Government grinds to a halt

San Juan, Puerto Rico

The government of Puerto Rico ran out of money this week, forcing schools to shut down and idling most government offices. The commonwealth’s budget is $740 million in the red, and leaders have agreed to institute a sales tax to make up the shortfall. But the legislature and governor are at odds over the amount of the tax, and as a deadline passed, 100,000 public employees were ordered to stay home and more than 500,000 schoolchildren got an unscheduled holiday. “It’s sad that it came to this,” said 24-year-old Hector Aguilo, who attended a rally protesting the shutdown. “I think they’ll come to their senses after a few days of playing this game.”