The U.S.-flagged liquefied natural gas carrier America Energy docks at the EcoEléctrica power generation facility in Peñuelas. (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón) By THE STAR STAFF Crowley has marked the first anniversary of operations of American Energy, the first U.S.-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier dedicated exclusively to Puerto Rico, underscoring the company’s role in strengthening the island’s energy resilience and long‑term supply reliability. The miles

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez By THE STAR STAFF In an effort to ease costs for consumers, Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez announced on Thursday the filing of House Bill 1216, which would prohibit electronic payment processing fees from being calculated on the portion of a transaction corresponding to federal, state or municipal taxes within Puerto Rico’s territorial jurisdictio

Sen. Jeison Rosa Ramos (Facebook via Jeison Rosa Senador Mayagüez-Aguadilla) By THE STAR STAFF As part of Early Childhood Week, Sen. Jeison Rosa Ramos filed a measure on Thursday proposing the creation of a pilot program to integrate pre-kindergarten into the public education system in Puerto Rico as part of a strategy to strengthen early childhood education. Senate Bill 1178 establishes a model of gradual implementation in public schools, with the aim of ensuring a structure

Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano By THE STAR STAFF Popular Democratic Party at-large Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano announced that the Office of Legislative Budget and Analysis (OPAL by its acronym in Spanish) has determined that exempting Christmas bonuses for public and private-sector employees from income tax withholdings would not negatively impact government revenues. Vargas Laureano said OPAL completed a technical and fiscal evaluation of her proposed legislation, whi