Government is working with the Recovery and Development Agency and two United States-based nonprofits to finalise designs for a rebuilt Elmore Stoutt High School, according to Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio …
Legislators’ interests declared late, or not at all
Concluding hearings for the first of six major topics it plans to investigate this summer, the Commission of Inquiry called legislators from the present and past to answer for their …
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$300k contract signed for EE centre
Community centres in the Virgin Islands serve as gathering spaces in good times and as vital shelters during storms, but many of them have sat in ruins since taking severe …
Caricom leaders slam UK over VI inquiry
Following a virtual meeting attended recently by Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley, leaders from the Caribbean Community expressed “dismay” with the way the United Kingdom went about launching its …
National library, museum promised this year
Public libraries have been mostly closed in the territory since Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands in 2017, but they were struggling even before then. That will change this year, …
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More students head back to class in person
More students are filtering back into in-person classrooms under the phased approach to school re-openings that began in October as Covid-19 numbers fell, though some are still attending primarily or …
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78 percent of CXC exams written earn passing grade
Though they faced unprecedented challenges caused first by Hurricane Irma and then by the Covid-19 pandemic, a total of 358 students in the Virgin Islands registered for at least one …
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Bill would reform farming and fishing industries
The spotlight has turned to more sustainable practices as the Virgin Islands looks to create a more self-sufficient food industry, and an early iteration of proposed legislation is designed to …
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Natalio Wheatley is deputy premier
For the fifth time since the February 2019 election, the territory has a new deputy premier. This time, however, he is here to stay. Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and …
Virtual service reflects on emancipation
Though the annual Emancipation Service could not be held in person due to Covid-19 precautions, viewers who tuned in to a virtual version of the event last week still got …
Scaled-back August Festival is on
Though the celebrations will look notably different from typical years, the August Emancipation Festival will still happen in the coming weeks despite the complications of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to …
Sweeping rewrite of police rules on table
Coming on the heels of widespread protests around the world concerning the death of George Floyd and the role of police in communities, the House of Assembly is considering a …
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Food security, sustainability bill in works
Sustainable food production in the Virgin Islands has been a hot topic since long before the emergence of Covid-19, and legislators are crafting a new bill to comprehensively address it. …
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Virtual exhibits open window to VI history
Though the pandemic threw a wrench into the Department of Culture’s plans to produce an exhibition at the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Building and several satellite locations, the agency got …
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House passes border control measures
New border control measures aimed at giving the Virgin Islands more information about who is coming to the territory before they arrive passed the House of Assembly on June 16. …
Looking ahead in sports
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley spoke to the Beacon on Tuesday about the fate of sports in the territory admist the Covid-19 pandemic. When …
$2 million fishing, farming stimulus moves ahead
Government recently sent out a call for farmers and fishers in the territory, and they answered, according to Education, Culture Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. …
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Mr. Malone’s marvellous mural
As Virgin Islands artist Vincent “Bing” Malone sat on his chair with a rainbow-coated palette in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, drivers stopped by every few minutes …
2019 festival report promised soon
A detailed report on the government’s spending on last year’s festivals is written, but Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley told the House of …
Government to crack down on illegal fishing
The Virgin Islands includes more than 87,000 square kilometres of marine space, and government leaders are urging people who draw on its resources to take better care of it. “As …
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Rymer sworn in as deputy premier
Transportation, Works and Utilities Minister Kye Rymer will succeed Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley as deputy premier under the new government’s rotating deputy premier system. “If ever there was an individual …
Government to reopen scholarship programme
The Virgin Islands scholarship programme is once again open for applications, Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley announced Monday in the House of Assembly. The majority of the scholarships will …
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Four contractors to refit Elmore Stoutt High School
Four construction companies will each refurbish one floor of the L-shaped building at Elmore Stoutt High School — which has gone unused for nearly two years after being gutted by …
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VIP’s John Samuel, Arlene Smith-Thompson launch in D-3 and D-6
Water issues and tourism were at the forefront of the agendas of the two Virgin Islands Party candidates who launched their campaigns over the past week: John Samuel in District …
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