Government officials on Tuesday announced the completion of the first phase of the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme, which helped repair 80 hurricane-damaged homes with about $670,000 in funding from the …
April 18, 2019
April 10, 2019
EDITORIAL: Where’s the loan guarantee?
More than a year and a half after Hurricane Irma, it was extremely disheartening to learn recently that the previous government had not sent the United Kingdom the information necessary …
April 5, 2019
Insurance premiums spiked after Irma
A soft insurance market in the Virgin Islands and a surge in payouts from reinsurers has led to rising insurance premiums in the territory, according to Kishma Baronville, general manager …
April 5, 2019
‘Unprecedented’ number naturalised
Eighty people were naturalised as British overseas territory citizens on Tuesday during a ceremony at Government House, on the heels of another 80 who were naturalised last week. “Today’s ceremony …
February 19, 2019
EDITORIAL: Leaders should act on insurance tribunal’s good ideas
The insurance tribunal that government established after Hurricane Irma was a good idea, and its members are now making sound recommendations that we hope policymakers will take to heart. In …
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February 14, 2019
Five tender for Elmore Stoutt High School refit
Almost a year and a half after Hurricane Irma, five contractors — four from the Virgin Islands and one from St. Lucia — have placed bids on the refit of …
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February 8, 2019
Riot training could assist in Irma-like situations
A legion of police officers carrying shields and dressed in black body armour advanced across a softball field towards an invisible crowd on Tuesday morning. If a march, protest or …
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February 1, 2019
AC is back in parts of Central Administration Building
The air-conditioning system has been restored in parts of the Central Administration Building, government announced last week. The east atrium, the Premier’s Office, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, …
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February 1, 2019
Old Government House Museum needs $500K to rebuild
It’s strange leading a tour of a museum with almost nothing in it. But that’s what happened last Thursday, when Old Government House Museum supervisor Dora Scatliffe proudly pointed to …
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January 23, 2019
In their Words: Colin O’Neal
Colin O’Neal is the CEO of JOMA Properties Ltd, a property development and management company based on Tortola. The company, he says, has completed about 95 percent of the work …
January 14, 2019
Bird numbers still down after Irma, Christmas count suggests
When the 2017 Christmas Bird Count showed that bird populations in the Virgin Islands had been decimated by the previous September’s hurricanes, Clive Petrovic was not surprised. A year later, …
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December 28, 2018
Government hopes to rebuild Palm Grove Shopping Centre
The government will soon invite proposals for rebuilding the Palm Grove Shopping Centre, which was demolished in August after being gutted by Hurricane Irma, according to Premier Dr. Orlando Smith. …
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November 7, 2018
In their Words: Joe Collier
Mr. Collier is the president and CEO of Mainsail Lodging and Development, which owns and operates Scrub Island Resort and Marina, the grand reopening of which took place Oct. 1. …
October 25, 2018
Questions about Irma donations still unanswered
In spite of a promise made more than two weeks ago, Premier’s Office officials have not provided any further information about an incomplete list detailing $16 million worth of hurricane …
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October 12, 2018
Government releases, then partly retracts, vague info on Irma donations worth $16m
In response to a request at a recent press conference, government officials last week provided — and then partially retracted — a spreadsheet listing limited information about more than $16 …
October 4, 2018
In looking back at Irma, hindsight is 20/20
This article appeared in the Beacon’s “Irma Anniversary” special edition on Sept. 6. Sharleen DaBreo, the director of the Department of Disaster Management, is trained to think about all the …
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September 26, 2018
‘Doing a little bit towards something big’
Before volunteers started reconstructing Wonder Years Daycare & Preschool, there was essentially no upper floor left at all. “The roof was completely gone,” project manager Mitch Lederman said while giving …
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September 26, 2018
One year after Irma, Virgin Gorda fights to recover
This article originally appeared in the Beacon’s Sept. 6 “Irma Anniversary” edition. The team of people who once served as Virgin Gorda’s de facto government now have their headquarters in …
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September 24, 2018
Irma, Then and Now: Photos from around Road Town
Road Town was devastated by Hurricane Irma, but the capital is building back in leaps and bounds. Scroll down to compare scenes captured shortly after Hurricane Irma to the same …
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September 21, 2018
Anegada “pushing for bigger and better things” after Irma
This article originally appeared in the Beacon’s Sept. 6 “Irma Anniversary” edition. For the some 300 people living on Anegada, day-to-day life is punctuated by boat arrivals. Road Town-based passenger ferries pull …
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September 12, 2018
Virgin Islands economy takes new shapes after Irma
This article originally appeared in the Beacon’s Sept. 6 “Irma Anniversary” edition. Like many people throughout the Virgin Islands, Courdney Williams has a very different daily routine than he did 12 months …
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September 11, 2018
Irma, then and now: Photos from around Tortola
Much has changed since Hurricane Irma struck the Virgin Islands on Sept. 6, 2017. In some locations, the recovery effort has transformed the landscape. Other areas, however, don’t look much …
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September 10, 2018
Irma Anniversary: Seven unsung heroes of the storm
This article originally appeared in the Beacon’s Sept. 6, 2018 Irma Anniversary edition. It seems that everyone in the Virgin Islands knows at least one hero of Hurricane Irma. …
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September 10, 2018
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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August 28, 2018
Disney Cruise Line returns today, territory prepared
Last Tuesday morning in Cane Garden Bay, something was happening everywhere you looked: Backhoes were churning up sand, steps were being swept, roofs were being hammered, buildings were being painted, …
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