Helena Constable Nelson Dies at 77

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Helena Constable Nelson, affectionately known to many as “Mrs. Madrie,” passed away peacefully on May 7, 2026, at the age of 77. Born on Aug. 18, 1948, in St. Lucia, Helena touched the lives of many through her kindness, strength, resilience, and unwavering love for her family and friends.
Helena Constable Nelson
Helena spent many years living in Princess, St. Croix, before permanently relocating to Houston, Texas. She worked at the airport in St. Croix for many years and was known for her warm smile, caring spirit, and dedication to those she loved. She was preceded in death by her loving parents, Lawrence and Euganie Constable; her daughter, Hiltrude “Maggie” Constable-Hamilton; and her brothers, Lucious and John Constable. She leaves to cherish her memory her children, Solomon (Bertron), Karen, and Suzie; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and a large extended family, including siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and many dear friends whose lives were enriched by knowing and loving her. Family and friends are invited to pay their respects during the visitation on Friday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Calvary Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery, 21723 Aldine-Westfield Road, Humble, Texas 77338. A Celebration of Life service will follow from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., with a Committal Service immediately afterward from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Helena’s memory will live in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Residents Rally Outside Legislature as WAPA Outages Fuel Frustration

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A social media flyer was enough to bring a small group of frustrated residents to the Legislature on Tuesday morning, where they gathered to protest the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority following days of outages, power interruptions, and growing concerns about the utility’s reliability. The demonstration began with about a dozen people outside the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall and grew modestly throughout the morning. Several attendees said they were unsure who originally created or circulated the flyer but felt compelled to show up after another week marked by service disruptions across St. Thomas and St. John. The gathering came at the tail end of about three days of outages on St. Thomas-St. John. On Monday, WAPA Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight warned that the Randolph Harley Power Plant remained in an unstable condition after Unit 27 tripped Saturday evening because of a fuel valve issue, triggering what he described as a “series of cascading technical issues” that complicated restoration efforts. Knight cautioned that additional interruptions remained possible as crews worked to bring generating units back online. Service disruptions continued Tuesday, with additional outages reported in portions of the district. For many attending the protest, the latest outages were simply the most recent chapter in a problem they say has persisted for years. “It’s certainly a cause,” resident Tim Moos said. “Everybody complains about WAPA. The public keeps paying. There are major life inconveniences and financial strains. When is somebody going to fix it?” Among those attending was Sen. Ray Fonseca, who used the occasion to renew his call for federal assistance to help address the utility’s longstanding challenges. “WAPA has reached the crisis stage,” Fonseca said. “The problems that exist at WAPA are not for a lack of financial resources. It’s partly due to a lack of technical expertise and deferred maintenance.” Fonseca said he plans to bring a resolution before lawmakers during an upcoming special session that would petition Congress for assistance from agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, FEMA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “I’m not talking about a federal takeover,” he said. “I’m talking about federal assistance.” The senator argued that despite substantial public funding directed toward the utility in recent years, reliability has continued to decline. “We’ve given WAPA over $300 million,” Fonseca said. “The hospital needs this money. The Health Department needs this money. Human Services needs this money. We’re pumping all this money into WAPA and the service is getting worse and worse.” Business owners also spoke about the practical effects of recurring outages. Moos said businesses without generators often struggle to process credit card transactions, keep customers comfortable, or operate normally during extended power interruptions. “If your businesses don’t have power and they don’t have a generator, they can’t run their credit cards. They can’t run air conditioning,” he said, noting that generators themselves represent a significant investment for many small businesses. Labor leader Carver Farrow said the frustrations expressed Tuesday are likely to carry into the political season. He pointed to a Democratic gubernatorial debate scheduled for June 26 at Charlotte Amalie High School and discussions being organized by the newly formed Virgin Islands Area Labor Federation, an AFL-CIO affiliate, where WAPA’s future is expected to be a major topic. “One of the concerns that people have is WAPA hasn’t been doing a good job for years and years and years,” Farrow said. “Some people are advocating privatizing WAPA. They believe it would do a better job than what we’re doing now.” Farrow said residents are increasingly looking for answers about why outages continue despite years of public investment and ongoing federal recovery funding aimed at modernizing the territory’s energy infrastructure. “Right now, there’s no accountability,” one resident said. “Nobody is answering any questions. The governor is not answering. The administrator for WAPA is not answering. The board is not answering. So who do we go to?” The protest was followed Tuesday evening by another district-wide outage, which WAPA said in an alert was also caused by reduced generation at the Harley Plant.

Prosecutors Seek Up to 30 Years’ Incarceration for Martinez, Seven for O’Neal

Former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez and former Management and Budget Office Director Jenifer O’Neal are set to be sentenced next week at the federal court building on St. Thomas. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)

In memoranda filed in U.S. District Court Tuesday, federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez to up to 30 years in prison and former Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal to seven years following their conviction on charges of wire fraud, bribery and money laundering conspiracy. Martinez was also found guilty of obstructing justice.

Martinez’s sentencing is scheduled for June 9 and O’Neal’s is slated for June 11. On June 10, a judge will also sentence David Whitaker, a convicted felon and former cybersecurity contractor who became a cooperating witness in the government’s case against Martinez and O’Neal as well as the case against former Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White and businessman Benjamin Hendricks.

Prosecutors first brought charges against Martinez and O’Neal last January. They accused Martinez of helping Whitaker secure a nearly $1.5 million VIPD contract funded through the American Rescue Plan Act. After the contract was awarded to Whitaker’s company, Mon Ethos Pro Support, he inflated multiple invoices for Martinez and O’Neal to authorize in exchange for things like kitchen equipment for Martinez’s restaurant — Don Felito’s Cookshop — tuition payment for his kids’ private school and a security deposit for O’Neal’s coffee shop, Java Grande.

The government’s sentencing recommendations came just days after U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney denied the pair’s requests for new trials. In a May 28 memorandum, Kearney said evidence shown at trial “overwhelmingly confirmed the officials’ disregard for the rule of law.”

On Tuesday, U.S. Justice Department trial attorney Alexandre Dempsey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cherrisse Amaro wrote that Martinez should be sentenced to 292-365 months followed by three years of supervised release and pay a $250,000 fine.

“To abuse his cabinet position to benefit himself, Martinez cynically chose service to himself over service to his community,” they wrote. “In addition to its brazenness, the scheme damaged and undermined the government’s procurement integrity. Other companies who believed that they were competing on a level playing field — and citizens who thought that their public officials were maximizing their taxpayer dollars — both realize now that they have been deceived and cheated.”

Prosecutors added that after being confronted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Martinez reacted by attempting to destroy records and forge documents.

“The public was entitled to receive the defendant’s honest and faithful services, and it is evident that they received far less,” they wrote. “The defendant’s betrayal of his duty to the people of the Virgin Islands is a serious offense. He must be held accountable, particularly given his willingness to involve and direct others as part of his scheme and attempt to obstruct justice after the fact.”

Martinez, who is represented by attorneys Miguel Oppenheimer and Juan Matos de Juan, challenged the government’s sentencing calculus and asked Kearney for a five or six-year sentence. Oppenheimer and Matos de Juan said their own sentencing memorandum was “not primarily” about the arithmetic of sentencing guidelines.

“It is about Ray Martinez the person: a 57-year-old first-time offender who devoted more than three decades of his life to the people of the United States Virgin Islands as an Army soldier, an aircraft rescue firefighter, a labor relations officer, an internal affairs director, an intelligence director, and ultimately the Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department,” they wrote. “He is a father, a husband, a son, and a neighbor who, even as the most senior law enforcement officer in the territory, continued to work the streets, respond to crime scenes, and feed the hungry.”

The attorneys also noted Martinez’s health. In 2023, Martinez underwent brain surgery in Boston. At trial, prosecutors showed jurors how Whitaker financed Martinez’s trips by paying for first-class airfare, stays at a lavish luxury resort and even a $1,082 dinner at an upscale steakhouse.

“The individual before this Court is someone whose life, before this case, was defined by service to others,” Oppenheimer and Matos de Juan wrote. “A sentence of 60 to 72 months constitutes serious, real punishment that accounts for the gravity of the offense without consigning a man of his age, health, and history to what would effectively be a death sentence inside the Bureau of Prisons.”

For O’Neal, prosecutors requested 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $100,000 fine. A sentencing memorandum submitted by Dempsey and Amaro noted that O’Neal is “highly educated, professionally accomplished, and deeply experienced in government administration and finance” and that she earned a six-figure salary while occupying one of the most powerful positions in the Virgin Islands Government.

“She was not struggling for survival. She was not acting out of desperation. She was not manipulated into participating in conduct that she did not understand,” they argued, adding that O’Neal’s background is significant “because it demonstrates that she fully understood both the mechanics and the unlawfulness of the scheme.”

O’Neal had yet to file her own sentencing request by Tuesday evening.

Third Circuit Affirms District Court Order Striking Death Penalty in Dangleben Case

In a precedential opinion, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a V.I. District Court order striking the death penalty in the murder case of Richardson Dangleben Jr., who is accused in the 2023 shooting death of V.I. Police Detective Delberth Phipps Jr.

The 28-page opinion, handed down Monday and authored by Circuit Judge Thomas Hardiman, found that the issue was not, “as the Government frames it, ‘whether to seek the death penalty’ falls within the purview of the Executive Branch; it does. … Instead, the issue is whether courts have the right to manage their cases; they do.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office was correct that it retains “discretion to evaluate the appropriate charges based on known facts,” even in a jurisdiction that has abolished the death penalty, Hardiman wrote, but “it is equally true that the Government cannot usurp the Court’s case-management function. On the facts of this case, the District Court did not abuse its discretion when it struck the Government’s very belated (and contradictory) notice to seek the death penalty.”

A grand jury returned a 13-count indictment against Dangleben, 54, in October 2023, charging him with first-degree murder and other violations of federal and territorial laws in connection with the shooting death of Phipps, 42, on July 4 that year, and the assault of another officer who also responded to the 911 call concerning a man with a gun in Hospital Ground on St. Thomas. He has pleaded not guilty.

While the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in February 2024 that it would not seek the death penalty, it reversed course in May 2025 after an executive order from President Donald Trump lifting former President Joe Biden’s moratorium on federal executions. Dangleben’s attorney, federal Public Defender Matthew Campbell, filed a motion opposing the about-face and after briefing by both sides, V.I. District Court Chief Judge Robert Molloy struck the government’s notice from the record last August, ruling that the case would proceed as a noncapital case.

In a memorandum opinion Sept. 15 explaining his decision, Molloy listed a number of concerns regarding the timing of the USA’s death notice so late in the process, including that it was not based on new information that wasn’t previously available to the government; it was filed 459 days after the original “no-seek” notice of Feb. 7, 2024; 22 months after Dangleben’s initial arrest; 19 months after the first indictment; and less than five months before trial.

“Even if the Government now seeks relief from the deadline, it has waived or forfeited any right it had or may have had to such relief,” he wrote.

Moreover, the “preparation for a death-penalty case is dramatically different in approach and scope from a non-death penalty case. Clearly, the Government’s Death Notice, if allowed to stand, would require Defendant ‘to substantially alter his yearslong preparations for trial,’” Molloy said.

With the trial date just three weeks away, the DOJ appealed Molloy’s order to the Third Circuit the same day he issued his opinion, essentially halting further District Court proceedings. Oral argument was held Dec. 9 before a three-judge panel.

In its opinion Monday, the appellate court largely agreed with Molloy on the death penalty ruling but reversed and remanded his order dismissing Counts 2 and 3 of the superseding indictment — discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence — and Count 1, use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, with instructions to reinstate those charges.

Campbell had argued that they failed to state an offense under the United States Code because the predicate offenses upon which the charges are based are local territorial offenses, and Molloy agreed.

“Dangleben argues that even if the plain language of the statute can be read to allow local offenses to serve as predicate offenses under Section 924(c), such an interpretation would lead to the absurd result of Virgin Islands defendants being able to be prosecuted under a version of a federal offense not available in any other federal court,” Molloy wrote in his Sept. 15 opinion. “Consequently, Virgin Islands defendants would be subjected to harsher punishment under a version of Section 924(c) that could not be applied anywhere else in the United States. The Court agrees,” said Molloy.

However, the appellate court found that such offenses can qualify as predicate “crimes of violence” under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A), which punishes firearm use during violent crimes prosecuted in a “court of the United States,” because the District Court of the Virgin Islands is legally considered such.

“For starters, territories are not states. Congress has plenary power over the territories, so some differential treatment between the two is to be expected,” according to the opinion. “‘[A]s a United States territory, the U.S. Virgin Islands does not have independent sovereignty but derives such powers as its [G]overnment possesses directly from congressional grant under article IV, section 3 of the federal Constitution.’ Given that backdrop, there is nothing absurd about allowing § 924(c) charges to be premised on Virgin Islands territorial crimes of violence that already may be prosecuted in the District of the Virgin Islands, a federal court,” it said.

“One ‘conceivable justification’ for this result … is that Congress wanted to deter and punish the violent use of firearms in the Virgin Islands by extending the enhanced punishments in § 924(c) and § 924(j) to all offenses over which the District of the Virgin Islands has jurisdiction — territorial and federal,” Hardiman wrote.

Molloy canceled Dangleben’s Oct. 6 trial date after the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed its notice of appeal last September and a new trial date has not been set. Both sides may still seek a review of the appellate court’s decision by filing a petition for a rehearing within 14 days after entry of the judgment.

Dangleben remains in pretrial detention at the Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center in Puerto Rico. He also faces first-degree murder charges in V.I. Superior Court in the shooting death of Keith Jennings on Feb. 24, 2023, also in the Hospital Ground area, for which he was free on bail when Phipps was shot and killed. That case was set for trial last October but proceedings were canceled due to the ongoing federal case.

Federal Monitors Say the End’s in Sight for VIPD Consent Decree

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Federal monitors say VIPD continues to meet expectations set out in the 2009 Use of Force Consent Decree, with two of 51 mandatory improvements still outstanding. (Source file photo)

Compliance monitors and lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice told a federal judge on St. Thomas they looked forward to the day when the Virgin Islands Police Department will no longer be subject to a consent decree first imposed in 2009. Testimony and statements to that effect were heard late last week before Chief District Judge Robert Molloy at a compliance hearing.

The court declared VIPD in substantial compliance with directives spelled out in the consent decree in 2018. The agency and its top brass are now working their way through a period of continuous compliance, which, if completed successfully, will bring the matter to an end.

When the directives were set 17 years ago, the U.S. Justice Department said V.I. police were engaged in excessive use of force against citizens, and that investigations of misconduct were inadequate. Officials also cited VIPD for training deficiencies and poor supervision of its officers.

But USDOJ Special Litigation Attorney Jeffrey Murray, in his May 14 status report to Molloy, said all but two of the 51 mandatory compliance steps were still outstanding. “ … VIPD continues working to improve its systems and practices beyond the requirements of the consent decree,” Murray said.

The Independent Monitoring Team identified those sections as Use of Force Management and Supervision. “This marks the third consecutive quarter in which IMT has found VIPD in full compliance with the Management and Supervision requirements,” read the wording in the May 14 report.

Police also signaled progress in their latest status report, filed by former V.I. Attorney General Ariel Smith. “As of May 19, 2026, VIPD had no backlogged Use of Force investigations in either district assigned to command staff,” Smith said.

Both sides acknowledged a handful of Level 1 UOF cases that remained open one year after they were first filed.” This includes three Level 1 Force Investigations that were older than one year … and a citizen complaint investigation that opened in October 2025,” Murray said. “We will continue working with VIPD and IMT to ensure compliance for Use of Force and Management and Supervision is durable, with an eye toward full termination of the Consent Decree.”

At the end of the latest hearing, Molloy set the next evidentiary hearing covering compliance actions from March 1 to May 31 for Aug. 17 at 9 a.m.

Antilles Sailors Bound for Cornell, UPenn Continue a Tradition of Excellence

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By the time collegiate sailing nationals roll around each spring, Antilles School alumni can usually be found scattered across the roster sheets of some of the country’s top programs. Yet despite representing different schools, many still gather together afterward for the same annual photograph — one that has become a point of pride for a sailing program that continues to send graduates to the sport’s highest levels. On Tuesday, seniors Halina Diehl and Emma Walters took the next step toward joining them. The two Antilles sailors announced their commitments to continue their academic and athletic careers at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, during a campus press conference Tuesday celebrating not only their accomplishments, but the continued success of a sailing program that has become one of the territory’s most successful pathways to collegiate competition. “We’re one of the best-kept secrets out there,” Athletic Director Mark Daniel said. The announcement came at the conclusion of a season that required a younger Antilles team to find its footing after graduating a large senior class a year ago. Head Coach Thomas Barrows said many of the team’s returning sailors were asked to take on larger leadership roles while continuing to compete at a high level, Diehl and Walters among them. “We had a big group of seniors graduate last year who had been some of the top performers on the team for quite some time,” Barrows said. “It was exciting to see how everyone had to step up, not just in terms of competition, but in terms of leadership and setting the team culture.” Barrows said the growth was evident throughout the season as younger sailors took on greater responsibility, helping the team remain competitive while building a foundation for the future. At one point during the season, Antilles was positioned to qualify for nationals before ultimately finishing fourth, a result he said reflected both the team’s progress and potential. For Walters and Diehl, the recruiting process looked a little different, but both described it as a lesson in patience, persistence, and trusting the process. Walters, who will sail at Penn, said she began seriously navigating the recruiting process during her junior year, while Diehl described months of conversations, research, and waiting before ultimately finding the right fit at Cornell. Both credited coaches, teammates, and family members for helping them navigate the process and prepare for the next level. Both sailors also pointed to the challenges of this season as important preparation for what comes next. Learning to adapt to changing conditions, competing against top fleets, and taking on leadership roles helped build confidence both on and off the water. Their commitments add another chapter to a story that has been unfolding at Antilles for more than two decades. Middle and Upper School Director Kim Ballowe reflected on the origins of the program, which was established in the early 2000s through a partnership between community members and the school. Designed to build on the Virgin Islands’ strong youth sailing culture, the program quickly developed into a bridge to collegiate competition and, for many students, opportunities that extended far beyond St. Thomas. Over the years, Antilles sailors have captured multiple national championships and gone on to compete for some of the nation’s top collegiate programs. Alumni including Barrows and his younger brother Ian, along with Taylor Canfield, Cy Thompson, and Nikole Barnes, among others, helped establish the program’s reputation, earning collegiate All-America honors, national championships, Olympic appearances, and professional sailing success along the way. That tradition continues today. Earlier this month, collegiate sailing announced its annual All-America teams, with Antilles alumni Winborne and Katherin Majette, and Caroline Sibilly, earning recognition at the college level. And each spring, as collegiate nationals come to a close, former Antilles teammates representing colleges across the country still find themselves reunited for that familiar photograph — a reminder of the school and community that helped launch their journeys. Ballowe noted that the program’s success extends well beyond sailing results. “We’re not just sending sailors to college,” she said. “We’re sending students who are going to do well academically, succeed in college, and build careers afterward.”

RapierMed Funds Space Camp Scholarships for Virgin Islands Students

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2025 Space Camp VI Scholarship Recipients. Back row from left: Colum Morgan, Seamus Henry O’Donnell, Anaïs Craig, Kali Calhoun, and Sumyah Mark; Front row from left: Naitik Jhanwar and Tiera J’Nai Polanco. (Photo courtesy RapierMed)
Students from across the U.S. Virgin Islands will have the opportunity to attend Space Camp this year through scholarships funded by RapierMed, a contribution supporters say will help expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for local youth. The scholarships will cover all program costs for participating students, allowing them to attend Space Camp’s Advanced Space Academy, where they will take part in astronaut training, engineering challenges and mission simulations designed to develop leadership, technical skills and problem-solving abilities, a press release announced. At the academy, students are introduced to potential academic and career pathways in aerospace, engineering and technology. Participants also learn about scholarship opportunities available to Space Camp alumni through the University of Alabama in Huntsville, according to the press release. “Dr. George Rapier and our entire RapierMed team are proud to support another year of Space Camp scholarships for students across the Virgin Islands,” said Sarina Blanco, director of compliance and special projects for RapierMed, LLC. “We remain committed to investing in opportunities for our youth that encourage them to reach for the stars.” Organizers said the scholarships remove financial barriers that might otherwise prevent students from participating in the nationally recognized program. “We are launching more than just dreams—we’re launching futures,” said Dee Baecher-Brown, president of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. “We’re grateful to Kym Rapier and RapierMed for making this possible.” The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands administers a variety of scholarship programs for students throughout the territory, the press release stated For more information about establishing a scholarship fund or supporting Virgin Islands students through CFVI scholarship programs, visit cfvi.net/Scholarships or contact general.info@cfvi.net.

USVI Chess Sending 12 Players to Uzbekistan Olympiad

The US Virgin Islands Chess Federation is proud to announce its delegation to the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, to be held September 15–27, in the historic Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 
(Submitted photo)
The Olympiad will bring together more than 200 national teams for two weeks of elite competition, cultural exchange, and global celebration of chess. Samarkand, known as one of the major corridors through which early chess spread westwards, will host players in the state-of-the-art Silk Road Complex and EXPO Center, with full accommodations provided by the organizers for all official team members. USVI Delegation The US Virgin Islands will field both an Open Team and a Women’s Team, each consisting of five players and a team captain, as confirmed in the federation’s official notice to players. Open Team • FM William Van Rensselaer • Naitik Jhanwar • Patrick Miller • Darryl Allen • Marco Emile • Captain: Sinclair Wilkinson Women’s Team • Dejw Wrensford • Anne Kershaw • Lois Williams • Kalima Williams • Dru Ubben • Captain: John Dempsey Gail Widmer will serve as Head of Delegation, coordinating all logistics with the Olympiad Organizing Committee. An Historic Opportunity The 2026 Olympiad promises to be one of the most significant chess events ever held in Central Asia. As noted in the invitation, “chess unites people regardless of nationality, language, or cultural boundaries” and the event will “serve to further strengthen cooperation and mutual understanding between nations.” USVICF President Sinclair Wilkinson expressed pride in the teams: “Our players have worked hard to earn their place on the world stage. Representing the Virgin Islands at the Olympiad is both an honor and a responsibility, and we look forward to showcasing our talent in Samarkand.”

AARP Virgin Islands, Lt. Gov. Roach, and Community Leaders Issue Urgent Call to End Elder Abuse 

AARP Virgin Islands, alongside top government officials and community leaders, has issued a unified call to action in observance of Elder Abuse Awareness Month this June, highlighting the urgent need to protect older adults and vulnerable residents across the territory. 
Troy A. De Chabert-Schuster, State Director, AARP Virgin Islands (Submitted photo)
In a joint statement, AARP Virgin Islands joined the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Human Services, the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands, and community partners to reaffirm their shared commitment to preventing elder abuse in all its forms.  Elder abuse can include physical harm, emotional mistreatment, neglect, financial exploitation, and other forms of harm that threaten the safety, dignity, and independence of older adults. The statement emphasizes that many cases go unreported due to fear, isolation, or lack of awareness.  With the Territory’s older adult population continuing to grow and national estimates showing that one in ten older adults experience some form of abuse, leaders stress that a strong, coordinated response is essential.  The joint effort outlines key priorities for 2026, including: 
  •  Strengthening enforcement and penalties for abuse and financial exploitation 
  •  Expanding reporting systems and requirements 
  •  Improving coordination across agencies 
  •  Increasing public awareness, prevention programs, and community education 
“Elder abuse is often hidden, but its impact is devastating,” said Troy A. De ChabertSchuster, State Director of AARP Virgin Islands. “This joint commitment sends a clear message: in the Virgin Islands, we will not look away. We are coming together across agencies and communities to protect our older residents, raise awareness, and ensure  that every person can age with dignity, respect, and security.”  “These efforts reflect our shared commitment to building a system of protection that is proactive, responsive, and centered on dignity and safety for every Virgin Islander,” the statement notes.  Leaders are also encouraging residents to stay informed, speak up, and support efforts to prevent abuse, reinforcing that safeguarding older adults is a collective responsibility across the community.  Signatories to the Joint Statement  The joint statement was signed by the following leaders: 
  •  Troy A. De Chabert-Schuster, State Director, AARP Virgin Islands 
  •  Tregenza A. Roach, Esq., Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands 
  •  Gordon C. Rhea, Esq., Attorney General, U.S. Virgin Islands 
  •  Averil E. George, Commissioner, Department of Human Services 
  •  Angus Drigo, Executive Director, Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands 
  •  Keisha L. Richards, Chief Executive Director, St. Thomas Federal Credit Union

Parts of Melvin Evans Highway Closed Wednesday and Thursday Mornings

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The Department of Public Works advises the community of a temporary road closure on Melvin Evans Highway between the Sunny Isle and Home Depot intersections to allow for median maintenance. The westbound lane will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3, followed by the eastbound lane on Thursday, June 4. Closures will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on both days. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes and follow posted detours during this time. The Department of Public Works appreciates the community’s patience and cooperation as it works to improve road conditions throughout the territory.