Battering smaller islands, powerful Hurricane Maria now barrels toward Puerto Rico
(WorldNews Business)

(Updates location, storm strength) By Alvin Baez and Robin Respaut SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Hurricane Maria, the second maximum-strength storm to hit the Caribbean this month, battered the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix on Wednesday and headed toward Puerto Rico, set to be the strongest storm to hit the island in about 90 years. Maria, packing catastrophic winds and dangerous storm surges, earlier killed at least one person in France`s Guadeloupe and devastated the tiny island nation of Dominica. The storm came just days after the region was punched by Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record and left a trail of destruction on...