"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
Measures originally aimed at shining a light on the owners of Virgin Islands-registered companies will be carefully tailored to “balance privacy,” Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said Monday in an apparent …
Continue reading “Premier pushes ‘privacy’ ahead of register reforms”
The government tendered fewer than half of the major contracts it awarded between 2019 and 2022, and it often passed over the lowest offer for the rest, according to a …
Continue reading “Audit blasts 2019-2022 contracting procedures”
The first six months of 2024 set a tourism record, bringing the most visitor arrivals of any first half in Virgin Islands history and causing Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley …
Continue reading “First-half tourism record driven by cruise ships”
After each Elmore Stoutt High School graduate walked across the stage to receive a diploma last Thursday at the Multi-purpose Sports Complex, valedictorian J’Quela Callwood took the microphone. “We adapted …
The 2024 graduates of H. Lavity Stoutt Community College know a thing or two about adversity. Many of them weathered Hurricane Irma around the time they started high school, and …
Sweeping anti-corruption reforms recommended by the recent Commission of Inquiry can be achieved by the new deadline of September, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said Friday. Dr. Wheatley was speaking …
The 20th Leverick Bay Poker Run on Sunday was the second after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the event to take a three-year hiatus, and organisers dubbed it a success despite …
In an elaborate three-hour ceremony that featured dancers, saluting children, and the Rocky theme song, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley touted his government’s first year in office in a “territorial …
On a recent Saturday morning, unpainted concrete walls cooled the interior of the skeleton structure that will become the new animal shelter in Josiahs Bay. “We are building a solid …
A major international report released Monday raises serious concerns about the territory’s ability to deal with money laundering and other financial crime, leading one expert to warn that “red lights” …
Continue reading “Money laundering report brings threat of ‘grey list’”
The Covid-19 pandemic was to blame for the four-year delay in reopening Peter Island Resort, operators told the Beacon. The upmarket tourist property has been shuttered since sustaining heavy damage …
Continue reading “Peter Island blames Covid for rebuild delays”
As port officials had previously predicted, 2023 saw the arrival of a record number of cruise ship passengers in the territory, the BVI Ports Authority announced Monday. The number of …
In January 2021, Governor John Rankin arrived in the Virgin Islands days after his predecessor dropped a political bombshell by announcing a Commission of Inquiry into possible corruption in the …
The debate last Thursday in the House of Assembly drew a sharp rebuke from a previous target of Auditor General Sonia Webster. On Tuesday, the Beacon received a statement from …
Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2023, who overcame formidable challenges to get where they are today. First, they survived Hurricane Irma, which transformed the territory. Then they …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: First post-pandemic class enters world of opportunity”
As of Friday, three patients had been admitted to the hospital to be treated for Covid-19 out of the 13 people who have tested positive this year, according to Health …
An optimistic look back on 2022 might conjure a year-end image of the Virgin Islands as a phoenix preparing to rise from the ashes of its former self. And after …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: The highs, lows and lessons of 2022”
Ahead of the holiday season, the Virgin Islands is preparing to join a regional programme that aims to set standards for public health management in the tourism sector across the …
The tourism season started barely two weeks ago, but business is already booming at Foxy’s Tamarind Bar on Jost Van Dyke. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a season like …
Starting on Nov. 1, public officers will no longer be required to wear masks in offices, Deputy Governor David Archer announced last Thursday. Cabinet lifted the legal requirement to wear …
As of Monday, there were 23 active Covid-19 cases known in the territory, according to a government dashboard released that day. Before that, government said in its most recent update …
Continue reading “Virgin Islands had 23 Covid cases as of Monday”
A vaccination drive will be held on Saturday and Sunday and again next weekend at the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital, the BVI Health Services Authority announced on Friday. “The …
Travellers arriving in the territory are no longer required to present a negative Covid-19 test result to enter the Virgin Islands, government announced. The entry test requirement was in place …
Continue reading “Virgin Islands drops entry test requirement”
Less than a week after Cabinet lifted the territory’s indoor mask mandate, government announced that the requirement would be reinstated for public offices and schools. “For the next three to …
Continue reading “Mask mandate extended in public offices, schools”
As of yesterday, people in the territory are no longer required to wear masks indoors or apply through the travel portal to enter the territory, Health and Social Development Minister …
