The Weekly Journal - Wednesday, September 28, 2022

a temporary SurGe in unemployment expected after fiona

Still, many SMBs may not survive the hurricane’s aftermath

Efraín Montalbán Ríos, The Weekly Journal

After Puerto Rico reported the lowest unemployment rate in recent decades, standing below 6%, the onslaught of Hurricane Fiona on the island could cause an increase in layoffs and unemployment, particularly in the areas most affected by the storm.

An example of what may be in store for those regions is the case of “Construcciones del Viví & Agregados,” in Utuado, who had to lay off 50% of all of its employees

after losing more than $750,000 in company equipment due to flooding.

According to Lourdes Aponte, president of the United Retailers Center (CUD, for its Spanish acronym), similarly unfortunate scenarios like this, or even worse, could be commonplace throughout the island, with the closure of businesses. Aponte anticipates an increase on the island’s unemployment rate.

“Even in the metropolitan area they [businesses] have been affected, because not all of them have

a week in review

JeTBlue lauNches TRip plaNNiNg app

JetBlue has announced the launch of “Troupe”, a trip planning app. The free and collaborative app is said to reduce the stress around planning a group trip by allowing travelers to suggest, vote, and comment on dates, destinations, activities and stays. That way everyone gets a say in the trip planning process. Users can also share notes, send messages, and answer polls all in one app. >AP Photo/ Charles Krupa

NissaN Rogue 2023’s New TechNologies Make TRips easieR

The Nissan Rogue 2023 reached the island with the new Midnight Edition package, expanding the line’s existing offerings. Rogue Midnight Edition will be available at authorized Nissan dealers around the island. In terms of safety technologies, the 2023 Rogue has all the standard features in its class with Nissan Safety Shield 360, which comprises automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, lane change warning, high-beam assistant and automatic rear braking. To make long trips easier and more comfortable, Rogue offers ProPILOT technology.

The system uses a camera and a frontal radar, as well as other sensors that help drivers keep the vehicle in their lane. Nissan Rogue 2023 maintains the innovative 1.5-liter VC Turbo engine that generates an improved power of 201 horsepower and 225 pounds per foot of torque.

In response to the damages caused by Hurricane Fiona, FirstBank has donated $300K to 27 nonprofit organizations active in offering direct help in the municipalities most impacted by the hurricane.

“Puerto Rico needs immediate help, and it’s through nonprofit organizations working directly in the most affected areas that we make sure that arrives without delay. We trust your agility and ability to make the best use of these funds so that nothing stops us on the road to recovery,” said Aurelio Alemán, President and CEO of FirstBank. The institution opened an account inviting those who are able to make donations through the FirstBank account Hurricane Fiona #0108004226 or via ATH Mobile to FirstBankFIONA.

787-721-2300

Customer Service: 787-622-7480

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

generators and not all of us have essential services –electricity and water. So, workers will definitely be displaced,” she said.

According to a survey conducted by the CUD, 64% of all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remained inoperative as of yesterday. Meanwhile, 72% reported they need total or partial help from the government and insurance companies. Restoring power and water services were identified as the top priorities.

The president of the CUD also explained that in the most affected areas, communication with business owners has not yet been possible, so they are continuing their efforts to locate their associates in the municipalities of Guánica and Cabo Rojo, where businesses remain closed.

“We have been in communication with some associates in Cabo Rojo, whose businesses are closed because they have lost part of their content due to flooding, while others still don’t know the conditions their businesses are in because they have not been able to reach them,” Aponte said.

After considering the events affecting the business sector since 2017 –with hurricanes, earthquakes and the pandemic– Aponte said that

the conditions are ripe for the perfect economic storm. This situation would only increase migration and exacerbate problems with the availability of the labor force.

“Again, we are going to see the phenomenon of migration. If business owners already had to face some challenging situations, in terms of staff recruitment and the increase in the minimum wage, imagine now [after the hurricane],” Aponte said, while

urging the government to be faster in its response.

In fact,

The impact on the island’s unemployment rate will be felt the most in the affected areas and not in the San Juan Metro area.

“A much faster response is needed, and more incentives are needed to help these businesses. There are businesses that, unfortunately, are not going to be able to continue with their operations, they are not going to reopen,” she anticipated.

For his part, economist Heriberto Martínez pointed out that the impact on the island’s unemployment rate will be felt the most in the affected areas and not in the San Juan Metro area, which was the least affected and has been able to return work, to the extent that government agencies and the private sector have been able to restore their services.

“We could have a regional impact because what happened in the southwest was really serious. I don’t think this is going to get any bigger because manufacturing, commercial infrastructure and all kinds of services are located in the metropolitan region of Puerto Rico. All possible economic recovery forecasts depend on the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and LUMA Energy being able to restore their services as soon as possible,” Martínez said.

Meanwhile, economist José J. Villamil emphasized that any reduction in the number of jobs would be for a short term, and in the most affected areas, and in sectors such as manufacturing, particularly. However, he assured that the most affected sector will be agriculture, which will take longer to recover.

“We would probably see a reduction in manufacturing jobs, where there was a greater

>Nahira Montcourt / The Weekly Journal

José Rivera, a Ponce resident watches a fallen PREPA pole in Parcelas Amalia Marín. >Nahira Montcourt / The Weekly Journal

There are businesses that, unfortunately, are not going to be able to continue with their operations, they are not going to reopen.

Lourdes Aponte, CUD president

impact. But that is probably going to be on a smaller scale, or for a short-term, when compared to agriculture, which is going to take more time [to recover],” Villamil said.

However, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Ramón González differed from the forecasted unemployment spike in the agricultural industry and anticipated more workers will be needed to help in the revitalization, cleaning and planting of the island’s farms.

“I don’t see that happening, mainly because, although the impact on the crops was catastrophic, all production infrastructure is almost intact. So, the workforce is going to concentrate on revitalizing the farm, cleaning and planting. On the contrary, there will be a need for farm hands to rebuild the farms,” González argued.

For his part, Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) Manuel Cidre acknowledged that there will be an immediate impact on unemployment, mainly in the SMEs that were most affected by Hurricane Fiona. However, he understands that once President Joe Biden declared a major emergency for Puerto Rico, funds will soon arrive from FEMA and the Small Business Administration, which will promote a rebound in the number of jobs.

from [Hurricane] Fiona and have not been able to return to their jobs,” Cidre said. “In the short term there may be a negative impact on unemployment, but I’m convinced that in the medium term we are going to return to the [employment] numbers we already had,” he said.

In fact,

On his part, Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources Gabriel Maldonado assured that he was working to help small businesses affected by the hurricane and anticipated his agency will be carrying out monthly analyzes of unemployment on the island, as usual, which could vary as business recovers.

“We understand there is an immediate effect on small businesses, especially those who have not been able to restore their operations and those employees who have received some type of impact

“In terms of how all this impacts the unemployment rate, it remains to be seen, everything is going to depend on how quickly these businesses can be lifted and how quickly people can return to their jobs. We at DTRH are doing everything possible so that most, if not all, of the companies that suffered damages can get back on their feet after this disaster,” Maldonado said.

I don’t see that happening, mainly because, although the impact on the crops was catastrophic, all production infrastructure is almost intact.

Ramón González, Secretary of Agriculture

Any reduction in the number of jobs would be for a short term, and in the most affected areas, and in sectors such as manufacturing.

US Senator Gillibrand Demands

$1 billion for Hurricane Fiona Recovery

The senator requests immediate nutrition aid for the island

Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal

US Senator Kristen Gillibrand has called for federal economic relief for Puerto Rico as well as $1 billion in nutritional aid.

Additionally, she is asking the Biden administration to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief for other Caribbean nations impacted by Hurricane Fiona, including the Dominican Republic.

said Senator Gillibrand.

The letter urges Congress to support the island with $1 billion in Nutrition Assistance Program funding which would help Puerto Ricans struggling because of high food costs and supply issues. It also requests Congress pass emergency supplemental funding, including no less than $2.9 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund. Lastly, it would pass the Continuing Resolution with an anomaly for Puerto Rico which would also contribute to the island’s recovery and building resilience for the future.

In fact,

Puerto Rico has been excluded from the SNAP program for over 40 years, after it was legislated into a capped federal block grant in 1981.

“Over the past few years, Puerto Rico has faced crisis after crisis. In 2017, Hurricane Maria killed thousands of people and flattened entire neighborhoods. Supply chain disruptions from COVID and rising prices have left too many Puerto Ricans without enough to eat. And now, even before the island had a chance to recover from the last hurricane, Puerto Rico is again facing devastating flooding and crippling damage to its critical infrastructure,”

The senator was joined by U.S. Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Gregory Meeks, as well as Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, who mentioned Puerto Rico’s exclusion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal programs like the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

Puerto Rico has been excluded from the SNAP program for over 40 years, after it was legislated into a capped federal block grant in 1981. Since then, the island has experienced chronic underfunding to fight food insecurity.

Senator Gillibrand’s call to action also mentioned the delays in distributing funding allocated after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In 2017,

… even before the island had a chance to recover from the last hurricane, Puerto Rico is again facing devastating flooding and crippling damage to its critical infrastructure.

Kristen Gillibrand, US Senator

following the two hurricanes, Disaster Relief Act funds meant to fund disaster nutrition assistance became available in March 2018, six months after they were initially requested.

Citing the Stafford Act, which required Federal agencies to alleviate the suffering and damages caused by disasters through encouraging the development of disaster preparedness and assistance programs, Senator Gillibrand’s letter to the US Senate expressed concern that Puerto Rico would get too little, too late.

“I’m urging Congress and the Biden administration to provide both immediate humanitarian relief and funding for long-term investments in the resiliency of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and other key infrastructure. This is an emergency and we must act now to help Puerto Ricans begin the long road to recovery,” Senator Gillibrand underscored.

Companies consider availability of human capital before coming to PR

Migration could become a determining factor

Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal

Companies considering the possibility of moving to Puerto Rico and establish their manufacturing operations are expressing a strong interest on the availability of a trained labor force, according to Invest PR’s interim executive director Ella Woger.

“The most critical factor in attracting, and retaining new businesses to Puerto Rico is the availability of a trained work force,” Woger said. “Several companies did praised Puerto Rico’s human capital in an event we sponsored for site selectors last March, and urged us to promote this ‘little jewel’ the island has to offer to the manufacturing sector,” she added.

She also mentioned that during the recent Bio International Conference, more than 100 Puerto Ricans with PhD degrees and living in the U.S. came to her and expressed their “excitement about all the opportunities” that could be developed in the island in the bioscience industry. “These are people that, given the opportunity, are willing to come back to Puerto Rico,”Woger said.

Questioned about the confirmed migration of almost 100,000 Puerto Ricans to the U.S. over the last 10 years, a significant number of them highly trained professionals, she said Invest PR is committed to promote the opportunities that are currently being created to bring them back.

Nevertheless, Woger pointed out the need to continue “strengthening our labor force” in order for it to be prepared to meet the demands of the future.

During a recent round table discussion on the importance of the manufacturing industry for Puerto Rico’s economic development, Woger explained Invest PR’s strategy in promoting the island as an investment destination is centered in showcasing the strong points and resources that make it attractive for new businesses to come and establish their operations.

Woger did admit the island still faces specific challenges that need to be overcome in order to increase its competitiveness, but assured Invest

PR is working with the government and the private sector on identifying possible solutions.

One of those challenges is the availability of industrial real estate to establish new operations.

“We do have several facilities available as part of our business promotion plan, but they are not infinite. So, we have to be creative to identify and/ or create other real estate alternatives we can promote,”

Woger said.

As one of those real estate alternatives, the executive director mentioned the Molecular Research Center (MRC), which could be used as “a landing pad” for emerging companies considering coming to Puerto Rico. Woger also mentioned OcyonBio, a partnership development and manufacturing organization whose facilities in Aguadilla may attract other companies.

“We are looking for alternatives to what has been the traditional, standard [real estate] offering. We are trying to expand that offer in terms of facilities for tech and bioscience companies that could come to Puerto Rico,” she explained.

Regarding government and tax incentives for new manufacturing operations, Wogger explained that, while this issue is not one of the top considerations for companies looking into the possibility of establishing their businesses in Puerto Rico, the island needs to be competitive

in this area. The executive director characterized the tax incentives scenario in Puerto Rico as “very uncertain.”

Questioned on Puerto Rico’s economic subordination to American legislation and regulations, such as the Jones Act, and the possibility of having to participate in the global minimum tax initiative, by virtue of the island’s relation with the U.S., Woger reiterated the uncertainty looming in this area.

“There are several possible scenarios. Therefore, we are focusing on strengthening Puerto Rico’s other assets in order not to depend only on tax incentives. Certainly, incentives are important, but Puerto Rico’s general competitiveness needs to be strengthened because, if the global minimum tax is finally enacted, and all jurisdictions were to compete in a leveled playing field, we would need those other assets to effectively compete with them,” Woger said.

The island still faces specific challenges that need to be overcome in order to increase its competitiveness as an investment destination.

In fact,

The most critical factor in attracting, and retaining new businesses to Puerto Rico is the availability of a trained work force.

Ella Woger, executive director Invest PR

In fact,

Ten percent of U.S. households in 2021 suffered food insecurity, meaning they were uncertain they could get enough food to feed themselves or their families

Biden’s strategy to end hunger in U.S. includes more benefits

Expanding Medicaid and Medicare access to obesity counseling and nutrition also considered

Colleen Long and Ashraf Khalil – The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is laying out its plan to meet an ambitious goal of ending hunger in the U.S. by 2030, including expanding monthly benefits that help low-income Americans buy food.

The administration, in a plan released Tuesday, is also seeking to increase healthy eating and physical activity so that fewer people are afflicted with diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other diet-related diseases. It said it would work to expand Medicaid and Medicare access to obesity counseling and nutrition.

“The consequences of food insecurity and dietrelated diseases are significant, far reaching, and disproportionately impact historically underserved communities,” Biden wrote in a memo outlining the White House strategy. “Yet, food insecurity and diet-related diseases are largely preventable, if we prioritize the health of the nation.”

Biden is hosting a conference this week on hunger, nutrition and health, the first by the White House since 1969. That conference, under President Richard Nixon, was a pivotal moment that influenced the U.S. food policy agenda for 50 years. It led to a greatly expanded food stamps program and gave rise to the Women, Infants

and Children program, which serves half the babies born in the U.S. by providing women with parenting advice, breastfeeding support and food assistance.

Noreen Springstead, executive director of the anti-hunger organization WhyHunger, said the whole-of-government nature of the summit will hopefully produce greater alignment across the multiple federal agencies that deal with hunger issues — from the USDA and Health and Human Services to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That, ideally, would help Biden “set the North Star that nutritious food is a human right for all people.”

Springstead noted that a truly comprehensive approach to hunger and nutrition would have to include a major commitment from charities and philanthropic foundations. It would also likely include raising baseline salaries and employers paying their workers “wages that are livable so that they’re not standing in a food line.”

Over the years, cuts to federal programs coupled with stigmas over welfare and big changes to how food and farming systems are run have prompted declines in access to food.

Biden, a Democrat, is hoping this week’s conference is similarly transformative. But the goal of Nixon, a Republican, also was “to put an end to hunger in America for all time.”

And yet 10% of U.S. households in 2021 suffered food insecurity, meaning they were uncertain they could get enough food to feed themselves or their families because they lacked money or resources for food, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

To succeed, Biden needs buy-in from the private sector and an increasingly partisan Congress. Some of the goals sound reminiscent of former first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative to tackle childhood obesity and promote healthy eating. The conference also will highlight the need for access to better, healthier food and exercise.

…food insecurity and dietrelated diseases are largely preventable, if we prioritize the health of the nation.

-Joe Biden, U.S. president

In response to the Biden plan’s release, Partnership for a Healthy America hailed the emphasis on nutrition and health, saying that simply providing more food without prioritizing nutritional value would simply create different problems.

“We applaud the administration’s stated desire to shift from a mindset of treating diet-related diseases to preventing them from occurring in the first place,” the organization said in a statement.

Biden said in his memo that over the past 50 years, “we have learned so much more about nutrition and the role that healthy eating plays in how our kids perform in the classroom and about nutrition and its linkages to disease prevention.”

Under the White House plan, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility would be expanded, children would get better access to free meals, and summer benefits would be extended to more schoolkids. Such changes would require congressional approval.

The other tenets of the strategy include the development of new food packaging to truth-check the “healthy” claims for some products, expanding SNAP incentives to select fruits and vegetables, providing more programs to encourage people to get outside and move, and boosting funding for research.

Powell’s stark message: Inflation fight may cause recession

The Fed’s goal of engineering a “soft landing” looks increasingly unlikely

Christopher Rugaber – The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve delivered its bluntest reckoning of what it will take to finally tame painfully high inflation: Slower growth, higher unemployment and potentially a recession.

Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged what many economists have been saying for months: That the Fed’s goal of engineering a “soft landing” – in which it would manage to slow growth enough to curb inflation but not so much as to cause a recession – looks increasingly unlikely.

“The chances of a soft landing,” Powell said, “are likely to diminish” as the Fed steadily raises borrowing costs to slow the worst streak of inflation in four decades. “No one knows whether this process will lead to a recession or, if so, how significant that recession would be.”

Before the Fed’s policymakers would consider halting their rate hikes, he said, they would have to see continued slow growth, a “modest” increase in unemployment and “clear evidence” that inflation is moving back down to their 2% target.

“We have got to get inflation behind us,” Powell said. “I wish there were a painless way to do that. There isn’t.”

Powell’s remarks followed another substantial threequarters of a point rate hike — its third straight — by the Fed’s policymaking committee. Its latest action brought the Fed’s key short-term rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to 3% to 3.25%. That’s its highest level since early 2008.

On Wednesday, the Fed officials also forecast more jumbo-size hikes to come, raising their benchmark rate to roughly 4.4% by year’s end –a full point higher than they had envisioned as recently as June. And they expect to raise the rate again next year, to about 4.6%. That would be the highest level since 2007.

Fed officials also forecast more jumbo-size hikes to come, raising their benchmark rate to roughly 4.4% by year’s end – a full point higher than they had envisioned as recently as June. In fact,

By raising borrowing rates, the Fed makes it costlier to take out a mortgage or an auto or business loan. Consumers and businesses then presumably borrow and spend less, cooling the economy and slowing inflation.

In their quarterly economic forecasts Wednesday, the Fed’s policymakers also projected that economic growth will stay weak for the next few years, with unemployment rising to 4.4% by the end of 2023, up from its current level of 3.7%. Historically, economists say, any time unemployment has risen by a half-point over several months, a recession has always followed.

We have got to get inflation behind us… I wish there were a painless way to do that. There isn’t.

Falling gas prices have slightly lowered headline inflation, which was a still-painful 8.3% in August compared with a year earlier. Those declining prices at the gas pump might have contributed to a recent rise in President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings, which Democrats hope will boost their prospects in the November midterm elections.

Fed officials now foresee the economy expanding just 0.2% this year, sharply lower than their forecast of 1.7% growth just three months ago. And they envision sluggish growth below 2% from 2023 through 2025. Even with the steep rate hikes the Fed foresees, it still expects core inflation – which excludes volatile food and gas costs – to be 3.1% at the end of 2023, well above its 2% target.

Powell warned in a speech last month that the

Fed’s moves will “bring some pain” to households and businesses. And he added that the central bank’s commitment to bringing inflation back down to its 2% target was “unconditional.”

Short-term rates at a level the Fed is now envisioning will force many Americans to pay much higher interest payments on a variety of loans than in the recent past. Last week, the average fixed mortgage rate topped 6%, its highest point in 14 years, which helps explain why home sales have tumbled. Credit card rates have reached their highest level since 1996, according to Bankrate.com.

Inflation now appears increasingly fueled by higher wages and by consumers’ steady desire to spend and less by the supply shortages that had bedeviled the economy during the pandemic recession.

Even so, some economists are beginning to express concern that the Fed’s rapid rate hikes – the fastest since the early 1980s – will cause more economic damage than necessary to tame inflation. Mike Konczal, an economist at the Roosevelt Institute, noted that the economy is already slowing and that wage increases – a key driver of inflation – are levelling off and by some measures even declining a bit.

Surveys also show that Americans are expecting inflation to ease significantly over the next five years. That is an important trend because inflation expectations can become self-fulfilling: If people expect inflation to ease, some will feel less pressure to accelerate their purchases. Less spending would then help moderate price increases.

The Fed’s rapid rate hikes mirror steps that other major central banks are taking, contributing to concerns about a potential global recession. The European Central Bank raised its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a percentage point last week. The Bank of England, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Bank of Canada have all carried out hefty rate increases in recent weeks.

And in China, the world’s second-largest economy, growth is already suffering from the government’s repeated COVID lockdowns. If recession sweeps through most large economies, that could derail the U.S. economy, too.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. >AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File

Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve

Vanessa de Mari, AIA, president of the Puerto Rico Builder’s Association

A sense of urgency is a requirement for a true reconstruction

It’s been five years. And just when we thought we would start seeing our island rise again, Fiona decided we still have a long way to go. Time is of the essence, and we need to act quickly (or take action). It is time to press on, and stop this endless planning, where no one makes any decisions, be it for fear, lack of understanding, or just because bureaucracy has taken over our system.

No other island in the Caribbean has been given the opportunity and the funds to rebuild a new infrastructure and start moving forward. The plans are in place. But instead, we remain stagnant.

There is no excuse for having been so ill prepared to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona with such fragile infrastructure. How can we accept the fact that five years after María, we have not moved forward? Both the executive and legislative branches need to make the tough decisions and execute. In some matters they may fail, but in most, they should succeed. We must stop using legislation that is essential to the island’s reconstruction, as an element of negotiation. These are the issues that continue to stall our economic growth, and most importantly, our people’s well-being.

Beyond our fragile infrastructure, there is the issue of lack of affordable housing. There are solutions. We must act on what is truly right and in benefit of the people. Income limits are a huge obstacle to make affordable housing possible. High costs make it impossible to create rental, low income, and senior homes. Right now, we have 4,217 rental units in planning phase since 2020. Twenty-four projects were submitted for the 4% QAP in the NOFA-2020 round. Of the 17 eligible projects dated September 1, 2021, which represent 2,535 units, only ONE has closed financing.

We also need to create incentives for the construction of affordable

and low-income housing. Since 2018, we have been all paying attention to the increasing costs of materials, which make these projects almost impossible. This was further worsened by the pandemic, to a point where the construction of these units is higher than the sales price established by law. Again, decisions must be made. Legislature must approve PC 1470 and PS 1005; reduce the costs that we can control, including permits, municipal taxes, patent, and agency impact fees; and finally, reestablish incentives for buyers under Act 169.

It is time to identify and remove all these obstacles for Puerto Rico,

to use federal funds assigned to programs that are already in motion, including R3, with the expeditious approval of PC 1063 so more families can benefit from these funds.

These decisions will not only start providing relief to people in need of housing but will also create jobs and move our economy. It is time for all politicians, legislative branches, mayors, and government agencies to put aside the differences and work together to make things happen. Courage and will. That’s what it takes. Plus, an unselfish commitment to improve the wellbeing of all Puerto Rican’s.

The Guamaní river washed away five homes on Borinquen community in Guayama, Sept. 19, 2022.

E. Bruno Gómez / The Weekly Journal

We must stop using legislation that is essential to the island’s reconstruction, as an element of negotiation.

Vanessa de Mari, AIA

AYUDAMOS

A PUERTO RICO

Voluntarios de la Cruz Roja Americana están activos para ayudar a las familias afectadas que sufrieron daños por el huracán Fiona.

In fact,

Keeping a record-setting ball and selling it could yield a life-changing amount of money, which could mean far more to the fan than the ball does to the player.

Great ball of fire: Return it or sell it?

Baseball fans catching famous souvenirs face a tricky choice

Noah Trister – The Associated Press

If Aaron Judge passes Roger Maris, some lucky fan might become this generation’s Sal Durante.

As a 19-year-old in 1961, Durante caught Maris’ record-breaking 61st home run. The story of what followed — Durante sold the ball for $5,000, and it was returned to Maris as part of the deal — sounds downright quaint by today’s standards. But it’s a reminder that, even six decades ago, fans who caught famous souvenirs faced a tricky choice: keep the ball, sell it, or give it back to the player who hit it?

With Judge now one away from tying Maris’ American League record, anyone who comes up with one of his home run balls could end up with a similar decision to make.

“I’d give it back. Not even a second guess,” said Kevin Heathwood, a 35-year-old teacher from Harlem who was at Wednesday night’s YankeesPirates game in New York. “It belongs to Judge and he earned every single thing that he’s gotten. Just being a part of it, that’s enough for me.”

Many fans share Heathwood’s view, feeling that if Judge wants the ball back, it wouldn’t be right for the fan to keep it. After all, it’s Judge’s moment. Fans are there to enjoy it and share in it — but why should a spectator insist on making a huge profit off a souvenir he or she received simply from being in the right place at the right time?

On the other hand, keeping a record-setting ball and selling it could yield a life-changing amount of money, which could mean far more to the fan than the ball does to the player. And besides, if Judge — or any other famous slugger — really wants the

ball that badly, presumably he can afford to pay just about any asking price.

“I’m a big Yankee fan, a big Judge fan and I would certainly work with them, but I would not just give the ball away,” said Danny McDonough, a 32-year-old from Levittown, New York, who attends Seton Hall Law School. “You’re holding a very valuable piece of property and I think you’re foolish if you just give it up without anything substantial for yourself. Not that I wouldn’t like to do that for Judge and the organization. It’s too big of an opportunity to pass up.”

Bob Fay of Watertown is a 63-year-old memorabilia collector who was also at the game. Not surprisingly, his opinion is similar to McDonough’s.

“I’m going to take it home and I’m going to make a million dollars off it,” he said. “If I give it to anybody, I’ll donate it to the Hall of Fame.”

In 1998 — when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were the ones chasing Maris — Durante said he actually did think about giving the 61st home run ball back to Maris. But the slugger told him to keep it and make what he could off it. He eventually sold it to a restaurant owner named Sam Gordon, who then gave it to Maris in a photo op with him and Durante.

Maris gave the ball to the Hall of Fame in 1973.

It’s not always clear who even has the right to the ball. When Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run in 2001, one man caught it, but it was jarred loose and another man picked it up. They ended up in court, and a judge decided they should sell the ball and split the proceeds.

There’s less controversy when a famous home run is hit to an area fans can’t access. When Hank Aaron hit his 715th homer to pass Babe Ruth, Braves pitcher Tom House caught the ball in the bullpen and immediately went to give it to the Atlanta slugger.

When Mark McGwire passed Maris with his 62nd homer in 1998, St. Louis Cardinals grounds crew member Tim Forneris picked up the ball and gave

I’m a big Yankee fan, a big Judge fan and I would certainly work with them, but I would not just give the ball away.

-Danny McDonough, baseball fan

it back. He got quite a bit of good publicity for that gesture — plus a minivan from Chrysler.

For some fans, there’s a middle ground between selling the ball for as much as possible or giving it back to the player for nothing. At the very least, they’d like the chance to meet him — and perhaps get a few other items of high sentimental value.

“If I caught the ball, honestly I would really want to meet Judge, hand the ball to him myself. Maybe get a signed ball, a signed bat, a signed jersey, talk to him a little bit,” said Rob Casales, a 25-yearold financial analyst from Jersey City, New Jersey, who bought tickets for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday after Judge hit his 60th homer Tuesday.

“If I’m feeling a little frisky maybe ask for playoff tickets, but I wouldn’t try to extort the Yankees for hundreds of thousands of dollars even though I know a lot of people are going to try and do that,” he added. “It’s not really my move. I love the Yankees too much. I love Aaron Judge too much.”

Rob Siwiec, a 26-year-old from Bayonne, New Jersey, who works at a law firm, said he’d like a photo with Judge, an autograph, some merchandise — and perhaps some playoff tickets.

And he had another idea as well — one that Durante and Maris never had to consider.

“I would request that he follow me on either Twitter or Instagram,” Siwiec said, “and shout me out.”

New York Yankees slugger Roger Maris poses with fan Sal Durante in the locker room at Yankee Stadi um, Oct. 1, 1961, after hitting his 61st home run of the season. >AP Photo/File

Book shows personal side of ‘Mockingbird’ author Harper Lee

The book is like sitting on a porch and listening the tales of Lee’s childhood

Jay Reeves - The Associated Press

HOMEWOOD, Ala. — To the world, Harper Lee was aloof to the point of being unknowable, an obsessively private person who spent most of her life avoiding the public gaze despite writing one of the best-selling books ever, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” To Wayne Flynt, the Alabama-born author was his friend, Nelle.

Flynt, a longtime Southern historian who became close friends with Nelle Harper Lee late in her life, has written his second book about the author, “Afternoons with Harper Lee,” which was released Thursday with Flynt signing copies at a bookstore in suburban Birmingham.

Based on Flynt’s notes from dozens of visits with Lee over a decade before her death in 2016, the book is like sitting on a porch and hearing tales of Lee’s childhood and family in rural Alabama, her later life in New York and everything in between. That includes the time a grandfather who fought for

First edition of “To kill a mockingbird,” Harper Lee’s classic novel.

The book also is a tribute to Flynt’s late wife Dartie, who died in 2020. Lee, who suffered a stroke in 2007, seemed to identify with the physical travails of Dartie Flynt, who had Parkinson’s disease, Flynt said.

“I think she tolerated me because she loved Dartie,” he said.

Born in 1926 when the South was still racially segregated by law, Lee grew up in the south Alabama town of Monroeville, the daughter of a lawyer who served as a model for attorney Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a story of race, injustice and the law during the Jim Crow era. The town itself became Maycomb, the book’s setting.

the Confederacy survived the Battle of Gettysburg despite heavy losses to his Alabama unit, according to Flynt.

“I told her, ‘You know, half the 15th of Alabama was either killed or wounded or captured, and he got away? Is that just luck or the providence of God? What in the world is that?’” Flynt said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“And she said, ‘No, it’s not the providence of God. He could run fast.’”

The public perception of Lee as a hermit is wrong, Flynt, a former history professor at Auburn University, said. No, she didn’t do media interviews and she guarded her privacy zealously, but she also was warm and kind to friends that included a former first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, Flynt said. And Lee was “deeply religious” in a way many people aren’t, he said.

“It’s an attempt to tell the story of the authentic woman, not the marble lady,” Flynt said.

Preferring football, softball, golf and books to smalltown social affairs or college sororities, Lee’s well-known desire for privacy may have come in part from a feeling of being different from others growing up around her in the South, Flynt said.

to Alabama for good following the stroke. They visited her at a rehabilitation center in Birmingham and then at an assisted living home in Monroeville, where she spent years before her death. Lee died just months after the release of her novel “Go Set a Watchman,” which actually was an early version of “Mockingbird.”

In fact,

The book doesn’t get into the most private aspects of Lee’s life; Flynt said they simply didn’t discuss such things. But it does recount her worsening isolation from deafness and blindness toward the end of her life; her love of gambling; the furor over “Watchman;” and her authorship of a still-unpublished manuscript about a bizarre murder case in central Alabama.

Lee was the daughter of a lawyer who served as a model for attorney Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Lee was steeped in literature and religion, Flynt said. She preferred the King James Version of the Bible to all others for its lyrical language, he said, and her favorite authors included Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis.

“I think she occupied a world where she felt she was not like other girls,” he said.

A childhood friend of fellow author Truman Capote, Lee was rarely heard from in public after her partly autobiographical “Mockingbird” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into a hit movie. She mostly lived in an apartment in Manhattan, where it was easier to blend in than back home until the stroke left her partially paralyzed.

Flynt and his late wife knew Lee’s two sisters, and they became close to the author after she returned

“When she died, on her ottoman in her little two rooms, was the complete anthology of all of C.S. Lewis’ books. It must have weighed 50 pounds,” he said.

“Afternoons With Harper Lee” is a followup to Flynt’s “Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee.” While the first book was based on letters between the two, the new book is more meandering and conversational than the first in the tradition of Southern storytelling.

“The letters are lifeless compared to the stories,” he said.

It’s an attempt to tell the story of the authentic woman, not the marble lady.

Wayne Flynt, author

This cover image released by NewSouth Books shows “Afternoons with Harper Lee” by Wayne Flynt. >NewSouth Books via AP

Barrilito: Puerto Rico’s best known premium aged rum

A manufacturing operation

142 years old

Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal

If Doc Brown’s time machine was successful in showing us the past and then taking us back to the future in the 1985 film Back to the Future, such a device would be useless at Hacienda Santa Ana.

The fact of the matter is that neither Edmundo B. Fernández, the original owner, or Joaquín Bacardí and his associates, the new owners of the hacienda, have had the need for that kind of technology. The makers of the famed Barrilito Rum have been manufacturing their product the very same way they have been doing it for the past 142 years: “by hand.”

That is not to say that Hacienda Santa Ana is stuck in the past, but quite the contrary.

“Barrilito Rum is made following the same tried and true method designed by the brand’s founder, Pedro Fernández, in 1880, and adhering to today’s highest quality standards,” said co-owner Joaquín Bacardí. “We have never changed the way we make

our rum, Puerto Rico’s oldest brand in production,” he added.

Joaquín is quick to differentiate his product from that of his family.

“I have 30 years of experience in this industry, but I retired from Bacardí in 2016 after more than

aged rums, nothing else. We don’t make light rums, flavored rums or spiced rums. We are experts at what we do: aged rums,” Joaquín stressed.

The executive chairman of Hacienda Santa Ana pointed out the success and prestige of Barrilito lies in the company’s adherence to the Fernández family method.

Back in the 1870s, a young Pedro Fernández was sent to France by his father to study engineering. In Paris, Fernández acquainted himself with a group of other young entrepreneurs that would later become notable French businessmen. Among them were, Henri Cartier, Gustave Eiffel, and brothers André and Edouard Michelin. Fernández also developed an interest for spirit beverages, particularly cognac. His interest was such that he meticulously studied the elaboration of the liquor.

Joaquín Bacardí, co-owner of Hacienda Santa Ana

20 years of service,” he said while emphasizing that Hacienda Santa Ana and Barrilito are a different entity and product from Bacardí.

“Ours is an artisan premium rum… this is a niche product. Hacienda Santa Ana only makes premium

After returning to Puerto Rico as a chemical engineer, Fernández started experimenting with developing a spirit with the only vegetable base readily available at the hacienda: sugar cane. For his experiments, Fernández used the very same procedures used for making cognac, until he finally came up with a formulation that satisfied his taste. In 1880, the first casks of Barrilito Rum were introduced in Puerto Rico.

The secret to Barrilito’s success is the way it was, and is still made.

Hacienda Santa Ana’s visitor center. >Courtesy

Ours is an artisan premium rum… this is a niche product.

Hacienda Santa Ana only makes premium aged rums, nothing else.

“Don Pedro personally macerated the ingredients he used in the making of Barrilito,” Joaquín said. “He never used [commercial] concentrated products which, even back then were already in use in the food and beverage industry,” he added.

Fernández instead created his own concentrates using neutral grade alcohol and did not add preservatives or any other additives to his formula.

According to Joaquín, preservatives and additives tend to decompose during the aging process, thus altering the taste and aroma of the rum. “Rum distillers using concentrates with additives then need to use other ingredients –such as caramel– to mask those unwanted flavors and aromas,” he said.

Another of the secrets of Barrilito is that only rain water is used in its elaboration.

“We don’t use city water for our dilutions and mixes. Rain water is collected from the roofs of the buildings and stored in our 70,000 gallon cistern. The water is filtered and then stored in tanks ready for use,” Joaquín explained.

The third of Barrilito’s secrets is its aging process.

Barrilito’s product line-up, the historical Two-star and Threestar rums, as well as the newer Four and Five stars, are aged, since day one, in 100 percent “dolorosa” sherry casks from Spain.

“This process is more elaborate and gives Barrilito Rum its unique properties,” Joaquin said.

New Stars to the Barrel

In fact,

superaged rums –beyond 20, 30 and even 40 years,” Joaquín explained. “In order not to lose that rum –because it continues to evaporate– I asked our master blender to develop two formulas: Five-star Barrilito, the most important because it has the oldest rums, and Four-star.”

And that is only possible if the people believe the product is worth it,” a proud Joaquín stated.

Barrilito Five-Stars is a limited edition rum which, even the company’s chairman is not sure whether it will be produced ever again.

“We used all the available casks for that run, and we produced 3,500 bottles when it was introduced in 2018,” Joaquín said of the limited edition spirit, of which about half of the original run is now left.

“Both rums are spectacular, with an impeccable balance between the wood and its base,” he assured.

Only for the true connoisseur

Hacienda Santa Ana has yet another super premium rum to offer.

Its special Autobiography program offers people interested in creating their own label the possibility not only to do so, but to choose the spirit’s profile the preferred by customer.

“We present them casks between 20 and 40 years old that we still have in our inventory. We let them sample each cask before they choose the one that speaks the most to them,” explained Joaquín. “This is a single cask rum with the taste profile they like best.”

According to the rum impresario, Autobiography has been a very successful program, with at least one cask sold for $400,000. A world record, according Joaquín.

The final price of the cask is determined by its age and the volume it yields (age + volume)

When Joaquín and his associates acquired Hacienda Santa Ana in 2017 they discovered an unused inventory of casks well over 20 and 30 years-old.

“The Fernández family was so strict with its formula that, when casks exceeded their required aging period, they left them there and didn’t use them,” Joaquín said.

Two-star Barrilito is aged between three to five years, and Three-star Barrilito is aged between five to 10 years.

“So, we ended up with a huge inventory of

Five-star Barrilito has a 35-year-old rum base, and Fourstar Barrilito a 20-year-old rum base. Each bottle retail for $750 and $300, respectively.

“The top seller at the Hacienda’s Visitor Center is Barrilito Four-stars. This is a $300 rum. Who sells $300 rums? We do.

Joaquín revealed that another cask was recently sold to a major hotel in San Juan for its most exclusive guests and patrons. The hotel will be making the announcement in the near future.

“We will never be a mass brand because it is against our nature. We are a high quality premium aged rum. That is what we were, what we are and what we will be,” Joaquín sentenced.

Hacienda Santa Ana’s warehouse. This is where Barrilito Rum is aged in sherry casks for up to 10 years.

>Photo: Juan A. Hernández

Joaquín Bacardí, executive chairman of Hacienda Santa Ana. >Courtesy

Barrilito Rum bottling station at Hacienda Santa Ana. >Photo Juan A. Hernández

Hacienda Santa Ana’s Autobiography program has been a very successful, with at least one cask sold for $400,000.