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VI Government

Governor Bryan Celebrates Historic Achievement by Virgin Islander Quianna Christian

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – Governor Albert Bryan Jr. proudly congratulates Quianna E. E. Christian on her historic election as International Second Vice President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.®️. Quianna, a member of the Rho Omicron Chapter at the University of the Virgin Islands, is the first person from the Sorority’s International Region to be elected to the Board of Directors.
Quianna is pursuing a BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a BBA in Marketing with a minor in Communication. She has shown exceptional leadership, serving in various roles within her chapter and on international committees.
“Quianna’s achievement brings immense pride to the Virgin Islands. Her dedication and leadership exemplify the values we cherish,” said Governor Bryan. “We are confident she will continue to inspire and contribute globally.”
Founded in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.®️ is the first Greek-lettered sorority established by African American college women. It promotes high scholastic and ethical standards and serves over 300,000 members worldwide.
Quianna is the daughter of Linda Christian and the late Roy Christian. Her journey inspires young people in the Virgin Islands and beyond.
Governor Bryan and the entire Virgin Islands community congratulate Quianna on her historic election and wish her continued success.
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Community

Scheduled Electrical Service Interruption for Customers in St. Croix Tomorrow and Wednesday

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley
ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – June 30, 2024 – The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority would like to inform customers and community members on the island of St. Croix of a scheduled electrical service interruption occurring tomorrow, Monday, July 1, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. impacting approximately 20 customers in Estate Frederikshaab.  The cause of this outage is to safely transfer single phase lines on Feeder 8B.
In addition, on Wednesday,  July 3, 2024, 60 customers in Little La Grange will experience a scheduled outage from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cause of the outage is to safely transfer single phase lines on Feeder 8B.
Thank you for your understanding. Together we are building a stronger, more reliable future.
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CommunityVI Government

Governor Bryan Urges Community Support for St. John Land Swap

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

US VIRGIN ISLANDS — On behalf of Governor Albert Bryan Jr., Government House Communications Director Richard Motta urged Virgin Islanders to express support for a land exchange agreement between the Virgin Islands Government and the National Park Service for the exchange of an uninhabited Cay off the coast of St. John for almost a dozen acres of centrally located land for the construction of a pre-k through 12th-grade public school on St. John.

Motta made the request during the weekly Government House press briefing on Monday.

“We ask that the Virgin Islands community express their support for this measure and their support for the unencumbered and equal education of children living on St. John,” Motta said. He urged the community to testify at a legislative Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday, July 11, on St. John.

“Make your voices and your concerns known,” Motta said, reminding the community that the 35thLegislature will vote on the legislation on July 20.

School thefts

Calling recent thefts at schools on St. Croix and St. Thomas “vexing and unfortunate,” Motta pleaded with the perpetrators to return the stolen goods. More than 100 solar panels were stolen from the St. Croix Educational Complex over the weekend and on St. Thomas vandalism incidents on at least oneadditional campus caused damage significant enough to set back the Department of Education’s plans for the successful start of a new school year.

“As a community we have to do better,” Motta said. “I am pleading with you as a citizen. Please come forward so that we will be able to get those resources back.”

Income tax refunds

Motta announced that the Bryan Roach administration has recently issued another round of income tax refund payments as part of the administration’s continued push to pay past obligations to Virgin Islands residents. The latest round of income tax refunds totals about $17 million. It covers individuals who are due an income tax refunds for tax years 2021 and prior who filed that refund before April 11, 2022.

VIFire/EMS

Also in his remarks Monday, Motta thanked firefighters of the Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Service for their hard work over the weekend battling and containing the fire at the Bovoni Landfill.

“On behalf of Governor Bryan, Lieutenant Governor Roach and the entire Bryan Roach administration, we thank you for your bravery and are grateful for your continued service in protecting life and property for all Virgin Islanders,” Motta said.

Director Motta said the medical condition of Firefighter Jerrel Brown, who was injured battling the Vester Gade blaze in Savan, is improving. He asked the community to pray for the speedy recovery of Brown and Firefighter Melanesia Hendrickson, who was also injured in the Vester Gade fire.

On a happier note, Motta congratulated Aliyah Boston on being named a starter in the WNBA Finals and congratulated Nicholas D’Amour, who brought home the gold in archery at the CAC games in El Salvador.

The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit www.transparency.vi.gov.

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Education

Virgin Islands Department Of Education: Abdel Bazzar Is 2023 Territorial Spelling Bee Winner

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

(Photo courtesy V.I. Education Department)

ST. THOMAS, USVI – Following 26 intense rounds of competition, Ricardo Richards Elementary School fifth grader Abdel Bazzar emerged as the winner of the 2023 Territorial Spelling Bee, now in its 50th year.

His winning word was “realm.”

“It feels good—really good,” Bazzar said of his win. “It definitely feels very good because apparently, only one other person has ever gone to the national spelling bee from my school.”

Other than competing virtually in his school’s Spelling Bee two years ago, this is the first year the 10-year-old participated in the full competition—placing in the top six at the district level and going all the way to claim the title of top speller in the Virgin Islands.

However, Bazzar said he knew he was up against tough contenders for the territorial competition.

“I was thinking that if Joseph, who won the St. Croix District Bee, and [Naitik] got out, I knew I had it in the bag,” he said. “But if they stayed in, I probably had a chance of losing because they were probably the best ones there.”

Bazzar said he prepared for the competition by meeting with his coach, Debora Heitzenrater, during the last 30 minutes of each school day, as well as having long study sessions at home.

“[My coach] would pick the hardest words on each page, and if I spelled them correctly, we would go to the next page,” he explained. “At home, we went through all the pages of words, we kept going and going until we finished all the pages.” Those pages, Bazzar explained, amounted to a total of about 9,000 words.

As for his hopes for taking the top spot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, this summer, he said, “I definitely need to keep studying and I’m very proud of myself.”

Nyeema Henderson, winner of the St. Thomas-St. John District Bee, placed second in the territorial competition; and Sinaia Steven, of Claude O. Markoe Elementary School, placed third.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Territorial Spelling Bee in the Virgin Islands, beginning in 1974, with only one of those years, 2021, the competition was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I wish you well,” Assistant Commissioner Victor Somme III told the participants. “We also want to recognize those that came before you, this is our fiftieth year of spelling bee in the Virgin Islands and we really thank our partner in this accomplishment, the Virgin Islands Daily News, they have been with us through thick and thin and they continue to support us as we send each Virgin Islands champion to the nation’s capital to participate in the national bee. This is going to be an exciting competition.”

The Virgin Islands Daily News has been the official sponsor of the Territorial Spelling Bee since 1985. The news organization will sponsor a six-night stay for two at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., during the Memorial Day weekend, as Bazzar represents the Virgin Islands in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Bazzar and all participants have received prize packages of electronics, gift certificates, books, and other gifts through the generous support of local and national sponsors.

Curriculum & Instruction Program Assistant Julie Deterville is the Territorial Spelling Bee coordinator.

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BusinessLegalWorld

XRP cryptocurrency jumps as investors hope Ripple will win legal battle with the SEC

by Daniel E. Ottley
written by Daniel E. Ottley

Article by : Ryan Browne of CNBC

The XRP cryptocurrency soared on Wednesday as investors grew hopeful that Ripple, a company closely associated with the token, would win its prolonged legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The token was worth around 45 cents at about 8 a.m. ET, according to data from CoinGecko, up over 11% in the last 24 hours. It was earlier trading up as much as 20%.

Traders pointed to a supplemental notice submitted by Ripple on Monday which pointed to a ruling in a separate case concerning Binance.US’ rescue plan for collapsed crypto lender Voyager Digital. Under the plan, Binance’s U.S. unit was to buy all of Voyager’s assets, including its native VGX token, in a $1.3 billion deal.

The SEC rejected the plan, arguing VGX was akin to a security and calling Binance an unregistered securities exchange, according to the notice from Ripple.

However, the judge rejected the SEC’s objections and approved the bankruptcy plan citing what he called the “vagueness” of the regulator’s arguments and stating the SEC had not “offered any guidance at all as to just what it was that the Debtors allegedly were supposed to prove” to demonstrate VGX was not a security, according to the Ripple letter.

The SEC wasn’t immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

The SEC accuses Ripple, CEO Brad Garlinghouse and co-founder Chris Larsen of breaching U.S. securities laws by selling XRP without first registering it with the regulator. Ripple contests the SEC’s allegations, maintaining the view that XRP should be considered a digital currency rather than a security.

Monica Long, president of Ripple, told CNBC Wednesday morning that she was “very hopeful” about achieving a positive resolution to the SEC battle, adding she thinks it will reach a conclusion sometime this year.

Long said she thinks it’s “very unlikely” the judge will rule in favor of the SEC “considering by our view both the facts and the law are on our side.”

If XRP were to be deemed a security, it could have huge ramifications for the digital currency industry.

Floods of tokens may end up falling into the same category, making them regulated financial instruments that would need SEC supervision and frequent transparency disclosures.

Market sentiment improving

Ripple and the SEC have now both submitted their final round of briefs seeking a summary judgment to the case. The case now rests with Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York, who is expected to issue a verdict soon.

It is not clear when she will make her decision. However, some crypto investors believe an outcome will arrive in the coming days.

XRP “is being bolstered by a potential positive outcome in the SEC case,” Vijay Ayyar, vice president of international at crpyto exchange Luno, told CNBC via email Wednesday.

The token, which is the sixth-largest globally by market value, is also being boosted by the broader crypto market sentiment, Ayyar said.

Bitcoin is up 70% since the start of the year and is currently trading above $28,000 for the first time in nine months. Ether, the second-biggest token, has risen 50% year-to-date.

“Overall, crypto markets have rallied in the past week or so, given the anticipation of a pause or slow down in interest rates and the slowdown in inflation,” according to Ayyar.

Regulation by enforcement?

Ripple’s Long said she believed the SEC was regulating through enforcement rather than establishing clear regulations for the sector. Europe is more advanced in its treatment of crypto, she argued, highlighting the bloc’s Markets in Crypto Assets regulation as an example.

“We’re seeing action through enforcement vs. setting clear rules and regulation which is what all of us in the industry desire,” Long said.

“Europe is really emerging as a leader in setting really clear regulations and rules that allow crypto companies and also traditional finance to embrace crypto.”

For its part, the SEC has said it wants all crypto companies and projects to bring their operations into compliance with federal securities laws.

In an interview with CNBC in February after a crackdown on the crypto exchange Kraken, SEC Chair Gary Gensler said, “There’s a handful of tokens that have actually registered. The intermediaries, the storefronts if you wish, the casinos that people are investing in and investing at need to properly comply and disentangle these bundled products.”

“If this field has any chance of survival and success, it’s time-tested rules and laws to protect the investing public.”

In recent weeks, the regulator has taken aim at numerous crypto firms alleging they are engaged in illegal securities offerings.

Stablecoin issuer Paxos said the SEC served it with a notice threatening legal action over claims that BUSD, the native stablecoin of crypto exchange Binance, was a security that should have been registered with the regulator.

The regulator also hit crypto lender Genesis and exchange Gemini with charges alleging a high-yield investment product offered by the two companies should have been treated as a security.

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