A final Public Services Commission hearing scheduled for Thursday could shape the future of ferry oversight between St. Thomas and St. John, as hearing examiner Jed JohnHope defends a months-long investigation he says uncovered millions in unwarranted earnings and significant transparency concerns within the territory’s ferry system.

The 2 p.m. closing conference comes days after a contentious PSC meeting in which attorneys for ferry operators challenged nearly $190,000 in hearing examiner assessments tied to the ongoing rate investigation. The broader regulatory fight, however, centers on ferry finances, fuel costs, vessel compensation, and how rates are calculated for one of the territory’s most heavily relied-upon transportation systems.

Ferry operators and their attorneys have argued that portions of the investigation became unnecessarily expensive and overly broad. During Tuesday’s PSC meeting, attorney Maria Tankenson Hodge accused JohnHope of charging excessive fees tied to the proceeding, including high travel and lodging costs associated with February’s public hearing on St. John. The companies also questioned billing totals connected to the investigation and raised concerns about the overall scope of the hearing examiner’s work.

In filings submitted to the PSC this month, JohnHope argued that the current investigation extends far beyond prior ferry rate cases, involving independent financial analysis, public engagement tools, interim reporting, hearing coordination, and comprehensive review of ferry operations and revenue structures.

“The Commission’s last ferry rate investigation occurred about eleven years ago,” JohnHope wrote in a May 4 response to objections raised by ferry operators. “When spread over that period, the total cost of this proceeding amounts to less than $10,000 per ferry company per year.”

According to the filing, the ferry companies collectively generate approximately $7 million annually in revenue. JohnHope further argued that the investigation identified roughly $7 million in what he described as “unwarranted earnings” under the existing regulatory framework — findings he said underscore the importance of stronger financial scrutiny and public oversight.

The hearing examiner has already recommended denying the ferry operators’ proposed rate increases and called for deeper audits tied to fuel consumption, staffing, payroll, vessel disposition, and ticketing operations.

During Tuesday’s PSC meeting, JohnHope questioned whether ferry companies were continuing to receive compensation tied to vessels no longer operating within the territory.

“There are boats that have been outside of the territory for almost 10 years that are being compensated for,” he told commissioners. “There are boats that have been retired — they’re being compensated for.”

JohnHope also criticized the structure of the current ticketing system, arguing that the ferry companies’ joint ownership of the ticketing apparatus makes it difficult to independently verify ridership and revenue figures.

“The numbers were not very transparent,” he said Tuesday while recommending further audits and operational review.

Among his broader recommendations is separating the Charlotte Amalie-to-Cruz Bay route from the Red Hook ferry route for future rate analysis, arguing that the downtown route accounts for only a small percentage of overall ferry traffic and should be evaluated independently.

JohnHope also pushed back against criticism surrounding travel and accommodation expenses tied to the investigation, stating in filings to the PSC that certain travel arrangements had been discussed in advance with PSC administration and represented the lowest available option at the time. He argued that remaining overnight on St. John after February’s public hearing ultimately reduced additional billable travel time that would have been incurred returning to St. Thomas.

Thursday’s closing conference is expected to continue discussions surrounding the proposed rate increases, fuel surcharge requests, hearing examiner assessments, and the broader structure of ferry oversight moving forward.

The St. John Ferry Rate Investigation Closing Conference is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m. and will be accessible virtually through Zoom.

Wednesday was the big day for fourteen undergraduate students from the University of the Virgin Islands School of Nursing, as a pinning ceremony held in their honor celebrated the hard work and persistence each of those students invested in their future nursing careers.

School administrators, government leaders, family and friends filled the conference room at the Laverne E. Ragster Administration and Conference Center on St. Thomas, where they witnessed the tradition marking the entry of graduates into the nursing profession.

On Thursday they will join with other UVI students wearing caps, gowns and sashes at the 62nd Annual Commencement Ceremony.

At the pinning ceremony students wore white uniforms, shoes and caps. Pins were installed by friends and loved ones as host Samantha Duval read personal essays written by each student.

School of Nursing Dean Lisa Lewis commended the Class of 2026. “Your belief in nursing education is an investment in the health of this territory,” Lewis said.

The dean also noted that some of the students pursued studies overseas on the U.S. mainland and in Costa Rica.

Keynote speaker Sierra Jno-Lewis, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, spoke about the ups and downs of lengthy shifts, impatient patients and taxing workloads. “Nursing is more than a career; it is a call to community, compassion and service,” she said.

The ceremony ended with a recitation of the Florence Nightingale Pledge. Students pledge to observe ethical standards, to serve as part of health care teams; to do no harm and to guard confidential information learned on the job.

“May my life be devoted to service and to the high ideals of the nursing profession,” ended the pledge heard at Wednesday’s gathering.

St. Croix native and doctoral candidate Izhani Rosa is exploring how Crucian cultural symbols — from quelbe music and masquerade traditions to language, food, religion, and oral storytelling — are understood, preserved, and reflected within local education systems. Rosa, a graduate of Good Hope Country Day School and current doctoral student in a dual PhD program in School & Counseling at Northern Arizona University, recently presented research entitled “Its Dynamic and Persistent: Cultural Broker Perception of Crucian Culture.” The project examines how local “Culture Brokers” — respected community figures deeply connected to Crucian traditions — interpret cultural symbols and their place in schools and learning environments. “At present, our local educational system is bound by the expectations and standards of mainland schooling, and so the role that local culture plays is limited and peripheral,” Rosa explained. Through her research, she said, local cultural experts are “calling for a reform that would include a more consistent and intentional integration of cultural symbols within our education system.” At the outset of the project, Rosa discovered there was little existing research focused specifically on interpreting Crucian cultural symbols within educational settings. “But how,” she asked, “do I get to education and culture, if there are no formal research studies to draw from?” That gap ultimately shaped the direction of the study. Describing her positionality as an “Afro-Latina Crucian woman” and “fourth generation Crucian native,” Rosa said her upbringing on St. Croix — combined with years spent studying and living on the mainland — positioned her as what she calls a “Partial Insider” in the research process. Her familiarity with Crucian dialect, traditions, and community relationships afforded her both trust and access during extensive interviews with five local culture brokers. “St. Croix is culturally unique in a variety of ways,” Rosa explained during a Zoom call from Northern Arizona University. “We are kind of an amalgamation of various cultures put together.” A graduate of Good Hope Country Day School’s Class of 2017, Rosa is also well known in the community for serving as “Miss St. Croix Festival Queen” from 2019 to 2022. She lived on St. Croix for the first 17 years of her life, but said her experience living “within mainland systems” positioned her “slightly further away” from the community she was studying. At the same time, her Crucian roots and shared understanding of local culture helped shape the research process. “They knew who I was and I knew how to interact in a respectful and culturally appropriate way,” she said. Rosa organized the study around local “Culture Brokers,” which she describes as “individuals who help bridge gaps for historically marginalized communities by serving as voluntary, respected and trusted cultural experts.” The five participants selected for the project represented a wide cross-section of Crucian cultural knowledge and public life — including educators, musicians, historians, legal professionals, and tradition bearers connected to masquerade, quelbe, storytelling, and culinary arts. Among those who participated were a local storyteller and teacher of masquerade and culinary arts traditions, a University of the Virgin Islands history professor and member of Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights, an administrator for Virgin Islands Cultural Education, a quelbe musician and fellow member of the Sleepless Knights, and an Associate Justice. Serving as a foundation for the study were two guiding questions: How do cultural brokers describe Crucian culture and its symbols? And how do they describe the relationship between education and Crucian culture? Rosa said the work was rooted in the understanding that “culture shapes so many aspects of life, including how kids learn,” adding that research has shown culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy can help build belonging, identity, and engagement among students. In describing her methodology, Rosa said she approached the project as “a qualitative pilot study using a focused ethnographic approach” through a “post-positivist theoretical background,” while also utilizing an “Insider/Indigenous psychology perspective.” The interviews focused on defining Crucian culture, interpreting a “constellation” of cultural symbols grouped by likeness, and discussing the role of culture within schools and learning spaces. Those symbols included language and dialect, music, dance and oral traditions, religion and church practices, architecture, and agriculture. Rosa found that many of the symbols identified by participants were rooted in honoring and remembering African ancestry. “Many of our symbols stem from African practices that were brought in by our enslaved ancestors and persisted despite attempts at erasure during slavery,” she explained. Several traditions, she added, evolved through what participants described as the “Africanization of European practices.” The culture brokers interviewed agreed that Crucian cultural symbols should be preserved and more intentionally integrated both at home and within schools. Four of the five participants strongly supported the development of curriculum that incorporates cultural practices across core subject areas, while the fifth advocated specifically for a comprehensive K-12 local history and social studies curriculum. Participants said such efforts could help strengthen students’ sense of pride, belonging, and connection to Crucian heritage. Speaking about the study, the territory’s State Director of Virgin Islands Cultural Education Stephanie Chalana Brown described the work as a “structured and locally grounded examination of how culture is understood by those who actively carry, teach, and shape it.” “The research centers five Culture Bearers working across education, law, arts, and community practice,” Brown said. “That sample may be small, but it is intentionally selected for depth, and it produces consistent patterns that deserve attention within both academic and policy spaces.” She added that the study identifies “where culture currently lives in schools, how it is experienced by students, and what direction cultural experts are calling for.” Rosa also expressed appreciation for her own educational experience at Good Hope Country Day School, crediting the school with helping prepare her for doctoral-level research and academic work. “GHCDS gave me the skills needed to thrive in academia,” she said. “I was exposed to, dare I say, advanced content. I believe that GHCDS instilled values for critical thinking and productive questioning. I was taught to analyze and think deeply about what information is being presented. I also believe that we were taught skills for effective communication and an appreciation for science and research.”

Personnel from the V.I. Waste Management Authority and the V.I. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Wednesday afternoon extinguished a fire at the Anguilla Landfill that temporarily halted dump operations and blanketed the surrounding area in foul-smelling smoke.

The Waste Management Authority announced the fire, which erupted in the southwest side of the landfill’s “working phase” where trash is deposited, shortly after 2 p.m. A WMA spokesperson told the Source after 5 p.m. that the fire was contained and the smoke was diminishing, and she said the fire had been extinguished by 6 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Wednesday’s fire was at least the third to close the St. Croix landfill in 2026. Anguilla temporarily closed during the first weekend in March after flames erupted on the landfill’s southeastern and western sides. A fire on Jan. 2 also closed the landfill, which reopened the following day.

Following the latest fire, WMA had not yet provided information about the landfill’s reopening schedules by Wednesay evening.