News Articles

M.A. Dworkin Lake Worth Beach, Fla - On Thursday, February 5, 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Florida officials shared the results of new independent testing, revealing the presence of glyphosate, a common pesticide used to kill weeds, in several popular bread products, a few of which are sold in the U.S. Virgin Islands.       The discovery marks the third round of testing as part of the Healthy Florida First initiative, which aims to improve the lives of Florid

M.A. Dworkin USVI - The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) announced that it has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to update and revise two upper level courses in Caribbean and Virgin Islands history. The award is part of NEH’s recent announcement of $75.1 million in funding for 84 humanities projects nationwide.         UVI is one of only two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) selected to receive an NEH aw

M.A. Dworkin St. Thomas - At Monday’s Press briefing at Government House, St. Thomas, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. provided a wide-ranging update on various issues. He announced major progress in the Territory’s financial accountability, outlined the next steps in cannabis regulation, called for urgent action to improve the Territory’s roadway safety, and addressed recent public reporting relating to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.        In addressing the recent public rep

M.A. Dworkin USVI - The following is a statement issued by Governor Albert Bryan Jr, on Black History Month 2026:       In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Black history is both remembered and lived every day. We honor it in our history books and in our families, culture, faith, and commitment to moving these islands forward.       As I shared in this year’s State of the Territory Address, our story has never been defined by ease. We have faced storms, pandemics, and economic pressur

A.J. Pike USVI - Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), on behalf of the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), is advising the public that Virgin Islands shorelines are likely to experience significantly elevated levels of Sargassum in 2026. This forecast is based on new findings from the University of South Florida College of Marine Science’s Optical Oceanography Lab. These assessments are developed in collaboration with

M.A. Dworkin USVI - In a move that can hopefully be seen as restorative, in a hospital system that by many accounts is broken beyond repair, The Virgin Islands Government Hospitals and Health Facilities corporation has named Darlene Baptiste Chief Executive Officer of the Territory’s hospital system. It is perhaps a way of thinking by the powers that be to bring some sort of progressive adjustment to a system that seems to lurch from one crisis to another.        The appointm

M.A. Dworkin San Juan - Spain is considering a historic proposal that would allow Puerto Ricans with ancestors born in Spanish-controlled  Puerto Rico before 1898 to reclaim Spanish - and by extension, European Union - citizenship, as a form of “reparative justice.”       While not yet official law, the initiative, referred to as “Ley de Nacionalidad Reparativa,” aims to restore nationality lost 127 years ago after the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which was signed by the United Stat

M.A. Dworkin USVI - The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice (DOJ) in coordination with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) announced on January 28, 2026, the arrest and charges of four employees of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Human Services (DHS) Medicaid Program, two employees of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and four of their family members and associates.        The actions follow a comprehensive twenty-month investigation into al

St. Croix Times Staff  USVI - The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the Virgin Islands Historic Preservation Commission (VIHPC), is pleased to announce the release of its newly updated Historic Districts Guide, now accessible to the public through the Department of Planning and Natural Resources website at dpnr.vi.gov .      This refreshed Guide provides clear, user-friendly direction for property owner

M.A. Dworkin USVI - There’s an old saying: You can’t make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.           Governor Albert Bryan Jr. delivered his eighth State of the Territory Address (SOTA) since taking over the reins of the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 2019. He certainly had high hopes in correcting all that ails us at that time, righting all the wrongs of past administrations, and leading a financially ailing Territory into the Promised Land. To a great extent, he has accompl

M.A. Dworkin USVI - The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) won Triple Honors in Travel Awards by being awarded three major accolades for the: New Hotel of the Year, Caribbean Cruise Destination of the Year, and *Experiential Destination of the Year at the 2026 Caribbean Travel Awards.        The honors underscore the USVI’s continued momentum and growing appeal to global travelers.       he Saint, St. John was named New Hotel of the Year. The first new hotel to open on St. John in s

M.A. Dworkin Washington, D.C. - President Donald Trump has promised $2,000-plus tariff checks issued to all Americans within a certain income level. He stated recently that he could bypass Congress on the issuance of the checks, but he was not certain of that fact.        “We will be making a very substantial dividend to the people of our country. I don’t think we have to go the Congress route, but you know, we’ll find out,” Trump said during a White House news briefing.