Local news

Lawmakers of the 35th Legislature approved a three-step solution to ease financial pressures on the Water and Power Authority. Votes taken on three bills - which includes a measure to define when a state of emergency can be declared - came in rapid succession on Thursday afternoon at the end of a six-hour session. 

Money isn’t the only thing in short supply at the Water and Power Authority, WAPA officials said at a meeting of its governing board Thursday. While the embattled utility’s financial concerns have been well publicized, WAPA also faces dramatic challenges in obtaining key hardware vital to power generation and grid stability.

Danny Philip Jr. achieved an exciting goal recently, winning second place in the Vermont Pitch Challenge from the University of Vermont. Phillip, who is in 11th grade at the Seventh-day Adventist School on St. Croix, has aspirations of becoming a successful businessperson in technology and computer science.

With St. Thomas Carnival festivities already underway, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has locked in the administrative leave schedule for government workers and announced that more than $5 million in income tax refunds have been issued to Virgin Islands residents.

Jury selection in the murder trial for the man accused of fatally shooting a man at the end of last year’s Carnival Parade is being delayed. The judge presiding over the case rescheduled the process for a later date to accommodate a hearing over evidence to be admitted at trial.

A federal jury convicted two former Virgin Islands Correctional Officers of depriving an inmate of his rights under color of law and obstruction of an FBI investigation, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Thursday.

Darnell Birmingham, a senior at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School has been recently selected as one of the recipients of the 2024 Kenneth M. Smith Scholarship, the V.I. Education Department announced. 

T'Nasia Rios was reported missing on St. Thomas Thursday.

The government agencies that testified at Wednesday’s Senate hearing about their financial crises, said their revenues, including government allotments, were not sufficient to pay their bills - even their electric bills.

Virgin Islands native Rashawn Ross is still pinching himself. The trumpeter for the Dave Matthews Band, recently announced with the group as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 inductees, said when the email confirming the honor finally came through, it was a surreal moment.

V.I. Supreme Court Chief Justice Rhys Hodge on Wednesday denied a motion by the V.I. Legislature that sought nearly $100,000 in costs and attorney fees it says it spent defending against a lawsuit brought by former Senator-at-Large Steven Payne Sr. The request was filed two weeks too late, and without the proper notice, he said.

“Let the Children Play!” is the mantra that will echo the legacy of the late Linda Garvin at the Dedication Ceremony at the Midre Cummings Playground Park at the north end of Frederiksted on Saturday, at 10 a.m. 

On Sunday, the Caribbean Genealogy Library hosted another virtual event, this time focusing on the efforts and accomplishments of two prominent Virgin Islands men in the 1920s, Casper Holstein and David Hamilton Jackson, who led charges for citizenship, voting rights, and political reform for Virgin Islanders.

The prevalence of Saharan dust in the air has been causing some hazy conditions across the territory. Dust particulates in the atmosphere are expected to remain through the end of the workweek. 

Virgin Islands legislators expressed dismay Tuesday at Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s declaration of emergency over the dire financial situation at the Water and Power Authority. 

A commitment of $384.8 million to demolish and replace three elementary schools on St. Croix, one on St. Thomas, and repair a school lunch warehouse on St. Thomas marks the latest milestones in FEMA’s collaboration with the territory to rebuild school infrastructure across the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was damaged during hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, the agency announced Tuesday. 

Carnival on St. Thomas celebrates 72 years in 2024, and the celebration is on! In the early days of April, crowds gathered for pageants choosing Carnival royalty. Musicians struck up the band for calypsonians at the Ruth Thomas Auditorium for the Buoy Ah Buoy, Man a Big Man showcase. And Monday night was a time for friends and family as the annual Carnival Hospital Show played out on the grounds of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital.

The complaints continue as Liberty went before the Public Services Commission on Tuesday to address customer complaints both in person and via Zoom. 

The 35th Legislature held a Perma Plaque Ceremony to honor Virgin Islanders for their outstanding contributions to the territory's growth Monday.

Aubrey Artworks will present "Expansion and BEcoming," a pop-up art show Friday, from 5 – 9 p.m. at the St. John School of the Arts in Cruz Bay.