It is with deep sadness that the family announces the passing of Elaine Bicar, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. Elaine Bicar departed her earthly life and transitioned to her heavenly home on Oct. 25, 2025, in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Elaine Bicar
Elaine Bicar resided in Whim, Frederiksted, St. Croix and Weston, Florida.
Elaine was born on Dec. 5, 1945, in St. Lucia, W.I., to the late FloraSammy and Louis Sammy. She later made St. Croix her home, where she built a beautiful life surrounded by family, faith, and love. She enjoyed going to church, listening to gospel hymns, country and western music, gardening, cooking, traveling, and staying in touch with all of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, friends and loved ones near and far.
She is survived by her beloved children Robert, Rufinus “Marley”, Francis, and Linda “Lin”; Daughter-in-law Hellina “Leonie” St. Louis Bicar, Son-in-law O’Neil Alexander Wallace, who will all forever hold her love and wisdom in their hearts. Elaine leaves behind cherished grandchildren Jamaal, Akeem, Cheyenne, Ettienne,Legend, and Legacy; great grandchildren Jaraiya, Kassius and David; and siblings Bertile, Theresa, Hugh, Felix, William and Andrew; along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her daughter Sandra, siblings: Rose, Joseph and Francis.
Elaine’s life was a testament to faith, strength, and the power of family. Though she is gone from our sight, her love remains a guiding light for us all.
Funeral Service will be held on Friday, Nov. 21, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, viewing at 9:30 a.m. and service at 10:30 a.m.
Elise M. Huggins of Christiansted died on Oct. 30.
Elise M Huggins
She is survived by her daughters: Ciceley Burke, Valerie Henry, Elise Warner, Gerda Frederick, Ermyn Murray, and Merlette Williams; stepdaughters, Franceline Baccus, and Estrella Richards; sons, Ira Hobson, Charles Gumbs, Clive Gumbs, and Kenneth Frederick; adopted son, Vincent Hodge; stepson, Troy Frederick; daughters-in-law, Brenda Hobson, Wendy Frederick, and Bernadine Gumbs; sons-in-law, Montclair Burke, Clinton Henry, Everet Warner, David Murray, and Wilbert Williams; granddaughters, Cleo Burke, Jenel Warner, Sherice Warner, Nahvia Henry, Kenera Freaderick, Aisha Phillip, Asha Phillip, Shirmel Gumbs-Heyliger, Shameka Gumbs, Germaine Morris, Shameka Gumbs, Gia Booth, and Tayaka Daniels; grandsons, Shamade Burke, Dameon Boland, Allinton Hobson, Ira Hobson Jr., Cleon Frederick, Jason Henry, Akiel Frederick, Akeem Frederick, Sahir Lawrence, Stanford Fraser, Lemond Warner, Tyrone Sloan, Wilbert, Quasi, Jonathan, and DuJean Williams; sisters, Mariel Rissing and Doreen Fergusen; brothers, Arnold Gumbs and Howard Gumbs; sisters-in-law, Anita Gumbs; a host of great-grandchildren and great great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends to numerous to mention. Special recognition to the Gumbs family, Heyliger family, Rissing family, Fergusen family, Newton family, Richardson family and Fatal family.
The viewing will take place at 9 a.m. followed by a funeral service at 10 a.m., Friday, November 21, at Ebenezer Methodist Church. Interment will be at Kingshill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home.
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority advises the public that Saintnals, the operations and maintenance contractor for the Liquefied Petroleum Gas terminal, will carry out a controlled shutdown at the Randolph Harley Power Plant on St. Thomas to complete essential fuel system repairs.
Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority
This work may temporarily affect operations on both St. Thomas and St. John.
The shutdown is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 14, at 10 p.m., and is expected to be completed by Saturday, Nov. 15, at 8 a.m.
WAPA Plant Personnel are making full efforts to prevent interruptions in service. However, if these measures are not sufficient, a temporary rotation outage schedule may be implemented impacting customers on St. Thomas and St. John.
These essential repairs are important for the safety and reliability of our service, and the Authority appreciates the community’s understanding and support.
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority advises customers on St. Croix of a scheduled service interruption on Sunday, Nov. 16, affecting Feeders 6B, 8B, and 10B between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority
The outage is necessary to allow WAPA’s contractor, J. Benton Construction, to safely continue work on the Queen Mary Highway Underground Electrical Project along Centerline Road. This work is a continuation of activities initiated last Saturday, Nov. 8.
Feeders 6B, 8B, and 10B will be de-energized in phases throughout the work period, and customers in the following areas will experience temporary service interruptions lasting no more than three hours:
Feeder 6B: Concordia, Glynn, La Grande Princess, Mary’s Fancy, Mon Bijou, Morning Star, St. John, and Vista Mar.
Feeder 10B: Annaly, Bethlehem, Calqouhoun, Carambola, Coble, Grove Place, Hard Labor, Hibiscus Point, Jealousy, Joly Hill, La Grange, Little La Grange, Lorraine Village, Lower Love, Montpellier, Mt. Victory, Mt. Pellier, Mutual Home, Nicholas, North Hall, Orange Grove, Frederiksted Oxford, Pleasant Vale, Plessen, Prosperity, River, Springfield, Two Friends, Upper Love, and V.I. Corp Land.
Feeder 8B: Annaberg, Breezewood Villas, Brook’s Hill, Butler Bay, Campo Rico, Cane, Cane Carlton, Canebrake Apartments, Carlton, Concordia (West), Diamond, Enfield Green, Downtown Frederiksted, Frederikhaab, Goodhope, Ham’s Bay, Hannah’s Rest, Henry Rohlsen Airport, Hogensborg, Hope, La Grange, Little La Grange, Manning Bay, Marley Additions, Mar’s Hill, Mountain, Mt. Washington, Northside, Prospect Hill, Prosperity, Smithfield, Sprat Hall, St. Georges, Stoney Ground, Two Brothers, Two Williams, Waldberggard, Walter I.M. Hodge, Wheel of Fortune, Whim, White Bay, White Lady, and Williams Delight.
WAPA thanks its customers for their support and understanding as this critical infrastructure improvement project continues.
Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance Director Craig Benjamin gave an update Wednesday on school maintenance efforts (Photo courtesy of the VI Legislature)
On Wednesday, lawmakers at the Education and Workforce Development Committee heard testimony on the state of the territory’s public schools, with officials reporting that schools are mired in a widespread infrastructure crisis.
With chronic disrepair and neglect visible in nearly every facility, schools across the Virgin Islands face persistent and pervasive problems, including extensive mold infestations and outdated wiring. Electrical, mechanical, and structural issues are a daily reality for students and staff.
“Nearly every school requires some form of emergency intervention, including major plumbing and electrical repairs as well as remediation of suspected mold and air quality issues,” said Craig Benjamin, executive director of the Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance.
Roof leaks, faulty air conditioning, and corroded pipes routinely force relocations or closures. In some cases, water has infiltrated electrical conduits, posing severe hazards. “In some cases, the electrical conduits contain more water than the actual water supply line. It’s a safety hazard we can’t ignore,” said Benjamin.
Health and safety concerns have escalated. Classrooms frequently reach unsafe temperatures, and persistent mold triggers respiratory illnesses among students and teachers. “Teachers, staff, and students are getting sick from the constant exposure to mold, extreme heat, and inconsistent potable water.” said Leontyne Jones, President of the St. Thomas-St. John Federation of Teachers.
Lunch warehouses often lack adequate air conditioning, at times exceeding safe temperatures for canned goods. Restrooms and water lines fail repeatedly, creating unsanitary conditions. Union leaders have filed multiple OSHA complaints, leading to site inspections and reports documenting violations such as mold, extreme heat, and electrical hazards.
Emergency repairs have become routine as the school system’s $3 million annual maintenance budget is stretched thin. Of that amount, “approximately $2.1 million is already committed to essential supplies and maintenance contracts, including landscaping, janitorial services, trash removal and pest control, which are vital to maintaining basic school operations,” said Benjamin. “This leaves only about $900,000 to respond to daily emergencies, perform urgent repairs and prepare facilities for the opening of the 2026–2027 school year.”
Procurement delays and contractor shortages continue to disrupt repairs. “Some of them are reluctant for lack of payment or current payments from the government,” said Paul Harrigan, assistant director of school maintenance. “When you talk to them, they have a lot of different issues, but mostly it’s with being paid on a timely fashion.”
Benjamin testified that these problems extend across the Virgin Islands: “The infrastructure across all schools have been severely compromised, with many facilities in poor condition.” Routine inspections must compete with emergencies for the department’s limited resources, forcing the system to respond to breakdowns rather than prevent them.
As a result, schools often wind up in a patchwork state of repair, with staff and students adapting to broken equipment, classroom relocations, and temporary fixes that rarely last.
The infrastructure decline extends directly to learning. Physical education classes are sometimes held in corridors because of unsafe gym conditions, and the lack of adequate air conditioning makes attentive instruction difficult. Students and staff contend with classrooms condemned for mold or heat, sometimes rotating rooms or using makeshift spaces to keep programs running. Bus breakdowns and unreliable special-education transport disrupt attendance and place further stress on families.
Lawmakers raised alarms over significant lost federal funds and a maintenance system stymied by bureaucratic roadblocks.
Sen. Kurt A. Vialet explained that the territory was originally awarded a substantial sum through federal ARPA grants, known as the American Rescue Plan Act, which provided emergency resources for school repairs and upgrades in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had access to a tremendous amount of money in ARPA,” he said.
Vialet said that many of the contracts had expired with no one tracking them. However, after delays and legal challenges, including a class-action lawsuit, the federal government stepped in to give the Virgin Islands a second chance.“They told us, ‘We’re going to reinstate the funds and give you an opportunity to spend them, but you have to do it by a certain deadline.’ That gave us the chance to recoup more than $30 million. But in that process, we already lost some of the money because contracts expired.”
The hearing laid bare a system where maintenance contracts expire, emergency repairs stall, and no single agency takes clear responsibility for keeping schools functional. “We have these contracts… we don’t know when they expire,” Vialet continued. “Somebody’s got to be paying attention.”
The consequences are stark: some repair funds have gone unused through administrative missteps, and students are learning in makeshift spaces, “I got a video today with the teachers outside teaching, with the students outside the classroom,” said Sen. Avery L. Lewis.
Lawmakers questioned whether shifting from in-house maintenance to costly third-party contracts has weakened accountability and oversight. “I was the principal of complex from 1995 to 2011; we never had a contractor to cut the grass. The grass was cut in-house… at one point, the Department of Education maintenance division had a grass-cutting unit of three or four individuals who would go from school to school to cut,” recalled Vialet. “Now, we’re paying for everything instead of utilizing the staff that we have.”
By the end of the hearing, lawmakers called for fundamental changes to how school maintenance is managed. Senators urged the territory to rebuild in-house maintenance teams, create clear and consistent protocols for managing and renewing contracts, and establish unified oversight with well-defined lines of responsibility between agencies. They also pressed for comprehensive planning and regular reporting to ensure accountability.
“We need to come with a comprehensive plan,” said Lewis “We can’t continue doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, that’s insanity.”
Bidding on Friends of Virgin Islands National Park’s Villas For The Park Auction and Fundraiser opened on Friday, Nov. 14 and closes on Friday, Nov. 28. The auction catalog features 30 stays in hotels, villas and cottages on St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix offering an opportunity for both Virgin Islanders and those from further afield to enjoy downtime in the islands and support the protection and preservation of the natural and cultural resources in Virgin Islands National Park.
A villa view for action. (Submitted photo)
“This auction is a wonderful opportunity for people to enjoy a stay in these beautiful Virgin Islands and the help protect and preserve the magic that is Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument,” says Tonia Lovejoy, Executive Director, Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. “We are continually in awe of the generosity of our community members who have donated stays to make this event possible.”
Created after the 2017 hurricanes when in person events weren’t possible, this fundraiser is now in its 9th year and is an important source of funding for programs like sea turtle protection, trails management, School Kids In The Park, Learn To Swim and more.
The auction catalog includes stays at Bombalassy Villa, Catch ’n Keep Cottage, Concordia Eco Resort, Coral Caribe Villa, Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel, Desert Rose Villa, Dream Come True, Dreamview On The Hill, Estate Lindholm, Fish Tales Cottage, Gaia’s Pearl, Marketplace Suites, Mayan Sky Villa, On A Clear Day, Pebble Cove, Rebecca’s Fancy, St. John Inn, Samuel Cottages, Seaside at Grande Bay Resort, Stonehouse, Sunnyside Villa, Sunset Ridge Villa, The Fred Boutique Resort & Spa, The Green Iguana Hotel, The Hills St John, The Mary Ann Boutique Hotel, The Other World Villa, Villa Circe, Villa Tiffany, and Wharfside Village Hotel.
To learn about the work that the Friends does and to register for the Villas For The Park Auction visit their website at www.friendsvinp.org.
Friends of Virgin Islands National Park is a non-profit organization and is the official philanthropic partner of Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. Since 1988, Friends has been supporting the National Park Service in assuring that the park’s unique terrestrial and marine resources are protected, that the Virgin Islands’ cultural treasures in the park are preserved, and that visitors and community are connected to the park through volunteerism, education, and advocacy.For more information: www.friendsvinp.org
The University of the Virgin Islands Women’s basketball student-athlete Keshara Romain takes a hiatus from the team to compete as a member of the United States Virgin Islands Senior Women’s National Team in the International Basketball Federation 2025 Caribbean Basketball Championships.
Keshara Romain at the free throw line. (Submitted photo)
The championships will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown, Guyana, from November 12 to 16, featuring teams from Suriname, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the host nation, Guyana.
A native of St. Croix, Romain will be competing for the USVI Senior National Team for the second time. Her debut came at the 2024 FIBA Centrobasket Women’s Championship, where she played in five games, averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Currently in her first year at UVI, Romain has started in four of the team’s five games this season, averaging 11.4 points, 14 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 3.4 blocks per game for the Lady Buccaneers. In just the second official week of the National Athletic Intercollegiate Association season, the junior forward’s outstanding play earned her the titles of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week.
The first matchup for Romain and the USVI national team will come on Thursday, November 13, as they face off with the host team, followed by matchups with Suriname, Jamaica, and the Bahamas on November 14, 15, and 16, respectively, in the group phase before a champion is decided.
Senator Carla Joseph expressed thanks to Governor Albert Bryan, Jr., for signing into law Bill No. 36-0061, now Act 9049, a measure aimed at strengthening the University of the Virgin Islands’ ability to augment the recruitment of experienced faculty and technical personnel.
Senator Carla J. Joseph (Submitted photo)
Senator Carla Joseph commented, “Today is a great day for the University of the Virgin Islands and its history of providing excellent service in higher education in the USVI and the wider Caribbean Region.” She added, “The University is now able to expand its reach in tapping a wealth of knowledge, experience, and specialized skills from retired government workers in developing students and strengthening operations at the university.”
The incentive provided through the enacted law allows retirees who are receiving an annuity from the Government Employees Retirement System (GERS) to continue receiving their pension and now enroll in a separate, alternative UVI pension system to supplement their retirement.
Dr. Safiya George, President of UVI, spoke in favor of the law and stressed how important it is for employee well-being and institutional growth.
Senator Joseph said, “This is a win for the University because it can hire experienced faculty and other technical professionals who are needed to provide important services. It is also a win for experienced professionals to benefit as they help build our workforce,” she concluded.
The Aliyah Boston Foundation ignited young minds at the electrifying Pathway to Purpose Youth Finance Summit, Saturday, Nov. 8, at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Students of financial literacy soak up lessons. (Submitted photo)
With 100 students registered and a buzzing waitlist of 5-6 eager participants stepping in when spots opened, 87 unstoppable teens showed up and owned the day.
Picture this: 87 fired-up students divided into dynamic groups of 20-25, diving into a round-robin adventure of financial mastery—Budgeting, Credit Scores, Investing, and the heart-pounding Virgin Islands’ Ventures simulated town! In VI Ventures, students stormed the streets of a fully immersive world, hitting up Keswick Insurance, Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority, AB’s Snack Shack, Merchants Commercial Bank, Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, Virgin Islands Department of Labor, Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue and Virgin Islands Ventures – Human Resources. For a full hour, they split roles: half the time as employees hustling through real-life missions—applying for loans at Merchant’s Bank, paying taxes at the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Review with a check, building resumes at the Department of Labor, or securing coverage at Keswick Insurance, Reading the Meter at Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, et cetera —and the other half as business operators, calling the shots and serving up solutions.
Grab-and-go lunch and snacks kept the momentum blazing all day.
In the Budgeting Blitz, facilitators unleashed pro-level tips, then students flexed their skills! Assigned salaries tied to their chosen careers, they built budgets with high-stakes choices: rent or buy a home (and how big?), lease, buy, or skip the car for public transit, plus decisions on dining out, health insurance, lifestyle, and giving back. Every call shaped their empire!
The Investing Ignition session set the room on fire—students mastered stocks, bonds, ETFs, and the art of spotting winners. In teams of 5, they clutched $1,000 in Boston Bucks and invested. Five years of wild, unplanned market twists—scenarios that sent portfolios skyrocketing or plunging—revealed how their money exploded over time!
In the Credit Score Showdown, students unlocked the secret sauce of credit scores and their life-altering power. They watched interest rates flip-flop on identical loans based on good vs. bad credit, then battled in personalized Credit Score Jenga—each block a choice that boosted or busted their score!
The crowd went wild for the unfiltered Q&A showdown moderated by Deniece Turnbull, where Aliyah Boston took the stage! Students fired off real-talk questions about savings, resisting peer pressure, balancing a pro-athlete schedule, smart decision-making, investing, and spending wisely. Aliyah dropped gems straight from her journey, proving financial power is built one disciplined choice at a time.
This summit was rocket fuel for generational wealth, powered by Aliyah Boston’s fearless vision: the earlier you start, the more your money grows. Success isn’t flashy cars, designer labels, or blowing cash—it’s fiscal responsibility, knowing it’s not how much you make, it’s how much you KEEP. Every student walked away with motivational cards packed with positive affirmations for smart money moves and a reminder: when God blesses us, we’re called to bless others.
The grand slam? The Aliyah Boston Foundation is launching every participant’s future by opening an investment account for each of the 87 students and funding their first Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) purchase!
Massive gratitude to our sponsors—International Private Bank and International Capital and Management (The Stephenson Family), Keswick Insurance, Parach Resource Management, University of the Virgin Islands, Merchants Commerical Bank, Perfected Claims, West Indies Company, Customs Builders, Color Max, MC + MC Design Group, Cost U Less for fresh fruits and snacks and Subway for epic cookies. Every partner helped fueled the fire. The Pathway to Purpose Youth Finance Summit wasn’t just an event—it was a revolution.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas region is holding a women’s regional championship to determine who advances to the 2026 Centrobasket Women’s Championships and the USVI helps kick it off with a game against host Guyana Thursday night.
Five national delegations traveled to Georgetown, Guyana, to compete in this round-robin tournament, Nov. 12-16, 2025. The Bahamas, Jamaica, Suriname, United States Virgin Islands (USVI), and host Guyana will fight for three open spots in the 2026 FIBA Centrobasket Women’s Championships.
The USVI roster is filled with seasoned international players who were members of the 2023 USVI Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games team, who brought home the gold medal. Lanese Bough, J-Naya Ephriam, Anisha George, Natalie Kleeman-Day, Naja Ngongba, Keshara Romain, and Imani Tate are all returning from that golden team. Victoria Hamilton and Taylor Jones are also experienced players on this roster. The last spot on this ten-women roster is La’Kaisah Graham, a 15-year-old Central High School Sophomore phenom who is making her international senior women’s team debut.
Head Coach Tajama Ngongba and assistant Clint Williams, are leading this talented group of women. They were at the helm in 2023 and are looking to keep this program moving in the right direction.
The tournament got underway on Wednesday, with the USVI receiving a bye on the first day. In the opening game, Jamaica defeated Suriname 86-47. Jamaica was led by Tiffany Reynolds, who scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Shakya Peroti was the top scorer for Suriname with 14.
The host Guyana got off to an electric start, scoring 102 while holding Bahamas to just 75 points. Amisha Ramlell and Ruth Adams lit up the scoreboard for the home team with 33 and 22 points, respectively. Lashann Higgs dropped 23 points in a losing effort for Bahamas.
The USVI tips off their tournament at 8:30 p.m. as they face the home team, Guyana, on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. Bahamas will take on Suriname at 4:30 p.m. in the first game of the day.
