Lately, the public has seen a huge push to find funding sources for the almost defunct Government Employees’ Retirement System. Suggestions have ranged from imposing new taxes to diverting funds from other sources. With the end of this pension system now measured in a few dozen months, the r…
Another hurricane season ended yesterday, November 30, a date we greet every year with a deep sigh of relief. It’s not just because there’s little likelihood of hurricanes forming after November, it’s because we in the Virgin Islands know a thing or two about hurricanes:
This was the year when much of the Caribbean went to the polls. General elections were held in Anguilla, Belize, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Suriname and Trinidad. In each case the losers conceded rapidly and governments e…
Recently, Governor Bryan expressed puzzlement as to why the Virgin Islands public would object vehemently against a new proposed online shopping tax. He lamented over the fact that our community has evolved into a “granny” in need of repair as it has aged badly. To improve, we need to produc…
Dear Editor,
Pitchforks to Gary Engle and Interior Department officials for conducting a secret meeting about Caneel Bay Resort’s future. The Interior bigwigs’ visit to St. John started openly and above board. They met with St. Johnians, Delegate to Congress Stacy Plaskett and St. John National Park repr…
Editor’s note: This story by Cidney “Cid” Anne Hamling originally appeared 20 years ago in St. John Times. We are reprinting it as part of Remember When, a throwback of past articles and photos to be published from time to time.
Years from now, when we are telling future children and grandchildren the story of the Year 2020, we will detail the hardships, describe all the restrictions and deplore all that we have given up.
Editor’s note: This letter was submitted prior to Senate President Novelle Francis withdrawing a proposed online tax bill following public outcry. At the time, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. had voiced support for the bill, which had not yet been introduced on the floor.
Dear Editor,
In the last few days, Pfizer BioNTech a German-U.S. company, and the U.S. company Moderna have separately announced that the COVID-19 vaccines they have been developing have proved ninety-five per cent effective. Both subsequently said that they will now apply to regulators to manufacture an…
With the holidays on their way, Virgin Islanders will be stepping up to the plate to help others. Having been through many hard times over the years, this year has certifiably been a doozy.
There are a lot of things I don’t know about my future. I don’t know when I’ll be able to retire. I don’t know if I’ll face a serious health crisis. I don’t know what the holidays will look like for my family and I this year.
“Language, culture — these are not enough to make you belong to a people. Something more is needed: a common life, common experiences and memories, common aims.”
We find it more than curious, perhaps even bordering on suspicious, that two senior Department of Interior (DOI) officials traveled to St. John last week to meet with Gary Engle, the Connecticut financier whose control over Caneel Bay Resort will end in 34 months unless the DOI grants him a …
Centuries ago, you could easily recognize pirates by the patches on their eyes, the bandanas around their heads, the swords dangling from their hips and the ships they captained. They plundered and pillaged to their hearts’ content throughout the Caribbean, taking coin, gold and property rig…
Back in the day, my commute was pretty much the entire length of the island. It took a good 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic and whether I was behind a truck in the mountains.
Halo to Virgin Islands voters for showing a deep and abiding desire for good government. Voters last week overwhelmingly answered “yes” to the referendum question asking whether they want a 6th Constitutional Convention convened to adopt the Revised Organic Act, or some of it, as the Virgin …
The University of the Virgin Islands’ Board of Trustees has established the School of Agriculture. This is great news. The history of how the university became a land-grant institution is one all Virgin Islanders should be proud of. It was local farmers, particularly on the island of St. Cro…
So here we are. Votes have been cast. Decisions have been made. Where do we go from here? It’s the same question we ask every election year.
Halos to all the members of the Ten Sleepless Knights (TSK), past and present, for their musical, community-minded and loving spirit as they celebrated 50 years of contributions to the Virgin Islands, the nation and the world. These unselfish individuals serve as ambassadors in protecting and fostering traditions, specifically through quelbe music.
Dear Editor,
Halo to Rich Nice, who is originally from St. John and is a three-time Grammy and Tony award-winning music producer, for giving women musicians a big opportunity to shine. He credits his sisters as his muses for his new compilation, “Sip & Chill,” which features 30 female artists.
Dear Editor.
Dear Editor,
Like any American who cares about this country, I have a deep interest in the results of this election. But I take a professional interest, as well. I’m always interested in how people make up their minds on how to vote.
Erosion
A few days ago, the U.S. Ambassador in Kingston, Donald Tapia, gave an exclusive interview to the Jamaica Observer. In it, he said that the country has to make a decision as to whether it is going to look East to the “two headed dragon” or North to the United States when it comes to deciding…
There is something about the way the rich and well connected announce their battle with a health issue that catches my attention. They often say something like they have a great medical team to help them fight the disease as hard as they can. They sometimes mention specifics about the treatm…
A snake, of the most venomous kind, slithered it’s way into the Virgin Islands community, unnoticed and ready to strike. Strike at our Virgin Islands children in an attempt to sexually abuse them.
CBIA and EHIA have claim they are not responsible for environmental contamination at the Caneel site and they should not be responsible for remediation. However, there is no evidence of due diligence when they took over the Caneel property or that there was any subsequent environmental assessment.
I write as a citizen of the United States and as a property owner living on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, to provide you with this Notice of Intent to File Suit pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), 42 U.S.C. § 6972(b) (1) & (2), Notice Pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-9657 and Notice Pursuant to the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251-1376.
The sheer disappointment of hearing that the commissioner of Finance gave unauthorized money to employees to the tune of over 100,000 — resulting in his dismissal — is overwhelming. No matter what the thought process behind this, it was wrong and has damaged again the perception of faith in …
A Plastic Halo to Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. for lifting his ban on silverware and china dishware at restaurants. This halo is flimsy and generally undesirable — just like the knives and forks that Bryan forced diners to use as part of his misguided and ill-informed plan to limit the spread of CO…
As soon as he heard me call his name, his whole demeanor changed. His shoulders slumped a little. He started shaking his head. He pretty much knew what I was going to say. I had already said one of several often-repeated reminders to him many times that day. In fact, I said a rotation of the…
There is a saying among Pan-Africanists: It doesn’t matter where the boat dropped you off, it matters where it picked you up. The meaning behind it, obviously, is that we are all Africans who were stolen from our home and scattered throughout the diaspora. It is a reminder that we have famil…
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor,
Invisible Pitchforks to the V.I. Tourism Department and to Tourism Commissioner Joe Boschulte for either doing nothing to promote tourism or doing it in a way that’s invisible. Are there any fresh initiatives? Any innovations? Is there any outreach to potential sources of new tourists? To be…