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Charlotte Amalie
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Open forum: A USVI Constitution: Turning Possibility into Reality

Verdel L. Petersen urges Virgin Islands to get involved with choosing delegates to the next Constitutional Convention to create a proposed constitution for the USVI that will be approved by the electorate and the US Congress.

Open Forum: Calling all Virgin Islanders for Help with a Class Project

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud. Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think that I can receive the best information from the people who live there.

Open forum: Plan for Critical Systemic Change in the USVI

Mark D. Hodge Esq. believes that the problem with the Virgin Islands Legislature is how it is elected. He has a plan for solving this.

Open forum: Board of Education Asks Parents and Students to Take Survey

V.I. Board of Education Chairman Kyza Callwood shares importance of completing survey on academic pursuits and learning.

Open Forum: Humane Society Board Addresses ‘Challenging Times’

These are indeed challenging times for the Humane Society of St. Thomas as an organization, and the HSSTT Board of Directors as a governing body. Although we are in a Code Red position now, our immediate goal is to become financially strong enough through donations and fundraising events to expeditiously bring back our laid-off team members and provide all the animal welfare services that our community so desperately needs. Unfortunately, there have been numerous malicious, inaccurate, untruthful, and defamatory social media posts, and I would like to take this opportunity to provide the facts for those who have been misinformed.

Open Forum: It’s Time for the BMV to Stop Inspecting Vehicles

I don’t know of any states that do not use certified private mechanics to conduct vehicle inspections, either annually or every other year. Here in the Virgin Islands, the government tries to do it all — handle both registration and inspection.

Open Forum: Vialet: Republicans Offer V.I. the Change it Needs

One party rule has failed the Virgin Islands. Our islands deserve better than the failed ideas and programs that the ruling party recycles year after year. It’s time to say enough is enough.

Open Forum: GOP National Committeewoman Sets the Record Straight

I am compelled to address an article in the V.I. Source on January 18th, 2024. And an article in the Daily News on January 25th, that deliberately identified me as the former National Committeewoman of the U.S. Virgin Islands Republican Party. The piece, authored by Gordon Ackley, chairman of the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands, erroneously referred to me as the former National Committeewoman, when in fact, he knows I currently hold this esteemed position.

Open forum: Republican Response to Bryan’s State of the Territory

Chairman Gordon Ackley of the Republican Party in the Virgin Islands reacts to the Governor Bryan’s State of the Territory Address.

Open Forum: Congress Must Fund Affordable Connectivity Program

We humbly submit the argument that the continued provision of affordable access to the internet is of critical importance to the ongoing project that we call American Democracy. Of no less importance to this project is Congress’ ability to demonstrate that it has the political will to take the actions necessary to provide for and protect the American people.

Open Forum: Rebuilding the Foundations: A Call for Government Action in the Wake of Devastation

In the wake of two Category 5 hurricanes that unleashed unparalleled havoc on our once-vibrant communities, the aftermath is marked by a stark reality: widespread homelessness and an unparalleled housing crisis. As the debris is cleared and the scars of the storms begin to fade, the glaring issue of homes lying in disrepair and a diminishing supply of habitable dwellings persists.

Open forum: Project Promise Reviews 2023

Resa O'Reilly Shearn, president and founder of Project Promise, reviews this year’s many firsts as well as the continuation of its existing program.

Open Forum: Adopt the Revised Organic Act of 1954 as the USVI’s Constitution

This year, a lot of my time and energy was spent advocating for the adoption of the Revised Organic Act of 1954 (as amended). Although my request to testify in support of adopting the Revised Organic Act of 1954 (ROA) as a framework for a proposed V.I. constitution was ignored by the 34th Legislature, I am more determined than ever to promote the idea. What is there to lose?

Open forum: Will Wisdom Prevail at the Sixth Constitutional Convention?

Verdel L. Petersen wonders if the Sixth Constitutional Convention, scheduled for the Nov. 5, 2024, will elect convention delegates who reflect on the history of previous conventions and avoid the mistakes of the past.

Open Forum: Retirement and Wealth-Building in the Virgin Islands – A Proposal for GERS

I propose we transition from a defined benefit plan system to a defined contribution plan system. This transition would benefit GERS, the central government, and families. With a defined contribution plan, employees would be able to invest their contributed income, track its performance in the markets toward their desired age of retirement, enjoy tax-advantaged distributions or contributions, and, this is the most important part, pass the wealth generated from their investments down to their beneficiaries.

Open Forum: Government Should Honor Olasee Davis’s Vision for Estate La Grange

About a year ago, I accidentally found the old La Grange sugar factory when researching the Estate La Grange. After seeing images of the factory, I was haunted by the thought that something should be done to save this building. Professor Olasee Davis's proposal is the most logical, which would honor the enslaved and bring essential tourist dollars to this area of St. Croix.

Open Forum: The USVI Should be Thankful for the Conservation Efforts of George A. Seaman and the Gasperi Family

As a conservationist, it can be a burden at times when you've tried your very best to protect these islands’ cultural, natural, historical, and marine resources. It is not so much a matter of protecting the resources. It is rather managing the resources and setting aside the unique historic landscape of the cultural, natural, and marine resources for future generations and for the future of these islands.

Open Forum: National Diabetes Awareness Month and Living Life with Diabetes

Over 14 years ago my life changed forever.  The lab results were in, the doctor entered the hospital room and said the dreaded words that I will never forget, “She has Diabetes Type 1” (DT1).

Open Forum: When it Comes to Climate Change, We Are All on the Same Ship

In the Virgin Islands, we are destroying our prime agricultural land by building upon it with roads, houses, hotels, etc., although government farmland is protected by law. Believe me, food security is an important factor to climate change if we are to survive economically as a people.

Open Forum: How a Plane Crash on St. Thomas Led to a Decade of Prosperity on St. Croix

The St. Thomas airport runway was just 4,658 feet long at the time, yet still within the recommended length of 4,500 feet. But following this crash in 1976, and for the next 16 years, all large jets arriving to the U.S. Virgin Islands, including most British Virgin Islands passengers, were routed through St. Croix, whose runway was 7,600 feet long at the time (and has since been extended to 10,004 feet).

UPCOMING EVENTS

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