The final frontier Beaconites were thrilled to see Virgin Islands-based billionaire Sir Richard Branson launch Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo into space on Sunday. After a mid-air launch, Sir Richard and three …
July 14, 2021
July 7, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (July 8, 2021)
Jellyfish advisory During a spike in Covid-19 cases, the isolation of a beach trip becomes even more attractive. But a Beaconite will pass along a Virgin Islands Search and Rescue …
June 23, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 24, 2021)
Volunteer festival Earlier this month, a Beaconite stopped by Volunteer Konect’s fair for nonprofit organisations. It was a great opportunity to learn more about organisations she hasn’t heard about much, …
June 10, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 10, 2021)
Happy birthday, Beacon The BVI Beacon turned 37 on Monday. The newspaper’s first issue — a 12-page black-and-white edition — was published on June 7, 1984 after being composed on …
June 2, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 3, 2021)
Redacted On Monday, the Commission of Inquiry posted a redacted transcript of its May 5 hearing with BVI Airports Authority Chairman Bevis Sylvester. However, because the unredacted transcript previously had …
May 19, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 20, 2021)
HOA transparency A Beaconite was troubled by a quote from opposition member Julian Fraser during a House of Assembly sitting last week. When debating a bill to update supplementary …
April 21, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 22, 2021)
Court closed or open? On Friday, a Beaconite showed up to High Court at about 8:50 a.m. to attend a scheduled hearing for a defendant facing a murder charge. But …
April 14, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 15, 2021)
Unsung heroes While covering a poetry reading recently, a Beaconite found one poem presented by a young writer particularly memorable. He commended waste disposal employees for the work they do …
April 7, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 8, 2021)
No fishy business A Beaconite has had fish on the brain. Recently she reported on the Blue Belt fish monitoring programme coming to the overseas territories; discussed proposed changes to …
March 31, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (April 1, 2021)
Register of interests A Beaconite was not impressed by legislators’ recent bragging about their commitment to transparency when they voted to make the Register of Interests available to the commission …
March 24, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (March 25, 2021)
‘Bloggers’ Online commenters on Virgin Islands news sites, colloquially known as “bloggers,” often find themselves under fire from politicians and the wider community. Comments that are trolling or offensive are …
March 17, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (March 18, 2021)
Ridge Road closure On Sunday, a Beaconite was on his way to surf at Josiahs Bay when he encountered a red plastic barricade that stretched halfway across Ridge Road. There …
March 10, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (March 11, 2021)
Online and onward A Beaconite was glad to see a series of digital-focused bills make their way through the House of Assembly over the past week. One of her friends …
February 24, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Feb. 25, 2021)
Props A Beaconite, like many residents, has been critical of several aspects of the government’s Covid-19 response. Some missteps were clear: failing to thoroughly explain the disbursement of the $62.9 …
February 10, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Feb. 11, 2021)
‘Exclusion zone’ Some charter companies and other marine businesses are becoming exasperated with the ongoing existence of the so-called “exclusion zone,” which bars most boats from the area between Jost …
February 3, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Feb. 4, 2021)
Podcast On Friday, the Beacon launched a podcast, “The Wave.” The first episode, which was posted on the Beacon’s Facebook page, featured a recap of 2020’s biggest articles from each …
January 27, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (January 28, 2021)
Inquiry poll Elected leaders have criticised the United Kingdom corruption inquiry in recent days, but a Beacon poll suggests that the probe has very strong support in the community. The …
January 20, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Jan. 14, 2021)
Housing hiatus A Beaconite found it somewhat shocking when government announced retroactively this month that the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme was no longer accepting applicants as of November because …
January 13, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Jan. 7, 2021)
Gateway glitches For the first time in two years, a Beaconite has family visiting her from overseas, and she has been using the BVI Gateway application and learning about the …
January 6, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (December 17, 2020)
19 calls A Beaconite has already complained on this page about the government’s “Customer Care Service Centre,” which in May replaced the former system of switchboard operators who were …
December 16, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (DEC. 10, 2020)
Holiday schedule With somewhat less-than-heavy hearts, Beaconites are reminding readers and advertisers that this edition is the last Beacon of 2020. Advertising and editorial deadlines will be as usual for …
December 2, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 26, 2020)
Library launch Saturday was a very special day for one Beaconite, as it marked the official launch of the Turtle Dove Library. Several moments from the grand opening will stick …
November 25, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (November 19, 2020)
Censorship fail Since there are no news outlets based in any of the sister islands, a Beaconie jumps on opportunities to report there whenever she can. When she saw a …
November 18, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 12, 2020)
Shut out of HOA While covering the Speech from the Throne last week, a Beaconite was politely but firmly asked to leave the House of Assembly session before it even …
November 10, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (November 5, 2020)
Reopening response After a Beaconite reported on the latest announcements concerning the protocols for reopening the Virgin Islands’ borders to tourists, the newsroom put together a non-scientific online poll to …