Activists say plan to remove 200 felines near Old San Juan fortress within six months is not enough time and worry cats will be killed A non-profit organization said Thursday that it sued the US National Park Service over a plan to remove Puerto Rico’s famous stray cats from a historic district in the US territory. The lawsuit filed by Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies comes four months after the federal agency announced it would contract an animal welfare organization to remove an estimated 200 cats that live in an area surrounding a historic seaside fortress in Old San Juan ..read more

Although 43% of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, many from the Dominican Republic see the US territory as a land of opportunity. But is it worth the risk? Photographs by Erika P Rodriguez As Rosalba Garcia climbed into a wooden boat loaded with 55 people in the middle of the night, she was terrified. The 37-year-old was about to embark on a treacherous journey across a notorious 80-mile stretch of sea between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico known as the Mona Passage. Fraught with strong currents and huge waves, many who undertake the perilous journey never make it ashore. With only the ..read more

The artist once known as Jenny from the block is spearheading an animated feature about a Latino construction worker voiced by Anthony Ramos Move over Barbie: the latest Mattel property set for cultural domination has been unveiled as Bob the Builder, the chirpy construction worker who debuted 25 years ago on CBBC and is being belatedly brought to the big screen by booty-shaking multi-hyphenate Jennifer Lopez. In something of a spin on the original series, the film’s plot will see Roberto (AKA Bob) travel to Puerto Rico for a major construction job, where he “takes on issues affecting the isla ..read more

More than half of babies born on the island are delivered via surgery, but doctor convenience is only half the story Nívea Díaz Torres was scared to become a mother in 2016. She was 28 and trying to do everything right during her pregnancy to ensure the healthiest delivery of her baby. But, despite her desire for a vaginal birth, Díaz Torres felt pushed by her gynecologist to undergo a cesarean delivery ..read more

Retirement brings to an end one of the most successful and influential careers in Latin American pop Daddy Yankee, the Puerto Rican star who helped make reggaeton a global phenomenon, has said he will focus on his Christian faith following his previously announced retirement from music. The 46-year-old vocalist, real name Ramón Rodríguez, told the crowd of his plans at his final concert, held at Puerto Rico’s José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. “I am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for him,” he said in Spanish, in remarks translated by Variety. “For ma ..read more

Verdejo given two life sentences in Keishla Rodríguez killing Former boxing prodigy was once tabbed as future superstar Félix Verdejo, the boxing prodigy once put forth as the sport’s next great Puerto Rican star, received two life sentences on Friday after he was found guilty in the grisly killing of his 27-year-old pregnant lover. A federal judge sentenced Verdejo following emotional speeches by the family of Keishla Rodríguez, who was killed in April 2021 ..read more

In Lajas, Puerto Rico, wealthy newcomers drive up land prices and bring construction that reduces the bay’s oxygen levels Every year, tourists from across the globe flock to the south-west corner of Puerto Rico to witness a phenomenon found in only a few select locations worldwide. Here in the idyllic coastal region of La Parguera in Lajas, the main attraction is a bay by the same name: filled with microscopic plankton that can glow in the dark, the bay turns into a sparkly blue lagoon after sundown. This is one of the only bioluminescent bays in the world; nighttime visitors rush to see it up ..read more

Storm not forecast to make landfall but is expected to strengthen again on Sunday and Monday and turn north Large swells battered the north-east Caribbean on Saturday as Hurricane Lee churned nearby through open waters as a category 3 storm. The storm, which is not forecast to make landfall, was located about 350 miles (565km) east and north-east of the northern Leeward Islands. It had winds of up to 115mph (185kph) and was moving west and north-west at 12mph (19kph ..read more

Dangerous surf and rip currents expected along most of Atlantic coast from Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center Hurricane Lee is making its way through the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through early next week, prompting warnings of dangerous beach conditions on the US east coast over the weekend. Between Wednesday and Thursday night, Lee evolved from a category 1 tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane. It then dropped down to a category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center announced on Friday morning ..read more

Storm approaching eastern Caribbean Leeward and Windward Islands in aggressive weather pattern early in the season Tropical Storm Bret is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the eastern Caribbean’s Leeward and Windward islands, with meteorologists noting that the weather pattern is unusually early and aggressive for the Atlantic cyclone season that formally began on 1 June. It is only the second hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic in June since record keeping began, according to forecasters. The previous June hurricane was the 1933 Trinidad hurricane ..read more