Puerto Rico

Environmental activist Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera is the 2016 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

Grass-Roots Fight To Protect Puerto Rico's Coast Scores Environmental Prize

5:37am April 18, 2016

by Greg Allen

Environmental activist Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera just won an award for grass-roots activism for his fight to protect a pristine section of Puerto Rico's coastline.

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A security guard stands at the gate of the Governor's Mansion, known as the La Fortaleza, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Passes Law That Freezes The Island's Debt Payments

3:13pm April 06, 2016

by Greg Allen

The measure delays payments on Puerto Rico's debt load, which is now more than $70 billion, until January 2017. Creditors say the measure violates prior agreements and the island's constitution.

Marco Rubio Sweeps Puerto Rico Primary

8:57pm March 06, 2016

by Jessica Taylor

The Florida senator got 71 percent of the vote in the U.S. territory's GOP primary and will earn all of its 23 delegates.

Blue skies in San Juan, Puerto Rico belie the U.S. territory's struggle with massive debt. The islands have a generous health care program that covers nearly everyone, but economists say it has never been adequately funded.

Puerto Rico's Growing Financial Crisis Threatens Health Care, Too

5:01pm March 03, 2016

Unless Congress and the White House can agree on a funding fix for Medicaid in the U.S. territory, many worry that Puerto Rico's health care system could collapse when stopgap funding ends next year.

Mosquito larvae fill the cup of stale water that entomologist Luis Hernandez dips from a stack of old tires in a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Races To Stop Zika's Mosquitoes Before Rains Begin

7:55am February 29, 2016

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is an old foe, spreading yellow fever and dengue on the islands long before Zika gained a foothold. How do you stop an insect that can breed in a teaspoonful of stale water?

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With CDC Help, Puerto Rico Aims To Get Ahead Of Zika

6:55pm February 26, 2016

So far, the U.S. territory has reported 117 Zika cases, including five pregnant women. But health officials say the real test will come when April and May rains bring more mosquitoes.

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"Just because Zika is here, doesn't mean we're going to raise the price" for condoms, says sales clerk Coralis Ferrer-Marrero.

Puerto Rico Freezes Condom Prices To Prevent Zika Profiteering

4:02pm February 23, 2016

by Rolando Arrieta

With Zika spreading in Puerto Rico, the government has forbidden stores from raising prices on mosquito repellent, window screens, larvicides and condoms.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are displayed at an exhibition on Jan. 28 in Brazil. The mosquitoes can be carriers of the Zika virus. Several cases of the virus have spread to Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Health Official 'Very Concerned' About Zika's Spread

4:41pm January 30, 2016

by NPR Staff

An epidemiologist says the island has been lucky so far, but needs to stop the virus at its source — where mosquitoes breed.

Puerto Rico faces a financial crisis with a debt of $72 billion.

As Debt Talks Hit An Impasse, What's Next For Puerto Rico?

8:19am January 25, 2016

by NPR Staff

Negotiations to restructure the U.S. territory's significant debt hit a speed bump Friday. As Congress considers its next step, economist Rosario Rivera explains the origins of the financial crisis.

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One of the banana plants in the collection at the USDA's Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Puerto Rico. It's just one of many banana collections around the world that might just hold the key to stopping a fungus's deadly reach.

Our Favorite Banana May Be Doomed; Can New Varieties Replace It?

9:11pm January 11, 2016

by Dan Charles

The Cavendish banana and other beloved varieties are threatened by a fungus that's spreading around the world. Scientists are trying to find new varieties that will be resistant to the disease.

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