2 GOOD MORNING
The San Juan Daily Star, the only paper with News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edition, along with a Weekend Edition to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Governor: Paying the fines corrected secretary of state’s tax return situation
By THE STAR STAFF
Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said Tuesday that the situation regarding Secretary of State Verónica Ferraiuoli Hornedo’s failure to file tax returns during two periods in which she worked in Washington, D.C., is not comparable to what happened to former Citizens Victory Movement Rep. Mariana Nogales Molinelli, who faced a fine for omitting information in her financial reports.
“Well, the cases are very different,” the governor said at a press conference. “In this [Ferraiuoli’s] case, she was a federal employee, an employee of the United States Congress; federal employees can file federal taxes. She filed federal taxes, and the accountant at the time believed that it wasn’t necessary to file state taxes even though state withholdings had been made. When I filed my first tax return, my accountants told me I could only file federal taxes because I was a federal employee at the time and had no state income. However, I still decided to do it, to file state taxes. Something similar happened in her case. As soon as she realized it, in November of last year, long before I even asked her to be secretary of state, which basically happened in the last week of December, she not only filed the tax returns, she paid the entire obligation with interest and surcharges, and there had been state withholdings. So, the payment of that interest makes up for it.”
Regarding the Financial Oversight and Management Board’s objection to tax measures filed by her administration, González Colón insisted that information validating the measures was provided.
“The treasury secretary submitted the cost of each of these initiatives, as well as the AAFAF [Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority],” she said. “Saying there isn’t one is incorrect. Not only is it taken into consideration, but some of these measures will generate revenue. For example, the 4 percent payment for those coming under Law 60 generates revenue for the treasury, so that revenue is also taken into consideration when making tax reduction remittances.”
“In the case of the rest of the reforms that will be considered from August to December, all the elements will be evaluated there, so we have determined how they will be paid,” the governor added.
“The resources are there. I would like to lower contributions for individuals and corporations at this time, but I need to identify where I will pay for it.”
González Colón also said she will sign the religious freedom bill.
And regarding the questions raised about proposed bail guidelines for certain crimes, the governor reiterated that the document is not set in stone, so anyone who has any objections can voice their concerns.
“We have submitted a proposed bail guideline to standardize what has been a discretionary measure that is disproportionate in the bail issued for murder, rape and aggravated robbery,” she said. “We included that, and now this bill is not set in stone; it has been submitted to the Legislature. They will conduct public hearings, legal experts will be able to comment, the judicial branch will be able to comment, and experts will review the appropriateness or otherwise of this measure. But I think it’s important that we have uniformity.”
SIP Panel closes complaint against Caguas mayor
By THE STAR STAFF
he Special Independent Prosecutor (SIP) Panel closed a complaint against Caguas Mayor William Miranda Torres on Tuesday after accepting the Justice Department’s recommendation not to appoint a prosecutor to investigate the case.
The complaint, filed by Roberto López Román, alleged violations of political campaign financing laws and the Penal Code, the Justice Department said in a written statement.
The Justice Department concluded that there was no
evidence to support a criminal case after investigating the alleged use of municipal funds on social media with political content.
According to the file, the complainant himself admitted to having no direct knowledge of the disbursement of public funds and did not present evidence of crimes, but rather of a possible administrative infraction under the Law for the Oversight of Political Campaign Financing.
The Panel ordered the complaint dismissed and forwarded a copy of the resolution to the offices of the Electoral Comptroller and Government Ethics for investigative purposes.
Island medical labs face stagnation, hit hard by falling reimbursement rates
By THE STAR STAFF
The Clinical Laboratories Association of Puerto Rico (ALCPR by its initials in Spanish) has raised the alarm on the ongoing crisis resulting from declining laboratory reimbursement rates, as documented in an economic study prepared for the ALCPR.
The analysis reveals that Puerto Rico’s clinical laboratories are facing stagnation and reduced rates from insurers, while healthcare costs have increased by more than 24%.
The ALCPR leadership has endorsed House Bill (HB) 2 of 2025 as a necessary legislative solution to address this problem, which has persisted for the past two decades.
The findings of the study, conducted by economist José Alameda, illustrate the significant financial pressure on the island’s laboratories. Between 2012 and 2022, Medicare Advantage rates decreased by 29.5%, while insurance premiums rose by 40.7% from 2010 to 2023. This growing disparity threatens the sustainability of laboratory services throughout Puerto Rico.
The variation in prices for specific tests emphasizes the severity of the issue. For in-
stance, reimbursement for a complete blood count (CBC) test averages just $9.60 in Puerto Rico, compared to $75 in the continental United States. Similarly, reimbursement for a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) averages $14.34 in Puerto Rico versus $225 in the U.S. These discrepancies exist for most routine laboratory tests.
“This is not just a problem for the laboratory industry; it’s a crisis of access for patients,” ALCPR President Felipe Cintrón said. “When laboratories operate at a loss for years, their ability to provide the diagnostic services that guide 70% of all medical decisions is jeopardized. Bill 2 represents a step toward ensuring that Puerto Ricans continue to have access to quality laboratory services, no matter where they live on the island. Our laboratories have endured economic pressures for too long while continuing to provide essential health services.”
In a statement to the House Health Committee, the ALCPR expressed its support for HB 2, which aims to amend Act 72-1993. The legislation would establish a standardized system of minimum fees for laboratory testing, mandate regular reviews of fees based on
with review cycles to ensure that changes in economic conditions are taken into account.
Financial pressures have forced numerous laboratories to close or consolidate over the past decade, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare is already limited. Small and midsize laboratories, which represent over three-quarters of all clinical laboratories in Puerto Rico, are particularly vulnerable to the economic challenges. According to the Alameda study, laboratories in regions outside the San Juan metropolitan area face even greater difficulties, dealing with lower average technologist salaries and higher operating costs relative to their income.
In 2022, laboratories were informed of an additional reduction in their fees, averaging 10% compared to previous rates.
actual costs, and require insurers to submit statistical reports. The bill seeks to create a minimum fee schedule reflecting the actual costs of providing laboratory services, along
“There is no doubt that the government should establish islandwide fees no lower than those set by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and that these should be consistent with the actual costs of testing, including those applicable to the government health plan,” Cintrón said. “It is also imperative to establish fair rates for healthcare providers.”
In light of new federal policy, data sought on COR3 funding disbursements
By THE STAR STAFF
In response to the decision by the Trump administration to implement a new review process for the distribution of emergency funds allocated to Puerto Rico, Sen. Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, the majority leader for the Popular Democratic Party delegation in the upper chamber, has requested that the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resilience (COR3) and its director, Eduardo Rivera Soria, provide updated information.
COR3 is required to provide a response to the inquiry within 10 business days.
Since the severe weather events of 2017, COR3 has played a crucial role as the liaison between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and various public and private entities. Recent reports suggest that the new administrative policies introduced in the United States could complicate access to federal funds by adding additional layers of bureaucracy.
In his statement, Hernández Ortiz noted that the Working Capital Advance Program, initiated in January 2024, allows municipalities, agencies and nonprofit organizations to request and access up to 50% of FEMA funds for recovery projects, contingent upon adher-
ence to specific state and federal regulations.
The specific information requested from COR3 includes:
1. A narrative report explaining how COR3 is preparing to adjust to the new federal administrative policies, which now require a 30-day review period for all funding requests.
2. An analysis of the fiscal impact of the new policies on municipal government projects.
3. A report on any outreach efforts made by COR3 to inform government agencies, municipalities or fund recipients about the new federal policies, along with a certification if no such actions have been taken.
4. Copies of any relevant documents or correspondence sent to government entities regarding the new policies and qualification procedures for fund disbursement.
5. A detailed breakdown of the funds currently
allocated to the Government of Puerto Rico, outlining the total amount disbursed and the remaining balance, distinguishing between obligated and unallocated funds.
6. A copy of the Action Plan developed by the Government of Puerto Rico for the effective use of the allocated funds.
The request was reviewed and unanimously approved by senators. Hernández Ortiz stressed the importance of being prepared for the challenges posed by the federal government’s actions, particularly concerning access to financial resources for various agencies and municipalities, noting that COR3 has been aware of the developments since February.
Puerto Rico’s clinical laboratories are facing stagnation and reduced rates from insurers, while healthcare costs have increased by more than 24%, a recent study found.
Sen. Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz
The San Juan Daily Star
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 5
Nearly 150 students have had visas revoked and could face deportation
By VIMAL PATEL, MIRIAM JORDAN and HALINA BENNET
At least 147 international students were abruptly stripped of their ability to stay in the United States in recent days, according to universities and media reports, sowing fear among students and confusion at schools scrambling to help students facing detention and possible deportation.
The moves targeted students at a wide range of universities, from private institutions like Harvard and Stanford universities to public ones like the University of Texas at Austin and Minnesota State University-Mankato. The University of California had dozens of cases reported across its campuses.
Several immigration lawyers told The New York Times that they began receiving frantic emails and calls late last week from students who had been notified by the State Department or their universities that their visas or statuses had been terminated without clear justifications.
Criminal convictions have always put students at risk of losing their statuses, but traffic infractions and participation in political actions have rarely been cited as grounds.
In some cases, immigration officers have arrested international students related to their involvement in pro-Palestinian causes. In other cases, students had committed legal infractions, such as driving over the speed limit or while intoxicated, often years ago, several immigration lawyers said in interviews.
But lawyers said the Trump administration had often given no reason at all, leaving them to guess why students were targeted.
“This upends all usual practice by the government,” said Miriam Feldblum, CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, which represents more than 570 public and private colleges and universities across the country. “They are terminating students’ statuses in a way they have never done before and with virtually no explanation and little recourse to correct or appeal by either the institution or the students.”
Late last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to scour the social media postings of some visa applicants to keep away from the country those suspected of criticizing the United States and Israel.
The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The recent moves add more anxiety to a precarious environment for international students and scholars in the United States. Advocates for international education worry that such moves will chill the ability of U.S. schools to attract foreign students.
Last month, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia Uni-
versity graduate student who was involved in pro-Palestinian activism during campus protests last year, was arrested at his apartment and sent to Louisiana for possible deportation, despite being a permanent resident. Shortly after, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student from Turkey, was detained by masked agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while she was on the way to meet friends. Ozturk, who had written a pro-Palestinian opinion essay, was also taken to Louisiana.
The moves aimed at international students fit with the Trump administration’s broader policy agenda of reducing the number of immigrants, both legal and without legal status, and of forcing universities to crack down on what the president says is rampant antisemitism on campuses.
The United States issued more than 400,000 visas to students in 2024.
Some of the students targeted recently had committed offenses like speeding or driving while intoxicated, the lawyers said. They said that such offenses did not ordinarily rise to deportation.
Without a visa an international student loses legal protection, and must leave the United States or risk being detained and placed in deportation proceedings. Several attorneys said they had clients who had opted to leave the country out of fear that they could be arrested by agents from ICE, the Homeland Security agency charged with carrying out Trump’s pledge of mass deportations.
Some affected students are graduate students who have doctoral dissertations they are supposed to defend next month. Others are undergraduates. Still others have completed their studies and have been working in the United States, under a special program that allows recent international graduates to remain in the country for up to three years if employed.
“This is totally unprecedented,” said Fuji Whittenburg, an immigration lawyer in Calabasas, California, who has been practicing law for 20 years. “I have never seen anything close to this.” She added, “A brush with law enforcement that didn’t necessarily result in an arrest or a conviction is all it took.”
Whittenburg said one of her clients was an Indian national who got a DUI when he was studying in the United States more than a decade ago. When he applied for a second student visa more recently, he disclosed the charge to U.S. consular authorities in his home country. They ultimately granted him the visa to pursue further studies in the United States.
On Monday, a letter sent to Michael Drake, president of the University of California, and others by the Council of University of California Faculty Association, said the university should help students who had been targeted, arguing it had a “moral obligation” to protect students and scholars’ legal rights.
The letter, which was co-signed by the University Council AFT, a teaching faculty and librarians union, called on the university to allow deported or detained students to continue their programs remotely, to continue providing stipends, salaries and fellowships and to help students in the courts.
Several students have sued the government to challenge their terminations, and lawsuits are expected to pile up.
Stacy Tolchin, an immigration lawyer in Pasadena, California, filed two suits in federal court in Los Angeles on Saturday, and said that she would be filing more this week.
In one case, the American Civil Liberties Union is representing a Chinese doctoral student at Dartmouth College who has been studying computer science. According to a complaint filed April 4, the student, Xiaotian Liu, had not committed any crimes or participated in any protests.
The college told the student in an email that this was “not standard or normal procedure,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in New Hampshire.
“Xiaotian’s dream of finishing his doctoral program and obtaining a Ph.D. at Dartmouth College is now in severe jeopardy,” the lawsuit said.
Andeno Co
Tasa mínima, promedio ponderado, y máxima para préstamos personales pequeños otorgados para la semana que terminó el sábado, 5 de abril de 2025
The Hoover Tower at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., July 2, 2019. Stanford is one of the schools that has had student visas revoked by Trump’s administration. (Jim Wilson/ The New York Times)
April 9, 2025 6
Supreme Court clears way for Venezuelan deportations to resume, for now
By ABBIE VANSICKLE
The Supreme Court ruled Monday night that the Trump administration could continue to deport Venezuelan migrants using a wartime powers act for now, overturning a lower court that had put a temporary stop to the deportations.
The decision marks a victory for the Trump administration, although the ruling did not address the constitutionality of using the Alien Enemies Act to send the migrants to a prison in El Salvador. The justices instead issued a narrow procedural ruling, saying migrants’ lawyers had filed their lawsuit in the wrong court.
The justices said it should have been filed in Texas, where the Venezuelans are being held, rather than a court in Washington.
All nine justices agreed that the Venezuelan migrants detained in the United States must receive advance notice and the opportunity to challenge their deportation before they could be removed, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurrence.
The split among the court was over where — and how — that should happen.
“The detainees are confined in Texas, so venue is improper in the District of Columbia,” according to the court’s order, which was brief and unsigned, as is typical in such emergency applications.
The justices ordered that the Venezuelan migrants must be told that they were subject to removal under the Alien Enemies Act “within a reasonable time” for them to challenge their removal before they are deported. That finding could impose significant new restrictions on how the Trump administration might attempt to use the act in the future.
President Donald Trump wrote on social media that he viewed the decision as a victory.
“The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule
Migrants are processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Paso Del Norte International Bridge in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Dec. 28, 2024. A Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration could continue to deport Venezuelan migrants using a wartime powers act for now did not address the constitutionality of using the 1798 law to send the migrants to a prison in El Salvador. The justices instead issued a narrow procedural ruling. (Paul Ratje/The New York Times)
of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
“A GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA!”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the majority’s legal conclusion was “suspect,” adding that the court had intervened to grant the administration “extraordinary relief” without mentioning “the grave harm” that the migrants would face if they were “erroneously removed to El Salvador.”
“The court should not reward the government’s efforts to erode the rule of law,” Sotomayor
AVISO IMPORTANTE: CIERRE DE OFICINA
Dr. Félix M Figueroa Pérez (Cirujano General)
Los pacientes pueden pasar a recoger sus expedientes en la ofici C-4 del Consolidated Mall, Ave. Gautier Benítez en Caguas. Fecha de entrega de récords será desde el 8 de abril al 2 de mayo en horario de 8am a 12pm.
PARA COORDINAR LA ENTREGA COMUNICARSE EN HORAS LABORALES AL 787-258-2965 o envíenos un email a: oficdrfigueroa@gmail.com.
Los expedientes no reclamados serán destruidos.
wrote.
She was joined in dissent by the court’s two other liberal justices, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined in part.
In a separate dissent, Jackson sharply criticized the court’s decision to act on the emergency docket, where cases are typically heard quickly and without oral argument and full briefing.
“At least when the court went off base in the past, it left a record so posterity could see how it went wrong,” Jackson wrote, citing Korematsu v. United States, a notorious 1944 decision by the court upholding the forcible internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
“With more and more of our most significant rulings taking place in the shadows of our emergency docket, today’s court leaves less and less of a trace,” Jackson wrote. “But make no mistake: We are just as wrong now as we have been in the past, with similarly devastating consequences.”
Lawyers for the migrants challenging their deportations were “disappointed” that they would “need to start the court process over again” in a different court, but counted the ruling as a win, said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union.
Gelernt said that “the critical point is that the Supreme Court rejected the government’s position that it does not even have to give individuals meaningful advance notice so they can challenge
their removal under the Alien Enemies Act.”
He added, “That is a huge victory.”
The case is perhaps the most high-profile of the nine emergency applications the Trump administration has filed with the Supreme Court so far, and it presents a direct collision between the judicial and executive branches.
The administration had asked the justices to weigh in on its effort to use the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law, to deport more than 100 Venezuelans who it claims are members of Tren de Aragua, a violent street gang rooted in Venezuela. The administration argues that their removals are allowed under the act, which grants the president authority to detain or deport citizens of enemy nations. The president may invoke the law in times of “declared war” or when a foreign government invades the United States.
On March 14, Trump signed a proclamation that targeted members of Tren de Aragua, claiming there was an “invasion” and a “predatory incursion” underway. In the proclamation, Trump claimed the gang was “undertaking hostile actions” against the United States “at the direction, clandestine or otherwise” of the Venezuelan government.
Lawyers representing some of those targeted challenged the order in federal court in Washington.
That same day, planeloads of the deportees were sent to El Salvador, which had entered an agreement with the Trump administration to take the Venezuelans and detain them.
A federal judge, James E. Boasberg, directed the administration to stop the flights. He subsequently issued a written order temporarily pausing the administration’s plan while the court case proceeded.
The administration appealed Boasberg’s temporary restraining order, and a divided panel of three appellate court judges in Washington sided with the migrants, keeping the pause in place. One judge wrote that the government’s deportation plan had denied the Venezuelans “even a gossamer thread of due process.”
At that point, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to weigh in, arguing in its application that the case presented “fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security-related operations in this country.”
Lawyers for the migrants responded sharply, arguing that the temporary pause by Boasberg was “the only thing” standing in the way of the government sending migrants “to a prison in El Salvador, perhaps never to be seen again, without any kind of procedural protection, much less judicial review.”
Stocks
Stocks take a breath, but yuan, Treasuries convulse
After a wild Monday, equity trading appears to have calmed somewhat even as the U.S.-inspired trade war ratchets up. Speculation about a devaluation of China’s yuan has moved center stage along with a snapback in U.S. Treasury yields.
Today’s Market Minute
* China refused to bow to what it called “blackmail” from the United States as a global trade war ignited by President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs showed little sign of abating on Tuesday.
* The U.S. dollar fell on Tuesday while the euro rallied as stocks rebounded in Asia and Europe on hopes that U.S. will enter negotiations over his sweeping tariffs that have roiled markets for three days.
* The European Commission said on Monday it had offered a “zero-for-zero” tariff deal to avert a trade war with the U.S. as EU ministers agreed to prioritize negotiations, while striking back with 25% tariffs on some U.S. imports.
* Gold’s latest gallop to all-time highs has drawn comparisons with the last time political and economic turmoil were the main drivers of record prices, back in 1980. But market players say the nature of this rally - and potentially its ability to endurelook different.
* The United States is starting to resemble an emerging market more than a developed country, the head of pan-European stock exchange operator Euronext said on Tuesday.
Stocks take a breath, but yuan, Treasuries convulse Highlighting just how fragile market sentiment currently is, Monday’s 5-7% intraday swings in Wall Street’s stock indexes were largely driven by a rogue news headline about a pause in tariffs that was quickly denied. This also reflected how much speculative short selling appears to have built up over the past week, exaggerating the withering downswing.
In the end, the S&P 500 closed only marginally lower on the day, though it’s still off more than 10% since last Wednesday’s tariff announcement. Gasping for breath after a torrid week, stock futures and world bourses all staged a modest bounce on Tuesday, with Japan’s Nikkei emitting the biggest sigh of relief with a 6% rally.
Tokyo outperformed after President Donald Trump said Japan was sending a trade negotiating team to America and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects Japan to get “priority” treatment. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said separately he told Trump to rethink tariff policies.
Meanwhile, China refused to back down on its retaliatory tariffs, prompting Trump to threaten raising U.S. import levies on
PUERTO RICO STOCKS
Abodada-Notario
• HERENCIAS | QUIEBRA | DERECHO Hogar Seguro Testamento
jrclegalsolutions
tuabogadapr@outlook.com
Urb. Villa Blanca 76 Calle Aquamarina
HOLDINGS SUMMARY
Chinese goods to more than 100%.
On Tuesday, China’s commerce ministry said it would not bow to U.S. “blackmailing” and that “China will fight to the end.”
As if to up the ante, China’s yuan fell to its weakest level since 2023 on Tuesday after the central bank slightly loosened its grip on the currency in what appeared to be an attempt to counteract the tariff blow to exports.
During Trump’s first trade war with China, Beijing effectively devalued the yuan by about 10%, offsetting much of the tariff hit on
Chinese exporters.
If it were to replicate a similar move in the current standoff, it would undermine one of the stated aims of the Trump campaign: pushing down on what they see as an overvalued dollar.
Japan’s former top currency diplomat Naoyuki Shinohara said on Tuesday that any U.S. attempt to pull off a 1985 Plaza Accord-style coordinated depreciation of the dollar won’t work as it would require the consent of China and Europe.
San Juan Daily Star
San Juan Daily Star
April 9, 2025 9
Frantic search for survivors as roof collapse in Dominican Republic kills at least 58
By FRANCES ROBLES and HOGLA ENECIA PÉREZ
Using heavy machinery, drones, dogs and dozens of rescuers, officials worked frantically Tuesday to find survivors of a deadly roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic, where authorities said at least 58 people died.
The collapse happened during a concert at Jet Set, a popular nightclub whose Monday night dance party was a decades-old tradition frequented by a who’s who of Dominican society, many of whom were still trapped inside.
Among those either killed or injured were a governor, a member of the Dominican Republic’s Congress and a former U.S. major league baseball player.
Officials said they were focused on rescues and had not yet begun to investigate the cause of the tragedy. The building, a former movie theater, was at least 50 years old and had been the scene of a fire several years ago.
Authorities said it was unclear how many people were inside at the time of the collapse. Victims were still being pulled from the rubble, alive and dead. With each grim update, the death toll climbed.
Some people received phone calls from relatives trapped inside, Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said in an Instagram video shared by the national police.
“We are taking out the people we can rescue alive,” Méndez said. “You can hear people asking to be helped.”
In a series of social media posts, officials said rescuers made at least 155 trips to local hospitals.
So many people were injured that ambulances initially had to carry two or three to the hospital at a time, Méndez said.
Jet Set, which has been open for more than 45 years, is one of the most famous clubs in the Dominican Republic. It is especially well known for its Monday shows, a staple of live music in the city.
Anxious family members gathered at the scene under a blazing sun, desperate for news of their loved ones. Some people said they had up to seven relatives missing following the disaster.
Several members of the Dominican Congress were thought to have been inside the club, and several lawmakers went to the site.
Carlos J. Gil Rodríguez, who represents Santo Domingo in Congress, was injured and required emergency surgery, his office said. His wife was injured and released from the hospital, but his two assistants who were also at the event had not been found.
“My dear brother!” one woman screamed upon learning that her sibling had not survived.
Another woman, Yeheris Ventura, sobbed
as she described the anxiety of not hearing from her husband, Gálver Silvestre, who was at the club and whose name was not among the list of survivors or the dead that had been circulated.
Octavio Dotel, 51, a former pitcher in the Major Leagues, was pulled from the rubble and taken to an area hospital. He later died, the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic announced.
Monday’s show featured Rubby Pérez, a merengue singer.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by The New York Times showed Pérez performing before a group of revelers. The camera began shaking and people started screaming as a large chandelier dropped from the ceiling.
Another video, filmed in the aftermath and also verified by the Times, captured the extensive destruction, showing that almost the entire roof had collapsed, with rubble covering the stage and dance floor as rescuers searched the wreckage.
Although authorities had announced that the singer was at a hospital, one of his siblings said those reports were incorrect and that the entertainer remained in the rubble, 14 hours after the collapse. Pérez has not been located, Méndez confirmed late Tuesday afternoon.
Among those at the nightclub was Nelsy M. Cruz Martínez, governor of the Dominican province Monte Cristi, an area in the northwest of the country near the border with Haiti.
South Korea sets new presidential election for June 3
By CHOE SANG-HUN
South Korea said Tuesday that it would hold a snap election June 3 to choose the successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed last week for his attempt to impose martial law.
The country’s Constitutional Court formally dismissed Yoon on Friday when its eight justices unanimously endorsed his impeachment by the National Assembly in December.
South Korea has since shifted its focus to the question of who should lead the country after months of political turmoil that have tested the resilience of its democracy and weakened its leadership. By law, South Korea must elect a new president within 60 days of the court’s ruling.
On Monday, the government confirmed
June 3 as election day, designating it as a national holiday to encourage voter turnout.
In the coming days, the rival political parties will schedule primary races to select their presidential candidates by May 12, when the official campaign will start. Whoever wins the election will assume office immediately — without the country’s typical two-month transition period.
Until then, South Korea must continue to deal with external challenges — including President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on its goods — under an unelected interim leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, is widely expected to win his party’s nomination, although several other politicians have expressed their intention
to join its primary race.
Lee was expected to step down as party
Cruz called President Luis Abinader at 12:49 a.m., while she was trapped in the rubble, the first lady, Raquel P. Arbaje, told reporters at the scene.
Cruz died later in a hospital, Abinader said outside the club Tuesday morning.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub,” Abinader said on the social platform X. “We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred.”
The son of the country’s public works minister and his wife were still missing, authorities said.
“But we hope in God and pray for favorable outcomes,” the minister, Eduardo Estrella, said in a statement.
Mayor Carolina Mejía de Garrigó of Santo Domingo wrote on social media, “Our city wakes up to a terrible tragedy,” extending her condolences to families affected by the tragedy.
Carlos Mendoza Díaz, president of the Dominican Association of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors, said the Jet Set building was decades old and had recently been damaged.
“We have gathered information that it was not only a structure over 50 years old, built for a movie theater and later converted into a nightclub, and obviously these are different safety parameters,” he said. “We also know that a fire occurred a few years ago, and perhaps the combination of these events could have caused the collapse.”
chair in the coming days so he could focus on his presidential bid. In surveys in recent weeks, more South Koreans expressed wanting Lee as the next president, by a margin of around 25 percentage points. Lee is on trial on several criminal charges, including bribery, which he says Yoon’s government filed with political motives.
Who Yoon’s conservative People Power Party will choose is a lot less clear. More than a dozen politicians, including Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo, have shown interest in competing, but no strong front-runner has emerged yet — in part because the party had until recently focused its efforts on retaining Yoon as president. Yoon’s ouster was a crushing blow to the People Power Party: He was the second conservative president in a row to be ousted by impeachment and the third consecutive conservative president to face criminal indictment before or after their term ended. Yoon is also on trial on charges of committing insurrection when he sent troops to seize the National Assembly during his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.
People celebrate after South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Seoul Friday morning, April 4, 2025. South Korea has announced a snap election on June 3 to choose Yoon’s successor. (Chang W. Lee/ The New York Times)
US and Iran will hold nuclear talks on Saturday
By DAVID E. SANGER and FARNAZ FASSIHI
President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the United States would engage in “direct” negotiations with Iran next Saturday in a last-ditch effort to rein in the country’s nuclear program, saying Tehran would be “in great danger” if it failed to reach an accord.
If direct talks take place, they would be the first official faceto-face negotiations between the two countries since Trump abandoned the Obama-era nuclear accord seven years ago. They would also come at a perilous moment, as Iran has lost the air defenses around its key nuclear sites because of precise Israeli strikes last October. And Iran can no longer rely on its proxy forces in the Middle East — Hamas, Hezbollah and the now-ousted Assad government in Syria — to threaten Israel with retaliation.
In a social media post, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed that talks would take place on Saturday in Oman — but he said that they would be indirect, meaning intermediaries would work with the two sides. “It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court,” Araghchi said.
On the order of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has refused to sit down with American officials in direct nuclear negotiations since Trump pulled out of the last accord. After Trump spoke Monday, however, three Iranian officials said Khamenei had shifted his position to potentially allow direct talks.
The officials said that if Saturday’s indirect talks are respectful and productive, then direct talks may happen. The officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Still, Iran is almost certain to resist dismantling its entire nuclear infrastructure, which has given it a “threshold” capability to make the fuel for a bomb in a matter of weeks — and perhaps a full weapon in months. Many Iranians have begun to talk openly about the need for the country to build a weapon since it has proved fairly defenseless in a series of missile exchanges with Israel last year.
Sitting beside Trump on Monday during a visit to the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that any resulting deal must follow what he called the “Libya model,” meaning that Iran would have to dismantle and ship out of the country its entire nuclear infrastructure. But much of Libya’s nuclear enrichment equipment had never been uncrated before it was turned over to the United States in 2003; Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has been operating for decades, and is spread around the country, much of it deep underground.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Monday, April 7, 2025. President Trump said the United States would hold “direct” talks with Iran on Saturday to discuss a nuclear deal, although Iranian officials said the plans involved using Omani diplomats as intermediaries. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
Netanyahu was strangely quiet during a lengthy Q&A session with reporters, a sharp contrast with his last visit to Washington, two months ago. After a few introductory remarks, he was largely a spectator as Trump railed against European nations that he said had “screwed” the United States, and threatened even more punishing tariffs against China unless it reversed its threat of retaliatory tariffs by Tuesday. He further muddied the waters about whether his tariff structure was intended to be a permanent source of U.S. revenue or just leverage for negotiations.
Netanyahu left the Oval Office without a public commitment from Trump to wipe out the 17% tariff he had placed on Israel, one of America’s closest allies. Getting such a commitment had been one of the key objectives of his trip, along with securing even more weapons for the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and for Israeli military action in the West Bank. If
the two men discussed Israeli or joint Israel-U.S. military options against the main Iranian nuclear sites, they gave no indication of having done so during their public comments.
The closest Trump came was to say: “I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it.” Again, Netanyahu said nothing, as Trump, voluble and dominating, barely let him get a word in.
Trump added: “So we are going to see if we can avoid it, but it’s getting to be very dangerous territory, and hopefully those talks will be successful.”
Trump is, to some degree, solving a problem of his own making. The 2015 nuclear accord resulted in Iran shipping out of the country 97% of its enriched uranium, leaving small amounts in the country, and the equipment needed to produce nuclear fuel.
President Barack Obama and his top aides said at the time that the deal was the best they could extract. But it left Iran with the equipment and the know-how to rebuild after Trump pulled out of the accord, and today it has enough fuel to produce upward of six nuclear weapons in relatively short order.
How long that would take is a matter of dispute: The New York Times reported in early February that new intelligence indicated a secret team of Iranian scientists was exploring a faster, if cruder approach to developing an atomic weapon. Trump has presumably since been briefed on those findings, which came at the end of the Biden administration, and they have added urgency to the talks. Administration officials say they will not engage in a prolonged negotiation with Tehran.
Trump’s surprise announcement of what he called a “top level” meeting Monday exploded in Iranian media. Some Iranians reacted with enthusiasm, saying on social media that they hoped the negotiations would resolve their economic woes and avert the threat of war, which has become acute in recent months.
“The way we see it, Trump’s comments about negotiations were a clear and strong signal to both Israel and Iran,” Mehdi Rahmati, a conservative political analyst close to the government, said in a telephone interview from Tehran. “He is putting the brakes on Israel’s plan for military strikes and he is openly sending a positive pulse to Iran that he favors diplomacy and wants to resolve our problems.”
Earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmeil Bagheri told Iranian media, “Iran’s offer for indirect negotiations was a generous and wise offer, considering the history of the issue and the trends related to nuclear negotiations in the past decade. We are focused on what we offer.”
That Iran is coming to the table at all seems to be a recognition of its vastly weakened state. Its nuclear facilities have never been this vulnerable. And in addition to striking Iran’s air defenses in October, Israel also destroyed the missile-production facilities where Iran mixes rocket fuel. So Iran’s ability to produce new missiles has been temporarily limited.
Araghchi and Steven Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, will head the talks Saturday, according to two senior Iranian diplomats and Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat and part of the nuclear negotiating team in 2015.
But it is entirely possible, nuclear experts say, that the maximum Iran feels it can give will come nowhere near the demand that Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, has talked about: the full dismantlement of its nuclear facilities.
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL
My farewell column
By PAMELA PAUL
This is my final column for The New York Times. In the memo I wrote three years ago when applying for this job after 11 years at The Times Book Review, I vowed “to write to Times readers rather than to Twitter or to Slack.” I knew my positions, fundamentally liberal but often at odds with what had become illiberal progressive dogma, would ruffle feathers. But as I explained, “I want to write about that vast center/liberal space and to address what people really think and believe but are often too afraid to say.”
I also stipulated that I could do this job only if I quit Twitter, which had by then become a forum that could lead journalists to mistake the loudest voices for the most legitimate or to temper their positions so as to avoid social media blowback. The list of social media vortexes today includes not only Twitter’s successor, X, but also Bluesky, Threads, Reddit and countless other online forums.
I did not want my positions to be unduly guided by what others might think, be they friends or strangers, office colleagues or online trolls, activist organizations or institutional powers. And the lure of affirmation can be just as potent as the fear of attack.
I wasn’t looking to be loved or even liked. I had friends and family for that. I wanted to write what I believed to be
PO BOX 6537 Caguas PR 00726
Telephones: (787) 743-3346 • (787) 743-6537 (787) 743-5606 • Fax (787) 743-5100
Dr. Ricardo Angulo Founder
Manuel Sierra General Manager
María de L. Márquez Business Director
R. Mariani Circulation Director
Lisette Martínez
the truth, based on facts and guided by fairness, but never driven by fear.
That wasn’t because I was insensitive to other people or enjoyed getting death threats but because I believed in the principles Adolph S. Ochs laid out on assuming control of the Times in 1896: “to give the news impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved” and to “invite intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion.” Readers’ respect for those values was — and is — more important to me than readers’ agreement with any one of my opinions.
I couldn’t follow that approach if I were looking over my shoulder, checking my feed or worrying how anyone would react.
As a columnist, I covered a wide range of subjects, including academic freedom, culture, language, women’s rights, gay rights, higher education, science and health, and politics, including several columns dedicated to how the Democratic Party had lost its way.
But the reporting I’m most proud of is when I used my voice to stand up for people whose lives or work had come under attack, whether they were public figures or were dragged into the public eye because they’d dared to speak or act in ways that unjustly elicited professional or social condemnation: A popular novelist ostracized for alleged “cultural appropriation.” A physician assistant who was excoriated on social media for standing up to bullies. A Palestinian writer whose appearance at a prominent book fair was canceled. An early beneficiary of affirmative action who dared to explore its unintended consequences. Vulnerable gay teenagers who described being misled by a politicized medical establishment into dubious gender transition treatments. A public university president who was driven away by a campus besieged with political division. Social work students and faculty undermined by a school that had betrayed its own principles. A public health expert who risked opprobrium from his peers by calling out his profession on groupthink.
All found themselves at odds with the people or communities that had once supported them, a disorienting place to be, especially in these polarized times. In a world in which too many people are inclined to think of politics and morality as team sports, one side good and the other side evil, nuanced stories that complicate facile narratives demand to be told.
Several years ago, the Times ran a campaign with the tagline “The truth is hard.” The way I’ve interpreted this is that the truth may be hard for some people to hear, but the truth should never be hard for journalists to tell. In our efforts to shed light on difficult subjects or to question conventional wisdom, we should never refrain from speaking what we believe to be the truth. Not because we think others can’t handle it and certainly not because we cannot handle it
(Carl Godfrey/The New York Times)
ourselves.
Readers are smarter and more thoughtful than the news media sometimes gives them credit for. They don’t need our protection. When journalists hold back, readers can sense they aren’t getting the full story. This sows doubt and skepticism at a time when readers desperately need news they can trust.
I will end with a message of gratitude to those readers. I have truly appreciated the responses, both supportive and critical, I’ve gotten from so many of you. My hope is that even when my arguments haven’t persuaded you, they’ve led you to ask questions or helped you arrive at your own answers to complex problems. It is only when we ask tough questions, including of ourselves, that we arrive at a full picture of what’s going on. And often, that’s when we discover what we truly believe.
Though I am leaving the Times, I will not be leaving behind these principles in my work as a journalist. Readers depend on our telling the truth more than ever.
UPR Aguadilla se
convierte en sede del primer examinador de mecánicos aeronáuticos
POR CYBERNEWS
AGUADILLA
– La Universidad de
Puerto Rico en Aguadilla, a través de su Instituto de Aeronáutica y Aeroespacial, fue designada el martes como sede del primer Designated Mechanic Examiner autorizado por la FAA en Puerto Rico y el Caribe.
“El proceso fue largo, pero se logró gracias primeramente a Dios y a toda la colaboración con UPR Aguadilla”, expresó Howard Ayala en declaraciones escritas.
Ayala fue autorizado oficialmente el 13 de enero por la Administración Federal de Aviación para realizar exámenes orales y prácticos a aspirantes a certifi-
en Puerto Rico
cación de mecánicos de aviación en las instalaciones del Instituto. Esto se logró mediante un acuerdo firmado el 30 de octubre de 2024 entre Ayala y el IAAPR. El primer examen oficial se celebrará el miércoles, 24 de abril en Aguadilla. El Instituto proveerá el espacio, equipo y apoyo necesario para cumplir con los estándares federales, según detalló Sonia Rivera González, directora ejecutiva interina del IAAPR.
La designación posiciona a la región oeste como un eje del desarrollo aeronáutico y fortalece alianzas con entidades como Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico, Collins Aerospace y Lockheed Martin, que forman parte del Consorcio Aeroespacial del IAAPR.
Jefes de agencias y sector privado intercambian perspectivas sobre políticas y retos para la comunidad con diversidad funcional
POR EL STAR STAFF
SAN JUAN – En el marco del Día Mundial del Síndrome de Down, la Fundación Lily’s Angels & Down Syndrome Awareness Foundation llevó a cabo el foro “Soy Parte: Panorama Actual del Síndrome de Down”, un espacio de diálogo y reflexión en el que líderes del sector público y privado discutieron políticas, desafíos y estrategias para fortalecer el apoyo a esta comunidad y sus familias.
El evento contó con la participación de figuras clave en el ámbito gubernamental y empresarial, como el licenciado Eliezer Ramos Parés, Secretario del Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico; la licenciada Amy Vega Ojeda, Directora de la Administración para el Cuidado y Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez (ACUDEN); el General de Brigada Arthur Garffer, Secretario de Seguridad Pública de Puerto Rico y Luis Pizarro-Otero, Fundador y CEO de FIDE LLC y Presidente de la Cámara de Comercio de Puerto Rico. La conversación fue moderada por los fundadores de Lily’s Angels, Kristen Friscia y José Benítez, padres de Lily, quienes impulsaron el debate sobre la importancia de la inclusión, el respeto y la creatividad en la formulación de políticas y programas dirigidos a las personas con síndrome de Down. Y sobre la necesidad de mejorar el acceso a recursos educativos, de salud y laborales para
personas con condiciones genéticas o discapacidades. Benítez enfatizó “que lo más importante es que nos escuchen, que trabajemos juntos para que la verdadera inclusión llegue y esto será cuando ya no tengamos que hablar de ella”.
Uno de los puntos clave del foro fue el compromiso de los participantes en continuar trabajando por una sociedad más inclusiva, promoviendo iniciativas que garanticen el acceso a la educación, la salud y el empleo para esta comunidad.
El secretario de educación Ramos Parés, enfatizó que el conocimiento sobre estas condiciones es clave para la inclusión. La administradora de ACUDEN favoreció la necesidad de capacitación a maestros y profesionales que sirve a esta poblaciones. Mientras
que el secretario de seguridad pública reconoció la importancia ofrecer conocimiento y capacitación a los funcionarios de seguridad para el mejor manejo de casos. Por su parte, el presidente de la Cámara de Comercio reafirmó su compromiso para que más empresas se comprometan en la capacitación para atender y emplear de manera efectiva a personas con diversidad funcional.
“Necesitamos un enfoque integral que combine esfuerzos del gobierno, el sector privado y las organizaciones sin fines de lucro para ofrecer mejores oportunidades a las personas con síndrome de Down y sus familias”, destacó Kristen Friscia, cofundadora de Lily’s Angels, experta asesora y educadora sobre inclusión para servicios a esta población.
El foro destacó la importancia del conocimiento y la inclusión de personas con diversidad funcional y se reafirmó el compromiso de Lily’s Angels & Down Syndrome Awareness Foundation en ser un puente de cambio y acción en favor de una sociedad más equitativa e inclusiva. Los participantes coincidieron en la necesidad de una colaboración interagencial efectiva para garantizar la protección y derechos de las personas con diversidad funcional, promoviendo un Puerto Rico más inclusivo y accesible para todos.
Para más información sobre la Fundación y sus iniciativas, adquirir accesorios o realizar donaciones para apoyar las iniciativas de Lily’s Angels, visite lilysangels.org y sus redes sociales.
Kennedy calls for states to ban fluoridated drinking water
By EMILY BAUMGAERTNER NUNN
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kicked off a tour through southwestern states earlier this weekby calling on states to ban fluoride in drinking water supplies, a move that would reverse what some medical experts consider one of the most important public health practices in the country’s history.
The announcement came at a news conference in Utah, the first state to enact such a ban into law. The state’s new law is set to take effect in early May, despite concerns from public health experts who consider fluoridation of water core to preventing tooth decay.
“It makes no sense to have it in our water supply,” Kennedy said, echoing a position he took during the 2024 presidential campaign. “I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will come.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which Kennedy oversees as health secretary, has listed fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. After the news conference, Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s principal deputy chief of staff, said Kennedy would direct the CDC’s community preventive services task force to study fluoride and make a new recommendation.
for Secretary Kennedy,” he added.
Kennedy appeared at the news conference alongside the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, who announced that the EPA would reexamine research on potential health risks of fluoride in water.
The current standard “was most recently reviewed July of 2024, but a lot has happened since July of 2024,” Zeldin said. The review of safety data “wouldn’t be happening, if not
The fluoridation debate stretches back to the 1950s, when conspiracy theories swirled around whether the practice was a communist plot to cause brain damage. Some studies suggest that excess exposure to fluoride — at levels twice the amount recommended by the federal government — could harm infants.
The American Dental Association has said that water fluoridation reduces dental decay by at least 25% in children and adults.
The Make America Healthy Again tour, which will take Kennedy through parts of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, was intended to draw attention to some of the secretary’s commonground interests, spotlighting initiatives that emphasize nutrition and lifestyle choices as tools for combating disease. At the news conference, Kennedy also lauded Utah’s recent legislation to ban ultra-processed foods in school meals and to restrict people from using federal food assistance benefits to purchase candy and soda. He announced late last month that the Trump administration would begin allowing states to bar participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, from using the money to pay for soda.
Kennedy’s first stop on the tour was the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Utah, which prides itself in taking a “whole-person” approach to patient care, including an emphasis on sleep, exercise and even community connection.
The Osher Center, set against the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains, is equipped with a “food pharmacy” for chronic disease patients and a “teaching kitchen” to train medical students on nutrition.
With campus police officers stationed around the perimeter, Kennedy boarded the Wellness Bus, a 40-foot vehicle
that offers community health screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol. He also climbed into the back of the mobile food pharmacy, where patients with chronic health conditions bring prescriptions for ingredients such as brown rice, zucchini, almond milk and canned pears.
Kennedy visited the center’s test kitchen — a modern space with expansive windows and indoor shrubbery — where medical students and dietitians led him through healthy snack preparations.
Between Kennedy’s events on the campus, about two dozen protesters appeared along the driveway to the center, chanting and waving posters with messages such as “Child Killer” and, in a nod to the Trump administration’s termination of numerous medical research grants, “Research Saves Lives.”
Kennedy has faced harsh criticism for his handling of the federal government’s response to a measles outbreak in West Texas, which has infected nearly 500 people there and has spread to other states.
On Sunday, Kennedy attended the funeral of an unvaccinated 8-year-old girl — the second confirmed fatality from measles in a decade in the United States — and met with her family before continuing to Utah. During his first months in office, Kennedy’s policies have been unfurled with great brouhaha, but the secretary himself has kept a relatively low profile, particularly for an official with his degree of fame. The White House has encouraged Kennedy to take a more public-facing approach to his role, but the timing of his first major push out in the country will require toeing a careful line around the most conspicuous issue on the table: vaccines.
Public health experts say the outbreak is driven by low vaccination rates. Kennedy, who is famously skeptical of vaccine safety, shifted his rhetoric after the little girl’s funeral, posting on the social platform X: “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
It was the most definitive statement he has made endorsing vaccines as a preventive tool, but some public health experts were dismayed that he did not explicitly recommend that parents vaccinate their children and did not say the vaccines were safe. And several hours later he posted on X again, praising two doctors who are using unproven treatments to care for hundreds of children with measles.
For months, Kennedy has emphasized that vaccination is a matter of parental choice and has encouraged people to consider unproven regimens like vitamin A, which can lead to toxicity, and suggested that poor lifestyle choices were at play among victims.
Diet and nutrition “don’t offer any benefit to prevent infection with measles whatsoever,” said Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist who has studied measles. Healthy foods and exercise can “help limit the consequences of many infections, including measles, but will not prevent them,” he added. “Prevention is by far the best medicine.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks to reporters at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, on Monday, April 7, 2025. (Niki Chan Wylie/The New York Times)
The San Juan Daily Star
Jonatan Ramos Director Funerario
The San Juan Daily Star
An undated photo provided by Colossal Biosciences shows a 6-month-old wolf pup, one of three that carry dire-wolf genes, including genes for a white coat and a large body. The three animals, bred by scientists at Colossal Biosciences, live in captivity in the northern United States. (Colossal Biosciences via The New York Times)
By CARL ZIMMER
For more than a decade, scientists have chased the idea of reviving extinct species, a process sometimes called deextinction. Now, a company called Colossal Biosciences appears to have done it, or something close, with the dire wolf, a giant, extinct species made famous by the television series “Game of Thrones.”
In 2021, a separate team of scientists managed to retrieve DNA from the fossils of dire wolves, which went extinct about 13,000 years ago. With the discovery of additional DNA, the Colossal researchers have now edited 20 genes of gray wolves to imbue the animals with key features of dire wolves. They then created embryos from the edited gray-wolf cells, implanted them in surrogate dog mothers and waited for them to give birth.
The result is three healthy wolves — two males that are 6 months old and one female that is 2 months old, named Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — that have some traits of dire wolves. They are big, for one thing, and have dense, pale coats not found in gray wolves. Colossal, which was valued at $10 billion in January, is keeping the wolves on a private 2,000-acre facility at an undisclosed location in the northern United States.
Beth Shapiro, the chief scientific officer of Colossal, described the wolf pups as the first successful case of de-extinction. “We’re creating these functional copies of something that used to be alive,” she said in an interview.
The animals will remain in captivity. But the technology that the company has developed could potentially help conserve species that have not yet gone extinct, such as the critically endangered red wolf, which is largely limited to North Carolina. In 2022, red wolf-coyote hybrids were discovered in Texas and Louisiana. On Monday, Colossal also announced that it had produced four clones from the hybrids. Hypothetically, introducing these clones to North Carolina could improve the genetic diversity of the red wolf population there and help the species avoid extinction.
April 9, 2025 15
Scientists revive the dire wolf, or something close
Over the years, scientists have proposed various ways of reviving a lost species. Suppose, for instance, that they recovered an intact cell from the frozen carcass of a woolly mammoth. Perhaps the cell could be thawed and used to create a mammoth clone.
In 2023, the Colossal team began to focus on dire wolves as a potentially easier target species. Dire wolves are related to dogs, so scientists could take advantage of years of research on cloning dogs and implanting dog embryos.
“We’ve done a lot of work on dogs, because people love everyone’s favorite domesticated gray wolf,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro, who joined Colossal in 2024, was part of the team that first retrieved dire-wolf DNA from fossils in 2021. But that work recovered only traces of genetic material. At Colossal, she and her colleagues decided to search for more dire-wolf DNA, hoping to better understand the biology of the extinct species — and perhaps revive the animal.
“It was the simplest path to get a predictable result,” Shapiro said.
The team took a fresh look at dire-wolf fossils, using new methods for isolating DNA. This time they hit the jackpot, discovering a wealth of genetic material in two fossils — a 13,000-yearold tooth from Ohio and a 72,000-year-old skull from Idaho. The dire-wolf genomes allowed Shapiro and her colleagues to reconstruct the history of dire wolves in greater detail.
Dire wolves turned out to belong to the same lineage that gave rise to the wolves, jackals and African wild dogs living today. The dire wolf split off from the main branch about 4.5 million years ago. Subsequently, about 2.6 million years ago, dire wolves interbred with other species, including the ancestors of today’s gray wolves and coyotes.
Dire wolves dominated southern Canada and the United States, according to Julie Meachen, a paleontologist at Des Moines University who worked on the ancient DNA project. And they outcompeted gray wolves, being 25% bigger and possessing massive teeth and jaws. They hunted horses, bison and possibly mammoths. When many of those prey species became extinct — probably in part because of human hunters — the dire wolf may have been doomed, and the gray wolf swept down from northern Canada and Alaska to fill the ecological void.
Dire wolves and gray wolves are more than 99% genetically identical, Meachen and her colleagues found. Eighty genes were dramatically distinct; some are known to influence the size of living dogs and wolves — suggesting that they were responsible for the big bodies of dire wolves.
More surprising was the discovery that dire wolves carried genes for a light-colored coat, and the hair was probably thick and dense. Shapiro and her colleagues are preparing a paper describing those results.
Recipe for a dire wolf
With a list of dire wolf genes in hand, the scientists at Colossal started their de-extinction project.
First, they isolated cells from the blood of gray wolves and grew them in a dish. There, they tinkered with the wolf DNA.
Ten years ago, scientists altered a single gene in beagles to give them big muscles. Since then, researchers have learned how to edit several genes at once in mammal DNA. For the dire-wolf
project, the Colossal team set out to edit 20 genes, pushing the technology to its current limits.
The scientists introduced dire-wolf mutations to 15 genes. But they did not introduce the remaining five, because previous studies had shown that those five mutations cause deafness and blindness in gray wolves.
So the Colossal team found mutations to those five genes that are present in dogs and gray wolves without causing diseases. They introduced those five backup mutations into the gray wolf cells.
“It’s a fine line you have to walk,” Shapiro said. “You want to be able to resurrect these phenotypes, but you don’t want to do something that’s going to be bad for the animal.”
The researchers then transferred the edited DNA from the gray wolf blood cells into an empty dog egg. They created dozens of these eggs, which they implanted into large dogs that served as surrogate mothers.
Most of the embryos failed to develop, but four pups were born. One died from a ruptured intestine after 10 days, but an autopsy showed that the death was not the result of a harmful mutation.
The researchers are waiting to see just how big the wolves get and have an eye out for any unexpected changes to their biology. “I’m fascinated to see what happens,” Shapiro said. She added that the animals were unlikely to reveal much about the behavior of dire wolves, given their captive rearing.
“I would love to know the natural behavior of a dire wolf,” she said. “But they are essentially living the Ritz Carlton lifestyle of a wolf. They can’t get a splinter without us knowing about it.”
Colossal has been collaborating with a number of Native American communities in the United States. The MHA Nation in North Dakota has expressed interest in the dire-wolf project. “Its presence would remind us of our responsibility as stewards of the Earth,” Mark Fox, MHA Nation tribal chair, said in a statement released by the company.
But if animals with dire-wolf DNA were introduced into the wild, they would have to survive in a world that is drastically different from the ice age. The huge animals that dire wolves specialized in hunting are either extinct or surviving in small populations. Any resurrected, free-roaming dire wolves would have to turn to smaller prey — and potentially would have to compete with gray wolves.
For their part, gray wolves and red wolves face threats, including hunting, that no amount of genetic wizardry can address.
Last month, 60 environmental organizations protested a bill introduced in Congress that would remove gray wolves from the endangered species list, a change that could lead to more deaths by hunting, the groups warned.
“If signed into law, the bill would effectively sign death warrants for thousands of wolves across the country,” they wrote.
Meachen, who was not involved in the creation of the wolf pups, said that she had mixed feelings about the de-extinction effort.
“All the little-kid feelings in me say that I want to see what they look like,” she said. “But I have questions. We have trouble with the wolves we have today.”
miento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 07 de abril de 2025. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 07 de abril de 2025. Kanelly Zayas Robles, Secretaria. F/Rosa M. Viera Velázquez, Secretaria Auxiliar del Tribunal.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN
BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RJCO, POR SI Y EN REP DE NELSON
JESUS ACOSTA PAGAN
T/C/C NELSON ACOSTA
PAGAN Y MARIA
MONSERRATE TORO ACOSTA
Demandante V. JOHN DOE Y OTROS
Demandado(a)
ANTONIO A HERNÁNDEZ ALMODÓVAR AHERNANDEZ@RMMELAW.COM
Caso Núm. : SJ2024CV11511 (Salón 901 Civil) Sobre: CANCELACIÓN O RESTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO ENMENDADA.
A: JOHN DOE RICHARD DOE
(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 21 DE MARZO DE 2025, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 07 de abril de 2025. Notas de la Secretaría: POR ORDEN DEL TRIBU-
NAL SE ENMIENDA, YA QUE EL PERIODICO ERRO EN PUBLICAR LA NOTIFICACION DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO, EN SU LUGAR PUBLICO EL EMPLAZAMIENTO DE EDICTO. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 07 de abril de 2025. Griselda Rodríguez Collado, Secretaria. F/Virgen Y. Del Valle Díaz, Secretaria Auxiliar del Tribunal. LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYAMA POPULAR AUTO LLC Demandante V. YARLENE M. VARGAS ACEVEDO Demandada CIVIL NUM.: GM2025CV00119 (301) SOBRE: INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO; COBRO DE DINERO Y REPOSESION DE VEHICULO DE MOTOR (10 L.P.R.A. § 2423).
EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.
A: YARLENE M. VARGAS ACEVEDO
Por la presente se le notifica que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal una Demanda en su contra en el pleito de epígrafe. El abogado de la parte demandante es el Lcdo. Jean Paul Juliá Díaz, Rivera-Munich & Hernández Law Offices, P.S.C.; P.O. Box 364908, San Juan, PR 00936-4908; Tel. (787) 6222323 / Fax (787) 622-2320. Se le advierte que este Edicto se publicará en un (1) periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda radicando el original de la misma a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal Superior, Sala de Guayama, con copia al abogado de la parte demandante, dentro del término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la publicación del Edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. En un término de diez (10) días a partir de la publicación de este Edicto, la parte demandante le notificará por correo certificado con acuse de recibo copias del Emplazamiento por Edicto y de la Demanda a sus últimas direcciones conocidas: Urb. Parque San Antonio, Calle 1 A17, Guayama, PR 00784; y P.O. Box 2735, Guayama, PR
00785. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, Guayama, Puerto Rico, a 4 de abril de 2025. Marisol Rosado Rodríguez, Secretaria. Sandra Colón Guzmán, Sub-Secretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE CABO ROJO
BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Demandante Vs. WILLY O. RIVERA ALAMEDA
Demandado
CIVIL NÚM.: CB2025CV00161 (307) SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO.
A: WILLY O. RIVERA ALAMEDA
Por la presente se le notifica que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal una Demanda en su contra en el pleito de epígrafe. El abogado de la parte demandante es el Lcdo. Jean Paul Juliá Díaz, Rivera-Munich & Hernández Law Offices, P.S.C.; P.O. Box 364908, San Juan, PR 00936-4908; Tel. (787) 6222323 / Fax (787) 622-2320. Se le advierte que este Edicto se publicará en un (1) periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda radicando el original de la misma a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal Superior, Sala de Cabo Rojo, con copia al abogado de la parte demandante, dentro del término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la publicación del Edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. En un término de diez (10) días a partir de la publicación de este Edicto, la parte demandante le notificará por correo certificado con acuse de recibo copias del Emplazamiento por Edicto y de la Demanda a su última dirección conocida: Urb. Kofresi, 66 Calle Pierretti, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico 00623. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, a 4 de abril de 2025. Lic. Norma G. Santana Irizarry, Secretaria. Aracelis W. Camacho Acevedo, Sub-Secretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE PONCE SALA SUPERIOR DE
PONCE
BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Demandante V. LUIS J. VAZQUEZ
MALDONADO POR SI Y EN REPRESENTACION DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR EL Y JANE DOE Y OTROS
Demandado(a)
Caso Núm.: PO2023CV02457. (Salón: 604 CIVIL SUPERIOR). Sobre: COBRO DE DINEROORDINARIO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO ENMENDADA. JEAN PAUL JULIÁ DÍAZJPJULIA@RMMELAW.COM.
A: LUIS J. VAZQUEZ MALDONADO, JANE DOE, POR SI Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS.
(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)
EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 13 de diciembre de 2023, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 07 de abril de 2025. Notas de la Secretaría: se enmienda según orden del 4 de abril de 2025. En Ponce, Puerto Rico, el 07 de abril de 2025. Carmen G. Tirú Quiñones, Secretaria. Elba Santos Ortiz, Secretaria Auxiliar Del Tribunal.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE ARECIBO SALA DE ARECIBO COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CRÉDITO DR. MANUEL ZENO GANDÍA
Demandante Vs. LIZETTE SALAS GONZÁLEZ
Demandada CIVIL NÚM.: AR2024CV02235 SALA: 403 SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: LIZETTE SALAS GONZÁLEZ; URB. EL PARAISO AVE. PRINCIPAL #71 HATO ARRIBA, CALLE A 137 ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO 00612. o sea, la parte demandada arriba mencionada. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en un término de 30 días a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar Sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, deberá notificar su contestación a la: LCDA. ANA M. CAMPOS GAVITORUA 7710
EDIFICIO DR. MANUEL ZENO GANDÍA
353 AVE. DOMENECH, SUITE 302 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00918-3753
TELÉFONO: (787) 751-5733
EMAIL: anamcampos1@yahoo.com abogada de la parte demandante cuya dirección es la que se deja indicada. Se le apercibe que, en caso de no hacerlo así, podrá dictarse sentencia en rebeldía en contra suya, concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda. Extendido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 31 de marzo de 2025. Vivian Y. Fresse González, Secretaria. F/Rachel Vélez Pezzuto, SubSecretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AGUADILLA SALA SUPERIOR JAYDEE L. CABRERA VARGAS
Demandante Vs ENRIQUE VALENTIN, su esposa Yahaira Méndez y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales compuesta por ellos CARLOS CABRERA PEREZ, su esposa CONSUELO
VARGAS TORRES y la Sociedad Legal de Gananciales por ellos compuesta DEMANDADOS
CIVIL NUM.: AG2023RF00508
SALON NUM. SOBRE: ALIMENTOS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.
A: Luis Enrique Valentín Ramírez, 02065138 FCI HAZELTON • PO BOX 5000 BRUCETON MILLS, WV 26525.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haberse publicado el edicto, a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electrónico/, 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 dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. LCDO. LUIS A. GONZALEZ GONZALEZ
RUA#7494
7130 AVENIDA AGUSTIN
RAMOS CALERO
P.O. BOX 613 ISABELA, PUERTO RICO 00662
TEL.: (787)872-4646/CEL. (787)4476704
Email: luisgonzalezgonzalez100@ hotmail.com
Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 27 de marzo de 2025. Sarahí Reyes Pérez, Secretaria Regional. Lissy Matías Vega, Secretaria Auxiliar del Tribunal.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAGUAS SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS
WILMINGTON SAVINGS
FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR FINANCE OF AMERICA STRUCTURED SECURITIES
ACQUISITION TRUST 2019-HB1
Demandante V. EVELYN GONZALEZ
IRIZARRY Y OTROS
Demandado(a)
Caso Núm.: SL2023CV00415.
(Salón: 802). Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA: PROPIEDAD RESIDENCIAL. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. GENEVIEVE LOPEZ STIPESLCDA.GLOPEZ@GMAIL.COM. A: EVELYN GONZÁLEZ
IRIZARRY T/C/C EVELYN GONZÁLEZ
T/C/C EVELYN CASTRO POR SÍ; SUCESIÓN DE NATALIO CASTRO CRUZ T/C/C NATALIO CASTRO COMPUESTA POR NORMA CASTRO; PABLO CRUZ, EVELYN GONZÁLEZ
IRIRZARRY T/C/C EVELYN GONZÁLEZ
T/C/C EVELYN CASTRO, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS.
(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)
EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 03 de abril de 2025, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 04 de abril de 2025. En Caguas, Puerto Rico, el 04 de abril de 2025. IRASEMIS DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. MARIEL CRUZ RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE ARECIBO SALA SUPERIOR DE ARECIBO
JORGE LUIS ORTIZ
MONTALVO Y OTROS
Demandante V. JONH DOE Y OTROS
Demandado(a)
Caso Núm.: AR2024CV01451. (Salón: 404 - CIVIL SUPERIOR). Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO Y OTROS. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA
POR EDICTO. CYNTHIA V. ROSARIO GONZÁLEZCVIONNETTE@YAHOO.COM. A: CUALQUIER PERSONA DESCONOCIDA QUE PUDIERA TENER INTERÉS EN ESTE EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO Y/O EN LA PROPIEDAD QUE MAS DELANTE DE DESCRIBE Y ESPECIALMENTE A JONH DOE, Y A SUS POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE EXISTIR LA SUCESIÓN DE JANE DOE Y A SUS POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS, QUIENES ERAN VECINOS DE ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO Y A TODA PERSONA EN GENERAL QUE CON DERECHO PARA ELLO DESEE OPONERSE A ESTE EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO.
(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 28 de marzo de 2025, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 31 de marzo de 2025. En Arecibo, Puerto Rico, el 31 de marzo de 2025. Vivian Y. Fresse González, Secretaria. Sandra Díaz Caraballo, Secretaria Auxiliar Del Tribunal.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE MANATí UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RURAL DEVELOPMENT A/C/C LA ADMINISTRACION DE HOGARES DE AGRICULTORES Demandante VS.
CARMELO NÚÑEZ COLÓN Demandado
Civil Núm.: MT2025CV00068.
Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (IN REM). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS.
A: CARMELO NÚÑEZ COLÓN - COMUNIDAD RURAL GARROCHALES, BO. GARROCHALES, PARCELA 211, BARCELONETA PR 00617; DIRECCIÓN POSTAL: PO BOX 1699, BARCELONETA PR 00617-1699 Y 1; 25 BO. GARROCHALES, SECTOR CERRO AZARAEL, BARCELONETA PR 00617.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/ tribunal-electronico/, salvo que el caso sea de un expediente físico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para La Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de La Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de Los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera del hogar, el inciso de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquiera otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Representa a la parte
demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato:
BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS
RUA NUM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970 TEL: 787-751-5290, FAX: 787-751-6155 E-MAIL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 1 de abril de 2025. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA. CARMEN J. ROSARIO VALENTÍN, SUB-SECRETARIA. LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMON SALA SUPERIOR CARMEN ENEIDA
GONZALEZ PAGAN, como miembro de la SUCESION DE EULALIA PAGAN ACOSTA y de la SUCESION DE EDITH M. GONZALEZ PAGAN.
Demandante Vs. WILLIAM GONZALEZ PAGAN; RUBEN GONZALEZ PAGAN como demandados involuntarios y herederos de EULALIA PAGAN ACOSTA.
Demandada CIVIL NUM. BY2025CV00516 (702) SOBRE: LIQUIDACION DE BIENES HEREDITARIOS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.
A: WILLIAM GONZALEZ PAGAN y RUBEN
GONZALEZ PAGAN
Por medio del presente edicto se les notifica de la radicación de una Demanda de Liquidación de Comunidad de bienes hereditarios, con relación a una residencia ubicada en la Urb. Villa Rica, Calle 12 S 19, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, que consta inscrita a favor de Eulalia Pagán Acosta. La parte demandante solicita del Honorable Tribunal que declare Con Lugar la demanda y en su consecuencia ordene al Secretario del Tribunal que expida Mandamiento al Alguacil del Tribunal para que comparezca en su representación al otorgamiento de escritura de compraventa a favor de parte interesada en comprar la propiedad. POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO se le emplaza para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través
del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que el caso sea un expediente físico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra sin más citarle y oírle y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, inciso b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2003). Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Copia de dicha contestación debe remitirse al abogado del demandante, Lcdo.
Alejandro J. Cacho Rodríguez, 54 Calle Resoluciόn, Suite 303 San Juan, PR 00920 Tel: (787) 722-2242; Fax: (787) 7222243, cacho@cacholaw.com dentro del término de treinta (30) días siguientes a la fecha de publicación de este Edicto. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal de Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy 2 de abril de 2025. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, Secretaria. MIRCIENID GONZALEZ TORRES, SubSecretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
CENTRO JUDICIAL DE ARECIBO SALA DE HATILLO COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CRÉDITO DR. MANUEL ZENO GANDÍA
Demandante Vs. NINE A. RIVERA MOYA
T/C/C NINE RIVERA MOYA
Demandada
CIVIL NÚM.: HA2025CV00009. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.
A: NINE A. RIVERA MOYA T/C/C NINE RIVERA MOYA URB. BRISAS DE HATILLO C 23 CALLE JR GARCÍA HATILLO, PUERTO RICO 00659. o sea, la parte demandada arriba mencionada.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en un término de 30 días a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar Sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, deberá notificar su contestación a la:
LCDA. ANA M. CAMPOS GAVITORUA 7710
EDIFICIO DR. MANUEL ZENO GANDÍA
353 AVE. DOMENECH, SUITE 302 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00918-3753
TELÉFONO: (787) 751-5733
EMAIL: anamcampos1@yahoo.com abogada de la parte demandante cuya dirección es la que se deja indicada. Se le apercibe que, en caso de no hacerlo así, podrá dictarse sentencia en rebeldía en contra suya, concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda. Extendido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 27 de marzo de 2025. Vivian Y. Fresse González, Secretaria. Rosimar López Robles, Secretaria Auxiliar.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RURAL DEVELOPMENT A/C/C
LA ADMINISTRACION DE HOGARES DE AGRICULTORES
Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE NEREIDA
COLLAZO T/C/C LUZ
NEREIDA COLLAZO
LOPEZ T/C/C LUZ
NEREIDA COLLAZO
COMPUESTA POR SU VIUDO PEDRO FUENTES
MELÉNDEZ, POR SÍ Y POR MAGALYS COSME
COLLAZO, MANUEL COSME COLLAZO Y
JACKELINE FUENTES
COLLAZO Y POR FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O PARTES CON INTERÉS EN DICHA SUCESIÓN
Demandados
Civil Núm.: BY2024CV07360. 502. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO ENMENDADO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: MANUEL COSME COLLAZO COMO HEREDERO CONOCIDO DE LA SUCESION DE NEREIDA COLLAZO T/C/C LUZ NEREIDA COLLAZO LOPEZ
T/C/C LUZ NEREIDA COLLAZO Y FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANA DE TAL COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS Y/O TERCEROS CON INTERÉS - BARRIO CIBUCO #2, COROZAL PR 00783; BUZON 121-A, BO. CIBUCO II, COROZAL PR 00643 Y HC-05 BOX 9887, COROZAL PR 00783-9710. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/ tribunal-electronico/, salvo que el caso sea de un expediente físico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una)
menor fuera del hogar, el inciso de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquiera otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. De ser el demandado un heredero de una sucesión, se les apercibe a los herederos antes mencionado s que de no expresarse dentro de ese término de treinta (30) días, en torno a su aceptación o repudiación de herencia, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. También se les apercibe a los heredero s antes mencionados que luego del transcurso del término de treinta (30) días antes señalado, contados a partir de la fecha de publicación de este edicto, se presumirá que han aceptado la herencia del(los) causante(s) y, por consiguiente, responden por las cargas de dicha herencia conforme dispone el Artículo 1,578 del Nuevo Código Civil, 31 L.P.R.A. sec. 11,021. Representa a la parte demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato: BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS RUA NUM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970 TEL: 787-751-5290, FAX: 787-751-6155
E-MAIL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com
Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 28 de marzo de 2025. Alicia Ayala Sanjurjo, Secretaria. Sandra I. Báez Hernández, Sub-Secretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS
FIRSTBANK PUERTO RICO
Demandante V. JOHANA V SANCHEZ PEÑA
Demandados CIVIL NUM. JU2025CV00012 SOBRE: INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO; COBRO DE DINERO Y REPOSESION. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: JOHANA V SANCHEZ PEÑA. 1147 CALLE AFRODITA URB COLINAS DEL ESTE JUNCOS PR 00777-7310
DE: FIRSTBANK PUERTO RICO
Se le emplaza y requiere que conteste la demanda dentro de
los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/ tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Este caso trata sobre Incumplimiento de Contrato y Cobro de Dinero en que la parte demandante solicita que se condene al demandado a pagar Al 10 de enero de 2025 la cantidad de $4,331.18 de principal; más $425.59 de los intereses acumulados a razón del 14.50% los cuales se continúan acumulando hasta el total y completo pago de la deuda; más $234.74 de cargos por demora, más los que se acumulen hasta el total y completo pago de la deuda; más una suma equivalente al 5% del total adeudado para honorarios de abogados. Además, se solicita se ordene la reposesión del vehículo en controversia y, de no ser suficiente el producto de la venta del mismo para cubrir la suma total adeudada, se solicita la ejecución de la sentencia que en su día se dicte sobre cualesquiera otros bienes del demandado. Se le apercibe que, si dejare de hacerlo, se dictará contra usted sentencia en rebeldía, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle.
Lcdo. José Antonio Lamas Burgos, Número del Tribunal Supremo 16,882
Po Box 0194089, San Juan PR 00919 Teléfono: (787) 296-9500, Correo Electrónico: jlamas@lvprlaw.com
EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y Sello del Tribunal, hoy 19 de marzo de 2025. Irasemis Díaz Sánchez, Secretaria. Vionnette Espinosa Castillo, Sub-Secretaria.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNA DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS
CARLOS JAVIER
LOPEZ SANTA Parte Peticionario
EX-PARTE
CIVIL #: JU2025CV00059 SOBRE: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO Cod:49-006-279-00002-017. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA. EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: LAS PERSONAS IGNORADAS Y DESCONOCIDAS A QUIENES PUDIERA
PERJUDICAR LA INSCRIPCIÓN DEL
DOMINIO A FAVOR DE LA PARTE PETICIONARIA EN EL REGISTRO DE LA PROPIEDAD DE LA FINCA QUE MÁS ADELANTE SE DESCRIBIRÁ Y A TODA PERSONA EN GENERAL QUE CON DERECHO PARA ELLO DESEE OPONERSE A ESTE EXPEDIENTE. POR LA PRESENTE: se les notifica para que comparezcan, si lo creyeren pertinente, ante este Honorable Tribunal dentro de los veinte (20) días contados a partir de la última publicación e este edicto a exponer lo que a sus derechos convenga en el expediente promovido por la parte peticionaria para adquirir su dominio sobre la finca que se describe más adelante. Usted deberá presentar su posición 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 en la secretaría del Tribunal. Si usted deja de expresarse dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar sentencia, previo a escuchar la prueba de valor de la parte peticionaria en su contra, sin más citarle ni oírle, y conceder el remedio solicitado en la petición, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El abogado de la parte peticionaria es el Lic. Jaime Rodríguez Rivera, cuya dirección es #30 Calle Reparto Píñero, Guaynabo, PR 00969-5650, Teléfono 787-7209553. “RÚSTICA “: PARCELA: Solar marcado con el número I, sito en el barrio Valenciano Abajo de Juncos, Puerto Rico, con una cabida de 1.00 cuerda, (según mensura aprobada por ARPE tiene 3,315.9540 metros cuadrados). En lindes por el NORTE: Solar II (hoy terrenos de Marcelino Colón Báez), por el SUR: Carretera 183; por el ESTE: Felinde Mulero (hoy terrenos de Ismael Alejandro Rodríguez) y por el OESTE: Acceso Propuesto (hoy camino municipal). Enclava una estructura.” Este edicto deberá ser publicado en tres (3) ocasiones dentro del término de veinte (20) días, en un periódico de circulación general diaria, para que comparezcan si quieren alegar su derecho. Toda primera mención de persona natural y/o jurídica que se mencione en el mismo, se identificará en letra tamaño 10 puntos y negrillas, conforme a lo dispuesto en las Reglas de procedimiento Civil, 2009. Se le apercibe que de no comparecer los interesados y/o partes citadas, o en su defecto !os organismos públicos afectados en el término improrrogable de veinte (20) días a
Sudoku
How to Play:
Fill in the empty fields with the numbers from 1 through 9.
Sudoku Rules:
Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9
Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9
Every 3x3 square must contain the numbers from 1 through 9
Crossword
April 9, 2025
$765 million man is still ‘just Soto’ to his minor league host family
By KEN ROSENTHAL / THE ATHLETIC
The first thing Juan Soto wanted to do was find a GameStop where he could address a faulty PlayStation console. He was just 19, newly arrived in Hagerstown, Maryland, to begin the 2018 season at Low-A. The head of his host family, Brian Campbell, chuckled at the recollection. Soto, baseball’s $765 million man, laughed out loud.
Seven years later, the memories endure. Soto stayed with the Campbells for about three weeks in April 2018 before advancing to High-A, Double-A and the majors in less than a month. Even after signing the richest contract in sports history, he remains in touch with Campbell.
“People always ask, ‘Is he arrogant?’” Campbell said. “Nope. He’s just Soto.”
Campbell, 47, has taken his daughter, three sons and other family members to visit Soto at major league parks and gone out to dinner with him on occasion.w
“I know it was a short time, but we had so much fun every single day in that house,” Soto said late last month when the New York Mets started their season in Houston. “It’s a big family, a really lovely family that welcomed us like we were their kids.”
Soto, during his time with the Hagerstown Suns, was not much older than Campbell’s sons, two of whom were 15 and another who was 12. Campbell and his exwife also hosted three other players that season, none of whom reached the majors, and about 15 total from 2017-19. The majority of the players were Latin American.
Other team members would come by after games to hang out at the Campbell home. Tom Burtman, the Suns’ director of promotions, recalled hearing the home was a “happening place.” Soto, smiling broadly, concurred with that assessment.
“Every time we came back from a game, we had our table for playing cards, video games, karaoke,” Soto said. “I was really surprised by everything they had. And every night, it didn’t matter whether we were tired or not, we would always go back down to the basement and try to have fun.”
Times have changed. The Washington Nationals’ affiliate in Hagerstown no longer exists, eliminated in 2020 as part of baseball’s minor league restructuring. Host family programs, once a staple of minor league baseball, no longer exist, either.
Two years ago, in the first minor league collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball agreed to double salaries and provide guaranteed housing for most minor leaguers. The host family programs, in the view of the Major League Baseball Players Association, became unnecessary.
While conditions for minor leaguers clearly have improved, Burtman believes players benefited from the host family experience.
“It gave that family feeling to some of these younger players,” said Burtman, who is now director of promotions and entertainment for the team that replaced the Suns in Hagerstown, the Flying Boxcars of the independent Atlantic League.
Until recently, Campbell owned two Jimmy John’s sandwich franchises in Hagerstown. And in April 2017, he was working on a sponsorship deal with the Suns when Burtman approached him at the club’s meet the team night.
“You want to be a host family? We’re short on houses,” Campbell recalled Burtman saying.
“What is a host family?” Campbell replied. “I have no idea.”
Campbell lived 11 miles south of Hagerstown, in Boonsboro, Maryland. His house had four bedrooms and a great room with enough space for two or three more beds. The basement, as Soto said, was a natural gathering spot for players and family members after games.
Soto, who received a $1.5 million bonus when he signed with the Nationals in 2015, owned a minivan that he used to transport
tell me,” Soto said. “I turn around and I see them. I’m like, Oh. They really respect my space.”
The minor league CBA in 2023 increased the minimum annual salary for players in Low-A to $26,200 from $11,000. When Soto played at that level five years earlier, the minimum was in the $6,000 to $8,000 range. So when Campbell learned Soto signed for $765 million with the Mets, he had a two-word reaction.
“Hell yeah,” he said.
“Because I was involved with minor league players so much, I hope every player takes as many dollars as he can from any owner,” Campbell said. “Like, take it. Before they increased the minimum wage for players, it was nothing. If you didn’t sign with a signing bonus, you didn’t have any money.”
Campbell, though, was not entirely happy.
teammates and their equipment. Adderling Ruiz, a mentor to Soto, did much of the cooking, preparing mountains of rice and beans and chicken for his teammates and the Campbell family.
“I put on a lot of weight that year,” Campbell said.
Soto’s dedication to his craft was evident. While playing cards, he would take out a resistance band and continue working. And while Campbell and his family initially were not aware that Soto was a top prospect, they quickly figured it out.
“It was pretty cool to see his growth in not only baseball but in being a superstar,” Campbell said.
Little changed after Soto left the Nationals. Campbell visited Petco Park with family members when Soto was with the San Diego Padres. He also attended the New York Yankees’ home opener last season. Campbell said once or twice a year Soto would leave him and his guests batting practice passes. He refrains from asking for tickets, preferring to buy his own rather than impose.
“A lot of times they come and don’t even
He grew up in Mystic, Connecticut, a town he said was divided between fans of the Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees were his team and remained his team even as his father, who was in the military, moved the family up and down the East Coast.
Once Campbell started hosting players, he needed to cool it a bit — he wore a Yankees cap to a game in which the Suns faced a Yankees affiliate, only to hear from the players in his home, “Uh-uh, you can’t.” But by the time Soto landed with the Yankees for the 2024 season, Campbell was free to return to his old allegiances.
“Last year was like the superpeak, can’t get any better,” Campbell said. “And then he signed with the Mets. So this is going to be rough.”
Soto has come a long way since those evenings in the Campbells’ basement. Then again, for the young player who arrived in Hagerstown looking for a GameStop, some things never change.
During spring training, Soto arranged with the makers of Call of Duty to bring video game consoles to the Mets’ clubhouse so the players could try the newest version of the game before its release.
“He’s fun to hang out with,” Campbell said. “He’s charismatic. You’re drawn to him. He’s just a good guy.”
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto during spring training in March (Wikipedia/Leo Altes)
The San Juan Daily Star
Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21
