Jamaica ready to send soldiers, police to quell Haiti chaos
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Jamaica’s prime minister said his government is willing to send soldiers and police officers to Haiti as part of a proposed multinational security assistance deployment. The U.N. Security Council has mulled the request but taken no action, opting instead to issue sanctions on people including Jimmy Chérizier, a dominant gang leader and former police officer blamed for masterminding multiple massacres. Meanwhile, Holness said Jamaica is ready to offer bilateral support if needed. Haiti was stripped of all democratically elected institutions when the terms of the remaining 10 senators expired in early January. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has promised to hold general elections for more than a year, but a provisional electoral council has yet to be chosen, which some critics say has led to a de-facto dictatorship.
wftv.com4 key suspects in Haiti presidential slaying in US custody
Also charged is Christian Emmanuel Sanon, an elderly pastor, doctor and failed businessman that authorities have identified as a key player. The fourth suspect was identified as Colombian citizen Germán Rivera García, who is among nearly two dozen former Colombian soldiers charged in the case. A total of seven suspects in the case are now in U.S. custody. A day before the killing, Solages falsely told other suspects that it was a CIA operation and that the mission was to kill the president, according to the documents. About a year after the killing, U.S. authorities say they interviewed Solages, Vincent and Rivera while they were in Haitian custody and that they agreed to talk.
wftv.comPuerto Rico's southern region fights for cleaner air, water
SALINAS, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Shuttered windows are a permanent fixture in Salinas, an industrial town on Puerto Rico’s southeast coast that is considered one of the U.S. territory’s most contaminated regions. Six of the top 10 municipalities in that category are in Puerto Rico’s southern region, with Salinas ranked sixth, according to data obtained from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory. Salinas also has one of the highest incidence rates of cancer in Puerto Rico, with 140 cases reported in 2019, the newest figures available from the island's Central Registry of Cancer. Overall, styrene and ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic gas, are the top two chemicals released into the air and water in Salinas, officials say. That has been hailed by many in Puerto Rico, which has one of the highest asthma rates in a U.S. jurisdiction and whose power generation system is 97% based on fossil fuels.
wftv.comUsain Bolt fires business manager over Jamaica fraud case
Bolt also said he has fired his business manager, adding that it was not an amicable split. He told the Jamaica Observer newspaper that the public should anticipate the “expected and the unexpected” in the case. Earlier on Friday, Bolt spoke at a sponsored luncheon for an upcoming relay and referred to the alleged fraud. The company contacted authorities earlier this month to alert them that a manager had apparently committed fraud. Earlier this week, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that his administration would not bail out the company.
wftv.comUsain Bolt fires business manager over Jamaica fraud case
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt told reporters Friday that he is baffled over how $12.7 million of his money has gone missing from a local private investment firm that authorities are investigating as part of a massive fraud that began more than a decade ago. When asked if he was “broke,” the retired star athlete laughed. Bolt’s attorneys have said the athlete’s account with Kingston-based Stocks and Securities Limited dwindled from nearly $12.8 million to some $12,000.
news.yahoo.comJamaica: FBI to help probe massive fraud case targeting Bolt
Clarke said clients were given false statements regarding their balances as part of the alleged fraud. Jamaica’s Financial Services Commission began investigating after the company alerted authorities this month that a manager had apparently committed fraud. “Despite this most unfortunate development, Jamaica’s financial sector remains strong.”The company has not returned emailed requests from The Associated Press seeking comment. “They will unearth exactly how funds were allegedly stolen, who benefitted from such theft and who organized and collaborated in this,” he said. Clarke said the government also will seek forfeiture of any assets that might have been bought with the alleged stolen funds.
wftv.comStudy: Puerto Rico should go solar to meet clean energy goal
Government officials vowed to ramp up from 3% to 40% renewable energy by 2025, and 60% by 2040. Amid the threat of powerful hurricanes, Puerto Rico has suffered from chronic power outages blamed on a disintegrating power grid following decades of neglect and lack of maintenance. A senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy said the $1 billion approved by U.S. Congress in December to help restore Puerto Rico’s grid is not sufficient. "The urgency has only grown after Hurricane Fiona…wreaked so much havoc," said Granholm, who is expected to visit Puerto Rico this month. This year, scientists expect to study the possibility of using marine, hydropower and pumped storage hydropower as additional sources of renewable energy, among other things.
wftv.com396 Haitian migrants detained on 50-foot boat near Bahamas
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has detained a boat carrying 396 Haitian migrants near the Bahamas in one of the biggest human smuggling incidents in the region, Bahamian officials said. The migrants were detained close to the far-flung Cay Sal island located between Florida and Cuba, immigration officials in the Bahamas said in a statement Sunday. They said the migrants will be processed on the Bahamian island of Inagua and later repatriated. Nicole Groll, a U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman, told The Associated Press on Monday that the interdiction happened Saturday afternoon and involved a 50-foot boat. The voyages are often deadly, with migrants crowding into makeshift vessels that have capsized in recent months.
wftv.comOfficials: 396 Haitian migrants detained near Bahamas
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has detained a boat carrying 396 Haitian migrants near the Bahamas in one of the biggest human smuggling incidents in the region, Bahamian officials said. The migrants were detained close to the far-flung Cay Sal island located between Florida and Cuba, immigration officials in the Bahamas said in a statement Sunday. They said the migrants will be processed on the Bahamian island of Inagua and later repatriated. A U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman said she did not have information on the incident. The voyages are often deadly, with migrants crowding into makeshift vessels that have capsized in recent months.
wftv.comEnergy study urges solar panels on rooftops in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Solar panels should be installed at airports, brownfields or industrial areas since there's not enough available land for large-scale installation of wind generators, the preliminary results of a U.S. government study aimed at helping Puerto Rico shift to clean energy said Monday. Amid the threat of powerful hurricanes, Puerto Rico has suffered from constant power outages blamed on a disintegrating power grid. Hurricane Maria razed Puerto Rico's power grid in September 2017 when it struck the island as a Category 4 storm and Hurricane Fiona battered it when it hit in September last year as a Category 1 storm. A senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy said the $1 billion approved by U.S. Congress in December to help restore Puerto Rico's grid is not sufficient. U.S. President Joe Biden had sought $3 billion, and federal lawmakers had requested $5 billion for solar rooftop panels and storage installations.
wftv.comAttorneys: Jamaica's Usain Bolt missing $12.7M from account
Attorney Linton P. Gordon provided The Associated Press with a copy of a letter sent to Stocks & Securities Limited demanding that the money be returned. Gordon said Bolt’s account once had $12.8 million but now reflects a balance of only $12,000. Stocks & Securities Limited did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On its website, the company asked that clients direct all urgent queries to Jamaica's Financial Services Commission, which is investigating the firm. The company has said that it discovered the fraud earlier this month and that several of its clients may be missing millions of dollars.
wftv.comPuerto Rico pushes for private power generation amid secrecy
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Nearly two hours after meeting behind closed doors, the governing board of Puerto Rico’s power company emerged Thursday to briefly announce it was approving a plan to privatize electric generation in the U.S. territory. Critics like Torres also oppose the contract given the problems that arose after Puerto Rico’s power company privatized the transmission and distribution of electricity on the island nearly two years ago. Board president Fernando Gil said only that the contract is for 10 years and can be revised in the fifth year. The contract was previously approved by Puerto Rico’s Public-Private Partnerships Authority on Sunday in a unanimous vote, including by members who represent the public’s interest. Puerto Rico’s power grid has long been unstable given a lack of maintenance and investment, but it was crushed after Hurricane Maria hit the island as a Category 4 storm in 2017.
wftv.comForest lizards genetically morph to survive life in the city
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found. As urbanization intensifies around the world, it's important to understand how organisms adapt and humans can design cities in ways that support all species, Winchell said. Winchell said the lizards’ physical differences appeared to be mirrored at the genomic level. The changes in these lizards, whose lifespans are roughly 7 years, can occur very quickly, within 30 to 80 generations, enabling them to escape from predators and survive in urban areas, Winchell added. The scientists chased after dozens of lizards for their study, catching them with their hands or using fishing poles with a tiny lasso to snag them.
wftv.comForest lizards genetically morph to survive life in the city
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found. As urbanization intensifies around the world, it's important to understand how organisms adapt and humans can design cities in ways that support all species, Winchell said. Winchell said the lizards’ physical differences appeared to be mirrored at the genomic level. The changes in these lizards, whose lifespans are roughly 7 years, can occur very quickly, within 30 to 80 generations, enabling them to escape from predators and survive in urban areas, Winchell added. The scientists chased after dozens of lizards for their study, catching them with their hands or using fishing poles with a tiny lasso to snag them.
wftv.comPuerto Rico reggaeton singer accused of domestic violence
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — Authorities in Puerto Rico arrested Randy Ortiz Acevedo of the popular reggaeton duo Jowell & Randy on domestic violence charges after a judge on Monday ruled there was sufficient evidence against the singer. Ortiz, who is not required to enter a plea yet, was detained on a $15,000 bond, prosecutor Anthony Oyola told reporters. Oyola said the charges stem from a Jan. 7 incident but declined to provide further details given that it's a domestic violence case. He added only that Ortiz's mother testified on behalf of the singer before he was charged. Jowell & Randy are considered reggaeton pioneers that began their careers 20 years ago.
wftv.comParis court deals blow to French Caribbean pesticide fight
But they also asserted that even in the 1990s, scientists had not established links between chlordecone and illnesses in people. “How dare they write such a historical and scientific untruth,” Christophe Lèguevaques, an attorney involved in the case, said in a statement issued Thursday. The French government estimates that more than 90% of adults were exposed to chlordecone on both islands, whose combined populations total some 750,000 inhabitants. Other French research links chlordecone exposure to preterm births. Meanwhile, officials continue testing the islanders for free to detect possible traces of chlordecone in their blood.
wftv.comOrlando Health plans to build new emergency room in east Orange County
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orlando Health just announced plans to build a new emergency room in east Orange County. Read: Orlando Health adds new hospital in Puerto Rico, helps improve health careThis is where a Harley Davidson dealership was located before it was closed. Read: ‘No room for error’: Team of 11 Orlando Health doctors perform back-to-back surgeries on mom, babyOfficials released a rendering of what the new emergency room should look like. Watch: Three generations of women work together at Orlando Health hospital in OcoeeOrlando Health said it picked this area, because of the rapid growth seen in east Orange County. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
wftv.comMassachusetts man convicted of trafficking 4 tons of cocaine hidden in furniture
NEW YORK — A Massachusetts man was convicted on Tuesday for his role in trafficking 4 tons of cocaine from Puerto Rico to at least four continental U.S. states by concealing the narcotics in hollowed-out furniture. Massachusetts man convicted of trafficking four tons of cocaine hidden inside furniturehttps://t.co/Bt9MbM2VNv pic.twitter.com/saTjrzWbd3 — US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) December 20, 2022Prosecutors alleged that the drug trafficking organization sent approximately 27 shipments of cargo from Puerto Rico to the U.S. The shipments were manifested as furniture, but the individual pieces were hollowed out to conceal 100-kilogram quantities of cocaine. “The unanimous jury verdict holds Abel Montilla accountable for his role in a widespread cocaine trafficking organization that flooded the streets with four tons of cocaine,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “Montilla was a coordinator of the drug trafficking organization who traveled around the country to manage the delivery of the organization’s cocaine-filled furniture.
wftv.comHouse approves referendum to 'decolonize' Puerto Rico
“It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it. “For far too long, the people of Puerto Rico have been excluded from the full promise of American democracy and self-determination that our nation has always championed,” the Maryland Democrat said. Puerto Rico Gov. ___Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
wftv.com‘It’s about time’: House passes act that would allow Puerto Ricans to vote on statehood
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The people of Puerto Rico are one step closer to deciding whether the island should be a state. The House of Representatives passed the “Puerto Rico Status Act” on Thursday. If it passes through the Senate, Puerto Ricans will get to vote on statehood next November. Read: ‘It changed my life’: School supports students who fled Puerto Rico after Hurricane MariaThose against the bill took issue with the fact that giving Puerto Ricans the choice to stay a territory wasn’t an option. Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Jeniffer Gonzalez-Colon said after residents feeling like second-class citizens, the island deserves to be a state.
wftv.comHouse approves referendum to 'decolonize' Puerto Rico
“It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it. Puerto Rico Gov. “Many of us are not in agreement about how that future should be, but we all accept that the decision should belong to the people of Puerto Rico,” she said. ___Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
wftv.comHouse approves referendum to 'decolonize' Puerto Rico
The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. “It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it.
news.yahoo.comBarbados' top court repeals laws that criminalize gay sex
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex, becoming the third nation in the conservative Caribbean region to do so this year. While the laws were rarely invoked, they signal that LGBTQ people are criminal and lesser citizens, Braun said. Earlier this year, Caribbean courts have found such laws in Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis unconstitutional. The Barbados High Court issued only an oral ruling saying it found such laws unconstitutional, and won’t release a written judgment detailing its reasons until late January. “The dismantling of these laws is the first major step, but not the last step.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comOrlando Health adds new hospital in Puerto Rico, helps improve health care
Orlando Health has built a brand-new hospital in Puerto Rico, which is still trying to rebuild after recent hurricanes. Doctors’ Center Hospital Orlando Health in Dorado, Puerto Rico has started a new chapter for health care in Puerto Rico. “We’re committed to making health care better in Puerto Rico,” said Dr. Luis Herrera of Orlando Health. With the Puerto Rico location, Orlando Health plans to provide interconnected health care to the thousands who travel between Orlando and Puerto Rico constantly. Orlando Health and Doctors’ Center Hospital have agreed to partner on four additional hospitals on the island: San Juan, Bayamón, Doctors’ Center Hospital Manati and Carolina Puerto Rico.
wftv.comExpo Puerto Rico returns to Central Florida
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — About 30 businesses from Puerto Rico are in Central Florida now to attract investors to expand as part of Expo Puerto Rico. It marks the expo’s first time in Central Florida since Hurricane Maria. Pedro Pierluisi opened this year’s expo for businesses, excited for what he calls a homecoming of sorts. READ: 40% chance that Central Atlantic system could develop into subtropical cycloneMonday marks the educational portion for businesses, centered around panel discussions. READ: Florida couple murdered over HOA dispute, sheriff saysVideo: 40% chance that Central Atlantic system could develop into subtropical cyclone There’s a 40% chance that a system in the Central Atlantic could develop into a subtropical cyclone.
wftv.comAtlantic hurricane season ends with average number of storms
MIAMI — (AP) — An Atlantic hurricane season with 14 named storms officially ended Wednesday, though residents of Florida and Puerto Rico will continue to deal with damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona. The 2022 period had an unusually calm first half but made up for that with the three destructive hurricanes in the second half, ending with an average number of named storms. An average hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, forecasters said. Since 1950, only 1997 and 1961 had no named storms in August. With 150-mph (241-kmh) maximum sustained winds, Hurricane Ian tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the U.S., officials said.
wftv.comPost-Fiona fuel disruptions spark fear in Puerto Rico
A growing number of businesses including grocery stores and gas stations are temporarily closing across Puerto Rico as power outages caused by Hurricane Fiona drag on in the U.S. territory, sparking concern about the availability of fuel and basic goods.
Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez arrested, officials say
Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez has been arrested on bribery charges related to the financing of her 2020 campaign, the latest hit to an island with a long history of corruption that brought fresh political upheaval to the U.S. territory.
38 rescued, 11 dead as US searches waters after boat capsizes near Puerto Rico
Haitians are fleeing in greater numbers to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where they step onto rickety wooden boats as they attempt to reach Puerto Rico — a trip in which 11 Haitian women drowned this week, with dozens of other migrants believed missing.