WelcomeToVI Local News
Original, concise briefings on the U.S. Virgin Islands stories that affect how we live, work, travel and plan.
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LEAD STORY · Territory-wideA friend-of-the-court brief argues that federal judges serving the Virgin Islands should receive the same life-tenure protections as district judges in the states, but the Supreme Court has not ruled on that request.
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01A friend-of-the-court brief argues that federal judges serving the Virgin Islands should receive the same life-tenure protections as district judges in the states, but the Supreme Court has not ruled on that request.
02Board nominees told senators the public broadcaster must strengthen outside fundraising after losing more than $1 million in federal support; no layoff decision was announced at the hearing.
03Senators kept Bill 36-0132 in committee while they address due process, appeals, employee contributions, proportionality and protections for dependents.
04VIPD says 22-year-old Thymothy Rodriguez was found with multiple gunshot wounds Wednesday night; no suspect or motive was announced in the initial report.
05Eight bills became law, including measures for homeownership funding, displaced LBJ Gardens residents, student immunizations and a women veterans coordinator; three bills were vetoed.
06The St. Thomas CZM committee advanced a new Estate Nazareth soccer center, Ezra Fredericks Ballpark upgrades and added amenities at Crown Bay Marina.
07Owners have 72 hours from tagging to correct violations or may face fines, fees and liens; Government House also retracted one vehicle included by mistake.
08WAPA says the Feeder 9A project will restrict traffic near Subbase Road and Crown Bay Road, with flaggers, traffic shifts and periodic stops expected.
09Emergency and inpatient care remain open around the clock, but registration, laboratory, radiology, cardiac rehabilitation and several offices are operating on reduced schedules.
10Miguel Cotto is being held on $1 million bail after police arrested him on murder and assault charges; the allegations have not been proven in court.
11A 140-room proposal for the former Pizza Hut and International Plaza properties received conceptual historic-preservation approval, but design and permitting work remain.
12Calls, texts and chats now reach a territory-designated service with local resource information instead of defaulting to the national backup network.
13Commissioners kept the electricity LEAC unchanged through December 31 while the utility's rate filing awaits a full review.
14The revised Thursday closure period is no longer active. No continuing Norre Gade restriction was posted Friday morning.
15Frederiksted and Kingshill could not open Tuesday because they lacked reliable running water; no replacement opening date had been published by Wednesday morning.
16The St. Thomas records, fingerprint and firearms offices were expected to reopen Wednesday after Tuesday's move from the Criminal Justice Complex.
17EPA inspections found oil stored on the ground and outside approved containment at both territorial landfills; St. Croix removal began August 12, with St. Thomas work planned for fall.
18A Virgin Islands birth certificate remains accepted, but applicants using that document to verify citizenship may now need identity proof plus a qualifying parent document or attestation.
19Five named storms and no hurricanes have formed so far; no development was expected during the next seven days Monday morning, although the season continues through November 30.
20Operators arriving from the BVI or another foreign port must immediately report to Customs; three fiscal-year vessel seizures cited by CBP occurred in Puerto Rico, not the USVI.
21The federal airport-infrastructure grant will support construction or expansion of the aircraft rescue and firefighting building at St. Thomas's commercial airport.
22The Labor Day fixed-route suspension has ended, and Public Works says regular service is scheduled to return on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John.
23The direct downtown route is scheduled to return November 1; passengers can still travel between Red Hook and Cruz Bay under the temporary off-season schedule.
24Consumers should stop using affected scented products with qualifying PR01 date codes, photograph the labels for a refund and discard each bottle closed in household trash.
25Crucian educator and cultural steward Stephanie Chalana Brown places the territory's masquerading traditions within the wider American story for the nation's 250th anniversary.
26The October 17 run and walk begins at Mandela Circle and climbs nearly two miles to Paradise Point, raising funds for the territory's free youth-orchestra program.
27BLS counted about 34,900 jobs in March under its quarterly employer-record program; average weekly wages reached $1,054, up 1.5% from a year earlier.
28HUD lists a fiscal 2026 Housing Trust Fund award for the territory but makes it subject to the unresolved suspension of the V.I. Housing Finance Authority.
29Retailers facing a penny shortage may use a clearly disclosed, symmetrical cash-rounding policy, but cannot routinely round every purchase up or refuse required payment options.
30The federal competition supports breast and cervical cancer screening, coordinated cancer-control plans and population-based registries; applications are due February 5, 2027.
31Emergency officials identified separate pre- and post-storm shelters, warned that responders may have to suspend calls in dangerous winds and said major utility-repair materials are limited.
32An amended complaint challenges historical VIPD practices and parts of the territory's new gun law; the allegations remain unresolved and no court has ruled on their merits.
33Education officials reported sharply elevated early absenteeism, including rates of 53.8% at Alfredo Andrews Elementary and 32.6% at Yvonne E. Milliner-Bowsky Elementary.
34BSCM told senators it has spent or committed $15.72 million from two main funds while HVAC, roofing, plumbing, playground and electrical projects remain unfinished across the territory.
35Hand-counted audit totals matched the original results or differed by no more than one or two points, while pending candidate lawsuits could still require revised general-election ballots.
36The Judiciary says C-Track data used by the territory's Supreme and Superior Courts was affected; the full local scope remains under investigation.
37The announced September 3–4 pickup window on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John is over; DPW has not posted a new distribution schedule.
38The university met its September 1 show-cause deadline, remains accredited and has completed a contingency teach-out plan while preparing for the Middle States evaluation visit.
39The Office of Legal Counsel now interprets a federal welfare-law condition as reaching every agency within a participating state or territory, reversing its narrower 1998 position.
40Five Ford Mustang Mach-E police units are entering service across St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John in the government's first all-electric law-enforcement deployment.
41USDA's fiscal 2027 tables raise the maximum monthly allotment for a four-person Virgin Islands household to $1,315 while setting the territory's excess-shelter deduction cap at $606.
42A new GAO report places the territory's decade-long fiber project at roughly 46,000 planned locations, while federal records show the rollout is scheduled to reach full deployment by the end of 2027.
43The new customer-service location is scheduled to open September 28 with bus access, parking and ADA-compliant facilities; WAPA says service will continue during the transition.
44H.R. 8121 has been formally reported to the U.S. House and placed on its calendar, moving the proposal to honor St. Croix bandleader and craftsman Peter G. Thurland Sr. closer to floor consideration.
45Angelo Javier Carmona pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and ammunition possession in the 2025 death of Jordan “Dutty Heart” Jones; sentencing is scheduled for October 13.
46The federal proposal would expand gear options for qualifying U.S. Caribbean commercial fishermen; NOAA will accept public comments through October 13.
47The three temporary non-potable sites closed after September 7 as system conditions improved, but WAPA has not issued an all-clear lifting drinking-water precautions.
48A territory-wide heat advisory runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while high to locally very high dust concentrations reduce air quality and a moderate rip-current risk continues.
49Preliminary federal estimates put total nonfarm employment at 31,800 in July, while leisure and hospitality jobs were 20.9 percent below their year-earlier level.
50The territory's hotel association wants VIPA to compare the proposed airport public-private partnership with a lower-cost conceptual alternative before making a final decision.
51WAPA says customers should continue boiling tap water for one minute or use bottled water until water-quality monitoring supports an official all-clear.
52WAPA plans a seven-hour outage affecting eastern St. Thomas and all of St. John while crews complete work needed to place the $17 million bypass into service.
53The West Indian Company told its board that passenger-fee income rose by $1.8 million year over year and available cash remained above its annual debt-service requirement.
54Human-services and housing representatives say as many as 5,000 Virgin Islanders may be affected, though the number who have not yet met the requirements remains unknown.
55Police say messages claiming unpaid Virgin Islands traffic violations are fraudulent and are not connected to VIPD or another legitimate territorial agency.
56The Public Finance Authority approved a capped $207.36 million contract for the first two phases of Schneider Hospital's rebuild and nearly $91 million in additional work across six education facilities.
57Public Works says motorists must remove vehicles by Friday night and arrange alternate parking for August 29 while the lot accommodates a private event.
58VIPD says detectives arrested 23-year-old J’vonte Mercer on St. Croix after identifying him as a suspect in the August 27 fatal shooting.
59Tropical Behavioral Services says tax benefits could speed new facilities on St. Thomas and St. John, while an EDC commissioner pressed the company for stronger expansion projections.
60The island has been named a host port and team partner for the 2027–28 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, creating a new opportunity to place Virgin Islands hospitality before an international audience.
61Public Works says crews finished removing the bridge Saturday and reopened the roadway, ending the weekend traffic advisory.
62The longtime registered nurse has become the island’s first female Air National Guard officer and will serve as a clinical nurse.
63The equipment can produce a combined 10 megawatts, moving WAPA closer to dedicated backup generation for the island.
64A series of community walks planned for September will bring attention to suicide prevention, connection and behavioral-health support.
65Virgin Islands small businesses and nonprofits can seek technical-assistance support designed to strengthen their financial and operational foundations.
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