The New Jersey Puerto Rican Congress

06/08/2026

■ There are places on this earth that do not seem real until you are standing inside them. Puerto Rico has three of them. ■

The bioluminescent bays of Puerto Rico — Mosquito Bay on Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo, and La Parguera in Lajas — are among the rarest natural wonders on the entire planet. When you move through the water at night, every stroke of your hand, every kick of your feet, every ripple you create explodes into cold blue-green light, as if the ocean itself is alive and responding to your touch. The glow comes from microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates — single-celled creatures so small they are invisible by day and so extraordinary by night that scientists still marvel at the density of them in Puerto Rican waters. Mosquito Bay on Vieques is certified by the Guinness World Records as the brightest bioluminescent bay on earth. This is not mythology. This is not a filter or an edit. This is a Tuesday night in Puerto Rico if you know where to go. And the fact that this wonder exists on the same island that produced the music, the food, the history, and the people that so many of us love — that is not a coincidence. That is just Puerto Rico being exactly what it has always been: more than anyone expected, and more beautiful than any single story can hold. ■

Have you ever seen the bioluminescent bays in person? Drop a comment and tell us what it felt like — or tag someone you would take there if you could. ■■■

Follow Puerto Rican Stories for more wonders of the island that deserve to be celebrated every single day.

06/08/2026

05/22/2026

🔥 This Memorial Day weekend, while millions fire up the barbecue… most have no idea they’re using a word passed down from our Indigenous Caribbean ancestors.

The word “barbecue” comes from the Taíno word barbacoa — a raised wooden cooking structure used by the Indigenous people of Borikén and the Caribbean to slowly cook, smoke, and preserve food over fire. Long before pork, beef, or chicken arrived to the islands through European colonization, our ancestors were already preparing fish, shellfish, iguana, hutía, turtles, and other native foods using the barbacoa method.

And contrary to what some people imagine, Indigenous Caribbean food was not bland or primitive. Our ancestors already had their own flavor system using ingredients native to the islands: ají peppers, recao (culantro), achiote, wild herbs, sea salt, tropical fruits, honey, and smoke from local woods. The foundation of Puerto Rican flavor began long before colonization. Later, Spanish and African influences blended into that Indigenous base to help create the rich Puerto Rican cuisine we know today.

The Taíno language also gave the world words like huracán (hurricane), hamaca (hammock), canoa (canoe), tabaco (to***co), and iguana. So every backyard BBQ, cookout, and grill session this weekend carries a living piece of Indigenous Caribbean history and language that survived centuries of colonization. 🇵🇷🔥🌴



🔥 Este fin de semana de Memorial Day, mientras millones encienden el barbecue… muchos ni siquiera saben que están usando una palabra heredada de nuestros ancestros indígenas del Caribe.

La palabra “barbecue” proviene del término taíno barbacoa — una estructura elevada de madera utilizada por los indígenas de Borikén y del Caribe para cocinar, ahumar y preservar alimentos lentamente sobre fuego. Mucho antes de que el cerdo, la carne de res o el pollo llegaran a las islas con la colonización europea, nuestros ancestros ya preparaban pescado, mariscos, iguanas, hutías, tortugas y otros alimentos nativos utilizando el método de la barbacoa.

Y contrario a lo que muchos imaginan, la comida indígena del Caribe no era simple ni sin sabor. Nuestros ancestros ya utilizaban ingredientes nativos de las islas como ajíes, recao, achiote, hierbas silvestres, sal marina, frutas tropicales, miel y el sabor ahumado de maderas locales. La base del sabor Puertorriqueño comenzó mucho antes de la colonización. Más adelante, las influencias españolas y africanas se mezclaron con esa base indígena para ayudar a crear la rica cocina boricua que conocemos hoy.

El idioma taíno también le dio al mundo palabras como huracán, hamaca, canoa, tabaco e iguana. Así que cada BBQ, parrillada y cookout este fin de semana lleva consigo una parte viva de la historia y del lenguaje indígena del Caribe que sobrevivió siglos de colonización. 🇵🇷🔥🌴

05/19/2026

New Jersey Puerto Rican Congress

05/15/2026

New Jersey Puerto Rican Congress

05/14/2026

Belleville, NJ elects First Puerto Rican Mayor ! Congratulations

Belleville Voted for Change, But the Exit Speech Said Everything

By The Chronicler In Chief

There is a difference between conceding an election and taking final shots at the people who just voted for change.

Trumpian Belleville Mayor Michael Melham had every right to defend his record after losing last night. Eight years in office comes with accomplishments, relationships, scars, and pride. Nobody can take that away from him. But buried inside what could have been a reflective farewell was something else entirely. The tone slowly moved from disappointment to bitterness and pettiness.

When a mayor starts reminding residents how successful he is, how great his career is, and then closes by mocking rumors about a repossessed vehicle tied to the incoming mayor, it stops sounding like a statesman and starts sounding personal. The kind of exit rarely lands the way politicians think it will. Especially after voters already made their decision.

Sometimes elections are not always about résumés, speeches, or who looks most accomplished on paper. Sometimes people simply want someone who feels closer to their everyday reality. A 24-year-old candidate like Frank Vélez now Mayor-elect may not have decades of experience, business success, or establishment credentials, but younger voters and working families often connect with someone they believe understands rising costs, uncertainty, rent pressure, student debt, and the fatigue regular people are carrying.

Politics has changed. Residents today are not always searching for the most successful executive in the room. Many are searching for somebody who feels reachable, relatable, and emotionally connected to the frustrations they live every day.

The irony is the outgoing mayor’s own post may have accidentally reinforced why voters wanted something different. When people are struggling financially, worried about bills, or just trying to survive in New Jersey’s economy, hearing a departing politician emphasize how successful and secure he personally is can create even more distance instead of connection.

Concession posts are remembered because they reveal character after the applause stops. The classy move is usually to thank supporters, congratulate your opponent, and leave the stage with dignity intact.

Last night, Belleville saw frustration instead.