Last October, acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool felt close to realising her career-long dream of being confirmed as the first female police commissioner in Virgin Islands history. The Virgin Gorda …
May 2, 2025
April 17, 2025
HOA blasts UK security review as guv stays tight-lipped
A proposal to give the governor sweeping new powers over areas including customs, immigration and financial investigations has been roundly condemned by both sides of the House of Assembly. HOA …
Continue reading “HOA blasts UK security review as guv stays tight-lipped”
April 10, 2025
Security review sets stage for UK-VI spat
Claiming that corruption and organised crime have seriously undermined security in the Virgin Islands, the second volume of a scathing law-enforcement review lays out a 10-year reform plan that would …
Continue reading “Security review sets stage for UK-VI spat”
March 14, 2025
PAW has fixed 5,000 dogs, cats
A black dog under PAW BVI’s care joined more than 100 human attendees last Thursday at Government House to celebrate the non-profit organisation’s recent accomplishment of sponsoring the spaying or …
February 20, 2025
Auditor general probing salary error
Auditor General Sonia Webster is investigating how the government dramatically underestimated the cost of public-service salary increases awarded last year, according to Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. He made the disclosure …
February 17, 2025
Premier wants governor out of Cabinet
The Virgin Islands governor should be stripped of his role overseeing Cabinet meetings, leaving the elected members to manage the territory’s affairs on their own, according to Premier Natalio “Sowande” …
February 10, 2025
HOA defied ex-guv on interests register
Last year, legislators quietly defied former governor John Rankin on a key governance reform, ignoring his request to boost transparency by scrapping stringent rules that restrict public access to their …
January 9, 2025
Throne speech pegged to plan
The first Speech from the Throne in two years emphasised the elected government’s determination to push ahead with the six broad goals laid out in the territory’s National Sustainable Development …
November 7, 2024
Free eye tests offered for Diabetes Month
On Tuesday morning, several residents waited patiently in the BVI Diabetes Resource Centre in Road Town for a free screening to determine if they are at risk for an eye …
Continue reading “Free eye tests offered for Diabetes Month”
October 31, 2024
Audit blasts 2019-2022 contracting procedures
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”
October 24, 2024
Governor has assented to 4 of 15 COI bills
Four of the 15 bills the House of Assembly passed recently pursuant to recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry have now received assent from Governor Daniel Pruce, according to Premier …
Continue reading “Governor has assented to 4 of 15 COI bills”
October 3, 2024
COI reforms off gov’t desk, premier says
After the House of Assembly passed the last of five bills to reform statutory bodies last Thursday, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley boasted this week that his government has completed …
September 4, 2024
12 bills laid days before COI deadline
Two days before the missed Saturday deadline for completing the sweeping reforms recommended by the Commission of Inquiry, the House of Assembly suspended its usual rules to introduce 12 bills. …
August 22, 2024
For many, Ernesto cut power for days
The day after Tropical Storm Ernesto passed over the territory, BVI Electricity Corporation General Manager Dr. Neil Smith told ZBVI Radio that he expected power to be restored by last …
July 18, 2024
Guv’s inquiry bill sparks cries of ‘dictatorship’
On Tuesday in the House of Assembly, two legislators used the word “dictatorship” to decry a bill that Governor Daniel Pruce is proposing to modernise the Commission of Inquiry Act …
Continue reading “Guv’s inquiry bill sparks cries of ‘dictatorship’”
May 23, 2024
Two dead after Huntums Ghut shooting
Two Dominican Republic men were fatally shot outside Ramon Bar in Huntums Ghut on Friday morning shortly after midnight, police said. The deceased are 44-year-old Alix Montero Hernandez, who resided …
May 10, 2024
Guv pushes for press freedom
Calls for a freedom of information law in the territory are of “great interest” to Governor Daniel Pruce, but the matter has not been “live” during his time in his …
April 9, 2024
Government hosts ‘sanctions training’
In keeping with a recent recommendation from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, the Virgin Islands government is establishing a dedicated unit to handle sanctions like the ones that have …
February 16, 2024
After Rutley visit, premier ‘confident’ on reforms
Nearly half an hour late to the press conference he called on Friday morning, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley stepped into the multimedia room on the first floor of his …
Continue reading “After Rutley visit, premier ‘confident’ on reforms”
February 10, 2024
OT minister brings sharp warning
Last month, outgoing governor John Rankin wrote to United Kingdom Overseas Territories Minister David Rutley to request additional powers to help his successor push through delayed Commission of Inquiry reforms. …
February 1, 2024
New governor swears in
The new governor of the Virgin Islands was sworn in to office Monday after arriving in the territory three days earlier. Upstairs in the House of Assembly building, Daniel Pruce …
January 26, 2024
In exit interview, Rankin talks COI, Fahie arrest, Covid
Was the United Kingdom aware of allegations linking then-Premier Andrew Fahie to crimes before it launched the Commission of Inquiry? Did Governor John Rankin authorise the United States sting operation …
Continue reading “In exit interview, Rankin talks COI, Fahie arrest, Covid”
January 25, 2024
Governor bids farewell
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 …
July 6, 2023
New governor to arrive in January
A career diplomat with 34 years of experience will replace Governor John Rankin in January, the Governor’s Office announced on Friday. Daniel Pruce will take over at a fraught time …
