"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
The newly planted flowers and trees along the James Walter Francis Drive demonstrate that relatively minor improvements can go a long way toward beautifying Road Town and other population centres …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Trees, flowers go a long way in Road Town”
Bush whacking A Beaconite was fortunate enough to travel to Guana Island this week with scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, exploring and identifying native plant species. The …
To hear that the festival finances are already $300,000 in the red is not really a surprise. Vendors and suppliers have continually complained that they don’t get paid. Successive governments …
In terms of value for money, investment in the West End ferry terminal is the most critical tourism and seaport investment the Virgin Islands can make right now. Investment in …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — WE ferry dock seen as crucial”
Congratulations to our newly elected members in the Virgin Islands House of Assembly, and God’s blessings throughout your term. The campaigning was quite short. As a result, many candidates did …
Moves towards e-government are welcome but overdue in an economy dependent on telecommunications to make its tourist product and financial services industry more attractive and efficient. We might emulate Estonia’s …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for e-gov’t, telecoms”
It is good to hear that the new government is moving ahead with longstanding plans to streamline labour and immigration processes by implementing an automated electronic system. This time around, …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Labour, immigration reform should be easy win”
More than a year and a half after Hurricane Irma, it was extremely disheartening to learn recently that the previous government had not sent the United Kingdom the information necessary …
Work permits A Beaconite has experienced plenty of frustrations while sitting in the Labour and Immigration offices when she could have been at work. She is not the only one. …
Talk show host Claude Skelton-Cline knows perfectly well why the British government imposed the Recovery and Development Agency on us. Just one reason. Successive governments here have shown themselves to …
We in the Virgin Islands have been talking a lot about diversifying our economy. We have spoken about diversifying our financial services pillar and enhancing and diversifying our tourism pillar. …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Food seen as third economic pillar”
Events over the last few weeks have strengthened the case for implementing the remaining recommendations of the observers’ report on the 2015 general election, most of which are expected to …
Continue reading “LETTER — Call for election reform repeated”
The recent victory of the Virgin Islands Party in the Feb. 25 general election could be viewed as a spectacular political achievement. Much of this success is to be attributed …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — VIP election victory impresses”
On March 23 Virgin Islands News Online published a bizarrely vicious attack against The BVI Beacon and our reporter Genevieve Glatsky, making outlandish false claims under the guise of an …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Bullying won’t silence the Beacon”
Veggie woes A vegetarian Beaconite has struggled to make affordable and healthy(ish) food choices when faced with import taxes on a journalist’s salary. Thus, she often finds herself compulsively checking …
Being a commonwealth or territory is permanent second-class status. – United States Senator Chris Murphy (D – Connecticut) A certain Clematius, a man of senatorial rank, who seems …
Hugs, warm and tender touches, soft kisses and overwhelming cuddles are some of the tender loving care I have experienced as the mother of a child with Down syndrome. My …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Mother explains Down syndrome”
I am related to seven different kiwi (New Zealander) families, the first descended from a war bride taken in 1917 to a gold-mining town in South Island, better known for …
Continue reading “Commentary — Concerns about hackers linger”
At the gas station A new Beaconite has been busy covering political parties without bias or opinion for the past two weeks. But everywhere she seemed to go throughout town, …
First, members of the Virgin Islands’ ruling party resigned because they did not like their newly elected leader. Now, in the United Kingdom seven members of the opposition Labour Party …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Quips target recent politics”
I cannot deny that there’s room for improvement in the teaching of world history in our schools, including African history (or “black history,” as it is commonly called in this …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — African history seen as neglected here”
The table is set for the Virgin Islands’ general election. Premier Dr. Orlando Smith dissolved the House of Assembly in January and set an election date for Monday. Last Thursday …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Voters urged to hit the polls”
I am following up my letter of last week, “Cyberattack victim recounts his ordeal,” to alert voters to possible external interference in our election, without compromising police investigations into the …
As Election Day approaches, this Virgin Islands resident pleads with the voting and nonvoting public to exercise patience, civility and cordiality throughout the whole electoral process through the voting on …
During its first three weeks in office, the new government has made some major changes. At times, the public has struggled to keep up. Starting immediately, the Virgin Islands Party-led …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: New government needs communication strategy”