Tuesday Feb 17, 2026

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.

Pulso Criollo initiative helps Caguas youth stay focused on life goals

Expanding program makes plain the risk of opioid use, provides tools for self-protection

By THE STAR STAFF

The Pulso Criollo initiative of the Autonomous Municipality of Caguas has impacted nearly 750 young people in the city through an innovative strategy for preventing problematic opioid use.

The strategy, aimed at youth between the ages of 12 and 19, focuses on equipping students with tools to protect their goals, aspirations and life plans.

To date, the program has been implemented at Gerardo Sellés Solá High School, Manuela Toro Morice High School, Antonio Domínguez Nieves High School, José Gautier Benítez High School, and Tomás Alva Edison High School. As part of its expansion phase, the project plans to reach four additional schools to further broaden a significant educational experience for Caguas youth.

“The Pulso Criollo program integrates dynamic workshops, interactive narratives, and digital tools that connect with the language and realities of today’s youth,” Caguas Mayor William Miranda Torres said. “The workshops are held at the C3Tec facilities, allowing us to offer an interactive, dynamic, and innovative learning experience in an environment aligned with hands-on learning and the use of technological resources.”

The mayor added that the experience “not only includes an educational component, but also direct services and support, if

Caguas’ Pulso Criollo initiative has impacted nearly 750 young people in the city through an innovative strategy for preventing problematic opioid use.

necessary, according to the particularities identified in each school community.”

The training experiences allow participants to clearly understand the risks associated with substance use and, above all, how it can negatively impact their personal, academic and professional aspirations.

The effort is led by the municipality’s Secretariat of Human Development, with the support of the municipal Department of Education and the backing of the SANOS Corporation, the Albizu Psychological Services Clinic, and the Innovative Strategic educational resource, which have contributed experience, services and specialized support.

By THE STAR STAFF

Sen. Rafael “Rafy” Santos, who chairs the Joint Committee of the Jorge A. Ramos Comas Legislative Internship Program (ILRC), has confirmed that Popular Democratic Party Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde was the lawmaker who recommended Jadhiel Andrés Cedeño Gómez -- an intern now facing federal child exploitation charges -- to the program.

The clarification was included in an official ILRC letter in which Santos forcefully condemned the conduct attributed to the 22-year-old. He stated that, as soon as he became aware of the allegations, he ordered Cedeño Gómez’s immediate and indefinite removal from the internship in accordance with program rules.

“This participant was not recommended by the majority delegation. His recommendation to join the Internship Program came from Senator Ada Álvarez Conde,” Santos wrote.

Cedeño Gómez, who previously served as coordinator of the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana’s LGBTQI+ Affairs Committee, is accused in federal court of crimes linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.

According to the charging documents, the alleged communication with one of the victims began on TikTok. Using the handle

“jadhielcedexxxx,” the defendant reportedly initiated contact with messages such as “Can you be my friend?” followed by “You’re cute.” Prosecutors allege he later asked the minor for photos, writing, “I wanted to see you without a shirt in a photo,” and adding in another message, “When you’re alone, you can do it, friend.”

Investigators say an undercover agent eventually took over the child’s identity during the probe. Even after being told, “I’m only seven years old,” the accused allegedly replied, “I don’t care that you’re 7.”

Federal authorities have charged Cedeño Gómez with coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child sexual abuse material, and other offenses. He remains in detention while the case proceeds.

In the letter, Santos outlined that the Ramos Comas Legislative Internship Program has a defined admissions process that includes document reviews, interviews, letters of recommendation from legislators, certificates of good conduct, and university permissions. He emphasized that the criteria apply uniformly, regardless of who recommends an applicant. Santos also dismissed public claims suggesting the placement was a personal appointment, underscoring that all decisions within the program follow administrative protocols rather than individual discretion.

Ex-Dignity Project candidates sign on with the PDP

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President Pablo José Hernández Rivera announced Sunday the affiliation of three former candidates and prominent figures from the Dignity Project (DP): Sheila Dávila Rodríguez, former candidate for mayor of Cidra; César “Monchito” Corales Cotty, former candidate for mayor of Lajas; and Ramón Román Márquez, former candidate for representative of District 17, covering Aguadilla and Moca.

The arrival of the three former candidates adds to a series of recent high‑profile PDP recruits. On Jan. 19, the party welcomed former Citizen Victory Movement (MVC by its initials in Spanish) electoral commissioner Olvin Valentín. In 2025, the party had already announced the inclusion of two former MVC candidates: Eric Rossner, who ran for representative of District 11, and Yamira Colón Rosa, who sought the mayorship of Dorado.

Dávila said her decision to return to the PDP reflects what she views as a needed evolution in Puerto Rican politics under Hernández Rivera’s leadership.

Román Márquez, in a political ad when he was the Dignity Project candidate for House District 17 representative (Facebook via Proyecto Dignidad)

“My decision to return to the PDP under Pablo José Hernández Rivera, who is also Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in the U.S. Congress, comes from the conviction that Puerto Rico needs change and hope. Puerto Rico cannot afford four more years under the NPP [New Progressive Party],” she said. “We recognize in Pablo José a man who represents the Christian values of honor and gratitude. He comes from a family deeply committed to public service… His personal example gives us confidence that his priorities are where they should be: helping Puerto Rican families.”

Corales emphasized what he described as Hernández Rivera’s focus on substantive issues rather than political polarization.

“I have seen in Pablo José a leader who does not waste time on polarizing controversies,” Corales said. “His focus on social justice pursuing parity in Medicaid, SNAP, and SSI is essentially a pro‑family policy that seeks to ensure every household on the island has the tools it needs to move forward with dignity.”

Román stressed his desire to serve communities through a party rooted in Puerto Rico’s political tradition.

“I affiliated with the PDP because I want to work with my people from the roots of our history and build a future of progress together,” he said. “My experience as a candidate in District 17 reminded me that serving with honesty, transparency, and responsibility is what truly matters.”

Measure filed to spur action on chronic water service deficiencies in Arecibo

By THE STAR STAFF

In response to the chronic lack of drinking water service that has beset the residents of the Arrozal neighborhood of Arecibo’s Los Muertos sector for years, Arecibo District Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto has filed Senate Resolution (SR) 413 with the purpose of investigating the management of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) in the island’s northern region.

Los Muertos is one of the many municipal sectors on the island facing constant interruptions in their drinking water service (see related story on page 4). Last December, residents marked a full year without service, despite numerous efforts by Pérez Soto to address the situation. The legislator has held numerous meetings with residents and has personally brought supervisors and directors from the PRASA northern region to the community; however, the problem has remained unresolved.

According to reports, water service in the area is intermittent, with more days without water than with service restored. All the same, billing from PRASA continues as if service were continuous. During the year in which the sector was largely without potable water, residents received bills ranging from $125 to $200 per month, a situation raised in multiple meetings with PRASA representatives, who promised to address it but failed to produce any concrete results.

SR 413 orders the Senate Planning, Permits, Infrastructure and Urbanism Committee to evaluate and investigate the matter, in order to identify responsibilities and real solutions to the problem that directly affects residents’ quality of life.

“This situation in the Arrozal neighborhood, Los Muertos sector, is completely unacceptable,” Pérez Soto said. “Everyone knows what’s happening, including staff at [PRASA], but I still don’t understand why concrete action isn’t being taken with the information they already have. On many occasions, during my follow up calls, I’ve been able to confirm that the attention given to this problem is inconsistent. When they do intervene, the water comes on for a day or two and then it stops again.”

The senator also emphasized that Los Muertos is a community with a vulnerable population.

“We are talking about senior citizens, bedridden people, and families who cannot depend on water only arriving when regional media outlets cover the situation and a few tanker trucks show up,” she said. “This cannot continue to be the norm.”

Pérez Soto also announced that she will

be filing new investigative resolutions related to other neighborhoods and sectors in the Arecibo District that face similar situations, in order to identify the root of the problem and achieve urgent and permanent solutions for the affected communities.

Mayors Federation calls for appointment of PRASA metro region director to deal with water woes

Ángel Morales Vázquez, executive director of the Mayors Federation of Puerto Rico

By THE STAR STAFF

Amid persistent problems with drinking water service in the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority’s (PRASA) metropolitan region, Ángel Morales Vázquez, executive director of the Mayors Federation of Puerto Rico and a member of the public corporation’s governing board, has called for the immediate appointment of a regional director to help stabilize operations.

In a letter sent to PRASA Executive President Luis González Delgado and the authority’s governing board on Monday, Morales Vázquez expressed deep concern over the ongoing service interruptions affecting thousands of residents in the San Juan metropolitan area. He also backed the public statements made earlier by San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo, who again sounded the alarm over communities without water following repairs to a pump at the Carraízo reservoir. Among the affected sectors are Lloréns Torres, Ocean Park, Playita and Santa Teresita.

“In my capacity as executive director of the Mayors Federation of Puerto Rico and as the Federation’s representative on the PRASA Governing Board, I request that the PRASA’s leadership urgently implement operational corrective measures to stabilize service in the metropolitan region,” Morales Vázquez wrote. He further asked the agency to present a technical report detailing post-repair production, pressure, and distribution metrics, as well as evidence to substantiate PRASA’s assertion that “high consumption” is responsible for continued outages. He also requested an immediate action plan outlining concrete measures, responsible personnel, and specific

deadlines.

Morales Vázquez urged the PRASA governing board to prioritize the matter at its next scheduled meeting this Friday. He asked that PRASA leadership provide a list of candidates for the vacant metropolitan regional director position, explain the delays in making a permanent appointment, and present a comprehensive operational plan to address what he described as an escalating crisis.

“We don’t want more excuses. We demand immediate solutions, transparency, and accountability,” he wrote. “Although this latest impact falls primarily on San Juan, these events reflect recurring operational problems that have affected various areas of the corporation. The public needs present leadership in the metropolitan region, clear information, and swift action. Water is an essential service and cannot be subject to improvisation.”]

On Sunday, González Delgado, the PRASA chief, responded to the San Juan mayor’s complaint that water service in the metro region “is a mess.”

“To claim that the Metropolitan Region lacks leadership or capacity is incorrect and unfair to the staff who have worked day and night,” González Delgado said in a written statement. “[PRASA Executive Vice President] Engineer [Luis] Ortiz Salgado has led the operational efforts and addressed each situation with

the rigor, commitment, and preparedness that a complex and deteriorated system demands. It is important to remember that for almost two decades, much of this infrastructure operated with temporary solutions that addressed situations momentarily but did not resolve the root problems. Today, that accumulated backlog is part of the bill the system is facing.”

“To date, we have seen an advanced recovery of the system, with the majority of San Juan residents now having their service restored; only 1% of customers remain without service,” González Delgado added. “We acknowledge that there are still communities experiencing intermittent service and low pressure, which is mainly due to the high levels of consumption recorded in the region. This is expected after weeks of interruptions, as homes and businesses carry out accumulated tasks, which can delay the full restoration of pressure in some sectors.”

Romero had insisted, however, that the service problems “existed before the [Carraízo] repair … and continues afterward.”

“We can understand a natural disaster or an unexpected break. That happens,” the mayor said. “What is unacceptable is that, after the announcement of the Carraízo pump repair, communities like Llorens Torres, Playita, Santa Teresita, Ocean Park, and nearby areas still have no water at all or only intermittent service.”

Governor signs bill into law formally recognizing Virgen del Pozo 10K

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón has signed into law a measure designating the third Sunday of May as National Virgen del Pozo (Virgin of the Well) Marathon Day, formalizing recognition of the long-running 10-kilometer race held annually in Sabana Grande.

The Roman Catholic Church has never acknowledged the validity of the apparition that inspired the event.

The bill, House Bill 694, authored by District 21 Rep. Omayra M. Martínez Vázquez, is now Act 23-2026. It mandates that the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, along with the Municipality of Sabana Grande, develop and promote a marketing campaign to highlight the marathon’s cultural and touristic significance. Both entities endorsed the measure, calling the race an important symbol of local identity and a driver of cultural, athletic and religious tourism.

The Virgen del Pozo 10K Marathon, held every third Sunday of May since 1954, is considered Puerto Rico’s oldest continuous long-distance road race. Its origins trace back to the alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary seen by three children near a well in the Rincón sector of Sabana Grande, where she reportedly identified herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. For many believers, the story has long served as a symbol of faith and spiritual protection.

However, the Catholic church has consistently maintained that the promoters of devotion to the Virgen del Pozo are not an officially recognized church group. The governor said in a statement that she is a devotee of the Virgen del Pozo.

In a warning circulated back in 2007 within the archdiocese, church officials underscored that the association linked to the Sabana Grande apparition has never been recognized by ecclesiastical authorities. Citing documents from the Congregation

for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Puerto Rico Bishops’ Conference, the archdiocese reaffirmed that the group’s practices and leadership have been formally disapproved.

Church authorities cautioned believers against devotions rooted in unverified revelations, noting they pose “great risk” to proper religious practice when not guided by church teaching or ecclesiastical approval. Priests were instructed to educate parishioners about the matter and dissuade them from joining the association, referencing long-standing pastoral guidelines that require parish approval for any devotional visits or images entering a community.

The archdiocese urged clergy to seek guidance from the archbishop, auxiliary bishop, or vicar general when dealing with uncommon or questionable devotions to prevent inappropriate religious practices and preserve authentic Catholic devotion.

Despite the church’s stance, the newly enacted law elevates the visibility of the Sa-

bana Grande marathon, underscoring both its historic roots and its importance to the southwestern town’s cultural identity.

The

del Pozo 10K Marathon, held every third Sunday of May since 1954, is considered Puerto Rico’s oldest continuous long-distance road race. (Facebook via ATT Runner)

The San Juan Daily Star

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 5

Trump’s relentless self-promotion fosters an American cult of personality

By PETER BAKER

The racist online video that President Donald Trump recently shared and then deleted generated a bipartisan furor because of its portrayal of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. What was little remarked on was how it presented Trump himself — as the “King of the Jungle.”

After a year back in the White House, Trump’s efforts to promote himself as the singularly dominant figure in the world have become so commonplace that they no longer seem surprising. He regularly depicts himself in a heroic, almost godly fashion, as a monarch, as a Superman, as a Jedi knight, as a military hero, even as a pope in a white cassock.

While Trump has spent a lifetime promoting his personal brand, slapping his name on hotels, casinos, airplanes, even steaks, neckties and bottled water, what he is doing in his second term as president comes closer to building a cult of personality the likes of which has never been seen in American history. Other presidents sought to cultivate their reputations, but none went as far as Trump has to create a mythologized, superhuman and omnipresent persona leading to idolatry.

His picture has been splashed all over the White House, on multistory banners on the side of federal buildings, on annual passes to national parks and maybe even soon on a $1 coin. His name has been etched on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on the U.S. Institute of Peace, on federal investment accounts, special visas and a discount drug program and, if he has his way, on Washington Dulles International Airport, Penn Station in New York, and the future stadium of the Washington Commanders.

His White House is pressuring the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery to display portraits of Trump by his supporters. A group of cryptocurrency investors has shelled out $300,000 to forge a 15-foot-tall gold-covered bronze statue of Trump called “Don Colossus” to be installed at his golf complex in Doral, Florida.

His administration is considering designating a new class of battleships in Trump’s name. His allies are pressuring foreign leaders to endorse his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize and threatening consequences for resisting. Some supporters in Congress have even proposed adding his face to Mount Rushmore, an effort that, for the moment, has gained little traction.

President Donald Trump at the announcement of the new Trump-class of ships at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. President Trump has engaged in a spree of self-aggrandizement unlike any of his predecessors, fostering a mythologized superhuman persona and making himself the inescapable force at home and around the world. (Eric Lee/ The New York Times)

This spree of self-aggrandizement goes beyond mere vanity, although Trump suffers from no particular shortage in that department. “I really have a big ego,” he noted at the National Prayer Breakfast this month, an assessment that drew no disagreement. What Trump is actually doing, though, is making himself the inescapable force in American life.

“This is not just egotistical self-satisfaction, it’s a way of expanding presidential power,” said Michael Beschloss, a presidential historian. “A president is more powerful, I assume he believes, if he is ever-present than if he keeps his head down.”

Cults of personality are traditionally associated with dictators and demagogues, not democrats. They are figures like Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong, Benito Mussolini and more recently the shirtless, horseback-riding Vladimir Putin of Russia. But Trump does not seem concerned that he might be heading down a dangerous path.

Indeed, last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he suggested that authoritarianism was not necessarily something to eschew. “Usually they say, ‘He’s a horrible dictator-type person, I’m a dictator,’” he said after delivering a rambling speech. “But sometimes, you need a dictator.”

The notion of a cult of personality has become an increasing theme of the political discourse in recent months. Consider the past 10 days alone: Curt Mills, the execu-

tive director of The American Conservative, referred to “the personality cult of Trump.” Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, addressing a Democratic convention, said Republicans were “nothing more than a personality cult.”

And Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said democracy “will prevail over cult of personality.”

Other presidents have encouraged hero worship and plenty have been honored with monuments. But for the most part, they were more restrained than Trump, leaving the most ostentatious expressions of reverence to others and generally after they had left office.

George Washington set the standard from the start. Knowing that as the first president he would be establishing precedent, he deliberately shunned the trappings of royalty and declined to be called “Your Majesty” or “Your Highness,” opting instead for the more humble “Mr. President.”

It is true, of course, that the capital of the new nation was named after Washington during his presidency, a decision made by three commissioners he appointed. But historians said he had no known hand in encouraging it.

“He was surprised that the commissioners chose the name, though he did not object,” said David O. Stewart, a Washington biographer. “As near as the evidence shows, George Washington very much liked having the city named after him. He was not without ego, and devoted great energy and attention to developing the capital city.”

Many presidents have enjoyed being the center of attention. Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth notably said her father “always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening.”

Others struggled with that kind of politics. George H.W. Bush painfully tried to avoid the first-person singular “I” in sentences because growing up his mother taught him that it sounded boastful.

Boastful is not something Trump ever learned to avoid, nor can he fathom why predecessors passed on self-promotion.

When he visited Mount Vernon during his first term, he expressed surprise that Washington did not name the estate for himself. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you,” Trump told people.

With Trump, it goes beyond names and memory. He wants to be seen as superlative in every way — and flawed in no way. His first-term executive assistant Madeleine

Westerhout wrote in her memoir that when she expressed concern one day that he seemed exhausted, she was remonstrated by Hope Hicks, the president’s close adviser: “Donald Trump is never tired and he is never sick.” To even question his health, Trump said in December, is “seditious, perhaps even treasonous.”

Personality-driven politics serve to bind followers of a movement to their leader more than to any particular policy prescription, making his success or failure their own. Veneration and loyalty are central and ideology secondary. The leader is presented as infallible, uniquely qualified, even divinely delivered for this moment in history.

Trump has played to these themes since taking the national political stage. “I alone can fix it,” he declared when running in 2016. “I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said on being inaugurated again last year.

The efforts to exalt himself, however, have accelerated in the past year far beyond his first term and have increasingly come to resemble eccentric regimes in far corners of the world. To those who have spent time in the former Soviet Union, the “Don Colossus” statue bears a striking resemblance to the rotating gold statue erected by Saparmurat Niyazov, the megalomaniacal former dictator of Turkmenistan who called himself Turkmenbashi and even renamed the months of the year after himself and his family.

“There is no settled definition of a cult of personality, but for us this qualifies,” Benjamin E. Goldsmith of the Australian National University and Lars J.K. Moen of the University of Vienna, who have studied Trump’s hold on his supporters, said in a joint email.

The two scholars, who published a paper on the phenomenon in the Political Psychology journal, said the personality cult allowed Trump to dominate Republican primary contests, right-wing media and his party’s majorities in Congress. Those who stand against Trump are deemed traitors and punished accordingly.

“For us, this is the major threat to U.S. democracy from Trump’s cultlike following,” they wrote. “Congress is transformed into an enabler, even when the executive makes disastrous policies, undermines the rule of law or might attempt to fix elections. The system can transform into an electoral autocracy. Our bet is that we’re already far along that path.”

What to know about the Homeland Security shutdown

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Department of Homeland Security’s funding has lapsed and lawmakers are deadlocked over a proposal to restore it, with Democrats seeking restrictions on the federal agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Even though the department is shut down, a vast majority of its operations are still being carried out, with most of its personnel remaining on the job without pay, just as they did during last fall’s shutdown. But the longer the standoff lasts, the more travelers and others could feel its effects.

Here’s what we know about the shutdown.

What is part of the Department of Homeland Security?

The department is vast and oversees many agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Its agencies involved in immigration enforcement — Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — have been under heavy scrutiny amid the Trump administration’s crackdown, particularly following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month.

What is the shutdown about?

Democrats, who have few levers to pull with Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House, have sought to force changes at the department by withholding their votes for funding until Republicans agree

to a set of policy changes. The 100-member Senate requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, so a funding bill cannot pass without some Democratic support.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, labeled ICE a “rogue agency” on Sunday as he called on Republicans to agree to the limits that Democrats have called for.

“Why don’t we rein them in? That’s what the American people are asking Republicans,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“And that’s why they’re going to have to go along with us.”

What are the Democrats seeking?

Democrats have pushed for a range of new restrictions on immigration agents, including requiring them to obtain warrants from judges to make arrests in homes, mandating that they show visible identification, and prohibiting face coverings while they are engaged in immigration enforcement operations. Democrats have also pushed for

a stricter use-of-force policy and new training standards, as well as an end to roving patrols.

Republicans have objected to many of the demands, which they consider overly burdensome, and maintain that any new guardrails on federal agents should also come with restrictions on so-called sanctuary cities, or jurisdictions with policies that limit cooperation with immigration agents.

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, who took over the onthe-ground operations in Minnesota before announcing last week that the surge of agents to the state was ending, defended the use of masks Sunday.

“I don’t like the masks either, but because threats against ICE officers are up over 1,500% — actual assaults — and threats are up over 8,000%, these men and women have to protect themselves,” Homan said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

What effect will the shutdown have on agencies?

Their work will not grind to a halt. Department leaders have said that essential missions and functions will continue.

ICE and CBP are expected to be scarcely affected, with officers continuing to work. Nearly 85% of FEMA employees are expected to work without pay through the shutdown, and similar numbers are expected to continue working at other agencies.

What about travelers?

About 95% of the TSA’s roughly 60,000 employees are required to work during a shutdown.

There is still a risk that it could cause airport delays, though. In the fall, when a shutdown dragged on for a record 43 days, disruptions were minimal at first but grew as time went on, with more absences by air traffic controllers and TSA agents.

This time, lawmakers have already funded the Transportation Department, so air traffic controllers will not be directly affected. But TSA agents remain vulnerable.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL

Bondi’s incompetence is the latest insult for Epstein’s victims

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The hearing in the House Judiciary Committee room this past week offered a grim tableau of the state of American justice. Sitting in the gallery were victims of Jeffrey Epstein, women who have waited decades for clarity and accountability. Sitting before them was Attorney General Pam Bondi. When offered the opportunity to apologize to these women for the Department of Justice’s disastrous handling of the Epstein files, Bondi didn’t just decline; she sneered. Instead, she demanded that Democrats apologize to President Donald Trump.

She proceeded to subject committee members from both parties to schoolyard taunts. She called the ranking member a “washed-up, loser lawyer.” She derided Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who helped force the release of the Epstein documents after Trump and Bondi had kept them hidden, as a “failed politician.” And at one point, in a bizarre non sequitur, she responded to a question she did not like by boasting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had surpassed 50,000 points. Bondi’s performance was more than just political theater. It was a final indignity in a process that has victimized Epstein’s victims all over again. Under the guise of transparency, the Justice Department has managed to expose the victims to

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further humiliation while shielding the powerful behind a wall of redactions.

The department’s release of these files has been dominated by incompetence. Bondi has long had the authority to make them public, but she spent months refusing and yielded only after Congress forced her hand. Her department was then tasked with a clear mandate: release the information while protecting the victims’ privacy, national security and active investigations. Instead, in a grotesque failure, the DOJ uploaded dozens of unredacted images to its website, including nude photographs of young women and possibly teenagers. As Annie Farmer, a survivor who testified against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s partner and associate, noted, it is “hard to imagine a more egregious way of not protecting victims.” Bondi’s department shattered the trust of women who had already been betrayed by the legal system once before.

Yet observe the Justice Department’s selective efficiency: While it was careless with the dignity of survivors, it has been more fastidious about protecting the reputations of some members of the elite. Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has also been central to the release of the documents, have reviewed the unredacted files, and they report that nearly 80% of the material remains hidden, including the identities of six wealthy, powerful men. The Justice Department has not even offered a convincing public explanation for these redactions. The Trump administration’s history of disingenuousness around the Epstein files — and its use of the Justice Department to protect political allies and investigate perceived enemies — offers ample reason to be skeptical. This appears to be a weaponized document dump disguised as a reckoning.

A close reading of the released emails suggests that what is being protected is the comfort of a class of people who believed they were untouchable. The files released reveal a merito-aristocracy that traded favors, influence and access. They depict a transactional world where Kathryn Ruemmler, a former White House counsel for Barack Obama, could joke with a registered sex offender, strategize about her career prospects and accept gifts of designer bags. Howard Lutnick, Trump’s commerce secretary, claimed he “barely had anything to do” with Epstein but in fact visited his private island. We read of elites seeking entry to golf clubs, advice on dating, introductions to celebrities and college admission for their children.

The files reveal a barter economy of powerful people who, at best, looked the other way. As Anand Giridharadas has noted, these documents show us “how the elite behave when no one is watching.” They reveal a world where character is irrelevant and connection is everything.

Trump’s role in the selective release deserves attention. While he has railed against the swamp, his administration

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein wearing white t-shirts calling for a full release of the Epstein files raise their hands in response to a committee member’s question as Attorney General Pam Bondi, foreground right, testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Bondi faced bipartisan skepticism over her handling, and perceived bungling, of the release of the investigative files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (Eric Lee/ The New York Times)

continues to hide vast amounts of Epstein information. The president’s own history with Epstein apparently included a bizarre birthday note wishing that “every day be another wonderful secret.” And some of the redactions involved Trump. A redaction box, for example, appeared over a photograph of him delivering a speech. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that he also saw redacted pages that involved Epstein’s lawyers quoting Trump as saying that he never asked Epstein to leave Mar-a-Lago — a claim at odds with Trump’s descriptions.

Bondi’s refusal to look the survivors in the eye was symbolic of a broader failure. The Department of Justice had an opportunity to finally prioritize the women who were preyed upon by Epstein and his circle. Instead, through a combination of malice and incompetence, it has done the opposite. It has stripped the victims of their privacy while wrapping perpetrators in a cloak of state secrecy.

Americans should not accept vague excuses for protecting the identities of Epstein’s associates. A two-tiered justice system that coddles the powerful and revictimizes the vulnerable is a violation of American values. The survivors in that hearing room deserved an apology. More than that, they deserve the truth about Epstein and his friends, unspun and fully exposed.

La Universidad Albizu logra la acreditación del programa Casa Albizu como el primer Children’s Advocacy Center en Puerto Rico del National Children’s Alliance

POR EL STAR STAFF

SAN JUAN – En momentos en que Puerto Rico atraviesa una coyuntura particularmente sensible ante el aumento de casos de maltrato hacia niños, niñas y adolescentes, Casa Albizu, proyecto de la Universidad Albizu, anunció que recibió oficialmente la acreditación como Children’s Advocacy Center por parte de la National Children’s Alliance.

Casa Albizu es un programa de respuesta coordinada para la atención de casos de abuso infantil y adolescente, subvencionado por la Administración de Familias y Niños (ADFAN) del Departamento de la Familia de Puerto Rico. El programa cuenta con tres centros de servicios (San Juan, Ponce y Camuy) que ofrecen servicios gratuitos de evaluación de alegaciones de abuso sexual infantil y adolescente, así como psicoterapia a niños, adolescentes sobrevivientes de abuso sexual y a sus familias. De igual forma, Casa Albizu funciona como un centro de formación y práctica clínica para estudiantes doctorales en Psicología

Clínica de la Universidad Albizu. Además, ofrece capacitación a profesionales, así como charlas y talleres dirigidos a la comunidad sobre temas relacionados con el abuso sexual.

La aprobación de la acreditación se logró a finales de enero de 2026, luego de un riguroso proceso de evaluación que incluyó la revisión exhaustiva de servicios, protocolos y documentación, así como la observación de prácticas profesionales. Casa Albizu recibió

una evaluación excelente, confirmando su cumplimiento con los estándares nacionales establecidos por la National Children’s Alliance.

“La acreditación de Casa Albizu como Children’s Advocacy Center representa un compromiso institucional firme con la protección de la niñez. Este reconocimiento nacional que nos honra, valida el trabajo que realizamos, y reafirma el rol de la Universidad Albizu como líder en innovación académica, investigación y servicio comunitario para generar un impacto social transformador en Puerto Rico,” expresó el presidente de la Universidad Albizu, doctor Nelson E. Soto.

Según puntualiza el doctor Julio Santana, Rector del Recinto de San Juan, ser reconocidos como un Children ‘s Advocacy Center “implica un cambio estructural en la forma en que se atienden los casos de niños, niñas y adolescentes víctimas de abuso. Este modelo promueve una respuesta coordinada e interagencial, evitando entrevistas repetidas y procesos fragmentados que históricamente han provocado revictimización.”

Arecibo conmemorará el Día Internacional de la Mujer con arte y cultura

ARECIBO

– El alcalde de Arecibo, Carlos R. Ramírez

Irizarry informó que la administración municipal conmemorará el Día Internacional de la Mujer con una experiencia artística y cultural única en el Museo Casa Trina Padilla de Sanz el domingo, 8 de marzo de 2026 a las 3:30 de la tarde.

“Nuestra Oficina de Arte, Cultura e Historia ha conceptualizado una actividad muy especial para crear, compartir y celebrar a la mujer arecibeña al ritmo de nuestra bomba puertorriqueña, con la participación especial de ‘The Moving Gallery PR, para el disfrute de las participantes”, detalló el alcalde. Se informó además que para esta actividad en particular, los espacios son limita-

dos, y por reservación, mediante el siguiente correo: arteycultura1850@yahoo.com. El evento, libre de costo, es dirigido exclusivamente a mujeres residentes de Arecibo.

El concepto ‘The Moving Gallery & Studio’, recorre los 78 municipios de la isla con exposiciones, talleres y clases al aire libre. “Esta galería fue creada por el maestro y artista ponceño, Hjalmar López Fernández, y su esposa, la licenciada, Karillyn Rodríguez Cruz. “El trolly integra a las personas en una experiencia inmersiva, en la cual disfrutan las exposiciones de artistas plásticos de nuevo cuño.

El espacio, que también ofrece clases de pintura al aire libre, promueve que las personas aprendan técnicas de acrílico, acuarela y dibujo. La Casa Trina Padilla, ubicada en la Calle Gonzalo Marín del centro urbano are-

Procuradora de las Mujeres lleva campaña preventiva a comercios de Mayagüez

cibeño, es una joya arquitectónica que rinde homenaje a la destacada escritora, poeta y pianista Trina Padilla de Sanz. Esta estructura neoclásica no solo celebra su legado, sino que también ofrece a los visitantes una ventana al pasado cultural de la región. POR CYBERNEWS

MAYAGÜEZ – La procuradora de las Mujeres, Astrid Piñeiro Vázquez, visitó el lunes diversos comercios de Mayagüez como parte de una estrategia para integrar al sector privado en la orientación y prevención sobre los derechos de las mujeres.

“Estas gestiones reafirman nuestro compromiso con la orientación y la prevención. Al fortalecer alianzas con

el sector comercial, ampliamos el alcance de nuestra oficina para que ninguna mujer se sienta sola, sin importar dónde se encuentre”, dijo Piñeiro Vázquez en declaraciones escritas.

La iniciativa, denominada “OPM presente en tu comercio”, promueve que establecimientos comerciales funcionen como puntos de enlace para difundir información sobre los servicios que ofrece la Oficina de la Procuradora de las Mujeres.

Como parte del esfuerzo, se distribuyó material informativo con un código QR que permite a empleadas y clientas acceder de manera confidencial a recursos y servicios de apoyo. Según la agencia, esta herramienta tecnológica busca eliminar barreras de acceso a información esencial.

Durante el recorrido, la funcionaria también orientó a una empleada embarazada sobre sus derechos laborales y las protecciones legales vigentes.

Robert Duvall, chameleonlike actor of film, stage and TV, dies at 95

By CLYDE HABERMAN

Robert Duvall, who drew from a seemingly bottomless reservoir of acting craftsmanship to transform himself into a businessfocused Mafia lawyer, a faded country singer, a cynical police detective, a bullying Marine pilot, a surfing-obsessed Vietnam commander, a mysterious Southern recluse and scores of other film, stage and television characters, died on Sunday. He was 95.

His death was announced in a statement by his wife, Luciana Duvall, who said he had died at home. She gave no other details. He had long lived on a sprawling horse farm in Fauquier County, Virginia, west of Washington.

Duvall’s singular trait was to immerse himself in roles so deeply that he seemed to almost disappear into them — an ability that was “uncanny, even creepy the first time” it was witnessed, said Bruce Beresford, the Australian who directed him in the 1983 film “Tender Mercies.”

In that film, Duvall played Mac Sledge, a boozy, washed-up country star who comes to terms with life through marriage to a widow with a young son. The performance earned him an Academy Award for best actor, his sole Oscar in a career that brought him six other nominations in both leading and supporting roles.

“He is the character,” Beresford said of Sledge. “He’s not Duvall at all.”

Duvall, though, wasn’t buying it. “What do you mean?” he said in an interview with The New York Times in 1989. “I don’t become the character! It’s still me — doing myself, altered.”

Audiences and reviewers remained unconvinced. For them, Duvall, with a voice far from silky and features falling more than a few degrees short of movie-star handsome, effectively became someone entirely new, time and again.

Across a film career that took flight in the early 1960s, he stood out for an intense studiousness that shaped his every role. Even as a boy, in a Navy family that moved around the country, he had an ear for people’s speech patterns and an eye for their mannerisms. “I hang around a guy’s memories,” he once said. Insights that he gleaned were routinely tucked away in his head for potential future use.

To prepare for the role of Mac Sledge, he sang with a country band and drove around East Texas with a friend, who finally had to ask what they were up to. “We’re looking for accents,” Duvall said.

On similar hunts, he hung out with assorted, and sordid, types. He befriended hoodlums in East Harlem while preparing for a role that would help make him a star: that of Tom Hagen, the sensible consigliere to the Corleone crime family in Francis Ford Coppola’s first two “Godfather” movies in the early 1970s. He palled with police detectives before playing a hard-bitten investigator in “True Confessions” (1981). To prepare for one of his signature stage roles — as the hustler Teach in the original 1977 Broadway production of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” — he spent time with an ex-convict, taking from him the idea of carrying his gun over his genitals. He did similar immersions for other notable roles, whether

as Lt. Col. Bull Meechum, the frustrated warrior without a war (except within his own family) in “The Great Santini” (1979); or Frank Hackett, the aptly named hatchet-man executive in “Network” (1976), Paddy Chayefsky’s scalding take on television news; or Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, who loved “the smell of napalm in the morning” in Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” (1979). For years, Duvall told interviewers, people would routinely come up to him and recite that line, as if it were some little secret known only to him and them.

‘The American Olivier’ His chameleonlike skill invited comparisons to the incomparable Laurence Olivier; indeed, in 1980, Vincent Canby of the Times flat-out called him “the American Olivier.” A similar sentiment was expressed earlier by Herbert Ross, who directed “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” (1976), in which Duvall, barely recognizable yet again, played Dr. John Watson to Nicol Williamson’s Sherlock Holmes. (Olivier himself played Holmes’ archnemesis Professor James Moriarty in the movie.)

Only Duvall and George C. Scott, Ross said at the time, “have the range and variety of Laurence Olivier.”

That Duvall could become practically whomever he chose was foreshadowed in his first film, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a 1962 classic based on Harper Lee’s novel about racial prejudice in a Southern town. He played Boo Radley, the reclusive, hollow-eyed neighbor who fascinates and ultimately rescues the two small children of defense lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck).

As Duvall’s career flourished in the 1970s and ’80s, it surprised many of his fans, on looking back, to discover him in that film. One person apparently not surprised was Harper Lee. When Duvall landed the part, she sent him a congratulatory telegram. “Hey, Boo,” she wrote. It was, he said later, his only contact with her.

Duvall had his own favorite role, and it was none of his major big-screen characters. He repeatedly told interviewers that his heart was fully with Augustus McCrae, an old Texas Ranger

on a cattle drive in “Lonesome Dove,” a 1989 CBS television miniseries based on a Larry McMurtry novel.

“Let the English play Hamlet and King Lear,” Duvall said, “and I will play Augustus McCrae, a great character in literature.”

He was nominated for an Emmy Award for that performance. But he waited nearly two decades for an Emmy win, for a role with echoes of Gus McCrae — the worn-out cowboy Prentice Ritter in “Broken Trail” (2006), a two-part AMC movie. (As an executive producer on the show, he also won an Emmy for outstanding miniseries.)

Duvall tried his hand at film directing a few times, usually putting up the money for projects that intrigued him. There was “We’re Not the Jet Set” (1977), a documentary about a Nebraska rodeo family. A chance encounter with a boy on the street led to “Angelo My Love” (1983), a film about Gypsy life in New York City.

No project under his direction contained more of his soul than “The Apostle” (1997), which he also wrote, financed and starred in. He played Sonny Dewey, a wayward Pentecostal preacher in search of redemption, and received another Oscar nomination.

Early TV roles

Robert Selden Duvall was born on Jan. 5, 1931, in San Diego, the second of three sons to William Duvall, a rear admiral, and Mildred (Hart) Duvall, an amateur actress said to have been a relative of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The father’s naval career meant that the family moved around a lot. Robert found his way into acting while at Principia College, a small liberal arts school in southwestern Illinois — a career choice shaped in large measure, he once said, by a realization that he was “terrible” at everything else.

After two years in the Army, serving principally at what is now Fort Gordon in Georgia, he went to New York in 1955, where he studied under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Two of his closest friends, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, were fellow acting students. To support himself, Duvall worked for a while in a post office branch. But soon enough, television roles fell his way, on shows like “Playhouse 90,” “Naked City” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” Then came the invitation to play Boo Radley.

Throughout his career, Duvall tried to keep Hollywood at arm’s length. He preferred living elsewhere — for many years on a ranch in northern Virginia with his fourth wife, the former Luciana Pedraza, an Argentine woman 41 years his junior. They met in the 1990s in Buenos Aires, which he visited often after developing a passion for the tango.

Stocks

Big tech stocks lose billions as AI spending fears hit valuations

The world’s most ⁠valuable ⁠technology stocks have ⁠suffered sharp declines in market value this year after years of outsized gains, as investors question whether heavy spending on AI will generate sufficient returns to justify the ⁠lofty ⁠valuations.

Microsoft shares have fallen about 17% year-to-date on concerns over risks to its AI business and growing competition from Google’s latest Gemini model and Anthropic’s Claude Cowork AI agent, wiping roughly $613 billion off its market value ⁠to about $2.98 ⁠trillion as of ⁠Friday.

Amazon has shed around 13.85% so far this year, erasing about $343 billion in market ⁠value and leaving the company valued at roughly $2.13 trillion.

Earlier this month, Amazon said it expects capital spending to jump more than 50% this year.

Nvidia, ⁠Apple and Alphabet have also seen their market values decline ⁠by $89.67 billion, $256.44 billion and $87.96 billion, respectively, since the start of 2026, to $4.44 trillion, $3.76 trillion and $3.7 trillion.

The pullback signals a broader shift in market psychology, with investors moving from rewarding longterm AI ambitions to demanding near-term earnings visibility after years of speculative enthusiasm.

By contrast, TSMC, Samsung Electronics and ⁠Walmart have added $293.89 billion, $272.88 billion and $179.17 billion in market value, respectively, over the same period, lifting their valuations to $1.58 trillion, $817 billion and $1.07 trillion.

Several companies have downsized or ⁠postponed ⁠their U.S. initial public ⁠offerings in 2026, as market volatility, valuation scrutiny and weak peer performance weighed on the new listings pipeline.

Goldman Sachs analysts said earlier this month that they expect the number of IPOs to double to 120 this year, but warned that ⁠a selloff ⁠in software stocks has underscored valuation risks.

In recent weeks, companies including Wall Street broker Clear Street, Brazilian fintech Agibank and Blackstone-backed Liftoff Mobile have trimmed deal sizes or pushed back their planned listings, as they wait for volatility to subside amid heightened investor scrutiny of aggressive pricing and lofty valuations.

Here ⁠is an ⁠overview of some of ⁠the issuers who downsized or postponed their offerings in 2026:

Wall Street

broker Clear Street on Thursday postponed ⁠its U.S. IPO, citing “market conditions,” marking the second delayed listing this month amid another bout of market volatility.

The move came just hours after the New York-based company slashed the fundraising target of its U.S. IPO by a whopping ⁠65%.

Clear Street intends to reconsider the listing at a later time.

Brazilian fintech ⁠Agibank raised $240 million in its downsized U.S. IPO after sharply reducing both the proposed deal size and the price range.

The Sao Paulo-based company sold 20 million shares

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at $12 apiece. It had earlier offered roughly 43.6 million shares between $15 and $18 apiece.

The stock, which debuted on Wednesday, has plunged nearly 15% from the offer price as of Thursday’s close.

Blackstone-backed mobile app marketing provider Liftoff Mobile last week decided to ⁠postpone its planned New York listing against the backdrop of a steep selloff in software stocks.

The company cited “current market conditions” for the postponement and said it plans to revisit the listing at a later time.

Venezuelan housing prices jump as emigres consider buying

By GENEVIEVE GLATSKY, MARÍA RAMÍREZ and NAYROBIS RODRÍGUEZ

Buying property in his home country was once “unthinkable” for Carlos Peñalver, a Venezuelan electrician who left for the United States four years ago as the economy of Venezuela faltered. The capture of President Nicolás Maduro changed the calculus, enough to get Peñalver to start calling real estate agents.

He soon closed on a three-bedroom apartment in the eastern port city of Puerto Ordaz. Days later, prices had already gone up. There were fewer properties available. “I was lucky,” said Peñalver, 26.

It is still early days in what could become a post-Maduro chapter in the South American nation, which has been marked by authoritarian rule, economic collapse and mass migration.

The possibility of political freedom and an improved economy has stirred excitement among Venezuelans at home and abroad. That optimism has fueled a surge of interest in real estate as expatriates, some of whom have built savings abroad, weigh returning — or at least investing — for the first time in years, according to real estate agents who note a jump in inquiries.

Those calls have not yet become a sales boom. There is no official data tracking the real estate market since Maduro’s removal Jan. 3. But interviews with more than a dozen real estate agents, industry leaders, homeowners and prospective buyers suggest that the market has begun to shift with property owners raising prices in anticipation of a buying spree.

“What’s really at play here are expectations of change,” said Asdrúbal Oliveros, a veteran Venezuelan economist.

Many brokers described listings that have sat unsold after price hikes and owners pulling back their properties until the market is stronger.

Hopes are being stoked in part by changes in Venezuela’s oil sector, the backbone of the economy. Venezuelan lawmakers last month approved new rules meant to attract foreign investment, raising the potential of higher production and growth.

Still, foreign oil companies remain cautious after years of government expropria-

A view of Maracaibo, Venezuela, in July 2024. About a quarter of the residents of Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second-largest city, left the country in the past few years, before Nicolás Maduro’s capture. (Marian Carrasquero/The New York Times)

tions, and recent measures are unlikely to unleash an immediate wave of investment. And even under the best of circumstances, any significant improvements in oil production would most likely take years to accomplish.

“People had a purely emotional perception — without a rational basis — that their properties were suddenly worth more,” said Pablo González, president of the Venezuelan Real Estate Chamber.

“Could it become reality?” González added. “I believe it could, but we have to allow economic events to unfold.”

For years, Venezuela’s housing market has been all but frozen as hyperinflation destroyed purchasing power and banks abandoned long-term lending. Expropriations under a socialist-inspired government, mainly of large estates and heavy industry but also of individual homes and apartment buildings, made property ownership precarious.

For many who stayed in Venezuela through those turbulent years and sometimes slipped into poverty, buying a home still remains out of reach, especially at the newly inflated prices.

Luisa Rojas, 42, an administrator in the city of Valencia, said she would like to move from her aging apartment to a newer one, but she cannot afford to do so.

“The country’s instability makes it im-

possible to plan ahead,” she said.

Such sentiments have narrowed the market to mainly expatriates, real estate agents say.

Even so, agents across Venezuela — from the capital and oil regions to beach destinations and smaller cities — said they had seen price increases ranging from 20% to as much as 50% in some areas.

In the eastern city of Ciudad Guayana, Diogelis Pocaterra, a real estate agent, said that one town house listed at $55,000 two years ago was raised to $85,000, “solely because of Maduro’s detention.”

Prospective buyers have flooded bro -

kers with inquiries, often interested in snapping up what were once known as “opportunity” properties for their impressive amenities at fire sale prices. But those lower-priced homes have largely vanished, agents say, as sellers pull their properties off the market.

“Many people have contacted our agency thinking there are still ‘opportunity deals’ like there once were — beachfront apartments, furnished, for $18,000 or $20,000,” Pocaterra said. “That no longer exists.”

In Cumaná, the capital of the coastal state of Sucre, Adriana Rodríguez, a broker, said prices had risen about 20% since early January, while roughly 80% of listings had been paused as owners wait for clearer economic signals.

“I’ve been working for about 25 days with five clients for whom I haven’t been able to find anything. They contact me every day,” she said, adding that they complain about the higher asking prices. “People see those listings on social media and think the prices are crazy.”

In tourist-heavy regions like Margarita Island, brokers estimate that about 80% of current inquiries are from Venezuelans living abroad, with more limited interest from foreign buyers.

“Right now, the situation doesn’t justify these exaggerated increases,” Pocaterra said. “These processes take time, and that’s what we need to understand — and explain to owners who are being driven by news, emotion and euphoria.”

Three American speeches at Munich, and plenty of confusion

By STEVEN ERLANGER and DAVID E. SANGER

In the space of just a year, European leaders have heard three descriptions of how the Trump administration is reimagining the American relationship with its allies. Each strikes a bit of a different tone, but all are intended to push them into a new era in which Washington’s commitment to defend them faces new limits.

One was delivered by Vice President JD Vance last year, a blistering condemnation of European-style democracy, arguing that waves of immigrants and Europe’s restrictions on its own far-right parties pose a greater threat to the Continent than Russia’s aggression.

The second was a far easier-to-swallow version of a similar message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday. He described a hazy and sometimes idealized cultural history shared by Europe and the United States and argued that each faced “civilizational erasure” unless it figured out a way to control its borders.

Then, at the same conference, the most senior defense official to attend, Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, offered a classic American national-security message about shared interests, not values, recommending that both sides focus on “nuts and bolts kind of stuff.”

If the Europeans emerged a bit confused, it’s understandable.

Vance and Rubio could well end up as rivals for the presidential nomination in 2028 — or as running mates. So how they described America’s role and purpose with its allies was intended as much for audiences at home.

They know each phrase will be weighed by MAGA supporters who are suspicious of the degree to which the Trump administration has intervened around the world, whether in Venezuela or Iran, Syria or Greenland.

But their immediate audiences were NATO allies. While the Europeans have committed to spending far more on their defenses between now and 2035, they also know that should the breach with the United States widen, they would need to replicate America’s vast powers and reach — a project that would cost them far more, and could take 10 to 20 years.

Vance’s speech last year was met by a stunned silence, even gasps. Rubio’s softer version Saturday morning drew a standing applause by those in the hall of the Bayerischer Hof hotel, a stately remnant of the old Europe that Rubio seemed to be idealizing. His words were deemed reassuring by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

The chair of the security conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, noted that while Vance talked about NATO as “them,” Rubio referred to the alliance as “we.” Still, he said that Rubio’s speech was a “starkly American view of the world.”

For many European officials and analysts, the reaction quickly turned cautious. Rubio’s case for the alliance barely touched on the threats from Russia and other adversaries, and was far more of a defense of the white Christian heritage that he said connects Europe and the United States.

While Rubio did not mention the far-right parties that Vance praised, he seemed to give voice to the argument that the purpose of national security strategy was to protect “one

People stand on a sidewalk in Leipzig, Germany, Nov. 6, 2025. Leipzig and other German cities have large immigrant populations. (Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times)

civilization: Western civilization.”

And it was noticed by everyone that Rubio chose to travel from Munich to Slovakia and Hungary, countries run by populist farright parties that are skeptical of the European Union and that have moved closer to Russia, especially on the war in Ukraine.

Luuk van Middelaar, a Dutch historian and former EU official, called the Rubio speech “well-crafted, and therefore all the more dangerous for the Europeans, offering a new pact on the basis of a shared civilization, but omitting the Vance part of a year ago, which comes with U.S. alignment with MAGA allies in Europe.”

So in a sense, he argued, “the Europeans are walking into a trap.” Rubio “tried to embrace us in a shared story of history and peoples, kin and religion, while leaving out an awful lot of nonwhite Europeans — and Americans, too.”

cast in the role of explaining a Trump national security strategy that is shifting each week.

He spoke of “common sense and flexible realism,” dismissing talk of shared values as “hosannas or shibboleths.” From “our part of the political spectrum, I’m not sure that’s true,” he said.

Instead, “let’s ground our partnership on something more enduring and durable and kind of real, like shared interests,” Colby said. “The values are obviously there, and the history is there,” he said. But “you can’t base an alliance on sentiment alone,” and “maybe there are differences of values.”

That message went over far better with Europeans, like Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, who in his opening remarks to the conference said pointedly, “The culture wars of the MAGA movement are not ours.”

Colby’s view of a relationship of shared interests is far closer to where the Europeans want to be, with his open commitment to collective defense and the American nuclear guarantee.

Colby insisted that over time Europe would have to defend itself in any conventional war, noting that America’s presence at the core of NATO is integral to ensure that conventional conflict does not escalate to a nuclear one.

After all was said, Europe was left wondering which America it is allying with, said Ivan Krastev, a Bulgarian political scientist who is a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences, a research institution in Vienna.

“Sometimes we say we can do without the Americans, and then sometimes we’re relieved that America seems to be back,” he said.

Europeans who see in Rubio a return to the kind of American ally they have known since the end of World War II “are fooling themselves,” he said.

A senior European official described Rubio’s argument as a poison pill. His case for defending “Western civilization,” he said, was offered as a bargain for America’s defensive umbrella, with its implicit suggestion that the United States and its Western allies were fighting to preserve a whiter, more Christian Europe. It would make it far harder, he argued, for European leaders to interact with the rest of the world, let alone with their own non-Christian citizens.

While some Europeans understand that Vance and Rubio are speaking to two audiences — one in Europe, one in the United States — Colby is not a politician. He is a conservative defense scholar who finds himself

“And you could say Europeans want to be fooled, since they are dependent on the U.S. even more today than in 1989,” the year that the Berlin Wall was breached, given Russia’s four-year war in Ukraine, which directly challenges European security.

Europeans are less worried about the pressure to spend more on the military as the United States turns to China, Krastev said.

“What Europeans are most worried about is that this administration became highly ideological,” he said. “What is new is the readiness of the U.S. to enter European domestic politics. And what’s interesting is not what Rubio said here but where he goes from here” — to Slovakia and Hungary.

Trump administration ends credit for start-stop feature in vehicles

By AMANDA HOLPUCH

The federal Environmental Protection Agency said late last week that manufacturers would no longer earn a credit for installing engines that automatically turn off when vehicles come to a complete stop and restart when drivers take their feet off the brake pedal.

The start-stop feature is meant to save fuel and reduce emissions, but the Trump administration rejected the scientific finding that the government used to support vehicle emission reduction regulations, making it possible to eliminate the credit.

Until Thursday, carmakers could be fined if their vehicles with a model year of 2012 or later did not meet a greenhouse gas emission standard, and these credits could be used to help reach that limit.

The EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, said in a news release that start-stop kills vehicle batteries. However, that is a common misconception, according to experts, including Consumer Reports.

“As I traveled across all 50 states this past year, I heard from countless Americans who not only dislike the start-stop feature but passionately advocated for this mechanism to be a thing of the past,” Zeldin said.

He said in May 2025 that the administration was working to get rid of the credit, which he said “everyone hates.”

The number of vehicles with start-stop steeply increased starting in 2012, when the EPA made it so car companies could earn a credit toward federal emissions rules by installing the feature in vehicles. It was not a popular new technology.

A pedestrian crosses a street in Los Angeles, July

2024. The federal Environmental Protection Agency said that manufacturers would no longer earn a credit for installing engines that automatically turn off when vehicles come to a complete stop and restart when drivers take their feet off the brake pedal. (Stella Kalinina/The New York Times)

In 2022, more than 1% of all automobile defect complaints collected in a Transportation Department database were related to start-stop. Vehicles with a 2017 model year were most likely to have reported problems.

The percentage of complaints fell almost by half by 2024, even though the feature had been added to even more vehicles.

Some vehicle owners don’t like the feature because they don’t believe that it saves gas. Others are concerned it wears down the engine.

Most vehicles have a feature so the

driver can turn start-stop off during a trip, but a feature to disable it completely would have blocked companies from getting the credit.

Research shows that start-stop reduces fuel use and cuts emissions. Depending on driving conditions, stop-start improved fuel economy between 7.27% and 26.4% during testing, according to a 2023 technical paper by SAE International, an organization formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers.

The program has undergone many changes in stringency through the years, and it’s possible the next administration

changes course. Vehicle manufacturers may continue to install start-stop, even though the credit is not available.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents car companies including Honda, Ford and General Motors, said in a statement provided to Car and Driver that the policy change corrected “some of the unachievable emissions regulations enacted under the previous administration.”

The start-stop change is part of a move by the Trump administration to roll back regulations to improve fuel efficiency in the United States, where transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gases.

The start-stop credit is part of the “offcycle” credits program, which rewards vehicle manufacturers for using technologies that provide real-world emission-reducing benefits but have not demonstrated those benefits entirely during vehicle testing.

The administration on Thursday eliminated all “off-cycle” credits, which also include technologies like reusing engine heat to heat the car’s interior and reflective paint to keep cars cool.

Also Thursday, the Trump administration rejected the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, which the government has used for nearly 17 years to justify limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases.

The scientific determination, known as the endangerment finding, was based on more than 200 pages of research and evidence. President Donald Trump on Thursday said the finding “had no basis in fact.”

Western ski resorts and their terrible, horrible, no snow, very bad year

By DAVID GOODMAN

Bare slopes. Closed terrain. Canceled vacations.

In the Western United States, the 2026 ski season is shaping up to be one of the worst in decades.

A snow drought of historic proportions is hobbling many ski areas, leading skiers to stay home, mountain towns to face economic uncertainty, and sparking fears of water shortages and wildfires come summer.

In Colorado, the statewide snowpack is at 57% of average, a record low. Utah’s snowpack is at 62%, nearly the worst since observations began in 1980.

“It seems like a joke, but technically, the Florida Panhandle has seen more snowfall than Salt Lake City this year,” said Jon Meyer, assistant state climatologist at the Utah Climate Center.

The problems began early. In Utah, where license plates boast of “the greatest snow on Earth,” November and December featured the warmest average temperatures in roughly 130 years of record keeping. “The lack of winter storm activity and the warm air has combined to really limit accumulating snow days,” Meyer said. The weather, he added, is “aligned with what we’ve been predicting to occur as a result of climate change.”

The high temperatures meant that what precipitation did fall was more often rain than snow in many areas and by Thanksgiving, the traditional opening date for major resorts, only 11% of terrain at Western ski areas was open.

By Jan. 4, snow cover across the West was the lowest since NASA began tracking it via satellite in 2001. The drought is most severe in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, with more than 80% of all snow-monitoring stations in these states reporting severe snow drought (snowpack below the 20th percentile).

The general public is hereby notified that HERITAGE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, an insurance company organized under the laws of Arizona and authorized to do business in Puerto Rico as a foreign insurer, has filed with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico an application for authorization to acquire control of TRANS - OCEANIC LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, an insurance company organized under the laws of the Government of Puerto Rico.

Any person who has a legitimate interest in participating in the administrative hearing may, in advance of the date of such hearing, mail to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, PO Box 195415, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00919, a duly substantiated written request to be allowed to intervene or participate in such proceeding. The Commissioner shall determine that the interests of such person may be affected, shall permit the intervention and the latter shall have the right to be assisted by counsel, to present evidence, to crossexamine and cross-examine witnesses, and to present oral and written arguments, in accordance with Articles 2.190, 2.200, 2.210 and 2.220 of the Insurance Code of Puerto Rico. At such a public hearing, the person who filed the statement Heritage Life Insurance Company, Trans - Oceanic Life Insurance Company, the persons who were notified of the hearing, and any other person whose interests may be affected shall have the right to present evidence, to crossexamine and cross-examine witnesses, and to present oral and written pleadings in accordance with sections 2.190, 2.200, 2.210 and 2.220 of the Insurance Code of Puerto Rico.

Pursuant to Section 44.030(d)(2) of the Insurance Code of Puerto Rico, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance shall hold a public hearing to consider such request:

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Time: 9:00 am

Place: Office of the Commissioner of Insurance

Edificio World Plaza, Salón de Vista Piso 8

268 Avenida Muñoz Rivera San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918

Purpose: Approval of acquisition and proposed change of control as required by Article 44.030 of the Puerto Rico Insurance Code.

“We experienced one of the worst early season snowfalls in the Western U.S. in over 30 years,” Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, which owns or operates 42 ski areas around the world and sells the multimountain Epic Pass, told investors in January.

Katz said that as of Jan. 4, skier visits to its resorts were down 20% compared to the previous year. Katz said that a banner ski season in the Northeast has helped offset the bleak Western winter. The company saw only a slight dip in lift revenue because about 75% of its skiers purchased Epic Passes before the season.

The drought is so bad that even after a recent winter storm that dropped a foot or more of snow on much of Colorado, Vail ski resort was still operating with only 62% of its terrain open, Breckenridge with just over half, and Arapahoe Basin with 20% of its terrain.

Many skiers are just bailing. James Harris, who owns Tin Plate Pizza in Breckenridge and manages three vacation home rentals, said he had four cancellations in one weekend. “They saw the weather forecast,” he lamented.

Queue lines sit empty during a shutdown at the Telluride Ski Resort in Mountain Village, Colo., Dec. 27, 2025. Little snowpack, strikes by mountain staff and Trump administration policies that are keeping international visitors away have made this a difficult season in the Rockies and beyond. (William Woody/The New York Times)

Inntopia, which handles lodging reservations for ski areas, reported that occupancy at ski areas in Colorado and Utah is down 4% compared with last year, the steepest drop since 2013, excluding the pandemic. Colorado Ski Country USA, which represents 20 of the state’s ski areas, reported that visits “are down sizable double digits.”

Drought isn’t the only challenge. Around North America, resorts are increasingly facing the threat of labor actions, as the cost of living in many ski towns has skyrocketed. In December, the owner of the Telluride ski area in western Colorado shut down the resort in response to a strike by ski patrollers. It is likely the first time that an American ski area has completely closed because of a labor dispute. The closure decimated the local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism. The resort reopened Jan. 10 after reaching an agreement with its ski patrol.

Similarly, Le Massif de Charlevoix, a ski resort in Quebec, closed down for three weeks in January because of a strike.

“What happened in Telluride, we can never let that happen again in this industry,” Katz said. Telluride is a partner resort on Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass. Ski patrollers at Park City, which is owned by Vail Resorts, went on strike

last year, though the resort remained open with limited terrain.

As if strikes and drought weren’t enough, many foreign skiers are staying away from the United States. “Geopolitics have driven international visitation to U.S. mountain resorts down 33% this winter, led largely by declines from Canada,” said Tom Foley, director of business intelligence at Inntopia.

Relief does not appear to be in sight. Meyer, the Utah climatologist, said there were no storms on the horizon that would let the West catch up on snowfall.

The lean winter may soon translate into a dry summer and volatile wildfire season, since much of the West’s water supply is derived from the winter snowpack.

Barry Davis, the mayor of Vail, Colorado, insisted that it’s still worth skiing even if less than two thirds of Vail’s trails are open. “The skiing here is not what we’re accustomed to but it’s still pretty damn fun,” he said, noting that he had just returned from taking some runs to “clear my head.”

Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, went on social media last week “to invite all Utahns to seek help from a higher power” in order to save this year’s Western ski season.

In other words: Pray for snow.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE AGUADILLA ELLIOT NUÑEZ CRUZ Y YAMILET PAGÁN

JIMÉNEZ

Peticionarios EX PARTE

Civil Núm.: AG2026CV00046.

Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. CITACIÓN POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. A: LAS PERSONAS IGNORADAS Y DESCONOCIDAS A QUIENES PUEDIERA

PERJUDICAR LA INSCRIPCIÓN DEL DOMINIO A FAVOR DE LA PARTE PETICIONARIA EN EL REGISTRO DE LA PROPIEDAD DE LA FINCA QUE MÁS ADELANTE SE DESCRIBIRÁ Y A TODA PERSONA EN GENERAL QUE CON DERECHO PARA ELLO DESEE OPONERSE A ESTE EXPEDIENTE.

POR LA PRESENTE se les notifica para que comparezcan, si lo creyeren pertinente, ante este Honorable Tribunal dentro de los veinte (20) días contados a partir de la última publicación de este edicto a exponer lo que a sus derechos convenga en el expediente promovido por la parte peticionaria para adquirir su dominio sobre la finca que se describe más adelante. Usted deberá presentar su posición 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 en la secretaría del Tribual. Si usted deja de expresarse dentro del referido término, el Tribunal podrá dictar sentencia, previo a escuchar la prueba de valor de la parte peticionaria en su contra, sin más citarle ni oírle, y conceder el remedio solicitado en la petición, o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. RÚSTICA: Radicado en el Barrio Camaseyes, de Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, compuesto de SEISCIENTOS SETENTA Y TRES METROS CUADRADOS (673 M/C.). En lindes al NORTE con Camino Municipal;

por el SUR con William Cortés Rodríguez; por el ESTE con la Carretera Borinquén-Maleza (PR-467); y por el OESTE con Premium Bakery LLC. Enclava una (1) estructura dedicada a vivienda. No consta inscrito en el Registro de la Propiedad. Libre de cargas o gravámenes. Número de Catastro: 005-076012-13-001. El abogado del Peticionario es el Lcdo. Juan José Nolla Acosta, PO Box 7412, Ponce PR 00732-7412. Tel. (787) 645-8805. También, se le informa que el Tribunal ha señalado vista en este caso para 11 de septiembre de 2026, a las 4:15 de la tarde, mediante videoconferencia, a la cual usted puede comparecer asistido por abogado y presentar oposición a la petición. Este edicto deberá ser publicado en tres (3) ocasiones dentro del término de veinte (20) días, en un periódico de circulación general diaria, para que comparezcan si quieren alegar su derecho. Toda primera mención de persona natural y/o jurídica que se mencione en el mismo, se identificaré en letra tamaño 10 puntos y negrillas, conforme a lo dispuesto en las Reglas de Procedimiento Civil, 2009. Se apercibe que de no comparecer los intereses y/o partes citadas, o en su defecto los organismos públicos afectados en el término improrrogable de veinte (20) días a contar de la fecha de la última publicación del edicto, el Tribunal podrá conceder el remedio solicitado por la parte peticionaria, sin más citarle ni oírle. Por orden de este Tribunal, expido la presente bajo mi firma y sello oficial. En Aguadilla, Puerto Rico hoy 29 de enero de 2026. SARAHI REYES PÉREZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL.

ARLENE GUZMÁN PABÓN, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE PEÑUELAS

EDWIN QUIÑONES GARCÍA, HILDA VELÁZQUEZ

MALDONADO Peticionarios

EX PARTE

Caso Número: PE2025CV00100. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EEUU, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. POR LA PRESENTE se le notifica que los peticionarios de epígrafe han presentado una Petición para que se declare a su favor el dominio

de la siguiente finca: RURAL: Solar con cabida de Cinco Mil Doscientos Treinta y Dos puntos Siete Cinco Cuatro Ocho metros cuadrados (5,232.7548 m/c), equivalentes a Una Cuerda punto tres mil catorce (1.3314 cdas) en el Bo Macana, Sector Mal Paso, del término municipal de Peñuelas, Puerto Rico. Linderos: Norte, con la Sucesión Eladio Quiñones Cedeño, por el Sur, terrenos propiedad de José Enrique Velázquez, por el Este, con Carretera Municipal, y por el Oeste, con terrenos de la Suen. Eladio Quiñones Cedeño. Enclava dos estructuras de cemento y bloques de tres habitaciones, sala, cocina, un baño y balcón. Este Tribunal ordenó que publique la pretensión de tres (3) veces durante el término de veinte (20) días, en un periódico de circulación general diaria para los que tenga algún derecho real sobre el inmueble descrito, las personas ignorada quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción y en general a toda persona que desee oponerse dentro del término de veinte (20) días de la última publicación del presente edicto debe notificar con copia de sus alegaciones a la representación legal del promovente, Lcdo. Luis M. Barnecet Vélez, Urb. Paraíso de Coamo, 608 Calle Paz, Coamo, PR 00769, Tel. 787-603-2396 email: barnecet@hotmail.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, hoy día 18 de noviembre de 2025. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. DELIA APONTE VELÁZQUEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE ARECIBO DENISE LIZZETIE PEREZ ACEVEDO Peticionaria EXPARTE

Civil Núm.# AR2025CV00504. Sobre: INFORME DE DOMINIO. Catastro Número: 056031-133-02-000. EDICTO. A: PARTES INTERESADAS.

Y a todo el que tenga algún derecho real sobre el inmueble que se describe más adelante, a las personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción y en general, a toda persona que desee oponerse: Por la presentes e les notifica para que comparezcan si creyeren que les conviene, ante este Tribunal, dentro de los veinte (20) días contados a partir de la última publicación de este edicto, que se publicará tres (3) veces durante el térmi-

no de veinte (20) días, en un periódico de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, para exponer lo que a sus derechos convenga en el expediente de dominio promovido por la parte peticionaria para adquirir el dominio sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: CASA Y SOLAR que radica en el número treinta y cinco (35) antes treinta y ocho (38) de la comunidad denominada Vuelta del Dos del pueblo de Manatí, Puerto Rico compuesto de una cabida de 90.203 metros cuadrados equivalentes a 0.023 cuerdas. Colindando por el Norte con José Rivera; por el Sur, con Vicente Rodríguez; por el Este, con Rosa Torres y por el Oeste, con Calle de la Vuelta del Dos. Construida de madera, techada de zinc y consta de sala, comedor, cocina, un cuarto dormitorio y balcón. Catastro número 056-031-133-02. Alega la peticionaria que adquirió dicha propiedad de la siguiente forma: Dicha propiedad fue adquirida por la peticionaria mediante escritura número trece (13) del 8 de abril de 2016 ante el suscribiente en Manatí, Puerto Rico. La relación de los dueños anteriores es como sigue: Compra a la Sra. Martina Román Perales, por escritura 11 del 5 de febrero de 1987 en Manatí ante el notario Amilcar Abreu Román. Sumando los años de las dueños anteriores a las del peticionario, la cual está en la posesión material de la descrita propiedad a título de dueño, quieta, pública y pacíficamente de buena fe y con justo título, sin interrupción de clase alguna desde la fecha de su adquisición, estos han durado mas de 30 años. Debe notificar con copia de sus alegaciones a la representación legal de la parte peticionaria, Lcdo. Jorge L. Couto González, apartado 197, Manatí, Puerto Rico 00674, Tel. 787- 8843303. En Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a 21 de enero de 2026. Vivian Y. Fresse González, Secretaria. Alexandra Álvarez Natal, SubSecretaria.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante Vs. ALTAGRACIA BATISTA DÁVILA; AUTORIDAD PARA EL FINANCIAMIENTO DE LA VIVIENDA DE PUERTO RICO

Demandados

Civil Núm.: CG2025CV01432. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (IN REM). EDICTO

ANUNCIANDO PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe, funcionario del Tribunal de la Sala Superior de Caguas, Puerto Rico, por la presente anuncia y hace saber al público en general que en cumplimiento con la Sentencia dictada en este caso con fecha 31 de octubre de 2025, y según Orden y Mandamiento del 12 de enero de 2026 librado por este honorable Tribunal, procederé a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor, y por dinero en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal con todo título derecho y/o interés de la parte demandada sobre la propiedad que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar número diecinueve de la Manzana BB, según Plano de Inscripción del Proyecto de solares denominado El Polvorín, radicado en el Barrio Montellanos del término municipal de Cayey, Puerto Rico. Dicho solar tiene un área de doscientos cincuenta metros con veinte centímetros cuadrados y colinda por el NORTE, con el solar número AA veinte, en distancia de diecinueve metros cuarenta y un centímetros; por el SUR, con el solar número AA dieciocho, en distancia de diecinueve metros ochenta y seis centímetros; por el ESTE, con terrenos remanente del Proyecto, en distancia de doce metros cuarenta y dos centímetros; y por el OESTE, en distancia de trece metros cuarenta y nueve centímetros (así surge). Enclava una casa de concreto para vivienda. Finca Número 10,407, inscrita al folio 116 del tomo 310 de Cayey. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección I de Caguas. Nota aclaratoria: En el Registro de la Propiedad la descripción registral consta tal y como fue transcrita anteriormente. En la Escritura número 167, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 18 de marzo de 2004 consta lo siguiente; Por el Oeste, con el solar AA-18, en distancia de 13.49 metros. Dirección Física: PROYECTO DE SOLARES DENOMINADO EL POLVORÍN, BARRIO MONTELLANOS, SOLAR 19 MANZANA BB, CAYEY PR 00737. Se anuncia por medio de este edicto que la PRIMERA SUBASTA habrá de celebrarse el día 11 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina sita en el edificio que ocupa el Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior de Caguas. Siendo ésta la primera subasta que se celebrará en este caso, será el precio mínimo aceptable como oferta en la Primera Subasta, eso es el tipo mínimo pactado

en la Escritura de Hipoteca para la propiedad, la suma de $60,000.00. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta primera subasta por dicha suma mínima, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 18 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar antes señalado en la cual el precio mínimo serán dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $40,000.00. De no haber remanente o adjudicación en esta segunda subasta por el tipo mínimo indicado en el párrafo anterior, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en el mismo lugar antes señalado el día 26 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:45 DE LA MAÑANA, en la cual el tipo mínimo aceptable como oferta será la mitad (1/2) del precio mínimo pactado en la escritura de hipoteca, la suma de $30,000.00. Si se declare desierta la tercera subasta se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo mínimo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. El Honorable Tribunal dictó Sentencia In Rem, declarando Con Lugar la demanda al incumplir la parte demandada con los términos del contrato hipotecario y ordenando la venta en pública subasta del inmueble antes descrito, determinando que existe un balance pendiente de pago ascendente a $32,530.34. Por motivo del descargo concedido, el presente reclamo es in rem, pues el descargo no afecta la exigibilidad del gravamen hipotecario, conforme a lo resuelto por el Tribunal Supremo de Estados Unidos en Johnson v. Home State Bank, 501 U.S. 78, 111 S. Ct. 2150, 115 L. Ed. 2d 66, 59 USLW 4609 (1991). Se dispone que una vez celebrada la subasta y vendido el inmueble relacionado, el alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial a los nuevos dueños dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la celebración de la Subasta. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del demandado/deudor la ocupen. El Alguacil de este Tribunal efectuará el lanzamiento de los ocupantes de ser necesario. Si la subasta es adjudicada a un tercero y luego se deja sin efecto, el tercero a favor de

quién se adjudicó la subasta solo tendrá derecho a la devolución del monto consignado más no tendrá derecho a entablar recurso o reclamo adicional alguno (judicial o extrajudicial) contra el demandante y/o el acreedor y/o inversionista, dueño pagaré y/o su abogado. Si se anula la venta, el comprador tendrá derecho a la devolución del depósito de la venta judicial menos los honorarios y costos incurridos en el proceso de venta judicial. No tendrá ningún otro recurso contra el acreedor hipotecario ejecutante ni la representación legal de éste. Por la presente, también se notifica e informa a la Autoridad para el Financiamiento de la Vivienda de Puerto Rico, por éstos contar con una hipoteca por la suma principal de $10,000.00, sin intereses, vencedero el día 18 de marzo de 2012, constituida mediante la escritura número 168, otorgada en San Juan, Puerto Rico, el día 18 de marzo de 2004, ante el notario Irma J. Planadeball Moreno, e inscrita al folio 149 del tomo 564 de Cayey, finca número 10,407, inscripción 6ta., y última. Sujeta a condiciones bajo el Programa La Llave para tu Hogar, vigentes por un término de 8 años. Además, se notifica e informa a Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal, personas desconocidas que puedan tener derechos en la propiedad o título objeto de este edicto. La Venta en Pública Subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga y gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la Primera, Segunda y Tercera Subasta, si eso fuera necesario, a los efectos de cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha Subasta. 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 del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes. Se entenderá que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría de este Tribunal durante horas laborables y para la concurrencia de los licitadores expido el presente Edicto que se publicará en un periódico de circulación diaria en toda la Isla de Puerto Rico por espacio dos (2) semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana y se fijará, además, en

el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Alcaldía y la Colecturía de Rentas Internas del Municipio donde se celebrará la Subasta y en la Colecturía más cercana del lugar de la residencia de la parte demandada. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente que firmo y sello, hoy día 29 de enero de 2026. EDGARDO ALDEBOL MIRANDA, ALGUACIL, SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SAN JUAN COMPU-LINK CORPORATION

DBA CELINK Demandante Vs. SUCESIÓN DE FLOR CARMONA CRUZ COMPUESTA POR BARBARA CARMONA ROSADO, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRE DESCONOCIDO Y LA SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL CARMONA MATOS COMPUESTA POR RAFAEL OMAR CARMONA MELÉNDEZ, OSVALDO CARMONA MELÉNDEZ, FULANO Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRE DESCONOCIDO; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA Demandados Civil Núm.: SJ2022CV02249. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA - IN REM. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. Al: PÚBLICO EN GENERAL.

A: SUCESIÓN DE FLOR CARMONA CRUZ COMPUESTA POR BARBARA CARMONA ROSADO, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRE DESCONOCIDO Y LA SUCESIÓN DE RAFAEL CARMONA MATOS COMPUESTA POR RAFAEL OMAR CARMONA MELÉNDEZ, OSVALDO CARMONA MELÉNDEZ, FULANO Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS

finca dentro de los veinte (20) días siguientes, si así lo estimare conveniente, por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Vega Baja. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda persona que tenga interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, si alguna, y para la concurrencia de licitadores y para el público en general el presente aviso se publicará en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, dos (2) veces por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones. Se fijará, además, por espacio de dos (2) semanas mediante avisos por escrito visiblemente colocados en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio donde ha de celebrarse la subasta, estos lugares son, por ejemplo: la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la comandancia de la Policía más cercana al Tribunal de Vega Baja. Se notificará a la parte demandada copia del edicto de subasta mediante correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. Expido el presente aviso bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal de Vega Baja. En Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, a 3 de febrero de 2026. ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, ALGUACIL

SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA

HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC.

Demandante V. DENNIS JAMES CAUFIELD, DOROTHY MARIE CAUFIELD Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados Civil Núm.: VB2024CV01081. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. AVISO DE SUBASTA. Yo, ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, Alguacil del Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de Vega Baja, al Público HAGO SABER: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que se me libró con fecha de 9 de enero de 2026 por la Secretaría de este Tribunal en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor con dinero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o letra bancaria con similar garantía, todo título, derecho o interés de la parte

demandada de epígrafe sobre la siguiente propiedad inmueble perteneciente a la parte demandada, la cual se describe a continuación: Propiedad Multivacacional: Unit week 34. Vacation Club Right corresponding to Unit A-506 of Hacienda del Mar, Vacation Club Regime, located in the Sabana Ward of the Municipality of Vega Alta. This specific vacation club right is coupled with a special property right to the above mentioned Unit A-506 and includes the right to use such unit during the 34 week of each year until December 31, of the year 2070, such week commencing at 12.00 noon on the 34 Saturday of each calendar year and ending at 12:00 noon of the same day of the following week, coupled with the membership in the Hyatt Vacation Club o a successor club. Notwithstanding this specific vacation club right allocation of a right to use a specific week in Unit A-506, the use of the said unit during the described time interval is subject to the exercise by the owner of certain priority rights during a fixed period of the time prior to the commencement of said interval. In the absence of such exercise, other owners of vacation club rights in the Haciendas del Mar, Vacation Club Regime and other owners of timeshare or vacation club rights in resorts throughout the world affiliated to the Hyatt Vacation Club, may use the unit to with this vacation right pertains during the above described interval on a first come, first serve reservation basis, and the owner of this vacation club right may use units of this Vacation Club Regime and in such other affiliated resorts, as more fully described in the Deed of Dedication of Hacienda del Mar, a Vacation Club Regime to the vacation club regime. Esta descripción de la propiedad corresponde a la finca número 13,494 inscrita al folio 1 del tomo 55 de Vega Alta, inscripción 1ra en el Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección III. La venta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a Hacienda del Mar Owners’ Association, Inc., el importe de la Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, por la siguiente cantidad: $5,457.41 por concepto de cuotas de mantenimiento de la unidad A506-34. La fecha y hora de la subasta es como sigue: SUBASTA: Se celebrará el día 5 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:10 DE LA MAÑANA. La subasta de dicha propiedad se llevará a efecto en mi oficina situada en el local que ocupa este Tribunal en el Centro Judicial de Vega Baja, advirtiéndose que el que obtuviere la buena pro de dicha propiedad consignará en el acto del remate el importe de su oferta en moneda legal, en adición a los gastos de la subasta, siendo éste el mejor postor. Se entenderá que todo licitador

acepta como bastante el título del inmueble y las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito del ejecutante, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistiendo, entendiéndose que el remanente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de estos sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remanente. Si se declara desierta la subasta se dará por terminado el procedimiento, pudiendo adjudicarse al demandante la finca dentro de los veinte (20) días siguientes, si así lo estimare conveniente, por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Vega Baja. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda persona que tenga interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, si alguna, y para la concurrencia de licitadores y para el público en general el presente aviso se publicará en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, dos (2) veces por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones. Se fijará, además, por espacio de dos (2) semanas mediante avisos por escrito visiblemente colocados en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio donde ha de celebrarse la subasta, estos lugares son, por ejemplo: la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la comandancia de la Policía más cercana al Tribunal de Vega Baja. Se notificará a la parte demandada copia del edicto de subasta mediante correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida.

Expido el presente aviso bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal de Vega Baja. En Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, a 3 de febrero de 2026. ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, ALGUACIL SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC.

Demandante V. FREDERICK ALAN HUSSONG, MARY

ELIZABETH HUSSONG Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados Civil Núm.: VB2024CV01085. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. AVISO DE SUBASTA. Yo, ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, Alguacil del Tribu-

nal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de Vega Baja, al Público HAGO SABER: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que se me libró con fecha de 27 de enero de 2026 por la Secretaría de este Tribunal en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor con dinero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o letra bancaria con similar garantía, todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada de epígrafe sobre la siguiente propiedad inmueble perteneciente a la parte demandada, la cual se describe a continuación: Propiedad Multivacacional: Unit week 46. Vacation Club Right corresponding to Unit A-602 of Hacienda del Mar, Vacation Club Regime, located in the Sabana Ward of the Municipality of Vega Alta. This specific vacation club right is coupled with a special property right to the above mentioned Unit A-602 and includes the right to use such unit during the 46 week of each year until December 31, of the year 2070, such week commencing at 12.00 noon on the 46 Saturday of each calendar year and ending at 12:00 noon of the same day of the following week, coupled with the membership in the Hyatt Vacation Club o a successor club. Notwithstanding this specific vacation club right allocation of a right to use a specific week in Unit A-602, the use of the said unit during the described time interval is subject to the exercise by the owner of certain priority rights during a fixed period of the time prior to the commencement of said interval. In the absence of such exercise, other owners of vacation club rights in the Haciendas del Mar, Vacation Club Regime and other owners of timeshare or vacation club rights in resorts throughout the world affiliated to the Hyatt Vacation Club, may use the unit to with this vacation right pertains during the above described interval on a first come, first serve reservation basis, and the owner of this vacation club right may use units of this Vacation Club Regime and in such other affiliated resorts, as more fully described in the Deed of Dedication of Hacienda del Mar, a Vacation Club Regime to the vacation club regime. Esta descripción de la propiedad corresponde a la finca número 17,851 inscrita al folio 66 móvil del tomo 359 de Vega Alta, inscripción 1ra en el Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección III. La venta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a Hacienda del Mar Owners’ Association, Inc., el importe de la Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, por la siguiente cantidad: $17,162.55 por concepto de cuotas de mantenimiento de la unidad A602-46. La fecha y hora de la subasta es como sigue: SUBASTA: Se celebrará

el día 5 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:20 DE LA MAÑANA. La subasta de dicha propiedad se llevará a efecto en mi oficina situada en el local que ocupa este Tribunal en el Centro Judicial de Vega Baja, advirtiéndose que el que obtuviere la buena pro de dicha propiedad consignará en el acto del remate el importe de su oferta en moneda legal, en adición a los gastos de la subasta, siendo éste el mejor postor. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante el título del inmueble y las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito del ejecutante, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistiendo, entendiéndose que el remanente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de estos sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remanente. Si se declara desierta la subasta se dará por terminado el procedimiento, pudiendo adjudicarse al demandante la finca dentro de los veinte (20) días siguientes, si así lo estimare conveniente, por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Vega Baja. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda persona que tenga interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, si alguna, y para la concurrencia de licitadores y para el público en general el presente aviso se publicará en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, dos (2) veces por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones. Se fijará, además, por espacio de dos (2) semanas mediante avisos por escrito visiblemente colocados en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio donde ha de celebrarse la subasta, estos lugares son, por ejemplo: la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la comandancia de la Policía más cercana al Tribunal de Vega Baja. Se notificará a la parte demandada copia del edicto de subasta mediante correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. Expido el presente aviso bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal de Vega Baja. En Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, a 3 de febrero de 2026. ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, ALGUACIL SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA

HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC. Demandante V.

LAWRENCE JEROME WEDEKIND; DEBORAH LYNN PYLE WEDEKIND

T/C/C DEBORAH LYNN WEDEKIND; Y LA SOCUEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Demandados Civil Núm.: VB2025CV00034. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. AVISO DE SUBASTA. Yo, ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, Alguacil del Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de Vega Baja, al Público HAGO SABER: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que se me libró con fecha de 17 de noviembre de 2025 por la Secretaría de este Tribunal en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor con dinero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o letra bancaria con similar garantía, todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada de epígrafe sobre la siguiente propiedad inmueble perteneciente a la parte demandada, la cual se describe a continuación: Propiedad Multivacacional: CONDOMINIO CLUB VACACIONAL HACIENDA DEL MAR de Vega Alta. Apartamento: B-312 SEMANA 32. Cabida: 104.53 Metros Cuadrados. CONDOMINIO CLUB VACACIONAL HACIENDA DEL MAR de Vega Alta. Apartamento: B-312 SEMANA 32. Vacation Club Regime, located in the Sabana Ward of the Municipality of Vega Alta. This specific vacation club right is coupled with a special property right to the above mentioned Unit B-312, and includes the right to use such unit during the 32 week of each year until December 31 of the year 2070, such week commencing at 12:00 noon on the 32 Saturday of each calendar year and ending at 12:00 noon of the same day of the following week, coupled with the membership in the Hyatt Vacation Club o a successor club. Notwithstanding this specific vacation club right allocation of a right to use a specific week in Unit B-312, the use of the said unit during the described time interval is subject to the exercise by the owner of certain priority rights during a fixed period of the time prior to the commencement of said interval. In the absence of such exercise, other owners of vacation club rights in the HACIENDA DEL MAR, VACATION CLUB REGIME and other owners of timeshare or vacation club rights in resorts throughout the world affiliated to the Hyatt Vacation Club, may use the unit to with this vacation right pertains during the above described interval on a first come, first serve reservation basis, and the owner of this vacation club right may use units of this Vacation

Club Regime and in such owner affiliated resorts, as more fully described in the Deed of Dedication of Hacienda del Mar, a Vacation Club Regime to the vacation club regime. This vacation club right has been assigned a share of 1/52 1.2575% in the Facilities and common expenses of the vacation club regime. Se separa del Régimen Vacacional Haciendas del Mar, inscrito al Folio 91, del Tomo 232 de Vega Alta, Finca número 14148. Esta descripción de la propiedad corresponde a la finca número 20,733 inscrita en el tomo telemático Karibe de Vega Alta, inscripción 1ra en el Registro de la Propiedad de Bayamón, Sección III. La venta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a Hacienda del Mar Owners’ Association, Inc., el importe de la Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, por la siguiente cantidad: $10,231.83 por concepto de cuotas de mantenimiento de la unidad B312-32. La fecha y hora de la subasta es como sigue: SUBASTA: Se celebrará el día 5 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA. La subasta de dicha propiedad se llevará a efecto en mi oficina situada en el local que ocupa este Tribunal en el Centro Judicial de Vega Baja, advirtiéndose que el que obtuviere la buena pro de dicha propiedad consignará en el acto del remate el importe de su oferta en moneda legal, en adición a los gastos de la subasta, siendo éste el mejor postor. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante el título del inmueble y las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito del ejecutante, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistiendo, entendiéndose que el remanente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de estos sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remanente. Si se declara desierta la subasta se dará por terminado el procedimiento, pudiendo adjudicarse al demandante la finca dentro de los veinte (20) días siguientes, si así lo estimare conveniente, por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Vega Baja. Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda persona que tenga interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, si alguna, y para la concurrencia de licitadores y para el público en general el presente aviso se publicará en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, dos (2) veces por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones.

Se fijará, además, por espacio de dos (2) semanas mediante

avisos por escrito visiblemente colocados en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio donde ha de celebrarse la subasta, estos lugares son, por ejemplo: la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la comandancia de la Policía más cercana al Tribunal de Vega Baja. Se notificará a la parte demandada copia del edicto de subasta mediante correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. Expido el presente aviso bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal de Vega Baja. En Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, a 3 de febrero de 2026. ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, ALGUACIL SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA BAJA

HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC. Demandante V. TATIANA SUVALIAN Demandada Civil Núm.: VB2025CV00050. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. AVISO DE SUBASTA. Yo, ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, Alguacil del Tribunal Superior de Puerto Rico, Sala de Vega Baja, al Público HAGO SABER: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que se me libró con fecha de 12 de enero de 2026 por la Secretaría de este Tribunal en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor con dinero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o letra bancaria con similar garantía, todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada de epígrafe sobre la siguiente propiedad inmueble perteneciente a la parte demandada, la cual se describe a continuación: Propiedad Multivacacional: CONDOMINIO CLUB VACACIONAL HACIENDA DEL MAR de Vega Alta. Apartamento Multivacacional: A-703 SEMANA 19. Cabida: 101.42 Metros Cuadrados. This specific vacation club right is coupled with a special property right to the above mentioned Unit A-703 and includes the right to use such unit during the 19th week of each year until December 31, of the year 2070, such week commencing at 12:00 noon on the 19th Saturday of each calendar year and ending at 12:00 noon of the same day of the following week, coupled with the membership in the Hyatt Vacation Club o a successor club. Notwithstanding this specific vacation club right allocation of a right to use a specific week in Unit A-703, the use of the said unit during the described time interval is subject to the exercise by the owner of certain priority rights during a fixed period of the time prior to the commencement of

said interval. In the absence of such exercise, other owners of vacation club rights in the Haciendas del Mar, Vacation Club Regime and other owners of timeshare or vacation club rights in resorts throughout the world affiliated to the Hyatt Vacation Club, may use the unit to with this vacation right pertains during the above described interval on a first come, first serve reservation basis, and the owner of this vacation club right may use units of this Vacation Club Regime and in such other affiliated resorts, as more fully described in the Deed of Dedication of Haciendas del Mar, Vacation Club Regime to the vacation club regime. This vacation club right has been assigned a share of 1/52 of 2.63132% in the facilities and common expenses of the vacation club regime. Se separa del Régimen Vacacional Haciendas del Mar, inscrita al folio 160 del tomo 232 de Vega Alta finca 12663. Esta descripción de la propiedad corresponde a la finca número 17,807 inscrita en virtud de la Escritura Pública número 87 otorgada en Cataño a 30 de abril de 2018 ante el Notario Público Ian Marini Biaggi, inscrito en Sistema Karibe de Vega Alta, según inscripción 5ta. La venta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a Hacienda del Mar Owners’ Association, Inc., el importe de la Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, por la siguiente cantidad: $14,624.49 por concepto de cuotas de mantenimiento de la unidad A703-19. La fecha y hora de la subasta es como sigue: SUBASTA: Se celebrará el día 5 DE MARZO DE 2026, A LAS 9:40 DE LA MAÑANA. La subasta de dicha propiedad se llevará a efecto en mi oficina situada en el local que ocupa este Tribunal en el Centro Judicial de Vega Baja, advirtiéndose que el que obtuviere la buena pro de dicha propiedad consignará en el acto del remate el importe de su oferta en moneda legal, en adición a los gastos de la subasta, siendo éste el mejor postor. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante el título del inmueble y las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito del ejecutante, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistiendo, entendiéndose que el remanente los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de estos sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remanente. Si se declara desierta la subasta se dará por terminado el procedimiento, pudiendo adjudicarse al demandante la finca dentro de los veinte (20) días siguientes, si así lo estimare conveniente, por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento del caso de epígrafe están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal de Vega Baja.

Para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda persona que tenga interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción del gravamen que se está ejecutando, si alguna, y para la concurrencia de licitadores y para el público en general el presente aviso se publicará en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, dos (2) veces por espacio de dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones. Se fijará, además, por espacio de dos (2) semanas mediante avisos por escrito visiblemente colocados en tres (3) lugares públicos del Municipio donde ha de celebrarse la subasta, estos lugares son, por ejemplo: la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la comandancia de la Policía más cercana al Tribunal de Vega Baja. Se notificará a la parte demandada copia del edicto de subasta mediante correo certificado con acuse de recibo a la última dirección conocida. Expido el presente aviso bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal de Vega Baja. En Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, a 3 de febrero de 2026. ALG. FREDDY OMAR RODRÍGUEZ COLLAZO, ALGUACIL SUPERIOR. ***

LEGAL NOTICE

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

MORENO DEL VALLE V. CARLOS V SOTO RIVERA Caso Núm.: CG2025RF00066. Sobre: ALIMENTOS. NOTIFICACIÓN - CITACIÓN PARA VISTA POR EDICTO.

A: CARLOS V SOTO RIVERA; PC LCDA VANESSA RODRIGUEZ PEREZ.

Se le requiere que comparezca ante el (la) Examinador(a) de Pensiones Alimentarias NORMARIE RIVERA MALAVE para que muestre causa por la cual no deba dictarse sentencia, resolución u orden, según lo solicitado en la Petición presentada por la parte demandante en relación con su obligación de prestar alimentos a favor de los (las) menores habidos entre las partes: CYSM, MYSM, CYSM Y YASM (iniciales del (de los) menores). La Vista se celebrará: por videoconferencia. Fecha: 23 de febrero de 2026. Hora: 9:30 de la mañana. Por ser este un procedimiento expedito de alimentos, se le advierte, que de estar debidamente citado(a) y no comparecer a la vista, el (la) Examinador(a), conforme dispone el Art. 13 inciso C. de la Ley Orgánica de la ASUME, podrá celebrar la vista en su ausencia y reco-

mendar que se dicte orden de pensión alimentaria o filiación. Se incluye copia de la Petición. Usted deberá llenar en su totalidad la Planilla de Información Personal y Económica (PIPE) (OAT 435) y entregarla a este Tribunal en un término de cinco (5) días antes de la Vista ante el (la) Examinador(a). La Planilla deberá ser juramentada antes de entregarla. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, en Caguas, Puerto Rico el 22 de diciembre de 2025. IRASEMIS DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. BRENDA L. ACEVEDO AYALA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE ARECIBO MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC

Demandante V. LA SUCESIÓN DE ALBERTO PÉREZ PÉREZ, COMPUESTA POR CARMEN DELIA PEREZ

CHICO, ANA C. PEREZ

CHICO, ZILMA PEREZ

CHICO, AIDEE PEREZ

CHICO, JUAN PEREZ

CHICO, MARGARITA PEREZ PEREZ, CARMEN DELIA PEREZ PEREZ Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS

DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN; LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA TERESA CHICO CABRERA COMPUESTA CARMEN DELIA PEREZ CHICO, ANA C. PEREZ CHICO, ZILMA PEREZ CHICO, AIDEE PEREZ CHICO, JUAN PEREZ CHICO, Y MENGANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN, CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA

Demandados

Civil Núm.: AR2025CV02068. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE INTERPELACIÓN. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. A: LA SUCESIÓN DE ALBERTO PÉREZ PÉREZ, COMPUESTA POR CARMEN DELIA PEREZ

CHICO, ANA C. PEREZ

CHICO, ZILMA PEREZ

CHICO, AIDEE PEREZ

CHICO, JUAN PEREZ CHICO, MARGARITA

PEREZ PEREZ, CARMEN DELIA PEREZ PEREZ Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON INTERÉS EN LA SUCESIÓN; LA SUCESIÓN DE MARÍA TERESA CHICO CABRERA COMPUESTA CARMEN DELIA PEREZ CHICO, ANA C. PEREZ CHICO, ZILMA PEREZ CHICO, AIDEE PEREZ CHICO, JUAN PEREZ CHICO, 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, ALBERTO PÉREZ PÉREZ y MARÍA TERESA CHICO CABRERA. 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 28 de enero de 2026. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA GENERAL. SANDRA DÍAZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBU-

NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYNABO

ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC

Demandante V. ISAAC ORTIZ ROMERO Demandado(a) Caso Núm.: GB2025CV00316. (Salón: 201). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - ORDINARIO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. NATALIE BONAPARTE SERVERANATALIE.BONAPARTE@ORF-LAW. COM.

A: ISAAC ORTIZ ROMERO - BO GUARAGUAO, CARR 833 SECTOR NIEVES PADILLA, GUAYNABO PR 00971; HC 01 BOX 6367, GUAYNABO PR 00970. (Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 21 de enero 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 09 de febrero de 2026. En Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, el 09 de febrero de 2026. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. SARA ROSA VILLEGAS, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO POR SI

Y EN REP DE DAVID

MICHAEL COLON

GEIGER T/C/C DAVID

MICHAEL COLON; RICHARD NICHOLAS

COLON GEIGER T/C/C

RICHARD NICHOLAS

Y LA SOC LEGLA DE

BIENES GANANCIALES

Demandante V. BANKERS FINANCE MORTGAGE CORP Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: CA2025CV03497. (Civil 403). Sobre: CANCELACIÓN O RESTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. ANTONIO A. HERNÁNDEZ ALMODÓVAR - AHERNANDEZ@ RMMELAW.COM. A: BANKERS FINANCE MORTGAGE CORPORATION, JOHN DOE, RICHARD DOE. (Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 04 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 10 de febrero de 2026. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, el 10 de febrero de 2026. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA. WANDA DÍAZ GUZMÁN, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE CAGUAS

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. SUGEI DE LOS SANTOS SÁNCHEZ

Demandada Civil Núm.: CG2025CV03644. Sobre: INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO; COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE GRAVAMEN MOBILIARIO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: SUGEI DE LOS SANTOS SÁNCHEZ. Por la presente se le notifica

que ha sido presentada en este Tribunal una Demanda en su contra en el pleito de epígrafe. El abogado de la parte demandante es el Lcdo. Jean Paul Juliá Díaz, Rivera-Munich & Hernández Law Offices, P.S.C.; P.O. Box 364908, San Juan, PR 00936-4908; Tel. (787) 6222323 / Fax (787) 622-2320. Se le advierte que este Edicto se publicará en un (1) periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda radicando el original de la misma a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal Superior, Sala de Caguas, con copia al abogado de la parte demandante, dentro del término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la publicación del Edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. En un término de diez (10) días a partir de la publicación de este Edicto, la parte demandante le notificará por correo certificado con acuse de recibo copias del Emplazamiento por Edicto y de la Demanda a su última dirección conocida: Urb. Villa Nueva, Z-29 Calle 4, Caguas, Puerto Rico 00725. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, Caguas, Puerto Rico, a 6 de febrero de 2026. IRASEMIS DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. MARTA E. DONATE RESTO, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN

MIEMBROS DE LA SUCESION MARIA

MAGDALENA FIGUEROA

GONZALEZ

Demandante V. SUCESION EDUARDO RUBIO FIGUEROA; SUCESION EDUARDO RAFAEL RUBIO RIVERA; SUCESION FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ FIGUEROA; SUCESION EVELYN YOLANDA RUBIO

FIGUEROA Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: BY2025CV04424. (Salón: 403). Sobre: DIVISIÓN O LIQUIDACIÓN DE LA COMUNIDAD DE BIENES HEREDITARIOS. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. MÓNICA EUNICE BURGOS BERMÚDEZMONICABURGOSBERMUDEZ@

GMAIL.COM. A: SUCESIÓN DE EVELYN YOLANDA RUBIO FIGUEROA, COMPUESTA POR SUS HIJOS: I. ARAMIS JOSEAN RUBIO II. DANIEL ORTIZ RUBIO III. ARAMIS EEMANUEL ORTIZ RUBIO Y; IV. CHRISTIAN ENRIQUE VARGAS RUBIO, A: SUCESIÓN EDUARDO RUBIO FIGUEROA, COMPUESTA POR: I. FÉLIX EDUARDO RUBIO FIGUEROA II. VANESSA RUBIO VÁZQUEZ Y: III. EDUARDO RAFAEL RUBIO RIVERA A: SUCESIÓN DE FRANCISCO HERNÁNDEZ FIGUEROA T/C/C FRANCISCO HERNÁNDEZ, COMPUESTA POR: I. REY FRANCISCO HERNÁNDEZ RIVERA II. MARIBEL HERNÁNDEZ RIVERA III. AIDA LUZ HERNÁNDEZ RIVERA IV. FRANKY OMAR HERNÁNDEZ PIZARRO Y; V. MIRIAM ANDALUZ VÁZQUEZ, EN LA CUOTA VIUDAL USUFRUCTUARIA A: SUCESIÓN DE EDUARDO RAFAEL RUBIO RIVERA COMPUESTA POR: EDWARD IVÁN RUBIO SOLARES A: ARAMIS

JOSEAN RUBIO, DANIEL ORTIZ RUBIO, CHRISTIAN ENRIQUE VARGAS RUBIO, POR SI Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SUCESIÓN DE EVELYN YOLANDA RUBIO FIGUEROA SUCESIÓN DE ARAMIS EEMANUEL ORTIZ RUBIO, COMPUESTA POR ANGELINA ORTIZ, POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SUCESIÓN DE EVELYN YOLANDA RUBIO FIGUEROA, AIDA LUZ HERNANDEZ RIVERA, POR SI Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SUCESIÓN DE FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ FIGUEROA, T/C/C FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ; FELIX EDUARDO RUBIO

FIGUEROA, POR SI Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SUCESIÓN DE EDUARDO

RUBIO FIGUEROA T/C/C EDUARDO RUBIO Y JOHN Y JANE DOS COMO MIEMBROS

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 Artículo 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 Toa Alta, 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. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. MARITZA BONILLA HERNÁNDEZ, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA PUERTO RICO CONSUMER DEBT MANAGEMENT CO., INC. Vs IRELIS VILLEGAS FIOL, Y OTROS Demandado

Caso Núm.: CA2025CV03492. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO, INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CONTRATO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: IRELIS VILLEGAS FIOL Y ESPOSO(A) Y/0 PAREJA JOHN (JANE) DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES Y/O COMUNIDAD DE BIENES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS - HC 1 BOX 11047, CAROLINA, PR 00987-9652. Por la presente se le notifica que se ha radicado una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero e Incumplimiento de Contrato contra IRELIS VILLEGAS FIOL 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 con-

testar 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. Por Orden del Honorable Juez del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Carolina, 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 14 de enero de 2026. LCDA. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. LOURDES DÍAZ MEDINA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL I. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE LAS PIEDRAS

COOPERATIVE DE AHORRO Y CREDITO DE CAGUAS

Demandante Vs MELENDEZ DE LA ROSA, YAJAIRA, Y ESPOSO(A) Y/O PAREJA JOHN (JANE) DOE, Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES Y/O COMUNIDAD DE BIENES ENTRE AMBOS

Demandado

Caso Núm.: CG2025CV03514.

Sala: 801. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL PUEBLO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: MELENDEZ DE LA ROSA, YAJAIRA - HC 5 BOX 4768, LAS PIEDRAS, PR 00771.

Por la presente se le notifica que se ha radicado una Demanda en Cobro de Dinero e Incumplimiento de Contrato contra MELENDEZ DE LA ROSA, YAJAIRA 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 Artículo 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 CAGUAS, 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. IRASEMIS

DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. SANDRA J. TRINIDAD CAÑUELAS, SECRETARIA

AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE AIBONITO TEÓFILO MATEO RODRÍGUEZ; EDNA MARTÍNEZ LATORRE

EX-PARTE

Civil Núm.: AI2026CV00022.

Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: PERSONAS IGNORADAS, SUCN. DE TEÓFILO MATEO HERNÁNDEZ, SUCN. DE CÉSAR MATEO RODRÍGUEZ, AMELIO COLÓN Y/O SU SUCESIÓN, JUANA FORTIS O SU SUCESIÓN Y ALICIA MATEO RODRÍGUEZ, 57 BATES ST. 301, FALL RIVER, MA 02724. Por la presente se le notifica a usted que se ha presentado ante este Tribunal el expediente arriba mencionado, con el fin de justificar e inscribir a favor de los Promoventes, el dominio que tiene sobre la

siguiente finca: “RÚSTICA”: Predio de terreno identificado como parcela uno (1) en el plano de inscripción, y radicado en el barrio Botijas del término municipal de Orocovis, Puerto Rico, compuesto de QUINIENTOS METROS CUADRADOS (500.0000 M.C.), equivalente a CERO PUNTO CIENTO VEINTISIETE CUERDA (0.127 CDA.); en lindes por el NORTE, con remanente de la finca principal; por el SUR, con remanente y con parcela dedicada a uso público que la separa de carretera asfaltada; por el ESTE, parcela dedicada a uso público que lo separa de carretera asfaltada y por el OESTE, con remanente de la finca principal. Alega la parte Peticionaria que adquirió la finca descrita mediante escritura número 129 del 14 de septiembre de 1999, otorgada en Orocovis, Puerto Rico, ante el Notario Pedro L. Rubero Rivera. Es abogado de la parte Peticionaria: LIC. JORGE M. DIAZ RODRIGUEZ, PO BOX 852, NARANJITO, P.R. 00719-0852, TELEFONO: (787) 869-4042, jorgemdiazrodriguez@gmail.com. Este Tribunal ordenó que se publique la pretensión por tres veces durante el término de veinte días en un periódico de circulación general diaria, para que los que tengan algún derecho real sobre el inmueble descrito, las personas ignoradas a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción, Sucn. de Teófilo Mateo Hernández, Sucn. de César Mateo Rodríguez, Amelio Colón y/o su sucesión, Juana Fortis y/o su sucesión y Alicia Mateo Rodríguez, 57 Bates St. 301, Fall River, MA 02724, y en general, a todos los que desearen oponerse, entre ellos los colindantes, puedan efectuarlo dentro del término de veinte días a partir de la última publicación del presente edicto. Usted deberá presentar su posición a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y manejo 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 posición en la secretaría del tribunal. Por tanto, libro la presente en Aibonito, Puerto Rico, hoy día 29 de enero de 2026. MAYRA L. CABRERA GARCÍA, SECRETARIA. MARITZA APONTE RODRÍGUEZ, SUBSECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SAN GERMAN. ANA IRIS

MARTINEZ RUIZ

Peticionaria EX PARTE

BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ RUIZ, también conocido por bienvenido martinez,

por BENITO MARTINEZ Causante CIVIL NUM: SG2026CV00083. SOBRE: DECLARATORIA DE HEREDEROS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNINDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE EE. UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. A: bienvenido martinez, FULANO DE TAL, FULANA DE TAL y/o Cualquier otra persona de nombre desconocido con grado de consanguinidad, parentesco o afinidad y con interés en los bienes y pasivos del caudal relicto de la Sucesión de BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ RUIZ, también conocido por BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ y por BENITO MARTINEZ; cuyas circunstancias personales, dirección postal y residencial son desconocidas De: ANA IRIS MARTINEZ RUIZ

Por la presente se le notifica a usted que la parte peticionaria Ana Iris Martínez Ruiz, ha presentado ante este Tribunal petición de declaratoria de herederos, solicitando la concesión del siguiente remedio: Se dicte Resolución declarando a FERNANDO MARTINEZ RUIZ Y ana iris martinez ruiz, hijos que le sobreviven; y EDISON MARTINEZ, JR. y ERICA MARTINEZ, nietos que le sobreviven en representación de su hijo Edison Martínez Ruiz, también conocido por Edison Martínez quien le premurió, como los únicos y universales herederos de BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ RUIZ, también conocido por BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ y por BENITO MARTINEZ. Representa a la parte peticionaria la abogada cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato:

LCDA. MARGGIE RODRIGUEZ PEREZ

RUA NUM. 20,363 #182 CALLE RAMON EMETERIO BETANCES SUR MAYAGUEZ, PUERTO RICO 00680

TEL. (787)265-1111 e-mail: mrplawoffices@gmail.com Se le apercibe que conforme al Artículo 552 del Código de Enjuiciamiento Civil de Puerto Rico, 32 L.P.R.A. sec. 2301, la peticionaria de epígrafe anuncia el fallecimiento de BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ

RUIZ, también conocido por BIENVENIDO MARTINEZ y por BENITO MARTINEZ el día el 15 de febrero de 2008 en la ciudad de San Germán, Puerto Rico. Los nombres de los hijos que le sobreviven al causante son: FERNANDO MARTINEZ RUIZ Y ana iris martinez ruiz. Por lo que se hace un llamado a Cualquier otra persona de

nombre desconocido con grado de consanguinidad, parentesco o afinidad y con interés en los bienes y pasivos del caudal relicto de la Sucesión de Carmen Reyes Ruiz Ortiz, o a los que se crean con igual grado o mejor derecho para que comparezcan a reclamar dentro de un término de treinta (30) días a contar de la publicación del edicto. El presente edicto se publicará UNA VEZ, en un periódico de circulación diaria general en la Isla de Puerto Rico. Que de no comparecer los que se crean con igual grado o mejor derecho a reclamar dentro del plazo de treinta (30) días a contar de la fecha de la publicación del edicto, apreciadas las pruebas, se dictará el auto, según lo previsto por la ley del caso, haciendo declaración de las personas con derecho a la herencia sin más citarle ni oírle. Por haber la peticionaria acreditado las gestiones para conocer la identidad y circunstancias personales de algunos de los herederos, y no conociendo las mismas; se le ha relevado del cumplimiento de notificación de la copia de la petición y del emplazamiento por edicto. Deberán comparecer a través del SISTEMA Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual podrán acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su comparecencia en la secretaria del Tribunal. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 5 de febrero de 2026. Lcda Norma Santana Irizarry, Secretario(a) Regional. Yarelis Perez Castillo Secretario(a) Auxiliar del Tribunal.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE VEGA ALTA MARIA DE LA CARIDAD BETANCOURT TRUJILLO Peticionaria

EX PARTE; JUAN RAMON MARRERO MONTAÑEZ Causante

Civil Núm.: VA2025CV00257. Sobre: DECLARATORIA DE HEREDEROS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: SUCESION DE JUAN RAMON MARRERO MONTAÑEZ COMPUESTA POR: FULANO(A) DE TAL O SEA, LA PARTE ARRIBA MENCIONADA. POR LA PRESENTE, conforme al Artículo 552 del Código de Enjuiciamiento Civil de Puerto Rico (32 L.P.R.A. § 2301),

el Tribunal anuncia el fallecimiento de DON JUAN RAMON MARRERO MONTAÑEZ, quien falleció sin dejar testamento el día 14 de abril de 2020, y la Petición sobre Declaratoria de Herederos presentada por la Sra. María De La Caridad Trujillo, peticionaria de epígrafe. Se le emplaza para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la petición sobre Declaratoria de Herederos dentro de los treinta (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://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelectronico/, salvo que el caso sea un expediente físico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal.

LCDA. KEILA L. DIAZ CRUZ

Número del Tribunal Supremo: 22,181 703 CASIMIRO DUCHESNE, VILLA PRADES, SAN JUAN, PR 00924 TEL. (787) 743-8140 EMAIL: kdestudiolegal@gmail.com Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el Tribunal al amparo del Artículo 552 del Código de Enjuiciamiento Civil de Puerto Rico, podrá conceder el que expida la Declaratoria de Herederos solicitada, haciendo declaración de las personas con derecho a la herencia. Las que comparezcan a consecuencia de dichos llamamientos deberán expresar por escrito y bajo juramento el grado de parentesco en que se hallen con el causante de la herencia, si no tuviesen a su disposición documentos que los justifiquen. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. NOTIFÍQUESE. Dada en Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, a 9 de febrero de 2026. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL INTERINA. MARITZA ROSARIO ROSA-

RIO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR TRIBUNAL I. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE PONCE SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE FIRST BANK PUERTO RICO Demandante V. JOHN DOE Y OTROS Demandado(a) Caso Núm.: PO2025CV03478. (Salón: 601 CIVIL SUPERIOR). Sobre: CANCELACIÓN O RESTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

LUIS F. PIÑEIRO ENRIQUEZLAWPINEIRO@YAHOO.COM.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE. (Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 04 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 09 de febrero de 2026. En Ponce, Puerto Rico, el 09 de febrero de 2026. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA. JOAN ROSARIO ALBINO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

Guillermo J. Valero Colón y Ana C. Colón López notifican que cesaron todas sus funciones como accionistas de Valco Pharmaceutical Corp (Registo número 52162), operando como Farmacia Central. Los nuevos accionistas son Mey Ling Reytor Gonzalez y Fernando Arenal Cruz. Firmado el 7 de enero de 2026. Efectivo y presentado al Departamento de Estado el 8 de enero de 2026.

How to Play:

Fill in the empty fields with the numbers from 1 through 9.

Sudoku Rules:

Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every 3x3 square must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Crossword

Sudoku Wordsearch

Down

1. "Was ____ hard on him?"

2. Punch in the gut responses

3. Blow gently

4. Start the pot

5. Mineral suffix

6. The Met alternative

7. ____ the buzzer

8. "Piece of cake"

9. Ms. Redgrave

10. Ore. neighbor

11. "___ will not!"

12. Screw things up

13. Cub's home

18. With fervor

22. "Sit, ___, sit" (TV phrase)

24. "Clan of the Cave Bear" author Jean

26. Cows chew them

27. Funds, as a school

28. ___-Grain cereal bars

29. Get melodramatic

30. Cause of some weather conditions

31. Gene material

32. Wight and Capri

33. Former U.N. chief Kofi ___

34. "Jack & ___" (1982 chart-topper)

38. Lindros of the NHL

40. "I knew it!"

41. Brewer's malt infusion

44. Run-of-the-mill

46. Better halves

49. Wind dir.

50. Pinball player's aim

51. With no sweat

55. Thespian's quest

56. Scoreboard stat

58. Container weight

59. Adam's grandson

60. Wife of a rajah

70. Sun protection

71. Mon., on Tues.

72. "____ can!" (positive mantra)

61. B-ball players' stats.

62. Spa sound, say

63. Road, in Rome

64. At wit's ___

66. Guitar closer

Santurce rallies on home court, stays undefeated in LVSF

By THE STAR STAFF

The Cangrejeras of Santurce remained undefeated, the Leonas of Ponce dominated the Pinkin of Corozal in straight sets, and the Atenienses of Manatí split points in a dramatic five-setter against the Valencianas of Juncos to close out Week 5 of play in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) on Sunday.

At the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey, the Criollas of Caguas couldn’t hold onto a 2-0 lead in sets or a 23-20 advantage in the third set, ultimately falling in five sets to the Cangrejeras.

Diana Reyes attacked effectively through the middle to give the Criollas a 23-20 lead in the pivotal third set, but that was the extent of the Caguas offense.

Santurce responded with a 5-0 run that

block on Valeria Flores to close out the set.

After winning the fourth set by nine points, Santurce opened the fifth by taking the first four points, all on blocks, to take command. The Cangrejeras reached set point at 14-9 with an attack from zone four by Otene, and sealed the four-point margin of victory after an attack by Jenaisya Moore went outside the lines.

The set scores were 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-14 and 15-11.

The Cangrejeras improved to 9-0 record and added two points for an accumulated 24 points, while the Criollas added one point to hold onto second place with a 7-5 record and 22 points.

lowed by Moore (22) and Flores (11). In team statistics, Santurce prevailed 75-59 in attacks, 16-10 in blocks, 117-112 in defense, 65-56 in passing and 39-22 in assists. Caguas had a 5-4 advantage in service aces.

Other results from the night In Manatí, the Atenienses (4-7, 14 points) defended their home court and defeated the Valencianas (3-9, 10 points) 3-2 at Juan Aubín Cruz Coliseum.

Set scores: 17-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-23 and 15-8

In Ponce, the Leonas (4-7, 11 points) dominated the Pinkin (6-5, 18 points) 3-0 at Salvador Dijols Court.

included an attack from zone two by Tamara Otene, two spikes from zone four by Helena Grozer, an attack from outside the lines by Génesis Collazo from the back row, and a

A balanced Santurce offense was led by Grozer’s 23 points, followed by Otene (21 points), Andrea Rangel (17), Neira Ortiz (14), and Shirley Florian (10).

Collazo led Caguas with 25 points, fol-

Set scores: 25-20, 25-18 and 25-22 Week 6 begins Wednesday with three matches: Cangrejeras at Atenienses, 8:30 p.m.; Leonas at Valencianas, 8:30 p.m.; and Criollas at Pinkin, 8 p.m.

The jumps that knocked Ilia Malinin off the podium

By ASHLEY CAI, WEIYI CAI, BORA ERDEN, LAZARO GAMIO, JERÉ LONGMAN, JOE WARD and JEREMY WHITE

What seemed inevitable for Ilia Malinin became inconceivable.

He was heavily favored last Friday to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s figure skating. His primary rival from Japan had just skated a shaky performance in the long program. He probably would not even need his signature quadruple axel to win easily.

And then Malinin, 21, imploded in a shocking collapse, succumbing to the enormous pressure of his first Winter Games and finishing an incomprehensible eighth after falling twice.

Malinin is the greatest figure skater of his generation, but even the best Olympic athletes can succumb to pressure or a loss of assurance — Mikaela Shiffrin struggling with a mental block in the slalom, Simone Biles losing her positioning in the air in gymnastics. Still, Friday ranked as one of the most unexpected breakdowns in international sports since Germany humiliated host Brazil, 7-1, at the 2014 soccer World Cup.

The eventual figure skating champion, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan (291.58 points), put his hands over his mouth in disbelief when he realized he had won the gold medal, climbing from fifth place after the short program to the overall champion. He is the former Soviet republic’s first Olympic figure skating champion and only its second gold medalist in any sport at the Winter Games since the country first competed as an independent nation in 1994.

Malinin, nicknamed the Quad God, fell from first place after the short program to eighth place overall with 264.49 points — more than 69 points lower than his personal-best competition score of 333.81.

Heading into the free skate, the only real anticipation was whether he would become the first person to land a quad axel in the Olympics. Only Malinin has completed the jump in any competition. It involves a forward takeoff and thus requires 4 1/2 revolutions in the air.

After other competitors had stumbled, it seemed that Malinin could win with restraint, quite likely needing only three or four clean quad jumps to win a second gold medal at these Milan Cortina Games after the United States took first in the team competition.

But Malinin, a native of Virginia, was not at his best during these Olympics. He seemed vulnerable, somewhat overwhelmed by the scale of the moment.

His free skate started assuredly enough as Malinin landed a quad flip and received a nearly perfect score of 15.84 points. Next came the axel. He appeared to be attempting the unprecedented quad, the NBC commentator Johnny Weir said on air, but instead Malinin popped the jump, and it became a single axel. A quad axel has a base score of 12.50

Ilia Malinin of the United States was heavily favored on Friday to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s figure skating. He then imploded in a shocking collapse, succumbing to the enormous pressure of his first Winter Games and finishing an incomprehensible eighth. (Photographs and composite image by Jeremy White/The New York Times)

points, with an additional 5 points possible with an impeccable degree of execution, but Malinin received little more than a point for the aborted effort.

He landed a quad lutz, the second most difficult four-revolution jump, but downgraded a quad loop to a double loop and then fell on a second quad lutz. He then landed a quad toe loop but dropped to the ice again on an attempted quad salchow.

He lost almost 72 points on those unexpected jumping mistakes, Tara Lipinski, the stunned commentator and 1998 Olympic women’s champion, said on air.

“I was not expecting that,” Malinin said to NBC. “I felt like going into this competition I was so ready. But I think, maybe, I was too confident that it was going to go well.”

February 17, 2026 23

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21