Hurricane could threaten Puerto Rico as Category 2
Bloomberg Oct 15, 08 3:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Caribbean oil refineries are under threat from Hurricane Omar, whose 85-mph winds roared through St. Croix today, Bloomberg reports. It could hit the Virgin Islands, home to one of the hemisphere's largest refineries, as a Category 2 storm tomorrow. Puerto Rico may be in line for 20 inches of rain and life-threatening floods, forecasters say.
More »
Drugs packaged with toys in Puerto Rico, mailed to New York
New York Daily News Sep 24, 08 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Federal agents announced the arrest yesterday of a pack of Bronx drug dealers accused of smuggling cocaine into New York with the help of the world’s smallest traffickers: Lego men. Agents say the cocaine was sent from Puerto Rico through normal US mail, ingeniously hidden within buckets of the plastic blocks. Or maybe not-so-ingeniously, since investigators tracked the shipments for 5 months, and eventually nabbed eight suspects.
More »
Stress seen as possible cause of respiratory condition
Boston Globe Sep 1, 08 4:52 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Abused children are twice as likely to develop asthma as kids who are not abused, a new study says. Although the research doesn't conclusively establish a cause-and-effect link, it does suggest doctors should consider looking for evidence of physical and sexual abuse in young patients with hard-to-treat asthma, the Boston Globe reports.
More »
Puerto Rico man receives last wish: to be mourned upright
Associated Press Aug 19, 08 3:13 PM CDT
(AP)
-
A Puerto Rican man has been granted his wish to remain standing—even in death. A funeral home used a special embalming treatment to keep the corpse of 24-year-old Angel Pantoja Medina standing for his 3-day wake, the AP reports. Dressed in a Yankees cap and sunglasses, Pantoja was mourned by relatives while propped upright in his mother's living room.
More »
ANALYSIS
'She might as well have been on another planet'
Salon Jun 2, 08 12:54 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Hillary Clinton enjoyed a final vacation from reality this weekend, Mike Madden writes in Salon. Her stay in Puerto Rico—including riding a float loaded with giant speakers blaring salsa and reggaeton—“couldn’t possibly have been the most efficient use of” time for a fighting candidate: rather, it was a final ego trip and staff getaway.
More »
But turnout in victory likely insufficient to give her an edge with popular vote
MSNBC Jun 1, 08 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Hillary Clinton was projected to win the Puerto Rico primary by a wide margin today as polls closed, but turnout was estimated to be lower than the 700,000 that Bill Clinton said would support her emphasis on the popular vote. Hillary, Bill, and Chelsea Clinton had spent a combined 15 days campaigning in the primary once seen as a footnote, MSNBC reports.
More »
Island doesn't vote in primaries, but today its Democratic delegates are up for grabs
Politico Jun 1, 08 10:01 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Hillary Clinton is banking on a sizable victory today in Puerto Rico to bolster her argument that she’s received more votes than Barack Obama and is a stronger draw for Latinos. Key points to keep an eye on: The second wave: While many Puerto Ricans sleep in, it's going to be clear by 1pm whether there will be a big turnout. And polls are open til 3pm. The battle for San Juan: Puerto Rico's biggest urban district represents Obama's best chance, but Clinton has campaigned vigorously.
More »
But voters there aren't all that excited about
their 15 minutes
Boston Globe Jun 1, 08 7:10 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Today’s Democratic primary in Puerto Rico will bring the island the national attention many residents seek—but not for the right cause. Puerto Ricans are less excited about the Democratic presidential candiates—neither of whom will they get to vote for in November—than the perennial issue of how to resolve their not-quite-statehood, the Boston Globe reports. And some are angry that the government is spending $2.5 million on the primary, rather than the usual caucuses.
More »
OPINION
Where Barack's missing out and what Hillary needs to do
Washington Post May 15, 08 10:24 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
John Edwards’ endorsement may have helped Obama turn the page on recent troubles, but pundits say he should face up to them—or he leaves an opening for Hillary to climb back in: Sure, it was a “rational, prudent decision” to skip West Virginia, David Broder allows, but it will keep Obama’s blue-collar question alive into the fall. He could have staged a JFK-style coup in the Mountain State—he certainly had the money and foot soldiers.
More »
Residents don't want to lose special sporting status
Wall Street Journal May 6, 08 10:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team, and many residents don't want to give it up, reports the Wall Street Journal. But if and when the island commonwealth finally makes the transition to US statehood, Puerto Ricans will likely have no option but to compete on the US team. "What will become of our recognition?" asks one resident.
More »
Look into campaign funds yields 19 counts
Associated Press Mar 27, 08 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Puerto Rican Gov.Anibal Acevedo Vila was indicted today on 19 counts, including election fraud and conspiracy to violate federal campaign-finance laws, the AP reports. Vila and 12 associates are accused of breaking rules in financing the 2000 campaign that saw Vila elected the territory's Washington rep. Vila says the charges, and the probe that spawned them, are politically motivated.
More »
ANALYSIS
Mainland conventional wisdom doesn't apply in June Caribbean vote
Real Clear Politics Mar 13, 08 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Puerto Rico will vote on the late date of June 1, and the commonwealth might find itself with outsized influence on the Democratic race. Leading Puerto Ricans often deliver for their candidates by wide delegate margins; the territory’s governor has endorsed Barack Obama, but New York’s massive Puerto Rican population could translate into a boost for Hillary Clinton, Real Clear Politics reports.
More »
Lopez pop's already shopping for double bundle
Associated Press Feb 7, 08 6:45 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez is expecting twins, her dad told a Spanish-language TV show—and he's already gone shopping for the dynamite duo. "In Puerto Rico it's custom to buy an azabache bracelet for babies to protect them from the evil eye. It's part of our culture," said the proud grandfather to be. The 39-year-old singer first announced she was pregnant at a concert in November, AP reports.
More »
Quality control a problem at factories producing US' top-selling drugs
Associated Press Feb 6, 08 1:38 PM CST
(Newser)
-
The Caribbean island that produces 13 of the 20 best-selling drugs in the US has sold tainted pills and is struggling with quality control at its pharmaceutical plants, AP reports. FDA inspections of 13 Puerto Rican plants between 2003 and 2007 revealed problems such as machinery pins left in drug bottles and foreign material embedded in tablets.
More »