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WAPA Hopes to End Rotating Outages Wednesday

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WAPA Hopes to End Rotating Outages Wednesday
V.I. Water and Power Authority Chief Executive Karl Knight appeared virtually and addressed ongoing outages and repair efforts during a Government House press briefing Monday on St. Croix. (Screenshot from V.I. Government House livestream)

The V.I. Water and Power Authority expects to keep St. Thomas and St. John on a daily power rotation schedule through Wednesday while technicians repair an aging generator at the Randolph Harley Power Plant. WAPA Chief Executive Karl Knight said during a Government House briefing Monday that the rotations are expected to begin around 9:30 a.m. each day and continue through peak demand hours until about 9:30 to 10 p.m.

“I know these outages are hard. I know they’re disruptive to the workday, they’re disruptive to schools, they’re disruptive to our essential workers,” he said. “I assure you that our plant personnel are working around the clock to restore full service.”

Government House spokesperson Richard Motta Jr. said that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. will likely not declare a state of emergency like the one declared in April 2024 amid repeated outages.

“When the governor calls for a state of emergency, it is because there is a clear pathway for something to be done about the existing issue,” he said. “For example, when he called the state of emergency the last time, it was to enable the government of the Virgin Islands to use funding from the rainy-day fund to assist the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.”

The latest round of outages came just days after power was restored to St. John following an apparent act of vandalism to the island’s transmission cable. On Thursday, Unit 15 was taken offline because of an equipment failure. Knight said during a Government House briefing Monday that two other so-called “legacy” generators were also down for maintenance and that the loss of Unit 15 left a 5-megawatt shortfall in generation, leading to days of rotating outages.

“To put things in perspective, Unit 15 has been slated for retirement,” he added. “The average life expectancy of a gas turbine is somewhere around 30 years. Unit 15 was installed in 1980, making it about 46 years old — so it’s well past its expected life expectancy.”

Both Unit 15 and another legacy generator, which has already been decommissioned, Unit 14, have been approved for replacement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A WAPA press release Monday noted that while funding for the replacements has been obligated by the V.I. Disaster Recovery Office, “processing and approvals from ODR have taken longer than anticipated.”

“We hope that in the short term, we’ll be able to provide temporary generation that will allow us to rely less on Unit 15,” Knight said. “We are also looking forward to the permanent replacement of the unit, along with the installation of additional battery and energy storage systems into the Harley Plant.”

Knight said later that ODR and the V.I. Public Finance Authority are “tantalizingly close” to executing an agreement with RG Engineering for the FEMA-funded power plant rebuilds, which will involve setting up temporary generation while they work on the full replacement.

While Knight stressed that the latest outages were caused by years of deferred maintenance and not financial or fuel supply issues, fuel prices the world over have surged because of the United States’ war in Iran. Virgin Islanders have felt the impact, and Bryan last week directed commissioners and agency heads to restrict government vehicle use to official and essential activities.

“Outside of those measures … the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs also is doing their due diligence to make sure that, similarly, our merchants aren’t taking advantage of this opportunity,” Motta said during Monday’s briefing. Motta said DLCA had already cited one vendor for increasing their gas prices before filing the proper paperwork.

Government House on Immigration Arrests: ‘Record,’ But ‘Do Not Intervene’

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Government House on Immigration Arrests: ‘Record,’ But ‘Do Not Intervene’

Amid a spate of recent arrests by federal immigration officers, Government House said Virgin Islanders should not interfere with law enforcement operations but should record them when necessary.

Videos of multiple arrests outside of a market on St. Croix were shared widely on social media Thursday. One depicted several agents subduing and arresting a man, while one agent appeared to have his knee on the man’s head and neck. The U.S. Homeland Security Department, which oversees Customs and Border Protection, has not returned calls to the department’s regional office in San Juan.

“The video that was circulated on St. Croix was particularly disturbing — I think the community can agree,” Government House spokesperson Richard Motta Jr. said during a press briefing Monday. Motta said the administration is encouraging Virgin Islanders not to “engage or interrupt or hinder” law enforcement operations in any way. “Stay away — do not intervene.”

“But,” he added, “we also encourage individuals to record … if they see something that is untoward or if they see excessive use of force, it is not against the law to record that, and so that is what we’re encouraging Virgin Islanders to do when they see those types of activities taking place.”

Motta noted that the federal agency doesn’t share operational details with local authorities, “and so largely we are not in the know” regarding ICE’s operations in the territory.

Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett urged Virgin Islanders last week to make sure they know their rights during encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That information has been posted to Plaskett’s website in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

“Regardless of immigration status, you have constitutional protections,” she said. “I want to remind everyone in the community that in the United States, being present in the country without the appropriate documentation is a civil matter, not a criminal one.”

Senate Committee Advances Air Curtain Incinerator Bill With Safeguards

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Senate Committee Advances Air Curtain Incinerator Bill With Safeguards
Department of Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol, who supported Bill No. 36-0232 to allow air curtain incinerators, testifies before the Senate Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection Committee on Monday. (Photo courtesy V.I. Legislature)

Lawmakers on the Senate Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection Committee on Monday advanced legislation allowing the use of air curtain incinerators for green-waste disposal, adding safeguards aimed at protecting air quality and public health.

After hours of testimony and at times tense debate over landfill fires, shrinking capacity and impacts on nearby communities, senators voted to send Bill No. 36-0232 to the Senate Rules and Judiciary Committee with a favorable recommendation. The approval came with new conditions governing how and where the incinerators can operate.

Before the vote, the committee adopted Amendment No. 36-743, offered on behalf of Sen. Clifford Joseph, adding several operational guardrails while keeping the bill’s core authorization intact.

The amendment requires that incinerators be operated by certified personnel and prohibits their use within 300 feet of any residence. It also mandates inspection and approval by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources before any unit begins operation.

To address air-quality concerns, the measure requires at least four perimeter monitors at each site to track fine particulate matter. Data must be made publicly available monthly, and operations must stop if pollution levels exceed national standards until conditions return to compliance.

Additional provisions require twice-yearly inspections of each unit and direct the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority, in coordination with DPNR, to establish formal operating policies within 60 days of enactment.

Officials from the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, who supported the measure, said the territory’s two main landfills are nearing capacity, with Anguilla estimated to have about three years of remaining space and Bovoni about seven. They warned that a major storm could rapidly accelerate that timeline by generating large volumes of vegetative debris.

Between 2024 and 2025, VIWMA recorded 15 landfill fires, with another already in 2026, CFO Daryl Griffith testified. “When green waste accumulates at landfill sites, it significantly increases the risk of landfill fires,” he said, citing threats to “public health, air quality, worker safety, critical infrastructure, and of course, our nearby communities.”

Fire and emergency leaders backed him, with Assistant Director Clarence Stephenson warning that “Inaction simply delays the problem until the next landfill fire, at which point our concerns about emissions, air quality and safety become reactive instead of proactive.”

Supporters framed the incinerators as part of a broader Waste Management strategy, alongside mulching, grinding and composting, rather than a replacement for those methods. Still, they said air curtain units can reduce the volume of green waste far more quickly, particularly after storms, when debris can overwhelm other systems. Ultimately, proponents argued that the territory must act now to reduce fire risk and manage waste more effectively.

Opponents urged senators to reject routine use of air curtain incinerators, warning the technology would worsen air pollution for residents and undermine more sustainable solutions like composting.

Community advocates from Bovoni, Bolongo and Nadir described their neighborhoods as long-burdened communities. Felicia Blyden, member of the Bovoni Bolongo Nadir Community Organization said industrial-scale burning would pose a direct health risk, citing asthma and other respiratory concerns, and called for greater focus on composting and mulching.

She criticized the bill as “vague” on protections and called instead for a firm commitment to “composting, mulching and shredding … sustainable activities with the least impacts on human health and the environment.”

Environmental groups echoed those concerns. Dawn Henry, CEO of the Virgin Islands Environmental Association, told lawmakers that air curtain incinerators still emit harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter. “Clear does not mean clean,” she said, warning that emissions can remain dangerous even when not visible.

Health officials and technical experts also urged caution, emphasizing that fine particulate pollution has no known safe exposure level and can be especially harmful under local weather conditions.

In the end, the committee voted 4-1 to advance the bill, with two members not voting. Sens. Avery Lewis, Kenneth Gittens, Franklin Johnson and Novelle Francis Jr. backed the measure, saying the territory must act to curb landfill fires and manage shrinking space.

Sen. Ray Fonseca, the lone no vote, pointed to the close proximity of homes to the Bovoni landfill, arguing that adding another source of combustion in a residential area is unacceptable. He also signaled plans to introduce amendments to limit the bill’s scope as it moves forward.

Sens. Alma Francis Heyliger and Carla Joseph both abstained. Francis Heyliger said she did not want to take a final position until she could review all proposed amendments in the Senate Rules and Judiciary Committee, saying she prefers to decide only after “a happy medium is figured out.” Joseph, who is preparing her own amendment to limit when the incinerators can operate and to tighten health protections for nearby residents, likewise withheld a vote while those changes are still being drafted.

Fault and Futility for Mafolie Overlook Development

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Fault and Futility for Mafolie Overlook Development
For a fourth time, Lionel Warrell sought a zoning change to allow for commercial use of his residentially-zoned Mafolie property — which he said he was currently using for commercial uses. (Screenshot of Microsoft Teams)

Monday was Lionel Warrell’s fourth attempt for a zoning change that would allow commercial use of his scenic Mafolie property. Both Warrell and government officials acknowledged the afternoon’s endeavor was doomed before the zoning management meeting started.

The Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources would advise against rezoning because it had recently offered to buy Warrell’s land for preservation as a watershed. Territorial Planner Leia LaPlace-Matthew asked if Warrell wanted to continue with his presentation despite assurances DPNR would recommend against rezoning. He did.

Warrell said he’d purchased the land — with its vast vista of St. Thomas’ central south shore, St. Croix, Vieques, and more — in 2008 with the dream of a gift shop and snack bar for the daily stream of tourists that flock there. A line of sightseeing safari trucks is regularly queued at the narrow corner about halfway between Mafolie Hotel and Restaurant and Sib’s On the Mountain.

Safari taxis line up near Lionell Warrell’s Mafolie property. (Photo by Shaun Pennington)

That narrow roadway and the area’s residential nature have upended three previous attempts at rezoning to allow commercial activity. There’s also the property’s precarious topography, bisected by a drainage gut officials said was vital to the entire hillside’s stability.

In 2022, Warrell, a taxi driver and retired firefighter, presented a plan to build his gift shop over the gut, spanning the broad ravine with a bridge-like structure that offered off-street parking. He presented the same plan at the Monday meeting, where neighbors said the plan was improbable, at best, given the lot’s lack of buildable area and property-line setbacks required by law. Done correctly, it would cost well more than $1 million, they estimated, which would be difficult to recoup selling daiquiris and banana cake as Warrell planned.

Photos presented by Lionel Warrell show the gut at the center of his property and the scenic overlook’s popularity with tourists.

Senate turned down Warrell’s third official attempt at rezoning 30C Estate Elizabeth in 2023 after negative reports from neighbors and DPNR. It was much the same as presented Monday: a one or two-story gift shop with as many as 20 parking spaces.

Warrell has run a shipping-container beverage outlet on the site on and off for more than a decade, he said, despite zoning restrictions barring commercial activity there. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs issued a Tavernkeeper business license to Warrell at the address Jan. 1. It was unclear how he obtained a business license to sell beer and snacks at a property zoned R-2, light residential. The license will expire Jan. 31, 2027. In 2012, DPNR and DCLA investigated the same activity on the same property, eventually revoking Warrell’s business license.

Earlier Monday, Michadia Viera Donovan asked for a zoning variance to allow for renovations over ruins along Gamble Nordsidevej, Kronprindsens. She planned to build a four-story family home on the site with off-street parking. She also hoped to incorporate the centuries-old stone and masonry into the structure, possibly for stairs.

The basement level would become two apartments, Donovan estimated.

The St. John Community Rallies Ahead of WAPA Town Hall

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The St. John Community Rallies Ahead of WAPA Town Hall
Residents gathered during a past protest against ongoing power outages, holding signs calling for accountability and reliable service from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. (Source photo by Joshua Crawford Barry)

Frustration that has been building for years, intensified by a recent two-day outage and a week of rotating blackouts, is set to reach a boiling point on St. John Tuesday afternoon.

Community members will gather at Frank Powell Park at 4 p.m. for a protest organized by Gail Jackson and a team of concerned citizens, demanding accountability and immediate solutions from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.

The protest is timed to precede a WAPA town hall scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Julius E. Sprauve School, ensuring that the voices of the residents, many of whom feel unheard, will be visible and present as utility leadership arrives.

“This energy crisis in the Virgin Islands cannot continue. It affects everyone and it is devastating to our most vulnerable populations, like the elderly and the sick who are most at risk. The people who are in leadership must act now to fix these issues,” Jackson said.

For residents of St. John and across the St. Thomas-St. John district, rotating outages have become a frequent reality over the last week, disrupting nearly every aspect of daily life. “For many in our community, this past week was a breaking point. We believe it is time for residents to stand together, make our voice heard, and signal clearly that we will not remain silent in the face of persistent instability,” Jackson said.

The group is presenting WAPA and territorial leadership with three specific demands, including clear timelines and follow-through on getting long promised generators installed and operational, clear accessible information about how to file claims, what qualifies, and when people can expect resolution and appropriate credits, as well as a coordinated response to support vulnerable residents during outages.

The effects of these outages, organizers stress, are not simply inconvenient; they are dangerous. Residents who rely on oxygen machines or other medical equipment are placed at serious risk when power is lost. Small businesses face financial losses, and families, especially those with young children or elderly members, are left navigating uncertainty.

Hadiya Sewer, a member of the organizing team, highlights the particular vulnerability of St. John within the territory’s energy system. “St. John’s dependence on St. Thomas power puts us in a very vulnerable position. We often feel like our needs as the people of St. John are not prioritized and that our leaders overlook us. When power goes out, it affects everything, our health and our livelihoods. Who is thinking about the single mothers missing work to care for kids who are at home from school because WAPA is out, the elders who need electricity for their care, or the entrepreneurs paying high bills with no reliable power?” Sewer asked.

While Tuesday’s action is focused on holding leadership accountable, organizers emphasize that civic engagement takes many forms and that community strength extends beyond moments of public demonstration.

Raven Phillips, another member of the organizing team, offered a broader vision of what it means to show up for one another. “I think it’s important to remember that assembling for protest is just one of the many ways of engaging in community, and when we’re frustrated is when we should be in community the most. Being in community also means checking in on your neighbors, asking for help from those around you, and sitting to hold space through tough moments. We only have each other, and there are many ways to accomplish that,” Phillips said.

Source Founder Launching Her First Full Length Book

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Source Founder Launching Her First Full Length Book
“The New Slavery: Sugar, Healthcare and the Medical Mafia,” by Shaun Pennington, is available now as an e-book from Barnes and Noble and Amazon, with a shipment of books due on island in the next week. (Submitted photo)
“The New Slavery: Sugar, Healthcare and the Medical Mafia,” by Shaun Pennington, is available now as an e-book from Barnes and Noble, with the Kindle version on Amazon, and a shipment of books due on island in the next week. (Submitted photo)

Shaun Pennington, who founded the Source publications in 1999, always knew she was destined to write.

Shaun A. Pennington
Shaun A. Pennington

“From the time I can remember I dreamed of being a writer.” she said in a recent interview. “In fact, I always knew I would write a book but had no idea what it would be about.”

“The New Slavery: Sugar, Healthcare and the Medical Mafia,” is that dream and knowledge realized.

It was a chance conversation with Crucian entrepreneur Cherie Munchez, who was at the time operating her own marketing and public relations firm in Florida, whose clients included a plethora of substance abuse facilities that lit the bulb.

“We were having a conversation one day when Cherie drew the connection between addiction, healthcare and health insurance. She called it the ‘trifecta,’” she said.

It was in that moment, Pennington said, that she knew what the book she was going to write was about. She had been clean and sober for 33 years and had years of experience with getting off what she counts as the hardest drug of all, sugar. She was also intimately acquainted with what she calls the insurance “racket,” having worked in it for decades.

Pennington cleverly traces sugar and its origins in a brutal system of enslaved labor to the modern day, where it has become the foundation of a new kind of bondage — addiction that has turned sweetness into a chronic disease epidemic. An epidemic that has fueled the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.

Woven throughout are starkly honest, intimate accounts by Pennington of her own journey through addiction and the lessons learned and knowledge gained about sugar’s destructive grip.

The book is divided into three parts, each woven with memoir, research and current events that make it an easy and pertinent read, given the state of America’s failing healthcare system.

A shipment of 200 books is expected by the end of next week and will be found riding around in the back of her car and, as of this reporting, at The Reading Room in Riise’s Alley in downtown Charlotte Amalie.

The e-book is available now at Barnes and Noble and the Kindle version at Amazon. The hard cover copy is also available at both places for pre-order, with a shipment date of April 24.

Pennington is available for readings and book discussions and can be contacted at 340-513-4719 or emailed at shaun.pennington22@gmail.com.

There are more details available at her website: shaunpennington.com

Man Arrested After Assault Reported at St. Thomas Business

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Man Arrested After Assault Reported at St. Thomas Business

A St. Thomas man was arrested early Friday after police say he assaulted his girlfriend inside a local business, the Virgin Islands Police Department reported.

Officers responded around 12:30 a.m. Friday to a 911 call reporting a fight at Veggie Plus. When officers arrived, they made contact with the victim, who said her boyfriend, Vincent Wiltshire Jr., entered the business and began accusing her of being unfaithful, according to the police report.

According to the VIPD, the woman told officers that after patrons left the bar and her niece stepped outside, Wiltshire Jr. pushed her and struck her in the face, causing injuries. She said she tried to stop the attack by hugging him and bit his upper lip before calling for help.

Police reviewed surveillance footage from the business and later located Wiltshire Jr. at Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he sought treatment for the bite injury, the police report stated.

Wiltshire Jr. was advised of his rights and arrested on charges of simple assault (domestic violence) and disturbance of the peace (domestic violence), according to police. He was transported to the Richard Callwood Command and later turned over to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing, the report stated.

Rotating Power Outages Through Wednesday

Mat Probasco
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Due to ongoing repairs on Unit 15, rotational outages may occur daily 9:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m. through Wednesday, March 25. Schedule may change as needed and restoration may be delayed upwards of 15 minutes. We will notify the community of any updates or additional outages not related to the scheduled outage listed below:

9:30 AM-11:30 AM
Feeder 8B

11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Feeder 7A

1:30 PM-3:30 PM
Feeder 8A

3:30 PM-5:30 PM
Feeder 6A

5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Feeder 10B

7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Feeder 7B
Feeder 8B

9:30 PM-11:30 PM
Feeder 7C

Mango Tango Art Gallery Presents Unleashing Creativity Show

Mat Probasco
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Mango Tango Art Gallery Presents Unleashing Creativity Show

Mango Tango Art Gallery opens Unleashing Creativity on Saturday, March 28, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., featuring the work of six artists: Mercedese Bantz, Steve Counselman, Don Dahlke, Vickie Lawrence, Brian Murphy, and Ariel Rosenthal. The theme-free exhibition invites viewers to make their own connections through contrasting styles and techniques.

Gliding Through Blue by Vickie Lawrence

Mercedese Bantz brings humor and whimsy to the show. Her work has been licensed for dinnerware, clothing, pet products, and gift items. She presents playful birds rendered in acrylic on canvas and paper.

Steve Counselman, who made a celebrated debut at Gallery 81c, works in ceramics to create sculptural pipes depicting sea life, land critters, totems, mythological creatures, and the human form — in both decorative and functional art.

A Little Sugar by Merceses Bantz.

Don Dahlke has been represented by the gallery since 1990 and has earned an avid following for his oil-on-canvas architectural paintings. For this show, he offers an intimate selection of pencil drawings framing vistas through windows and doors — showcasing his signature shadowing — along with one nautical watercolor.

Vickie Lawrence, a mixed-media watercolorist, makes her gallery debut with a colorful body of work paying homage to local beaches and sea life.

Beach Walkers by Brian Murphy

Brian Murphy has been the gallery’s star plein air artist for over two decades. Less concerned with painting objects than with capturing the light that falls on them, he presents a striking grouping of oil-on-canvas works that dance with light and shadow across beaches, boat yards, and fruit markets.

Ariel Rosenthal, who grew up under the artistic guidance of her mother, Frances Wilgen, launches her own premiere with charming, joyful primitive acrylic-on-canvas paintings of island life.

Ceramic Fish by Steve Counselman

The gallery’s walls and shelves will be filled with work from the full exhibition. Guests are invited to dance to DJ Neko Crush while enjoying appetizers and drinks in the parking lot.

Unleashing Creativity runs for one month. For more information, visit mangotangoart.com or call 340-777-3060.

American Bar Association Honors St. Thomas Attorney Tully

Mat Probasco
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American Bar Association Honors St. Thomas Attorney Tully

Jessica C. Tully, Esq., a St. Thomas attorney whose practice focuses on estate planning, probate, real estate, and business law, has been selected as the recipient of the “2026 American Bar Association Solo & Small Firm Project Award,” a national honor recognizing innovation in legal practice.

The award will be presented during the 2026 ABA Joint Spring Conference in San Diego, California, held April 22-25. This marks the first time a U.S. Virgin Islands attorney has won this award.

Jessica C. Tully, Esq. (Submitted photo)

Tully is the founder of Tully Law, PLLC and was recognized for creating Animated Lawyer, www.animatedlawyer.com, a platform that uses animated videos to help attorneys explain legal concepts more clearly to clients through law firm websites and client communications. Designed for solo and small firm practitioners, Animated Lawyer offers attorneys a modern way to explain recurring legal concepts such as wills, probate, trusts, estate administration, and related processes in a clear, accessible format.

The project grew out of Tully’s work in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where estate planning carries unusual urgency and complexity. In the Territory, families often face longstanding issues involving heirs property, informally transferred land, title uncertainty, and prolonged probate administration. In that environment, client understanding can materially affect whether families preserve property, avoid unnecessary delay, and make informed legal decisions.

“Estate planning in the Virgin Islands is not just about documents. It is about family land, clarity, and helping people navigate a legal system that is still developing. I built this project because I believe that if people do not understand the law, they cannot use it,” Tully said.

Tully developed Animated Lawyer independently, writing scripts, creating animations, and composing and producing original music and educational content intended to make legal services more understandable, both for clients and for attorneys seeking better ways to communicate to the public.

Licensed in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tully has practiced law in the Virgin Islands since 2017. In addition to her legal practice, she is a published author and holds an exclusive contract with LexisNexis Practical Guidance relating to estate planning in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She was also invited to testify before the 36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands on matters involving heirs property, prolonged probate, and vacant and abandoned historic properties.

Tully lives in St. Thomas with her husband and two sons.

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