Commentary

Greetings to all St. John residents and visitors. We have great news to share with you. St. John Rescue has just been certified as a training center with the National Association of EMTs (NREMT).

It is the saddest day ever! I will never ever forget that day until I die!

Virtue of the Week focuses on building peaceful and caring communities through understanding and fostering the practice of virtues. The Source supports the Virtues Project and will publish one virtue developed by the project each week.

Due to our wet season so far for the past couple of months, we will get mangoes, but not in abundance. It could be a good thing, according to the old people’s saying that mango is one of the fruits when in abundance can spell the approach of hurricanes toward the islands. I hope we didn’t forget the 2017 hurricane season when Irma and Maria hit us head on. That year, as we would say traditionally, “mangoes knocking down dogs,” which means there was a bumper crop.

The upcoming 2024 Electric Vehicle Summit, announced by the Virgin Islands Energy Office under the visionary leadership of Director Kyle Fleming, is a landmark event for our territory. However, as we look forward to the benefits of electric vehicles, it is crucial to also address the full lifecycle of these vehicles to ensure a truly sustainable future.

As we all know, aging is a one-way street: we never get younger. So it seems incredibly ironic that the Virgin Islands Senior Card expires every five years and we need to find our way to a government office to obtain a new one.

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett gave an opening statement Tuesday as the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which is chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). It concerns "Project 2025," which she argues "plans to upend structures, institutions, and the basic rights that have supposedly been afforded to Americans to make it great. It's a playbook for Donald Trump's second term and a plan for the destruction of America as we know it."

In his biweekly column, Langley Shazor speaks to issues important to men within the territory. This week he discusses the true meaning of an apology.

Support the Concert for Cade fundraiser and silent auction at Tillett Garden on Saturday, July 20, starting at 6:30 pm.

Virtue of the Week focuses on building peaceful and caring communities through understanding and fostering the practice of virtues. The Source supports the Virtues Project and will publish one virtue developed by the project each week.

The other day, a good friend of mine called me all excited about her newly published book, titled “A Closer Look.” Within a few hours, Kathleen D. Dowling was at the University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix campus so that I could get a copy of her book. You should have seen her with a big smile on her face, teeth and all, greeting me with a big hug. It is a book that sheds new light on the 1848 emancipation in the Danish West Indies, particularly on the island of St. Croix.

Senator Marvin Blyden, vice-chair of the Committee on Human Services, praised the upcoming launch of a permanent federal food benefit program. Under this program, all 12,000 plus children enrolled in school lunch participating schools will receive a SNAP benefit to help with food expenses during the summer months.

Sen. Diane T. Capehart seeks to pass legislation honoring the fallen law enforcement officers in the territory and provide memorial signage.

In her bi-weekly column, “State of the Territory,” former Sen. Janelle K. Sarauw delves deeper into issues of concern for V.I. residents. This week she encourages people to practice tolerance and wishes the LGBTQ+ community a Happy Pride Month.

Sen. Samuel Carrión’s forward-thinking legislation to enhance and modernize the digital services of governmental agencies across the Virgin Islands was approved by senators on Monday, June 24.

Rep. Plaskett, Rep. Strickland and Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09) joined the Black Innovation Alliance, Microsoft and several distinguished panelists for the “Future of AI: Ensuring Equity for Black Innovators,” event— a discussion on the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and equality for Black Innovators.

In the wake of the corruption crisis surrounding the Virgin Islands Government, Sen. Kenneth L. Gittens has called for the creation of an ethics commission. On the surface, this might seem like a promising solution to our deeply rooted issues with accountability and integrity. However, creating such a commission distracts from the real problem: the lack of enforcement of existing laws.

On June 24, the 35th Legislature voted favorably on Sen. Diane Capehart’s Amendment No. 35-731 to provide funding for agricultural machinery and equipment to local farmers. Advanced technology in farming has increased profits and decreased the use of water, fertilizer and pesticides.

In his biweekly column, Langley Shazor speaks to issues important to men within the territory. This week he shares that emotions are valid.

Senate Majority Leader Kenneth L. Gittens is calling on the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands to render its opinion in the case, which focuses on the validity of Act 8472 - Legislation to reorganize the composition of the Water and Power Authority Board, he announced Friday.