FOOLED AND BEGUILED: Senator Janette Millen-Young says Gov. Kenneth Mapp pulled a fast one on the Legislature. Senators voted 9-5 to approve the Limetree Bay refinery deal. CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Shortly after midnight last Thursday morning, nine members of the 32nd Legislature approved the governor’s multi-million-dollar plan to give Limetree

PAYDAY LOAN? Senators voted 9-5 to approve the Limetree Bay refinery deal on Wednesday. Critics say the tax concessions granted by the government were not needed for the oil storage terminal company ArcLight Capital Partners to transition the property into a refinery. CHRISTIANSTED — Governor Kenneth Mapp thanked the members

OP-ED PIECE BY ATTORNEY ANDREW C. SIMPSON The Governor and Limetree Bay LLC are trying to hurry a refinery deal through our Legislature with undue speed. As the late Governor Farrelly used to say, “Hurry dog eat raw meat.” The proposed refinery operating agreement is a massive economic Christmas gift

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — In his communication to Senate President Myron D. Jackson, U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp approved 14 bills brought forward by the 32nd Legislature of the Virgin Islands, signing them into law. At the same time, the territory’s chief executive vetoed three bills in their entirety. Expressing deep concern with sections

CHRISTIANSTED — The Senate chair of the Health Committee for the Legislature says her office will be vetting a bill that would require local doctors who work in Virgin Islands hospitals to share some of their fees with the health facilities they work in. Senator Nereida “Nellie” Rivera-O’Reilly said in

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Elections System of the Virgin Islands says it is broke and will have to postpone early primary voting until July 14. Early voting was scheduled to begin July 10 but in an internal memorandum obtained by the V.I. Free Press Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes said “we

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Senator Jean Forde, a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety, expressed grave concerns early Monday morning, regarding “the current lack of safety and security at Port Authority facilities throughout the Virgin Islands.” “Most recently, two significant incidents highlighted the alarming lack

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas freshman senator has called out the Virgin Islands Board of Elections for circumventing a law establishing newly-formed, territory-wide board. The Board of Elections, led by self-described chairman Arturo Watlington Jr., voted Friday to split the board into committees over objections from minority board members.

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Janelle K. Sarauw, 32, is the youngest female senator in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is thought to be the legislating body’s only openly LGBTQ lawmaker. After a successful campaign focused on government accountability and transparency, the St. Thomas native was elected in an April 2017 special

CHRISTIANSTED — Citing potential conflicts of interest and a need for a more comprehensive approach, Governor Kenneth Mapp has vetoed a bill mandating that the Director of the Office of Management & Budget and the Commissioner of Health serve as the chairpersons of the Virgin Islands Government Hospitals and Health Facilities Corporation and