Puerto rico news in english: Puerto Rico News: Current Events & Breaking News Today

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July 9, 2021
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Puerto Rico News: Current Events & Breaking News Today

8th journalist reported killed in Haiti so far this year

November 9, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An eighth journalist has been killed in Haiti this year, the Inter American Press Association said Wednesday.

Fritz Dorilas, who worked for Radio Télé Megastar, was gunned down near his home in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Nov.

US men win gold at 3×3 AmeriCup, Jimmer jumper clinches win

By TIM REYNOLDSNovember 7, 2022 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmer Fredette now knows what it’s like to win a 3×3 gold medal with USA Basketball.

He’s hoping it’s the first of many.

Fredette’s 2-pointer — that’s what beyond-the-arc shots are worth in the 3-on-3 game — with 1:07 remaining was the clinching basket in a 21-18 win over Puerto Rico in the title game of the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup on Sunday night.

EPA to test air, water in south Puerto Rico towns in a first

By DÁNICA COTONovember 4, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it will for the first time test air and groundwater in Puerto Rico’s southern region, where community leaders have long complained about pollution stemming from companies, including a coal-burning power plant.

Activists fight bid to remove Puerto Rico’s ‘colonial cats’

By DÁNICA COTONovember 3, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hundreds of cats have long slinked through the cobblestone streets of Puerto Rico’s historic district, stopping for the occasional pat on the head as delighted tourists and residents snap pictures and offer bits of food.

Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Argentina announce they are married

By MEGAN JANETSKYNovember 3, 2022 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — Two former beauty queens, Fabiola Valentín of Puerto Rico and Mariana Valera of Argentina, announced this week that they had secretly married.

The joint Instagram post spurred celebration in LGBTQ communities across Latin America, a region that has historically lagged on gay rights but has made small steps in recent years.

Hunt for deep sea minerals draws scrutiny amid green push

By DÁNICA COTONovember 2, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — High demand for metals ranging from copper to cobalt is pushing the mining industry to explore the world’s deepest oceans, a troubling development for scientists who warn that extracting minerals from critical ecosystems that help regulate climate could cause irreparable damage.

Top US energy official back to Puerto Rico amid power woes

By DÁNICA COTONovember 1, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. secretary of energy was scheduled to visit Puerto Rico Tuesday for the second time in less than two weeks as the island struggles with a crumbling power grid and constant power outages worsened by recent hurricanes.

US storm survivors: We need money faster, less red tape

By WAYNE PARRYOctober 29, 2022 GMT

MIDDLETOWN, N.J. (AP) — Survivors of storms that pounded several U.S. states say the nation’s disaster aid system is broken and that they want reforms to get money into victims’ hands faster, with less red tape.

Puerto Rico policeman accused of running over legislator

October 28, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico police officer was accused Friday of running over a municipal legislator with his car and abandoning the scene.

The officer faces three charges, including destruction of evidence, and is being held on $300,000 bond.

Royal Navy seizes $28M worth of cocaine in Caribbean waters

October 28, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — British officials announced Friday that they seized more than 880 pounds (400 kilograms) of cocaine from a boat in Caribbean waters.

The Royal Navy said three people were detained following a “tense chase” near the Dominican Republic in an operation that began late Thursday.

Dancer says fear of Weinstein muted her sex assault response

By ANDREW DALTONOctober 28, 2022 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for Harvey Weinstein on Friday repeatedly challenged a woman over why she didn’t raise more objections or leave the hotel room in Puerto Rico where she said he sexually assaulted her during a 2003 film shoot.

Puerto Rico nonprofit director sentenced in fatal arson case

October 27, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The director of a nonprofit that helped disabled people in Puerto Rico was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in a case in which his center was set on fire by three other suspects, one of whom died in the act, officials said Thursday.

Agents seize $26M worth of cocaine near Puerto Rico

October 26, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Federal authorities said Wednesday that they confiscated more than $26 million worth of cocaine near Puerto Rico in one of the largest seizures this year.

More than 2,600 pounds (about 1,200 kilograms) of cocaine were found inside a makeshift boat just south of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, according to U.S.

Migrants missing after boat overturns in Puerto Rico bay

October 26, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities on Wednesday searched for at least eight migrants believed to be missing in waters near the historic area of Puerto Rico’s capital.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the migrants were apparently aboard a boat that capsized in San Juan Bay on Tuesday night, according to two survivors from the Dominican Republic who were rescued.

Haitian journalist hospitalized after assassination attempt

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 25, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A well-known Haitian journalist survived an assassination attempt on Tuesday that left his car riddled with bullets in the capital of Port-au-Prince, officials said.

Roberson Alphonse, who works at the daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste and at radio station Magik9, is hospitalized but is expected to recover, according to Frantz Duval, chief editor for both media.

EXPLAINER: Who’s behind Haiti’s most powerful gang alliance?

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 21, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution that imposes sanctions on Jimmy Chérizier, leader of a powerful gang federation in Haiti, who is accused of threatening the country’s peace, security or stability.

EPA: UPS to pay fine, correct hazardous waste violations

By MATTHEW DALYOctober 19, 2022 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with United Parcel Service to resolve violations of hazardous waste regulations at more than 1,100 facilities across 45 states and Puerto Rico, the agency said Wednesday.

Puerto Rico struggles to recover after hurricane razed crops

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 18, 2022 GMT

YABUCOA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona destroyed $159 million worth of crops in Puerto Rico when it hit a month ago, decimating fields of plantains, bananas and other crops, the island’s agriculture minister said Tuesday.

More than 100 migrants stranded near Puerto Rico await help

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 18, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Federal authorities on Tuesday said they were trying to rescue more than 100 migrants stranded on an uninhabited island near Puerto Rico during a human smuggling operation.

US, Canada send armored vehicles to bolster Haiti’s police

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 16, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. and Canada sent armored vehicles and other supplies to Haiti on Saturday to help police fight a powerful gang amid a pending request from the Haitian government for the immediate deployment of foreign troops.

Haiti gang makes demands in test of power with government

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 15, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A standoff between a powerful gang federation and Haiti’s government is testing how much power both sides wield and threatens to further derail a paralyzed country where millions of people are struggling to find fuel and water.

Puerto Rico to probe power bill complaints following outage

October 14, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau announced Thursday that it will investigate how a private company has handled complaints about electric bills after Hurricane Fiona knocked power out to the entire island.

Puerto Rico ex-student faces prison in cyberstalking case

October 13, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A former student at the University of Puerto Rico has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison after authorities accused him of breaking into women’s Snapchat accounts and sharing their nude images with others.

US opts to not rebuild renowned Puerto Rico telescope

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 13, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it will not rebuild a renowned radio telescope in Puerto Rico, which was one of the world’s largest until it collapsed nearly two years ago.

US to pull visas of Haitian officials, send assistance

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 12, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government will pull visas belonging to current and former Haitian government officials involved with gangs and other criminal organizations as well as provide security and humanitarian assistance to Haiti, senior U. S.

Judge approves plan to reduce Puerto Rico agency’s debt

October 12, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday approved a plan to restructure some $6 billion of debt held by Puerto Rico’s Highways and Transportation Authority as the U.S. territory emerges from bankruptcy.

Bahamas to increase minimum wage, implement price controls

October 12, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The prime minister of the Bahamas has announced an increase in the islands’ minimum wage and temporary price controls on certain goods, including eggs, bread and diapers ,amid a spike in inflation.

Concerns grow as cholera spreads through Haiti’s prisons

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 12, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A nonprofit organization on Tuesday called on Haiti’s government to release certain inmates amid a swift rise in cholera cases throughout the country’s severely crowded prison system and dwindling supplies of clean water.

UK dispatches police, ship to fight gangs in Turks & Caicos

October 11, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The United Kingdom announced Tuesday that it has deployed a ship and specialized police to the Turks and Caicos Islands to fight a spike in violence.

Two dozen specialists who were stationed in the Bahamas arrived Friday on the archipelago, while a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker with a helicopter is en route and will be used as a platform for operations, said the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

EXPLAINER: Haiti’s troubled history of foreign interventions

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 11, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and 18 members of his cabinet have requested the immediate deployment of foreign troops in response to gangs and protesters who have paralyzed the country.

UN mulls quick foreign troop deployment to ease Haiti crisis

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 10, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The United Nations Security Council on Monday was evaluating options including the immediate activation of foreign troops to help free Haiti from the grip of gangs that has caused a scarcity of fuel, water and other basic supplies.

UN ponders rapid armed force to help end Haiti’s crisis

By DÁNICA COTOOctober 10, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres submitted a letter to the Security Council on Sunday proposing the immediate activation of a rapid action force following a plea for help from Haiti as gangs and protesters paralyze the country.

St. Lucia charges president of island’s Senate

October 7, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia announced Friday that the president of its Senate faces criminal charges.

Officials did not specify the charges, but instead referred to a legal code that relates to the perversion of justice.

Biden tells Puerto Ricans he’s ‘committed to this island’

By SEUNG MIN KIM, DARLENE SUPERVILLE and DANICA COTOOctober 3, 2022 GMT

PONCE, Puerto Rico (AP) — President Joe Biden promised to “rebuild it all” while visiting Puerto Rico on Monday, as tens of thousands of people remain without power two weeks after Hurricane Fiona struck and residents worry that Washington’s dedication to their recovery could prove fleeting.

Officials detail Hurricane Fiona damage to Puerto Rico grid

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 29, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Preliminary evaluations show Hurricane Fiona damaged 50% of transmission lines and distribution feeders across Puerto Rico as hundreds of thousands remain without power or water service almost two weeks after the storm hit, officials said Thursday.

Biden: ‘Our country hurts’ after Hurricane Ian slams Florida

By ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUPERVILLESeptember 29, 2022 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday said “our entire country hurts” along with the people of Florida after Hurricane Ian flooded communities across the state, knocked out power, forced people into shelters and raised fears of a “substantial loss of life.”

Canada into women’s World Cup semis for 1st time since 1986

By DOUG FEINBERGSeptember 29, 2022 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — No one on Canada’s roster was born the last time the team won a medal at the women’s World Cup. Now the Canadians are a win away from securing one for the first time since 1986, when they captured the bronze.

US waives federal law to boost diesel supply for Puerto Rico

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 28, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government announced Wednesday it would temporarily waive a federal law and allow foreign diesel deliveries to Puerto Rico as it faces a dwindling supply of fuel nearly two weeks after Hurricane Fiona pummeled the U.S.

Puerto Rico seeks U.S. waiver as diesel dwindles after storm

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 28, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor on Tuesday requested that the U.S. government waive a federal law to allow for more fuel shipments to the island amid concerns over a dwindling supply of diesel in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.

Puerto Rico reaches first World Cup quarterfinals

By DOUG FEINBERGSeptember 27, 2022 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Puerto Rico is headed to the quarterfinals of the women’s World Cup for the first time.

Mya Hollingshed scored 29 points and Arella Guirantes added 18 to lead Puerto Rico to the 92-73 win over South Korea on Tuesday on the final day of pool play.

Puerto Ricans await aid, fret about post-hurricane recovery

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 25, 2022 GMT

TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico (AP) — City worker Carmen Medina walked purposefully through the working-class community of Tranquility Village under a brutal sun, with clipboard, survey forms and pen in hand — part of a small army of officials trying to gauge the scope of disaster caused by Hurricane Fiona’s strike on Puerto Rico.

Puerto Ricans seething over lack of power days after Fiona

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 24, 2022 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Half of Puerto Rico is without power more than five days after Hurricane Fiona struck — including an entire town where not a single work crew has arrived.

Kang helps South Korea wins 1st World Cup game in 12 years

By DOUG FEINBERGSeptember 24, 2022 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Leesuel Kang scored 37 points to help South Korea rout Bosnia and Herzegovina 99-66 on Saturday, giving the Asian country its first win in the women’s World Cup in 12 years.

South Korea (1-2), which has played in 16 consecutive World Cups — tied with the U.S.

Fiona bears down on northeast Canada as big, powerful storm

By ROB GILLIES and DÁNICA COTOSeptember 24, 2022 GMT

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona transformed into a post-tropical cyclone late Friday, but meteorologists warned it could still bring hurricane-strength wind, heavy rain and big waves to the Atlantic Canada region and had the potential to be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history.

Post-Fiona fuel disruptions spark fear in Puerto Rico

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 23, 2022 GMT

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — 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.

Puerto Rico players hope win brings joy to recovering island

By DOUG FEINBERGSeptember 23, 2022 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Puerto Rico captain Pamela Rosado hopes the team’s first victory in the women’s World Cup can provide a small bit of joy to the island that’s been ravaged by Hurricane Fiona.

The island’s government said some 62% of 1.47 million customers remained without power Thursday, a few days after it was devastated by Fiona.

Canada tops France to take control of group at World Cup

By DOUG FEINBERGSeptember 23, 2022 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Nirra Fields scored 17 points and Shay Colley added 11 to help Canada beat France 59-45 on Friday in the women’s basketball World Cup.

The victory moved Canada (2-0) into the driver’s seat as the only unbeaten team left in its group.

US women use stellar defense to rout Puerto Rico 106-42

By DOUG FEINBERGSeptember 23, 2022 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — The United States is quickly identifying itself as a stellar defensive squad by using its athleticism to make it difficult for opponents to score.

Shakira Austin scored 19 points, Kahleah Copper added 16 and the U.S.

Biden vows US won’t walk away from storm-struck Puerto Rico

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 23, 2022 GMT

SAN SALVADOR, Puerto Rico (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday the full force of the federal government is ready to help Puerto Rico recover from the devastation of Hurricane Fiona, while Bermuda and Canada’s Atlantic provinces prepared for a major blast from the Category 4 storm.

Trump calls Las Vegas shooter ‘sick’ and ‘demented man’

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and CATHERINE LUCEYOctober 3, 2017 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the gunman who killed 59 people and wounded hundreds others at a music festival in Las Vegas a “very, very sick individual…

Puerto Rico seeks U.S. waiver as diesel dwindles after storm

By DÁNICA COTOSeptember 28, 2022 GMT

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi warned that a shortage of fuel would affect public health, security and government functions in the U.S. territory.

“Diesel supplies continue to decrease at a higher rate than previously anticipated, and shortages have been reported around the island,” he wrote.

The law that Pierluisi references is the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, best known as the Jones act, which requires that all goods transported to Puerto Rico be aboard a ship built in the U. S., owned and crewed by U.S. citizens and flying the U.S. flag.

The law has been waived during previous storms, but U.S. President Joe Biden has not responded to Pierluisi’s petition.

Pierluisi’s letter comes as a British Petroleum ship with 300,000 barrels of diesel floats off Puerto Rico’s southern coast since Sunday, awaiting entry.

The archbishop of San Juan, Roberto González Nieves, also appealed to Biden to waive the law, saying the measure makes Puerto Rico’s recovery and rebuilding difficult because it drives up prices for materials.

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He also said that despite officials claiming a majority of the island’s homes have power, “this does not match with our lived experience. ”

“If this is not attended to immediately, we will face a deeper crisis in Puerto Rico,” he wrote in a letter to the president.

A group of Puerto Rico legislators, including the president of the island’s House of Representatives, were at a White House meeting with officials to urge a temporary waiver of the law amid concerns that elderly people could start dying like they did in the sweltering aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which struck as a Category 4 storm in September 2017.

“Every minute counts in an emergency,” said Puerto Rico Rep. Eddie Charbonier.

Local and federal official have long called for a permanent repeal of the Jones Act, saying it has driven up prices and crippled Puerto Rico’s economy.

Pierluisi asked Biden for a waiver limited to the shipment of petroleum-derived products and liquefied natural gas to at least nine specific ports around the island.

“This specifically targeted and temporary relief would allow Puerto Rico to diversity its fuel sources, ease supply constraints and mitigate the risk of a fuel shortage in the middle of the response to the emergency caused by Hurricane Fiona,” he wrote.

The Category 1 storm slammed into the island’s southwest region on Sept. 18, sparking an island-wide blackout. As of Tuesday, power had been restored to more than 70% of 1.47 million clients, driving up demand for diesel as businesses, government agencies and homeowners continue to rely on generators.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Josué Colón executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority, surprised many as he became emotional and wiped away tears as he spoke.

“When you tell yourself, ‘We have to lift it up once again,’ you can’t stop thinking about family,’” he said, referring to the island’s power grid that was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and pummeled by Fiona.

Government officials have said 77% to 91% of clients might have power by Friday, adding on Tuesday that the remaining 9% in areas hardest hit by Fiona could be connected soon.

“We hope within days,” said Daniel Hernández, an engineer with Luma, the private company that took over the island’s power transmission and distribution last year. “This is not María.”

However, the governor warned during the press conference that “we still have a lot to do to completely recover.”

Puerto Rico once again advocates for the rule of the English language

UNKNOWN FEMALE NAMES

An international archaeological expedition led by Professor Dirk Wicke from the German University of Mainz, together with Professor Timothy Matney from the American University of Akron in Ohio, discovered evidence of the existence of 2800 years ago of a previously unknown ancient language in the ruins of a palace in the Middle East.

One of the members of the expedition, British archaeologist John McGinnis, was deciphering an ancient clay tablet with inscriptions found at the excavations of the palace of the Assyrian emperor in the ancient city of Tushan in southeastern Turkey. The tablet listed the names of 60 women believed to be prisoners of war or victims of the forced resettlement program in Assyria.

When John McGinnis began to study names, he saw that 45 out of 60 names had nothing to do with the ancient names of the Near East, already known to scientists. Ancient names usually consisted of words from the local lexicon. Then the thought came to him that perhaps these names belonged to the language of previously unknown tribes of the Zagros mountains from western Iran.

PALACE CLAY PLAQUE

This find may help reveal the ethnic and cultural origins of the first “barbarians” in history – the hill tribes who plundered and profited from the world’s greatest civilizations in the last millennium, writes the British newspaper Independent.

The tablet was found in a palace archive used by Assyrian royal officials to record administrative, political and economic decisions and actions.

Archaeologists are almost certain that the 60 women whose names are listed on the clay tablet were employed by the palace. The text mentions that some of them were distributed to local villages. Among the names there were such names as Ushimanai, Alagania, Irsakinna and Bisunumai.

Archaeological excavations. Illustrative photo.

Now archaeologists and linguists will begin a deeper study of the origin of the names, to see if there are similarities between this and other ancient languages in the order of the letters or the frequency of the letters used.

It is believed that 45 women lived north of the Zagros mountains, where the Assyrians conducted military operations. Most likely, women were forcibly relocated to work near Tushan in the second half of the 8th century BC during the conquests of Zagros by the Assyrian kings.

PUERTO RICO CALL FOR BILINGUALITY

The topic of modern languages was covered last week by the American agency Fox News. The governor of Puerto Rico is reportedly aiming to make the country fully bilingual by 2022.

Originally inhabited by the Tainos, this island was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The country was a Spanish colony for 400 years. In 1898, Spain gave the island to the United States of America after the Spanish-American War, and all Puerto Ricans became US citizens at 1917 year. The US Congress can enact laws that govern many aspects of island life.

The official languages of the country are Spanish and English. Currently, the main language of the country is Spanish, and the country’s governor, Luis Fortuno, has proposed an ambitious plan to move all public schools to teaching in English.

Gov. Luis Fortuno wants the country to become the 51st US state, according to him, based on economic, not political considerations.

“Knowing two languages will open doors for our children. They will have the opportunity to become successful in an increasingly competitive and global job market,” Luis Fortuno tells Fox News.

Out of 1472 schools, only 12 offer a program of study entirely in English. Thirty-five schools intend to teach some classes in English, such as mathematics and physical education.

Education Secretary Edwin Moreno is leading a $15 million project to introduce a bilingual school program in 31 schools starting this August. Plans for other schools are not yet clear, but the governor says he wants all public schools to be bilingual in 10 years.

Edwin Moreno tells Fox News, “Our goal is for every Puerto Rican to speak Spanish and English fluently.”

CRITICISM OF THE PLAN

The Puerto Rico Teachers’ Association criticizes the plan. The association’s president, Aida Diaz, said she supports bilingual education but doesn’t like the idea of teaching all lessons in English: “It’s not right. This will lead to the fact that our language will be replaced by a secondary one.

English is now taught in all public schools, from kindergarten to high school. There are nine thousand English teachers in the country. 96 percent of the 3.9 million people speak Spanish at home.

Puerto Ricans don’t want to learn English, it’s hard for them.

Jamie Morales, public school teacher, tells Fox News, “Puerto Ricans don’t want to learn English, it’s hard for them. If some people have difficulty speaking literate Spanish, how can they learn a second language?”

Former education secretary Gloria Baquero supports the governor’s plan, but says it will be difficult to implement: many people oppose attempts to impose the language and see political motives in promoting the English language.

English dominated Puerto Rico’s education system in the first half of the 20th century—from 1900 to 1948, all subjects were taught in English, until the first democratically elected governor, Luis Munoz Marin, came to power and abolished the practice.

Carlos Cardón, an anthropologist and former secretary of education, told Fox News, “Learning English has been associated with American attempts to ‘Americanize’ Puerto Rico.”

In 1991, Governor Rafael Hernandez Colón declared Spanish the only official language of the island. Soon the new governor, Pedro Rosello, made both languages official. This law is in force to this day.

The governor of Puerto Rico opposed the English language – RBC

adv.rbc.ru

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