Puerto Rico, unable to vote, becomes crucial to US election

The campaigns of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are rallying people in a place where U.S. citizens cannot cast ballots but have the ear of hundreds of thousands of potential voters in the battleground state of Florida.

4.2 quake hits southern Puerto Rico amid coronavirus curfew

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A magnitude 4.2 earthquake has hit Puerto Rico at a shallow depth and was felt across the U.S. territory.The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred Monday at a depth of 5 kilometers near the southwest coastal town of Guanica.

President Trump rejects Puerto Rico hurricane death toll, blames Dems

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected the widely accepted conclusion that nearly 3,000 died in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria, arguing without evidence that the number was wrong and calling it a plot by Democrats to make him look bad.As Hurricane Florence approached the Carolinas, the president picked a fresh fight over the administration's response in Puerto Rico, tweeting: "When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths.

Puerto Rico introduces bill to become US state

WASHINGTON — Puerto Rico's non-voting representative in Congress is introducing a bill that seeks to make the U.S. territory a state by 2021.Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez said Wednesday that 14 Democrats and 20 Republicans currently sponsor the bill among the 435 members in the House of Representatives."This is the first step to open a serious discussion regarding the ultimate status for the island," Gonzalez said.The Republican sponsors include the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep.

'Could not be more proud:' We Energies recognized nationally for restoration efforts in Puerto Rico

PUERTO RICO -- We Energies has received national recognition was a result of their power restoration efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit in September.An industry trade group, the Edison Electric Institute, honored We Energies with an "Emergency Assistance Award" at a ceremony in San Diego on June 5, according to a news release from We Energies officials.According to the release, We Energies, along with their sister company Wisconsin Public Service, sent more than 70 employees to Puerto Rico in January.

Blackout in northern Puerto Rico after explosion, fire at main power substation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An explosion and fire at an electric substation threw much of northern Puerto Rico into darkness late Sunday in a setback for the U.S. territory's efforts to fully restore power more than five months after Hurricane Maria started the longest blackout in U.S. history.The island's Electric Power Authority said several municipalities were without power, including parts of the capital, San Juan, but they were optimistic it could be restored within a day as they worked to repair a substation that controls voltage.The blast illustrated the challenges of restoring a power grid that was already crumbling before it was devastated by the Category 4 hurricane.In many cases, power workers are repairing equipment that should have long been replaced but remained online due to the power authority's yearslong financial crisis.

More equipment, crews head to Puerto Rico for power boost

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Federal officials said Monday that efforts to fully restore power to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria should get a boost with more work crews and more supplies in upcoming weeks.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is getting its own barge to ship items and that materials it requested several months ago have been manufactured and are finally on their way to the U.S. territory."We're doing everything we can to increase the (power company's) ability to do this as fast as possible for the people of Puerto Rico," said Col.

'The Simpsons' vow to help Puerto Rico in new online video

NEW YORK — Still recovering from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is getting a helping hand from an unlikely source — Moe from "The Simpsons."The bartender from the animated comedy is seen fundraising in a new YouTube video after getting a warm message by San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.