Powerline inspections, vegetation trimming and automation are among the works under way to address the widespread power outages that have plagued the territory in recent months, according to Communications and …
July 11, 2025
June 30, 2025
EDITORIAL: We have mixed feelings about water strategy
The water shortages that have plagued the territory for years are a national disgrace, and we are glad the government has rolled out a preliminary strategy to address the situation. …
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June 12, 2025
Only 10% of $100m loan drawn down
Only $10 million of the government’s $100 million loan from CIBC Caribbean bank has been drawn down so far, according to Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. That $10 million was made …
June 5, 2025
EDITORIAL: Hurricane season is here
Have you prepared for this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season? If not, you’re already behind. The official season started on June 1, meaning that a major storm could form at any …
March 5, 2025
EDITORIAL: WE ferry terminal bid flop raises troubling questions
We have often used this space to praise the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency for consistently getting projects done on time and on budget. Last month, however, we were …
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February 24, 2025
Delayed sewage system coming to Cane
Long-delayed plans to build a new sewage system in Cane Garden Bay are back on track after Connect Enterprises Limited signed a $3,785,274.55 contract to carry out “Phase Two” of …
January 2, 2025
Economy takes centre stage at budget debate
The House of Assembly passed the 2025 budget with amendments on Dec. 19 after a lengthy debate over two days that touched on the economy, infrastructure, healthcare, the minimum wage …
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November 8, 2024
$100m loan deal to focus largely on Irma recovery projects
After more than a year of promises, the government has signed a $100 million loan deal to develop critical infrastructure including several recovery projects that have been stalled for lack …
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October 16, 2024
EDITORIAL: Census must be completed soon
Timely and accurate data about the Virgin Islands’ population would lead directly to a better public service, a more dynamic business sector, and stronger non-profit organisations. And that’s just a …
October 8, 2024
EDITORIAL: Funds from new loan must be spent wisely
The government’s plan to borrow $100 million to rebuild critical public infrastructure is a big step in the public sector’s long-delayed recovery from the 2017 hurricanes. However, given the scale …
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July 19, 2024
Set to retire, Quito offers words of wisdom
To boost the tourism industry, the Virgin Islands should clean its roadways, shore up its infrastructure, and revisit plans to build a casino, among other steps, according to singer and …
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July 15, 2024
Government urged to boost land-based visits
The Virgin Islands is being left behind by tourism rivals like St. Thomas due to government complacency, opposition member Myron Walywn warned recently in the House of Assembly. To tackle …
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July 4, 2024
EDITORIAL: Airport survey questions raise questions
Words matter. And we fear that the verbiage chosen for a public survey circulated as part of the business case for the planned airport expansion could produce skewed and incomplete …
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May 29, 2024
EDITORIAL: At Joes Hill project, transparent plan needed now
As troubles continue to mount at the Social Security Board’s Joes Hill Manor Estate, the SSB must end its silence and fully explain the way forward to the taxpayers whose …
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May 21, 2024
EDITORIAL: 38-mile road project should go to the RDA
Gaping potholes. Undermined asphalt. Broken speedbumps. Missing guardrails. Given the deplorable state of the territory’s roads, we don’t have to tell Virgin Islands drivers about the urgent need for the …
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May 1, 2024
EDITORIAL: Sargassum is back, and the VI is not prepared
Sargassum is once again arriving on the shores of the Caribbean, but the Virgin Islands is not ready. Given the seaweed’s recent impacts in the territory, this is most unfortunate. …
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April 19, 2024
Infrastructure woes and foetid tap water in paradise
With its seaside villas, luxury resorts and yachting anchorages, Virgin Gorda is known for laidback luxury. But last August, the island’s residents started complaining about the foetid odour of their …
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February 13, 2024
Just one firm bids on 38-mile road project
Despite three deadline extensions in a tender process launched last October, only one company bid last week for a 38-mile road reconstruction project on Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van …
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February 12, 2024
EDITORIAL: New JVD school is a big step in sister islands’ recovery
We are heartened by the recent opening of the $4.3 million replacement for the Jost Van Dyke Primary School, a well-conceived and well-executed project that should serve as a model …
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December 26, 2023
EDITORIAL: 2023 was a year of healing and laboured progress
As the Virgin Islands approaches the New Year, it’s prudent to reflect on the many high points of 2023 and to analyse what could have gone better. In many ways, …
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November 9, 2023
Government issues tender for 38 miles of roadwork
After the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Phillipe exacerbated the disrepair affecting Virgin Islands roadways, government has issued a tender for 38 miles of reconstruction work that will be funded by …
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October 2, 2023
Government pledges to tackle Virgin Gorda’s water woes
Inadequate infrastructure and an influx of sargassum seaweed have caused recent water rationing in The Valley, Virgin Gorda, but plans are in place to address both issues, government announced Sept. …
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September 11, 2023
EDITORIAL: Six years after Irma, all is not well
The past year has seen the most progress yet on the government’s protracted recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. First, though, the good news: The …
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July 31, 2023
With Power52 boss in bankruptcy, Anegada solar farm’s future unclear
More than two years after his company won a $4.6 million contract to build a major solar plant on Anegada, American developer Rob Wallace Jr. broke ground last December alongside …
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July 5, 2023
EDITORIAL: Public disservice
We are alarmed by recent signs that the government is increasingly struggling to provide the most basic public services. Perhaps the most glaring example is electricity. In large sections of …