SAN JUAN — Three officials with Puerto Rico’s Senate were arrested by FBI agents Thursday and later charged by the U.S. commonwealth’s federal prosecutor with alleged corruption for a case involving a scheme to defraud the legislature using “ghost employees.” Federal prosecutor Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said 18 charges were brought

PHILIPSBURG — Claret Connor, the newly appointed director of the Sint Maarten Recovery Program Bureau, says he is humbled by the opportunity to rebuild his country after it was wrecked by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Born and raised in Sint Maarten, Connor, a former minister, parliamentarian and hotelier, leads

CHRISTIANSTED — The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded nearly $1 million to the territory on Wednesday for the Spring Gut watershed project. This watershed, when working properly, drains and directs the hillside water in the Gallows Bay area to the Caribbean Sea. Improper drainage and flooding of the watershed has

PORT OF SPAIN — When he speaks of his home country, Carlos’ big, mahogany eyes well up. “It is too beautiful,” he says, “Venezuela has a variety of everything.” The 13-year-old has since moved with his family to Trinidad and Tobago – an island barely 11 kilometres (6.84 miles) away

AMSTERDAM — The Netherlands and the United States reached an agreement to use facilities on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao for possible distribution of aid to nearby Venezuela, Curacao’s prime minister said. The island will only be used for civilian operations to deliver aid, such as food and medicines,

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Donald Trump will meet with leaders of five Caribbean nations on Friday in an effort to strengthen cooperation on security and trade issues. The meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Florida resort, will feature the leaders of the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica

FREDERIKSTED – Senate President Kenneth Gittens said the $27 million in federal grants announced today will bring much needed improvements to the territory’s two airports. The funding is beneficial particularly as the Virgin Islands continues its recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Some of the grant funds will go towards

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said today that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $27 million in grants to the Virgin Islands Port Authority of St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., to expand and improve two major airports in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. According to

WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Insular and International Affairs Doug Domenech presented a check to Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. for $2,228,901 this week. The monies represent an adjustment to the actual certified rum excise tax amounts for FY 2018. Certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, this

By GARY POKORNY On January 28, 2019 Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. was clear: The General Fund had virtually no cash, and the people of the Virgin Islands were owed $600 million in short term accounts payable. He used words like “In distress” and this phase: “We are confronted with the