Monday Feb 23, 2026

2 GOOD MORNING

The San Juan Daily Star, the only paper with News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edition, along with a Weekend Edition to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Weather conditions in mainland US cause PR flight cancellations

By THE STAR STAFF

Aerostar, the operator of Luiz Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, announced on Sunday the cancellation of flights due to weather events in the mainland United States.

According to the report, nine arriving flights were canceled, affecting an estimated 1,096 passengers. The flights originated in Baltimore (BWI), Santo Domingo (STI), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK) and Philadelphia (PHL), and were operated by Southwest, JetBlue, Spirit, Frontier and American Airlines.

As for departures, 19 flights were canceled, affecting an estimated 2,852 passengers. The affected destinations included Baltimore, New York (JFK), Philadelphia, Boston, Newark, Bradley (BDL), Westchester (HPN), Providence (PVD), and Orlando (MCO), among others. The cancellations were due to adverse weather conditions in the United States.

In total, the report indicated 28 canceled flights, both arrivals and departures, with a combined estimated 3,948 passengers affected.

A total of 28 flights, both arrivals and departures to and from Luiz Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, were cancelled on Sunday due to weather conditions in the mainland U.S., with a combined estimated 3,948 passengers affected.

Morovis pitches in to help family after fire destroys home

A group of Morovis municipal employees arrived early Sunday morning to help begin the cleanup work at the Vázquez family residence, which was heavily damaged by a fire on Friday.

By THE STAR STAFF

Morovis Mayor Carmen Maldonado González thanked a group of municipal employees who arrived early Sunday morning to help begin the cleanup work at the Vázquez family residence, which was damaged by a fire.

Last Friday at 7:16 p.m., a raging blaze completely destroyed the home of an elderly couple on Padre Nuno Street in the Barahona neighborhood of Morovis, the Puerto Rico Police reported. The mayor confirmed that the house was a total loss, but that the couple and their 10-year-old granddaughter are in good health.

Maldonado González took to social media to share that anyone wishing to help the affected Vázquez family can do so through Ivelisse Vázquez, the daughter of the couple, at (787) 922-7378.

“Due to the fire, they lost everything; any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated,” the mayor emphasized. “The Municipality continues to coordinate assistance to help this family return to normalcy as soon as possible.”

Reactions pour in following death of salsa great Willie Colón

By THE STAR STAFF

Reactions from the public and celebrities

poured in on Sunday after legendary musician Willie Colón, a vibrant icon of salsa music, passed away in New York at the age of 75 (see related story on page 9).

“We are heartbroken by the passing of an icon whose sound transcended the dance floor and defined an era,” Fania Records — the label that revolutionized Latin music by creating the “salsa” genre, and which signed a promising Colón when he was only 15 — said in a press release. “A pillar of Fania Records, Willie helped bring Latin music from the streets of New York to audiences around the world. His music declared identity, pride, resistance, and joy. His music was not just heard; it was lived.”

His family confirmed the salsa icon’s passing in a heartfelt message on social media on Saturday.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and renowned musician, Willie Colón. He departed peacefully this morning, surrounded by his loving family,” the state-

The Latin music community was awash with tributes on Sunday as icons and fans alike mourned the loss of legendary salsa musician Willie Colón. (Wikimedia

Commons/Florian Schneider from New York)

ment posted on Facebook reads.

“Although we mourn his absence, we also rejoice in the eternal gift of his music and the cherished memories he created, which will live on forever,” his family added.

The official cause of his passing remained undisclosed on Sunday, but reports

say Colón had been under medical care for respiratory difficulties in his final days.

The Latin music community was awash with tributes, as icons and fans alike mourned the loss of the “Idilio” singer.

Puerto Rican salsa luminary Tito Nieves shared a poignant photo with Colón, calling him “a pillar of salsa and a visionary who forever marked our music.”

Colombia’s legendary Grupo Niche added their voice to the chorus of condolences, emphasizing how his “songs marked generations, turned stories into anthems, and embodied an artistic force that transformed salsa forever.”

Puerto Rican singer Victor Manuelle lamented that salsa has lost another of its giants, recalling Colón as “The Bad Guy from the Bronx.”

“I was fortunate to share the stage with him on several occasions and engage in fascinating conversations,” Manuelle said. “A man of formidable character, yet always respectful. His legacy will live on in history.”

Singer Rubén Blades, who famously teamed with Colón in the 1970s and early 1980s on several salsa albums now regarded

as classics of the genre, including the top-selling “Siembra” (1978), shared a nostalgic photo of a young Colón and extended heartfelt condolences to the family.

“Later, when I have time, I will write about Willie and his vital and important musical legacy,” Blades said, hinting at a future tribute to his friend and collaborator.

Celia Cruz’s estate noted his work with the late Queen of Salsa. “We will always treasure the magical moments that Willie and Celia shared, both on stage and in the studio,” the estate said. “As the title of their iconic album together so aptly put it: ‘Only they could have made this album.’ Farewell, Willie. Your legacy and your music will resonate for eternity.”

Puerto Rican performer Rauw Alejandro, whose 2024 album “Cosa Nuestra” was inspired by Colón’s 1969 LP of the same name, posted on his Instagram Stories: “Willie… thank you. Thank you for paving the way when there was no way. For making the trombone a symbol, for giving salsa its streetwise edge and soul, and for making your music an identity for so many people on the island, in New York, and throughout the diaspora.”

Fiscal board proposed its own tax reform, which La Fortaleza did not use

By EVA LAUREANO

In December 2025, the Financial Oversight and Management Board unveiled its own ambitious tax reform proposal -- one that stood in stark contrast to the tax rate cuts championed by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón.

The details came to light through Kenneth Rivera, a tax partner at Galindez, though the reason La Fortaleza chose not to use the information in its own tax reform draft remains a mystery. Officials did not answer requests for comment.

José R. Pérez-Riera, the oversight board’s revitalization coordinator laid out four distinct scenarios for overhauling the tax code in emails to government officials. He offered a tantalizing prospect: “We can provide much better takeaways and explanations for any of the scenarios that you want us to focus on, and we would be happy to do so.”

At the heart of the oversight board’s plan is a flat 8% personal income tax -- retirement and unemployment income excluded -- combined with a generous standard deduction of $30,000 for individuals and $60,000 for couples. Advocates say the bold move would eliminate income taxes for 77% of taxpayers, sparking increased workforce participation and simplifying the tax system.

The proposal is equally ambitious for businesses: an 8% corporate tax rate, plus the complete elimination of taxes on capital gains, dividends and interest to attract investment. A broadened sales tax base would see the rate lowered to 10%, now extending to financial services, vehicles, fuel and lodging. Essential items like food and healthcare would drop to a 4% sales tax. Property taxes would shift to market value at a 0.5% rate, with a $25,000 homestead exemption for homeowners, and the unpopular inventory tax would be scrapped altogether.

Scenario 8100 offers a twist: groceries,

healthcare and education would be entirely tax-free. Property taxes would be modernized, moving to a 0.625% market-value rate, still with the $25,000 homestead exemption

José

and no more business inventory tax.

Scenario 8197 targets middle-income earners, granting a standard deduction to those making between $20,000 and $40,000. The result? About 54% of taxpayers and two-thirds of retirees would pay no income tax. Real property would be taxed at just 0.5% of market value (with the same homestead exemption), personal property and inventory taxes would be eliminated, and consumption taxes would be streamlined: a 10% sales tax would apply broadly, but basic needs -- unprepared food, health, and education -- would remain exempt. Motor fuels, lodging and financial services would be taxed at a reduced 5%, shifting some of the tax burden to non-residents.

The governor last year proposed to double the deductions for income tax rates but the proposal was rejected by the oversight board. She then introduced legislation to distribute $554 million in direct payments to salaried workers.

February 23, 2026 4

A walk in the park

San Patricio State Forest offers serene, cool change from urban bustle

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

Visiting the parks in Puerto Rico is almost literally like entering another world.

One feels the “peace of God that transcends all understanding,” and can breathe in the oxygen fresh from its source.

San Patricio State Forest is no different. The 60-acre park is located between Villa Borinquen and Caparra Heights. You first run into a poster board with a map of the park’s many trails where you can plan out your walk.

Park visitors who seem happy to have an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of San Juan walk leisurely

with children by their side.

The few people you meet are friendly, and smiles are exchanged.

Along one of the paths is a large treehouse from which the laughter and squeals of happy children bouncing around inside.

A short distance off the path you can see bunkers, part of the rich biodiversity of the park from when it served as a military base during WWII. The base was closed in the 1960s, but San Patricio wasn’t officially made into a park unit the year 2000.

The park has 33 species of birds, including endemic species like the Puerto Rican woodpecker. There are three species of coquis, along with various species of lizards and small reptiles.

There are also various varieties of snakes, one of which crossed my path wiggling rapidly into the forest, and also numerous varieties of insects such as butterflies and beetles.

Inside the forest you can feel a considerable drop in the temperature, which goes from blazing in the concrete outside world to downright cool.

Picnic tables are scattered throughout the park just off the trails, perfect for enjoying lunch.

The park, which doesn’t admit pets, is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

UPR, OATRH partner to train COR3 staff in management

By THE STAR STAFF

The Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) announced over the weekend the start of a series of training workshops for its staff, developed in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the Office of Administration and Transformation of Human Resources (OATRH by its initials in Spanish), focused on strengthening key skills for managing reconstruction projects.

“These workshops represent a direct investment in our team and, in turn, in the efficiency of the reconstruction process in Puerto Rico that we are leading from COR3,” COR3 Executive Director Eduardo Soria Rivera said.

The program, which will impact some 125 employees, will be conducted in face-to-face sessions covering topics such as project management fundamentals, practical planning, risk

Upon entering San Patricio State Forest, you first encounter a poster board with a map of the park’s many trails where you can plan out your walk.

skills for reconstruction projects

management and problem-solving, among others.

Soria Rivera added that “the collaboration with the UPR brings a high-value academic and professional component to this initiative, by integrating the experience and knowledge of a renowned institution in the development of human capital for the public service.”

UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde emphasized that “the University of Puerto Rico is taking an active role in strengthening the country’s public service, putting its academic, technical, and human capabilities at the service of strategic initiatives like this one.”

“Through this alliance with COR3 and the OATRH, the University of Puerto Rico is directly contributing to the development of a more efficient, prepared, and results-oriented public administration that supports Puerto Rico’s reconstruction and resilience,” she said.

Toronto-based Polaris Renewable participating

By THE STAR STAFF

Polaris Renewable Energy has entered Puerto Rico’s initiative to add 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, CEO Marc Murnaghan has revealed.

The executive made the comment during the Toronto-based company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, where he said Polaris was successful in the initial request for qualifications (RFQ).

The Public-Private Partnerships Authority of Puerto Rico (PREPA), together with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, published the RFQ in October, seeking firm capacity solutions ranging from renewables with battery storage to thermal power.

PREPA has yet to announce the names of the qualifiers.

Murnaghan said Polaris has submitted a solar project featuring a battery energy storage system (BESS), with contracts expected to be finalized by June. Polaris is also participating in LUMA Energy’s accelerated storage addition program on the island and operates the 26 MW Punta Lima wind farm, where it plans to install a BESS.

Murnaghan also noted that Polaris entered into an exclusivity agreement with a local developer In Mexico, granting access to nearly 1,000 MW of projects.

He pointed out Mexico’s hybrid model for renewables, which involves partnerships with the state utility CFE. He also

identified behind-the-meter projects as another promising opportunity in Mexico, driven by significant demand from industrial clients.

In other areas, the executive indicated that curtailment challenges in the Dominican Republic are expected to generate opportunities focused on storage solutions.

Polaris’ operations across the region span the 72 MW San Jacinto geothermal facility in Nicaragua; the 25 MW Canoa I solar project in the Dominican Republic; Panama’s 10 MW Vista Hermosa solar plant; and the 6 MW San José de Minas hydroelectric plant in Ecuador; as well as the Canchayllo (5 MW), El Carmen (8 MW), and 8 de agosto (20 MW) hydro plants in Peru.

February 23, 2026 5

Trump presses on with tariffs despite court, and court of public opinion

By SHANE GOLDMACHER and KATIE GLUECK

President Donald Trump’s defiant response to the Supreme Court decision striking a blow against his signature economic tool pushed the Republican Party further down an uncomfortable path of defending tariffs that are unpopular with the public.

Lashing out at the majority of justices who ruled against him as “fools and lap dogs,” Trump dismissed the most sweeping judicial rebuke of his second term Friday as little more than a technicality as he vowed to plow ahead with new, across-the-globe tariffs using a different law.

“We have very powerful alternatives,” Trump declared, announcing a new 10% import tax. “For those who thought they had us.”

On Saturday, Trump said he was raising his new global tariff to 15%.

Yet the painful political reality for Republicans, even those allied with the president, is that his tariff regime has proved deeply unpopular. Some privately lamented that Trump had missed a chance to walk them back before a midterm election expected to turn heavily on the economy, instead recommitting to a policy that divides his party.

“It was bad policy,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who has clashed with Trump on the issue of tariffs and other matters, said in an interview. “It’s also bad politics.” (Bacon is not seeking reelection.)

A majority of Americans and 58% of independent voters opposed Trump’s tariffs, according to a New York Times/ Siena University poll released last month. At a moment when the top issue for voters is the cost of living, Republicans are waging an uphill battle defending tariffs on imports that economists have repeatedly said ultimately result in higher prices for consumers. A Fox News poll last month showed that tariffs ranked among Trump’s worst-performing issues.

Trump loves tariffs anyway. He insists the economists are wrong. Import taxes are so close to his heart that he has frequently called “tariff” his favorite word in the dictionary, and he has been talking up the importance of trade deficits for decades. As president, he has

deployed tariffs as a foundation of both his economic and foreign policy agendas.

“This was an important case to me,” Trump said Friday.

Some Republicans had been hopeful in the immediate aftermath of the ruling that it might take some of the political pressure off them and ease rising prices.

Trump dashed those hopes almost immediately.

Politically, the damage from tariffs might already be done in the minds of voters who disagreed with the policy, some Republican strategists suggested.

“The impact that tariffs have had on Americans doesn’t disappear simply because they may have ended,” said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster. “This action by the Supreme Court should not be thought of as throwing the GOP a life preserver for November.”

For months, Democrats have blamed Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs for destabilizing the economy and worsening “the affordability crisis,” as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the House minority leader, put it. Now they can also say the tariffs broke the law.

Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and JB Pritzker of Illinois, two Democrats considered potential 2028 presidential candidates, both demanded refund checks for families in their states who had to pay more for imported goods in recent months after the court ruled Trump’s tariffs were unconstitutional.

“Cough up!” Newsom said in a statement.

The 2026 elections were already shaping up as a referendum on Trump and his stewardship of the economy — a dynamic he knows well. Trump won in 2024 after relentlessly attacking then-President Joe Biden for his management of the economy and rising inflation.

Strategists in both parties said the Supreme Court’s rejection of a centerpiece of his economic agenda would only sharpen that focus, even if voters are unlikely to be swayed by any debates about separation of powers.

“Any political impact won’t come from the court’s reasoning,” said Chris Wilson, a Republican pollster. “It will come from whether voters feel stronger or weaker economically.”

The tariff fight also thrusts to the fore

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after a Supreme Court ruling struck down many of his tariffs policies, at the White House in Washington, on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. Signaling that the president would press ahead despite the legal setback from the Supreme Court, Trump said on Saturday that he would raise his new, global tariff from 10 percent to 15 percent.

(Anna Rose Layden/The New York Times)

an issue that divides the Republican Party, whose elected leaders had been ardently in favor of free trade until Trump’s arrival.

“Congress’ role in trade policy, as I have warned repeatedly, is not an

inconvenience to avoid,” Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Republican leader, said in a scathing statement after the ruling. Former Vice President Mike Pence hailed the ruling, saying, “American families and American businesses pay American tariffs — not foreign countries.”

Others, such as Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, a Trump ally, pushed for Congress to codify Trump’s powers to impose tariffs. “This betrayal must be reversed,” he said in a statement on the ruling.

Trump said Friday that he had authority to impose tariffs himself. But one statute that he planned to invoke to put in place the new global tariff imposes a 150-day limit, unless Congress votes to extend them.

Jason Roe, a Michigan-based Republican strategist who has worked on House races, said letting the court roll back tariffs would have been one of the few things that the Trump administration could have done to almost immediately address rising costs, especially in a state like his, which has deep economic ties to Canada.

He added that making Republican lawmakers vote in favor of more tariffs in the coming months would be risky.

“If we’re not seeing measurable reductions in how people feel about the cost of living between now and November,” Roe said, “putting Republican members of Congress out to vote for higher tariffs is making them culpable for those higher costs politically.”

Armed man is fatally shot at Mar-a-Lago, Secret Service says

By MINHO KIM, ALI WATKINS and TYLER PAGER

An armed man was shot and killed by law enforcement, including agents from the Secret Service, after he entered the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, early Sunday, local and federal authorities announced.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said that the man was Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron, North Carolina. He said officials confirmed Martin’s identity through his driver’s license. Martin was confronted inside the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago complex, and was carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel canister, the Secret Service said in a statement.

Trump hosted state governors at the White House on Saturday night and was not at Mara-Lago at the time of the shooting. He has not yet commented on the shooting and has no public appearances scheduled for Sunday. He posted a few messages on social media Sunday,

congratulating the U.S. men’s hockey team for winning the gold medal at the Olympics.

Bradshaw said during a news conference Sunday that the man was told by law enforcement to “drop the items.” The man put down the canister but raised the shotgun to a “shooting position,” prompting the dispatched officers to open fire and kill him, Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw showed a photo of a shotgun and a canister to the reporters. Agents at the scene were wearing body cameras, he said.

At least two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County officer were involved in the shooting, Bradshaw said. Investigators with the FBI, the Secret Service and the sheriff’s office were investigating, the Secret Service said.

At the news conference, Brett Skiles, the FBI special agent in charge of the Miami office, asked people living near the scene of the shooting to check their security cameras for any suspicious activity overnight and to report any relevant footage.

As of Sunday morning, Palm Beach’s

PUBLIC NOTICE

Request for Proposals No. 002

Architecture & Engineering Design Services

Comunidad Sector Los Diaz, Inc., San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico

As a direct result of the Impacts of Hurricanes María and Fiona, Comunidad Sector Los Diaz, Inc, sustained substantial damage to its water facilities and related operations. These damages are associated with federal disaster declarations DR-4339 (Hurricane Marla) and DR-4671 (Hurricane Fiona).

Comunidad Sector Los Díaz, Inc. hereby solicits proposals from qualified and experienced Architectural and Engineering (A&E) firms to provide professional engineering and related design services. The selected firm will support the technical evaluation, development of design documents, and Implementation planning for permanent repair and restoration of the organization’s water facilities as part of Its long-term disaster recovery efforts. All services shall be performed in strict compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including requirements under FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Program and all associated guidance. Interested and qualified firms are invited to request a complete copy of the Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes the detailed Scope of Work, submission requirements, evaluation criteria, and applicable deadlines. The RFP may be obtained by contacting: subastasectorlosdiaz@gmail.com All inquiries regarding this Public Notice or Instructions must be made in writing to subastasectorlosdiaz@gmail.com

Event

Public Notice

Documents Availability Period via Email

Submission of Questions Start Date

Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit@ Carretera 7788, 0.4 Sector las Diaz, Barrio Jagual, San Lorenzo Puerto Rico 00754 (Mandatory)

Submission of Questions Closinq Date

Responses to Questions and Requests for Clarifications Proposals Due Date (Email Copy Submission Onlysubastasectorlosdiaz@gmail.com)

Exoected Award Date

Time and Date

February 23, 2026

From: February 23, 2026, through March 2, 2026

February 23, 2026

March 2, 2026 @ 9:00am

March 5, 2026

March 9, 2026

March 13, 2026

April 2026

All proposals must be submitted electronically via email and received no later than March 13, 2026, at 3:00pm. Late submissions will not be accepted or considered.

Comunidad Sector Los Díaz, Inc. reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any informalities or minor irregularities in the proposals received, and to award a contract in whole or in part as deemed to be in the best interest of the organization. Comunidad Sector Los Diaz, Inc. is an equal opportunity entity and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, race, age, national origin, religion, marital status, political affiliation, or disability, and strongly encourages the participation of minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE) in this procurement process.

Sector los Diaz, Barrio Jagual, San Lorenzo Puerto Rico 00754.

busy winter season largely continued despite a heightened police presence. Joggers and dog walkers peppered the streets, and hotel goers at the trademark pink Colony Hotel were bustling in and out, holding iced drinks. But access to South Ocean Boulevard, a major vein leading to Mar-a-Lago, was partially blocked to cars as of 10:30 a.m.

The incident Sunday was not the first involving an armed suspect at one of Trump’s properties in Florida. In September 2024, Secret Service agents opened fire on Ryan Routh, who was standing with a rifle near a chain-link fence on the perimeter of one of Trump’s golf courses while the president was playing a round. Routh was convicted of trying to assassinate Trump and was sentenced to life in prison this month.

That assassination attempt followed an attack on Trump a few weeks earlier. In July 2024, a lone gunman climbed onto a roof hundreds of feet from the podium where Trump was giving a campaign speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, and shot eight bullets in his direction, killing a rally participant and injuring two others. One of the

Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s private club and residence, in Palm Beach, Fla., on June 26, 2020. A man was shot and killed by law enforcement, including agents from the United States Secret Service, after he entered the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago early Sunday morning, Feb. 22, 2026, according to a statement posted by the agency on X. (Saul Martinez/The New York Times)

bullets — or its fragments — struck Trump on his right ear. The gunman, Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed at the scene.

The Secret Service faced intense scrutiny and rebuke after investigations showed that the agency had received reports about Crooks as suspicious about an hour before the shooting. The agency was also criticized for excluding the roof of a warehouse where Crooks shot at Trump from its security zone.

Nine bodies recovered in deadly Sierra Nevada avalanche, officials say

By ORLANDO MAYORQUÍN and DAVE PHILIPPS

The bodies of nine skiers who were killed in an avalanche in the mountains near Lake Tahoe in California this past week have been recovered, authorities said Saturday, bringing to a close an effort that had been hampered for several days by hazardous weather conditions.

A ninth victim who had been missing was found and recovered along with four other victims Friday, Lt. Dennis Haack of the Nevada County sheriff’s office said at an afternoon news conference.

Four other victims were recovered Saturday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

“While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home,” said Shannan Moon, the sheriff.

The avalanche Tuesday was the deadliest in modern California history. The victims were part of a group of 15 people, including four professional guides, finishing up a three-day backcountry trek near Castle Peak, a remote part of the Sierra Nevada.

The group had set out on its trip last Sunday even as the region anticipated its first big blizzard of the year and an avalanche prediction center had warned of a “high” danger level for travel in avalanche-prone areas.

Officials said Saturday that an avalanche strong enough to knock down a house descended on the group when most were gathered in one spot, adding that two skiers who were at the rear of the group had not been swept away. Authorities did not identify the survivors.

Officials for the first time identified the victims, including a group of six women and three of the group’s guides, two men and one woman. The six women were Carrie Atkin, 46; Liz Clabaugh, 52; Danielle Keatley, 44; Kate Morse, 45; Caroline Sekar, 45; and Kate Vitt, 43.

Family members, who had previously identified the women, said they were a friend group, including two sisters, who regularly took trips to the Lake Tahoe area. Several were from the Bay Area. The three guides, who worked for Blackbird Mountain Guides, were Andrew Alissandratos, 34; Michael Henry, 30; and Nicole Choo, 42.

This is how an autocrat goes to war

By MICHELLE GOLDBERG

Inever imagined I’d miss being lied to by George W. Bush and his henchmen.

When the Bush administration wanted to go to war with Iraq, it undertook a full-court press to propagandize the American people. Administration officials leaked false information about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, which turned out not to exist. Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a deceptive presentation at the United Nations. In Congress, many Democrats, succumbing to either relentless public pressure or their own hawkish instincts, joined with Republicans to authorize an invasion.

This mendacious campaign was shameful and despicable, and it helped create today’s national atmosphere of corrosive cynicism and nihilistic paranoia. But it was, in retrospect, a tacit acknowledgment that public opinion mattered, that a president couldn’t start a war without convincing Americans it was necessary. It was a manipulation of democratic deliberation rather than a negation of it.

Compare that episode with Donald Trump’s threatened war with Iran. On Wednesday, Axios’ well-sourced reporter Barak Ravid warned, “The Trump administration is closer to a major war in the Middle East than most Americans realize. It could begin very soon.” The United States has undertaken the largest air power buildup in the region since the Iraq War. Outlets including The New York Times have reported that the military has given Trump the option to strike as soon as this weekend. On Friday, the president told reporters he was considering a limited strike.

Not only has Congress not authorized such a war, but it has barely even debated it. The administration has not bothered to explain, either to Congress or the American people, why it might bomb Iran or what it hopes to achieve. “There haven’t been any briefings about a military strategy,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who is working with his colleague Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to force a vote on an anti-war measure. Some reporting indicates that the White House is planning for a campaign far more intense and sustained than last year’s bombing of Iran or the abduction of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. But we don’t know if Trump and his team are after regime change, and if they are, what they think comes next. This is how an autocracy goes to war, without even a pretense that the consent of the governed matters.

At the center of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran is Iran’s nuclear program, which Trump claims he destroyed eight months ago, at the close of Israel’s 12-day war. Back then, a report from the Defense Intelligence Agency found that the U.S. bombing campaign set Iran’s program back by less than six months. But to this day, a page on the White House website proclaims, “Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated —

and Suggestions Otherwise Are Fake News.” The administration apparently feels no need to justify a potential war to end a program that it claims it already eliminated.

The administration is also reportedly demanding that Iran curtail its ballistic missile program and end its support for regional proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. It is unclear whether these demands are serious or simply a negotiating tactic, but they seem to be red lines for Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departs the White House in Washington, Feb. 13, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times)

“I don’t know whether it’s pretextual or genuine,” Rob Malley, Joe Biden’s special envoy for Iran, said of the Trump administration’s conditions. Given that Iran was probably bound to refuse, he said, the Trump team’s position could be “simply part of a Kabuki game to be able to say, ‘We tried diplomacy.’”

So far, the administration has scarcely bothered to elaborate the reasoning behind these demands. After all, Iran’s missiles, and the militias it supports, threaten Israel far more than they do the United States. If you take the administration’s stance at face value, it’s hard to square it with Trump’s America First campaign rhetoric.

To be clear: I don’t think Trump would go to war to protect Israel. Rather, I assume Trump is driven by the same selfaggrandizing impulse that made him slap his name on the Kennedy Center. He wants to put his stamp on the world, to be the president who rid the globe of three regimes that bedeviled his predecessors: Venezuela, Iran and Cuba, which he’s subjecting to a devastating fuel blockade. “He is now enamored with the idea that he will be the president on whose watch a number of regimes that have been viscerally anti-American for a long time will no longer be,” Malley said.

If that’s true, there are parallels to Bush’s drive toward Iraq: By many accounts, he wanted to outdo his father, to be the president bold enough to eliminate Saddam after others had failed. His combination of narcissism and resentful insecurity made him think he could and should remake the world.

The Iraq War’s most devastating consequences were, of course, in the Middle East, where hundreds of thousands of people died. But the war’s wreckage also contributed to increasing derangement at home, including a resurgence of antisemitism, as people like Tucker Carlson blamed Zionists for tricking them into supporting an invasion. Should Trump pull the United States into a needless war with Iran, the fallout could be worse. Trump would, after all, be betraying his isolationist campaign promises for reasons no one quite understands in order to fight a war that benefits Israel, at a time when conspiracy theories about Jews are raging through the American populace.

Trump’s last two significant military interventions, in Iran and Venezuela, both went smoothly, perhaps increasing his confidence that he can bomb other countries without consequence. But Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, fears this time may be different. “You have a regime that is cornered and it is very likely to lash out, because it feels an existential angst,” he told me. Iran responded with restraint when Trump, during his first term, killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. It responded with restraint when Trump bombed it last year. The administration might conclude from this that Iran is too weak to strike back. Vaez thinks that’s a miscalculation. Iran, he said, has concluded that “restraint only invites more aggression. And so this time around, they want to respond, and they will respond, in a way that is marked not by restraint, but by recklessness.”

Americans are not prepared to accept casualties in this arbitrary war, or to make any sacrifices at all. As Jack Hunter notes in Responsible Statecraft, in March 2003, a Gallup poll showed 72% of Americans supporting war with Iraq. By contrast, in recent surveys, less than 30% of respondents back military action in Iran.

Trump isn’t trying to persuade the country that war is in our interests. All that matters is whether he thinks it’s in his.

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PIP anuncia jornada de actividades por su 80 aniversario

POR CYBERNEWS

SAN JUAN – El secretario general del Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP), Juan Dalmau Ramírez, anunció el domingo el inicio de un año de celebración con motivo del 80 aniversario de la fundación de la colectividad.

“La fundación del Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, el 20 de octubre de 1946, fue la respuesta patriótica de una generación valiente frente a la claudicación colonial de unos y la aspiración de asimilación de otros. El PIP nació para defender una patria libre y a la vez una patria justa. Ochenta años después, nos animan los mismos principios: un gobierno honesto, comprometido con la verdadera justicia social y decidido a impulsar un proceso democrático de descolonización”, expresó Dalmau Ramírez.

Como parte del 80 aniversario, el PIP celebrará, bajo el lema “Construyendo contigo la Patria Nueva”

una jornada de actividades que incluye el calendario de visitas “Patria Nueva contigo en la calle”, mediante el cual legisladores y dirigentes recorrerán todos los municipios para mantener contacto con las comunidades y fortalecer la organización de base. Las distintas secretarías impulsarán iniciativas temáticas que abarcan el reconocimiento al liderazgo femenino, actividades ambientales y educativas, formación política, integración de la juventud, talleres para legisladores municipales y jornadas de inscripción electoral. La conmemoración culminará del 16 al 18 de octubre con un Gran Encuentro Patriótico en Ponce, que incluirá talleres, actividades educativas y un acto central.

“Este aniversario no es solo memoria; es presente y futuro. Seguiremos tendiendo puentes, fortaleciendo

la unidad puertorriqueña y organizando un proyecto de país basado en la honestidad, la justicia social y la descolonización. Derrotar las fuerzas que tanto daño le han hecho a Puerto Rico requiere coherencia, organización y esperanza. Ochenta años después, seguimos firmes. Somos herederos de una lucha digna y estamos listos para construir la Patria Nueva que nuestro pueblo merece”, concluyó.

Gobernadora se reúne con varios jefes de agencia en Washington

POR CYBERNEWS

WASHINGTON

D.C. – La gobernadora Jenniffer Aydin González Colón sostuvo en Washington D.C. reuniones con funcionarios federales sobre infraestructura, salud, energía y reconstrucción.

González Colón se reunió con el secretario de Transportación, Sean Duffy, quien informó la

asignación de 25 millones de dólares para mejoras al muelle de San Juan.

En salud, dialogó con el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sobre la continuidad de los fondos de Medicaid para la isla. También sostuvo un encuentro con el subsecretario adjunto del Departamento de Agricultura, Patrick A. Penn, para discutir asuntos relacionados con los programas de nutrición, incluido el PAN.

La agenda incluyó además reuniones con el secretario de Energía, Chris Wright, sobre proyectos del sistema eléctrico; con la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, para atender la agilización de procesos vinculados a la reconstrucción; y con la secretaria del Trabajo, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, para discutir el uso de fondos federales en sectores estratégicos de empleo.

Senador convoca inspección ocular para atender asuntos sobre los cuarteles del área policiaca de San Juan

POR EL STAR STAFF

EL CAPITOLIO – El presidente de la Comisión de Seguridad Pública y Asuntos del Veterano del Senado de Puerto Rico, Gregorio Matías Rosario, anunció la celebración de una inspección ocular como parte de los trabajos de investigación encomendados mediante la Resolución del Senado 81.

La inspección ha sido convocada en atención a múltiples reclamos expresados por personal operativo y administrativo de la Policía de Puerto Rico, relacionados con las condiciones estructurales; así como el mantenimiento y la iluminación nocturna de las instalaciones policiacas; y su impacto en la seguridad del personal y la ciudadanía en general. “La Comisión considera indispensable corroborar de primera mano el estado actual de los cuarteles y evaluar si las condiciones físicas cumplen con los estándares adecuados para garantizar la

seguridad, dignidad y eficiencia en el servicio público”, indicó Matías Rosario.

Para esta inspección fueron debidamente citadas la Policía de Puerto Rico y la Autoridad de Edificios Pú-

blicos, esta última como entidad responsable del mantenimiento y conservación de las estructuras públicas. Se espera que ambas agencias provean información actualizada sobre planes de reparación, asignaciones presupuestarias, cumplimiento con códigos de seguridad y cualquier iniciativa en curso dirigida a atender las deficiencias señaladas.

El recorrido permitirá documentar hallazgos, identificar necesidades inmediatas y establecer un marco de recomendaciones dirigidas a fortalecer la infraestructura policial en el área de San Juan. La Comisión reafirma su compromiso con el bienestar del personal del orden público, entendiendo que unas instalaciones adecuadas inciden directamente en la moral, el desempeño y la calidad del servicio a la ciudadanía.

La inspección ocular se llevará a cabo el martes, 24 de febrero de 2026, a partir de las 7:00 p.m. y dará inicio en el Cuartel de la Policía de Río Piedras.

Willie Colón, a luminary of salsa music, dies at 75

By DERRICK BRYSON TAYLOR and ADAM BERNSTEIN

Willie Colón, a trombonist, singer, bandleader, composer and producer whose driving musical energy and mischievous bad-boy image — he was long promoted as “El Malo” — helped make him a luminary of New York salsa music, and whose 1978 collaboration with Rubén Blades, “Siembra,” became one of the topselling salsa albums of all time, died Saturday. He was 75.

His family announced the death on Facebook but did not provide further details.

Raised in the South Bronx by his Puerto Rican grandmother, who encouraged his early interest in music, Colón showed virtuosic ability on the trombone and was working professionally by his early teens. He arrived on the scene in the mid-1960s, at the vanguard of rapidly changing musical tastes among the young in a politically charged era.

The big band-influenced sounds and cha-cha rhythms of the 1940s and ’50s that had defined a great deal of Latin music were coming under the influence of American pop, funk and rock. That blend, which included elements of R&B and jazz as well as Caribbean dance rhythms, became synonymous with the emerging salsa sound.

“It was rebellious music,” Colón told The Miami Herald in 2006. “We were watching Martin Luther King walking into Selma and the dogs and water cannons. The music wasn’t explicitly political yet, but the music was a magnet that would bring people together.”

His first album, “El Malo” (1967), recorded when he was 17, featured him in tandem with the glistening vocal power of Puerto Rican-born singer Héctor Lavoe, and propelled a career spanning nearly six decades. Often depicted on album covers as menacing, with a glower and in dark clothes, he embraced the bad-boy image with a swaggering playfulness.

On “Cosa Nuestra” (1970), he stood over a corpse on a dock. On “Lo Mato — Si No Compra Este LP” (“I’ll Kill Him — If You Don’t Buy This Record”), made in 1973, he held a gun against a man’s head. Other titles of this era, all of which helped make the Fania label a prime source of salsa, included “Crime Pays” (1972). Decades later, Colón,

Willie Colón plays a tribute concert to Ismael Miranda, in New York on June 8, 2009. Colón, a trombonist, singer and bandleader whose driving energy and mischievous bad-boy image helped make him a luminary of New York City music, and whose 1978 collaboration with Rubén Blades, “Siembra,” was one of the top-selling salsa albums of all time, died on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (Chad Batka/The New York Times)

then living in suburban New Rochelle, New York, said the marketing of “the bad-boy thing” was “always tongue-in-cheek.”

The music itself was a glorious hodgepodge of sound and story, featuring characters like “Vicente el carterista” (Vicente the purse snatcher), as Lavoe showed off a dazzling improvisational skill on tonguetwisting lyrics, and Colón brought a thrilling brassy pulse with his trombone-heavy arrangements.

The relationship with Lavoe, who developed a drug addiction, deteriorated, and Colón found other fruitful musical partnerships, including with his mentor, singer Mon Rivera, on such irresistible dance songs as “Tinguilikitín,” and, most especially, with Blades, a Panamanian-born singer and songwriter.

Their release, “Siembra” (which can mean sowing or planting), was widely considered a genre landmark, with a frisson of barrio-centric political consciousness. Wildly ambitious thematically and lyrically, it even paid homage to German expressionist-era cabaret like “The Threepenny Opera” with “Pedro Navaja.” That song, modeled on “Mack the Knife,” detailed the unraveling of an East Harlem criminal after he commits a murder. Colón, who also recorded with Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, among others, recei-

ved the Latin Recording Academy’s award for lifetime achievement in 2004. In 2015, Billboard magazine named him one of the 30 most influential Latin artists of all time, and younger musicians such as Rauw Alejandro and Daddy Yankee expressed their admiration for him.

William Anthony Colón Román was born April 28, 1950, in the South Bronx. He said his grandmother, who worked in a sweatshop, raised him because his father was repeatedly in jail and his mother was 16.

Colón’s foray into music began when his grandmother, who introduced him to the music of her homeland, bought him a trumpet for his 11th birthday. A neighbor and professional musician taught him to play the instrument and to read music. “I would practice all day, which would drive everybody crazy,” he told the Herald.

Three years later, he had swapped his trumpet for a valve trombone — he loved its “roar,” he said — and began playing weddings and other events with his own bands. At 16, he started shadowing Rivera in nightclubs.

“I would hang around with my trombone and a long face until Mon gave me a break,” he recalled. “He would say, ‘OK, come up’ and let me play. He called me ‘el Americanito.’”

After “Siembra,” Colón and Blades partnered on acclaimed albums like “Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos” (1981) — which featured the hit singles “Tiburon” and “Ligia Elena” — but they fell into an acrimonious dispute over money that lasted years and severed the relationship.

Even as he continued to record, Colón told the Herald, he felt increasingly at odds with an industry focused on commercial appeal over innovation, including a trend toward performers who in his estimation were far more physically attractive than musically gifted.

“When the corporations came in, it naturally turned into something else, because they need formula and dependable product,” he said. “The genius of salsa was the freedom — there were no rules.”

Long interested in politics, he lost the 1994 Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat representing the Bronx and lower Westchester County. A decade later, he worked for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a liaison to the city’s Latin Media and Entertainment Commission.

In 1991, he married Julia Craig, and they had children. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.

In later years, Colón embraced reggaeton for its streetwise bluster and energy, and he dismissed peers who criticized its violent and vulgar lyrics. Reggaeton, he told the Herald in 2006, “came in under the radar because it came from the streets,” adding, “I identify a lot with it.”

He was in harmony with the new style’s emphasis on breaking with tradition. “It might have been said about some reggaeton beats that it’s wrong — you can’t do this,” he said. “But if it feels good musically, you do it.”

Monday, February 23, 2026 10

The

Nvidia, software reports pose next tests for AI-sensitive stock market

Investors turn to financial results from artificial intelligence bellwether Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), in the coming week to steady a U.S. stock market that has been rocked by AI-related worries and is digesting a Supreme Court overturn of President Donald Trump’s sweeping trade tariffs.

Friday’s Supreme Court ruling striking down Trump’s tariffs initially lifted stocks and Treasury yields but left investors grappling with the uncertainty over what other forms of trade duties Trump will resort to and how the U.S. government will deal with litigation and refunds.

Besides that overhang on markets and Nvidia’s results, Wall Street will focus on other tech-sector quarterly reports. These include key software companies that are under siege from concerns that AI will upend their businesses.

Wednesday’s report from semiconductor giant Nvidia, the world’s largest company by market capitalization, comes as the heavyweight tech sector and other megacap stocks are off to shaky starts in 2026, weighing on major indexes they have led higher over the past few years.

AI “hyperscalers” have announced plans to ramp up capital spending to build out data centers and other infrastructure, which often utilize Nvidia’s equipment, setting the stage for the company to deliver strong results, said Marta Norton, chief investment strategist at retirement and wealth services provider Empower.

“The expectation for outsized results for Nvidia has been a persistent theme over the past few years,” Norton said. “And so it’s hard for Nvidia to surprise when everyone expects it to surprise.”

The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX), was last up a modest 0.2% for the year. But there have been significant gyrations below the surface. Shares in industries such as software, wealth management and real estate services have been hammered on concerns they are vulnerable to AI disruption.

NVIDIA FOCUS ON FORECAST, CEO’S COMMENTS

Nvidia’s shares soared over 1,500% from late 2022 to the end of last year. This year, its stock was up about 0.8% in 2026 as of Thursday. Others of the “Magnificent Seven” megacap stocks, which have fueled the current bull market, have fared worse this year. Microsoft (MSFT.O), shares are down more than 17% in 2026, while Amazon (AMZN.O), is off 11%.

Nvidia’s stock alone can influence major indexes; for example, the stock holds a 7.8% weighting in the S&P 500. For its fiscal fourth quarter, the company is expected to post a 71% rise in earnings per share on revenue of $65.9 billion, according to LSEG. For its coming fiscal year, analysts on average estimate it to earn $7.76 per share, a 66% jump. But the range of estimates among analysts is “significant,” noted Melissa Otto, head of research at S&P Global Visible Alpha. The low end calls for fiscal year EPS of $6.28 against a high-end estimate of $9.68, according to LSEG data.

“If the bulls are right, then the stock is looking probably not too expensive,” Otto said. “If the bears are right...

CURRENCY MOST ASSERTIVE STOCKS

it’s not that cheap.”

Comments on Nvidia’s quarterly conference call by CEO Jensen Huang could have broader AI industry ramifications, including for hyperscalers whose shares have been pressured by concerns about a lack of returns on capital spending.

“Jensen has to come out and show his confidence in his own customers,” said Nick Giorgi, chief equity strategist at Alpine Macro. “The fact that to this point, Nvidia has been a cheerleader for their biggest customers is actually what you should want as an investor in this whole ecosystem.”

SOFTWARE REPORTS, STATE OF THE UNION ALSO

ON TAP

Reports from major software players Salesforce (CRM.N), and Intuit (INTU.O), will be more significant than usual, given the AI fallout in the industry. The S&P 500 software and services index (.SPLRCIS), is down about 20% so far this year.

“Next week is going to be pretty important for soft-

PUERTO RICO STOCKS

ware,” said King Lip, chief strategist at BakerAvenue Wealth Management. While the selling in the group overall seems “overdone,” Lip said, “I think there are some software names that are ... going to have to find a way to adapt and innovate.”

AI infrastructure players Dell (DELL.N), and CoreWeave (CRWV.O), also will post earnings in the coming week.

Outside of tech, results are due from retailers Home Depot (HD.N), and Lowe’s (LOW.N), as the fourth-quarter earnings season comes to a close. Investors will also evaluate President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

While the tech sector has struggled, indexes have been supported by a market rotation into areas such as energy, industrials and consumer staples.

“It’s kind of a perplexing market,” Norton said. “Everything that worked in 2025 is now having a hard 2026. And what was left behind in 2025 is working in 2026.”

As Trump considers second Iran attack, it could be deadlier than the first

By MARK MAZZETTI and HELENE COOPER

President Donald Trump is considering committing the United States to another military campaign against Iran, a decision that carries the risk of igniting a conflict that could prove to be longer, deadlier and far more dangerous than last year’s 12-day war.

In June, the United States joined a campaign against Iran that Israel had begun, and Trump gave the military a specific goal: to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities and set back Tehran’s ability to one day make a nuclear weapon. Within days of the U.S. strikes, all sides agreed to a ceasefire. There were no American casualties.

Now the Pentagon is in the midst of the largest military buildup in the Middle East in two decades, and Trump is considering a far more expansive operation — this time led by U.S. forces — without saying publicly what he hopes to achieve. Would a campaign once again be focused on Iran’s nuclear sites? Would there be additional strikes to eviscerate Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, which Iran has insisted it would not give up through negotiation?

Military personnel attend President Donald Trump’s remarks to troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, May, 15, 2025. Within days of the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2025, all sides agreed to a cease-fire. If President Donald Trump commits the United States to another military campaign against Iran, this time could be different. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Or could Trump’s goal be something he has often said was dangerous folly: using the military to remove a government in the Middle East from power? A war for regime change could lead to untold civilian deaths in Iran and a wider conflict across the region.

The president told reporters Friday that he was weighing a limited military strike to pressure Iran into a deal.

“I guess I can say I am considering that,” he said at the start of a meeting with governors at the White House.

The ambiguity around Trump’s aims could, according to some U.S. officials and Middle East experts, be particularly dangerous, as it may lead Iran’s government to see a U.S.-led offensive as an existential threat. As a result, Iran could escalate the conflict against the United States and Israel in ways it did not during the attacks in June or after the U.S. military assassinated Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, in 2020.

Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said there was a risk that Iran could calculate that its muted response to previous U.S. military operations had only invited more threats from the United States “and that it must escalate the cost of war for the U.S.”

In a letter Thursday to the United Nations secretarygeneral, the head of Iran’s U.N. mission said that if Iran was attacked, then “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets,” and that the “United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences.”

That could put the 30,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops cu-

rrently stationed at 13 military bases across the Middle East at particular risk. Pentagon officials have been scrambling to move more air defense batteries to the region to protect the bases. In June, Iran launched a volley of missiles against U.S. troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, but Iranian officials privately warned U.S. and Qatari officials in advance.

This time could be different, as a senior Pentagon official acknowledged earlier this month. U.S. troops could be at much greater risk, he said, if the United States — not Israel — initiates this round of strikes.

Israel, of course, could still take on the brunt of any Iranian retaliation. During the conflict in June, Iran launched hundreds of long-range missiles at government, military and civilian targets in Israel. Israeli military officials said they succeeded in intercepting more than 80% of the missiles, yet the barrage still did extensive damage and killed several dozen Israeli civilians.

The Iranian missile attacks forced Israel to begin conserving its supply of interceptors, and some Israeli officials in recent weeks have warned that a much longer conflict could strain the country’s ability to defend cities in Israel.

Iran faces its own risky calculus if it considers a fullscale retaliation against U.S. troops or Israeli cities, something that would be an “enormous gamble for a regime whose paramount goal is survival,” said Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It could lead Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to escalate further than originally planned — to make the ultimate goal of the war to bring down Iran’s government.

The formidable array of American ships, jets, bombers,

drones, surveillance aircraft and air defense units headed to the Middle East is the most tangible evidence that the Pentagon sees the prospect of war lasting beyond 12 days.

“This looks like positioning for a much longer conflict,” said Katherine Thompson of the Cato Institute, who was a senior policy official at the Defense Department during the first year of the Trump administration. The Pentagon appears to be “anticipating an Iranian response that could be a significant risk to American bases in the region,” she said.

But even with advanced planning, Thompson said, the Pentagon is always aware that it has a finite supply of missile interceptors to protect its bases or Israeli cities — and that a protracted conflict could force difficult decisions. “The ability of the United States to sustain a prolonged defense of its forces and basing in the region, while also supporting Israel’s defense, is a major concern,” she said.

A second U.S. military official said that U.S. Central Command is keeping two aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East at a considerable distance from Iran, to protect them from becoming a target. Officials also noted that it was difficult to hit an aircraft carrier traveling at speed with a ballistic missile. In addition, the carriers are escorted by destroyers, which have the ability to shoot down ballistic missiles.

There are U.S. troops at bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. officials said that hundreds of troops had been moved from Al Udeid base in Qatar and a cluster of U.S. bases in Bahrain that house the Navy’s 5th Fleet for other missions and operations.

At least publicly, Trump administration officials insist that they remain committed to seeing if there is a diplomatic end to the standoff, one that could see Iran agreeing to new restrictions on its nuclear program. Privately, however, they say it is difficult to see what Iran may offer in the near term that could dissuade Trump from committing to another military campaign.

During his first 13 months in office, Trump has ordered seven military attacks in other countries, and he has been emboldened by the successful outcome of the military’s most recent operation — the commando mission in Venezuela in early January that captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and brought them to the United States.

Trump’s confidence is reflected in his blustery rhetoric aimed at Iran, pledging in one social media post in late January that “the next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

That day, Iran’s mission to the U.N. responded with a warning of its own.

“If pushed,” it said in a statement, Iran “will defend itself and respond like never before!”

Monday, February 23, 2026 12

The San Juan Daily

US tariff ruling brings uncertainty just as Europe hoped to move on

By JEANNA SMIALEK

European officials have been hoping that 2026 would bring a measure of calm after a year of trans-Atlantic chaos. But even as many in Europe welcomed a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning President Donald Trump’s acrossthe-board tariffs, the ruling kicked off a new period of trade uncertainty just as leaders were hoping to move on to other pressing issues.

Any renewed turmoil could suck up the geopolitical oxygen at a moment when many in Europe had hoped to focus on other priorities like securing the fate of Ukraine and protecting themselves against what they say are unfair Chinese trade practices.

The court ruled Friday that the president had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs on imports from nearly every U.S. trading partner, including 15% tariffs on the European Union.

Many trade experts say they believe that the decision will not ultimately upend a trade deal that the 27-nation European Union and Trump struck last year, in large part because the Trump administration has been clear that it has other tools to keep higher tariffs in place. Trump said on social media Saturday that he would impose a 15% across-the-board tariff in the coming months based on “legally tested” authorities.

But the court decision creates major questions: Will the tariffs collected so far be refunded? The Supreme Court did not say. Even more pressingly, how exactly will the Trump administration replace the old tariffs in the longer term?

Those unknowns are likely to occupy leaders and officials on both sides of the Atlantic for months. Eu-

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ropean leaders are closely watching to see how Trump reacts.

“His back is against the wall; what do you think he’s going to do? There is uncertainty,” said Neil Dutta, the head of economics at Renaissance Macro Research. “Europe is definitely going to be affected by that.”

For now, Europeans have mainly welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision without saying much about how exactly they will respond.

“We remain in close contact with the U.S. administration as we seek clarity on the steps they intend to take in response to this ruling,” Olof Gill, a spokesperson for the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, said after the decision.

Brando Benifei, the chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the United States, called the decision “a signal of hope and vitality in the system of checks and balances.”

But the Supreme Court’s ruling leaves the EUU.S. trade deal in limbo. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, struck an agreement with Trump last year to set tariffs on many European goods at 15%, and that package is still being finalized by the European Parliament.

The process has already faced delays: Lawmakers hit pause on the package during recent tensions over Greenland, which Trump has pushed to acquire. Now the question is whether members of the European Parliament will take another break.

There are reasons to follow through with the deal, even though the original basis for the 15% tariffs is now invalidated. For one thing, America is clearly willing to find different ways to keep tariffs higher. For

another, many European businesses want the certainty that comes with a concrete agreement.

“No one in Europe should get overly confident,” said Jörn Fleck, the senior director at the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, the research organization. “The administration’s goals haven’t changed, and U.S. officials before the ruling said they will find new ways to re-create these tariffs.”

Still, several European lawmakers said Friday that they would need to do more analysis in light of the decision.

Bernd Lange, the head of the committee in European Parliament that is working on the finalization, posted on the social platform X that he had “convened an extraordinary meeting” of the negotiating team for Monday to discuss what the Supreme Court decision meant for the agreement. If the decision were to blow up or delay the trade deal, the development would plunge Europe and the United States into a new round of intense economic uncertainty. But even if it did not, the months ahead are now likely to be politically fraught.

Trump and his administration are likely to be distracted as they try to keep tariffs intact. The methods they use would probably leverage existing trade weapons that can be deployed to justify tariffs, including national security investigations and inquiries into unfair trading practices.

For instance, the United States could make the case that Europe’s digital regulations — which it has long loathed — amount to a tax on U.S. companies.

That could intensify the tension between the United States and Europe.

“In the very near term, there is going to be a degree of uncertainty,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the research organization Bruegel, even if it means that, in the longer term, the Trump administration will have less total discretion over trade policy, leading to greater stability.

For now, without knowing exactly how the Trump administration will move to keep tariffs intact, it could be hard for European businesses to plan.

“European business wants stability and predictability in the trans-Atlantic relationship,” BusinessEurope, a trade group in Brussels, said in a statement after the court decision.

But Fleck said that even if this new source of uncertainty did not “make things easier,” European leaders have spent the past year figuring out how to work on other priorities even as trade overshadows other issues.

The European Union “seems to have learned to adapt and compartmentalize,” he said.

Inside the big tech lobbying machine aiming to halt social media bans

By VIVIENNE WALT

In November, Kim van Sparrentak, a Green Party lawmaker from the Netherlands, grabbed her headphones and headed for the exit of the European Parliament building. Moments earlier, she had participated in a heated debate over whether to bar young teenagers in Europe from social media platforms.

Then a statement on a podcast she was listening to stopped her cold.

It was a message from Meta opposing the social media ban proposal, van Sparrentak said in an interview. That she was hearing it on a favorite podcast threw her. “I thought there was something wrong with me,” she added.

Van Sparrentak, who has become a thorn in the side of U.S. tech giants, was in fact a prime target in the industry’s latest high-stakes lobbying efforts.

American tech companies, including Meta and Google, have tangled with regulators and lawmakers for years over data privacy, competition and artificial intelligence complaints. Now they face a new challenge: governments looking to block millions of teenagers from social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. They call the apps addictive and harmful, and some have tied excessive screen time to depression and suicide among adolescents.

Silicon Valley is fighting back. In the EU, the Americans have spent vast sums in the past year on splashy billboard ads, courting on-the-fence politicians and bulking up their ranks of lobbyists. Their playbook is being closely watched in areas around the world that are weighing similar crackdowns, from New Delhi to Nebraska.

Van Sparrentak has also been glued to a seminal trial in Los Angeles over whether Instagram and YouTube are effectively “digital casinos.” Lawyers for the plaintiff are echoing points raised in Europe: that these platforms are engineered to hook young users through features like infinite scrolling, likes and auto-recommendations. Mark Zuckerberg of Meta forcefully rejected the accusations on the stand this past week.

Since December, when Australia introduced the world’s first social media ban for teenagers under 16, several Asian nations have announced similar measures. France, Germany, Spain, Britain and Denmark have all said they plan to unveil their own ver-

The European Parliament in Brussels, Jan. 12, 2023. Tech giants, including Meta and Alphabet, are spending lavishly on splashy billboard ads, courting on-thefence politicians and bulking up their ranks of lobbyists in Europe as several countries weigh teen social media bans. (Ksenia Kuleshova/The New York Times)

sions of the policy within months.

The argument over how to pry youngsters from their smartphones isn’t limited to Europe. Eight U.S. states have introduced similar legislation.

How the tech industry has battled such measures in the EU could provide a blueprint for its battles elsewhere, including in the U.S.

High stakes

Tech giants calculate that new regulations in the EU’s 27 countries could ripple across their global operations — for now, and for generations to come. Success in persuading politicians to reject these bans, the thinking goes, could have a meaningful effect on their bottom line.

What these companies prefer are laws that require parents, not governments, to have the final say over children’s online habits. “They are going for the least bad option,” said Bram Vranken, a tech researcher for Corporate Europe Observatory, a watchdog group based in Brussels that monitors corporate lobbying.

Silicon Valley titans are lobbying aggressively for an alternative to bans. In closed-door conversations with European lawmakers, Meta has been highlighting its “teen accounts,” said an official for the company in Europe, who was granted anonymity to speak about private discussions. Such accounts were introduced in 2024 and give

parents control over what users under 16 can see.

Some companies are also pushing for a “digital majority age” for social media, which would require explicit parental approval for teenagers under 15 or 16 to download social media apps.

The companies also argue that barring teenagers from their platforms could push them into darker, unregulated corners of the internet. They are also difficult to police, the companies contend.

That last point rankles Laure Miller, a member of France’s National Assembly who successfully led a social media ban for under-15s that passed with a large parliamentary majority in January. If lawmakers shied away from measures that were difficult to enforce, “we would not have a highway code,” Miller said.

‘Bombarding us’

Brussels is the focus of Silicon Valley’s lobbying efforts. While legislation is zipping through individual capitals like Paris, bills can easily bog down in the 720-member European Parliament.

There are now 890 full-time tech lobbyists in Brussels, the report notes, more than there are members of the European Parliament. (Beyond campaigning against social media bans, the lobbyists are seeking to pause Europe’s AI Act and weaken data privacy rules.)

Tech companies are also courting farright European parliamentarians, who often serve as swing votes. Meta alone held 38 meetings with these lawmakers between July 2024 and December 2025, according to Integrity Watch, a nonprofit focused on government transparency.

Last fall, a campaign sponsored by the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a trade group in Washington, plastered billboards in Brussels train stations, urging the EU to reject social media bans. The ads depicted European icons like Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, and Guglielmo Marconi, the father of the radio — and claimed they would have been stifled under modern EU regulations. And in late November, Meta took out a full-page ad in European newspapers. It featured a letter, signed by Antigone Davis, Meta’s global head of safety, arguing for a “digital majority age” across the bloc.

“They are just bombarding us,” van Sparrentak said.

The payoff

If tech giants can win over politicians like van Sparrentak, they stand a chance at heading off a more costly measure, the EU’s draft proposal called the Digital Fairness Act.

That bill would blacklist features like infinite scrolling, autoplaying videos and engagement-based recommendations. It would probably require complex redesigns of platforms and hobble their marketing machines.

The Digital Fairness Act is expected to go to a vote in Brussels late this year. “We’re working like crazy on it,” Isabelle Pérignon, the consumer policy director at the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, told lawmakers last month.

Silicon Valley’s efforts appear to be paying off. The European Commission has agreed to hold consultations on whether to accept a digital majority age instead of an all-out ban.

Asked to grade the tech lobbying efforts in Brussels, Vranken said: “It seems pretty effective.”

Tech giants shelled out about 151 million euros (about $178 million) last year on lobbying EU lawmakers. The industry’s lobbying surged more than 55% from 2021 to 2025, according to a report by Corporate European Observatory and another organization, LobbyControl. Meta was the biggest spender, at about 10 million euros last year. Google spent about 4.5 million euros.

MÉNDEZ Y MARILYN

VÁZQUEZ MÉNDEZ, FULANO DE TAL Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN; LA SUCESIÓN DE CRUCITA

VÁZQUEZ NIEVES, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA COMO CRUCITA NIEVES Y COMO CRUCITA VÁZQUEZ COMPUESTA POR JOSÉ ALBERTO

VÁZQUEZ MÉNDEZ, IRIS NEREIDA VÁZQUEZ MÉNDEZ, MARILYN VÁZQUEZ MÉNDEZ Y ÁNGEL MIGUEL

IRIZARRY MÉNDEZ, MENGANO DE TAL Y MENGANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

Demandados

Civil Núm.: UT2025CV00340. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EDICTO DE INTERPELACIÓN. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. A: LA SUCESIÓN DE JOSÉ ALBERTO VÁZQUEZ MEDINA, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDO COMO JOSÉ VÁZQUEZ MEDINA, COMPUESTA POR FULANO DE TAL Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN; LA SUCESIÓN DE CRUCITA VÁZQUEZ NIEVES, TAMBIÉN CONOCIDA COMO CRUCITA NIEVES Y COMO CRUCITA VÁZQUEZ COMPUESTA POR MENGANO DE TAL Y MENGANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN.

El Artículo 1578 del Código Civil de 2020, dispone: “Transcurridos treinta (30) días desde que se haya producido la delación, cualquier persona interesada puede solicitar al tribunal que le señale al llamado un plazo, para que manifieste si acepta la herencia o si la repudia. Este plazo no excederá de treinta (30) días. El tribunal apercibirá

al llamado de que, si transcurrido el plazo señalado no ha manifestado su voluntad de aceptar la herencia o de repudiarla, se dará por aceptada.” Por la presente el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, conforme al Art. 1578, supra, y el caso Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria vs. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 DPR 689 (2005), les ordena que el término de treinta (30) días, hagan declaración aceptado o repudiando la herencia de los causantes, JOSÉ ALBERTO VÁZQUEZ MEDINA, también conocido como JOSÉ VÁZQUEZ MEDINA y CRUCITA VÁZQUEZ NIEVES, también conocida como CRUCITA NIEVES y como CRUCITA VÁZQUEZ. Se les apercibe a los herederos antes mencionados que de no expresarse dentro de ese término de treinta (30) días en torno a la aceptación o repudiación de herencia, la misma se tendrá por aceptada. Los abogados de la parte demandante son: Lcdo. Andrés Sáez Marrero T.S.P.R. Núm. 18074

TROMBERG, MILLER, MORRIS & PARTNERS, LLC 623 Ponce de León Avenue

Executive Building, Ste. 1100A-2 San Juan, PR 00917 Tel. 877-338-4101 / Fax: 561-338-4077 prservice@tmppllc.com / asaez@tmppllc.com

Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 2 de febrero de 2026. MARIE C. CRUZ CANDELARIA, SECRETARIA GENERAL INTERINA. YAMARIS ESTRONZA MALDONADO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE HUMACAO MICHELLE

DÁVILA SALGADO

Demandante Vs. FABIAN

JORDAN MCCRANEY

Demandado Civil Núm.: HU2026RF00029. Sobre: DIVORCIO RUPTURA IRREPARABLE. EDICTO. ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE HUMACAO. MICHELLE

DÁVILA SALGADO

Demandante Vs. FABIAN

JORDAN MCCRANEY

Demandado CASO CIVIL NÚM.: HU2026RF00029. SOBRE: Divoricio Ruptura Irreparable. Emplazamiento por edicto a la parte demandada. Se notifica a usted que ser ha radicado en esta secretaría la demanda de epígrafe. Se le emplaza a Fabian Jordan Mccraney, y requiere que notifique a la Lcda. Amaris Cáez Rivera, Urbanización Villa Universitaria calle 2 k

26 en Humacao, Puerto Rico

00791 teléfono 787-718-0454 copia de la contestación a la demanda cuyo original deberá ser radicada en la Secretaria de este Tribunal dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Si dejare de hacerlo podrá decretarse contra usted sentencia en rebeldía concediéndose el remedio solicitado a la parte demandante sin más citarle y oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, Humacao, Puerto Rico a 10 de febrero de 2026, Secretaria Regional EVELYN FÉLIX VÁZQUEZ, y Secretaria Auxiliar DENISE M. AMARO MACHUCA. EXPEDIDO BAJO Ml FIRMA y sello del Tribunal, hoy día 10 de febrero de 2026. EVELYN FÉLIX VÁZQUEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. DENISE M. AMARO MACHUCA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE AGUADILLA

ROSA VAZQUEZ TRAVERSO

Peticionaria EN BENEFICIO DE SU MADRE EUGENIA TRAVERSO ROMAN

Civil Núm.: AG2025RF00725. Sobre: DECLARACIÓN DE INCAPACIDAD Y NOMBRAMIENTO DE TUTOR. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PR, SS. A Parte Demandada: JOAQUIN VAZQUEZ TRAVERSO - DIRECCIÓN: DESCONOCIDA.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido publicado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento, notificando copia de la misma a la abogada de la parte demandante a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaria del Tribunal Superior, y notificando copia de la misma a la parte demandante. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y concede el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su

sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Debe notificar con copia de su contestación a la demanda a:

LCDA. DORIS I. SOTO LOPEZ RUA: 16,212

SERVICIOS LEGALES DE P. R., INC.

APARTADO 910, AGUADILLA, P.R. 00605-0910

TELS.: (787) 891-1275 / 1200 / 1213

FAX: (787) 882-2960 dsoto@servicioslegales.org notificaciones-aguadilla@ servicioslegales.org

EXPEDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA

Y sello Tribunal en Aguadilla Puerto Rico hoy 14 de noviembre de 2025. SARAHI REYES PÉREZ, SECRETARIA. MARÍA

VALENTÍN RAMÍREZ, SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE AGUADILLA

OMAYRA

CRESPO MIRANDA

Demandante Vs. EDGAR FERNANDO CONTRERAS SÁNCHEZ

Demandado

Civil: AG2026RF00106. Sobre: DIVORCIO (R. I.). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: EDGAR FERNANDO CONTRERAS SÁNCHEZESTADOS UNIDOS.

POR LA PRESENTE, se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los 30 días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr/sumac/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. La abogada de la parte demandante es: LCDO. JOSE LUIS PLAZA

DELESTRE

125 Calle Tenerife Cabo Rojo, PR 00623 Tel. 787-315-5921 lcdoplazad@yahoo.com

Se le apercibe que, de no hacerlo, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. EXTENDIDO BAJO Ml

FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, en Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, hoy 12 de febrero de 2026. SARAHI REYES PÉREZ, SECRETARIA. IDITH N. GONZÁLEZ NÚÑEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA DE BAYAMÓN SALA ESPECIALIZADA DE VIOLENCIA DOMÉSTICA

MARIAN A.

TORRES MONTALVO

Parte Peticionaria V. ANTHONY

FABIAN ESCOTO

Parte Peticionada Caso Núm.: BY2025MU01629. Sobre: LEY NÚM. 54. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: ANTHONY FABIAN

ESCOTO - SE

DESCONOCE PARADERO Y/O DIRECCIÓN FÍSICA O POSTAL.

POR MEDIO del presente edicto se le notifica sobre la expedición de Orden de Protección Ex-parte en su contra y de la Vista Final sobre Orden de Protección señalada para el LUNES 23 DE FEBRERO DE 2026 a las 9:00 de la mañana en el Tribunal de Primera lnstancia de Puerto Rico de Bayamón, Sala Especializada de Violencia Doméstica. POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO se le notifica, cita-emplaza y se requiere que comparezca ante el Tribunal de Primera lnstancia de Puerto Rico de Bayamón, Sala Especializada de Violencia Doméstica en la fecha y hora antes indicada. Se le apercibe al Peticionado que en la vista señalada deberá exponer su posición respecto a Ia orden solicitada. De no comparecer a Ia vista, se podrá expedir la Orden de Protección solicitada en su contra, así como cualquier otro remedio al amparo de la Ley Núm. 54, sin más citarle ni oírle. Nombre de la representación legal de la Peticionaria: LCDA. MICHELLE HERNÁNDEZ RIVERA

Dirección: PO BOX 3687

BAYAMÓN, PR 00958

Teléfono: 787-740-3144

Correo electrónico: hernandezlegal@hotmail.com EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 12 de febrero de 2026. LCDA. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. DALIANISE CRUZ CRUZ, SUB-SECRETARIA. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE AIBO-

NITO SALA SUPERIOR CARLOS JAVIER OTERO MARTINEZ

Parte Demandante Vs. VANESSA BONILLA FERNANDEZ

Parte Demandada Civil Num.: AI2026RF00038. Sobre: DIVORCIO (RUPTURA IRREPARABLE). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS E.E. U.U., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: SRA. VANESSA BONILLA FERNANDEZ - 4610 HIGBEE STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19135.

Se le notifica a usted que se ha radicado en esta Secretaría la Demanda que exhibe el epígrafe. Se le emplaza y requiere para que notifique a la Lcda. Isamillie Meléndez Caraballo, Servicios Legales de P.R., Inc., PO Box 2036, Aibonito, Puerto Rico 00705-2036, representante legal de la parte demandante, copia de su contestación a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC) (según enmendada), SUMAC, al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si dejare de contestar la Demanda radicando el original de la contestación a través de SUMAC y copia a la parte demandante, podrá dictarse sentencia en rebeldía concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la demanda. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal en Aibonito, Puerto Rico, a 06 de febrero de 2026. MAYRA LIZ CABRERA GARCÍA, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. EDWIN J. ROBLES MORALES, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA

INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE AIBONITO

CARLOS JAVIER

OTERO MARTINEZ

Demandante Vs VANESSA BONILIA FERNANDEZ

Demandado

Civil Núm.: AI2026RF00038. Asunto: DIVORCIO. NOTIFICACIÓN - CITACIÓN PARA VISTA POR EDICTO.

A: VANESSA BONILIA FERNANDEZ - 4610

HIGBEE STREET

PHIIADELPHIA, PA 19135; P/C LCDA. ISAMILLIE

MELENDEZ CARABALLO - notificaciones-aibonito@ servicioslegales.org.

Por la presente se requiere que usted comparezca ante la/el MARA T. ACEVEDO RODRÍGUEZ, Examinadora(or) de Pensiones Alimentarias en este Tribunal, para que muestre causa por la cual no deba dictarse sentencia, resolución y orden, según lo solicitado en la Petición presentada por la parte promovente en relación con su obligación de prestar alimentos en favor del (de los) menor(es) Bryan O’ Conny Otero Bonilla. La vista se celebrará mediante videoconferencia el 10 DE ABRIL DE 2026 A LAS 11:00 DE LA MAÑANA. Se incluye copia de la referida Petición. Esta notificación-citación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de diez (10) días siguientes a su notificación. Tienen las partes cinco (5) días, antes de la celebración de la vista, para presentar: 1. Presentar sus respectivas Planillas de Información Personal y Económica (PIPE) ( OAT 435), con evidencia de sus ingresos. 2. Informar su número de teléfono móvil y su dirección de correo electrónico, donde recibirá la invitación y el enlace para que acceda a la vista. 3. Expresar si existe algún impedimento para comparecer a la vista mediante videoconferencia, incluyendo si no cuenta con las herramientas para conectarse a la misma, en cuyo caso se coordinará la comparecencia el día de la vista mediante un salón de videoconferencia desde el Tribunal. La comparecencia a la videoconferencia requiere tener disponible las siguientes herramientas: internet de alta velocidad, computadora, tableta o teléfono inteligente y la aplicación ZOOM instalado en cualquiera de los equipos mencionados. Se advierte a la parte promovida que, de ser citado y no comparecer a la vista sin justa causa para ello, la misma podrá celebrarse y emitirse Resolución obligándolo(a) al pago de una pensión alimentaria, sin más escucharle ni oírle. La parte promovente queda advertida de su obligación de cumplir con el Artículo 15 de la Ley Especial de Sustento de Menores. Deberá presentar prueba de la publicación del edicto mediante la declaración jurada del agente o administrador autorizado del periódico acompañada de un ejemplar del edicto publicado y de un escrito del abogado que certifique que se depositó en el correo una copia de la citación y la petición. La vista no podrá ser celebrada hasta que no se cumpla estrictamente con este requerimiento. La videoconferencia es el equivalente a una vista presencial en el Tribunal por lo que los (las) abogados(as) y las partes deberán observar las normas de

comportamiento y rigor en la discusión de los asuntos con la solemnidad adecuada. Para asistencia técnica podrá comunicarse al (787) 641-6225. Expedida bajo mi firma y sello en Aibonito, Puerto Rico hoy 12 de febrero de 2026. MAYRA LIZ CABRERA GARCÍA, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. JACKELINE VEGA COLÓN, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO

DANIEL ENRIQUE CONDE CALDERÓN T/C/C DANIEL CONDE CALDERÓN Y JULIO RAFAEL CONDE CALDERÓN Peticionarios EX-PARTE Civil Núm.: RG2025CV00592. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: PERSONAS IGNORADAS O DESCONOCIDAS QUE PUDIERAN AFECTARSE CON EL REMEDIO

QUE SE SOLICITAEXTENSIÓN VILLAS DE BUENAVENTURA, CALLE ZAFIRO #611, YABUCOA, PUERTO RICO 00767; CARR. 958, KM. 4.0, BO. MALPICA (ANTES CIÉNEGA ALTA), SECTOR LA RUEDA, RÍO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO 00745. Por la presente se le notifica que la parte peticionaria ha presentado, ante este Tribunal, una Petición sobre Expediente de Dominio con el fin de justificar e inscribir la propiedad descrita más adelante en la sección correspondiente el Registro de la Propiedad. En el término de veinte (20) días a partir de la fecha de publicación del último edicto, excluyendo el día de su publicación, ustedes deberán comparecer al Tribunal a alegar lo que a su derecho convenga. RÚSTICA: De DOS (2) CUERDAS, situada en el Barrio Ciénaga Alta del Municipio de Río Grande, Puerto Rico; colindante, por el Norte, con Castor Carrión; por el Sur, con Angel Hernández, por el Este, con Marcos Gómez, y; por el Oeste, con el resto de la finca principal de la cual se segregarán las dos cuerdas. También conocida como: RÚSTICA: Predio de Terreno sito en la Carretera novecientos cincuenta y ocho (958) del barrio Malpica, antes descrito como Ciénega Alta de Río Grande, con una

cabida superficial de UNA CUERDA CON NUEVE MIL SETENCIENTOS SETENTA Y NUEVE MILESIMAS DE OTRA

(1.9779 CDAS.), equivalentes a siete mil setecientos setenta y cuatro punto mil ciento cincuenta y tres milésimas de metros cuadrados (7,774.1153 M.C.); en lindes, por el Norte, con Camino La Rueda; por el Sur, con terrenos de Eduardo Roca Calderón; por el Este, con terrenos de Zenaida Heyliger Ortiz, y; por el Oeste, con terrenos propiedad de Angel Millán Cruz. La parte peticionaria es representada por: JAIME VÁZQUEZ MORALES RUA 14,392 Cond. Centro Altamira - Ofic. 209 Calle Perseo #501 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00920 Tel. (787) 448-5968 email: vazquezjaimelaw@gmail.com

Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 6 de febrero de 2026. WANDA SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. AIDA M. MONTES MORALES, SUBSECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

AMNERIS

CARRASQUILLO COLÓN

Demandante V. CHRISTIAN RIVERA ANAYA Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: SJ2025RF01286. (Salón: 702). Sobre: DIVORCIO - RUPTURA IRREPARABLE. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

SHARON W. ACHECAR MARTÍNEZ - SHARONWACHECAR@YAHOO. COM.

A: CHRISTIAN RIVERA ANAYA.

(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 13 de febrero de 2026, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de

este caso, con fecha de 13 de febrero de 2026. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 13 de febrero de 2026. Griselda Rodríguez Collado, Secretaria. Alondra Díaz López, Secretaria Auxiliar Del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR SAN JUAN. LUIMAN LLC

Demandante v. ISRAEL VALENTÍN RAMOS, SU ESPOSA EVELYN COLÓN

ACEVEDO Y LA SOCIEDAD DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS; Y MELISSA VALLEJA DELGADO

Demandados

CIVIL NUM.: SJ2022CV07939 (508). SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA IN REM. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS E.E.U.U. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R.

A: ISRAEL VALENTÍN RAMOS, SU ESPOSA EVELYN COLÓN

ACEVEDO Y LA SOCIEDAD DE BIENES

GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS; Y MELISSA VALLEJA DELGADO

Física: AR-5 Calle Alejo Cruzado, Ext. Country Club, San Juan, PR 00924 Calle Acacea 1184, Urb. Highland Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926; Calle Guayama 4119, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926 PUBLICO EN GENERAL

El Alguacil del tribunal que suscribe anuncia y hace constar: A. Que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento que me ha sido dirigido por la Secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Puerto Rico, Sala de San Juan, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor de contado y en moneda de curso legal y corriente de los Estados Unidos de América, todo derecho, título o interés que tenga la Parte Demandada en el bien inmueble que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar marcado con el número cinco en el Bloque

AR de la Urbanización Extensión Country Club, situado en el Barrio Sabana Llana de Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de trescientos metros cuadrados con quince centimetros cuadrados y colinda por el NORTE, en trece metros y cinco centimetros con terrenos propiedad de Nicolás

Iturregui; por el SUR, en trece metros y cinco centímetros con la Calle cincuenta y cinco; por el ESTE, en veintitrés metros con el Solar Seis; y por el OESTE, en veintitrés metros con el Solar cuatro, del Bloque Inscrita al folio 96 del tomo 137 de Sabana Llana, Finca número 5,964 Registro de la Propiedad de San Juan, Sección V. Número de catastro: 063-090204-41-001. - Dirección fisica: AR-S Calle Alejo Cruzado, Ext. Country Club, San Juan, PR 00924. B. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado están de manifiesto en la Secretaria del Tribunal durante las horas laborables bajo el epigrafe de este caso. C. Que se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito ejecutante, continuarán subsistentes, entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. D. Que el licitador y/o mejor postor pagará el importe de su oferta en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal. E. Que la Propiedad se encuentra afecta al siguiente gravamen anterior o posterior: NINGUNO. F. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para satisfacer a la parte demandante las sumas dispuestas en la sentencia, que son (i) $77,580.23 de principal, mas (ii) $54,532.00 por concepto de intereses acumulados y no pagados sobre dicha suma, los cuales continúan acumulándose a $16.16 per diem, hasta su total y complete pago, mas (111) $4,075.70 por concepto de cargos por mora, más la suma de (iv) $5,471.80 por concepto de otros gastos; mas (v) $11,840.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado expresamente pactados por las partes, más aquellas sumas estipuladas en la escritura de hipoteca por concepto de seguro y recargos adeudados hasta el total pago de la obligación. Se fijó como tipo mínimo para la primera subasta la cantidad de $118,400.00. La primera subasta se celebrará el dia 9 de marzo de 2026, a las 11:00 de la mañana, en la Oficina del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de San Juan, por el tipo mínimo de $118,400.00. De declararse desierta dicha subasta se celebrará una segunda subasta el dia 16 de marzo de 2026, a las 11:00 de la mañana, en el mismo lugar antes mencionado, por 2/3 partes del tipo mínimo de la primera, o sea, $78,933.33. De declararse desierta dicha segunda subasta, se celebrará una tercera

subasta el día 24 de marzo de 2026, a las 11:00 de la mañana, en el mismo lugar antes mencionado, por la mitad del tipo minimo de la primera subasta, o sea, $59,200.00. Y PARA QUE ASÍ CONSTE, y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general y por un término de catorce (14) dias en los sitios públicos conforme a la ley, expido la presente bajo mi firma y sello de este tribunal, hoy 5 de febrero de 2026 en San Juan, Puerto Rico. PEDRO HIEYE GONZÁLEZ, ALGUACIL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SAN JUAN. PUERTO RICO CONSUMER DEBT

MANAGEMENT CO. INC. DEMANDANTE VS MEDINA BELTRAN, LUZ D DEMANDADO

CASO NUM.: SJ2025CV09889. Salón de sesiones 803. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO. MEDINA BELTRAN, LUZ D

1 AVE WASHINGTON

APT 12B

SAN JUAN. PR 00907

Por la presente se le notifica que se ha radicado una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero e Incumplimiento de Contrato contra MEDINA BELTRAN, LUZ D y otros. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal. También debe notificar su contestación al Lcdo. Oscar A. Díaz Cruz a Strategic Legal Group, PSC a PO Box 366220, San Juan, Puerto Rico 009366220. Teléfono (787) 522-4700. Se le advierte que de no contestar la Demanda dentro del término de (30) días, a partir de la publicación del edicto. radicando el original de la contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente con copia a la parte demandante, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. Además, se le apercibe que. en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, según enmendada, conocida como Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación perma-

nente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte que el Tribunal estará citando para la vista de Ratificación de Custodia, según dispone el Articulo 34 de la Ley Núm. 57-2023 y se exige su comparecencia. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Por Orden del Honorable Juez del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, expido el presente para su publicación en la forma dispuesta por la Ley bajo mi firma y con el Sello Oficial del Tribunal, hoy dia 26 de enero de 2026. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIO(A). Iris Olivo Núñez, Sec. Servicios a Sala.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE JUANA DIAZ.

PUERTO RICO CONSUMER DEBT MANAGEMENT, CO. INC. DEMANDANTE vs VALENTINA Y ALA CRUZ, Y ESPOSO(A) Y/O PAREJA JOHN (JANE) DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES Y/O COMUNIDAD DE BIENES ENTRE AMBOS

DEMANDADO

CASO NUM.: JD2025CV00773. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO.SS. A: V ALENTIN A Y ALA CRUZ URB MANS CAMINO REAL 149 CALLE MONTE REAL

JUANA DIAZ, PR 00795

Por la presente se le notifica que se ha radicado una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero e Incumplimiento de Contrato contra VALENTIN AYALA CRUZ y otros. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. prs, alvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal. También debe notificar su contestación al Lcdo. Oscar A. Díaz Cruz a Strategic Legal Group, PSC a PO Box 366220, San Juan, Puerto Rico 009366220. Teléfono (787) 522-4700. Se le advierte que de no contestar la Demanda dentro del término de (30) días, a partir de

la publicación del edicto, radicando el original de la contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente con copia a la parte demandante, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, según enmendada, conocida como Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos by f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023).

Se le advierte que el Tribunal estará citando para la vista de Ratificación de Custodia, según dispone el Articulo 34 de la Ley Núm. 57-2023 y se exige su comparecencia. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Por Orden del Honorable Juez del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Juana Díaz , expido el presente para su publicación en la forma dispuesta por la Ley bajo mi firma y con el Sello Oficial del Tribunal, hoy día 22 de enero de 2026. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIO(A) REGIONAL. GLORIVEE MORALES SÁEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE FAJARDO. COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE CAGUAS DEMANDANTE vs GONZALEZ RODRIGUEZ, NATALIE E DEMANDADO

CASONUM.: FA2025CV01041. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO(ORDINARIO). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: GONZALEZ RODRIGUEZ, NAT ALIE E URB VEVE CALZADA F 28 CALLE 27 FAJARDO, PR 00738

Por la presente se le notifica que se ha radicado una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero e Incumplimiento de Contrato contra GONZALEZ RODRIGUEZ, NATALIE E y otros. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al

cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal. También debe notificar su contestación al Lcdo. Oscar A. Díaz Cruz a Strategic Legal Group, PSC a PO Box 366220, San Juan, Puerto Rico 009366220. Teléfono (787) 522-4700. Se le advierte que de no contestar la Demanda dentro del término de (30) días, a partir de la publicación del edicto, radicando el original de la contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente con copia a la parte demandante, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oirle. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, según enmendada, conocida como Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos by f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte que el Tribunal estará citando para la vista de Ratificación de Custodia, según dispone el Articulo 34 de la Ley Núm. 57-2023 y se exige su comparecencia. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Por Orden del Honorable Juez del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Fajardo expido el presente para su publicación en la forma dispuesta por la Ley bajo mi firma y con el Sello Oficial del Tribuna hoy dia 28 de enero de 2026. WANDA l. SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. YDIA E. RIVERA MIRANDA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN.

PUERTO RICO

CONSUMER DEBT MANAGEMENT, CO. INC. DEMANDANTE vs LILIANA LOPEZ URRUTIA, Y ESPOSO(A) Y/O PAREJA JOHN (JANE) DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES Y/O COMUNIDAD DE BIENES ENTRE AMBOS

DEMANDADO

CASO NUM.: SJ2025CV11494. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO.

EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTED E LOSE E.UU. EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO. SS. A: LILIANA LOPEZ URRUTIA

PARQUE DE LOYOLA TORRE NORTE

600 CALLE CESAR GONZALEZ 1106 SAN JUAN, PR 00918

Por la presente se le notifica que se ha radicado una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero e Incumplimiento de Contrato contra LILIANA LOPEZ URRUTIA y otros. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal. También debe notificar su contestación al Lcdo. Oscar A. Díaz Cruz a Strategic Legal Group, PSC a PO Box 366220, San Juan, Puerto Rico 009366220. Teléfono (787) 522-4700. Se le advierte que de no contestar la Demanda dentro del término de (30) días, a partir de la publicación del edicto, radicando el original de la contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente con copia a la parte demandante, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado sin más citarle ni oírle. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, según enmendada, conocida como Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte que el Tribunal estará citando para la vista de Ratificación de Custodia, según dispone el Articulo 34 de la Ley Núm. 57-2023 y se exige su comparecencia. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Por Orden del Honorable Juez del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, expido el presente para su publicación en la forma dispuesta por la Ley bajo mi firma y con el Sello Oficial del Tribunal, hoy día 16 de enero de 2026. Sra. Griselda Rodriguez Collado, SECRETARIO(A). Enid Diaz Rios, Secretaria Servicios a Sala.

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Monday, February 23, 2026 22

How Johannes Klaebo’s 6 gold medals rank among the all-time Olympic performances

By VICTOR MATHER

If you want to win a lot of gold medals at an Olympics, you can be Johannes Klaebo, the cross-country skier who won all six of his events at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. His latest was the gold Saturday in the 50-kilometer mass start individual race.

Otherwise, maybe be a swimmer.

Here’s a list of top gold medalists in modern Olympic history.

Eight golds

Michael Phelps, 2008

The king of the Olympics is, of course, Michael Phelps.

His peak came in 2008 in Beijing when he won an astonishing eight swimming gold medals: one in freestyle, two in medleys, two in butterfly and three in relays.

It’s very helpful when your country is also the best at your sport. Had Phelps been from, say Myanmar or Ecuador, taking those relays would have been a lot tougher.

Case in point, the most thrilling of Phelps’ golds, the 4x100 freestyle relay.

Phelps swam leadoff and was actually out-touched by an Australian, Eamon Sullivan. By the time of the fourth leg, though, it was the French who were threatening to take away the United States’ and Phelps’ gold.

It took a miraculous rally by Phelps’

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (1), of Norway, crosses the finish line first to win a gold during the 50-kilometer mass start crosscountry skiing men’s competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Lago, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times)

teammate Jason Lezak to win the gold by a whisker.

Seven golds

Mark Spitz, 1972

The benchmark Phelps bested was set by Mark Spitz, who was seven-for-seven in 1972.

Or make that seven-for-seven-for-seven.

Besides winning the gold medal in each of his events, he broke all the world records.

Valencianas upset Criollas in 5 sets

Santurce remains undefeated, Ponce adds 3 points on the road

By THE STAR STAFF

The Valencianas of Juncos, Cangrejeras of Santurce, and Leonas of Ponce all recorded victories in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) on Friday night.

At Rafael G. Amalbert Coliseum in Juncos, the Valencianas came from behind to take two of the three available points, defeating defending champion Caguas in five sets.

Juncos forced the fifth set after dominating the fourth. With Caguas leading 2-1 in the match, the Valencianas opened the fourth set with an 8-3 advantage at the first technical timeout and extended their lead to 16-11 in

the second, following a cross-court attack by Haley Bush in zone four.

The lead grew to 19-12 after a net violation by Alexandra Sczech, and Juncos secured the set at 23-15 with a spike by Kelly Sánchez from zone two. An ace by Allanis Orama sealed the 25-15 score, forcing a tiebreaker.

Juncos took a 9-3 lead in the fifth set, thanks to a quick attack by Orama from zone four. However, the Criollas responded with a 9-3 run of their own, including a successful spike by Génesis Collazo from zone two, to tie the set at 12.

After two more ties, the Valencianas withstood Caguas’ pressure and closed out the match 16-14 on points by Bush from zone four and Naya Gross attacking through the middle.

The set scores were 28-26, 16-25, 21-25, 25-15 and 16-14.

Like Phelps, Spitz captivated the American public and gained endorsement deals and fame.

But a few days after his final swim, the good feelings were derailed by the kidnapping and eventual death of 11 Israeli hostages at the Games.

Six golds

Phelps, 2004

Three athletes had previously hit the six golds that Klaebo reached Saturday. One was, well, Phelps.

There was talk of seven or even eight golds that year as well.

Entered in the same events as he would be in 2008, Phelps came up with bronze in the 200 freestyle and the 4x100 freestyle relay. But he won the other six.

Six golds

Kristin Otto, 1988

Kristin Otto was part of East Germany’s final Olympic team before the reunification with West Germany. The nation’s athletes, especially the women, were often accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Some confessed, but Otto was never implicated.

What is beyond doubt was that Otto, a sprint specialist, swam extremely fast. She was also remarkably versatile, winning golds in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and relays.

Bush led the Juncos offense with 26 points, followed by Orama with 18, Sánchez with 16 and Gross with 11.

Jenaisya Moore led Caguas with 26 points, while Sczech added 14 and Valeria Flores 11.

With the victory, fifth-place Juncos im-

Allanis Orama’s 18 points helped the Valencianas of Juncos rally to a five-set victory over the defending champion Criollas of Caguas.

Six golds

Vitaly Scherbo, 1992

And, hold on, a nonswimmer! Vitaly Scherbo dominated gymnastics at the Barcelona Games.

He won the horse, the rings, the parallel bars and the vault. He also won the individual all-around and the team event as part of the “Unified Team,” the successor to the Soviet Union. (He was Belarusian.)

If you’re wondering where the female gymnastics stars like Nadia Comaneci are on this list, remember they are limited by having only four individual apparatus events to compete in, not six, like Scherbo and the men.

Six golds

Klaebo, 2026

Klaebo is simply the greatest male crosscountry skier ever. His six golds in Italy are the most by an athlete at a single Winter Games. He is so famous that eight years ago, they named a hill after him in South Korea — the famed Klaebo bakken, which broke just about every cross-country skier who faced it (who was not named Klaebo).

Three golds in Pyeongchang, two in Beijing, and now six more in Milan: the skiathlon, the sprint, the individual, the mass start and two different relays. That gives him 11. Second overall behind Phelps’ (gulp) 28.

proved to 5-9 with 14 points, while the Criollas, despite the loss, earned a point to remain in second place with a 7-7 record and 23 points.

Santurce remains undefeated

At Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey, the defending runners-up Cangrejeras remained undefeated after trouncing the Pinkin of Corozal in straight sets, 25-13, 25-18 and 25-13.

Santurce earned all three points and now boasts an 11-0 record with 30 points.

Despite failing to muster a point, Corozal held on to third place with a 7-6 record and 21 points.

Ponce prevails in Manatí

At Juan Aubín Cruz Coliseum in Manatí, the Leonas also won in three sets, defeating the host Atenienses with scores of 25-23, 2521 and 25-22.

Ponce earned all three points and sits in fourth place with a 5-8 record and 15 points.

Manatí dropped into a fifth-place tie with Juncos at 4-9 with 14 points.

How a relaxed and joyous Alysa Liu won the gold

By ASHLEY CAI, WEIYI CAI, BORA ERDEN, MALIKA KHURANA, JERÉ LONGMAN, RAJ SAHA, JOE WARD and JEREMY WHITE

In one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of figure skating, Alysa Liu of the United States, who quit the sport after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, reclaimed her career on her own joyous terms and won the gold medal in the women’s competition Thursday at the Milan Cortina Games.

After finishing third in the short program, Liu rose to the top of the medal podium while skating freely, ebulliently and inured to any pressure, performing with technical precision and bright artistry. Her winning score of 226.79 points was her personal best in the most important competition of her young life.

Liu, 20, of Oakland, California, became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the singles competition since Sarah Hughes won at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and the first to win any medal since Sasha Cohen took silver at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Liu will leave these Olympics with two gold medals, her first coming in the team event.

Japan won the silver and bronze medals Thursday. Kaori Sakamoto, 25, the 2022 bronze medalist and a three-time world champion, took silver with 224.90 points in her final competition before retiring. Ami Nakai, appearing in her first Olympics at 17, was the youngest female skater; she took the bronze with 219.16 points, slipping from first in the short program.

Liu did not attempt a triple axel in her long program, as Nakai and Liu’s U.S. teammate Amber Glenn did. Nor did Liu attempt a quadruple toe loop as did Russian Adeliia Petrosian.

But, skating to “MacArthur Park” as sung by Donna Summer, Liu performed the most relaxed, complete and liberated performance of the evening. She landed seven triple jumps and received career-high scores for artistic marks like

choreography, musicality and skating skills.

Liu was not flawless. Her two triple flips showed small imperfections, but, crucially, she landed a triple-lutz, tripletoe-loop combination jump, the only triple-triple among the medalists. Sakamoto, meanwhile, lost more than 8 potential points after landing off balance on a triple flip, leaving her unable to attempt a planned triple toe loop in combination. Nakai, too, squandered roughly 6 points for downgrading a planned triple lutz-triple toe loop combination.

Liu also received 10% bonus marks for landing three jumping passes in the second half of her routine, boosting her technical score — a triple lutz-double axel-double toe loop sequence, a triple flip-double toe loop combination and a solo double axel.

Glenn, 26, the three-time and reigning United States champion, skated a redemptive performance, pulling herself to fifth overall, from 13th place, after what she called a “soul crushing” short program.

Glenn attempted eight triple jumps in her long program, the first seven assuredly before putting her hand down on an awkward landing of a triple loop, the same jump she had struggled with in the short program.

“So close,” Glenn said to herself on the ice. In the kissand-cry area, she added with relief that at least “I didn’t fall at the Olympics.”

For the first time in four Winter Olympics, a Russian woman did not win gold in the singles competition. Petrosian, 18, skating as a neutral athlete because Russia remains banned for its invasion of Ukraine, was competing in only her second international competition outside her home country.

With her technical ability, she was considered a potential medal contender, but she did not attempt a triple axel in her short or long programs. She fell on her quad toe loop attempt in the long program and did not complete a triple-triple combination, finishing sixth.

Liu finished sixth at the 2022 Beijing Olympics but soured on the sport, feeling she had spent too much of her life inside a skating rink, and quit. She enrolled at UCLA to study psychology, hiked to the base camp of Mount Everest and took a ski trip that reinvigorated her interest in winter sports.

She returned to skating after about two years with a different outlook, becoming the 2025 world champion. Her aim was to display her artistry, not to depend on the outcome of competitions to validate her career. She even wears her hair differently, with horizontal stripes that she compared to rings on a tree to mark the passage of time.

“What I like to share about myself is my story, my art, my creative process,” Liu told NBC after winning the gold medal. “I guess messing up doesn’t take away from that. A bad story is still a story. I think that’s beautiful, so there’s no way to lose.”

She was so relaxed while warming up on Thursday that she smiled and waved to the crowd. Then she skated the performance of her life and bounded off the ice, jumping into the arms of her coach and her choreographer.

“Being able to do it my way on the big stage like this has been my dream,” Liu told NBC. “I’m just over the moon. I’m the luckiest girl ever, and I’m really grateful.”

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21