Commentary

In his biweekly column, Langley Shazor speaks to issues important to men within the territory.

"Today, our territory is grieving the loss of a baby—a four-year-old boy whose life was taken far too soon. No family should ever have to bury a child, and no community should have to carry this kind of pain. My heart is broken for this little boy and for everyone who loved him."

"It means faster resources, fewer bureaucratic delays, and a program that exists before disaster strikes rather than one we have to fight to rebuild from scratch every hurricane season."

In Part 3 of this series on the forests in the Maroon Sanctuary Park on St. Croix, I will discuss understory plants briefly and the general ecological make-up of tree ecosystems throughout the park. Basically, understory simply means plants growing beneath the forest canopy without extensive light penetration onto the forest floor. Sweet lime, a non-native understory plant (Triphasia trifolia), for example, is one of our invasive species plants in the Virgin Islands, found both in the northwest and northeast central forests of the park environment.

While Senator Gittens welcomes efforts to revive the horse racing industry, he voiced concern regarding the manner in which the Special Session was announced.

"We are sincerely grateful for Attorney Joseph’s many contributions and lifelong service to the Virgin Islands community, service marked with integrity and distinction," said Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach.

“A comprehensive recovery plan should focus on increasing revenue and improving accountability, not solely on reducing personnel,” he said.

Governor seeks broad legal guidance to support consistency, transparency and public confidence in the Virgin Islands election process

To the world’s shame, those violent, murderous gales continue unabated, driven by an unconscionable moral erosion. It is only fitting that we persist attempting to grasp the unleashed horror, feel the anguish, listen to the howling of a people crying out to their human family to intervene and end the nightmare.

In Part 2 of this exploration of forest development within the Maroon Sanctuary Territorial Park on St. Croix, bush professor Olasee Davis touches on the indigenous people’s influence on the terrestrial environment in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, specifically on the island of St. Croix.

The legislation was first championed by Congressman Ron de Lugo in the 103rd Congress. The hearing held last week represents the furthest the bill has advanced in its history.

We respectfully call upon territorial and federal leaders to urgently address these funding deficiencies, release overdue government allotments, and develop long-term solutions to support uncompensated care and the increasing healthcare demands facing our institution.

In his biweekly column, Langley Shazor speaks to issues important to men within the territory.

The Virgin Islands Board of Education issues this statement not as routine communication, but as a moral response to a wound still open in our community. A young life was lost a couple of weeks ago as a result of violence in our Territory, and the weight of that loss has not faded with time. We are not only mourning a life lost. We are confronting what is being lost every time violence is chosen.

Attorney Ponteen has held many distinguished positions in the Government of the Virgin Islands to include Acting Director of the Bureau of Corrections and Senior Budget Analyst in the Office of Management and Budget. 

It is important to know the geological history that helps to explain present tree distribution in the Virgin islands and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico and the adjacent islands began as submarine volcanoes on the ocean floor, according to geologists, some 125 million years ago and were built by the end of the Cretaceous period, which was about 80 million years ago.

Around a domino table, Virgin Islanders confront a difficult question: Who is willing to come home, and who is truly qualified to lead the territory forward? Carmelo Rivera and Trina Soto-Clarke argue it's time to demand more from those seeking the governor's office.

Leaders also review proposed Water Island hotel development and agreement to restore horse racing on St. Croix 

Every time another young life is lost to violence in the Virgin Islands, we ask the same questions. What is wrong with our children? Where are the parents? Why are our young people becoming so violent? Perhaps it is time we ask a different question. What if our children are simply becoming more like us?

36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands' revised weekly calendar