Two beaches on St. John have been named among the best in the Caribbean, with Trunk Bay Beach and Honeymoon Beach earning top spots in the 2025 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards. Trunk Bay Beach ranked fourth, and Honeymoon Beach secured seventh place on the prestigious list, which is compiled based on nominations by travel journalists and industry experts and determined by public voting. The recognition highlights the U.S. Virgin Islands as a leading destination for natural beauty and visitor experiences, according to the press release. Trunk Bay Beach is renowned for its white sands, clear turquoise waters, and unique underwater snorkeling trail, where visitors can explore coral reefs and marine life up close. Honeymoon Beach, known for its tranquil atmosphere, shallow waters, and coconut palms, also offers excellent snorkeling opportunities along its west-side reef, the press release stated. “This recognition is a tremendous achievement for St. John, an island of just under 20 square miles,” said Joseph Boschulte, commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Department. “It is a testament to the unparalleled natural beauty of the U.S. Virgin Islands. We invite visitors to discover why our shores are celebrated among the best in the Caribbean.” The USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice awards showcase destinations that resonate with travelers. Both Trunk Bay and Honeymoon Beach exemplify the stunning landscapes and inviting experiences that make the U.S. Virgin Islands a favorite getaway, the release stated. For more details on visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands, go to www.visitusvi.com.

How rapid-fire executive orders from new U.S. President Donald Trump will change the U.S. Virgin Islands remained unclear Wednesday evening. Government House officials were working to decipher the avalanche of dramatic federal mandates’ effects. Trump’s myriad executive orders target government hiring, immigration and refugee programs, environmental and energy policies, civil rights, schooling and more. Many have reportedly already met legal challenges. Although the executive orders target federal employees and programs, Government House was assessing how they may intertwine with territorial operations. “We are currently working with our internal counsel and with other jurisdictions to look through the deluge of the president’s executive actions to discern which have the potential to impact our local functions,” said Richard Motta, Government House’s director of communications. One of the most broad-reaching executive orders, disseminated Tuesday from the acting director of the Federal Office of Personnel, repealed President Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order 14035, which advances diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility — known as DEIA or DEI — in the federal workforce. Trump’s orders also unwound Biden’s Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. Trump’s executive orders were titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions. He revoked 78 Biden-era executive orders that sought to promote protection from gender and sexual orientation discrimination and racial discrimination, promote equity and ethics, promote worker safety and education, strengthen Medicaid and public schools, combat climate change, and much more. At the Port Authority, Director Carlton Dowe said he didn’t think the executive order ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion would have any effect on operations as his employees were all territorial hires. Ryan Nugent, communications director for the Human Services Department, said some of the federal orders might not affect duties undertaken territorially by territorial employees, but he was not certain. Even less clear was how the orders might affect people working in various Virgin Islands government departments that receive a paycheck using federal funds. Officials from the Virgin Islands Personnel Department and the United States Attorney’s Office in the territory declined to comment. The University of the Virgin Islands plans to offer a class in February called What is DEI, one of several planned on diversity issues. “Understanding diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical to the professional success of any individual or team,” according to the course description. UVI President Safiya George was in Switzerland for a summit and unable to be reached late afternoon Wednesday. The orders ending DEIA endeavors mandated federal offices send memos informing federal employees they must report “efforts to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language” by 5 p.m. Wednesday. They also effectively alerted all DEIA employees they would soon be dismissed, saying “all employees of DEIA offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs.” They also eliminated all “outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) of DEIA offices.” All federal diversity and accessibility trainings were canceled. DEIA employees were being hunted. By Jan. 31, federal agencies must turn over the names of DEIA-assigned employees performing their duties from Nov. 5 to Jan. 20 and “a list of all contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions that were changed since November 5, 2024, to obscure their connection to DEIA programs.”

University of the Virgin Islands President Safiya George was in Switzerland Wednesday, attending conferences at an alternative to the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. George is scheduled to speak at the unDavos Summit Friday on “tools of courageous, caring leadership,” she told the Source by email. “I was invited to be one of the 12 dynamic speakers selected by the Ignite Staff to speak on a panel during the Ignite session,” George said. “As a scientist and leader in higher education, I combine deep-rooted compassion for others with bold visionary thinking to position UVI at the forefront of social and economic change in the U.S. Virgin Islands and beyond.” George is one of more than 1,500 delegates and 350 speakers at the conference that aims to counterbalance the exclusivity of the annual famed Economic Forum in Davos with diversity, inclusion, and meaningful relationship building, according to the summit’s website. The university president’s speech will include lessons in leadership as well as AI, machine learning and predictive models, lean six sigma, agile strategic planning, and strategic meetings, she said. “My presentation also showcases how UVI is leveraging our data science expertise to partner on research and to prepare students for the workforce,” George said. “My vision is to make UVI the destination first choice university that attracts students around the Caribbean and the world to our unique programs geared toward ensuring student success. Additionally, my overarching goal is to help students succeed academically and thrive holistically.” George said she was also speaking with potential partners and donors to the university while in Davos.