News Articles

John F. McKeon For three decades, Section 936 of the US Internal Revenue Code served as the linchpin of Puerto Rico’s industrial strategy, reportedly transforming the island into a manufacturing hub by allowing US corporations to repatriate profits nearly tax-free. Section 936 (also known as the Possession Tax Credit) was a provision in our tax code enacted in 1976 ostensibly to encourage business investment in Puerto Rico and other US territories. The provision successfully

M.A. Dworkin San Juan, PR - Puerto Rico’s Republican Governor signed a law that amends a law to recognize an unborn baby as a human being, which opponents argue could eventually lead to outlawing abortion in the U.S. Territory. Governor Jennifer Gonzalez, a supporter of President Donald Trump, said the law aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the unborn child as a human being. The amendment, in Senate Bill 923, altered

M.A. Dworkin San Juan - Spain is considering a historic proposal that would allow Puerto Ricans with ancestors born in Spanish-controlled Puerto Rico before 1898 to reclaim Spanish - and by extension, European Union - citizenship, as a form of “reparative justice.” While not yet official law, the initiative, referred to as “Ley de Nacionalidad Reparativa,” aims to restore nationality lost 127 years ago after the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which was signed by the United Stat

M.A. Dworkin Puerto Rico - The United States has quietly reactivated the former Roosevelt Roads Naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, while bringing in F-35s, a carrier strike group, bombers, and amphibious forces across the Caribbean. Roosevelt Roads, the sprawling Cold War-era naval hub that Washington shuttered in 2004, is quietly back in operation. According to a recent report coming out of Roosevelt Roads, accompanied by corroborating satellite imagery, U.S. forces ha

M.A. Dworkin Puerto Rico - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), acting under the direction of the Department of War (DoD), has issued a new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) establishing temporary flight restrictions over an area off the southeast coast of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The order, identified as FDC 5/9106, takes effect on November 1, 2025, and will remain active through March 31, 2026. According to the FAA, the restrictions are for “Special Security Reaso

M.A. Dworkin San Juan, Puerto Rico - JetBlue recently unveiled Isla del Bluencanto, a Boricua - inspired Painted Aircraft. JetBlue’s vibrant new aircraft livery, designed by Puerto Rican artist Juan Gutierrez Roira (aka The Stencil Network), is a magnificently colorful design, which was chosen by the public, painted on an Airbus A320. The boldly painted aircraft celebrates Puerto Rico’s creativity and cultural pride, featuring unique icons and elements of Isla del Encanto,

John F. McKeon Across the millennia St. Croix and Puerto Rico have served as twin beacons to e a c h o t h e r a n d h a v e engaged in a reciprocal transfer of human beings across the short, watery distance that separates the two. This intermingling of people and culture spans beyond years and further than centuries. The perpetual morphing of the Caribbean people has been driven by the relentless force of waves and the sweeping power of currents and has profoundly shaped th

M.A. Dworkin San Juan, P.R. - The U.S. has ordered 10 F-35 Fighter Jets to be deployed to Puerto Rico, arriving next week, as the Trump Administration steps up its war on drug cartels. The planes are being sent to an airfield to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations, bolstering an already strong U.S. military presence in the Southern Caribbean. The development comes just days after President Trump revealed the U.S. military had killed 11 p

M.A. Dworkin Caribbean Sea - Over the last decade, China and Russia have focused on the Caribbean Basin. Beijing has invested billions in trade and infrastructure deals, while also establishing a spy base in Cuba. Moscow has taken a more threatening approach, with joint weapons sales, training, and joint military exercises. In recent days, the US Navy has deployed warships to the Caribbean near Central and South America for counter-narcotics operations. The force includ

John F. McKeon To an observant historian the most commonplace objects can be the key to an intriguing history. One such object is a forged iron manhole cover I came across on Company Street in downtown Christiansted. I spied this prominent hunk of iron slab laid flat near the gutter on a ramble in Christiansted that took me along East Street and down Company Street. While pausing at the corner for a passing car, I spotted this unusual piece of history that had survived

In her brilliant documentary, Sugar Pathways, award-winning filmmaker, Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz, has turned her camera’s focus on the migration