Impacts of chronic power outages on Puerto Rico and potential solutions

On this edition of Tiempo, we discuss the impacts of recent power outages on Puerto Rico and its people. Last week, an island-wide blackout plunged Puerto Rico into darkness. LUMA energy, the island's private power company, restored power the next day and said an underground power line may have led to the outage. The last outage that affected the entire island was on New Year's Eve. Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since Hurricane Maria in 2017 pummeled the island and its already deteriorating power grid. Congressman Ritchie Torres posted on social media that "access to dependable power - a basic right most Americans take for granted - remains out of reach for millions on the island." Joining us to discuss is Fernando Rivera, professor and director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at the University of Central Florida. Also ahead, the New Jersey Department of Education recently released its 2024 statewide assessment scores for all public K-12 schools. For the second year in a row, the findings of the report reveal academic excellence for Latino and Black students in New Jersey's public charter schools. We speak with the president and CEO of the NJ Public Charter Schools Association about the achievement. Plus, the deadline to get your federally-compliant real ID is quickly approaching. If you don't carry your passport, you will need the new card to get on domestic flights and enter federal buildings. Tiempo breaks down what you need to know and how to get a real ID. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices