The Virgin Islands Daily News

The Virgin Islands Daily News The Virgin Islands Daily News is a Pulitzer-Prize winning daily newspaper serving the United States Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands.

Americans across the political spectrum are continuing to call on the U.S. Justice Department to release investigative f...
18/07/2025

Americans across the political spectrum are continuing to call on the U.S. Justice Department to release investigative files on s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the V.I. Probate Court has been receiving similar requests for information about Epstein’s estate.

The far-right nonprofit group, “Project Veritas,” filed a letter on June 24, 2024, explaining at length why the court should release all “restricted” or “sealed” documents.

“Epstein was a s*x trafficker with dozens of victims, but his client list remains non-public. We suspect non-public documents filed in the Epstein probate matter may contain the names of one or more of his clients,” according to the letter.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/4lEePGd

Leaders from the Virgin Islands Judiciary and the University of the Virgin Islands told lawmakers Thursday that proposed...
18/07/2025

Leaders from the Virgin Islands Judiciary and the University of the Virgin Islands told lawmakers Thursday that proposed budget cuts and delays could threaten essential services, staff and progress.

Four judges whose terms expired in May will need to either be reappointed or replaced, and sustaining the free tuition program at the university will require additional resources among the challenges detailed during Thursday’s hearing of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance, chaired by Sen. Novelle E. Francis Jr. The committee also heard from the UVI Research and Technology Park during the hearing at the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Chambers.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Rhys S. Hodge told senators the Judiciary cannot meet its obligations under the governor’s recommended $40.2 million lump-sum allocation from the General Fund, and said the Legislature should reject this budget ceiling, and instead appropriate the Judiciary’s full $54.3 million request.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/4nTGrZg

Photo by V.I. Legislature.

The Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance reviewed Fiscal Year 2026 budget requests Wednesday from the Departm...
17/07/2025

The Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance reviewed Fiscal Year 2026 budget requests Wednesday from the Department of Public Works and the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, hearing updates on major infrastructure projects and concerns over delayed disbursement of previously appropriated funds.

Department of Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel testified during the afternoon session and said the administration is proposing a $23.9 million total budget for the department, which include $3.8 million for fringe benefits, $5.3 million for other services and additional funding from the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund and Anti-Litter and Beautification Fund.

Gabriel announced the launch of the department’s newest ferry, the Spirit of 1733, which he said began service between St. Thomas and St. John in May and is designed to improve inter-island transportation.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/4m5hgS6

Photo by V.I. Legislature.

St. Thomians flocked to Frenchtown on Monday night for the 2025 Bastille Day Celebration. The French holiday celebrates ...
15/07/2025

St. Thomians flocked to Frenchtown on Monday night for the 2025 Bastille Day Celebration. The French holiday celebrates freedom, and for generations the French community on St. Thomas marks the day by honoring their heritage and traditions. Residents sported "Straight Outta Frenchtown" t-shirts and berets, showed off their accordion skills and displayed their straw-woven works during the cultural celebration.

See more photos of the event from The Virgin Islands Daily News in today's e-edition, available here: http://bit.ly/40W64yJ

Daily News photos by Sara Kirkpatrick.

The era of male pageantry in the Virgin Islands appeared to be dying with irregular prince competitions and efforts to e...
14/07/2025

The era of male pageantry in the Virgin Islands appeared to be dying with irregular prince competitions and efforts to enlist contenders ending with show cancellations, but Saturday night offered a glimmer of hope.

At Eudora Kean High School, 25-year-old Makijah Hodge won the crown of Mr. American Virgin Islands — the age-old tradition going back to the early years of Carnival on St. Thomas gave signs of stirring back to life.

Hodge beat out first runner-up Antonio Cruz and second runner-up Jaylen Benjamin at the pageant hosted by Fashion Stargate, a local modeling agency that revived the competition after a 16-year hiatus.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here:http://bit.ly/44N5iFq

Daily News photos by Ayesha Morris.

After four months of care an injured green sea turtle has recovered and was released back into the wild at Brewers Bay.“...
11/07/2025

After four months of care an injured green sea turtle has recovered and was released back into the wild at Brewers Bay.

“It’s really exciting for us and the community,” Kelsey Worth, coordinator of Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative’s Education, Outreach, and Rehab told The Daily News.

Worth worked with a team of Coral World vet technicians to care for the juvenile sea turtle, which arrived in March with a hole in its shell.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/40c19cW

Daily News photos by Sara Kirkpatrick.

This week, three Indigenous leaders met on St. John and they shared their experiences with the community at a documentar...
10/07/2025

This week, three Indigenous leaders met on St. John and they shared their experiences with the community at a documentary film screening Wednesday evening at Bajo el Sol Art Gallery.

For Maekiaphan Phillips, of St. Thomas, the meeting of leaders was a historic moment, as she has spent over a decade advocating for the Taíno tribe’s recognition in the territory.

“Before the year 2011 I had no idea that I was not a Kalinago because that’s what I was told growing up, that we were all Caribs,” she said Wednesday evening.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/3U4SqFH

Daily News photos by Sara Kirkpatrick.

Residents took to the street Tuesday on St. Croix to protest poor conditions at Luis Hospital, and CEO Darlene Baptiste ...
09/07/2025

Residents took to the street Tuesday on St. Croix to protest poor conditions at Luis Hospital, and CEO Darlene Baptiste pledged to continue working to ensure staff have the supplies they need, as the hospital struggles to pay its bills.

Protest organizers and co-founders of The People’s Choice, Karen Dickenson and Dr. Cleopatra Peter, questioned Baptiste about a variety of issues alongside other residents angered by reports that the hospital is lacking resources like hand soap and feeding tubes.

Baptiste said they’re working to improve billing and collections to increase the hospital’s cashflow, which will enable the hospital to buy supplies as needed.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/44oVNNO

Daily News photo by Vernice Burgher.

Critical public infrastructure is reaching a crisis point in several areas, and senators on the Committee on Health, Hos...
08/07/2025

Critical public infrastructure is reaching a crisis point in several areas, and senators on the Committee on Health, Hospitals, and Human Services heard testimony Monday on issues related to nursing homes, wastewater management and dialysis.

The territory’s government-run nursing homes, Herbert Grigg and the Queen Louise Home for the Aged, are not licensed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and representatives from the Department of Human Services explained that more staff are needed to meet minimum standards for patient care.

The department is working with the Office of Disaster Recovery to manage rebuilding of both facilities with funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a result of the 2017 hurricanes, and anticipates having 60 beds on St. Croix, and 44 on St. Thomas when Queen Louise is completed in 2028, and Herbert Grigg must be finished by 2032.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/4lkVrxP

Photo by V.I. Legislature.

Love City was alive with color, music, and dancing as the St. John Parade made its way through the streets of Cruz Bay o...
07/07/2025

Love City was alive with color, music, and dancing as the St. John Parade made its way through the streets of Cruz Bay on Friday.

The 2025 Celebration parade was a blend of cultural pride, as V.I. and American flags were proudly waving on the 4th of July.

A record number of popsicles, ice cream and fracos were sold, as everyone needed a cold and sweet treat for relief from the hot Caribbean sun.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/3GcMdV9

Daily News photos by Everett Ryan and Sara Kirkpatrick.

Lawmakers heard budget proposals from the V.I. Bureau of Motor Vehicles, V.I. Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation...
03/07/2025

Lawmakers heard budget proposals from the V.I. Bureau of Motor Vehicles, V.I. Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation and the V.I. Department of Property and Procurement, and the trio raised little concern from the committee.

The V.I. Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ budget proposal totaled $6,486,954, with an appropriation of $3,596365 from the general budget and the remaining amount funded through BMV funds and revenues driven from the sale of personalized license plates.

Members of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance lauded the bureau for improving wait times at locations across the territory, which the agency reported as 30 minutes on St. Thomas and 45-minute wait times on St. Croix and St. John.

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: http://bit.ly/40uhoC4

Photo by V.I. Legislature.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on Monday announced at a Government House briefing that he will forego the salary increase granted...
01/07/2025

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on Monday announced at a Government House briefing that he will forego the salary increase granted by a legislature-approved formation of a Compensation Commission, and that he will write a check returning retroactive monies received as a result of the salary increase.

Bryan said he never asked for a raise and pushed back against the idea that he engineered the now blocked $42,000 salary increase for himself.

“I took this job with a salary that has been established for almost 20 years,” he said. “I never complained a day about the salary. I did not ask for a raise. I did not propose legislation to get a raise. I did not sign any legislation to propose a raise and I did not pass any legislation to implement the raise,” Bryan said. “All I have done is follow the law that the Legislature created and enacted.”

Read the full story from The Virgin Islands Daily News here: https://bit.ly/4lyqHcc

Photo by Government House.

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