The government’s plan to reconstruct 38 miles of roads over 14 months appears to have hit a dead-end. In the latest setback, the Ministry of Communications and Works has dramatically downsized a project it recently handed over to the Recovery and Development Agency, cutting nine...
February 15, 2025Catching cancer early
For Humphry Leue, the Cancer Screening Project he helped launch last week is meaningful on a very personal level. “I myself was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer about two years ago because of early testing,” he said during a press conference at the Dr. D....
Premier hits back at UK critics
Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley has hit back against claims that he says unfairly portray the Virgin Islands as a “rogue state” when it comes to fighting financial crime. Mr. Wheatley issued the response last week after British parliamentarians questioned his plan to restrict public access...
Residents sign up for solar
Residents and representatives from the government and the BVI Electricity Corporation signed multiple solar contracts last Thursday during the official launch of the Solar Technology and Energy Programme. Participants in the “STEP” initiative can receive a grid-tied solar system that allows them to earn credits...
Hospital to get $4 million renovation
In front of about a dozen medical staff inside the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital Monday afternoon, the BVI Health Services Authority signed a $4 million deal with the Recovery and Development Agency to renovate parts of the hospital complex over two years. “Following many...
House clashes over money-crime bills
Heated House of Assembly exchanges this week saw Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley accuse some opposition members of wanting to the flush the financial services industry “down the drain.” The flashpoint came when two opposition members called for Tuesday’s session to be adjourned because they had...
UN mission weighs in on independence
When a three-member United Nations mission visited the Virgin Islands for the first time nearly 50 years ago, it found that a major obstacle in the territory’s path toward independence was economic. In 1976, the UN’s Special Committee on Decolonisation, also known as the C-24,...
HOA defied ex-guv on interests register
Last year, legislators quietly defied former governor John Rankin on a key governance reform, ignoring his request to boost transparency by scrapping stringent rules that restrict public access to their Register of Interests. The move, however, didn’t become public until last month, when Governor Daniel...
Premier says he never suspected Fahie
Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley never suspected Andrew Fahie of any wrongdoing despite working closely with him in the years leading up to his 2022 arrest on drug-conspiracy charges in Miami, Mr. Wheatley said. “I didn’t know anything that was taking place,” Mr. Wheatley told the...
Expert teaches compost tricks
On Sunday afternoon, 42 people young and old arrived at Green VI’s EcoPark in Tortola for the second “No Dig Farming and Composting” workshop presented by English agricultural educator Charles Dowding. The crowd listened to Mr. Dowding give advice on sustainable methods for growing food...
As UK MPs push for fully public register, FSC boss warns against it
British parliamentarians are urging Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley to allow unrestricted public access to the company-ownership register set to launch by June, but the territory’s top financial regulator warned this week that the move could cost the Virgin Islands more than 30 percent of its...