Newsroom
Puerto Rico news with the local context and what it means for you
CultureWorld Salsa Gallery showcases legends' treasures ahead of the 30th Congress
As Puerto Rico gears up to host the 30th edition of the World Salsa Congress next week, an unprecedented gallery is already open this weekend at the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel in Isla Verde, featuring costumes, instruments, and pe…
UPR receives $9 million NSF grant to build an artificial intelligence research ecosystem
Ten University of Puerto Rico campuses and the Ana G. Mendez University System will join forces to develop artificial intelligence…
Outage record: Puerto Ricans spent over 28 hours without power in the last fiscal year
Puerto Rico closed fiscal year 2025-2026 with a record nobody wanted: LUMA Energy customers went an average of more than 28 hours …
El Niño Threatens Puerto Rico's Reefs Just as the Worst Coral Crisis in History Was Ending
Puerto Rico's coral reefs face a new existential threat. During Coral Reef Awareness Week (July 20-26), scientists warn that El Ni…
Congress More Than Doubles Federal Water Infrastructure Funding for Puerto Rico to $75 Million
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA), more than …
Fiscal Oversight Board Claims Control Over $20 Million the Legislature Allocated to Municipalities
The Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) sent a letter to legislative leaders demanding full control over the distribut…
Santo Domingo 2026 Kicks Off: Centennial Ceremony Tonight as Puerto Rico Water Polo Already Dominates
Santo Domingo lights up tonight for the official opening of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games, a historic edition celeb…
Centro Médico launches AI-powered CT scanner as government expands financing to retain doctors
Puerto Rico's Centro Médico began operating a state-of-the-art AI-powered computed tomography scanner this week, an $1.8 million i…
AutoExpreso Fines Return in October: $15 for Running a Toll and Just Five Days to Reload
After nearly four and a half years without consequences for crossing a toll with no balance, the Department of Transportation and …
Loíza brings out its coconut vejigantes: the Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol run July 19–August 2
Loíza is getting ready for its biggest party of the year. From July 19 to August 2, 2026, the northeastern coastal town celebrates…
2,390 titles and counting: the free program that finally puts your Puerto Rico home in your name
Thousands of Puerto Rican families live in homes they built with their own hands but that legally do not belong to them. That real…
2026-2027 Pell Grant: up to $7,395 and a new Workforce Pell for short courses starting July 1
The 2026-2027 FAFSA is open, and this year brings two big pieces of news for Puerto Rican families: the federal Pell Grant again p…
Medicaid Fiscal Cliff: 1.3 Million on Plan Vital at Risk by 2027 — What Beneficiaries Can Do Now
The future of Plan Vital, the government health plan that 1.3 million people in Puerto Rico rely on, is back at the center of deba…
Senior Return: how to claim your $300 or $400 credit before October 14
If you are 65 or older, or a low-income pensioner, there is government money waiting for you —but you have to file to claim it. Pu…
Getting around PR without a car: Tren Urbano, AMA bus, and ferry fares and tips
Between gas, maintenance, and the tapones, getting around Puerto Rico by car is expensive. The good news: between the Tren Urbano,…
2026 hurricane season: NOAA forecasts below-normal activity — but prepare anyway
NOAA forecasts a below-normal 2026 Atlantic hurricane season — a 55% chance it runs quieter than usual. 1 The numbers - 8 to 14 na…
Summer EBT: $180 per student for food this summer — who gets it and when
Families with students get summer food relief: Summer EBT 2026 pays $180 per student to 332,775 eligible kids in Puerto Rico — a $…
Puerto Rico stays alive: 115-92 rout of Bahamas keeps FIBA World Cup hopes going
Puerto Rico exhaled: a 115-92 win over Bahamas on Monday, July 7 secured a spot in the second round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qua…
Tourism at record highs: May hit $163M and 86% hotel occupancy
Puerto Rico tourism keeps breaking records: May lodging revenue hit about $163 million, up 12% and a new monthly record, with hote…
Your LUMA bill goes up again: what changed and how to fight back
If you opened your electric bill and your heart skipped a beat, it wasn't your imagination. Puerto Rico's Energy Bureau (Negociado…
Coamo ran again: San Blas at 61 — the island's most beloved half marathon
On the first weekend of February, Coamo isn't a town: it's a racetrack. The San Blas Half Marathon once again filled the Villa Añe…
76 cyber scams in six months: how criminals use artificial intelligence to drain accounts in Puerto Rico
The Cybercriminal Investigations Unit of Puerto Rico's Department of Justice reported 76 cases of digital fraud during the first s…
Puerto Rico Opens Strong at Santo Domingo 2026: Álvarez Dominates Tennis, Water Polo Goes for Gold
Puerto Rico opened its campaign at the XXV Central American & Caribbean Games with a high-impact first day of competition: 17-year…
Puerto Rico Takes Its Medicaid Fight to Congress: The Clock Shows 14 Months Before the Fiscal Cliff
The government of Puerto Rico intensified its Washington offensive this week to prevent a multibillion-dollar collapse in the isla…
PR-52 Highway in Full Transformation: $141 Million to Rebuild Bridges and Pavement from San Juan to Ponce
The Roads and Transportation Authority (ACT) began work this week on four bridges on the Luis A. Ferré Expressway (PR-52) between …
Peñuelas Celebrates Half a Century of Tradition at the Festival del Güiro y el Flamboyán
Peñuelas --the southern coast municipality known as the Capital of the Güiro and the Valley of the Flamboyanes-- opened its public…
UPR Opens Enrollment July 30 With Professor Shortages at 10 Campuses and Over 1,000 Canceled Admissions
The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) will open enrollment for the first semester of 2026-2027 on July 30 at the Río Piedras campus,…
442 Boricuas Head to Santo Domingo 2026: The Biggest Delegation Yet Chases 100 Medals
Puerto Rico arrives at the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 with its largest delegation in recent history: …
Vaginal Self-Sampling for HPV Arrives in the Mountains: A Free Screening That Can Save You From a Preventable Cancer
For the first time in Puerto Rico, a woman can collect her own sample to detect the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers,…
Yariel Soto arrives at Santo Domingo 2026 with a personal best of 8,124 points in the decathlon
Puerto Rican decathlete Yariel Soto arrives at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games with the wind at his ba…
Minimum Wage Stuck at $10.50: House Votes 32-20 to Scrap the Commission That Decides Raises
Puerto Rico's minimum wage has been frozen at $10.50 an hour since July 1, 2024, and now the Legislature wants to strip the power …
Renewing your marbete via CESCO Digital in 2026: from $140, up to 31 days early, no line
Renewing your car's marbete (vehicle registration) in Puerto Rico no longer has to mean a wasted morning waiting in line at CESCO.…
Pronto pa' tu casa: $88 million left and HUD raised income limits June 1 for your first home
Buying your first home in Puerto Rico can feel like an impossible goal, especially when the down payment and closing costs add up …
Net metering in PR: what Law 10 guarantees, until when, and why it's being fought in court
If you have solar panels — or you're getting quotes — one term decides how much your investment is worth: net metering. It's the p…
Saharan dust and extreme heat: how to protect yourself this season
If you've noticed the sky looking milky white, sunsets turning extra orange, and your throat feeling scratchy, it isn't your imagi…
Heat advisory: feels-like up to 111°F — how to protect yourself and the warning signs
The National Weather Service has heat advisories up: the heat index (feels-like) can reach 111°F, hitting 50+ municipalities. 1 Wh…
Tax-free weekend: what's exempt and how to make the most of it (July 17-18)
This Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18, Puerto Rico's first tax-free (sin IVU) back-to-school weekend arrives: uniforms and scho…
Up to $30,000 in solar: how the Nueva Energía 2.0 program works
With outages still biting, Housing keeps Nueva Energía 2.0 running: it covers 100% of equipment and installation of renewable-ener…
Your voter card: how to register to vote online (eRE) or at a JIP office
Registering to vote in Puerto Rico is easier than ever — and free. Between the CEE's Electronic Voter Registry (eRE) and the Perma…
Want to help? Where to volunteer in PR: food banks, Red Cross, and more
In Puerto Rico mutual aid isn't a slogan — it's how the island has gotten back up after every storm. But you don't have to wait fo…
Tolls go up: 2026's new rates and what you'll pay by route
Since January 1, 2026, tolls are up $0.05-$0.15 at 90% of the 25 plazas on Metropistas highways — the annual inflation-linked adju…
Water polo defends gold as Puerto Rico earns five medals at Santo Domingo 2026
Puerto Rico's men's water polo team defeated Colombia 16-12 in the final of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo …
Puerto Rico on Track for Record Personal Bankruptcies in 2026: Over 3,000 Families Have Already Filed for Federal Protection
More than 3,000 Puerto Rican families filed for bankruptcy in the first six months of 2026, and the current pace projects the isla…
Domenech and Garcia Leave La Fortaleza Under Corruption Probe -- and the Governor Already Has a Replacement
Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced on Monday, July 21, the departure of her two most trusted officials: Secretary of the …
Water polo secures Puerto Rico's first medal at Santo Domingo 2026 -- and tonight they go for gold
Puerto Rico has its first guaranteed medal at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026, and it came in t…
Electricity, Water, and Gas: The Triple Cost-of-Living Hit That Started in July
Since July 1, Puerto Rican households face simultaneous increases in three essential services: electricity rose 4.9%, water went u…
Costa Sur collapses: cascading failures leave hundreds of thousands without power as government demands answers
The darkest week of summer wasn't brought by a hurricane. It was brought by the power plant that's supposed to keep the lights on.…
Federal rule threatens 107,504 public housing and Section 8 residents in Puerto Rico, but the island will not adopt the cuts
A federal Housing Department (HUD) rule that would cut the eviction notice, impose a work requirement, and cap public housing stay…
You have until August 14 to renew your $300-a-month childcare help through ACUDEN Contigo
Thousands of working families in Puerto Rico have a date circled in red: August 14, 2026 is the last day to renew their enrollment…
Plan Vital: About 150,000 People Dropped for Not Recertifying - 2026 Guide to Keep Your Coverage
Every month, thousands of families in Puerto Rico find out at the pharmacy or in the emergency room that their Plan Vital coverage…
Your Light Bill Rose $10.75 a Month on July 1: How to Read It and Lower It
The bill goes up again this summer Since July 1, 2026, electricity is more expensive in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau…
Edgar Berlanga (23-2) returns July 26: the Boricua looks to reinvent himself against Steven Butler at Madison Square Garden
Boricua boxing has a date circled in red. On Saturday, July 26, Edgar Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) -- the Brooklyn Nuyorican who carrie…
2026 PAN: $55.9 Million in Extra Funds Arrive, and These Are the Income Limits in Effect Through September 30
If your family gets the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN) —or you think you might qualify— now is a good time to go over the numb…
Back to school: the 'hoja verde' (PVAC-3), where to get it free, and your checklist before August 6
Public school classes start Wednesday, August 6, and if you have kids at home you know what that means: enrollment, uniforms, supp…
What to do this weekend in PR: town festivals, beach and more
Plenty to do across the island this weekend — most of it free and family-friendly: Town patron-saint festivals - Cidra: Thursday 1…
Drought and water rationing: six towns on alert — who's affected and how to prepare
The drought is tightening and PRASA is weighing scheduled water shutoffs. Up to six municipalities could get notice between this w…
Dengue season: how to protect yourself and when to worry
With the rainy season here, dengue is back on the radar. Puerto Rico is coming off intense years — over 9,500 cases across 2024-20…
2026-2027 school calendar: classes start August 6 — all the key dates
Puerto Rico's Department of Education released the 2026-2027 school calendar: students start Thursday, August 6, while teachers an…
May is festival season: the town festivals you shouldn't miss
May is one of the island's most festive months, with free, family-friendly town celebrations: May highlights - Sugar Cane Festival…
The Bad Bunny effect: the residency brought in $400-700 million (and revived dominoes and salsa)
Bad Bunny's Puerto Rico residency, "No me quiero ir de aquí," didn't just fill el Choli — it sold out 31 concerts and, per Discove…