The week after extending the ban on expatriates entering the territory, government reversed course on Friday and said they could return starting Sept. 1 as part of a whirlwind of …
August 25, 2020
August 21, 2020
‘Blended system’ for new school year
Government has circulated a batch of surveys that ask students, teachers, parents and employers about their experience during the past school year in order to help education officials prepare as …
August 21, 2020
Sister islands get free shuttle service
The free shuttle service that since June has ferried residents through Road Town streets has been expanded to two sister islands, government announced Monday. Starting Monday, Virgin Gorda residents can …
August 20, 2020
Virgin Giordian wins Gen Y gold
Since the Gen Y Factor singing contest began in 2016, no sister island resident had ever won it. That changed on Saturday night at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, when …
August 18, 2020
Officials cut ribbon on solar tree
Beneath a cloudless sky and bright sun on Monday, government ministers, energy professionals and non-profit leaders cut the ribbon on the territory’s first solar-powered “tree,” which they hope will be …
August 18, 2020
H. Lavity Stoutt Community College gets $362k for solar tech training
On July 29, Unite BVI provided a $362,000 grant to H. Lavity Stoutt Community College to provide scholarships for students to participate in a planned solar technician training programme, according …
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August 14, 2020
Fire breaks out in Pockwood landfill
Clouds of black smoke billowed from the landfill behind the Pockwood Pond incinerator after the area caught fire on Monday, but by the following day the flames had abated and …
August 14, 2020
Natalio Wheatley is deputy premier
For the fifth time since the February 2019 election, the territory has a new deputy premier. This time, however, he is here to stay. Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and …
August 13, 2020
ESHS hosts ‘drive-in’ graduation
Embracing the theme of “Three years, three obstacles, one mission,” the Elmore Stoutt High School held its first-ever drive-in graduation ceremony last Thursday, which was broadcast live through the government’s …
August 13, 2020
New college grads prepare for new VI
Students shared video messages recounting their days at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College during a semi-virtual graduation celebration on Aug. 2 that coincided with the college’s 30th anniversary. “As we …
August 13, 2020
A virtual twist for Festival 2020
The 66th August Emancipation Festival was unlike any other before it. Rather than packing into the Festival Village to dance to soca and calypso, residents logged onto the Virgin Islands …
August 11, 2020
Privy Council ruling could cost VI $30 million
After spending more than six years in court and seven figures in legal fees, Chuck Peterson said a tear came to his eye this month when he won his case …
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August 10, 2020
Stamp Act, six other bills become law
The House of Assembly has been busy passing more than a dozen bills in a recent marathon of sittings. Seven of them, which were Gazetted on July 28, have now …
August 8, 2020
East End fire station now first satellite emergency base
A waterproof, airtight container that could store a dozen solar- or battery-powered communications devices — including radio transmitters — sits in an office at the newly re-opened East End/Long Look …
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August 8, 2020
Ninth case confirmed, expats still barred
After a ninth Covid-19 case was announced in the territory on Aug. 1, residents angrily debated government’s subsequent announcement that it would continue blocking expatriates stranded abroad from returning to …
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August 8, 2020
Soca and calypso showcases go virtual
Thousands tuned into the virtual soca and calypso showcases this week in the comfort and safety of their own homes, jamming to sounds that represent the Virgin Islands. Both virtual …
August 7, 2020
At Pier Park, a celebration of culinary culture
When Dr. Nikki Rubaine pulled up to the food fair at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park on Friday, she knew exactly what she wanted to eat: gooseberry stew, …
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August 5, 2020
As ten-year deadline approaches, Virgin Islands lags on renewable energy goals
Ever since the Virgin Islands government began supplying public electricity in the 1950s, the territory has been powered almost exclusively by diesel fuel even as other countries around the globe …
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August 3, 2020
Virtual service reflects on emancipation
Though the annual Emancipation Service could not be held in person due to Covid-19 precautions, viewers who tuned in to a virtual version of the event last week still got …
August 2, 2020
Historic sloop back in the water
“Boy, you hear that crispy sound?” Jamel “Fiyah” Davies said with a smile as he stepped off the brightly painted sailboat Youth Instructor. “That the sound of new sails. The …
August 2, 2020
Jost lockdown lifted as Cuban doctors arrive
With a lockdown of Jost Van Dyke lifted after 335 residents on the island tested negative for Covid-19 and none tested positive, the territory remains under a curfew between midnight …
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August 1, 2020
A socially distanced festival begins
Once, while abroad in Canada, somebody asked Jadienne Webb where she came from. Leaning into her identity and her accent, Ms. Webb said, “I live where you vacay, you escape …
July 31, 2020
Festival report sheds light on last year
After the government failed to provide legally mandated annual reports on Festival spending for three years, Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley recently broke …
July 31, 2020
House votes to review 2007 Constitution
As the Virgin Islands prepares to celebrate emancipation, elected leaders also turned to the history books this week before greenlighting a constitutional review. Premier Andrew Fahie referenced the political groundswell …
July 31, 2020
Virtual graduation ceremonies continue
Graduates from the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies showed strength and resilience in completing their studies amidst the ongoing recovery from the 2017 hurricanes, and host Ronn Grant of …
