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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Florida parade's environmental theme highlights new natural history museum in Puerto Rico
The Florida Puerto Rican Parade and Festival is days away from rolling through downtown Orlando Saturday. This year's parade theme is on renewable energy and the environment - something the Museum of Natural History and Conservation of Puerto Rico knows a lot about. The museum recently opened in Aguadilla, which is the city being honored at this year's Florida parade. It's dedicated to preserving Puerto Rico's natural wonders, as well as its history. Before the museum's creation, any fossils found on the island were taken by museums around the word. 'The museum now in Aguadilla will be able to keep the fossils that we collect in Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico,' said the museum's co-founder, geologist Hernán Santos. The goal is to research geology and paleontology, diving into specimens, sedimentary rocks and marine deposits. It's all part of an effort to not only educate, but create advancements in technology to help save lives in natural disasters, such as landslides. Santos gave an example of instruments that are installed in the ground that alert municipalities when the soil's saturation level gets too high. 'So they saved lives by actually monitoring the amount of rain, amount of water going into the soil,' he said. WFTV is the official broadcast partner for the Florida Puerto Rican Parade and Festival. It will be streamed live on air and online at starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Founding member of NYC's National Puerto Rican Day Parade to be honored at Orlando festival
The Florida Puerto Rican Parade and Festival is almost here, and this year will bring a special guest to the celebration. Andrés González is a founding member of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. This year, he will be honored in Orlando. The annual festivities across downtown Orlando originated in New York City. The National Puerto Rican Day Parade got its start in the 1950s in the Manhattan neighborhood of Spanish Harlem. And González played a major role in making it happen. 'It was a lot of work, a lot of politics, obviously, a lot of push and shove, however, it was all worth it,' said Orlando resident Nancy Rosado. Rosado said he uncle worked alongside lawyers, doctors and community leaders to get the parade off the ground. As more and more Puerto Ricans made New York their homes, the city finally gave the go-ahead to host a parade. From there, it kept growing year after year. 'The last thing he told me was that he never thought it would get this big, but to know that he was at the root of it, he takes a lot of pride in that,' Rosado said. González said he is proud as ever, and he will be in Orlando this weekend with arms wide open, ready to greet everyone. He said he looks forward to connecting with old friends from the early days in New York. González will turn 101 next month. And he's beaming with pride to see how the parade has grown and taken shape in other parts of the country. He said starting the parade in New York all those years ago was not easy, but Puerto Ricans are fighters. His family knows it was the honor of his lifetime. That honor has extended to central Florida to celebrate a vibrant culture and rich history with someone who helped spark it all. WFTV is the official broadcast partner for the parade. It will be streamed live on air and online at starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
