Booked up A Beaconite took an overnight trip to Virgin Gorda over the weekend and found that most of the hotels on the island were booked. This is good news …
November 24, 2021
November 17, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 18, 2021)
Booked up A Beaconite took an overnight trip to Virgin Gorda over the weekend and found that most of the hotels on the island were booked. This is good news …
November 10, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 11, 2021)
Tourists are back A Beaconite who returned to the territory last week via ferry after two months in the United States couldn’t believe the change. When she left, tourist traffic …
November 3, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 4, 2021)
Boat show A Beaconite recently attended the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where she got to glimpse hundreds of impressive vessels, including gleaming superyachts, speedboats, and even a personal submarine …
October 27, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Oct. 28, 2021)
Inquiry lessons A Beaconite and his colleagues were quite relieved when Sir Gary Hickinbottom announced last week that the Commission of Inquiry has mostly completed its collection of oral evidence. …
September 29, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Sept. 30, 2021)
Money management The House of Assembly passed budget adjustments last week approving about $29 million in extra recurrent expenditure, among other changes. A Beaconite, however, continues to be perplexed …
September 15, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (September 16, 2021)
Next up: Contracts In the upcoming week, the Commission of Inquiry plans to probe how government enters contracts “both in general and in relation to specific contracts.” A Beaconite is …
September 8, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (September 9, 2021)
Kudos to the premier A Beaconite is happy to see the premier hosting press conferences regularly to update the public on important topics. Dialogue between leaders and everyone else should …
August 18, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Aug. 19, 2021)
Near misses The Virgin Islands has been lucky in recent days as it saw near misses from two tropical storms. Nevertheless, there was some heavy rain and wind, and a …
July 29, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (July 29, 2021)
Holiday schedule Because of the August Emancipation Festival holiday, the Beacon won’t print next week, but advertising and editorial deadlines will return to normal for the Aug. 12 edition. Beaconites …
June 30, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (July 1, 2021)
Acting on acts A Beaconite was glad to see this week that more than a dozen laws received assent from Governor John Rankin. As legislators noted during last Thursday’s sitting, …
June 2, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 3, 2021)
Redacted On Monday, the Commission of Inquiry posted a redacted transcript of its May 5 hearing with BVI Airports Authority Chairman Bevis Sylvester. However, because the unredacted transcript previously had …
May 26, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 27, 2021)
Museum hop On Saturday, a Beaconite climbed aboard a safari bus in Road Town that whisked him away to several Tortola museums, none of which he had seen before. The …
May 19, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 20, 2021)
HOA transparency A Beaconite was troubled by a quote from opposition member Julian Fraser during a House of Assembly sitting last week. When debating a bill to update supplementary …
May 12, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 13, 2021)
No good deed… Last week, a Beaconite received a text message that no one wants to read: He had recently come into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. …
April 28, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 29, 2021)
Helping hands A Beaconite feels moved by the widespread offering of support she’s seen from the Virgin Islands and Caribbean neighbours in response to the volcanic eruptions in St. Vincent …
April 21, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 22, 2021)
Court closed or open? On Friday, a Beaconite showed up to High Court at about 8:50 a.m. to attend a scheduled hearing for a defendant facing a murder charge. But …
April 14, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 15, 2021)
Unsung heroes While covering a poetry reading recently, a Beaconite found one poem presented by a young writer particularly memorable. He commended waste disposal employees for the work they do …
March 31, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 1, 2021)
Register of interests A Beaconite was not impressed by legislators’ recent bragging about their commitment to transparency when they voted to make the Register of Interests available to the commission …
March 24, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (March 25, 2021)
‘Bloggers’ Online commenters on Virgin Islands news sites, colloquially known as “bloggers,” often find themselves under fire from politicians and the wider community. Comments that are trolling or offensive are …
March 10, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (March 11, 2021)
Online and onward A Beaconite was glad to see a series of digital-focused bills make their way through the House of Assembly over the past week. One of her friends …
February 17, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Feb. 18, 2021)
Impeachment A Beaconite watching the Senate impeachment trial of former United States President Donald Trump last week was captivated by the important role played by Stacey Plaskett, the delegate to …
February 10, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Feb. 11, 2021)
‘Exclusion zone’ Some charter companies and other marine businesses are becoming exasperated with the ongoing existence of the so-called “exclusion zone,” which bars most boats from the area between Jost …
January 20, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Jan. 14, 2021)
Housing hiatus A Beaconite found it somewhat shocking when government announced retroactively this month that the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme was no longer accepting applicants as of November because …
January 13, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Jan. 7, 2021)
Gateway glitches For the first time in two years, a Beaconite has family visiting her from overseas, and she has been using the BVI Gateway application and learning about the …