Recovery newsletter
A Beaconite was pleased to see that the Recovery and Development Agency recently launched a “Recovery Matters” newsletter focusing on the impact of the agency six years after Hurricane Irma. The regular updates will no doubt be useful to anyone tracking the recovery from the storms of 2017. Besides that newsletter, she would also point community members to the RDA’s website, which includes details about each of the agency’s projects and a wealth of other information about its work. In fact, the site event includes the minutes of the agency’s meetings. She believes such transparency should be the norm for all statutory boards in the territory. After all, they are public bodies funded with the public’s money, and taxpayers deserve to know what they are up to. Such transparency is standard in many other democracies. Here, sadly, it is ground-breaking. The Beaconite believes kudos are due to the RDA for leading the way.
HOA is a machine
A Beaconite was pleased to see so much information and a few long-awaited reports laid out in the House of Assembly last week. Much of it is covered in this week’s edition, and more stories are to come from the sittings. It’s good that government is getting off to a strong start of the “school year” and coming out of summer with important updates. Besides reading the newspaper, the reporter encourages readers to go to bvibeacon.com to access the full documents and to take a read for themselves. Currently, after all, there are many major initiatives in the works. The biggest of all is the proposed airport expansion at Beef Island, which has been discussed recently in the HOA. The reporter hopes to see some more information and public dialogue about that controversial proposal and other major projects before the end of the year. And she hopes the HOA sticks to its busy schedule.
A new chapter
A Beaconite found that reporting recently on the sixth anniversary of hurricanes Irma and Maria revealed a new sense of acceptance and interest in moving forward. She hopes students heading into the 2023-24 school year fully embrace that spirit despite the challenges they’ve been dealt throughout their academic careers. Recent times have been hard on students, but they’ve also pushed many faculty and staff to a breaking point. The reporter hopes students will be freed from pouring so much of their energy into just making it through the past few years, instead finding the support they really need to thrive. She also hopes that students put extra effort into supporting their teachers in delivering the best instruction possible, without excessive distractions or any of the safety concerns raised last year. She looks forward to seeing what feats this new class can accomplish together.
Lost shaker of salt
Recently, a Beaconite spent a quiet afternoon at one of the beach bars near her apartment, and when she ordered a margarita she asked the bartender if they had been getting many orders for them since the Sept. 1 death of Jimmy Buffett, famous for his iconic tropic-themed tune “Margaritaville.” While he didn’t say much, the Beaconite sat on a beach chair with her book and before long heard the hit song playing from the bar, followed by a whole playlist of his songs. Artists play an imperative role in capturing shared human experiences, which is why the world mourns when a beloved creator is lost. From her little corner of paradise, this reporter wishes his supporters well.