2018 was an eventful year with ups and downs, good news and bad, new beginnings and inglorious endings. It was the year the territory began climbing back from 2017’s disastrous twin hurricanes, and in which the voters decided to replace the governor and 60 percent of the V.I. Senate.
Here are links to some of the big stories from 2018:
January
Secret $90,000 Payout Deal Not About Sexual Harassment, WAPA Board Member Tells Senators
Cost of Electrical Restoration: $400 Million
Public Schools Struggling to Get Back to Full Schedule
Where’s Territory’s Debris Plan? WMA Mum on Details
February
Tax Revenues Higher Than Projected as Senate Punts on This Year’s Budget
Government House Says Art and Antiquities Are Safe, But Press Can’t View Them
Moody’s Says It’s ‘Highly Likely’ V.I. Will Have to Restructure Debt
Fort Christian Reopens to Public
March
Anonymous Allegations Lead to Audit of V.I. Public TV
USVI May Stop Treating Wastewater Without an Immediate $4.7 Million
Medicaid Registrations Way Up in Territory
Genetic Study Finds Taino Live on in Modern Caribbeans
Congressional Hearing: Official Admits Poor Handling of Medical Evacuees
Staffer Who Leaked Private Plaskett Photos Gets Year in Prison
Court Hearing Reveals VIWMA Leadership in Disarray
April
St. Croix Icon John Tranberg Turns 102
USVI Made Down Payment on Wastewater Treatment: It’s Safe to Flush – For Now
Plaskett’s Caneel Bay Resort Bill Sparks Community Questions
May
St. Croix Community Shows Love For Agrifest
Court Makes Way for Legal Elections Meeting
St. Croix’s Leatherback Brewing Co. Opens May 12 With Public Party
Hurricane Insurance Payouts Top $1.2 Billion – So Far
June
Pride Faces Down Hate in STX Parade
Police Arrest Suspect in Flag Tampering
Feds Give Positive a Negative on TRO, Leave Candidacy to Local Courts
Unified Elections Board Names Officers, then Divides into District Committees
July
Mapp Signs Legislation That Might Lead to STX Refinery Restart
First Shipment of Modulars Arrives
UN Sulfur Regs May Briefly Boost STX Refinery Profitability
JFL Operating Room Reopens After Six-Day Closure
Air Arrivals Down 70 Percent for STT, 11 Percent for STX in First Quarter of 2018
August
Mapp Admin Says Pre-Election Raises ‘Sustainable,’ Although Deficit Is ‘Around $200 Million’
Elections Certifies Primary Results; Bryan Officially Gets Democratic Nod
Despite Much Progress, More Than A Dozen V.I. Traffic Lights Still Out
Half of V.I. Hotels Still Offline, But St. Croix Seeing Boom in Cruise Visitors, Airlift
Senators Appropriating Arbitrary Amount For Unplanned Project of Unknown Cost
Jury Finds Former Sen. Wayne James Guilty of Wire Fraud, Embezzlement
Still Waiting For Proof: Are Any V.I. Art Treasures Missing or Damaged?
Energy Company Tied to Virgin Group Buying STX Solar Farm
Mapp Extends State of Emergency Again
The Consent of the Governed: Territory Involved in Nine Consent Decree Cases
September
Landfill Fire Leads to More Questions at WMA Court Hearing
Final Budget: Cuts Hit Police, Hospitals, Increases at Education, Waste Management
VI Getting The Most Rum Funds Since 2013
Justice Asks Court to Subpoena Casino Commission Chief
Crucians Come Together to Recycle Plastics
Mutiny Island Vodka Has the Taste of the Tropics
Senate Passes Pre-Election Tax Cuts, Pay Raises
As Governor Re-Extends Emergency Again, Senate Votes to Limit Extensions
October
Record Early Voting Numbers Not a Surprise
Chef Stridiron Opens Braata Restaurant in Frederiksted
Ruling Imperils Millions in V.I. Excise Tax Revenues
In Closing Days Before Election, Mapp Doles More Government Pay Increases
USVI Republicans Get Unwanted Spotlight Again
Initiative to Reapportion Senate to Go to Voters
November
Bryan Defeats Mapp for Governor
Court Chastises V.I. for Violating Excise Tax Order – Millions in Revenue at Risk
ICMC Downsizes Staff, But Says It Isn’t Closing Its Doors
Central High Teen Wins World Pool Championship
UConn, Kentucky Women Win Paradise Jam Division Championships
December
Senate Greenlights Nelson’s Medical Cannabis Act
VIPD in ‘Substantial Compliance’ with Consent Decree
UVI Free-Tuition Policy Gets Final Senate OK
Refinery Deal Done, Smaller-than-Contracted Immediate Payout Completed
‘Creative’ Double Dippers Contribute to GERS Decline
Brothers Brewing a Plan for a Mass-Produced V.I. Lager
Mapp Says Government’s Pissarro Artworks On Display on St. Croix