Take a walk through Road Town, and you are likely to see Styrofoam and plastic littering the ground, the mangroves and the harbour. This sight is unacceptable anywhere, but it …
EDITORIAL: The broken record from the Throne
In the weeks after Hurricane Irma, elected leaders promised legislation designed to help the territory recover and prepare for future storms, including a new building code, consumer protection legislation, a …
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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Sept. 20, 2018)
Awarded Starting last year, the Beacon and other Caribbean newspapers partnered with the Puerto Rico Center for Investigative Journalism on a series of articles titled “Islands Adrift,” which probed the …
Commentary — Policy fellow questions UK’s recovery support
As the peak of the 2018 hurricane season progresses, Britain is on standby as its Caribbean overseas territories remain vulnerable after the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria a year …
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Commentary — Storms’ effects on nature noted
The Virgin Islands must reconcile two conflicting challenges: managing mass tourism while conserving our biodiversity and fragile ecosystems. Last week, I wrote about the human tsunami due to hit us …
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POEM — Keep Faith In Front
There’s no need to hide no need to think suicide things will turnaround even as cliché as it may sound keep both feet on the ground because trouble is all …
EDITORIAL: A communications director is needed now more than ever
At this pivotal time in the hurricane recovery process, it is troubling that the government suddenly has no communications director. On Aug. 20, Arliene Penn, who formerly held the position, …
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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Sept. 6, 2018)
Becoming a Beaconite If it weren’t for Irma, one Beaconite would not be a Beaconite. Three days after the storm, desperate not to have to go back to her home …
Commentary — ‘Reeling in the wilderness’
Twelve months after the worst natural disaster in Virgin Islands modern history, the territory is still reeling and roaming about in the wilderness! That Hurricane Irma set the development of …
Commentary — ‘Make something frighteningly new’
A year ago I wrote that there was opportunity hidden amidst the wreckage of Irma and Maria and that we just needed the wherewithal and the courage to find it. …
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COMMENTARY — ‘A type of winning’
When I was asked to write a submission for the first anniversary of Hurricane Irma, I considered passing as, in many ways, I’m still processing my losses. But then I …
Commentary — Irma like ‘the voice of God’
Prior to Hurricane Irma, I had been experiencing a sense of helplessness and hopelessness about what the Virgin Islands had become. That feeling was reinforced when I listened to a …
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EDITORIAL: Virgin Islands strong, but must be stronger
“The Virgin Islands must build back stronger.” In the weeks after Hurricane Irma, this phrase was repeated like a mantra. A year later, is the territory succeeding? The answer varies …
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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Aug. 30, 2018)
New intern The Beacon has a new intern. Tiana Hewitt is a 16-year-old student at Cedar International School. A proud feminist, she appreciates people who stand up for gender equality …
LETTER — Call made to reform waste system
I have been in correspondence with the Department of Waste Management regarding the ongoing fire and ensuing health hazard at Pockwood Pond. The department has been responsive, open and empathetic, …
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COMMENTARY — Past nationality laws deemed unfair
I indicated earlier that the provisions of the 1948 Nationality Act did not favour ancestral Virgin Islanders and that fact was not generally known here. It may be that the …
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COMMENTARY — ‘Life notes of a dedicated walker’
I related in “From Linz to Berlin” (in a July 19 Beacon commentary titled “Lifelong walker recounts more travels) some walking experiences while living in an Austrian refugee camp, returning …
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EDITORIAL: UK Parliament snubs OTs again
It is troubling that the United Kingdom Parliament’s inquiry into the UK’s relationship with the overseas territories was launched without a comprehensive effort to solicit input from OT citizens. The …
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Aug. 23, 2018)
Post-Irma optimism In the process of reporting for the Beacon’s upcoming “Irma Anniversary” edition scheduled for Sept. 6, a Beaconite has spoken to dozens of people across several sectors of …
COMMENTARY — Politicians urged to be selfless
Volunteerism is defined as serving one’s community without compensation. Unfortunately, because of greed, many volunteer organisations worldwide have been robbed by their executive officers. In today’s world, there are numerous …
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COMMENTARY — CDs seen as model for UK relations
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Affairs Committee is leading an inquiry into the UK’s constitutional relationship with the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories (OTs). To that end, it plans to …
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COMMENTARY — Need seen to ‘rebalance’ economy
There are very serious economic and financial implications for the Virgin Islands as a consequence of the United Kingdom decision to impose public registers of beneficial ownership on the overseas …
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EDITORIAL: All work permits, not just high earners’, should be processed much faster
Instead of launching expedited “executive work permits” for high earners, the Labour Department should concentrate on reforming its systems from the ground up in order to process all work permits …
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Aug. 16, 2018)
A dog’s life Though the issue has been aired often on social media, in international and local news articles, and in public chatter, it still surprises and disgusts a Beaconite …
COMMENTARY — Stats seen as essential for recovery
Accurate statistics and sound economic metrics are critical to engineering economic recovery for the Virgin Islands. A July article in a national online newspaper stated that the territory’s public debt …
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