Pa'lante: June 25
Issue #4: Puerto Rico's population is shrinking, food aid sent to the island was too salty and sugary and more
Just a reminder: FEMA’s Transitional Housing Program for Puerto Ricans expires on June 30, and thousands of displaced families may soon have nowhere to go. Activating the Disaster Housing Assistance Program for victims of Hurricane Maria would help Puerto Ricans find stable housing and get back on their feet, according to the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Read more at the Boston Globe.
And for the rest of the news:
Puerto Rico Signs Law to Overhaul Storm-Battered Energy Utility: The law will allow for the partial privatization of Puerto Rico’s struggling utility company. (Yalixa Rivera / Bloomberg)
UBS Group CEO on Puerto Rico: 'We Could Have Done Things Better': "When you go back and you look at the situation, you could always argue that we could have done things better, or some people could have behaved better.” – Sergio Ermotti, CEO of UBS Group, which had the largest wealth management business in Puerto Rico (Dawn Giel, Leslie Picker and Scott Zamost / CNBC)
"This Isn't a Suitable Place to Live": Many in Puerto Rico Under Tarps as Storm Threat Looms: One woman said she received $132 from FEMA for storm damage that a contractor said would cost at least $6,000 to repair. (Ben Fox / Associated Press)
Demographic Trends: Deaths Exceed Births in Puerto Rico: The island’s population is shrinking. (Alexandre Tanzi / Bloomberg)
Trump’s EPA Is Celebrating Its Hurricane Response With A Special “Challenge” Coin. Parts Of Puerto Rico Still Lack Power. The EPA’s Office of Emergency Management will spend $8,522.50 on the coins and display cases. The coins will say “Protecting Human Health and the Environment All Across America.” (Zahra Hirji / BuzzFeed)
Food Aid To Puerto Rico Is Salty, Sugary, And Unbalanced, Researcher Says: “As a public health nutritionist, I just don't know why we are providing these foods. How did these foods end up there, and who was monitoring them?” – Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, a professor of public health at George Washington University (Sara Kiley Watson / NPR)
Thanks for reading. If you have news you think should be considered for inclusion in next week’s issue, please email palante.news@gmail.com.
Pa’lante!