Friday to Sunday May 29-31, 2020

May 29-31, 2020

San Juan The

DAILY

‘Space Force’: Steve Carell in a Familiar Orbit, But on Netflix

Star 50¢

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COVID-19 in PR More Complex Than a Curve Head of Physicians Association Says Chief Concerns Are Tests, HospitalOccupancy and Large Gatherings at Beaches, Rivers, Parks Sounds the Alarm: This Isn’t Over; Cases to Rise Over Next Two Weeks

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$2 Million Bail for Casellas Toro

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NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL P 19

WIPR Left Without a Penny and Counting the Days

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The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

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$71.13 $97.81 $168.05 $240.96

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May 29-31, 2020

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.

Zero hour arrives at WIPR

Today’s

Weather Day

Night

High

Low

89ºF

By JOSÉ A. SÁNCHEZ FOURNIER @SanchezFournier Special to The Star

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76ºF

Precip 40%

Precip 10%

Rain Showers

Partly Cloudy

Wind: Humidity: UV Index: Sunrise: Sunset:

After June 30 the public corporation will no longer receive gov’t funds; management has no clear plan for what comes next

From SSE 13 mph 69% 8 of 10 5:47 AM Local Time 6:56 PM Local Time

INDEX Local 3 Mainland 7 Business 11 International 14 Viewpoint 18 Noticias en Español 19 Entertainment 20 22 Wine

Kitchen Science Legals Sports Games Horoscope Cartoons

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he clock is about to strike midnight at the Puerto Rico Corporation for Public Broadcasting, whose last government-subsidized budget will run out on June 30.

The federal Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) announced on Wednesday that it did not allocate funds for the public corporation -- commonly known on the island by its call letters WIPR -- in the upcoming fiscal year budget.

The television station’s president, however, insisted on Thursday that “WIPR will not close on my watch.”

“The FOMB will not close WIPR while I am here,” Eric Delgado said during an interview with WKAQ radio. “What I have to do is resolve the employee situation, and if I have to do whatever is necessary, such as working toward a not-for-profit model like they asked, well then I will continue in that direction because that is what they asked for.”

Delgado said his administration’s plan A was a bill they authored which would be presented to the Legislative Assembly. However, the current coronavirus pandemic emergency, which has practically frozen the island economy, also has probably killed any possibility of that plan coming to fruition.

“We wrote a bill but right now we don’t know what will happen to it,” Delgado said during the interview.

Plan B, he said, is to keep the corporation running by way of working agreements with the island Education Department and other similar contracts. These plans are in an advanced stage, Delgado said, with some agreements already in place.

If true, such a strategy could make the public corporation a fiscally independent entity, thereby satisfying the oversight board’s main concern: WIPR’s heavy reliance on government funds to cover operating costs.

Delgado said yearly payroll expenses hover around $470 million for some 116 full-time employees. They also have 50 independent contractors, whose salaries are not included in the aforementioned amount.

Delgado lamented that he had a very well organized plan to comply with the oversight board’s requirements, but that the COVID-10 pandemic threw a monkey wrench into it.

“That put us a few weeks behind schedule,” he said.

“But for the fiscal oversight and management board to take this position strikes me as very harsh. It’s not fair.”

The oversight board’s position is not news, however.

The plan to take WIPR out of the government’s budgetary concerns is more than a year old, with the public corporation being behind deadlines more often than not. The board extended deadlines on several occasions, but WIPR management never seemed able to catch up.

Although never a ratings juggernaut, WIPR has been known as a productive workshop for quality cultural programming. In recent decades, its news programming has also been recognized for its coverage of breaking news and for in-depth reporting.

General Workers Union (UGT by its Spanish initials) President Gerson L. Guzmán made a public call for unity in the fight to keep WIPR in operation.

The UGT has more than 80 union members working at the station.

Last Thursday, a caravan of more than 50 automobiles and 100-plus people participated in a demonstration to bring attention to the situation at WIPR. The marchers began at the station’s building in Hato Rey and made an unannounced stop at Pedro J. Rosselló Convention Center in Miramar, where Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced was scheduled to appear at a press conference. The demonstrators then finished their protest at the Capitol in Puerta de Tierra.

On that day, Guzmán said “there is a total sense of uncertainty [at WIPR].”

“We don’t know how they are planning to do it, or when, or what will happen with the specialized personnel that work at the station,” the union leader said. “There is no reason to turn the station over to private industry hands.”

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The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

Puerto Rico’s COVID-19 situation is more complex than simply looking at the infection curve Hospital occupancy, COVID-19 test results are the best tools for measuring the state of the pandemic on the island

By JOSÉ A. SÁNCHEZ FOURNIER Twitter: @SanchezFournier Special to The Star

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he public’s reaction to phase two of the government’s economic restart plan has caused alarm among healthcare professionals due to the numerous reports of people congregating in commercial areas and public spaces without following social distancing guidelines and acting as if the ongoing coronavirus pandemic were a thing of the distant past.

Although they are something that should raise eyebrows, those scenes do not tell the whole story, said Dr. Víctor Ramos, president of the Physicians & Surgeons Association of Puerto Rico.

“People are definitely coming out in considerable numbers. Businesses have their own health protocols that they follow, so despite how it looks, I really am not too worried about that part of the equation,” Ramos said Thursday during a telephone interview with The San Juan Daily Star. “What worries me the most are the public spaces -- parks, beaches, rivers -- places where the responsibilities of maintaining a safe level of social interaction falls in everybody’s hands and nobody’s hands at the same time.”

It is in these open public spaces where social contact is not directly monitored and where the misconduct of one individual can put many at risk.

“That type of behavior was the cause of the health disasters with COVID-19 in Spain and Italy, as well as in the United States,” Ramos said. “We must protect ourselves and those around us, too.”

He also explained which figure he thinks is more telling of the situation with the coronavirus on the island.

“The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases doesn’t really worry me,” Ramos said. “As long as we maintain the low occupancy rate we have seen in the hospitals, I believe we are safe. If we see that number going up, that is something to worry about immediately.”

During the COVID-19 islandwide emergency, the Health Department has closely monitored hospital occupancy rates and respirator machine use. Both have been kept low, which is a sign that the coronavirus has been kept in check.

An inevitable rise Ramos, a pediatrician, said there are several factors that will cause an inevitable rise in COVID-19 cases on the island during the next two weeks.

“My main concern is this: we know the number of infections is going to rise. That is to be expected, when the amount of people interacting rises suddenly like in this case,” he said. “And the number of people with the disease will also rise simply because there are now many more places where you can be tested [for COVID-19]. Now you can be tested in every town, so that also will be a factor in the number of cases going up.

“The only aspect where there still is work to be done is in the tracing of the coronavirus. And it should only be one model being used on the whole island, be

it the one instituted in [the municipality of] Villalba, or any other of their choosing. I have no personal preference. I only want there to be one [system] instituted, and that all pertinent data be held there.”

Ramos seems to maintain an even keel when analyzing the COVID-19 situation in Puerto Rico.

But he understands that even though the situation has not yet gone critical, the public must stay alert and continue abiding by the government health and social distancing guidelines, instead of going on a picnic as if the island is already past the pandemic.

“We definitely must sound the alarm and remind everyone that this is not over,” Ramos said. “And I think that the tragic death [on Wednesday] of the 27-year-old young woman galvanized the danger of this pandemic in the eyes of many. A healthy young person with no pre-existing conditions who was not misbehaving or ignoring the health guidelines. But she still caught the virus, got sick and died.

“And that sends a clear message: anyone can catch it. Nobody is immune. There are some ages that are more vulnerable, yes. But we can all catch the virus. The youngest confirmed case of a COVID19-related death was a six-week-old baby. In Puerto Rico thankfully we have not had a COVID-19 child death reported, but we are all vulnerable. And the reality is that we can catch it anywhere.”

“Until the day that we find a vaccine or an effective treatment for it, we must make sure we continue following health requirements and social distancing guidelines,” Ramos added. “The face mask is very important. It must cover both nose and mouth, not just the mouth or leaving the nose halfway exposed.

The mask is not a fashion accessory.”

Gov’t disburses another round of Economic Impact Payments

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

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ov. Wanda Vázquez Garced announced on Thursday the disbursement of $174.3 million in additional Economic Impact Payment incentives for another 103,815 citizens in Puerto Rico, along with other incentives and tax refunds for 2019.

“So far, we have deposited payments amounting to $1.3 billion to approximately 804,000 families, and we will continue distributing the remaining payments from the first two phases, in addition to starting work on the third phase, which mainly includes beneficiaries of the Nutritional Assistance Program and Social Security, and other citizens who are not obliged to file a return,” the governor said in a written statement.

The governor noted that of the total payments sent on Thursday, $126.3 million correspond to 74,890 taxpayers from the 2018 income tax return included in phase two of the distribution plan, and $48 million

to 28,925 phase one taxpayers, which are those who filed the 2019 return.

Vázquez said that, in the same way, the government continues to distribute other approved payments to self-employed workers affected by the closures order under the coronavirus public health emergency.

“Between the two funding allocations, we paid an additional $1 million to 1,502 self-employed,” she said. “We sent $408,500 in incentives of $500 and another $685,000 of the $1,000 check, which we hope will serve to alleviate the economic situation of these citizens.”

Meanwhile, commonwealth Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés Alicea added that “the [Treasury] Department sent new refund payments for the 2019 tax year of $19.8 million to 24,412 taxpayers.”

“With this payroll, during the past 15 days we have already sent a total of $56.4 million in refunds to 74,263 people,” Parés Alicea said. “On May 13, we paid a payroll of $28.3 million and on May

18, another of $8.3 million.”

Regarding loans for seniors 65 years of age and older and low-income pensioners, the Treasury chief said a new payroll of $6.4 million was also sent, which impacted 13,678 people.

He noted that the Treasury is close to enabling an electronic platform so that citizens covered under the third phase of

the Economic Impact Payment distribution process can enter their bank information and receive their incentive.

“At the end of this week, we will inform these citizens where to access in order to provide their banking information,” Parés Alicea said. “I urge you to be attentive to the [Treasury] Department’s official communications.”

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

5

Job-seeking requirement for unemployment benefits waived

By THE STAR STAFF

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ov. Wanda Vázquez Garced signed into law on Thursday legislation that would exempt unemployed workers from the requirement of actively looking for a job in order to receive unemployment benefits.

Senate Bill 1574 became Law 54-2020, which empowers the Department of Labor and Human Resources to temporarily exempt workers from the active job search requirement in cases where a state of emergency has been declared.

While many businesses reopened their doors on Monday, the economy will not be fully reopened until next month, and possibly later as the government continues to battle the global coronavirus pandemic. There are more than 300,000 unemployment claims.

“With the signing of this law, the requirement of waiting a week to receive unemployment insurance benefits is temporarily suspended, and consideration is given to how to fairly distribute the costs to employers and the impact on the solvency of the Unemployment Insurance Fund,” Vázquez said.

The governor added that in order to guarantee the economic aid that workers need during this pandemic, the commonwealth government is committed to active participation in the programs that the federal government offers to raise more funds for workers during the emergency.

Labor Secretary Briseida Torres said that although the agency has already been administratively implementing measures to make eligibility for benefits more flexible during the emergency period, it was essential to amend the Puerto Rico Employment Security Act to comply with federal requirements.

“The signing of this law is one more tool to serve the hundreds of thousands of workers in Puerto Rico who have been affected during this unprecedented emergency … and also provide relief to employers who have also felt the economic impact of the pandemic,” Torres said.

Bail set at $2 million for Casellas Toro ahead of new trial

By THE STAR STAFF

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he Superior Court in Bayamón on Thursday granted a bond of $2 million against former insurance broker Pablo Casellas Toro.

Judge Marta Rosario Santana imposed a bond of $1 million for Article 106 of the Penal Code, $500,000 for Article 291 and $500,000 for Article 515 of the Weapons Law. “The case involves a third custodian because it would be with electronic supervision, which would be lockdown,” noted the judge.

Casellas Toro has served six years in jail following a determination of guilt by a jury regarding the aforementioned articles in relation to the killing of his wife, Car-

men Paredes. At that time, a bond of $4 million was imposed on the defendant.

Casellas Toro had requested that his trial be annulled because he had been convicted by an 11-1 jury vote. The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the verdict against an individual accused of a felony must be unanimous at both the state and federal level so that it complies with the U.S. Constitution. The Casellas Toro case was in an appeal phase at the time of that ruling, and on Wednesday, a panel of judges from the island Court of Appeals granted Casellas Toro a new trial and ordered that a new bond be imposed.

Casellas Toro was represented by attorney Harry Padilla. A procedural status hearing was set for June 23 at 10 a.m. and the trial will begin on July 15 at 10 a.m.

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May 29-31, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

US House passes bill to make PPP loans for small businesses more flexible, including in PR

By THE STAR STAFF

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he U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bipartisan bill that would give small businesses more flexibility in the loans provided through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The PPP provides loans to small businesses to retain workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The loans are forgivable if all employees are kept for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.

The bill passed the House easily by a vote of 417-1, according to stateside media outlets, but will now have to go to the Senate, which has its own version of the bill.

The legislation, authored by Reps. Dean Phillips (DMinn.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas), was enacted amid complaints from small businesses that they are unable to take advantage of the loans under the current terms to qualify

for loan forgiveness.

Restaurants and hair salons, for instance, largely still face coronavirus-imposed safety restrictions and are not in a position to rehire all their employees in the time currently required to qualify for loan forgiveness, The Hill reported.

In Puerto Rico, up to $1.6 billion in PPP loans have been distributed.

According to The Hill, the legislation would give small businesses up to 24 weeks, up from the current eight weeks, to use the loans and extend the deadline for rehiring workers from June 30 to the end of this year. It would also give small businesses flexibility to spend more of the money on non-payroll costs. The current terms of the loans require recipients to use 75 percent of the funds on payroll and up to 25 percent on other costs to qualify for loan forgiveness. But the legislation would change the ratio to at least 60 percent on payroll and up to 40 percent on rent, overhead and other costs, the Hill said.

PRASA watching rains closely to determine rationing plan

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

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uerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) Executive President Doriel Pagán Crespo said Thursday that officials continue to monitor the rains that are expected on the island in the coming days to determine if a rationing plan for water service will be implemented in the metropolitan regions.

“We are waiting for what the definite result of the rains will be,” Pagán said in a radio interview when asked about possible rationing plans.

According to weather forecasts, it is anticipated that there will be rainfall heading into the weekend due to a tropical wave that would be beneficial if the rain falls in the basins of the affected reservoirs.

“The Carraízo reservoir also continues its descent; in one week [its water level] has decreased 23 centimeters,” Pagán said. “Although we received rain yesterday [Wednesday], it is very important that we have to see that rain [fall] in the reservoir basin. If it is not received in the basins of the reservoirs, well, we are not going to see the effect and that is what has happened with Carraízo despite the fact that rain has been seen in some other parts of Puerto Rico.”

“The condition of the plants in the eastern zone remains the same; we continue to observe and hope that they will also benefit from the rains that should be received from today to the weekend,” she added.

However, Pagán noted that rainfall on Wednesday benefited the Guajataca reservoir, which has risen one meter in one week. The levels of the reservoirs are available at the following link: https://bit.ly/36H7T5A. The most recent report from the United States Drought Monitor indicates that 9.21 percent of the island remains under moderate drought. The towns in which part of the land under these conditions is situated are Guánica, Yauco, Guayanilla, Adjuntas, Peñuelas, Ponce, Juana Díaz, Villalba and Coamo.

Meanwhile, the report details that the abnormal drought percentage has remained at 49.38 since last week. This is in parts of towns in the south, center, west and east of Puerto Rico, including the island municipality of Vieques.

The other 50.62 percent of the island does not currently present any level of drought.

Pagán also said PRASA’s Hatillo-Camuy filtration plant is still out of operation and that cleaning work continues at the facility after drivers of off-road vehicles allegedly entered the Camuy River last weekend and contaminated

the waters with oil. She said she expects to be able to reopen the plant today.

“Those 9,000 families continue without service because we cannot put that plant to work until there is not a single trace of fuel [in the water],” Pagán said. “We also have to monitor it with the Health Department and take samples.

The good thing is that the oil or fuel did not [reach] the plant because the results [of the testing] that we did in the plant were negative and that helps, in that as soon as we finish the cleaning work at the dam, the plant can continue operating normally.”

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

7

Minneapolis protests turn violent as outrage grows over death of George Floyd

By THE NYT EDITORIAL BOARD

A

wave of protests erupted across South Minneapolis overnight and into Thursday, with the police firing tear gas and rubber bullets as people set buildings on fire and looted stores days after George Floyd, an African-American man, died in police custody.

Ash was falling Thursday morning at a shopping center on Lake Street, where the recently renovated Target had been defaced and looted. A nearly completed apartment development across the street had been burned to its concrete lower floor. Other commercial structures were also badly damaged.

Floyd’s death also spurred protests in Memphis and Los Angeles, where law enforcement officials faced off with people blocking Highway 101 downtown.

Floyd, 46, died Monday after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. A video of the arrest, in which he is heard pleading “I can’t breathe,” spread widely online and was followed by protests in Minneapolis and around the country.

“They executed my brother in broad daylight,” Philonise Floyd told CNN on Thursday morning, breaking down in tears. “I am just tired of seeing black people dying.”

Four officers involved in the arrest were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department, and the FBI joined the investigation into the death of Floyd, a resident of St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

On Wednesday, Minneapolis’ mayor called for the police officer who had pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck to be arrested and charged.

The Justice Department said in a statement Thursday morning that it had made a federal investigation into Floyd’s death a “top priority”

The police used pepper spray on protesters during a confrontation on Wednesday outside the Third Precinct headquarters. and has assigned experienced prosecutors and investigators to the case. The department “urges calm as investigators methodically continue to gather facts,” the statement said.

As night fell Wednesday, people filled the streets near the Third Precinct headquarters and soon fires lit up the sky. Images on television and social media showed at least one business, an auto-parts store, ablaze and people carrying goods from another store that had been vandalized.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that a Target and Cub Foods store anchoring the corner of East Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue were looted, as were several small businesses, including a liquor store.

As dawn broke Thursday, fires were still smoldering as lines of police officers in riot gear stood off against people who were still out on

the streets.

There was also fatal shooting near the protests.

Unlike the first night of protests in Minneapolis on Tuesday, when thousands gathered peacefully, the police reported looting and multiple fires beginning Wednesday afternoon and stretching into Thursday.

The police said that a fatal shooting in the protest area appeared to be related to the looting of a pawnshop where the store owner fired shots.

A man was wounded and taken to a hospital, where he died, according to the police.

“Tonight was a different night of protesting than it was just the night before,” said John Elder, a police spokesman.

Mayor Jacob Frey pleaded on Twitter for people to stay at home.

“Please, please Minneapolis,” he wrote, “we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy.

Please, help us keep the peace. Stay safe and evacuate the area.”

The violence came at the end of what had been a tense period.

Floyd’s family and the mayor have called for charges against the officers involved in his arrest.

Floyd’s death — and the recent killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American man who was chased and fatally shot by two white men in Georgia — has prompted comparisons to other killings of black Americans, including Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

The episode was seen as part of a broader pattern of devastating encounters between African-Americans and law enforcement denounced by civil rights leaders. It has laid bare tensions between members of the local community and the 800-plus police force in Minneapolis, a divide mirrored in other communities across the country.

The Minneapolis Police Department on Wednesday identified the fired officers as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng. The mayor said that the dismissals were not enough, calling for criminal charges against the officer who was recorded with his knee on Floyd’s neck.

“I’ve wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?” Frey said in a news briefing.

“If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now. And I cannot come up with a good answer to that.”

Floyd’s sister, Bridgett Floyd, called for justice on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday.

“I would like for those officers to be charged with murder because that’s exactly what they did,” she said.

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The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

10 Weeks into New York area’s lockdown, who is still getting sick?

By ANDY NEWMAN

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ew York City has been locked down and shut off for more than two months.

On sidewalks and in stores, masked New Yorkers stand on pieces of tape 6 feet apart as they wait to enter, shop and check out. The person who delivers your mail, your food and your industrial-sized box of bleach wipes is wearing gloves. Compulsive hand washing is second nature.

And yet, somehow, tens of thousands of people are still contracting the coronavirus, in the city and across the entire region. Over the past two weeks, more than 47,000 people in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tested positive — over 13,000 in New York City alone.

In the past week, more than 2,800 patients with virus-like symptoms were admitted to hospitals in New York and New Jersey. The numbers are down substantially from early April, when well over 20,000 patients were being hospitalized every week. But they are still considerable.

Who are these people?

The health authorities know a lot about where people are getting sick, and about their most basic personal data — their age, gender and race or ethnicity.

But they are only beginning to grapple with the questions of how and why people are getting sick — what jobs they do, what housing situations they live in, what avenues of exposure they have to the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, the NewYork City health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, said that the city’s caseload was simply too large to investigate each virus patient’s circumstances.

“The reality is that we’re still seeing transmission across the city,” she said, “Given the large volume of new cases, we can’t track those back to a single point source.”

In the beginning of May, the agency that runs the city’s public hospitals polled the heads of the hospitals’ emergency departments about the types of virus patients coming through their doors.

“It’s a mixture,” said Dr. Eric Wei, a vice president of the agency, NYC Health + Hospitals, of essential workers and “people who have been diagnosed with COVID maybe two, three weeks ago with lingering symptoms and now are getting worse.”

The state health department also looked at the question of who is getting sick enough to go to the hospital. It surveyed more than 100 hospitals across the state in early May and learned that 4 in 5 incoming patients were retired or unemployed, most had been sheltering at home and nearly all

A woman shows her identification before getting tested for the coronavirus at a set-up in the parking lot of Lehman College in the Bronx earlier this month. had other underlying health conditions.

Information on those who are sick but not hospitalized has been harder to come by. The city and state are hiring thousands of the disease detectives known as contact tracers, but they have not yet begun work.

The New York Times talked to doctors and hospital administrators, public-health officials, immigrant groups and patients themselves. Their answers varied, but they painted a collective portrait of those who are still getting sick.

Workers on the front lines and their families are still getting hit hard.

People who spend hours every workday around strangers naturally have more chances to get exposed to the virus, doctors said.

“The majority of people, it’s health care workers, it’s MTA workers, it’s postal workers,” Dr. Sylvie De Souza, chief of the emergency department at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, said in an interview in mid-May. “As opposed to before, it seemed to be people out in the community, and of course a lot of the nursing home patients — but almost all of them have died.”

Javier H. Valdés, a co-director of Make the Road New York, an advocacy group for immigrants, said the virus patients his organization hears about lately are “getting sick because they’re still out there working — construction, delivery men. It’s mostly men.”

Michael Pappas, a family-medicine resident at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, said that some essential workers are bringing the

virus home.

“I suspect you have patients whose family members may be deemed essential workers, but they are younger and healthier,” he wrote in an email. “So they go out, work, maybe are exposed or get the virus, but general asymptomatic (or even if symptomatic still have to work), then those same essential workers come home and expose an at-risk loved one living with them.”

Not everyone can afford to socially distance.

Tens of thousands of NewYorkers live at close quarters in cramped spaces, physically unable to quarantine from any sick household members.

Dr. Ramón Tallaj, the founder of Somos, a health care network that serves nearly 800,000 Latino and Chinese New Yorkers, said that, despite the slowdown in new cases in the official tally, the virus is still spreading inside multigenerational apartments among people who are afraid to get tested because of language barriers or immigration status.

“What we are seeing on telemedicine,” he said, “who is getting sick is people who are stuck at home, immigrants who are living 10 people in one apartment. They don’t want to go to a testing site or to an emergency room.”

Older New Yorkers remain among the most vulnerable.

The New York State Health Department’s survey of 113 hospitals, conducted from May 3 through May 5, found that nearly 60% of newly admitted virus patients were older than 60. Nearly 40% were older than 70. More than 20% were

transferred from nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Nearly 40% were retired.

Many doctors echoed these findings.

“I personally have noticed many very elderly patients coming in with COVID, often from different assisted living homes/nursing homes in the city,” Pappas wrote.

Kevin Hu, an emergency medicine physician at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, wrote: “To me, it seems like there are many more elderly patients now. Very few young/healthy are coming in, even for testing.”

The outbreak is taking longer to slow down in the Bronx.

Along with immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in Queens, the Bronx has been hardesthit borough of New York City for most of the pandemic. Of the 10 ZIP codes with the highest rates of positive tests over the past two weeks, four are in the Bronx.

They include two of the poorest ZIP codes in the city: 10453 in Morris Heights and 10452 in Highbridge, where the median household income is less than $29,000.

Latinos are bearing more and more of the burden in New York City.

During the first six weeks of the outbreak, among New York City cases in which race was recorded, Latino residents accounted for 28% of virus deaths, 30% of hospitalized virus patients and 32% of people who tested positive but were not hospitalized, according to city data.

For the period April 27 to May 13, those numbers were considerably higher: 37% of deaths, 37% of hospitalized patients, and 42% of people who tested positive but were not hospitalized.

Some people are not following socialdistancing rules.

The state has commissioned virus-antibody testing, and a recent round of the tests in lowincome, predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods in New York City found a far higher percentage of people testing positive than a previous round of tests covering the city overall.

In some neighborhoods, the rate of positive antibody tests was more than double the citywide rate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week.

Cuomo said that the state would work to get personal protective equipment, like masks and sanitizer, into the hands of more people in these communities.

“It’s a public health education effort,” he said. “I’ve been all across the state, you drive through some of these communities and you can see that social distancing isn’t happening, PPE is not being used and hence, the virus spreads.”

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

9

Biden’s testing strategy sets up a clear contrast with Trump on the Coronavirus

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

J

oe Biden has proposed harnessing the broad powers of the federal government to step up coronavirus testing, with a public-private board overseeing test manufacturing and distribution, federal safety regulators enforcing testing at work and at least 100,000 contact tracers tracking down people exposed to the virus.

The presumptive Democratic nominee’s plan, laid out in a little-noticed Medium post, stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s leave-it-to-the-states strategy, detailed in an 81-page document released over the weekend.

And it presents voters in November with a classic philosophical choice over the role they want Washington to play during the worst public health crisis in a century.

With more than 100,000 Americans already dead from the coronavirus and at least 1.7 million infected, testing has emerged as a major campaign issue. Polls show that most people want better access to testing and believe it is the job of the federal government. Like Biden, Democrats running for Congress have seized on testing as a prime example of what they view as Trump’s incompetent response to the crisis.

In Michigan, Sen. Gary Peters, an incumbent Democrat, tells viewers that “workplaces need to be safe” and “that means more testing.” In Colorado, an ad for Sen. Cory Gardner, an incumbent Republican, begins with footage of a news anchor saying, “Coronavirus tests are coming to Colorado from South Korea because of Sen. Cory Gardner.”

In Maine, Sara Gideon, a Democrat running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, is airing a TV ad saying that “the federal government needs to expand testing, which is critical to keeping us safe.” In Washington, Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a news conference Tuesday to attack the Trump plan as insufficient.

“Mr. President, take responsibility,” Pelosi declared, adding, “That’s what the president of the United States is supposed to do.”

Beyond the slogans and congressional calls for a national testing strategy, Biden’s plan, laid out late last month as he struggled to grab voters’ attention, begins to flesh out what such a strategy would entail.

Harking back to the War Production Board created during World War II by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the former vice president proposed a “PandemicTesting Board” to oversee “a nationwide campaign” to increase production of diagnostic and antibody tests, coordinate distribution, identify testing sites and people to staff them, and build laboratory capacity.

Testing, he and his advisers wrote, “is the

springboard we need to help get our economy safely up and running again.”

Biden said he would do what the Obama administration did during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 — instruct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which regulates workplace safety, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue detailed guidance for how employers should protect their workers, including testing, campaign advisers say. OSHA would enforce compliance.

Under Trump, OSHA has issued COVID-19 guidance for employers that is “advisory in nature and informational in content” and does not mention testing. The CDC’s interim guidance for employers says only that companies “should not require a COVID-19 test result” or a doctor’s note to grant sick leave or to determine whether employees can return to work.

A coronavirus testing site in Arlington, Va. With over 100,000 Americans dead Republicans argue in favor of a more localized response. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, from the virus, testing has emerged as a major campaign issue. the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called Biden’s idea strategy the Trump administration offered over the available testing” as a “major problem.” Just 12% weekend falls far short of what they envisioned. said it was not a problem at all. Voters said they a “typical Democratic response.”

“There’s no czar; there’s no person in char- trusted Biden to do a better job on health care “There’s a big difference between what’s going on in Queens, New York, and rural Ten- ge,” said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, the than Trump by a 17-point margin and favored nessee, and the governors know best what to do,” chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Biden on the handling of the pandemic by nine he said, adding, “Every time you have a national “There’s no national bench marks, timetables, points over Trump.

In a CNN poll earlier in May, 57% of problem, whether it’s education or health, the numbers for what you’re supposed to reach in Americans said the federal government was not terms of testing or the number of people we are instinct of Democrats is to say, ‘Let’s solve it from doing enough to address the limited availability Washington,’ and my instinct and that of Repu- supposed to test.”

Experts say there should be two main of coronavirus testing. blicans is that this is a country that works state by “When Americans hear Trump talking about components to a comprehensive national testing state, community by community.”

Some public health experts, including those strategy: a centralized effort to acquire test kits testing not being his responsibility, the takeaway is who advise the Biden campaign and some who and distribute them, and clear guidance on how that he’s just passing the buck,” said Geoff Garin, a Democratic pollster. do not, say that is a false dichotomy. The federal to use them.

WhileTrump has repeatedly said that anyone Andrew Slavitt, who was the acting admigovernment could and should cooperate with and support the states, and also take a more aggressive nistrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid who wants a test can get one, that is not true in role, they say, particularly in a chaotic environment Services under President Barack Obama and has many parts of the country. It is true in Tennessee, where a global shortage has left governors — and provided advice to the Trump White House during where Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, has decided now employers — competing for scant supplies the pandemic, said one reason for the government that the state will pay for testing. “When in doubt, of test kits and wondering how best to use them. to control the acquisition of coronavirus tests is get a test,” he said on his Facebook page, adding, “Every university, every employer, every that commercial labs are increasing their prices “Aggressive testing is key to our reopening strategy.”

And while Trump has emphasized the numorganization is struggling to figure out how to use to as much as $140 a test.

“In this laissez-faire policy, there are scarce ber of people who have been tested — more than testing to create a safe environment,” said David A. Kessler, a Biden campaign adviser who was the resources, and whoever has the scarce resources 15 million Americans, as of Monday — experts say commissioner of food and drugs under Presidents gets to charge what they want, and the states all the more important metrics are what percentage of get to bid and now the employers are bidding,” he the population has been tested, what percentage George Bush and Bill Clinton.

“If you’re Amazon,” he added, “you can hire said. “The consequences of this are to make the of tests come back positive and how those tests people to put in place testing systems to help assure distribution much more costly, much more uneven.” are deployed.

“Instead of focusing on what we need to do Polls show that voters tend to favor a prothe safety of your work force, but not everyone can do that. Why are we reinventing this firm by minent role for the federal government. In a Pew as a country to keep ourselves and our populations firm, school by school, employer by employer?” Research survey released this month, 61% of and especially our vulnerable people safe, and Congress required Trump to provide a na- Americans said coronavirus testing was mostly saying let’s come up with the right testing strategy tional testing strategy in the $484 billion stimulus or entirely the responsibility of the federal gover- and make sure we have enough tests to implement it, we’ve just been fighting about the number of package it passed last month and required the nment, not the states.

A Fox News poll released last week found tests,” said Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard states to submit plans to the federal government for approval. But Democrats on Capitol Hill say the that 63% of registered voters viewed the “lack of Global Health Institute.

10

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

Executive Order is expected to curtail protections for social media companies

President Trump and his supporters have long accused social media companies like Twitter of silencing conservative voices.

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and KATE CONGER

T

he Trump administration is preparing an executive order intended to curtail the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for what gets posted on their platforms, two senior administration officials said early Thursday.

Such an order, which officials said was still being drafted and was subject to change, would make it easier for federal regulators to argue that companies like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter are suppressing free speech when they move to suspend users or delete posts, among other examples.

The move is almost certain to face a court challenge and is the latest salvo by President Donald Trump in his repeated threats to crack down on online platforms.

Twitter this week attached fact-checking notices to two of the president’s tweets after he made false claims about voter fraud,

and Trump and his supporters have long accused social media companies of silencing conservative voices.

White House officials said the president would sign the order later Thursday, but they declined to comment on its content. A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment.

Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, online companies have broad immunity from liability for content created by their users.

But the draft of the executive order, which refers to what it calls “selective censoring,” would allow the Commerce Department to try to refocus how broadly Section 230 is applied and to let the Federal Trade Commission bulk up a tool for reporting online bias.

It would also provide limitations on how federal dollars can be spent to advertise on social media platforms.

Some of the ideas in the executive order date to a “social media summit” held

last July at the White House, officials said.

Although the law does not provide social media companies blanket protection — for instance, the companies must still comply with copyright law and remove pirated materials posted by users — it does shield them from some responsibility for their users’ posts.

Along with the First Amendment, Section 230 has helped social media companies flourish. They can set their own lax or strict rules for content on their platforms, and they can moderate as they see fit. Defenders of the law, including technology companies, have argued that any move to repeal or alter it would cripple online discussion.

But as conservatives have claimed that social media companies are biased against them and overmoderate their political views, Republican lawmakers have increasingly pushed to modify the statute.

Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri also chimed in this week

after Twitter applied its new fact-checking standard to the president. Both lawmakers have been critics of the protections that technology companies enjoy under Section 230, and they renewed their calls to alter it.

The president has long favored Twitter as a means to reach his supporters, posting personal attacks and previewing policy. This week, Trump repeatedly spread a debunked conspiracy theory about MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and the death of a woman who worked for him in his congressional office years ago. The woman’s widower has pleaded with Trump to stop.

The president ignored the widower’s request and denounced Twitter, claiming in a tweet that the social media company was trying to tamper with the November presidential election.

On Wednesday, he continued to criticize the company, accusing it of stifling conservative views. “We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen,” Trump tweeted.

A spokesperson for YouTube declined to comment on the executive order. Representatives for Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s chief executive, appeared to be pre-emptively trying to soften any blowback from the White House. In a taped television interview scheduled for Thursday morning with Fox, he cast aspersions on Twitter’s willingness to fact check Trump on its platform in real time.

“I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online,” Zuckerberg said. “Private companies probably shouldn’t be, especially these platform companies, shouldn’t be in the position of doing that.”

Courts have often ruled in favor of technology companies, upholding their immunity. It is not clear that the executive order would alter judges’ views on the law.

“It’s unclear what to make of this because to a certain extent, you can’t just issue an executive order and overturn on a whim 25 years of judicial precedent about how a law is interpreted,” said Kate Klonick, an assistant law professor at St. John’s University who studies online speech and content moderation.

Klonick, who said she had seen a draft version of the order, said that it was “likely not going to be upheld by a court.”

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

11

GE, which traces its roots to Thomas Edison, sells its lighting business

By MICHALE LEVENSON

M

ore than 140 years after Thomas Edison and his assistants conducted their first successful experiments with a carbon-filament lamp in a vacuum, the company he helped to found — General Electric — has sold its lighting business.

Analysts said the sale, announced Wednesday, was not a surprise. GE had sought to offload its lighting division for several years, as it focused on more profitable areas such as renewable energy and health care technology.

But in the annals of American corporate culture, where GE and the light bulb have long been synonymous, the uncoupling struck some as a pivotal moment, as if Kellogg had jettisoned its cornflakes business or Ford had stopped making cars.

“From the standpoint of people who associate the light bulb as the symbol of modern invention and innovation, there’s a kind of sadness to the fact that GE, which for many years was at the forefront of that industry, has moved away from it,” said Paul Israel, director and general editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University.

Major League Baseball played its first night game under GE floodlights in 1935. Nick Holonyak, an engineer, developed the first visible light-emitting diode, or LED, at a GE lab in 1962. And the company’s connection to the light bulb was captured in its ubiquitous television commercials, which promised, “We bring good things to life.”

Still, for years GE had been shifting away from that part of its business as it sought to focus on high technology, said Joseph Bower, a professor emeritus at Harvard Business School. In that sense, he said, the sale was symbolically significant but did not signal a major shift in the company’s strategy.

“Iconic is the right word because it is not a fundamental change to GE,” he said. “I suspect it could have been done a long time ago because, as GE looked at its portfolio, its consumer businesses like toasters and things like that weren’t good, profitable businesses.”

GE sold its lighting business to Savant Systems Inc., a home automation company based in Massachusetts. GE did not disclose the terms but said the lighting division’s headquarters would remain in Cleveland and its more than 700 employees would transfer to Savant upon completion of the sale. The deal also included a licensing agreement to allow Savant to use the GE brand.

The transaction represented a closing to GE’s opening chapters in the second Industrial Revolution.

General Electric sold its lighting business to Savant Systems Inc., a home automation company based in Massachusetts.

The company traces its roots to Edison’s experiments in his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, which made him the first recipient of a U.S. patent for an incandescent lamp in 1880. It was one of 1,093 U.S. patents Edison received, more than any other inventor in American history.

In 1892, the company Edison had established to market his products, the Edison General Electric Co., merged with a competitor, the Thomson-Houston Electric Co., to form a new firm, the General Electric Co. Edison would not remain part of the company for long. In 1893, he sold his stake in General Electric for a reported $1.5 million, or more than $430 million in today’s dollars, according to GE. Over the next century, the company would become a bellwether of the American economy, turning out jet engines, locomotives, gas turbines — and lots and lots of light bulbs.

For nearly 130 years, GE Lighting was at the forefront of every major lighting innovation, from the dawn of incandescent bulbs to the first energy-saving

fluorescent bulb, introduced in 1974, according to the company.

But the business began to dwindle with the proliferation of LEDs, which need to be replaced less frequently because they are longer-lasting and more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent lights.

Industry data showed that LEDs outsold all other types of bulbs for the first time in 2017.

GE, which reported $95 billion in revenue last year, has not disclosed for several years what portion of its business comes from lighting. But Bower said light bulbs were “not really significant for a very big, big company.”

H. Lawrence Culp Jr., GE’s chairman and chief executive, called the sale “another important step in the transformation of GE into a more focused industrial company.”

“Together with Savant, GE Lighting will continue its legacy of innovation, while we at GE will continue to advance the infrastructure technologies that are core to our company and draw on the roots of our founder, Thomas Edison,” he said.

12

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

Stocks

Wall Street ends down in late selloff; Facebook weighs

W

all Street ended lower on Thursday, a day after hitting two-month highs, on a fresh wave of ChinaU.S. tensions that raised doubts about the trade deal reached early this year between the world’s two largest economies.Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.20-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.03-to-1 ratio favored decliners.

Worsening ties between the United States and China in recent weeks and fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections pose a threat to the stock market’s strong recovery from its steep selloff, according to analysts.

“There have been issues with comments from the White House on tech,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial in Newark, New Jersey.

But recent strong gains in the market have also caused some investors to pull back.

Unofficially, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 147.67 points, or 0.58%, to 25,400.6, the S&P 500 lost 6.41 points, or 0.21%, to 3,029.72, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 43.37 points, or 0.46%, to 9,368.99.

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The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

13

China approves plan to rein in Hong Kong, defying worldwide outcry

By KEITH BRADSHER

C

hina officially has the broad power to quash unrest in Hong Kong, as the country’s legislature on Thursday nearly unanimously approved a plan to suppress subversion, secession, terrorism and seemingly any acts that might threaten national security in the semiautonomous city.

As Beijing hashes out the specifics of the national security legislation in the coming weeks, the final rules will help determine the fate of Hong Kong, including how much of the city’s autonomy will be preserved or how much Beijing will tighten its grip.

Early signals from Chinese authorities point to a crackdown once the law takes effect, which is expected by September.

Activist groups could be banned. Courts could impose long jail sentences for national security violations. China’s feared security agencies could operate openly in the city.

Even Hong Kong’s chief executive this week appeared to hint that certain civil liberties might not be an enduring feature of Hong Kong life.

“We are a very free society, so for the time being, people have the freedom to say whatever they want to say,” said the chief executive, Carrie Lam, noting, “Rights and freedoms are not absolute.”

The prospect of a national security law has prompted an immediate pushback in Hong Kong, where protesters are once again taking to the streets. The international community, too, has warned against infringing on the city’s civil liberties.

The Trump administration signaled Wednesday that it was likely to end some or all of the U.S. government’s special trade and economic relations with Hong Kong because of China’s move. The State Department no longer considers Hong Kong to have significant autonomy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, a condition for maintaining the trade status.

China’s premier, Li Keqiang, tried to strike an optimistic note about the national security law, saying on Thursday that it would provide for the “steady implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’” political framework that has enshrined Hong Kong’s relative autonomy since the territory was reclaimed by China in 1997. The rules, the premier said at the conclusion of the annual session of the legislature, the National People’s Congress, would protect “Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.”

Li also refrained from accusing the United States of any interference in Hong Kong affairs. But just as he was talking, the Hong Kong office of China’s foreign ministry warned of “strong countermeasures” against the United States should it proceed — echoing denunciations by prominent Chinese commentators.

Clues on the coming security law can be found in earlier templates: a 2003 bill in Hong Kong that was thwarted by protests, and a law in another semiautonomous Chinese city, Macao.

Both contained broadly worded bans on sedition, subversion, secession and treason, while also enhancing law enforcement powers. The Hong Kong legislation would have allowed raids without warrants if the police believed national security would be jeopardized by waiting for a judge — the prospect of which drew vast crowds of peaceful protesters.

Both bills also made it easier for the authorities to win national security cases in court. The Macao legislation, for example,

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, addresses a news conference on Friday, bars judges with foreign citizenship from serving on panels hearing national security cases. Hong Kong’s courts have long relied heavily on judges who have moved to the city from the British Commonwealth but retain passports from their home countries.

The legislation in Macao, a former Portuguese colony, has gone essentially unused for the past 11 years since its passage.

The authorities there have preferred to take measures against occasional protests under statutes that attract less attention. But Macao’s government, unlike Hong Kong’s, has not faced a broadbased democracy movement that has attracted international sympathy.

Hong Kong’s political framework doesn’t offer much relief from the new law. The framework, specified in the city’s Basic Law and the Bill of Rights, provides broad protections for civil liberties. But a big exemption exists for the sort of national security legislation that Beijing is now drafting.

Both pieces of the framework draw on the language in the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The covenant has six different clauses allowing rights to be restricted if national security is at risk.

“If you do not plan to engage in acts of secession, subversion, terrorism or conspiring with foreign influence in connection with Hong Kong affairs, you will have no reason to fear,” Tung Chee-hwa, who was the city’s chief executive at the time of the 2003 national legislation, said on Monday.

The process for drafting and enacting the new law is prompting concerns.

The Standing Committee of China’s legislature is writing the new rules on its own, without consulting Hong Kong experts.

Once the legislation is written, the Beijing-appointed leadership of Hong Kong is required to put it into law immediately.

“Since this is the legislative work of the Central Government, I am afraid that there will be no public consultation in Hong Kong,” Lam said Tuesday.

Some pro-democracy lawyers have questioned whether Beijing’s process for issuing the law is constitutional. But Hong

Kong designates the Chinese government as the final arbiter on constitutional questions in the territory.

The current plan for national security laws is considerably broader than the 2003 bill. For starters, it calls for a ban on terrorism.

Chinese officials have given no hint of how terrorism will be defined. But the same committee that will draft the Hong Kong rules issued anti-terrorism laws in mainland China four years ago with very broad prohibitions.

Amendments in late 2015 to the mainland’s criminal law provisions regarding terrorism include long jail sentences for “whoever propagates terrorism or extremism by way of preparing or distributing books, audio and video materials or other items that propagate terrorism or extremism or by way of teaching or releasing information.”

The latest national security plan also widens the definition of subversion.

The 2003 bill was aimed at subversion against the “Central People’s Government.” That would have included government agencies under China’s cabinet, known as the State Council, said Albert Chen, a Hong Kong University law professor who advises Beijing on constitutional issues. But it is less clear whether it would have encompassed acts against the Chinese Communist Party.

By contrast, the new plan might, because it prohibits actions against “state power.” That term may include the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, Chen said, noting that the leadership is enshrined in the Constitution.

Tens of thousands of people, and sometimes hundreds of thousands, gather each year at Victoria Park on June 4 to commemorate those who died in the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. They often shout slogans against the Communist Party.

Lau Siu-kai, a former senior Hong Kong government official who now advises Beijing, said that the new legislation might not ban such speech. But it would likely bar activities that were organized by “anti-Beijing political groups.” Hong Kong already has a law blocking groups that advocate independence.

Thursday’s resolution calls for the drafting of legislation allowing mainland Chinese security agencies to operate “as necessary” in Hong Kong. Lau said that this meant the Ministry of Public Security, China’s main police and border control agency, and the Ministry of State Security, China’s main spy agency, would be allowed to open offices in Hong Kong to conduct investigations and gather intelligence.

But Beijing will still rely on the Hong Kong police and prosecutors to make arrests and charge offenders, he said. Lam said that the Hong Kong police would remain “primarily” responsible for law enforcement.

The wild card in the new rules could be international pushback.

Lau said that if the United States took strong action, it would only reinforce Beijing’s concerns that foreign powers were using the city to undermine China’s national security. American measures may prompt the Standing Committee to write even more stringent legislation this summer, he added.

“If they push hard,” Lau said, “it may change for the worse rather than the better.”

14

May 29-31, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

A 750 Billion Euro virus recovery plan thrusts Europe into a new frontier

A restaurant worker prepares for reopening as restrictions set to reduce the spread of the coronavirus are to be lifted soon in Milan

By MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF

F

or decades, even when the 2008 financial crisis threatened to blow the bloc apart, the European Union’s wealthier nations resisted the notion of collective debt. But the coronavirus has so fundamentally damaged the bloc’s economy that it is now forcing European leaders to consider the sort of unified and sweeping response once thought unthinkable.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, on Wednesday proposed that it raise 750 billion euros ($826 billion) on behalf of all members to finance their recovery from the economic collapse brought on by the virus, the worst crisis in the history of the European Union.

The plan, which still requires approval from the 27 national leaders and their parliaments, would be the first time that the bloc raised large amounts of common debt in capital markets, taking the EU one step closer to a shared budget, potentially paid for through common taxes.

For those reasons, the proposal had all the hallmarks of a historic moment for the EU, vesting greater authority in Brus-

sels in ways that more closely than ever resembled a central government.

“This is about all of us and it is way bigger than any one of us,” Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, told European Parliament members in a speech in Brussels. “This is Europe’s moment.”

At another moment — one without a calamitous recession looming — the proposal would probably have been dead on arrival and antagonized the populists and nationalists who oppose the gathering power of Brussels. But the urgent need for a powerful response to the virus has muted much of the appeal of that message, at least for now.

Even so, the plan is bound to be watered down in the weeks and months ahead. The proposal requires unanimous backing by member states, and a handful of the richer and less affected ones, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, consider joint borrowing and grant distribution to be unfair.

“We need to take everyone’s interests into account and there are very different interest groups: the southern countries, who fundamentally always want more; the East Europeans, who have an interest in preventing everything from flowing south; and, of course, those who have to pay for it all, the net payers,” Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor who opposes parts of the commission’s proposal, told Politico Wednesday.

At the heart of the commission’s plan is the idea of using some of its own budget to issue bonds, a move it has made only a handful of times for smaller amounts in the past. The institution, which has a Triple-A rating, the best possible, from ratings agencies, said it could levy its own taxes to repay those bonds, which will have a maximum 30-year maturity.

The European Commission itself will be greatly empowered if its proposal goes through, not only because it will be able to issue bonds in the markets, but also because any powers to raise taxes directly will give it more of the semblance of a federal government, which it currently lacks, as it depends almost entirely on member state contributions for its budget.

If members don’t grant the commission powers to raise its own taxes directly to repay the bonds, officials said they

would need to pay bigger contributions into its budget, or see some of the programs it funds shrink or die to free up funds instead.

Some see this move as a great step forward in deepening the economic binds that tie EU members and bringing them closer to a United States of Europe. But experts warned that, while important, this is not a leap into mutualized debt, like in the United States.

“We don’t become a federal Europe, however the proposal is a big deal in terms of the architecture of the European Union,” said Maria Demertzis of the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. “If Europe is considering to issue common debt and to raise taxes to back this debt up, then we’re talking about a big deal.”

The proposal pushed forward Wednesday sidesteps some of those stickier issues by making the European Commission the guarantor of any debt, rather than individual nations, something resisted in Germany and elsewhere and legally unacceptable under the current setup of the bloc.

But both Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Emmanuel Macron of France recognized that allowing some EU countries to recover faster and stronger would only deepen inequalities in the bloc, hampering the way it trades and operates internally.

Von der Leyen, too, stressed that it’s crucial for the recovery to be even across the bloc.

Most of the onus on financing the recovery is still falling on national governments, and will continue to, even if the commission proposal is endorsed. Germany and other wealthy countries have their own ample funds to draw from to quickly prop up their economies and don’t need EU funding.

Germany has deployed more than 1 trillion euros to support its economy, even cutting checks to out-of-work freelancers and bailing out and renationalizing a share of its national flag carrier, Lufthansa.

But other nations, in particular those with fewer resources or still hobbling from the last crisis, need EU funding more as they face depleted coffers and expensive borrowing in markets.

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

15

Italians flock to beaches, hoping tourists will follow

By JASON HOROWITZ

T

he lifeguard turned his back to the water and looked for danger on the sand.

All around him at the beach club west of Naples, children on their stomachs dug moats while adults reclined on beach chairs, catching rays, eating stuffed shells and reconnecting with friends on the first Sunday back at the beach after a monthslong lockdown. Some maintained the new social-distancing restrictions. Some did not.

“I look a little this way,” said the lifeguard, Salvatore Scardazone, 31, shifting from the sea to the land. “And I look a little this way.”

As the temperatures rise, sun-starved Europeans are desperate to get to the beach and tourism-starved Mediterranean countries are desperate to have them. In Greece, the government is trying to negotiate an ‘‘air bridge’’ from Britain, with promises of 40 bathers per 1,000 square meters and disinfected chairs. The Spanish are trying to persuade Germany to send tourists their way, while Baltic Sea resorts, which had a far less severe epidemic than Spain, are trying to poach them.

But it is Italy, which endured one of Europe’s worst outbreaks, that is most counting on the economically restorative powers of its beaches and seas. Tourism accounts for 13% of Italy’s gross domestic product, and 40% of that is from beach activity. Officials and beach club owners have expressed hope that foreign tourists will spend time and money in their country when the borders reopen on June 3. But in the meantime, it is the Italians who must pick up the sunbathing slack.

On May 18, the national government, citing the dipping curve of infections, allowed Italian regions to reopen its beach clubs. Different regions have reacted with varying degrees of caution. Tuscany allowed them to reopen on May 18, Campania on May 23, Lazio on May 29, and Sicily on June 6.

This week, the governor of the island of Sardinia, which had hardly any cases, said visitors could come without quarantining, as long as they carried a “health passport,” without detailing how such a document would work.

But the national government has also said that any sharp rise in new infections would prompt another lockdown, and the mayor of one small town in the southern region of Puglia closed the beaches this week after seeing an “invasion” of sunbathers, many, he said, “wearing their masks as necklaces.”

Italians have been waiting to get back to the beach for months and have obsessed over their summer prospects essentially since the lockdown began in March. (“This summer, we will go to the beach,” the undersecretary for culture, Lorenza Bonaccorsi, assured a troubled country in April.)

In the Italian news media, detailed graphics and videos have regularly illustrated the possible restrictions and proposed bathing innovations. There were the rows of plexiglass cubicles — resembling ice trays — each hol-

Beachgoers at the shore in Giugliano in Campania, west of Naples, Italy. ding an umbrella and recliners, or entry gates that sprayed disinfectant on bathers like cars entering a carwash, or a village of eco-friendly bamboo and fabric beach huts. (“We were in Mongolia for many years,” the architect explained.)

None caught on.

Salvatore Trinchillo, the third-generation owner of the Lido Varca d’Oro club in Giugliano in Campania, said that the plexiglass cubes were only promoted by “a guy who makes plexiglass” and would “turn sunbathers into rotisserie chickens.”

Instead, Trinchillo, who is also the vice president of Italy’s union of beach club presidents, opted for more traditional arrangements, with more room between the umbrellas and lounge chairs. The people around the pasta and coffee and cocktail bars wore masks and those who wanted to eat in the outdoor restaurant next to the DJ booth had their foreheads scanned with a thermometer.

(Jole Santelli, president of the neighboring region of Calabria, has called such temperature taking “a joke” because, she reasoned, people’s temperatures would go up in the heat.)

Campania’s measures were adopted at midnight last Friday, when Vincenzo De Luca, the governor, perhaps best known during the coronavirus outbreak for threatening to take a “blowtorch” to illegal gatherings and for calling his citizens “doubly imbeciles” for bothering to wear masks but then letting them hang around their necks, decided

that infections had gone down enough for beach clubs to open. The region also allowed bathers to remove their masks on the beach, as long as they observed socialdistancing measures.

Beach locales, like so much in Italy, can be status symbols. The superwealthy tend to prefer luxury hotels or pristine coves reached by sailboat or yacht. Certain segments of Rome’s upper class reconstitute at beach clubs in Tuscany or walk though pine forests to isolate themselves in secluded spots. Some prefer to be among other people.

Last year, the populist leader Matteo Salvini essentially moved his campaign headquarters to Papeete, a raucous beach club on the eastern coast where go-go dancers in bikinis danced to the national anthem. (This year, Papeete’s owner said, the guests would dance on their own beach chairs and, “Matteo will be the happiest man on earth.”)

Less expensive beach clubs or stretches of free beaches tend to be more tightly packed, with migrants selling watermelon, sunglasses and counterfeit handbags winding through the towel-to-towel traffic.

“It was the beauty of our community,” Antonio Decaro, the mayor of the southern city of Bari and the president of Italy’s association of mayors, said of the boisterous beach scene. But he added that, until there was a vaccine, people had to go to the beaches “some at a time, few people, far away.”

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May 29-31, 2020

‘It’s not the virus’: Mexico’s broken hospitals become killers, too

By NATALIE KITROEFF and PAULINA VILLEGAS

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he senseless deaths torment doctors and nurses the most: The man who died because an inexperienced nurse unplugged his ventilator. The patient who died from septic shock because no one monitored his vital signs. The people whose breathing tubes clogged after being abandoned in their hospital beds for hours on end.

In Mexico, it’s not just the coronavirus that is claiming lives. The country’s broken health system is killing people as well.

Years of neglect had already hobbled Mexico’s health care system, leaving it dangerously short of doctors, nurses and equipment to fight a virus that has overwhelmed far richer nations.

Now, the pandemic is making matters much worse, sickening more than 11,000 Mexican health workers — one of the highest rates in the world — and depleting the already thin ranks in hospitals.

Some hospitals have lost half their staff to illness and absenteeism. Others are running low on basic equipment, like heart monitors.

The shortages have had devastating consequences for patients, according to interviews with health workers across the country. Several doctors and nurses recounted dozens of preventable deaths in hospitals — the result of neglect or mis-

takes that never should have happened.

“We have had many of what we call ‘dumb deaths,’” said Pablo Villaseñor, a doctor at the General Hospital in Tijuana, the center of an outbreak. “It’s not the virus that is killing them. It’s the lack of proper care.”

Patients die because they’re given the wrong medications, or the wrong dose, health workers say. The protective gloves at some hospitals are so old that they crack the moment they’re slipped on, nurses say.

People are often not sedated properly, then wake up and yank out their own breathing tubes, hospital employees say.

Adriana de la Cruz, a nurse at Dr. Belisario Domínguez hospital in the southeast corner of Mexico City, said the overstretched and often undertrained workforce has made glaring errors — at great cost.

“People have died because of a lack of medical attention and because of negligence,” de la Cruz said. “These patients would have a better chance of surviving if we could offer better care.”

The Mexican government spends less on health care as a percent of its economy than most countries in the Western Hemisphere, according to the World Bank, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador presided over spending cuts even after acknowledging his country had 200,000 fewer health care workers than it needed.

When the epidemic hit Mexico in

Ivette Díaz, center, an intensive care nurse at La Raza Hospital, buys safety goggles and latex gloves from a street vendor in Mexico City

March, many hospitals sent front-line workers to confront the deluge of cases without any protective equipment or training. Some nurses say they were told not to wear masks to avoid causing panic. Many say they were forced to buy face shields and goggles themselves.

The fallout has been severe. About 1 in 5 confirmed cases in Mexico are health workers — a greater share than in the United States, Italy or China.

Mexico’s outbreak is growing quickly and shows no signs of slowing. Reported cases and deaths have risen every week for the last couple of months, hitting Mexico City and Baja California, which includes Tijuana, particularly hard.

“Administration after administration gave lip service to the issue of health, but it never showed up as a priority in the budget,” Judith Méndez, an analyst at the Economic and Budgetary Research Center, said of Mexico’s successive governments.

The Mexican government did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Local health ministers in Baja California and Mexico City also declined to comment.

Patients have filed thousands of complaints with the country’s human rights commission about negligence in hospitals in recent years. And the quality of care only diminished further after hospital workers in Mexico endured some of the nation’s first coronavirus outbreaks.

Many countries have struggled with doctors and nurses falling ill, but in Mexico the problem is particularly bad.

“If health workers are getting sick at this rate, bottom line is you risk not having a health workforce to look after people,” said Howard Catton, the chief executive of the International Council of Nurses.

De la Cruz, the nurse in Mexico City, said that her hospital initially instructed employees not to wear masks around a patient until the person tested positive for coronavirus.

“You waited three or four days to see if the patient tested positive, and in the meantime you got infected,” said de la Cruz, who noted that 80 of her colleagues have gotten sick.

Some hospitals did prepare early for the virus, which swept the United States and Europe before outbreaks flared in Mexico. In Monterrey, doctors said protocols to shield workers were put in place

months ago. Rodolfo Ruiz, an infectious disease specialist, says he feels protected at his public hospital in Mexicali, even as hospital beds fill up.

But the missteps in some of the hardest hit cities have brought overrun hospitals to a breaking point, workers say. Doctors and nurses have staged protests outside their hospitals in at least a dozen states, according to local news reports. Some doctors and nurses have refused to treat coronavirus patients.

Rosario Luna, a nurse at the José María Morelos and Pavón hospital in Mexico City, described treating COVID-19 patients with broken heart monitors and faulty suction machines.

At Dr. Carlos Mac Gregor hospital in Mexico City, Berenice Andrade, a doctor, said that one internist quit because of the lack of personnel and that only one doctor watched over 54 patients during the weekends.

“It makes the care we offer very deficient,” said Andrade. “The patient’s health is of course affected.”

Five health workers have died at La Raza Medical Center, a public hospital complex in Mexico City, according to a spokesman for the federal health system.

This month, one of the hospitals started offering psychological support to workers.

“It’s not easy knowing that one day you were working with someone and the next, they aren’t there anymore,” said Ivette Díaz, an intensive care nurse, who is 37 and lives with her elderly parents. “I’m scared every day. My alarm goes off and I don’t want to go to work.”

The hospital has never had enough supplies, she said. Bandages don’t stick to patients because they’ve lost their adhesive. But after her colleagues blocked roads leading into the hospital last month, executives began providing more protective equipment. Still, the masks that they gave out were perforated, because of a manufacturing flaw, Díaz said.

“If here in Mexico they invested in the health sector, if we had adequate materials, things would look very different,” she said.

She spent her day off recently scouring the streets of her neighborhood until she found a local vendor to sell her a batch of masks. She paid $7 for each, a small price for a mask free of holes, she decided.

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

17

How white women use themselves as instruments of terror

By CHARLES M. BLOW

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t a time of so much death and suffering in this country and around the world from the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be easy, I suppose, to take any incidents that don’t result in death as minor occurrences.

But they aren’t. The continued public assault on black people, particularly black men, by the white public and by the police predates the pandemic and will outlast it. This racial street theater against black people is an endemic, primal feature of the Republic.

Specifically, I am enraged by white women weaponizing racial anxiety, using their white femininity to activate systems of white terror against black men. This has long been a power white women realized they had and that they exerted.

This was again evident when a white woman in New York’s Central Park told a black man, a birdwatcher, that she was going to call the police and tell them that he was threatening her life.

This was not innocent nor benign nor divorced from historical context. Throughout history, white women have used the violence of white men and the institutions these men control as their own muscle.

From the beginning, anti-black white terrorists used the defense of white women and white purity as a way to wrap violence in valor. Carnage became chivalry.

We often like to make white supremacy a testosterone-fueled masculine expression, but it is just as likely to wear heels as a hood.

Particularly in the post-Civil War era, when slavery had been undone, white male politicians used the fear of rape of white women by black men to codify racial terror.

As the author and scholar Rebecca Edwards has pointed out in her book “Angels in the Machinery: Gender in American Party Politics From the Civil War to the Progressive Era,” white politicians have long focused their furor by claiming to be the defenders of white women, a last guard against their suffering.

As Dr. Edwards noted, Mississippi’s James Vardaman, arguably one of the most violent racist politicians in American history, and that’s quite a feat, said in 1903, “a vote for Vardaman is a vote for white supremacy, a vote for the quelling of the arrogant spirit that has been aroused in the blacks

by Roosevelt and his henchmen, … a vote for the safety of the home and the protection of our women and children.” Vardaman, who once famously said,

“Rise Up,” a statue by Hank Willis Thomas at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

“If it is necessary, every Negro in the state will be lynched,” won election and became governor of Mississippi.

Indeed, untold numbers of lynchings were executed because white women had claimed that a black man raped, assaulted, talked to or glanced at them.

But it goes even further than that. The Tulsa Race massacre, the destruction of Black Wall Street, was spurred by an incident between a white female elevator operator and a black man. As the Oklahoma Historical Society points out, the most common explanation is that he stepped on her toe. As many as 300 people were killed because of it.

In 1944, 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. was electrocuted for the killing of two little white girls.

He was the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century. His trial lasted only a couple hours. There was little or no cross-examination of prosecution witnesses or calling of defense witnesses. The all-white, all-male jury deliberated for only 10 minutes before finding Stinney guilty, and he was sentenced to death.

He was just 5 feet 1 inch tall. As Laura Bradley wrote in Slate, “He weighed 95 pounds when he was arrested, and was so small he had to sit on a phone book in the electric chair when he was executed within three months of the murders.” Some say the book was in fact a Bible.

A circuit court judge threw out Stinney’s conviction in 2014.

The torture and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, a lynching actually, occurred because a white woman said that he “grabbed her and was menacing and sexually crude toward her.” His torturers beat him, shot him in the head and tossed his

body into the Tallahatchie River tied to a cotton gin fan with barbed wire. A few years ago, the woman admitted to an author that she had lied.

Till’s lynching would serve as the big bang of the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that bus, she said that she was thinking of Till.

This practice, this exercise in racial extremism, has been dragged into the modern era through the weaponizing of 911, often by white women, to invoke the power and force of the police who they are fully aware are hostile to black men.

In a disturbing number of the recent cases of the police being called on black people for doing everyday, mundane things, the calls have been initiated by white women.

And understand this: Black people view calling the police on them as an act of terror, one that could threaten their lives, and this fear is not without merit.

There are too many noosed necks, charred bodies and drowned souls for these white women not to know precisely what they are doing: They are using their white femininity as an instrument of terror against black men.

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18

May 29-31, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL

Will Trump stand with Hong Kong?

By THE NYT EDITORIAL BOARD

T

hat China’s Xi Jinping is taking more steps to bring Hong Kong under the central government’s control should come as no surprise. Xi has long made clear that he regards the enclave’s freedoms as a Western thorn in his side.

With the world fixated on the coronavirus pandemic, with relations with the United States at a low, and with 3,000 delegates gathered in Beijing for the annual propaganda-fest of the National People’s Congress, he evidently concluded that this was the time to pounce, proposing a national security law that could allow Chinese authorities to crack down on civil liberties in Hong Kong.

The Trump administration was left with no option but to acknowledge the new reality. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally advised Congress that the U.S. government no longer believes that Hong Kong has sufficient autonomy from Beijing, a decertification that opens the way to ending all or some of the territory’s special trade and economic privileges.

How this latest showdown plays out could have major ramifications for the future of Taiwan and for China’s behavior in its neighborhood and the world. The question is whether President Donald Trump has the leverage, support or stomach for the fight.

Now in his eighth year as China’s leader, Xi has shown that he is not easily dissuaded from his nationalist agenda. His treatment of dissidents and minorities like the Uighurs make clear that he has no tolerance for any challenge to the Communist Party’s rule, and, as China’s economy and military have grown, Xi has shown a greater readiness to take risks. Chinese vessels have harassed foreign ships and installations in disputed waters. Beijing pointedly dropped “peaceful” from its annual call for unification with Taiwan. And, if there was a time when Hong Kong was deemed indispensable for China’s access to foreign capital, the country now has many alternatives on the mainland.

China’s efforts to rein in Hong Kong have faced massive and courageous resistance from the people of the city, who have lived all their lives with Western-style freedoms and have taken to the streets in vast numbers to protest attempts to bring them under the repressive rule of Beijing. The “umbrella” mo-

vement of 2014, and the demonstrations that have roiled Hong Kong over the past year, have attracted the attention, admiration and support of freedom-loving people around the world.

The resistance has compelled China and its hand-picked administrators in Hong Kong, led by the embattled Carrie Lam, to make tactical retreats at times, but never for long. At her weekly news conference, Lam dutifully argued that the proposed legislation would not curtail the rights of Hong Kongers, which under the 1997 agreement with Britain were to be unchanged for 50 years, but rather was a “responsible” move to protect the law-abiding majority.

Nobody believes that. Least of all, evidently, those behind the new measures. A Chinese representative in Hong Kong declared that freedom of the press would not be limited, and then warned against using that freedom as a “pretext” to undermine security. Lam was equally Orwellian: “We are a very free society, so for the time being, people have the free-

dom to say whatever they want to say.”

There is little doubt that the resolution will be adopted unanimously by the National People’s Congress on Thursday.

The actual law will take some time to draft, possibly a few months, and that gives time to the United States, Britain (the former colonial power) and other interested democracies such as Japan, Australia and the European Union to mount a campaign in support of the Hong Kongers.

Pompeo’s announcement clears the way for lifting Hong Kong’s special privileges, but Beijing seems prepared for this, and it would also hurt the people of Hong Kong and the many American and other foreign businesses active there. Sanctions against China are another option, but the U.S.-China tariff war launched by Trump in 2018 has already hurt the U.S. economy, and the COVID-19 pandemic would probably make Washington even less keen to get into a new tit-for-tat tussle with China.

Then there’s Trump himself. Though he and his lieutenants have made China-bashing over the coronavirus outbreak a central theme in their reelection campaign, and Trump said last week he’d react “very strongly” to any power grab, the president has never shown much concern for Hong Kong protests against China.

Of his many tweets over the three-day Memorial Day weekend, when the Hong Kong issue was at the top of the news, none was about Hong Kong. During the Hong Kong protests of 2014, Trump tweeted one of his few clear statements on the plight of the territory: “President Obama should stay out of the Hong Kong protests, we have enough problems in our own country!”

Trump may not be able to stay out for long if the protests are more violently suppressed. And it is not only the yearning for democracy among the people of Hong Kong that is at stake here. If Xi’s calculus is borne out and he weathers the outcry over Hong Kong, he will continue pursuing his ambition to extend his control to Taiwan and the South China Sea. America and its allies may not have the levers to stop the new China in its tracks, but they do have ways to let Xi and his comrades know that they will exact a price for limiting freedoms in Hong Kong.

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

19

PIP representará opción del “No” en el plebiscito Por THE STAR

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a Comisión Estatal de Elecciones (CEE) determinó el jueves en reunión que certificará al Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP) como representante principal de la opción del “No” en el plebiscito Estadidad No o Sí a celebrarse el mismo día de la Elecciones Generales, lo informó el comisionado electoral del PIP, Roberto Iván Aponte.

“Asumimos con enorme responsabilidad la representación principal de la opción del “No” y, sobre todo, el compromiso patriótico de aglutinar a amplios sectores en confluencia hacia el objetivo común de defender nuestra identidad puertorriqueña y lo que deben ser las garantías de que seamos lo que somos: ¡puertorriqueños, siempre!”, manifestó el líder pipiolo.

Aponte puntualizó que, además de la responsabilidad de aglutinar esos amplios sectores, desde la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones el PIP ejercerá su función fiscalizadora y vigilante para que este sea un proceso que se lleve a cabo sin cargar los topos ni desbalancear lo que debe ser un ejercicio puro, limpio y que refleje verdaderamente la voluntad del pueblo de Puerto Rico.

“Que le quede claro al liderato del PNP, liderato que ha traicionado a los propios estadistas por su mala administración, que ante su pretensión asimilista, estaremos los que creemos y nos sentimos orgullos de nuestra nacionalidad puertorriqueña, independentistas, soberanistas y muchos otros que están indignados y avergonzados de ese liderato estadista, asumiendo nuestra responsabilidad histórica votando No en el plebiscito”, concluyó Aponte.

Educación culmina el proceso de petición de vales educativos Por THE STAR

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l secretario de Educación, Eligio Hernández Pérez, anunció este jueves que el Programa de Libre Selección de Escuelas, mejor como conocido como vales educativos, recibió más de 8 mil solicitudes, cerca de 5 mil más en comparación con el año pasado, cuando comenzó el proyecto piloto.

Ahora, como parte del proceso, iniciarán de inmediato las evaluaciones de las solicitudes para determinar aquellos estudiantes que cumplen con todos los requisitos, hacer la selección y poder enviar las notificaciones durante el mes de junio.

Este año cerca de 2,500 estudiantes podrán beneficiarse de las diferentes modalidades para poder sufragar los gastos educativos. Mientras, los 407 alumnos que fueron admitidos el año pasado podrán continuar participando si renovaron su solicitud en la plataforma.

“Hemos recibido más de 8 mil solicitudes para los vales educativos y todas serán evaluadas. De tener una cantidad mayor de personas elegibles a los vales que tenemos disponibles, realizaremos una lotería para la selección. Durante el mes de junio, el padre, madre o encargado, será informado mediante el correo electrónico que proveyó al completar la solicitud o correo certificado. Este programa es otra alternativa que nos permite la Ley 85 para la educación de los niños y jóvenes”, indicó el titular de la agencia en comunicación escrita.

Cada vale educativo, precisó el secretario, tiene un valor de 2,275.72 dólares, los que se pagarán directamente a la entidad o escuela, de acuerdo con la modalidad seleccionada. Si el certificado es para la modalidad de libre selección de una escuela pública -para otros estudiantes de

escuelas públicas o de instituciones privadas a pública- se podrá utilizar para la compra de material tecnológico, instruccional y educativo; para establecer proyectos lectivos en horarios extendidos y para trabajar las asignaciones, assessments, instrucción diferenciada o rezago académico de los estudiantes.

Por otro lado, si el certificado es para un estudiante de escuela pública de corriente regular o de la Secretaría Auxiliar de Educación Especial a privada, solo se podrá utilizar para el pago de matrícula y mensualidad. En tanto, si se trata de un adelanto educativo para estudiantes talentosos que tomen cursos universitarios acreditables, tanto para programas universitarios como para programas de escuelas superior, se utilizará únicamente para cubrir los costos de un curso por semestre.

Hernández Pérez informó que aún no está final la lista de instituciones participantes para el

próximo año escolar, ya que los colegios deben completar unos requisitos de contratación que se estarán llevando a cabo durante junio. Los padres podrán ver la lista, una vez completada, accediendo a la página oficial del DE en www.de.pr.gov.

El equipo del Educación comenzó el proceso de orientación a los colegios que han mostrado interés en participar del novel programa que se implementa por segundo año consecutivo.

“Exhorto a todo padre que haya recibido una aprobación a realizar las gestiones con el colegio de su interés para que les informen si estarán participando del Programa de Libre Selección de Escuelas y así tener ese paso adelantado. Esperamos culminar el proceso de contratación con los colegios lo antes posible, pero recordamos que estamos en medio de una emergencia, lo que podría retrasar un poco el proceso por parte de las entidades interesadas”, añadió el secretario.

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May 29-31, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

How Studio Ghibli went from streaming holdout to HBO Max star

Studio Ghibli’s anime classics include, clockwise from top left: “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “My Neighbor Totoro.”

By NICOLE SPERLING

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BO Max kicked off Wednesday with an abundance of noisy hit Warner Bros. movies (like “Wonder Woman” and the entire Harry Potter franchise) and heralded television shows (“Game of Thrones,” “Friends”). Yet tucked inside the platform’s 10,000 hours of programming is a jewel of a film catalog from Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, which has garnered both accolades and critical reverence in its 35year history but whose work has remained elusive to the many streaming services that have come calling over the years.

Founded in 1985 by filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli has made 21 animated features, earned five Oscar nominations and one statuette for Miyazaki’s 2002 “Spirited Away,” Japan’s highest-grossing film.

The studio and its celebrity director, Miyazaki, have long been subjects of cult adoration. Collectors have hunted down DVD releases for decades. The Studio Ghibli Museum has been a prominent tourist attraction in Mitaka, Japan, since opening in 2001, and the 3-year-old Studio Ghibli Fest, held annually in theaters across the United States by its North American distributor, GKids, and Fathom Events, sells out instantly. (The museum is currently closed because of the pandemic, and plans are still in the works for a 2020 edition of the festival.)

Yet, despite the adoration, Studio Ghibli has never been

able to cross over into the mass market. Now, these elusive titles will all be housed in one place, prominently displayed next to HBO Max’s better-known properties, in a move that could transform Studio Ghibli from bespoke manufacturer of beautiful hand-drawn animation into the mass-market mainstream.

“Ghibli films have been seen by a wide range of audiences worldwide,” said Suzuki, the architect behind the creation of the studio. “However, in the States, it wasn’t really working as we had expected. People would come to the theaters to watch Ghibli films on the East Coast and West Coast, but in the Midwest region, it was hard to get people in the theaters. We thought this would be a great opportunity.”

The GKids president, David Jesteadt, had been urging Studio Ghibli to go digital for years, only to be repeatedly shut down by the three founders. Digital was antithetical to Studio Ghibli’s philosophy of care and mindfulness. “There is a strong emphasis on presentation and less focus on finances in terms of trying to maximize revenue like other film companies,” Jesteadt said.

Plus, he added, there was little need. “Ghibli’s catalog is so legendary in its own right that the home video sales have really been fantastic for 20 years,” he said. “Even as the rest of the industry was looking at declines and finding ways to offset revenue with different streams, they weren’t experiencing that same impact.”

So what changed?

For one, Studio Ghibli has undergone a transformation in the past few years. Miyazaki announced his retirement in 2013 after finishing the Oscar-nominated “The Wind Rises” and soon after closed the studio. Five years later, Takahata died, and the remaining founders began discussing how to preserve Studio Ghibli’s legacy.

Miyazaki’s son Goro began work on Studio Ghibli’s first computer-animation project, a still untitled film centered on a young girl, a character Suzuki called “the wisest person on Earth.” That work prompted the elder Miyazaki to begin plotting his own return to moviemaking with the hand-drawn “How Do You Live?,” which follows a 15-year-old boy’s journey of spiritual growth following the death of his father. “The boy, the protagonist, is very similar to Hayao Miyazaki,” Suzuki said. “The film reflects on Miyazaki contemplating how he’s lived his life up until now.”

The remaining founders were also influenced by a number of artists who were eschewing theatrical distribution for the ubiquity of streaming. Suzuki pointed specifically to Woody Allen and what had been a lucrative deal with Amazon. (Amazon severed its relationship with Allen in June 2018 after allegations resurfaced that he sexually abused his daughter, accusations he has denied.)

Suzuki recalled that what Allen “said was very interesting.”

“He said there should be numerous outlets for films,” Suzuki explained, “not just movie theaters but packaging and also streaming. There should be multiple outlets. And I thought, ‘Well, that makes sense.’ ” All this new thinking was timed perfectly for the start of HBO Max. Impressed by both the HBO pedigree and the curated approach to content by WarnerMedia, the parent company of HBO and HBO Max, the two parties were quickly able to seal a deal.

“It was a serendipitous moment,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer of HBO Max, who admitted to being surprised by the rapturous response to the deal.

“I knew it was revered,” Reilly said of the news that the Ghibli films would be streaming, but he also noted that the announcement signaled to industry insiders “what we were reaching for, what kind of things we wanted to bring into the fold.”

He added, “When we were closing the ‘South Park’ deal, Trey Parker and Matt Stone said, ‘Hey man, that really meant something to us when you brought in Ghibli.’ ” Reilly said that he had seen the library’s effect on his own household. Quarantined with his three sons — ages 21, 21 and 16 — he gave them access to the beta version of HBO Max in the weeks leading up to launch. Where have they gone first?

Studio Ghibli.

“It’s been a Studio Ghibli film festival over here,” he said with a laugh. “Of all the things they could watch on HBO Max, these big, loafy men are sitting on the couch watching these beautiful, sweet animated stories. That’s the magic of these films.”

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

21

‘Space Force’ review: Steve Carell, in a familiar orbit on Netflix

By MIKE HALE

T

here’s a statistical likelihood that your image of Steve Carell is based primarily on “The Office,” and on the films “The 40-YearOld Virgin” and “Anchorman” before that. In the streaming age it wouldn’t even be surprising if one of those venerable comedies was the last thing you watched him in. What are the odds that when you think of Carell you think of “Welcome to Marwen” or “Battle of the Sexes” or “Last Flag Flying,” recent movies whose box office ranged from poor to dismal?

It’s too bad, because he was great in all of them, in ways that went beyond his considerable skills as a comedian. Carell’s reinvention of himself as a dramatic actor, beginning roughly with “Foxcatcher” in 2014, has been remarkable. That’s why “Space Force,” his new 10-episode series on Netflix (beginning Friday), is particularly disappointing. If we’re going to get five hours of Carell on screen, did it have to be such a step backward?

“Space Force,” which Carell created with the writer and producer Greg Daniels, his collaborator on “The Office,” tries to do a couple of things and doesn’t succeed in any very interesting or funny way at either.

It is, most obviously, a satire of some of the habits and attitudes of Donald J. Trump. Carell’s character, Gen. Mark R. Naird, is put in charge of the newly formed Space Force, a branch of the military established by a Twitter-loving president to protect the satellites off which his inflammatory tweets bounce.

The president of the show is unnamed and unseen but familiar. In addition to his Twitter habit, he presides over a chaotic administration and “has a name” for developing countries that can’t be repeated. The show’s humor largely flows from the scrambling, slapstick attempts of Naird and his team to satisfy the commander in chief’s “boots on the moon by 2024” pledge, and to thwart his warlike impulses as other countries, most gallingly China, steal his thunder.

“Space Force” stars Steve Carell as a general overseeing a new branch of the military, which was established by an unnamed Twitter-loving president.

Fused with the relatively up-todate political burlesque, though, is another element that harks back to Daniels’ heyday on “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” It’s a more sentimental workplace and family sitcom, focused on Naird’s relationships with his wife, Maggie (Lisa Kudrow), and his teenage daughter, Erin (Diana Silvers), who resents the move from Washington to the space base in rural Colorado; and with his cynical science adviser, Adrian Mallory (John Malkovich).

There’s a workable comic framework in this bipartite structure. Naird seems designed to bridge a certain contemporary cultural gap. He exhibits traits that could be identified as Trumpian — a tendency to browbeat and second-guess the scientists who work for him, a readiness to question the loyalty of those with roots in

exotic places like China or Belgium — though the show correlates them with his gung-ho military background rather than any political beliefs or ugly prejudices.

At the same time he’s pointedly portrayed as a caring father and husband, and someone who will, at the last extreme of presidential impetuosity, take a stand against needlessly provoking other nuclear powers. Like a lot of sitcom dads, he’s a little deplorable, but he puts a human face on it. (In terms of “The Office,” he has some Michael Scott in him but he’s a lot more capable.)

Carell has no problem making both sides of that equation believable and engaging — he’s a master of the quick shifts and reversals the part requires. But he’s too good for the material, which never takes off. The loony parts aren’t sharp enough, despite the

efforts of Carell and crack performers like Noah Emmerich, Jane Lynch and Diedrich Bader, playing awfully broad stuffed-uniform stereotypes as Naird’s fellow joint chiefs.

Malkovich is pleasingly louche as Mallory, and Silvers is funny as the angry daughter, but their scenes with Carell are bland and overly sincere and run on too long. (The episodes, at a full 30 minutes, generally feel padded.)

The saving grace of the show could have been Kudrow, who, as always, can make you laugh anytime she wants, with a roll of her shoulders or a disgusted expression. But she’s not on screen much, and her character is barely sketched — she’s part of a running joke that may pay off if the show gets another season. Still, the funniest thing in 10 episodes of “Space Force” is a five-second shot of her hair.

22

May 29-31, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

10 Great bottles of Italian white wine under $25

By SANDRA E. GARCIA

R

egardless of the ubiquity of pinot grigio and prosecco, the antiquated notion of Italy as solely a red wine culture retains its tenacious grip on the imagination. It was not true 20 years ago, and it’s not true today.

Italy makes more wine than any other country on earth, and it might surprise you, as it did me, to learn that it makes more white than red.

In 2018, the last year for which figures are available, 57% of Italy’s wine production was white, including prosecco, a sparkling white, according to Italian Wine Central, an Though noted primarily for red wine, Italy actually makes more white. online provider of information and education.

Historically, it was the other way around, with Italy producing far more red than white. cooped up.

Benvenuto Calabria Zibibbo, 2018; But white wine production in Italy surged Here are 10 suggested Italian whites, in $24.99 past red for the first time in 2011, according no particular order.

It’s no wonder that this wine is pungent to Italian Wine Central, and the proportion has Antica Tenuta Pietramore Abruzzo and perfumed. Zibibbo is the southern Italian grown almost every year since.

Pecorino Superiore, 2016; $17.99 name for muscat of Alexandria, one of a noTrue, much of that production is pinot I have come to really enjoy wines made toriously fragrant family of grapes. Mostly, it grigio and prosecco. Both are largely generic, of pecorino — the grape, not the cheese. This is made into sweet wine on Sicily and on the bland wines that are nonetheless highly popu- one, made from biodynamically grown grapes, island of Pantelleria, but I’ve seen more dry lar. But just as the bestselling big-brand Ameri- is absolutely delicious: rich, textured, high in versions recently. I can’t remember seeing zican wines do not suggest the potential for acid but substantial and concentrated. I think bibbo from anywhere except Sicily, but this quality in the U.S. wine industry, these genres the extra year or two of aging (most pecorinos one comes from Calabria, the toe of the Italian reveal little of how far Italian white wine has on the market now are 2018s) helped to round boot, where Giovanni Benvenuto farms organicome in the last 30 years. the sharp edges. (Communal Brands, New cally. The wine is fragrant, naturally, and goes From Sicily, south of the Italian main- York) down easily. Like many muscats, it’s a great land, to Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia COS Terre Siciliane Ramí, 2018; $24.99 summer refresher. (Jan D’Amore Wine, New in the northeast and the Valle d’Aosta in the You could call this an orange wine if you York) northwest, Italy is overflowing with fascinating, wanted, though the color is closer to yellow.

Feudo Montoni Sicily Grillo Timpa, distinctive white wines.

The grapes, half insolia (also known as an- 2018; $18.99 Many are reasonably priced and great sonica) and half grecanico, are macerated with Like zibibbo, grillo is another Sicilian values. As the weather warms up and diets ad- the skins for seven to 10 days, which gives the grape better known for sweet than dry wines. It just to the season, these wines will make for wine a mild tannic backbone. Otherwise it’s has been an important constituent of the fortiwonderful summer drinking. pure, lively and refreshing, tangy and textured. fied wine Marsala, but recently I have seen it Shopping online from my pandemic iso- A terrific bottle from a leading producer in the used to make attractive dry white wines. These lation in Manhattan, I picked out 10 excellent Vittoria region. (Polaner Selections, Mount Kis- grillo grapes are grown organically on a steep bottles priced at $25 or less. Each wine is made co, New York) slope in the Agrigento region of southern Italy. from a different grape or blend, which maybe is Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica, The aromas and flavors are earthy and nutlike, not so easy to imagine. Can you think of 10 U.S. 2018; $17.99 floral and harmonious. (Wilson Daniels, Napa, white wines without duplicating grapes? Really The grape is verdicchio, and the area California) good ones, all under $25? I didn’t think so. is Matelica in the Marche region, not nearly Raína Umbria Grechetto, 2018; $19.50 As a general rule, these wines are lean- as well known for its verdicchio wines as its The most common white from Umbria er than U.S. or French whites. They are more Marche neighbor, Castelli di Jesi, which is clos- is Orvieto, named after the charming town acidic and less oaky. And despite the habit of er to the Adriatic. This wine is vibrant and ener- that is the center of the region. But Orvieto is pouring pinot grigio and prosecco at so many getic, with aromas of flowers and almonds, and a blended wine, and more and more producgallery openings and happy hours, they are at a spine of electric acidity, typical of the inland, ers recently have been focusing on one of the their best with food. higher elevation Matelica area. Collestefano is components, grechetto. This unfiltered wine, What kind of food? Summer foods. Sal- a top-flight producer there. It farms organical- from Francesco Mariani of Raína, is biodynamads, pestos, dishes incorporating fresh toma- ly and makes this wine straightforwardly and ically grown. It’s uncommonly golden, as if it toes and cooked clams. Seafood and sunlight. simply. Drinking it is a wake-up call. (Polaner were oxidized, but it’s decidedly not. Rather it’s Drinking these wines has made me feel less Selections) fresh and assertive, dry and spicy, with just a

light tannic touch from a brief period of contact with the skins. (Panebianco, New York) Benanti Etna Bianco, 2018; $24.99 The carricante grape is one of the great discoveries that has come with the emergence to the world of the Mount Etna region in Sicily.

Its distinctive salinity makes a wonderful partner for all sorts of seafood. This is the entry-level bottle from Benanti, which also makes Pietra Marina, perhaps the greatest example of carricante’s potential, a wine capable of aging and evolving for years. (Wilson Daniels Wholesale, New York) Tiberio Trebbiano d’Abbruzo, 2018; $19.99 I’ve written about this wine several times, but it’s so good it deserves the attention. Siblings Christiana and Antonio Tiberio run this excellent estate, and they are good spokespeople for the trebbiano Abruzzese grape.

Other strains of the trebbiano grape are more common, and trebbiano d’Abruzzo may be made of either trebbiano Toscano, trebbiano Abruzzese or a combination. But the trebbiano Abruzzese grape is superior. For evidence, try this wine. The 2018 is dry, aromatic and richly textured, with bracing saline and floral flavors.

Tiberio also makes a wonderful single-vineyard trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Fonte Canale, which is considerably more expensive, and an excellent pecorino, which is not. (The Sorting Table, Napa, California) La Mesma Gavi del Comune di Gavi Indi, 2018; $24.99 Years ago, Gavi di Gavi was one of the best-known Italian white wines, along with Soave and Frascati. The reputation of each of these sank under the weight of a profusion of insipid wines. But examples like the 2018 Indi are helping to resurrect the reputation of Gavi.

La Mesma, run by three sisters, uses organic cortese grapes to make the wine. It is fragrant, with earthy lemon flavors, rich and textured, and balanced by lively acidity. (Bacchanal Wine Imports, Port Chester, New York) Abbazia di Novacella Alto Adige — Valle Isarco Kerner, 2018; $19.99 Abbazia di Novacella is a functioning Augustinian monastery that traces its winemaking activities to the 12th century. All that experience has paid off, as the Novacella wines are reliably delicious. The kerner grape, a Germanic cross that is right at home in Tyrolean Italy, offers an earthy citrus richness that is balanced and refreshing. (Abbazia di Novacella USA, Sausalito, California)

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

23

A bright, comforting one-pot stew with west African roots

By YEWANDE KOMOLAFE

W

hen I returned from Nigeria at the end of February, it was at the tail end of the Harmattan, a season when the winds from the north deposit the finest sand from the Sahara onto Lagos’ every surface. The city was hot and dry, and the markets were bursting with life.

I’m not a vegetarian, but in Lagos, nutrient-dense produce surrounded me, inviting me to cook with it. I was grating coconut flesh to extract its milk, pickling star fruit and replenishing the salad bowl with bunches of palm-sized spinach greens straight from the backyard.

Back in Brooklyn, I am still cooking, but mostly from my pantry, using staples and hearty vegetables that I am stretching as far as my imagination allows. I first made this spicy vegetarian yam and plantain curry on a hot night in Lagos, but I now find myself revisiting it again and again.

It is a brothy version of asaro, a rich stew made in kitchens and bukas, or roadside restaurants, across the south of Nigeria, and it is my ultimate comfort food.

Built around long-lasting hearty greens and root vegetables, the core components are West African yam and plantain, but you can substitute at will. No yams? Use any potato that’ll hold up in a soup. Yellow plantains instead of green? Use them, but drop them in toward the end of cooking. And there is room for herbs, greens and any alliums you have on hand. It is gluten-free and vegan, but it doesn’t have to be; add a little crayfish or bacon to give it heft, or a little flour to thicken the broth.

This asaro is a one-pot meal that makes plenty, so several meals will come of the washing, trimming and chopping required. It’s the kind of stew you can heat and reheat,

Yam and plantain curry with crispy shallots Total time: 50 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed 4 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup) Kosher salt 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 1 (2- to 3-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated (about 2 tablespoons) 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 whole red habanero or Scotch bonnet chile, pierced all over with a knife

and the flavors intensify each time. If you hold off on adding the greens until you’re ready to serve, you can refrigerate it up to a week, and it freezes beautifully, too. The real joy is that it is a lighter, warm-weather kind of stew that is a meal

on its own or paired with any grilled meat or fish.

It’s a dish that reminds me of the last trip home I’ll be making for a while, and one that lends comfort in the meantime.

This brothy version of asaro is packed with yams, plantains and hearty greens.

1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices 1 1/2 pounds white or orange yams, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 2 green (unripe) plantains (about 1 pound total), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 1 (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk 1 tablespoon red palm oil (optional) 4 cups julienned hearty greens, such as dandelion greens, collards or lacinato kale, tough stems removed 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems 1 lime, sliced into wedges for squeezing 1. Heat a medium pot, large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium. Pour in the neutral oil, add the sliced shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are caramelized and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove shallots from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels or a cooling rack. Season with salt and set aside.

2. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil out of the pot. (Reserve extra oil for another use.) Over medium-low heat, add the garlic, ginger and turmeric to

the pot and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 minutes or until it begins to stick to the bottom of the pot.

3. Drop in the chile and add the whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, crushing the whole tomatoes with your hands as they go in. Stir to combine ingredients and dissolve the tomato paste, then add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat.

4. Once boiling, season with salt, reduce heat to medium, add the yams and simmer until the yams are just beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the plantains and cook until both are tender but hold their shape, and the liquid is slightly reduced and thickened, 15 to 18 minutes.

5. Stir in the coconut milk and red palm oil, if using, season with more salt and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the greens and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

6. To serve, remove and discard the cooked chile.

Ladle the curry into bowls, top with the caramelized shallots, a scattering of basil and cilantro, and several squeezes of lime juice.

24

May 29-31, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

A black hole’s boomerangs In an undated handout photo, a radio image from the MeerKAT Radio Telescope in South Africa showing the galaxy PKS 2014-55, 800 million light years from Earth.

By DENNIS OVERBYE

A

stronomers have deciphered the dynamics of yet another great trick that monster black holes can play.

In many galaxies, jets of energy are squeezed outward by the black hole that lurks at the center, and go shooting off in opposite directions into space.

But in a few bizarre-looking galaxies, the jets take the form of four beams in the shape of an X. Now, radio astronomy observations have shown how that happens.

Astronomers have no trouble understanding how black holes — objects so dense that not even light can escape the tombstone grip of their gravity — can become the most luminous objects in the universe, powering quasars. The pressure in the fat, fiery swirl of doom that surrounds a black hole expels high-energy particles from the top and bottom of the doughnut.

But a galaxy known as PKS 2014-55 is different. This old, elliptical galaxy is about 800 million light-years from Earth

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in the constellation Telescopium, and its jets are shaped like two boomerangs placed back to back to form an X. Why? Perhaps, some astronomers thought, the central black hole was wobbling, like a lawn sprinkler throwing jets in different directions. Or maybe a pair of supermassive black holes were colliding.

But observations by an international group of astronomers with a powerful new South African radio telescope, MeerKAT, have provided an alternate explanation.

The dynamics of the jets, it seems, more closely resemble those in an elaborate Las Vegas fountain, with water going up and down and flowing in designer configurations. In this case, superhot gas is being pumped up 2.5 million light years into intergalactic space. It then cascades back and splashes sideways off the center of the galaxy, sculpting an X in the cosmos, as if marking a treasure.

“Material falls back and gets reflected around the center,” said Fernando Camilo, chief scientist of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, which built MeerKAT. The team, led by William Cotton, an astronomer with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the United States, reported its results last week in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“It’s all quite neat,” Camilo said.

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The San Juan Daily Star LEGAL NOTICE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS MIDDLESEX, ss. DISTRICT COURT DEPARTMENT MALDEN DIVISION.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF VILLAGE GREEN AT MALDEN CONDOMINIUM TRUST, Plaintiffs vs.

ESTATE OF CARLOS M. GUZMAN Defendant and

CARLOS J. GUZMAN, HEIRS, DEVISEES AND PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES of the ESTATE OF CARLOS M. GUZMAN, CITIZENS BANK OF MASSACHUSETTS, ANTHIUM, LLC, MIDLAND FUNDING LLC and METROPOLITAN CREDIT UNION,

Defendants/Parties-In-Interest CIVIL ACTION NO. 1950CV0824. ORDER OF NOTICE.

To the above-named Defendant/Party-InInterest, Carlos J. Guzman:

Whereas a civil action has been filed against you in our District Court, within and for the county of Middlesex, by

Board of Trustees of Village Green at Malden Condominium Trust

And whereas it appears from the officer’s return on process issued therein that after diligent search he can find no one upon whom he can lawfully make service, and after hearing it is ORDERED by the Court that the following summons issue for service upon you in The San Juan Daily Star for three consecutive weeks: You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon Pamela M. Jonah, Esquire, Plaintiff’s attorney, whose address is 45 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 107, Braintree, MA 02184, a copy of your answer to the complaint which is herewith served upon you, within 20 days after service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service. You are also required to file your answer to the complaint in the Office of the Clerk of this Court either before service upon plaintiff’s attorney, or within 5 days thereafter. If you fail to meet the above requirements, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in

@

the complaint. Unless otherwise provided by Rule 13(a), your answer must state as a counterclaim any claim which you may have against the plaintiff which arises out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the plaintiff’s claim or you will be barred from making such claim in any other action.

WITNESS Hon. Emily A. Karstetter at Malden the 11th day of March, 2020. ****

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AGUADILLA SALA SUPERIOR.

NOEL RAUL SABELLA Y OTROS Parte Demandante Vs.

DELIMAR RIVERA HAU Y OTROS

Friday, May 29, 2020 Se le advierte que este Edicto será publicado una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico y que de no contestar usted la demanda en el término anteriormente mencionado, se procederá a anotarle la Rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado de conformidad a la Ley, sin más citarle u oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Honorable Tribunal en la ciudad de Aguadilla, hoy a 14 de mayo de 2020. SARAHI REYES PEREZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ARLENE GUZMAN PABON, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AGUADILLA SALA SUPERIOR.

Parte Demandada CIVIL NÚM.: AG2019CV00048.

NOEL RAUL SABELLA SOBRE: SENTENCIA DECLAY OTROS RATORIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO Parte Demandante Vs. POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDELIMAR RIVERA HAU DOS DE AMERICA ESTADO Y OTROS LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERParte Demandada TO RICO EL PRESIDENTE DE CIVIL NÚM.: AG2019CV00048.

LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE SOBRE: SENTENCIA DECLAAMERICA. EMPLAZAMIENTO A: Wilma Abreu Cáceres RATORIA. POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNI6481 Jamaica Road DOS DE AMERICA ESTADO Cocoa, Florida 32927 LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERPor medio del presente aviso se TO RICO EL PRESIDENTE DE le notifica que la parte deman- LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE dante ha radicado en su contra AMERICA. una demanda de sentencia deA: Maria Valentin claratoria. Por la presente se le Deliz Terron emplaza para que presente al Por medio del presente aviso se tribunal su alegación responsile notifica que la parte demanva dentro de los 30 días a partir dante ha radicado en su contra de la publicación del presente una demanda de sentencia deEdicto. Deberá usted presenclaratoria. Por la presente se le tar su alegación responsiva a emplaza para que presente al través del Sistema Unificado tribunal su alegación responside Manejo y Administración de va dentro de los 30 días a partir Casos (SUMAC) al cual puede de la publicación del presente acceder utilizando la siguiente Edicto. Deberá usted presendirección electrónica: https:// tar su alegación responsiva a unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo través del Sistema Unificado que se represente por derecho de Manejo y Administración de propio, en cuyo caso deberá Casos (SUMAC) al cual puede presentar su alegación responacceder utilizando la siguiente siva en la secretaria del tribudirección electrónica: https:// nal. Si usted deja de presentar unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo su alegación responsiva en la que se represente por derecho secretaria del tribunal dentro propio, en cuyo caso deberá del término, el tribunal podrá presentar su alegación respondictar sentencia en rebeldía en siva en la secretaria del tribusu contra y conceder el remenal. Si usted deja de presentar dio solicitado en la demanda, o su alegación responsiva en la cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en secretaria del tribunal dentro el ejercicio de su sana discredel término, el tribunal podrá ción, lo entiende procedente. dictar sentencia en rebeldía en La dirección postal de los Abosu contra y conceder el remegados de la parte demandante dio solicitado en la demanda, o es: Ismael Pérez Nieves P.O. cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en Box 534, Isabela, Puerto Rico el ejercicio de su sana discre00662, teléfono (787) 872-1500 ción, lo entiende procedente. y su correo electrónico es peLa dirección postal de los Aborezcorderolaw@gmail.com.

staredictos1@outlook.com

gados de la parte demandante es: Ismael Pérez Nieves P.O. Box 534, Isabela, Puerto Rico 00662, teléfono (787) 872-1500 y su correo electrónico es perezcorderolaw@gmail.com.

Se le advierte que este Edicto será publicado una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico y que de no contestar usted la demanda en el término anteriormente mencionado, se procederá a anotarle la Rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado de conformidad a la Ley, sin más citarle u oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Honorable Tribunal en la ciudad de Aguadilla, hoy a 14 de mayo de 2020. SARAHI REYES PEREZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ARLENE GUZMAN PABON, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

LEGAL NOTICE ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AGUADILLA SALA SUPERIOR.

NOEL RAUL SABELLA Y OTROS Parte Demandante Vs.

DELIMAR RIVERA HAU Y OTROS

25 presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal dentro del término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente.

La dirección postal de los Abogados de la parte demandante es: Ismael Pérez Nieves P.O. Box 534, Isabela, Puerto Rico 00662, teléfono (787) 872-1500 y su correo electrónico es perezcorderolaw@gmail.com.

Se le advierte que este Edicto será publicado una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico y que de no contestar usted la demanda en el término anteriormente mencionado, se procederá a anotarle la Rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado de conformidad a la Ley, sin más citarle u oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Honorable Tribunal en la ciudad de LEGAL NOTICE Aguadilla, hoy a 14 de mayo de ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO 2020. SARAHI REYES PEREZ, DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU- SECRETARIA REGIONAL. NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA ARLENE GUZMAN PABON, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AGUADILLA SALA SUPERIOR. su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente.

La dirección postal de los Abogados de la parte demandante es: Ismael Pérez Nieves P.O. Box 534, Isabela, Puerto Rico 00662, teléfono (787) 872-1500 y su correo electrónico es perezcorderolaw@gmail.com.

Se le advierte que este Edicto será publicado una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico y que de no contestar usted la demanda en el término anteriormente mencionado, se procederá a anotarle la Rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado de conformidad a la Ley, sin más citarle u oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Honorable Tribunal en la ciudad de Aguadilla, hoy a 14 de mayo de 2020. SARAHI REYES PEREZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ARLENE GUZMAN PABON, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I.

Parte Demandada NOEL RAUL SABELLA CIVIL NÚM.: AG2019CV00048.

Y OTROS SOBRE: SENTENCIA DECLAParte Demandante Vs. RATORIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO DELIMAR RIVERA HAU POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA ESTADO Y OTROS Parte Demandada LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO EL PRESIDENTE DE CIVIL NÚM.: AG2019CV00048.

LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE SOBRE: SENTENCIA DECLARATORIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO AMERICA. POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIA: Maria Josefina DOS DE AMERICA ESTADO Deliz Terron Por medio del presente aviso se LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERle notifica que la parte deman- TO RICO EL PRESIDENTE DE dante ha radicado en su contra LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE una demanda de sentencia de- AMERICA. claratoria. Por la presente se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 días a partir de la publicación del presente Edicto. Deberá usted 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 secretaria del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal dentro del término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en

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ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO SEGUROS A, B, C, D; DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUFULANA Y FULANO DE NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA TAL CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN POR LA PRESENTE se le JUAN SALA SUPERIOR. emplaza y requiere para que JULIO ENRIQUE conteste la Demanda por daGARCÍA RIVERA ños y perjuicio dentro de los Demandante v. sesenta (60) días siguientes a MUNIPIO AUTÓNOMO la publicación de este Edicto, DE SAN JUAN, POR radicando el original de su contestación ante el Tribunal coCONDUCTO DE rrespondiente y notificando con SU HONORABLE ALCALDESA CARMEN copia a los abogados de la Demandante, Lcdo. Luis J. Vilaró Y. CRUZ; AUTORIDAD Vélez y la Lcda. Nelly I. Pujals DE ACUEDUCTOS Y González, P.O. Box 363812, ALCANTARILLADOS DE San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936PUERTO RICO (AAA); 3812. Teléfono (787) 753-2160.

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26

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

The NBA may return too soon

By MARC STEIN

T

his is a critical week for the NBA. Building up to today’s virtual meeting between ownership representatives from the league’s 30 teams and Commissioner Adam Silver, league officials are lasering in on a scheduling format to present to the players’ union to finish out a rebooted 2019-20 season.

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, advised me Monday that he thought it would more realistically be “over the next two weeks that the big decisions will be made,” but they are coming soon.

“We are going to play basketball,” Charles Barkley said in a text message.

Barkley told Paul Finebaum of ESPN the same in a radio interview Tuesday, saying that his Turner Sports bosses had advised him to get ready to come back to work as an analyst.

The league’s publicly stated target is to play games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida, albeit with an undetermined number of teams, starting in “late July.”

Players leaguewide are thus preparing to be summoned to return to their team markets as early as next week for quarantine measures and a gradual return to 5-on-5 practices, all in anticipation for the eventual move to the complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

In other words: Momentum behind an NBA comeback, nearly 80 days into the league’s abrupt shutdown, is as strong as we’ve seen.

“It’s been 2 1/2 months of, ‘What if?’” Michele Roberts, the president of the National Basketball Players Association, told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “My players need some level of certainty. I think everybody does.”

Indeed. Who wouldn’t want a little more sureness right now? Yet I must confess that I also feel increasing uneasiness the closer we get to the game’s return. As slowly as things may be moving for hoops-starved fans, and even the players as Roberts suggested, there’s a nagging sense that the comeback wheels are

still spinning faster than they should.

The NBA is not merely a full-contact sport but one played indoors. The amount of encouragement the league can thus take from the relatively promising start to German soccer’s top-flight comeback, two weeks in, is offset by long-standing warnings from public health experts that the coronavirus is more readily transmitted indoors than outdoors.

A general manager asked me the other day to make a case that the NBA world feels appreciably safer than it did March 11 when Silver suspended operations. It’s a subjective question, to be sure, but I couldn’t muster much pushback to the GM’s argument that money reasons are the only reasons to support resuming the season now.

The league’s go-to counter to such claims is that conditions are unlikely to be safer in October, November and December than they are now — and that it could be catastrophic financially for all sides in the sport to delay a return when safety assurances don’t appear to be coming any time soon. So there is little to be gained, such thinking holds, by waiting for more progress toward the development of a vaccine breakthrough that is likely far down the road.

It’s an argument that must resonate given that Roberts told Shelburne, based on the union’s ongoing discussions with its membership, that “the players really want to play.”

Compared to the much more contentious dynamic between the league and the players’ union in Major League Baseball, NBA players generally leave the impression that they believe in the league’s ability to craft suitably detailed safety protocols for a return to play.

They know that the union’s president, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, is in constant contact with Silver — and they heard directly from Silver earlier this month about the league’s confidence that it can obtain the number of kits needed to facilitate a large-scale testing program before games would restart without inviting more criticism from politicians or the public.

Yet so many unknowns persist, even if you accept the idea that the league can implement mass testing with rapid results — and without cutting into the public supply.

Among the unknowns: — How rigidly will the NBA control access into and out of its “campus” base at Disney to try to combat the spread of the coronavirus?

— How will players’ bodies react to what, for many, will ultimately amount to a thoroughly uncharacteristic three-plus months away from the game?

Buddy Hield’s Sacramento Kings never got to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 11, the night the N.B.A. suspended its season.

— How unsightly, beyond the potential injuries, will the standard of play be after that sort of layoff?

— And how comfortable will players, coaches and team staffers be with the added risks attached to playing indoors compared to working in the more expansive spaces seen in soccer, football and baseball?

The more pressing curiosity, judging by how hard various teams are lobbying this week for the scenarios most advantageous to them, is what schedule constructions the league office will pitch to the players.

Namely how many teams will be invited to Orlando; whether or not they will try to wedge in some regular-season games first; and which of the dizzying myriad playoff concepts is ultimately employed.

Those, though, are purely competitive details.

As he acknowledged to the players in a May 8 conference call, for Silver “the most significant question ultimately is: Can we play without compromising your safety?” Silver also stressed that “no decision we make will be risk-free.”

“Places are opening up,” Malcolm Mi-

ller of the Toronto Raptors said Saturday in a cautionary post on Twitter. “Let’s not forget COVID isn’t magically less contagious now.”

The NBA has lapped up praise from those who described its decision to suspend the season March 11, when Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive, as so decisive that it transmitted the severity of the coronavirus outbreak to the American people as loudly as any development in sports or entertainment.

What that also means, of course, is that no league will be scrutinized more closely as it makes its comeback steps.

I badly want to be wrong about my fears that things are happening too fast. I hope I am merely worrying too much like I always do — what I was born to do, really, after inheriting my father Reuven’s internal supercomputer for worrying.

But I can’t help it. On the verge of the NBA’s comeback, I can’t stop fretting about how the league can manage to stay back in the face of this unpredictable virus.

Something tells me that at least some of the league’s power brokers, deep down, feel the same.

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

27

With or without the say of players, college football moves toward a return

By BILLY WITZ

A

s colleges and universities deliberate whether to reopen for the fall, athletic administrators face one of the thorniest decisions in sports, with millions of dollars and the health of thousands of young people at stake: Should there be a football season?

The sport is a lifeline to many colleges and their surrounding communities, with billions of dollars earned from television contracts and live games often supporting entire athletic programs, lifting businesses near stadiums and building prestige that attracts student applications and alumni donations.

To many players, the prospect of a season lost to the coronavirus pandemic would be crushing, especially to juniors and seniors whose dreams of jumping to the NFL or having one last hurrah could be deferred for another year, much like athletes whose sports were halted in March.

“Players have worked their whole lives for this,” said Camren McDonald, a junior tight end at Florida State, who called a lost season a worst-case scenario.

For months, college sports leaders have declared that if classes do not resume on campus this fall, football and other sports would not be played. But even then, some believe exceptions can be made if there is other limited student activity, and there is increasing pressure to find ways to play.

Though campuses remain largely shuttered for the summer, signs of reopening for football have emerged in the last two weeks. The Southeastern and Big 12 conferences voted last Friday to open their training facilities in early June for voluntary workouts, following the end of an NCAA ban on on-campus sports activities. The Pac-12 joined them Tuesday, after Commissioner Larry Scott suggested in a CNN interview that athletes would be safer on campuses than at home. The expectation is that by mid-July, teams could begin practicing.

This push to reopen, coming as nearly 100,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus and when about two-thirds of states are not showing a decline in COVID-19 cases, demands extraordinary steps: sanitizing facilities, widespread testing and social distancing in a sport whose very essence is contact.

And there’s no guarantee that if the season begins on time, it will finish as scheduled.

As the Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a webinar with other college administrators last week, in which

Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on May 26, 2020. he described college campuses as petri dishes for the transmission of infectious diseases: “It isn’t a matter of when we’re going to have outbreaks, it’s a matter of how big they are and how we go about triaging.”

The reopening plans highlight the enormous financial incentive to play football — even if cavernous stadiums remain mostly empty.

Colleges in the Big Ten, for example, can earn $54 million per year in television revenues alone. And for those that may already be reeling from a two-thirds cut in NCAA men’s basketball tournament revenue, canceling football “can have an unbelievably devastating impact on us,” said Larry Williams, the athletic director at Akron, which recently dropped three sports amid a universitywide budget crunch.

There are cultural pressures, as well — particularly in Southern states where college football is king and the debate about whether (and how) the sport should return has become political fodder.

Thus, what seemed like a clear dictum from conference commissioners to Vice President Mike Pence in April — if students were not allowed in the classroom, they would not be on the football field, either — has become elastic.

“Universities are operating in a realm of bad choices,” said Aron Cramer, the president of Business for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit that encourages businesses to implement ethical frameworks that serve the greater good. Cramer added that the decision about whether to play “ultimately places into sharp relief questions of what a university is all about to begin with.”

At the heart of those questions are

ethical considerations: How do universities assess risk for their players, what dollar value do they place on it and what voice should athletes have in the decisions?

Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist at Emory University, describes the calculation of the risk this way: Imagine running across a football field, but somewhere on the turf, a 3-inch square land mine is hidden. If you step on it, you will die or be maimed.

“How much would I have to pay you to make that run?” Binney, who has worked as a consultant for the Minnesota Twins, the Atlanta Hawks and the Jacksonville Jaguars, wrote on his NFL Injury Analytics blog.

The most vulnerable will be coaches, staff members and ancillary workers, who are older or have compromised immune systems. But while the probability of a college football player dying may be considerably smaller, it is not zero.

“You could argue that there’s a decent benefit to bringing sports back without fans and keeping it below a certain level,” Binney said, referring to infection rates. “But the talk should not be about adding a whole lot of benefit. It should be whether we’re adding a whole lot of risk.”

Reducing risk almost certainly means ramping up testing. And just as all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision programs have a broad range of football resources, some are better equipped to test more frequently and more quickly.

With overall testing far below what public health officials have recommended, the question emerges of whether athletes should jump ahead of other students or communities with higher infection rates. Then there is the matter of cost, which may have played into the SEC’s announcement last Friday that its 14 members would test only those with symptoms — which leaves out about one-third of those who carry the virus, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That could lead to under-testing and delayed testing, which increases the risk of spreading the virus, said Gretchen Snoeyenbos Newman, an infectious disease fellow at the University of Washington.

Sports leagues that have restarted in Europe are testing players several times per week and keeping the few who have tested positive in quarantine.

“You want the lowest possible barrier to testing, and that’s routine testing of everyone,” Newman wrote in an email, noting that even health care workers have trouble assessing whether a tickle in the throat indicates allergies or COVID-19.

“Don’t ask a student-athlete to make that

decision with all the pressure they face internally and externally — just test them.”

There has been scant evidence, if any, that players have been represented on the many advisory committees planning a return for college football. Unlike in many professional leagues, where team owners are working with players to consider health precautions and compensation as they aim to reopen in the coming weeks, there is no union for college athletes, who cycle through the behemoth sports industry as unpaid actors, a status receiving renewed scrutiny.

“It’s not like we’re negotiating — we’re not even on the other side of the table,” said K.J. Costello, a quarterback who graduated from Stanford and in February transferred to Mississippi State for his final season. “We’re waiting to hear the green light and go.”

“The pro athletes probably have a voice,” said McDonald, who has seen the effects of the pandemic as he distributes bagged lunches, pizza and clothes to homeless people, health care workers and others who are vulnerable through a nonprofit he formed with his brother and a high school teammate in Long Beach, Calif.

“In the NCAA and with other amateurs, players don’t have a strong voice and [don’t] have a union. Their voice is always suppressed,” said McDonald, who added that only a select few players might have the platform to influence safety measures. “I’m not Joe Burrow; I’m just a tight end at Florida State,” he said, referring to the quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy last season before being selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft in April.

This week, players will begin returning to campuses to prepare for voluntary workouts, which under NCAA rules can be supervised by strength and conditioning coaches, but not by football coaches.

A rare voice of restraint has been Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, who recently called bringing athletes back to campus by June 1 “ridiculous.” Oklahoma announced Tuesday that it would not open its facilities until July 1 — two weeks after the Big 12 will allow players to work out on campus.

Yet McDonald is eager to work out with his teammates even though he watched one of them, offensive lineman Andrew Boselli, recover from the virus from afar.

“If it came down to health or football, everybody would choose health 100 percent of the time,” McDonald said. “I want it to be as safe as possible, but losing a football season would be a worst-case scenario.”

28

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

North Carolina speedway packs its stands, drawing governor’s rebuke

By JERRY GARRET

G

ov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina has rebuked the operator of Ace Speedway, which last weekend conducted races at which fans packed the stands without face masks or social distancing, but he stopped short of blocking a race planned for today.

Videos taken by spectators and news crews showing a boisterous, largely unprotected crowd at the reopening of the speedway in Elon, N.C., on Saturday went viral on social media.

North Carolina has banned outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people, but the attendance at the track clearly exceeded that limit. And the track operator’s determination to conduct the races without policing the crowd — and the local sheriff’s department’s refusal to intervene — underscored the confusion and conflict as sports navigate restrictions meant to slow the pandemic in their restart.

Cooper called Saturday’s event, at a small track off the major racing circuit, “dangerous and reckless” to public health. But he did not announce any specific enforcement action.

Terry Johnson, the sheriff of Alamance County, where the track is, about 60 miles northwest of Raleigh, called Cooper’s order banning outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people “vague” and “unconstitutional,” and refused to stop the event. He added, “I will not enforce an unconstitutional law.”

Last week, Cooper relaxed an earlier order limiting most businesses and public gatherings. He intended to leave some room to allow for church services, but opponents of any restrictions interpreted the new order as creating a loophole big enough to drive Ace’s 85 racecars through.

Cooper allowed NASCAR to operate racing events in the past week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex, but without fans in attendance.

The Alamance County government issued a statement this week supporting the operators of Ace. “Alamance County government officials were puzzled by Governor Cooper’s

comments regarding Ace Speedway during the media update on Tuesday,” the statement said, “since no one from the governor’s office has reached out directly to the county, even after the county requested guidance and input.”

The county’s statement concluded with a long list of precautions the speedway operators had taken.

Jason Turner, who co-owns Ace with his father, Robert, declined to comment, saying they were “too busy getting ready” for today’s race.

He told reporters last week that Ace was going ahead with its long-delayed season because “this place does not operate on hopes and dreams — this place costs money to operate, and we need to operate.”

The facility had last held racing in October.

Fans were asked to voluntarily practice social distancing and wear masks.

But as Jason Turner told WXII-TV, a station based in Winston-Salem, N.C., “Not a lot of people showed up with masks on.”

The station reported that Ace, which can seat 5,000 people, announced it was at half capacity, or 2,500, even though it seemed full.

The track, a four-tenths-mile paved oval, has been in business since 1956, but it has struggled financially and gone through a succession of owners and operators, especially in recent years. More than 1,000 small tracks operate nationwide, counting on weekly programs in warmer weather to help them eke out an existence through the lean months.

NASCAR has emphasized that it has nothing to do with Ace’s events, although the track has held races sanctioned by the stock car auto racing association in the past.

“The races they’ve held with fans were not sanctioned by NASCAR,” said Mike Forde, a spokesman. “NASCAR continues to work closely with the many local track operators who host NASCARsanctioned races, but we will not resume sanctioned NASCAR weekly racing series events until we can do so in a safe and responsible manner that complies with federal, state and local guidelines.”

The crowd at Ace Speedway in Elon, N.C., cheered at the end of the national anthem as the racetrack reopened last weekend.

NASCAR was among the first major sports bodies to return to hosting live, nationally televised events, which were done without fans in attendance and, the organization said, with several health protocols in place.

Cooper’s office said the governor might relax restrictions further June 24 if the virus seemed under control. As of last week, however, coronavirus infections and deaths in the state were still on the rise.

At least two other small tracks, in Pennsylvania, flouted social distancing guidelines, protective equipment directives and stay-at-home orders to run races last weekend. Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown and Penn Can Speedway in Susquehanna went ahead with at least a part of their traditional programs for Me-

morial Day weekend.

Pennsylvania government officials warned the track operators not to do it, but they went ahead anyway. Mike Heffner, the Lincoln track owner, said he had been threatened with revocation of his operating license. But he said he would fight any such effort. Penn Can operators were issued two citations; no one there would comment on any possible response.

Attendees, most of whom refused to wear masks, said they felt entirely safe to be there, despite the shoulder-to-shoulder seating in some areas of the grandstands.

“I was penned up in my house for two months because I’m not in the best of health,” Keith Ness, a spectator at Lincoln, told reporters. “If I’m to pass away from this stuff, so be it.”

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

Sudoku

29

How to Play:

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

Sudoku Rules: Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9 Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9 Every 3x3 square must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Crossword

Answers on page 30

Wordsearch

GAMES

HOROSCOPE Aries

30

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

(Mar 21-April 20)

Spending time with family will lift your spirits. It’s so refreshing to be with people who accept your shortcomings and celebrate your quirks. Follow an impulse to give a special keepsake to a relative. They’ll greatly appreciate this loving gesture. Don’t feel threatened if a loved one adopts a different lifestyle or belief system than the one in which they were raised. This isn’t a rejection of your tribe.

Trust this seeker to know what’s best for them. Their choices won’t change your affection for one another.

Libra

(Sep 24-Oct 23)

This is a good time to tidy your workspace. Assign a place for everything you own. Being able to locate whatever you need at a moment’s notice will boost your productivity. While you’re at it, clear out anything you don’t need.

Negative thinking will undermine your professional prospects. Whether you are unemployed or running your own business, it’s important to adopt an optimistic view of future jobs. Spend a few minutes each day imagining yourself doing work you love. Assignments will pour in.

Taurus

(April 21-May 21)

Scorpio

Gemini

(May 22-June 21)

Sagittarius

(Nov 23-Dec 21)

Cancer

(June 22-July 23)

Capricorn

(Dec 22-Jan 20)

Are you bored? Follow a friend’s advice about a book, movie or album you should try. This work will have a profound impact on your outlook. Instead of feeling mired by an oppressive situation, you’ll find a way out of it. Going on a short walk will make your heart soar.

It will be so much fun to explore a nearby town that has beautiful architecture, and enchanting countryside.

You might like this place so much that you’ll decide to relocate here.

Your heart and mind are working in perfect harmony.

This is a good time to make decisions, especially about work. If you want a raise, talk to your boss.

Point out all the contributions you’ve made within the past few months. Are you looking for work?

Apply to a family owned business. Despite being an outsider, you’ll fit right in with the staff. It will feel good to go to a job that feels more like a party than a board meeting.

Exploring new ideas fills you with excitement. Don’t be surprised when you receive a lot of romantic offers. You’re never more attractive than when you have your teeth sunk into a fascinating project. Using technology to make people’s lives easier will attract fame and acclaim. Championing an unpopular cause could make a neighbour or relative angry. Don’t get drawn into an argument about current events. It will just cause more anger and resentment.

Leo

(July 24-Aug 23)

You’ve got a fantastic imagination and are a born artist. Instead of keeping your insights and inspirations to yourself you should look for ways to put them before the public and see where it leads. If this means cutting back your work hours or delegating household responsibilities to others, so be it.

Retreating from the harsh demands of the physical world is strongly advised. Although you enjoy being in the spotlight, it can have a draining effect on you. Take this opportunity to visit a quiet spot where you can relax and hear yourself think.

Virgo

(Aug 24-Sep 23)

A brilliant idea will come to you while you’re carrying out some mundane responsibilities. Pause to record this brainwave on your phone or in your notebook. Be as descriptive as possible; you don’t want to forget a single aspect of this notion. Spotting friends you haven’t seen for some time on your daily walk will be fun. You’re especially talkative today, of course from a safe distance. Chatting with an offbeat rebel will lift your spirits.

(Oct 24-Nov 22)

Searching for insight will take you down some unusual paths. If you read about an internet-based course that fills you with excitement, sign up for it now. You don’t want to get shut out of this opportunity. You’ll blossom under the influence of a caring instructor. You’re curious about people who have different beliefs. Although you find some of their ideas bizarre, this just reminds you of the endless variety in the world. It’s nice to know we’re not limited to a single way of thinking.

You’ll leave no stone unturned when seeking the answer to a perplexing question. A search on a government archive will be illuminating. Don’t get discouraged if you encounter a dead end. By varying your search keywords, you’ll discover the information you need. Beware of being blunt and sarcastic in your speech. Not everyone appreciates your dark sense of humour. When dealing with strangers, it’s best to be formal and polite. Save the salty attitude for your nearest and dearest.

A traditional approach to business can create distance between you and the younger generation. Don’t change your approach to make them more comfortable. By standing by your methods and not criticising theirs, you’ll gain their respect. There’s room for all sorts of different attitudes. An ability to appreciate people from all walks of life makes you an excellent friend, colleague and romantic partner. If you’re looking for love, you’ll find it easily when the time is right, so just be patient.

Aquarius

(Jan 21-Feb 19)

Are you looking for work? This is a great time to spread the word. A neighbour or relative will hear of a professional opportunity that is just perfect for you. Any job that offers intellectual stimulation is perfect. You love devising solutions to complicated problems. Beware of imposing your perfectionism on others. Your colleagues have their own way of doing things. Trying to get them to adjust their methods to suit your standards will create great resentment. Live and let live.

Pisces

(Feb 20-Mar 20)

Show off your creative talent. Whether you paint, write or perform is unimportant. It’s time to sell your work on an artisanal website, submit a manuscript to a publisher or audition for a role. Even an introvert like you can enjoy the spotlight. A loved one will accuse you of being self-centred. That’s because they’re used to your attending to their needs. Now you’ve put your priorities first, they’re upset. Let them get used to cultivating their own happiness.

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 29

May 29-31, 2020

31

CARTOONS

Herman

Speed Bump

Frank & Ernest

BC

Scary Gary

Wizard of Id

For Better or for Worse

The San Juan Daily Star

Ziggy

32

The San Juan Daily Star

May 29-31, 2020

EQUIPO COMPROMETIDO CON y planes privados, somos TU CENTRO DE SALUD con todos

Beneficiario del plan

los servicios integrados para la prenvención y el cuidado de la familia. Contamos con los mejores profesionales de la salud y la más avanzada tecnología para cuidar de ti y los tuyos.

NUESTROS SERVICIOS • Vacunación • Visitas al Hogar r Certificados de Salud d Cirugía Menor r Dentista a Especialistas GURABO

Carr. 941, Salida Bo. Jaguas, Gurabo, PR 00778

(787) 737-2311

SAN LORENZO Calle Condado #11

Detrás del Centro Gubernamental

(787) 715-3620

• Optómetra a Laboratorio o Rayos X y Sonografía a Educación en Salud Gurabo | Trujillo Alto d Planificación Familiar r Servicios Integrados de Salud Mental

TRUJILLO ALTO Urbanización Lago Alto Caller Carrite #130

(787) 748-0450

AGUAS BUENAS

AGUAS BUENAS

Bo. Bayamoncito Sector Parcelas, Car. #156 km 41.3

Calle Rafael Loza #32 Esquina Monserrate

SBAYAMONCITO)

(787) 316-0008 | (787)392-3531

SPUEBLO)

(787) 737-2311

JUNCOS

Carr. #31 Juncos PR 00777

(787) 737-2311

NAGUABO

al lado de Supermercado Ralph’s

“Si no tienes plan médico, podemos ayudarte” Orientación a personas sin planes médicos

¡LLÁMANOS!

Aceptamos la mayoria de los planes médicos.

787.737.2311 | www.neomedcenter.org Gurabo | San Lorenzo | Trujillo Alto | Aguas Buenas | Juncos | Naguabo

El Duque Ward, Lote #2

(787) 737-2311