By THE STAR STAFF The island Family Department (DF), led by Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes, along with the Administration for Families and Children (ADFAN by its acronym in Spanish) and its administrator, Wilma I. Ortiz, confirmed on Thursday the extension of the home aide services contract, which will allow in-home services for the elderly and disabled to continue while the corresponding administrative process is completed. The agency reiterated that it has taken the necessa

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston By THE STAR STAFF The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston has overturned a 2025 federal district court ruling that ordered Puerto Rico’s Demographic Registry to include an “X” gender marker on birth certificates, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced Thursday. The appellate decision supports the Puerto Rico government’s position that, under current local law, birth certificates will continue to reco

By THE STAR STAFF Extreme drought conditions spread this week across large sections of Puerto Rico’s southern coast and eastern region, with 75.2% of the territory experiencing some level of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor update released on Thursday. Data valid as of Sept. 1 show that 41% of Puerto Rico is experiencing extreme drought (category D3), a condition appearing primarily along a strip covering much of the island’s south and another extensive area in

By THE STAR STAFF The island Treasury Department said the government closed fiscal year 2026 with stronger-than-expected revenues, driven largely by higher income tax collections from corporations and individuals and a sharp increase in June receipts tied to manufacturing activity. Treasury Secretary Ángel Pantoja Rodríguez announced that net revenues to the General Fund reached $13.9 billion, an increase of $279.1 million compared with the previous fiscal year and well abov