'The Simpsons' vow to help Puerto Rico in new online video

NEW YORK — Still recovering from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is getting a helping hand from an unlikely source — Moe from "The Simpsons."The bartender from the animated comedy is seen fundraising in a new YouTube video after getting a warm message by San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.

Head of Puerto Rico's power company says they're scrapping $300M Whitefish contract

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The head of Puerto Rico's power company said Sunday the agency will cancel its $300 million contract with Whitefish Energy Holdings amid increased scrutiny of the tiny Montana company's role in restoring the island's power system following Hurricane Maria.The announcement by Ricardo Ramos came hours after Gov.

Some of the 120 dogs in Waukesha from Puerto Rico now available for adoption! 🐾

WAUKESHA -- A number of dogs rescued from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria -- being cared for at the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) in Waukesha, are ready for adoption.120 dogs from Puerto Rico arrived at the Waukesha County Airport/Crites Field on Saturday, October 21st.These dogs were already in shelters prior to the hurricane.HAWS officials said Tuesday, October 24th there are many small and medium-sized "super cute" mixed breeds and puppies available for adoption.

Waukesha County animal shelters to welcome more than 100 dogs from Puerto Rico

WAUKESHA COUNTY -- Waukesha County animal shelters HAWS (Humane Animal Welfare Society) and Elmbrook Humane Society (EBHS) are teaming up to help shelter and rescue dogs from Puerto Rico.According to a press release, more than 100 dogs, the largest transport to date for the county, will arrive on Saturday, October 21st at Crites Field in Waukesha.

'Breaking Bad' actors will host fundraiser for Puerto Rico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two actors from the hit series "Breaking Bad" will host an Albuquerque fundraiser next week for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.Bob Odenkirk, who played sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman, is sponsoring a benefit event in Albuquerque where the show was filmed, the actor announced on social media."Albuquerque!

Donation drive organizers seek "kind heart" to deliver items to those in need in Puerto Rico

MILWAUKEE -- As people continue to pick up the pieces of their lives in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, those of us in Milwaukee are lending a helping hand.The youth basketball program, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), along with the Mary Ryan Boys and Girls Club is collecting essentials for those devastated by Hurricane Maria, including bottled water and canned goods.They'll benefit the Boys and Girls Club of San Juan.But there's one problem.Transportation into and out of Puerto Rico continues to be an issue."We've kind of collected all of the items that we need and right now we're just trying to see if there's someone with a kind heart who would help us out as far as shipping it over to San Juan so we can get it to the Boys and Girls Club over there," Miguel Green with the RBI program said.So far, organizers said they've collected 350 cases of water.

"Desperate to help," college student charters planes to bring supplies to Puerto Rico

PITTSBURGH — A Carnegie Mellon student disturbed by stories from her native Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria decided to do something about it.Rosana Guernica, 22, a junior majoring in decision sciences, heard stories about people getting off the island by chartering a private plane, so she got the idea of raising money for a plane to bring in medical supplies and evacuate sick people.Her grandmother told her it was a crazy idea, but that's exactly what Guernica has done — twice.Carnegie Mellon said in a Twitter post Saturday that Guernica is on her second trip to Puerto Rico this weekend with a team of volunteers from Carnegie Mellon.

US House speaker vows to secure money needed by Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — House Speaker Paul Ryan vowed to help Puerto Rico secure the money it needs to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria after touring the disaster zone Friday and seeing what he called the "dire conditions" facing many across the island.Ryan toured the island in a helicopter at the head of a congressional delegation and met with local officials and representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the first time since Maria swept across the entire island as a fierce Category 4 hurricane."Our heart goes out to the people of Puerto Rico," he told reporters later in San Juan. "What we have seen here today confirms that this is first and foremost a humanitarian disaster."The speaker noted that the House this week passed a $36.5 billion emergency disaster-relief bill that includes money for Puerto Rico as well as Texas and Florida for the recent series of storms.

US House Speaker Ryan in Puerto Rico as 'Maria' costs mount

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — House Speaker Paul Ryan is getting a firsthand look at the devastation left by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico as the U.S. island territory seeks billions in assistance to recover from the storm.Ryan and other members of a congressional delegation met at the airport briefly with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday.He and other members of the delegation then boarded helicopters with Puerto Rico Gov.

With traffic lights out, Puerto Ricans cope with road snarls

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — As three lanes of traffic sped toward him, Officer Ulises Villanueva held up the palms of both hands and blew a whistle, bringing the cars to a stop beneath a string of twisted, darkened traffic lights.With most of Puerto Rico lacking power two weeks after Hurricane Maria struck, hundreds of police officers have been deployed to tame the snarls of traffic."The only thing that kills you is the heat," said Villanueva, clad in a dark blue uniform from his cap to his boots as he worked a 12-hour shift at an intersection on F.D. Roosevelt Avenue in San Juan's financial district.Traffic is a part of life in the densely populated U.S. territory, but the outages have introduced new levels of congestion, particularly in the capital, San Juan, which has seen a steady return of commuters as it remains a hub for the island-wide relief effort.