Penned by Sharon Flax Brutus. 8/12/2026*Dearest Gentle Reader*,Who am I? Sharon Flax Brutus - apparently the troublemaker -  to ask Officialdom to come to the public within 48 hours with a release clarifying proposed restrictions to public access at The Baths and Spring Bay?Well, Gentle Reader, I asked.The 48 hours have passed.And as I write this, the public clarification I requested has not come.So here I am. Not because I want confrontation. Not because I want to accuse anyone of anything. But...

Festival Chairman Natalie Penn Lake showed Adaejah Hodge and Michelle Smith that when the lime and spoon hit the road, not all medals count!Penn Lake took the win in the highly entertaining Lime and Spoon Race, getting the better of two athletes who have collected CARIFTA medals, CAC gold and even a Diamond League bronze.But perhaps we shouldn’t have been too surprised.Natalie is no stranger to the track. She grew up around athletics and was once a track athlete herself, proudly representing Fl...

There are entertainers, and then there are cultural ambassadors—individuals whose work transcends music and becomes part of a nation’s identity. In the Virgin Islands, Jougo has earned his place among that select group.For years, Jougo has consistently represented the Virgin Islands with authenticity, pride and passion. Whether performing on local stages during Emancipation Festival or carrying the Territory’s sound to audiences abroad, he has remained true to his roots. His music reflects th...

Nature abhors a vacuum.  And somehow, the world believes that BVI has become a vacuum.  Otherwise, everyone would not feel so justified in speaking on our behalf.We cannot dispute that the Diplomat is on the job.  He seems to be ubiquitous and based on what is seen in the press, effective.He obviously has BVI at heart and is an experienced, well-connected professional. We do not know who advises him but on the issue of his Minister’s ‘private stance’ on self-determination which has become his...

The British PM in waiting, Andy Burnham, already has his eyes on more and new taxes.  The Telegraph said this week that he plans a £38bn tax raid; perhaps in a Robin Hood approach to support a tax and spend initiative that dogs socialist type governments.  Whenever taxes and government control of economies are on the table, we remember when ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ (Ayn Rand).  The demands of the State were tantamount to the individual labouring for government instead of their families.  (The PM desi...

The price tag floated in at $350,000.00. It was not the mother of all BVI publicly funded parties, and it was for an exceptionally worthy cause.The week-long celebration opened at the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium and culminated with a gala ball at the East End/Long Look Community Centre.Those who researched the history said that in 1776 (the same year the United States declared its Independence from Great Britain) Mary and Samuel Nottingham allowed slaves on their estate to purchase their freed...

The ship of state was not designed to move at the lightning speed that is Adaejah Hodge.  For it meanders with little concern for the opinions of its citizens to whom it grudgingly provides the services needed to support the economy. And because it feels itself, all powerful, it names its price regardless of the impact on businesses for it is hardly accountable to its true source of power; The people of these Virgin Islands;Except once in each 4-year cycle.Then the courtship begins.  The dance i...

“When Sarah Penney entered a room, she upstaged everyone, including her mother, which was a difficult thing to do.  For her mother, Joanne Penney, had a publishing career; Was the Founder and Director of The Community Agency on Drugs and Addiction (CADA); Was Chairman of the National Drug Advisory Council (NDAC); And had even spoken during a meeting of the UN General Assembly.  She also founded and directed the CADA players over a couple of decades.Sarah had presence, poise, style.  She was eng...