The Virgin Islands Independent newspaper will close down Wednesday, Aug. 2.
According to information provided advertisers by the St. Thomas newspaper, while the Independent is ceasing operations, its sister publication, The St. Croix Avis, will be circulated on St. Thomas beginning Thursday.
The St. Croix Avis has never been widely available on St. Thomas. About two years ago, Avis publisher Rena Brodhurst-Knight expanded her family-owned business to put out two daily newspapers, The St. Croix Avis on St. Croix and The Virgin Islands Independent on St. Thomas-St. John.
No explanation was given for the Independent's ceasing operations, though its closing had been widely rumored for months. Beginning Thursday, the St. Croix Avis will be available at "the normal outlets, by mail or subscription," according to an advertising source.
Other V.I. daily papers include the Virgin Islands Daily News and three online papers: the St. Thomas Source, St. Croix Source and St. John Source.

The Virgin Islands Independent newspaper will close down Wednesday, Aug. 2.
According to information provided advertisers by the St. Thomas newspaper, while the Independent is ceasing operations, its sister publication, The St. Croix Avis, will be circulated on St. Thomas beginning Thursday.
The St. Croix Avis has never been widely available on St. Thomas. About two years ago, Avis publisher Rena Brodhurst-Knight expanded her family-owned business to put out two daily newspapers, The St. Croix Avis on St. Croix and The Virgin Islands Independent on St. Thomas-St. John.
No explanation was given for the Independent's ceasing operations, though its closing had been widely rumored for months. Beginning Thursday, the St. Croix Avis will be available at "the normal outlets, by mail or subscription," according to an advertising source.
Other V.I. daily papers include the Virgin Islands Daily News and three online papers: the St. Thomas Source, St. Croix Source and St. John Source.

Last week's firing of Drug Policy Advisor Wayne Chinnery by Gov. Charles Turnbull was triggered not only by Chinnery's alleged involvement in a domestic assault but also by concerns that he failed to properly administer federal grant money awarded the VI government.
WVWI Radio One this weekend quoted unnamed sources as saying that Chinnery's performance had been under review by the governor for some time.
"There was particular attention being paid to the failure of the agency to commit grant funds for the purpose intended," the station reported.
Chinnery headed the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, or LEPC, which administers funds to crime-related programs in several areas, including domestic violence. The sources suggested it may have been only a matter of time before a decision was made as to Chinnery's suitability for the post.
Another source said the day-to-day operations of the agency became of such critical concern to the governor that as far back as two months ago, a key Government House official was assigned to the LEPC to monitor its goings-on and to take corrective action as needed.
When the governor fired Chinnery on Thursday, he tapped Police Commissioner Franz Christian to oversee operations of the LEPC and the Narcotics Strike Force.
Chinnery reportedly has been off-island since news of the assault charges and termination were reported.

Last week's firing of Drug Policy Adviser Wayne Chinnery by Gov. Charles Turnbull was triggered not only by Chinnery's alleged involvement in a domestic assault but also by concerns that he failed to properly administer federal grant money awarded the V.I. government.
WVWI Radio One this weekend quoted unnamed sources as saying that Chinnery's performance had been under review by the governor for some time.
"There was particular attention being paid to the failure of the agency to commit grant funds for the purpose intended," the station reported.
Chinnery headed the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, or LEPC, which administers funds to crime-related programs in several areas, including domestic violence. The sources suggested it may have been only a matter of time before a decision was made as to Chinnery's suitability for the post.
Another source said the day-to-day operations of the agency became of such critical concern to the governor that as far back as two months ago, a key Government House official was assigned to the LEPC to monitor its goings-on and to take corrective action as needed.
When the governor fired Chinnery on Thursday, he tapped Police Commissioner Franz Christian to oversee operations of the LEPC and the Narcotics Strike Force.
Chinnery reportedly has been off-island since news of the assault charge was first reported.

Two enforcement officers for the Department of Planning and Natural Resources had cash and property stolen from their patrol car Friday at Hawksnest Beach.
At the time of the theft, officers Alvin Powell Jr. and Oliver Christian were teaching water safety to youngsters from the Police Athletic League.
"We’ve been on St. John the whole month, doing boating safety enforcement and providing the kids with boating safety and water safety courses. This was our last day," Powell said.
The final exercise was to demonstrate the use of life jackets, which required the officers to get into the water.
When campers left the water to have lunch, Powell and Christian returned to the patrol car to find their wallets missing.
"When we went back into the vehicle to put back on our clothes … all our things were gone," Powell said.
The thieves did not take Powell's gun, he said. It was unclear if Christian's gun had been taken.
With help from police officers supervising the PAL program, a search was conducted for the missing items but Powell said nothing was found.
Sgt. Annette Raimer, spokesperson for the VI Police Department, said no report was filed on the incident at zone command in Cruz Bay.
In the past, Powell has aided in the arrest of thieves preying on St. John beachgoers, he said. Earlier this year, he helped apprehend Matthew John Hall, the alleged note-passing bank bandit who hit St. Thomas and St. Croix during the Christmas holidays.
Hall was linked to the heists after being picked up and charged with stealing cameras at St. John’s Cinnamon Bay Beach.

A westward-moving tropical wave located across eastern Puerto Rico was the main contributor Saturday to the thundershowers across the Virgin Islands.
The wave became stronger overnight when it left the Lesser Antilles and entered the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Considerable cloudiness, with numerous showers and thundershowers, covered a large area of the Eastern Caribbean on Saturday.
The wave was to be an all-day event for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, according to Knight Quality Stations meteorologist Alan Archer.
Archer predicted some improvement in the weather beginning early Saturday night. By Sunday, he said, "we'll see breezy and hazy conditions."
Another tropical wave as yet far out in the Atlantic is expected to reach the Eastern Caribbean late Tuesday night or early on Wednesday, Archer said.

The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs announces that teh Contracto's Exam will be administered at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 31, in the Testing Room located at the Property and Procurement Building, St. Thomas.
Examinees are asked to be at the testing venue no later than 8:30 a.m.
for furtherinformation contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 773-2226.

The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs announce that the Contractor's Exam will be administered at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 31, in the tessting room located at the Property and Procurement Building.
Examinees are asked to be at the tessting venues no later than 8:30 a.m.
For further information contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 773-2226.

The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs announces that the Contractor's Exam will be administered at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 31, in the Department of Education's Curriculum Center.
Examinees are asked to be at the testing venues no later than 8:30 a.m.
For further information contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 773-2226.

The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs annoounces that the Contractor's Exam will be administered at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 31, at the Department of Education's Curriculum Center, St. Croix.
Examinees are asked to be at the testing venues no later than 8:30 a.m.
For further information contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 773-2226.