A hopeful start
During a Monday sitting in honour of the beginning of the 2020 Law Year — in the fourth floor of the Sakal Place, the new home of the civil division of the High Court — a Beaconite listened as judges and lawyers introduced new ideas to improve the territory’s judicial system. One lawyer suggested creating a division to exclusively handle familial and domestic violence issues. The acting director of public prosecutions wants to reinstate a programme to educate youths about the legal system and conflict resolution. Another lawyer said she and her peers should not overlook the importance of community service and putting a public face to the territory’s legal body. The Beaconite knows the court system currently faces several complex issues: Inadequate finances have made hiring administrative staff for Magistrates’ Court difficult, for example, and an antiquated law has frozen the jury selection process. While amending these problems is obviously the priority, in the new law year the Beaconite hopes the territory’s leaders can also make progress on the aforementioned propositions and others like them. Beyond helping the courts run more smoothly, enacting such changes would likely make the legal system more humane and help Virgin Islanders treat each other with more respect and compassion.
VI makes tourism lists
“British Virgin Islands: An island chain devastated by hurricanes rebounds with an environmental bent.” That was the headline in The New York Times’ recent feature “52 Places to visit in 2020.” Google it yourself. You’ll see the VI listed right there. The paragraphs describing why people should visit mentioned recently re-opened hotels, new attractions, and a shift toward renewable resources. The piece hailed Rosewood Little Dix Bay, the sunken Willy T and its replacement, Bitter End Yacht Club’s new marina built with recycled materials, and electric-powered yachts from Voyage Charters. The Beacon has reported on all of these developments, and continues to keep a sharp eye on recovery and improvements made in the territory in the wake of the hurricanes of 2017. That isn’t the only list the VI has made in recent months. Also published recently was a list of top holiday destinations for “the super rich.” The article was published in CEOWORLD Magazine and it listed the VI as the most popular destination in 2019. Teaming up with Cosmos Luxury Yachts, the magazine found out where those who have a net-worth of more than $500 million went to relax for the holidays. The VI was the top destination, followed by Ibiza, Spain and Bali, Indonesia.