Those are just a few of the aspirational goals in the completed Vision 2040 plan unveiled yesterday by U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr., VI Economic Development Authority CEO Wayne L. Biggs Jr., and an executive for the consulting team instrumental in the development of the plan. Read more.

The Final Report is now available to view and download at https://www.usvi2040.com/resources. If you didn’t have a chance to view the press conference, it can be seen via the Facebook livestream at:

For more information, contact Omar Andres Haedo directly at omar.a.haedo@elan.insure.

Join us for a forum for sharing and practical problem solving around topics related to workforce development policy, programs and service. Click the flyer to the right to expand. Click here to register.

The USVI community is invited to participate in a series of Virtual Town Hall meetings that are being held territory-wide. The Town Hall meetings will provide individuals and businesses with an opportunity to weigh in on the discussion regarding the impacts of stormwater runoff and flooding in our communities. The USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has obtained funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to assess eight (8) high priority watersheds of concern. On St. Thomas, the specific watersheds that we will be looking at include the Bolongo, Charlotte Amalie and the Airport watersheds. On St. Croix, these include the Salt River Bay, Hovensa, Bethlehem, Diamond and Long Point Bay watersheds. The watersheds of focus encompass areas with critical infrastructure including the airport and major roadways; commercial, government and residential investments; and agricultural activity. Read more. Click flyer to the right to expand.

Following a meeting with American Airlines in Dallas, Texas on Friday, U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte announced that the nation’s largest carrier will expand its service to the territory to meet increased demand for summertime travel. Beginning on June 3, passengers in Dallas or connecting from Western and Midwestern cities will have not one but two daily flights from which to choose when traveling to St. Thomas, while Charlotte, North Carolina-based travelers will benefit from three flights per day, up from twice a day. Read more.

More local and regional news:

On March 25, Viya customers were adversely affected due to a fiber cut that was a result of roadside trenching that Liberty Latin America and AT&T are conducting in St. Thomas. Unfortunately, this is the third such service disruptive incident within the last year involving this project. Viya thanks its customers for their patience during this avoidable service interruption, which affected thousands of subscribers. This incident is especially unfortunate since Viya understands the current focus on remote learning, telework, tele-health and e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic. The network is now fully restored. If, however, customers in the previously affected areas still do not have connectivity, they should contact (340) 777-Viya (8492). Read full press release.

The combination of perfect conditions with 15- to 20 knots of breeze out of the east, keen competition and professionally set racecourses made the 2021 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR), sailed March 26-28, a winner. In the end, and after six round-the-islands races over three days, San Diego, CA’s Victor Wild’s Botin 52, FOX, won the CSA Spinnaker Racing Class and St. Thomas, USVI’s Lawrence Aqui’s Dufour 40, topped the CSA Non-Spinnaker Racing Class. Following 15 sprint-style windward-leeward races also in a trio of days, St. Thomas, USVI’s Chris Rosenberg led the One-Design IC24 Class. Finally, it was St. Thomas, USVI’s Mark van den Driessche, who after two days and 16 races scored the win in the One-Design Hobie Wave Class. Each class winner received a famous, special edition, island timepiece from Cardow Jewlers. Read more.