"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
At a time when the government’s recovery effort is severely delayed and egregiously underfunded, Premier Andrew Fahie should stop fear-mongering and work quickly with Governor Gus Jaspert to finalise a …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Absent alternatives, loan guarantee is needed”
New face The Beacon has recently welcomed a new reporter. Fresh out of college at the University of Vermont and hailing from California, Joey Waldinger is beginning to settle in …
In the early 1990s when I entered the civil service of the Virgin Islands, there were some standards and principles that were well known even to junior officers. Little did …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Ex-public officer speaks out on poor governance in VI”
Countries that fail to economically optimise their own natural and domestic markets are doomed to an eternity of economic slavery A story out of Nigeria emphasised the importance of local …
Continue reading “Commentary — Call made for local production”
Once again, freedom of speech is in danger in the Virgin Islands. The House of Assembly is considering amendments to the 2014 Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act that would stifle …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: New cybercrime bill poses grave threat to free speech”
Three Beaconites unite Being a journalist gives you access to places and events around the world, and former coworkers sometimes cross paths while on the job. At the Pan American …
It is important to ensure that the terms “August Monday” and “August Emancipation Festival” are clearly understood. “August Monday” means the first Monday in August, and it is of great …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — History of Festival recounted”
Personal safety is the traveller’s most critical consideration. No family wants to go on vacation only to return in caskets. A country may offer spectacular panoramas, hugely significant historical sites, …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Safety seen as crucial to tourism”
For decades, we have encouraged residents during this season to remember the real reason for the August Emancipation Festival. As we do the same this year, we are pleased to …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: In Facebook age, emancipation is increasingly on VI’s radar”
We are thrilled that the new government appears to be moving ahead with a badly needed law that could go a long way toward better protecting the territory’s increasingly beleaguered …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Eco-law could be a huge step forward”
Road hazard For months, drivers have a faced a serious hazard on the Ridge Road east of the Belle Vue junction. As work has continued slowly on a roadside house, …
By DR. ORIEN TULP The University of Science, Arts and Technology Montserrat is a Caribbean-based medical school that has graduated a greater proportion of non-traditional and minority medical doctors …
Continue reading “LETTER — Founder defends Montserrat med school”
Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, has asserted that the dominant economic model of the latter 20th Century — supply side free market economics — is obsolete in today’s …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Need seen to move ‘beyond carbon’”
Kudos to the new government for soliciting public input before moving ahead with some of the most important initiatives on its agenda. We hope that residents will take advantage of …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Government is right to include the public”
On a safari For many Virgin Islands residents who aren’t taxi drivers or schoolchildren, safari buses — those massive trucks painted with various themes — can be problematical. They are …
Although among the smallest of Caribbean island states, the Virgin Islands has long been a leader in the region in formulating climate change policy and establishing a governance structure to …
Continue reading “LETTER — Gov’t criticised for undoing predecessors’ climate work”
Brexit is the most damaging event in recent United Kingdom history, equivalent to the Suez Crisis of the early 1960s in terms of its malevolent effect on UK politics, economics …
It is embarrassing and disheartening that yet another proposed development at Prospect Reef has fallen through, leaving the resort to crumble further into disrepair 14 years after government purchased it …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Prospect Reef flop is a crying shame”
Sister islands woes A Beaconite had the pleasure of visiting Jost Van Dyke this week for a meeting on disaster preparedness that turned into a town hall style event where …
Say something kind to someone today. Too soon that someone could pass away, And you’d be left with pain in your heart, Wondering why you didn’t do your part. …
Too many Virgin Islands residents are ignoring their health and well-being. The cost to the taxpayer is astronomical and increasing. Prevention is better than cure. It is public knowledge the …
The new government’s bumbling on climate change is endangering the territory’s future. On April 24, the Cabinet decided to revoke the membership of the Climate Change Trust Fund board, a …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Government is dropping the ball on climate change”
Quiet support The Beacon, like other media outlets, occasionally finds itself embroiled in controversy (the reasons for which are far beyond the scope of this Reporter’s Notebook). When that happens, …
In his preaching on the need for a new capitalism that will power social and economic prosperity in the West in the decades ahead, economist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for economic change”
My name is Maekiaphan Phillips, but my birth name was Marciana Marcola Rivera. My dad was Epifanio B. Rivera. At my dad’s funeral on May 16, 1972, a brother from …
Continue reading “LETTER — Salt Island descendent seeks brother”