PORT-AU-PRINCE — At least 1,000 people were killed and hundreds were injured and missing after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients. The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 […]
Tag: President Joe Biden
Bryan Says He Will Use COVID-19 Relief Funds To Fight Violent Crime In The USVI
CHRISTIANSTED — Governor Albert Bryan lauded President Biden’s call to use federal COVID-19 relief funds to fight the national epidemic of gun violence and said the President’s directive has provided the U.S. Virgin Islands with an unprecedented opportunity to make significant inroads in curbing violent crime. “We have a tremendous opportunity now with President Biden’s green […]
Government Offices Closed Today In Observance Of Juneteenth Holiday
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan on Thursday declared June 19 a holiday in the U.S. Virgin Islands following the announcement by President Joe Biden establishing the date as a federal holiday. His announcement came after legislation establishing the Juneteenth holiday was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on Thursday afternoon. Governor Bryan announced administrative […]
BIR and Finance Send Out $25 Million in $1,400 Stimulus Checks
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan announced today that the Virgin Islands Bureau of Revenue (BIR) and the Virgin Islands Department of Finance have mailed out almost $25 million in $1,400 Stimulus Checks to 10,000 residents. This week’s distribution of $24.9 million in federal funds from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan is the first of a […]
Governor Bryan Praises CDC Director’s Letter To The Cruise Ship Industry
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan today issued the following statement regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) letter to the cruise ship industry clearing the way for ships to begin docking at U.S. ports in mid-July: “I want to thank the Biden Administration, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky for acting swiftly to deliver […]
Caribbean Appeals To Biden To Share Vaccines With U.S. ‘Third Border’
HAVANA — Several Caribbean island nations have issued a plea to the United States to share its stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines with the region as it has said it would with Mexico and Canada, calling on it not to neglect its “third border.” The independent island states of the Caribbean archipelago — except for Cuba, […]
Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith To Discuss Safety Of COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, the chairwoman of President Biden’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, will be the guest on the “Press Box” at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 25 on the Government House Facebook page. Dr. Nunez-Smith has also asked six additional federal agencies to be represented on the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, which was […]
Puerto Rico To Get $23 Billion In Federal Rescue Aid From Biden Administration
WASHINGTON — Puerto Rico’s economy will receive a jolt from billions of dollars of federal aid this year from the American Rescue Plan as the territory works its way out of bankruptcy. Highlights of that aid include $3 billion for K through 12 schools, $308 million for childcare, and $370 million for rental, mortgage, and […]
Spokesman Explains How Biden’s American Rescue Plan Will Help USVI Residents
CHRISTIANSTED — During today’s Government House weekly press briefing, Communications Director Richard Motta gave details about how President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will affect territorial residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to $1,400 stimulus checks paid directly to individuals, the American Rescue Act will help further the Virgin Islands government’s efforts to fight the pandemic […]
Far From White House, St. Croix Refinery To Test Biden’s Promises On Poverty and Pollution
CHRISTIANSTED — Earlier this month, Loren Hughes, a longtime resident of St. Croix, noticed specks of an oily substance covering his home, as well as those owned by his neighbors. For Hughes, 46, it brought back memories of the last time the south shore refinery was operating, roughly a decade earlier. The refinery restarted last […]