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Charlotte Amalie
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Editorial: Reflecting on Tragedy and Urging Action for Mental Health Care in the U.S. Virgin Islands

The recent and tragic death of nine-year-old Jacqueda Issac on St. Thomas has shaken our community to its core. While official details surrounding the circumstances are still coming to light, the collective grief and anguish felt by those who knew the family – and even those who didn’t – has been palpable.

Op-Ed: Found Memories of Life in My Town Frederiksted

Perhaps it’s a common human experience, as we age, to reminisce about the past and feel a profound sadness for what no longer exists. A few months ago, I drove through Frederiksted, and there, I had to pause, overcome by a strong torrent of emotion. I cried like a helpless, abandoned child. Yes, I’m a grown man, and though I’m not ashamed (perhaps just a little), I wept uncontrollably for a few minutes.

Open forum: A USVI Constitution: Turning Possibility into Reality

Verdel L. Petersen urges Virgin Islands to get involved with choosing delegates to the next Constitutional Convention to create a proposed constitution for the USVI that will be approved by the electorate and the US Congress.

Op-Ed: A Reimagined Virgin Islands

In the last few months, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced monumental awards for rebuilding critical infrastructure in the Virgin Islands related to destruction from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The announcement of over $928 million for the rebuild of Roy L Schneider Regional Hospital, along with the previously announced $834 million for the Juan F. Luis Hospital, creates a tremendous opportunity to become a regional powerhouse for healthcare.

Op-Ed: In Search of a Constitution – The V.I. Needs Delegates

With changing demographics, the Virgin Islands of the United States needs to make it absolutely clear to its residents the territory does not have a Constitution, and it needs one to be ratified. But first, qualified delegates need to run to be seated as Delegates to the 6th Constitutional Convention. That election is set to take place this coming November 5, 2024.

State of the Territory | An Open Letter to Women: Navigating the Political Landscape with Resilience and Solidarity

As I embark on the task of expressing my journey in the realm of politics, I find myself traversing the tumultuous terrain that has defined my existence—a landscape marked by victories, challenges, and an unyielding quest for justice. It's a narrative that commences with the resounding echoes of my family's legacy, resonating through the corridors of power and shaping my destiny from an early age.

Open Forum: Calling all Virgin Islanders for Help with a Class Project

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud. Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think that I can receive the best information from the people who live there.

Op-Ed: It is Beyond Time to Make St. Croix’s Maroon Country a Territorial Park

At the 52nd Virgin Islands Agrifest in February, I met a very good friend of mine, Sean Krigger, who is the director of the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office. Whenever we see each other, we always chat about the territory’s natural and cultural resources. Believe me, it is in our blood as native Virgin Islanders. He told me that he found a file about the Great Northwest of St. Croix, Maroon Country. Of course, I got all excited because for 41 years I have been fighting socially and politically to preserve this area.

Open forum: Plan for Critical Systemic Change in the USVI

Mark D. Hodge Esq. believes that the problem with the Virgin Islands Legislature is how it is elected. He has a plan for solving this.

Op-Ed: The Invisible Illness

Around the world, people are living with mental illness, and the resources and support needed to help this community of people are lacking. More specifically, these resources are almost non-existent right here at home in the territory. And on Tuesday, due to the minimal support we have, a man lost his life and another is possibly going to prison for murder. 

Legislature Corner: Plaskett Applauds House Passage of DiasporaLink Legislation

Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett shared the following statement on the passage of H.R. 3385, the DiasporaLink Act, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Open forum: Board of Education Asks Parents and Students to Take Survey

V.I. Board of Education Chairman Kyza Callwood shares importance of completing survey on academic pursuits and learning.

Legislature Corner: Plaskett Expresses Condolences on Death of VIHA Director Robert Graham

Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett writes, “He has left a roadmap for those in his agency and elsewhere on how to utilize setbacks as set-ups for great things!”

Op-Ed: The Time to Preserve Ham’s Bluff Lighthouse is Now

The other day, I got a text from a hiker friend of mine asking if I saw the picture of the lighthouse on the front page of a local newspaper. I did. I have written several articles over the years about preserving the historic lighthouse on Ham’s Bluff in the northwest corner of St. Croix, which is part of Maroon Country’s steep cliff wilderness area. In the 1990s, I took thousands of schoolchildren, and beyond that over the years, to this historic and sacred landscape of St. Croix.

Open Forum: Humane Society Board Addresses ‘Challenging Times’

These are indeed challenging times for the Humane Society of St. Thomas as an organization, and the HSSTT Board of Directors as a governing body. Although we are in a Code Red position now, our immediate goal is to become financially strong enough through donations and fundraising events to expeditiously bring back our laid-off team members and provide all the animal welfare services that our community so desperately needs. Unfortunately, there have been numerous malicious, inaccurate, untruthful, and defamatory social media posts, and I would like to take this opportunity to provide the facts for those who have been misinformed.

Op-Ed: Remembering Ambassador Terence A. Todman, a Brilliant Virgin Islander

For this Black History Month, I will mention a Virgin Islander who served as a great diplomat and became an extraordinary ambassador for the United States government. His name is Terence A. Todman, the son of Racheal Callwood and Alphonso Todman, who was born on St. Thomas on March 13, 1926. He grew up during the U.S. Navy rule of these islands and the first appointed civilian governor of the Virgin Islands, Dr. Paul Martin Pearson.

Tri-Island Health Fair Set for Feb. 29, Fonseca Announces

The Senate Committee on Health, Hospitals, and Human Services will hold a tri-island Community Health Fair on Feb. 29, committee chairman Sen. Ray Fonseca announced Wednesday.

Op-Ed: Coffee’s Long History in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Coffee originated from Africa. Its spread to the rest of the world can’t be contained in a book on how this plant influenced cultures globally. Today, the world cannot do without drinking coffee, which made its way to the Caribbean islands through colonization, trade, and cultivation.

Legislature Corner: Senator Urgently Calls for Hearing on Federal Approval of Cost Share

The hearing's focus must be on outlining a clear and actionable plan to effectively utilize the increased federal cost share. The purpose of this hearing will be multifold.

Open Forum: It’s Time for the BMV to Stop Inspecting Vehicles

I don’t know of any states that do not use certified private mechanics to conduct vehicle inspections, either annually or every other year. Here in the Virgin Islands, the government tries to do it all — handle both registration and inspection.

UPCOMING EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

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