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Amid growing disillusionment with Puerto Rico's territorial status, Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced announces a referendum in November to decide whether Puerto Rico should be made a U.S. state.
2020-05-16

Five men and a woman are killed in a mass shooting Monday night at the Río Piedras housing project in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A group of people with large guns showed up before the shooting, according to the police commissioner. Sunday, two people were killed in Guaynabo in the northern section of the San Juan metropolitan area. Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced convened an emergency meeting of her security team Tuesday.
2019-10-15

Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló's office reports that the number of deaths related to Hurricane Maria has risen to 34.
2017-10-3

Hurricane Maria makes landfall on Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Effects are disastrous and the entire island loses power. Seven deaths are reported on Puerto Rico, along with two on Guadeloupe. Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló declares a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew through Saturday. [http:--www.nhc.noaa.gov-archive-2017-al15-al152017.public_a.017.shtml (NHC)] [https:--www.reuters.com-article-us-storm-maria-hurricane-maria-slams-puerto-rico-with-high-rains-storm-surge-idUSKCN1BT1RW (Reuters)] [https:--www.telegraph.co.uk-news-2017-09-20-hurricane-maria-path-latest-news-live-puerto-rico-virgin-islands- ("The Telegraph")] [https:--www.washingtonpost.com-news-post-nation-wp-2017-09-20-hurricane-maria-takes-aim-at-puerto-rico-with-force-not-seen-in-modern-history- ("The Washington Post")] [https:--www.nytimes.com-2017-09-20-us-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico.html ("The New York Times")]Now a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, Maria is moving toward the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, and is forecast to affect the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Thursday night and northern Haiti Friday. [http:--www.nhc.noaa.gov-text-refresh-MIATCPAT5+shtml-202038.shtml? (National Hurricane Center)]The National Hurricane Center predicts Puerto Rico's total rainfall through Saturday will be 20 – in inches with 35 in in isolated areas. The Virgin Islands will receive an additional 3 to in. [http:--www.nhc.noaa.gov-text-refresh-MIATCPAT5+shtml-210259.shtml? (National Hurricane Center²)] Hurricane Maria
2017-09-20

Hurricane Maria makes landfall on Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Effects are disastrous and the entire island loses power. Seven deaths are reported on Puerto Rico, along with two on Guadeloupe. Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló declares a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew through Saturday.
2017-09-20

Puerto Rico defaults on a $422 million debt payment. The Governor of Puerto Rico Alejandro García Padilla calls the situation a "humanitarian crisis". This is the third time Puerto Rico has defaulted on bond payments.
2016-05-2

Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla says the Commonwealth will default on a $422 million bond payment due Monday. García Padilla says debt payments have been suspended in order to pay for essential services for the 3.5 million American citizens. Congress has been unable to pass a debt restructuring bill for Puerto Rico.
2016-05-1

Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro García Padilla announces he declared a state of emergency at the Commonwealth's Government Development Bank yesterday, which allows withdrawals only to fund necessary costs for health, public safety, and education services. Without this measure and debt restructuring, the United States territory would be forced to default as it faces nearly $2.5 billion in bond payments from May through July.
2016-04-9

The Governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro García Padilla, says that Puerto Rico's debts are "not payable".
2015-06-28

Luis Fortuño, the Governor of the US Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, submits a plan for a two-part referendum to change the islands's status.
2011-10-5