SAN JUAN — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos and Caribbean Corridor Strike Force agents offloaded 2,425 pounds (1,100 kilograms) of seized cocaine Monday, following three separate at-sea interdictions near Puerto Rico. Fourteen men, Dominican Republic nationals, apprehended in these cases are facing federal prosecution in Puerto Rico. The seized contraband has an estimated wholesale value of approximately $22 million dollars. These interdictions are the result of multi-agency […]
Category: At VIFreep
Cuba Brings Oil Depot Fire Under Control, Worst In Island’s History
HAVANA — Firefighters on Tuesday finally overcame what officials described as the worst fire in Cuba’s history that over five days destroyed 40 percent of the Caribbean island’s main fuel storage facility and caused massive blackouts. Reuters witnesses reported the raging flames that ravaged a four-tank segment of the Matanzas super tanker port had died […]
US Virgin Islands Creates Park System, Adds 30 Properties
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The USVI on Tuesday created a new territorial parks system that protects more than 30 areas from commercial development and reserves them for activities including hiking and beaching. Properties that total hundreds of acres were identified in St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, including Great Salt Pond, Oppenheimer Beach, Cas Cay […]
Dry Air, Saharan Dust Shutting Down Tropical Wave’s Chances of Blossoming
MIAMI — The tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic is beginning to show its limitations, causing the National Hurricane Center to lower its odds of development. A wave that emerged off the coast of Africa early Monday is continuing to produce a large area of disorganized cloudiness and thunderstorms a few hundred miles southwest of […]
DPW Gets $2M Grant For Estate Thomas Road Project
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Estate Thomas neighborhood roads will receive a facelift in the very near future, thanks to a $2 million dollar grant from the Department of Interior. The Department of Public Works previously prepared designs for the Estate Thomas Infrastructure Road Repairs and Rehabilitation project, however the appropriated funding from the Public Finance Authority was […]
Bryan Commends Education For Opening Classrooms On Time
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan hailed the successful first day of school as an “unqualified success” and thanked the hard-working staff, teachers and administrators of the Department of Education for their efforts to provide a quality learning experience for students across the territory. As I visited schools today on St. Thomas and St. Croix, I […]
Pile of Petroleum Coke Burning Doesn’t Fret New Owners of Refinery
CHRISTIANSTED — A pile of petroleum coke at the idled St. Croix refinery was found smoldering early Thursday morning, and the facility’s new owners did not issue a public notice until Sunday. The petroleum coke, “a solid fuel that resembles charcoal,” is still burning, according to the press release from Fermin Rodriguez, vice president and refinery […]
Coast Guard Cutter Crashes Into Fishing Boat, Killing 1 Fisherman Off Dorado
SAN JUAN — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser and the 23-foot commercial fishing vessel Desakata were involved in a collision Monday afternoon, approximately four nautical miles north of Dorado, Puerto Rico. Following the collision, the crew of the cutter Winslow Griesser recovered the two fishermen aboard Desakata, identified as Carlos Rosario, who was […]
Oil Facility Fire Jeopardizes Cuba’s Frail Electric System
HAVANA — A deadly fire that began at a large oil storage facility in western Cuba spread today, threatening to plunge the island into a deeper energy crisis as it forced officials to shut down a key thermoelectric plant. Flames around dawn enveloped a third tank that firefighters had tried to cool as they struggle […]
‘Fierce’ Tropical Depression Expected This Week In Atlantic
MIAMI — People in the Eastern Caribbean don’t expect severe tropical weather in August, but the Atlantic Basin could have a new tropical depression later this week. Satellite observations show a fierce tropical disturbance has emerged off the western coast of Africa and is moving west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph across the tropical Atlantic. […]