro el presente en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, a 1 de mayo de 2023. Wanda I. Seguí Reyes, Secretaria Regional. Kathia Ferrer Figueroa, Secretaria Auxiliar Del Tribunal I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE PONCE SALA SUPERIOR BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. LA SUCESIÓN DE BETSY FIGUEROA

ROMÁN COMPUESTA

POR: MARGIE

FIGUEROA ROMÁN, MARÍA JOSEFINA

FIGUEROA ROMÁN, MENGANO DE TAL, POSIBLE HEREDERO DESCONOCIDO; LA SUCESIÓN DE YUYA

FIGUEROA ROMÁN, COMPUESTA POR

SUTANO Y PERENGANO DE TAL, POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; LA SUCESION DE RAMÓN A. FIGUEROA ROMÁN, COMPUESTA POR PERENCEJO Y ZUTANEJO DE TAL, POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS

Parte Demandada

CIVIL NÚM.: PO2022CV00155.

SALA: (406) SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO, EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. ESTADOS

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

El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente anuncia y hace constar que en cumplimiento de la Sentencia en Rebeldía dictada el 23 de enero de 2023 y noti-

ficada el 6 de febrero de 2023, la Orden de Ejecución de Sentencia del 13 de abril de 2023 y el Mandamiento de Ejecución del 18 de abril de 2023 en el caso de epígrafe, procederé a vender el día 9 de agosto de 2023, a las 10:00 de la mañana en mi oficina, localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Centro Judicial de Ponce, Sala Superior, en 2150 Ave. Santiago de los Caballeros, Ponce, Puerto Rico, al mejor postor en pago de contado y en moneda de los Estados Unidos de América, cheque de gerente o giro postal, todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada sobre la siguiente propiedad: En caso de que el producto de la subasta sea insuficiente para satisfacer las sumas adeudadas a la parte demandante, se ordena la venta en pública subasta de cualesquiera otros bienes de la parte demandada hasta que cualquier parte insatisfecha de la sentencia sea totalmente cubierta. La propiedad hipotecada a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: URBANA: Solar Número doce 12 del Bloque M en el plano de la Urbanización Extensión Valle Alto, radicado en el Barrio Cerrillos del término municipal de Ponce, Puerto Rico, con un área superficial de 261.27 metros. En lindes por el NORTE: en 12.02 metros con camino vecinal (Parque Pasivo); por el SUR: en 11.00 metros con la Calle Número diecinueve (19); por el ESTE: en 25.00 metros con el Solar Número trece (13) del bloque M; y por el OESTE: En 21.08 metros con el Solar Número once (11) del Bloque M. Sobre este solar enclava una estructura residencial para uso de una familia. La propiedad consta inscrita al folio 22 del tomo 1701 de Ponce, Finca 52120. Registro de la Propiedad de Ponce, Sección I. La escritura de hipoteca consta inscrita al folio 55 vuelto del tomo 2045 de Ponce, Finca 52120. Registro de la Propiedad de Ponce, Sección I. Inscripción novena (9na) y última. Dirección Física: Extensión Valle Alto, M12 Calle 19, Ponce, PR 00730. Número de Catastro: 63-365038-106-06-001. El tipo mínimo para la primera subasta será de $86,074.00. De no haber adjudicación en la primera subasta se celebrará una segunda subasta, el día 16 de agosto de 2023, a las 10:00 de la mañana, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será de dos terceras partes del tipo mínimo fijado en la primera subasta, o sea, $57,382.66. De no haber adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se celebrará una tercera subasta el día 23 de agosto de

2023, a las 10:00 de la mañana, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será la mitad del precio pactado, o sea, $43,037.00. 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 ésta es mayor. Dicho remate se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a la demandante el importe de la Sentencia por la suma de $74,400.10 de principal, más intereses sobre dicha suma al 4% anual desde el 1 de julio de 2019 hasta su completo pago, más $411.68 de recargos acumulados, los cuales continuarán en aumento hasta el saldo total de la deuda, más la cantidad estipulada de $8,607.40 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados, así como cualquier otra suma que contenga el contrato del préstamo. Surge del Estudio de Título Registral que sobre esta propiedad pesa el siguiente gravamen posterior a la hipoteca que por la presente se pretende ejecutar: Aviso de Demanda: Pleito seguido por Banco Popular de Puerto Rico Vs. Sucesión de Betsy Figueroa Román, compuesta por Fulano y Mengano de Tal, ante el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Ponce, en el Caso Civil Número PO2022CV00155, sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca, en la que se reclama el pago de la hipoteca, con un balance de $74,400.10 y otras cantidades, según Demanda de fecha 26 de enero de 2022. Anotada al Tomo Karibe de Ponce. Anotación A. Se notifica al acreedor posterior o a su sucesor o cesionario en derecho para que comparezca a proteger su derecho si así lo desea. Se les advierte a los interesados que todos los documentos relacionados con la presente acción de ejecución de hipoteca, así como los de Subasta, estarán disponibles para ser examinados, durante horas laborables, en el expediente del caso que obra en los archivos de la Secretaría del Tribunal, bajo el número de epígrafe y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general en Puerto Rico por espacio de dos semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana; y para su fijación en los sitios públicos requeridos por ley. 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; en-

tendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate y que la propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores tal como lo expresa la Ley Núm. 210-2015. Y para el conocimiento de los demandados, de los acreedores posteriores, de los licitadores, partes interesadas y público en general, EXPIDO para su publicación en los lugares públicos correspondientes, el presente Aviso de Pública Subasta en Ponce, Puerto Rico, hoy 26 de abril de 2023. Miguel A. Torres Ayala, Alguacil Auxiliar Placa #560., Alguacil Del Tribunal De Primera Instancia, Sala Superior De Ponce.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE FAJARDO ESTRELLA HOMES III, LLC.

Parte Demandante Vs. MANGUAL NEGRON, RAUL Y SU ESPOSA RUZ LYMARI VICENTE MARTINEZ t/c/c RUZ L VICENTE MARINEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: NSCI2017-00046. (302). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y COBRO DE DINERO “In Rem”. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, ss.

A: RAUL MANGUAL NEGRON RAUL Y SU ESPOSA RUZ LYMARI VICENTE MARTINEZ t/c/c RUZ L VICENTE MARINEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES Y AL PUBLICO EN GENERAL

HAGO SABER:

El Alguacil que suscribe, anuncia 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 DE FAJARDO, procederé a vender en pública subasta y al mejor postor, de contado y por moneda del 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: PROPIEDAD

HORIZONTAL: Apartamento residencial de forma irregular, identificado con el número cuatrocientos uno (401), localizado en la cuarta planta del Edificio

“B” (B-401) del Condominio Chalets de San Pedro, localizado en el Barrio Florencio del término municipal de Fajardo, Puerto Rico, con la descripción y colindancia que se relacionan a continuación: En lindes, por el NORTE, en 32’ 3”, con pared común; por el SUR, 32’ 3”, con pared común; por el ESTE, en 16’ 0”, con pared común adyacente al Apartamento B-402 y en 22’ 2”, con área común y con pared común; por el OESTE, en 36’ 2”, con pared común adyacente al Apartamento C-402. Tiene su puerta de entrada y salida por su lado Norte, que da hacia el área de pasillo que conduce a las escaleras que le brindan acceso al edificio. En el área de balcón se encuentra ubicada una escalera en forma de espiral, la cual provee acceso al área de terraza que es un anejo privado de este apartamento. Consta de balcón, sala-comedor, área de cocina con espacio área de lavandería, una habitación-dormitorio que es la principal (“master-bedroom”), con closet en su interior y un baño completo, un pasillo interior, un closet, un baño completo de uso general, una segunda habitación-dormitorio con closet en su interior y una tercera habitación-dormitorio con closet en su interior. Le corresponde a este apartamento como anejo los usos exclusivos y particulares de dos (2) espacios de estacionamientos marcados con los números cinco (5) y seis (6), ubicados en las áreas de estacionamientos del Condominio, según ilustrado en los Planos de este Condominio. Le corresponde a este apartamento, como anejo, el uso exclusivo y particular una terraza con piso de cemento y con techo en el área de la escalera, cuya ubicación y particulares se encuentran ilustradas en los Planos de este Condominio. El área total del apartamento y sus anejos es dos mil ciento treinta y siete pies cuadrados con diez centésimas de otro (2,137.10 p.c.), equivalentes a ciento noventa y ocho metros cuadrados con cincuenta y cuatro centésimas de otro (198.54 m.c.), que se distribuye de la siguiente forma: Área del apartamento: ochocientos ochenta y ocho pies cuadrados con

cincuenta y siete centésimas de otro (888.57 p.c.), equivalente a ochenta y dos metros cuadrados con cincuenta y cinco centésimas de otro (82.55 m.c.). Área de terraza aneja: novecientos setenta y seis pies cuadrados con setenta y cuatro centésimas de otro (976.74 p.c.), equivalentes a noventa metros cuadrados con setenta y cuatro centímetros de otros (90.74 m.c.). Área de los estacionamientos: doscientos setenta y uno pies cuadrados con setenta y nueve centésimas de otro (271.79 p.c.), equivalentes a veinticinco metros cuadrados con veinticinco centésimas de otro (25.25 m). A este apartamento, además, le corresponde una participación en los elementos comunes del Condominio de uno punto uno ocho ocho seis por ciento (1.1886%).

Dirección física propiedad:

Apartamento B-401, Cuarto piso, Chalets de San Pedro, Barrio Florencia, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. En relación a la finca a subastarse se establece como tipo mínimo de licitación en la Primera Subasta la suma de $94,320.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la Escritura de Hipoteca constituida mediante la escritura número “460”, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 15 de mayo de 2007, ante el notario Luis A. Archilla Díaz, e inscrita al folio “82” del tomo “522” de Fajardo, finca número “19,782”, inscripción 2da. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a cabo el día 6 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023, A LAS 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en mis oficinas sitas en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO. En relación a la propiedad a subastarse, la cantidad mínima de licitación en la Primera Subasta será la suma de $94,320.00. Si la primera subasta del inmueble no produjere remate, ni adjudicación, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 13 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023, A LAS 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo sitio y servirá de tipo mínimo las dos terceras partes del precio pactada para la primera subasta, o sea, la suma de $62,880.00. Si la segunda subasta no produjere remate, ni adjudicación, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 20 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023, A LAS 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, a las 11:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar y regirá como tipo de la tercera subasta la mitad del precio pactado para la primera, o sea, la suma de $47,160.00. Dicha Subasta se llevará a cabo, para con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor, a saber: Dicha venta se llevará

a efecto, para con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante el importe de su Sentencia, a saber: la suma principal de OCHENTA Y UN MIL SETECIENTOS SETENTA Y TRES DOLARES CON CUARENTA Y DOS CENTAVOS ($81,773.42), más intereses convenidos al SEIS Y CINCO OCTAVOS POR CIENTO (6 5/8) anual, pactando el pago de una suma igual al 10% de la obligación principal para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado desde el 1ro. de septiembre de 2016, hasta el presente y los que se continúen acumulando hasta su total y completo pago, por la cantidad de NUEVE MIL CUATROCIENTOS TREINTA Y DOS ($9,432.00) más cualquier otra suma que surjan de la faz de la anterior obligación y de la hipoteca que la garantiza por medio de la propiedad. Si no se produjese remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta el tipo mínimo para la segunda subasta serán dos terceras partes de la cantidad fijada para la primera subasta, sino se produjese remate o adjudicación en la segunda subasta, servirá como el tipo mínimo para la tercera subasta, la mitad de la cantidad fijada para la primera subasta. Para más información, a las personas interesadas se les notifica que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado, estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal, durante las horas laborables. Este EDICTO DE SUBASTA, se publicará en los lugares públicos correspondientes y en un periódico de circulación general en la jurisdicción de Puerto Rico. 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 continuaran 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. Se procederá a otorgar la correspondiente Escritura de Venta Judicial y el Alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial al nuevo dueño, si así se lo solicita dentro del término de veinte (20) días, de conformidad con las disposiciones de Ley. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el Tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del deudor la ocupen. Se informa que la propiedad objeto de ejecución se adquiere libre de cargas y gravámenes poste-

Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S.

A: MARÍA LUISA ALICEA CRUZ, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA COMO MARÍA L. ALICEACRUZ, MARÍA ALICIA CRUZ, MARÍA LUISA ALICEA, MARÍA L. ALICEA Y COMO MARÍA ALICEA.

Queden emplazados y notificados que en este Tribunal se ha radicado Demanda sobre Ejecución de Hipoteca en su contra. Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto y deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), el cual podrá acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar Sentencia en Rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su discreción, lo entiende procedente. Los abogados de la parte demandante son:

Lcdo. Andrés Sáez Marrero

T.S.P.R. Núm. 18074

TROMBERG, MORRIS & POULIN, LLC

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

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 11 de mayo de 2023. LCDA. KANELLY M. ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA GENERAL.

MARICRUZ APONTE ALICEA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE ARECIBO

LA PAZ PHARMACY INC.

Demandante V.

TENSHI CORPORATION; JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y

JUANA DEL PUEBLO Y CUALESQUIER PERSONA

DESCONOCIDA CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA OBLIGACIÓN CUYA

CANCELACIÓN POR

DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: AR2023CV00798. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

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

Por la presente se le notifica que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal una Demanda en su contra en el pleito de epígrafe. En este caso la parte demandante ha radicado una Demanda para que se decrete judicialmente el saldo de un (1) pagaré hipotecario a favor de Tenshi Corporation, por la suma de $300,000.00. El pagaré por fue suscrito el día 27 de enero de 2017, ante el notario Kelvindranath Perez Gutierrez, garantizado por hipoteca constituida mediante la Escritura número 1, otorgada en Arecibo, Puerto Rico, presentada al asiento 2017-057530-AR01, finca

37,667, sobre la siguiente propiedad: RÚSTICA: Parcela de terreno rotulada Parcela 1 en el Plano de Inscripción radicado en el Barrio Hato Abajo de Arecibo, Puerto Rico, compuesta de dos mil trescientos dos punto doscientos setenta y ocho metros cuadrados de terreno (2,302.278 mc). En lindes por el NORTE, con la Sucesión de José Ramón Vélez; por el SUR, con parcela de terreno rotulada en el Plano de Inscripción, para Uso Público; por el ESTE, con parcela de terreno rotulada parcela 2-A en el Plano de Inscripción; y por el OESTE, con Avenida San Daniel que discurre en dirección de Norte a Sur. Finca 37,667, inscrita al folio 140 del tomo 1,230 de Arecibo, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección I de Arecibo. La parte demandante alega que dicho pagaré ha sido saldado según más detalladamente consta en la Demanda radicada que puede examinarse en la Secretaría de este Tribunal. Por tratarse de una obligación hipotecaria y pudiendo usted tener interés en este caso o quedar afectado por el remedio solicitado, se le emplaza por este edicto que se publicará una vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general de Puerto Rico. 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 direc-

ción electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, y notifique con copia de ella a la abogada de la parte demandante la Lcda. Zilmarie

Delgado Pieras, 33 Calle Resolución, Suite 302, San Juan, PR 00920-2727; Tel. (787) 7826500, dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto, apercibiéndole que de no hacerlo así dentro del término indicado, el Tribunal podrá anotar su rebeldía y dictar sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle.

EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, en Arecibo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 15 de mayo de 2023. VIVIAN Y.

FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ALEXANDRA ÁLVAREZ NATAL, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN

JUAN SALA SUPERIOR BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V.

MARCELINO PEREZ

HERNANDEZ

Demandado

Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV05849.

(604). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y Ejecución de Hipoteca por la Vía Ordinaria. AVISO DE VENTA EN PÚBLICA SUBASTA. Yo, PEDRO HIEYE GONZÁLEZ, Alguacil de la División de Subastas del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, a la demandada y al público en general, les notifico que, cumpliendo con un Mandamiento que se ha librado en el presente caso, por el Secretario del Tribunal, con fecha 12 de abril de 2023 y para satisfacer la Sentencia por la cantidad de $129,558.56 de principal; dictada en el caso de epígrafe el 2 de febrero de 2023, notificada y archivada en autos el 9 de febrero de 2023 y publicada mediante edicto el día 14 de febrero de 2023, en el periódico “The San Juan Daily Star”; procederé a vender en pública subasta, al mejor postor en pago de contado y en moneda del curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América, todo derecho, título e interés que haya tenido, tenga o pueda tener la deudora demandada en cuanto a la propiedad localizada en el: Municipio de San Juan, Puerto Rico, los bienes inmuebles se describen a continuación: 1034 Carmen Buzzello St., Ext. Country Club Development, San Juan, PR; 6-EL, Calle 52, Ext. Country Club, San Juan, PR. Descripción: URBANA: Solar marcado con el número seis (6) del bloque “EL” del plano de inscripción de la Segunda Extensión de

la Urbanización Country Club, situado en el Barrio Sabana Llana de la Municipalidad de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 300.15 metros cuadrados y colinda al NORTE, en 13.05 metros, con la calle #52; al SUR, en 13.05 metros, con ramal Este Highway; al ESTE, en 23.00 metros, con solar #7; y al OESTE, en igual medida con el solar #5. En este solar enclava una casa de concreto reforzado con bloques de concreto para usos residenciales.

Finca #6321, inscrita al Folio 141 del Tomo 144 de Sabana Llana, Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección Quinta (V). Con el importe de dicha venta se habrá de satisfacer a la parte demandante las cantidades adeudadas, según la Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, por el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, cuyas cantidades ascienden a $129,558.56 de principal, 7.5% de intereses, los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta el saldo total de la deuda; $1,234.65 de cargos por demora, los cuales continúan acumulándose hasta el saldo total de la deuda; más costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado. El tipo mínimo para la subasta será la suma de tasación pactada, la cual es $151,800.00 para la propiedad descrita. Si no produjere remate o adjudicación la primera subasta, se procederá a una segunda subasta y servirá de tipo mínimo la cantidad de $101,200.00. Si tampoco hubiere remate ni adjudicación en esta segunda subasta, se procederá a una tercera subasta, en ésta el tipo mínimo será la cantidad de $75,900.00. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta se dará por terminado el procedimiento, pudiendo adjudicarse a opción del demandante. Para el lote descrito, la primera subasta se llevará a cabo el día 21 DE JUNIO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA. De no comparecer postor alguno se llevará a efecto una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 28 DE JUNIO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA. De no comparecer postor alguno se llevará a cabo una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 6 DE JULIO DE 2023, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA. La subasta o subastas antes indicadas se llevarán a efecto en mi oficina, localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de San Juan. De Estudio de Título realizado no surgen gravámenes preferentes ni posteriores que deban ser cancelados. Se le advierte a los licitadores que la adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el mismo acto de la adjudicación en moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica, giro postal o cheque de gerente a nombre del Alguacil

del Tribunal y para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda(s) aquella(s) persona(s) que tengan interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, y para conocimiento de los licitadores y el público en general y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general, una vez por semana durante el término de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, y para su fijación en tres (3) lugares públicos del municipio en que ha de celebrarse la venta, tales como, la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía y se le notificará además a la parte demandada vía correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. Se les advierte a todos los interesados que todos los documentos relacionados con la presente acción de ejecución de hipoteca, así como la de la subasta, estarán disponibles para ser examinados en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titulación y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere al crédito de ejecutante, continuarán subsiguientes entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores, previa orden judicial dirigida al Registrador de la Propiedad de la sección correspondiente para la cancelación de aquellos posteriores. Y para conocimiento de la demandada, de los acreedores posteriores, de los licitadores, partes interesadas y público en general, expido el presente Aviso para su publicación en los lugares públicos correspondientes. Librado en San Juan, Puerto Rico, a 15 de mayo de 2023. PEDRO HIEYE GONZÁLEZ, ALGUACIL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE VEGA BAJA VACATION OWNERSHIPLENDING, L.P.

Demandante Vs. JAMES ALLAN MORROW, SANDRA KAYE MORROW Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES MORROW, COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados

Civil Núm.: VB2023CV00355. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE

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

A: JAMES ALLAN MORROW, SANDRA KAYE MORROW Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES MORROW, COMPUESTA

POR AMBOS, SIENDO USTEDES LA PARTE DEMANDADA ARRIBA MENCIONADA. Se les notifica a ustedes que se ha radicado mediante el sistema SUMAC una Demanda por la parte demandante VACATION OWNERSHIP LENDING, L.P. solicitando un Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca. Se les emplaza y se les requiere que notifiquen a GARRIGA & MARINI LAW OFFICES, C.S.P., P.O. Box 16593, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00908-6593, teléfono (787) 275-0655, telefax (800) 481-7130, copia de su contestación a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Ustedes deberán presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual pueden acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se representen por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberán presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Vega Baja. Si dejaren de contestar podrá anotarse la rebeldía y dictarse contra ustedes sentencia en rebeldía concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarles ni oírles. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, a tenor con la Orden del Tribunal, hoy día 16 de mayo de 2023. LCDA LAURA L. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. MARITZA ROSARIO ROSARIO, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOT ICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA REGIÓN JUDICIAL DE ARECIBO SALA SUPERIOR DE CIALES BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. SUCESION DE JOSE CHIMELIS SANCHEZ COMPUESTA POR ANETTE CHIMELIZ, FULANO DE TAL, FULANA DE TAL, SUTANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL, A, B Y C COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS, SECRETARIO DE HACIENDA DEL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO

DE PUERTO RICO, SECRETARIO DE JUSTICIA DEL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO

Demandado

Civil Núm.: CI2023CV00040.

Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S.

A: SUCESIÓN DE JOSE CHIMELIS SÁNCHEZ COMPUESTA POR ANETTE CHIMELIS, FULANO DE TAL, FULANA DE TAL, SUTANO DE TAL, SUTANA DE TAL, A, B Y C COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN.

Por la presente se le emplaza y notifica que debe contestar la demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del presente edicto, radicando el original de la contestación ante el Tribunal y sala que se menciona en el epígrafe de este edicto con copia a la parte aquí demandante. Se le apercibe que, de no contestar la demanda dentro del término aquí estipulado, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia sin más citarle ni oírle.

Por la presente el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, conforme al caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 DPR 689 (2005), le ordena que en el término de treinta (30) días, haga declaración aceptando o repudiando las herencias de la SUCESION DE JOSE CHIMELIS SANCHEZ. Se le apercibe que de no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar la herencia dentro del término que se le fijó, las herencias se tendrán por aceptadas. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Se le apercibe que de no contestar la demanda dentro del término aquí estipulado, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia sin más citarle ni oírle. El abogado de la parte demandante es: Lcda. Melisa Figueroa Castro, 1225 Ave. Ponce de León, Edif. VIG Tower, Suite 706, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00907, Tel. (787) 977-1932, Fax (787) 722-1932. Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 11

de mayo de 2023. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. JANETTE GONZÁLEZ VARGAS, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

ALINA ALICIA VEYTIA BONELLY Demandante Vs PREFERRED MORTGAGE CORP, JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO Y CUALESQUIER PERSONA DESCONOCIDA POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA OBLIGACIÓN CUYA CANCELACIÓN POR DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV02436. (504). Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO POR SUMAC.

A: JUAN DEL PUEBLO Y JUANA DEL PUEBLO COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES Y CUALESQUIER PERSONA DESCONOCIDA CON POSIBLE INTERÉS EN LA OBLIGACIÓN CUYA CANCELACIÓN POR DECRETO JUDICIAL SE SOLICITA. EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 15 de mayo 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 17 de mayo de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 17 de mayo de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. LUCRECIA PAGÁN

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. De no contestar la demanda radicando el original de la contestación ante la secretaria del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Región Judicial de Carolina, Sala de Carolina, y notificar copia de la contestación de esta a la parte demandante por conducto de su abogada, GLS LEGAL SERVICES, LLC, Atención: Lcda. Genevieve López Stipes, Dirección: P.O. Box 367308, San Juan, P.R. 009367308, Teléfono: 787-758-6550, dentro de los próximos sesenta (60) días a partir de la publicación de este emplazamiento por edicto, que será publicado una sola vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general en la isla de Puerto Rico, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia, concediendo el remedio solicitando en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. Vista la interpelación judicial presentada por la parte demandante al amparo del Artículo 1578 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico se ordena a Edwin Ramos Rivera, Víctor Rivera; Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal como miembros de nombres desconocidos de la Sucesión de Carmen Loydi Rivera Fernández t/c/c Carmen L. Rivera Fernández t/c/c Carmen Rivera Fernández t/c/c Carmen Loydi Rivera t/c/c Carmen L. Rivera t/c/c Carmen Rivera que notifiquen si aceptan o repudian la herencia de la causante dentro del plazo de 30 días contados a partir de la notificación de la orden. Se le apercibe que de no comparecer en dicho termino a aceptar o repudiar la herencia, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal hoy 19 de mayo de 2023. KANELLY

ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA. LILLIAM ORTIZ NIEVES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA

TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INS-

TANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

ALEXANDER ALTAGRACIA

AGUASVIVAS TRONCOSO

Parte Demandante Vs.

JOSÉ VÉLEZ RUIZ;

SINFOROZA FIGUEROA; TERESITA VÉLEZ

FIGUEROA; CARMEN

VÉLEZ FIGUEROA; JOSEFINA VÉLEZ

MORALES; MERCEDES

VÉLEZ MORALES;

ANTONIA RIVERA; HILDA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; JOSÉ

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; MARITZA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; ARMANDO

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; AIDA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; NILSA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; JOHN DOE

Y RICHARD ROE

Parte Demandada

Civil Núm.: SJ2023CV02222.

Salón de Sesiones: 603. Sobre:

PRESCRIPCIÓN ADQUISITIVA DEL DOMINIO (CONTRA

TABULAS. NOTIFICACIÓN

DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO

POR SUMAC.

A: JOSÉ VÉLEZ RUIZ; SINFOROZA FIGUEROA; TERESITA VÉLEZ

FIGUEROA; CARMEN

VÉLEZ FIGUEROA; JOSEFINA VÉLEZ MORALES; MERCEDES

VÉLEZ MORALES;

ANTONIA RIVERA; HILDA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; JOSÉ

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; MARITZA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; ARMANDO

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; AIDA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; NILSA

VÉLEZ BÁEZ; JOHN DOE

Y RICHARD ROE.

EL SECRETARIO (A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 19 de mayo 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 esta. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los diez (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 19 de mayo de 2023. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 19 de mayo de 2023. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ

COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. JOHANNA RODRÍGUEZ BENÍTEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA DE CAROLINA

FIRSTBANK

PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. SUCESION DE LEO ANÍBAL HIRALDO

LUGO Y SUCESION DE FRANCISCA SOSA SOSA, ET AL.

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CN2023CV00185.

Salón Núm.: 401. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA Y COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO E INTERPELACIÓN. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE ÁMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: FULANO Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE LEO ANÍBAL HIRALDO LUGO Y DE LA SUCESIÓN DE FRANCISCA SOSA SOSA.

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.

Marie L. Quiñones Tañón, al PO BOX 9022512, San Juan, P.R. 00902-2512; Teléfono: (787)

724-0230. 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 julio 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 principal de $77,975.30, más intereses a razón del 5.00% anual desde el 1 de junio de 2020 hasta el presente y los que se continúen acumulando hasta su total y completo pago, más los cargos por demora que se corresponden a los plazos atrasados desde la fecha anteriormente indicada a razón de la tasa pactada de 4% de cualquier pago que éste en mora por más de quince (15) días desde la fecha de su vencimiento, más adelantos para el pago de seguros y contribuciones, entre otros; más una suma equivalente a $9,960.00, por concepto de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado todo según pactado. La parte

Demandante presentará 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: URBANA: Solar radicado en el Barrio Canóvanas, del término municipal de Loíza, Puerto Rico, marcado con el número seiscientos ocho del bloque “R” del plano de inscripción de la Urbanización Loíza Valley, con una cabida superficial de trescientos veinte metros cuadrados con cincuenticuatro centímetros cuadrados; en lindes por el NORTE, en catorce metros cuarentiun centímetros, con los solares seiscientos treinticinco y seiscientos treintiseis del Bloque “R”; por el SUR, en doce metros ochehtisiete centímetros, con la calle Buganvilla (diez y nueve); por el ESTE, en veintitrés metros cincuenta centímetros con el solar seiscientos nueve del Bloque “R”; y por el OESTE, en veintitrés metros cincuenta centímetros, con el solar seiscientos siete del bloque “R”. Enclava una casa de una sola planta de concreto reforzado y bloques de concreto para fines residenciales. Consta inscrita al folio 116 del tomo 185 Canóvanas, finca número #828. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección III de Carolina. SE LES ORDENA a ustedes a que dentro del término legal de treinta (30) días, contados a partir de la fecha de notificación de la presente Orden, acepten o repudien la participación que les corresponda en la herencia de la DE LA SUCESION DE LEO ANÍBAL HIRALDO LUGO Y DE LA SUCESIÓN DE FRANCISCA SOSA SOSA. De no hacerlo dentro de dicho término, se dará la herencia por aceptada. 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 dictara sentencia, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal en Carolina, Puerto Rico. A 17 de mayo de 2023. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. KEILA GARCÍA SOLÍS, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE

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

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante v. SUCESION DE MANUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ GARCIA, COMPUESTA POR SUS HEREDEROS CONOCIDOS, NANCY

CORTES IRIZARRY, MANUEL JOSE JIMENEZ CORTES Y MANUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ CORTES, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTE CON INTERES EN LA SUCESION; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA

Demandadd(a)

Civil: MZ2021CV01294. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCION DE HIPOTECA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: FULANO DE T AL y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERES EN LA SUCESION DE MANUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ GARCIA (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que 25 de abril 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 representado 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 19 de mayo de 2023. En Mayagüez , Puerto Rico, el de mayo de 2023. LCDA. NORMA G. SANTANA IRIZARRY, Secretario(a). f/Nilda Torres Acevedo, Secretario(a) Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. MARGARITA COLÓN

DÍAZ Y GIOVANNA VILA COLÓN;

(HUD)

Parte Demandada

Civil Núm.: CG2023CV00404. (801). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO, EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS E.E.U.U., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: MARGARITA COLÓN DÍAZ A SUS ÚLTIMAS DIRECCIONES CONOCIDAS E INFORMADAS: CERRO CEIBA, 31 CALLE ESPERANZA, JUNCOS, PR 00777-9831, CERRO CEIBA, 31 CALLE B, JUNCOS, PR 00777, PO BOX 3059, JUNCOS, PR 00777-6059. Queda usted notificado que en este Tribunal se ha radicado demanda sobre ejecución de hipoteca por la vía ordinaria en la que se alega se adeuda las siguientes cantidades: $166,803.57 de principal, más intereses sobre dicha suma al 3.375% anual desde el 1 de julio de 2022 hasta su completo pago, más $202.60 de recargos acumulados, los cuales continuarán en aumento hasta el saldo total de la deuda, más la cantidad estipulada de $17,183.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados, así como cualquier otra suma que contenga el contrato del préstamo, incluyendo pero sin limitarse a gastos de mantenimiento, inspecciones y otros adelantos “corporate advances”. La propiedad que garantiza hipotecariamente el préstamo es la siguiente: URBANA: Solar número 31 de la calle B de la Urbanización Cerro Gordo, radicada en el Barrio Ceiba Sur del término municipal de Juncos, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 1,468.67 metros cuadrados. Colinda por el NORTE: en una distancia de 33.160 metros con terrenos propiedad de la Sucesión Juan G. Acevedo; por el SUR: en una distancia de 46.401 metros con el lote número 19 de la calle B; por el OESTE: en una distancia de 35.00 metros con el lote número 30; por el ESTE: en una distancia de 43.927 metros con creek. Enclava una casa. Inscrita al folio 33 del tomo 422 de Juncos, Finca 16018. Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección II. La escritura de hipoteca consta inscrita al folio 82 del tomo 449 de Juncos, Finca 16018. Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección II. Inscripción sexta. La escritura de modificación de hipoteca consta inscrita al tomo Karibe de Juncos, Finca 16018. Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas, Sección II. Inscripción séptima. La demandante es la tenedora por endoso, por valor recibi-

do y de buena fe del referido pagaré objeto de la presente acción. La parte demandada deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal. Se le advierte que si no contesta la demanda, radicando el original de la contestación en este Tribunal y enviando copia de la contestación a la abogada de la parte demandante, Lcda. Belma Alonso García, cuya dirección es: PO Box 3922, Guaynabo PR 00970-3922, Teléfonos: (787) 789-1826 y (787) 708-0566, correo electrónico: oficinabelmaalonso@gmail.com, dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto, excluyéndose el día de la publicación, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará Sentencia en su contra, concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal, hoy 18 de mayo de 2023 en Caguas, Puerto Rico. LISILDA MARTÍNEZ AGOSTO, SECRETARIA. SANDRA J. TRINIDAD CAÑUELA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC

COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

Demandante V. OMARILYS J. CANALES LOPEZ

Demandado(a)

Civil: VB2022CV00882. Sala:

502. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: OMARILYS J. CANALES LOPEZ. (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 19 de mayo 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 19 de mayo de 2023. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico, el 19 de mayo de 2023. LCDA. LAURA I. SANTA SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. SANDRA I. BÁEZ HERNÁNDEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE ARECIBO BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS

Demandado(a)

Civil Núm.: AR2023CV00411. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS. (Nombre de las partes a las que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 23 de mayo 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 23 de mayo de 2023. En Arecibo, Puerto Rico, el 23 de mayo de 2023. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA. YANITZA IGLESIAS MALDONADO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

MLB’s new rules have baseball in overdrive

By TYLER KEPNER

Nearly two months into baseball’s pitch-clock era, you sometimes wonder how the sport ever got so slow. Why did we endure standstill traffic on a ride that could have been much smoother?

“It was Red Sox/Yankees — a lot of people in these parts, they certainly know about that,” Scott Servais, the manager of the Seattle Mariners, said with a smile last week before a game at Fenway Park in Boston. “I mean, it was four hours every night. Just a regular 4-2 game was 3 hours and 40 minutes. It’s sped up things a lot.”

The game Servais’ team played that night would not evoke the prose of Angell or Updike. Mariners pitchers allowed 12 runs and 16 hits, while Red Sox pitchers issued eight walks. There were two hit batters, three errors, 10 pitchers and 19 runners left on base. Yet it took only 2 hours 57 minutes — faster than the average major league game in each of the last seven seasons.

“The first five innings of a game fly by,” Servais said. “We’ve got two or three hits, they’ve got two or three hits and you look up and it’s the fifth inning and we’re not even at an hour. It’ll slow down a little bit from there, but there are some nights where I’m thinking, ‘We’re going to get this done in like an hour and 50 minutes.’”

Indeed, a few days later on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” — the stage for so many of those notorious marathons between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees — the New York Mets and the Cleveland Guardians finished in a tidy 2 hours 6 minutes, the fastest “Sunday Night Baseball” game in eight years.

For veteran players, the pitch clock — the most prominent of several rule changes in Major League Baseball this season — has required a recalibration of the sport’s familiar rhythms. But the results are impossible to ignore: Through Monday, the average time of a nine-inning game was 2 hours 37 minutes, which would be the fastest MLB pace since 1984. Last season’s average, through the same number of days, was 3 hours 5 minutes.

The average time of a nine-inning game had never been as high as three hours until 2014. After a slight dip in 2015, it had been at least three hours ever since. Think of MLB as the lenient parent who suddenly got strict. The kids were staying out too late, so now there’s a curfew: 15 seconds with the bases empty, 20 seconds with runners on base.

“If there was a way to deliver the pace without the clock, we would have done it 20 years ago,” said Morgan Sword, MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations.

“We started Day 1 of spring training with rigid enforcement of all these new rules, and we felt that that was the best way to help players through that adjustment period and to get to the other side,” Sword continued. “And as we saw in the minor leagues, once you’re on the other side, violations occur in less than half of games and are not a big part of the competition — but you feel the benefit of the clock every single pitch all night.”

The rule changes, Sword said, have worked as MLB intended. With bigger bases and a limit on pickoff attempts per plate appearance, stolen-base attempts are up to 1.8 per game, the most since 2012, and the 78.7% success rate is the highest in history. With a ban on defensive shifts that positioned more than two infielders on one side of the diamond, batting average on balls in play is up to .298, an increase of six points from last year — and fielding is back in style.

“You can’t hide the second baseman on the shift anymore,” Red Sox shortstop Kiké Hernández said. “I feel like there were a lot of really offensive second basemen that didn’t necessarily field their position that well, but they could get away with playing second base because they got hidden in the shift. Now you’ve got to be a little more athletic again.”

In some ways, the shift was like a cheat code. The data showed where a batter would

most likely hit a ball, so defenders stationed themselves accordingly. Without the shift, intuitive infielders with a passion for preparation have an edge.

“I like the spacing of how the defense is now; it’s just so pure,” said Seattle’s Kolten Wong, a two-time Gold Glove winner at second base. “You’ve got to really pay attention to pitch calling, hitter tendencies, what guys are trying to do in certain situations. It makes the game more intriguing.”

Wong, a left-handed hitter, has not seen a benefit on offense; he is batting under .200. Overall, though, left-handers are hitting 37 points higher on pulled ground balls and 28 points higher on pulled line drives. Future generations of lefties may never know the angst of their predecessors.

“It was a nightmare,” said Matt Joyce, a former outfielder who hit .242 in a 14-year career through 2021. “It drove me nuts. The argument for me was that, if it affected righties the same, OK. But you were just basically killing left-handed hitters, which was obviously not fair. They’re definitely getting rewarded for good contact now, because there’s a lot more holes.”

Joyce is now a television analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays, who have thrived on the bases. The Rays had 53 stolen bases through Monday, tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the most in MLB.

The question remains whether the faster pace is affecting player health.

Speaking generally about the pitch clock,

Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder said the hurry-up pace clashed with the modern approach to pitching.

“It’s power-lifting every 15 seconds,” Snyder said. “It’s everything they have. Nobody’s out there holding anything back in 2023. It’s a lot more power and less art than it used to be, and now they have less time to recover in between.”

Pitchers can reset the clock by disengaging from the rubber twice per plate appearance, though only with a runner on base. They have a few other tricks to buy a few seconds here and there, but nothing to markedly change their mental or physical pacing.

“It’s important to slow the game down when you get into trouble, and you don’t really have that opportunity,” Boston reliever Richard Bleier said. “You can only throw so many balls into the dugout before they just tell you no.”

Chicago White Sox reliever Joe Kelly, a former starter, predicted in spring training that injuries to starters would “skyrocket” because their muscles need more time to recover between pitches than the clock allows. That hasn’t quite happened, but it might be a matter of perspective.

From spring training through Day 55 of the regular season (Monday), pitchers had been placed on the injured list 232 times, compared to 204 last year. Then again, spring training was shorter in 2022 because of the lockout — from Day 2 of this regular season through Day 55, pitcher IL placements are down slightly, to 109 from 111.

The true impact of the new rules will take years to assess. With power pitching harder to execute, will finesse pitching become more popular? With less time on the field, will position players feel stronger as the season wears on? With a more appealing product, will attendance — up by 6% from last year at the same point — continue to rise?

This much we know already: A whole lot of dead time is gone, and nobody wants it back. Clear the weeds from the garden, and the good stuff has more room to flourish.

“Apart from the pacing of it, the product is just cleaner,” said Howie Rose, the radio voice of the Mets. “Guys are still striking out way too much, pitchers are still walking way too many, guys are still trying to yank the ball out of the park. But because the ball is always being delivered, whether it’s in play or not, it just heightens your senses. And for me, that’s a real welcome thing.”

The pitch clock looms over everything, keeping both pitchers and hitters in line with the faster pace of play.

In Formula 1 it’s been a Red Bull season

By PHILLIP HORTON

Formula 1 has become the Red Bull roadshow.

It has won all five Grands Prix this season, four of them one-two finishes, and has amassed 224 points from a possible 235.

“That race pace advantage, I think, is quite big at the moment,” said reigning champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, after winning the Miami Grand Prix despite starting ninth.

Red Bull has been ahead of the next-best team by at least 20 seconds at four of the races — at the other, in Australia, the race finished behind the safety car, which bunched the field.

Red Bull’s car, designated the RB19, is an evolution of its title-winning RB18, which had early-season weight and understeering issues that were fixed.

“It’s the best start we’ve had,” said Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal. “We feel we’ve made a good step from RB18 into RB19, the kind of step you would expect.”

Verstappen, seeking a third successive title, has a 14-point lead over his teammate Sergio Pérez. He has two wins to Verstappen’s three.

Verstappen is the overwhelming favorite for the championship, and Pérez is realistically his only competition. Last season, Verstappen won 15 races, Pérez two. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, in third place, is 44 points behind Verstappen.

Alonso said in Miami that “our main focus, to be honest, is just looking behind and trying to keep Mercedes and Ferrari in the Constructors’ championship under control.”

That leaves just two for the title, and Horner is confident there will be no discord between his drivers.

“I think that it’s a luxury problem, first of all,” Horner said on having two title-contending drivers. “I think any team principal in the pit lane would hope to have that issue.

“The key thing is to ensure that paranoia doesn’t creep in, and that both drivers are treated equally. You go to pains to provide equality, to the point of who drives out the garage first each weekend, you know, it alternates. It even alternates in the debrief who talks first.”

At the last race in Miami, the pair ran different tire strategies, leading to an on-track battle in which Verstappen prevailed.

“We know we are free to race,” Verstappen said. “Of course, most importantly, is that we don’t touch.”

Pérez said they had to put the team ahead of themselves.

“We are just two drivers, but there’s so many people working back home and working really hard, we have to show respect,” he

said.

Red Bull’s advantage has been aided by its expected rivals, Mercedes and Ferrari, faltering. “I think it’s surprised us that the others have perhaps underdelivered compared to where they were last year,” Horner said.

Mercedes, which won eight consecutive

Constructors’ titles from 2014 through 2021, slumped to third in 2022. Its W13 was derailed by chronic porpoising, when the car bounces. Once that was remedied, Mercedes began to extract better performance. That prompted the team to retain its design concept when developing its next car, the W14.

As early as the first race in Bahrain, however, Mercedes realized the car did not perform well when pushed to its maximum.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, said Bahrain was one of Mercedes’ “worst days in racing,” adding that the W14 “lacked pace front, right and center” after it was almost one second per lap slower than Red Bull. In Miami, Wolff described the W14 as “poisonous” given its inconsistency.

The team then brought back its former technical director, James Allison, replacing Mike Elliott, who became chief technical officer.

Mercedes is third in the championship, 128 points behind Red Bull, with one finish on the podium.

Ferrari has also had a sobering season. It hired a new team boss, recruiting Frédéric Vasseur from Alfa Romeo Racing, but Ferrari’s car, the SF-23, whose design predated Vasseur’s appointment, has been insipid, and the team is in fourth.

Ferrari has suffered from high tire degradation, inconsistency with tire usage and wind sensitivity. Its reliability has also been flawed, with engine failures forcing its driver Charles Leclerc to retire in Bahrain, which, under FIA rules, penalized his starting position in Saudi Arabia. Leclerc, a distant runner-up to Verstappen in 2022, is seventh in points, 85 behind Verstappen.

“What we are lacking is consistency on the car,” Leclerc said. “It’s not even from corner to corner, it’s just in the same corner I can have a huge oversteer balance and then a huge understeer balance. This is just very difficult as a driver to gain the confidence.”

Ferrari and Mercedes have upgraded their cars, but they are still uncertain of the exact solution.

“We need to manage our own expectations,” Wolff said. “I have never in my 15 years in Formula 1 seen a silver bullet being introduced, where suddenly you unlock half a second of performance.”

Red Bull will not be standing still, either, and it continues to adjust its car.

No team has won every Grand Prix in a season, but McLaren almost did in 1988, winning 15 of that season’s 16 races, a 94% winning percentage.

Red Bull is, of course, at 100%, but there are many races left until the season ends in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in November.

“Big gains could come quickly. We’ve got a great car, a great team, two great drivers,” Horner said, pausing. “You know, there’s still a long way to go.”

Sergio Peréz, left, and Max Verstappen have led Red Bull to the first five wins of the season.

Peréz during the Miami Grand Prix. He finished second behind Verstappen.

Sudoku

How to Play:

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

Sudoku Rules:

Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

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

Crossword

Answers on page 30

Aries (Mar 21-April 20)

The desire to meet with a romantic partner and look and feel your best could give rise to a lot of short journeys in your area. Perhaps you will want to work out, buy some new clothes, or get a haircut. This might be a good idea. Passions promise to run high today. Stimulating conversations could bring fascinating information to light.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)

It’s time to stop acting like you think others want to see you act, Taurus. The planetary configuration confirms that it’s time to express yourself - your emotions, desires, and point of view - to take a firmer stand and define more clearly who you are to others and to yourself. Second-guessing potential reactions will ultimately get you nowhere.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)

Your energy is high and your stamina particularly strong today. Working out or playing sports could appeal to you now. Running or aerobics could offer valuable exercise and clear your head to allow for new ideas. You also should feel particularly passionate. If you’re involved with someone, Gemini, expect a great evening. If not, don’t be surprised if you get some admiring glances.

Cancer (June 22-July 23)

A reunion with a family member who has been away or out of touch could generate some powerful emotions, Cancer. Memories could come flooding back, making you both nostalgic and maybe a bit angry. Take care to curb the latter. You don’t want to spoil your reunion. Take a long, objective look at the memories and try to figure out what they mean to you now. Then let them go.

Leo (July 24-Aug 23)

Today your mind is likely to be on travel, Leo. You might have to spend a lot of time running errands in the car. You could also be planning a long vacation, perhaps one centered on a group function or seminar of some sort. Your physical energy is high, but there’s still a danger of tiring yourself out. Relax at home this evening.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 23)

Today you might decide to put in some extra hours on the job or take on an extra project of some sort in order to bring in a little more money. Since you’re feeling strong and energetic enough to move mountains, Virgo, you need to take care not to overexert yourself. Work hard and earn your money, but pace yourself. Try to get a little exercise before going to bed.

Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

Passion and determination mark today. Your energy should be high, Libra, and you should feel strong and powerful. This is the perfect day to give whatever goals you’ve been trying to accomplish that one last push toward completion. You may surprise yourself with the power and quality of your work and the positive attention your efforts receive.

Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)

Your inner power and awareness should be acute today, Scorpio. Some intense dreams and revelations could come from deep within, allowing you to release old traumas and phobias, and enabling you to move ahead with more confidence. Physical energy is high, though you may feel you need more sleep than usual. Your intuition is also sharp, enabling you to be more in touch with others. Use it!

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Working toward goals you share with others could bring you closer together as friends and lovers, Sagittarius. The whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. You’re likely to produce better results as a group or partnership than you would have otherwise. This is an “all pull together” sort of day. Romantically, you may have an exciting, passionate encounter!

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20)

Today you might face a task that seems as workable as emptying the ocean with a teacup. But with help from others, you will not only be able to handle it but also produce exceptional results. Physically, you’re likely to feel full of strength and stamina, ready to move mountains. Don’t be too surprised if you actually manage to budge a few!

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)

The desire to travel, perhaps to visit a close friend, may come up today, Aquarius. You may put a lot of energy into exploring the possibilities. You might also want to travel to places where you can get some artistic inspiration for creative projects. Your energy and enthusiasm are high, so you should be able to accomplish this without neglecting your other chores.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

Expect a lot of activity in your home today, Pisces. A group, perhaps a large one, hosted by you or a family member could meet there and provoke stimulating conversations. You could get caught up in the energy, putting you in touch with a new awareness of your feelings. Tonight, expect vivid dreams of travel, strange places, or flying.

Speed Bump