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DAVID GREENE, HOST: Many Puerto Ricans are still without electricity and even basic services three months after Hurricane Maria. But that has not dampened everyone's mood. Some are still finding time to sing, dance - even celebrate. Jeff Cohen, from member station WNPR, recently visited a nonprofit in the town of Cayey that opens its doors on weekend nights for musicians and music lovers. JEFF COHEN, BYLINE: After the storm blew out her windows, Maria Enid Rodriguez lost water, internet, power and her entire home office. Her company offered her a one-way ticket to be with family in New Britain, Conn., but she refused. For her, it was round trip or nothing. She wanted to come back. MARIA ENID RODRIGUEZ: I went to New Britain for 10 days - not for me, for them - for my daughters. You know, they have to see me - that I was OK. COHEN: But now she's back in Puerto Rico, and she faces a choice. She works from home, but she can't work without electricity and internet. So ...

Merely Torres-Garcia has been living in a hotel room in Hartford, Conn., with her husband and two kids after losing part of her house in Puerto Rico to Hurricane Maria. She said spending the Christmas season in the northeastern cold has been hard for her family. But on Saturday night, in the noisy atrium of Hartford City Hall, it felt a little bit like Christmas on the island. "My kids are happy. We feel like home in here right now," she said. "It's part of us, what we are," Torres-Garcia said. "We are loud. And we like to dance. We like to sing, we like to do all of that stuff. And that only means — Puerto Rico." Carmen Cotto grew up in Hartford, and had recently moved to the island before the hurricane flooded her house. She said the event started the Christmas season for families who have focused more on recovering from the hurricane. She said that many Puerto Ricans start celebrating right after Thanksgiving. "Christmas hasn't rea...

One of music’s most successful women brings her State of the World Tour to Baltimore. Sure, we’ve been waiting a long time for this one: Jackson was originally supposed to play Charm City on Feb. 29 of last year, then was rescheduled for the following Aug. 14, then was rescheduled again (in a video, Jackson said she and her husband were planning a family; their son, Eissa, was born last Jan. 3). Here’s betting she’ll prove well worth the wait. 8 p.m. Saturday at Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. $39.50-$135. royalfarmsarena.com. Disney presents "The Lion King" begins a 25-day stay at the Hippodrome Thursday. (Disney) Disney Presents ‘The Lion King’ Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Scar, Pumbaa and all the other Disney greats, brought to gloriously imaginative life on stage. Performances Thursday through Dec. 10 (except for Nov. 23, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4), at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at the Hippodrome, 12 N. Eutaw St. $65-$249. france-merrickpac.com. Bal...

Aristides Sanchez, a resident of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty today to two felony violations of the federal Lacey Act for collecting, purchasing, falsely labeling, and shipping protected marine invertebrate species as part of an effort to subvert Puerto Rican law designed to protect corals and other reef species, the Department of Justice announced. Sanchez was the owner of the Arecibo-based saltwater aquarium business, Wonders of the Reef Aquarium. A large part of the business was devoted to the sale of native Puerto Rican marine species that are popular in the saltwater aquarium trade. Sanchez sent live specimens to customers in the mainland United States and foreign countries by commercial courier services. One of the most popular items that Sanchez sent off-island was an organism from the genus Ricordea. These animals are known as “rics,” “polyps,” or “mushrooms” in the aquarium industry. Members of the genus form part of the reef structure and spend their adult lives fa...

  Le complexe de « Loky Manambato » étalé sur une superficie de plus de 70 000 ha constitue une nouvelle aire protégée créée dans la partie nord-est de Madagascar, soit dans la région de SAVA. Cette aire protégée recèle une biodiversité exceptionnelle avec un taux d’endémicité atteignant les 84%. Elle est délimitée par les fleuves de Loky et de Manambato. Parmi ses espèces faunistiques phares, on peut citer entre autres, le lémurien à couronne dorée connu sous le nom scientifique « propithecus stattersalli ». Mais en tout, ce site dispose de dix espèces de lémuriens diurnes et nocturnes dont trois espèces sont endémiques. On y trouve également le plus grand scorpion à Madagascar ainsi que 127 espèces d’oiseaux, dont 44 espèces issues du lac Sahaka, 75 espèces de reptiles et 36 espèces d’amphibiens dont deux espèces de tortues marines. Il y aussi le fosa ou « Cryptoproctaferox », le plus grand carnivore de la Grande Ile. En danger critique....

Popular culture can be a major driver of tourism. Just look at "Game of Thrones" — tours of filming locations in Croatia and Northern Ireland have taken off. In New Zealand, the Hobbit Village, where "Lord of the Rings" was shot, is waiting for you. The question is whether a super popular song can do the same thing for Puerto Rico? The music video for the song in question, "Despacito," by Puerto Rican recording artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, has garnered a record  3.3 billion views on YouTube. Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal talked to writer Matt Gross about the Puerto Rican tourism economy and "Despacito,"  a topic Gross explored for Bloomberg . The following is an edited transcript of their conversation. Kai Ryssdal:  So, what do we know about this omnipresent song and tourism in Puerto Rico? Matt Gross:  It's obviously an incredibly popular song, but is it popular enough to send people across the waves over to Puerto Rico? That...

Say sayonara to the 50 stars on our grand old flag. If speculation can be believed, the United States of America could soon add two more brethren to its ranks. And no, it’s not Canada or Mexico. Odds are, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico could soon claim statehood,  OZY  reports. The movement to make Washington, D.C. a state gained momentum in the spring of 2016, when 86 percent of D.C. voters approved a petition on the matter. The district later drafted a state constitution during a summer convention. Meanwhile, proponents also attended the Republican and Democratic national conventions to advocate for their cause. “We’ve accomplished a lot in educating Americans around the country,” says Paul Strauss, the district’s two-term “shadow senator.” D.C.’s representatives may sit in Congress but do not vote. Although the district’s population is bigger than Wyoming’s or Vermont’s, concerns regarding the legality of its statehood have sinc...

Milton Segarra,  president and CEO of  Meet Puerto Rico (MPR),  has announced that the organization is planning an aggressive year-long sales calendar including activities in major markets in  North America,  Latin America ,   Europe  and the   Caribbean . The calendar of opportunities includes approximately 60 sales and promotional events, including trade fairs, press trips and networking activities, in cities such as  Frankfurt ,  Barcelona ,  Mexico City ,  Chicago ,  Orlando ,  Las Vegas ,  Toronto  and  Montego Bay . Meet Puerto Rico’s partners will participate as well to continue strengthening the destination’s message, said Segarra. “Puerto Rico’s tourism ecosystem is broad and offers an authentic and first-rate experience,” said Segarra in a written statement. “Our partners’ reputation of successfully competing on a global scale in the groups and conventions market is priceles...