News Articles

M.A. Dworkin DOJ To Take Aggressive Strategy To Combat Gun Violence Attorney General Rhea states the Department of Justice (DOJ) will seek maximum penalties allowed by law for firearm offenses and take an uncompromising approach to preventing crimes involving illegal firearms in the Territory. "The senseless gun violence that continues to plague our communities has devastated families, traumatized neighborhoods, and threatened the safety of every law-abi

M.A. Dworkin Washington, D.C. - In a major blow to President Donald Trump’s attempts to circumvent the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, definitively rejecting President Trump’s attempt to limit the constitutional right of babies born on U.S. soil. In a landmark 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that babies born on U.S. soil - including undocumented parents or those on temporary visas - are automatically American citizens un

M.A. Dworkin USVI - Eight major airline carriers have submitted a joint letter and objected to the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) proposed remodeling plans, a public-private partnership (P3), claiming it would make flying in and out of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport and Cyril E. King Airport more expensive than competing regional airports. In a June 3, 2026 letter to Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and VIPA Interim Executive Director Ava Penn, the USVI Airlines Airport Affai

M.A. Dworkin St. Croix - Given the current position of the Trump Administration on maximizing American fossil fuel production, it appears the future of the refinery on St. Croix has shifted decidedly in favor of an inevitable restart. “You’ve probably heard that refineries are closing down. We are going to be starting one back up,” said David Johnson, Director of Port Hamilton Refining and Transportation (PHRT) on St. Croix. “Our plans are to successfully restart the

M.A. Dworkin USVI - Governor Albert Bryan Jr. is welcoming recent Presidential Determinations issued under Section 303 of the Defense Production Act as an important federal recognition of the national value of domestic petroleum production, refining, fuel logistics and energy infrastructure, in which the Governor sees as a meaningful boost to ongoing efforts to responsibly restart refinery operations on St. Croix. The Determinations recognize domestic petroleum product

UPDATE!! Club Med to Take Over Carambola!! M.A. Dworkin St. Croix - What was once one of the iconic resorts in the Caribbean, the Carambola Beach Resort in St. Croix, is closing down in lieu of a reported $50 million in a sorely needed rebuild and renovation project spearheaded by an internationally known hotel chain. Update!! The St. Croix Times has received information from reliable sources that the Internationally famous resort Club Med will be the new owners of Carambo

M.A. Dworkin St. Croix - After previous contractors withdrew from the process, the Virgin Islands Office of Disaster Recovery (ODR) has executed a contract for the demolition and reconstruction of the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center (JFL) on St. Croix. The contract was awarded to Suffolk Construction and signals the start of the initial phase - including preconstruction services and early work packages - which are capped at just over $142 million (spe

M.A. Dworkin Caribbean Sea - As the Department of Planning and Natural Resources celebrates Coral Week in the USVI, by hosting a number of engaging events, the worldwide consensus of opinion seems to be we are killing off the planet one species at a time, with coral reefs in the early gunsights of the effects of climate change. Think of Coral Reefs as the caged canary being led into the coal mine to act as an early warning system to detect poisonous gases like carbon mo

Neil Weare and Edoardo Ortiz Public debate about U.S. territories is often shaped by unsupported assumptions or even outright falsehoods—especially on the issue of taxes. Addressing these myths is important to de-normalize the undemocratic colonial rule of more than 3.6 million people in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Tax Day gives us a timely opportunity to address some common misconceptions, which we

M.A. Dworkin St. Croix - The VI Breast Cancer Project was founded in 2016 and is dedicated to supporting cancer survivors through creative expression, community connection, and the healing power of the arts. It is easy to underestimate art as a healing force. We often think of medicines, nature and time as the great healers that have the ability to turn a sick being back into a healthy one. It’s hard to imagine a work of art performing that wizardry task. But the heali

A.J. Pike USVI - The automatic Military Draft registration will be instituted in December 2026. Those young men, ages 18 to 25, who are eligible in the USVI will be automatically registered for the military draft pool in the event a draft is required. The last time a draft was in effect was February 1973, during the Vietnam War. Currently, in states that haven’t enacted automatic registration, men must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday. The agency accepts

DPNR ANNOUNCES THIRD ANNUAL VIRGIN ISLANDS CORAL REEF WEEK Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) is pleased to announce that the Division of Coastal Zone Management will host the Third Annual Virgin Islands Coral Reef Week from April 12–19, 2026. This weeklong celebration invites the St. Croix community to enjoy a variety of free, family-friendly events designed to highlight the importance of the Territory’s vibrant