Local News
Tola Radio Battles Legal Dispute Over Shutdown, Calls for Public Support

Tola Radio VI 100.5 FM, known as “the people’s radio,” has been off the air for 14 days amidst a legal standoff with Caribbean Cellular Telephone Limited (CCT). Managing Director Floyd P. Burnett, also known as “Heritage,” is urging public support as the station navigates what he describes as a targeted attack on freedom of speech and locally-owned businesses.
Mr. Burnett alleges that despite meeting all payment requirements and deadlines, CCT refused to accept Tola Radio’s payment and later disabled the station’s broadcasting equipment. “They physically touched our equipment and locked them off, despite written legal letters asking and instructing it not to be done,” he stated.
The dispute follows CCT’s October announcement terminating its service agreement with the radio station. CCT clarified that Tola Radio could retain its services if it became a paying customer, but according to Burnett, his payment was rejected without justification.
The controversy escalated when Burnett claimed an attempt was made to have him arrested and charged with attempted murder. “The public was to wake up and hear the radio off along with hearing I was arrested and charged, but God is greater than man!” he said.
Efforts to secure an extension for relocating Tola Radio’s equipment were also denied, Burnett said. Additionally, an urgent injunction filed in the High Court was postponed by a visiting judge until November 22 without hearing any arguments.
The ongoing shutdown has left eight employees without income, caused significant financial losses, and breached client agreements. Burnett criticized government officials for their lack of action, accusing them of failing to address the issue despite the government being a major client of CCT.
“Like most problems facing the BVI, they can’t [find] no way to help us! Even though the government is the tower people’s biggest client,” Burnett remarked.
Burnett is calling on the public to boycott CCT in protest. “Plug out the phone, plug out the chip, don’t pay your bill! We need to make a statement to corporate BVI today!” he urged.
He framed the situation as a broader fight for “freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of information,” asserting that the attack on Tola Radio sets a dangerous precedent for other local businesses.
Despite the challenges, Burnett assured Tola Radio’s listeners and partners that the station will resume broadcasting soon. “We will be back on air shortly, hopefully before the day is out,” he promised.
Local News
Minister Rymer Briefed on Airport Infrastructure Enhancements

Minister of Communications and Works, Honourable Kye Rymer, has received a briefing on recent infrastructural upgrades completed at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
The update was provided by Mr Kurt Menal, Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA), who highlighted key improvements designed to enhance passenger experience and operational efficiency at the Territory’s main airport.
Among the completed upgrades is the installation of a new luggage conveyor belt and expanded baggage collection area. The upgraded system has a greater capacity than the previous setup, aimed at improving the flow of passengers through the arrivals process.
Mr Menal also pointed to the commissioning of a modern sewage treatment plant, which has the capacity to accommodate up to 500,000 passengers annually. The environmentally sustainable system supports the BVIAA’s broader objectives of expanding airport capacity while meeting international environmental standards.
“The BVIAA continues to meet the safety and regulatory requirements outlined in the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2001 and other applicable instruments,” Mr Menal said. “We are also focused on maintaining an environment that fosters employee excellence and high standards of service.”
The infrastructure enhancements form part of the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Territory’s transportation network and prepare for anticipated increases in passenger traffic.
Education
Twelve Primary Schools Advance to Final Round of 2025 Spelling Bee

Twelve primary schools in the Virgin Islands have secured places in the final round of the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports’ 2025 Spelling Bee Competition, scheduled to take place on 4 June.
The finalists were selected from a group of 17 schools that participated in the preliminary round, which featured a total of 34 students. Competitors prepared by studying a word list comprising approximately 3,000 words ahead of the event.
The final round of the competition will be streamed live on the official Facebook page of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
A recording of the preliminary round is also available for viewing on the same platform, at BVIGovernment.
Local News
BVI Officials Host Panel on Early Childhood Development Challenges and Solutions

Officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports in the British Virgin Islands recently convened a panel discussion addressing the challenges and opportunities in early childhood development across the Territory.
The panel brought together voices from education, health, and the private sector. Participants included Chief Education Officer Mrs Orlandette Crabbe; Consultant Paediatrician in the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) Dr Natasha Frett; Founder of Imagination Academy VI Ms Sharia de Castro; and Education Officer responsible for Early Childhood Development Ms Kimberly George.
The session focused on the importance of early childhood education and the need for strategic approaches to prepare young children with both academic and non-academic skills.
Chief Education Officer Mrs Crabbe emphasised the value of foundational skills in preparing children for formal schooling.
“In formal schooling we start from the very beginning, but let me tell you what we want,” Mrs Crabbe said. “We want a child that can listen, and follow instructions, who can relate to their peers without throwing a tantrum and falling down because they have to share a pencil or crayon.”
She continued, “We want our centres to be empowered to focus on what matters, and those are those non-academic skills that come about through engagement in a child’s natural environment, which is play.”
Education Officer Ms Kimberly George echoed this sentiment, reinforcing the Ministry’s focus on long-term impact.
“In the Ministry, we worked to add the tagline ‘Early Learning, Lifelong Impact’ because we believe that early learning does have a lifelong impact on our children in the future,” she said. “As a Ministry, we are committed to ensuring that students receive the quality learning experience that they deserve at that level.”
From the health sector, Dr Natasha Frett provided insight on brain development in early childhood and its connection to future learning.
“I am sure many of you would have heard that in the first five years of life, it is very critical for mental and brain development,” Dr Frett stated. “It is during that time that about 90 percent of the brain is being developed, under the age of five. Here we have this opportunity where you have all these neural pathways and connections being formed.”
Dr Frett described this period as “a perfect opportunity to develop certain learning skills—cognitive learning skills, social learning skills—all of these are very important for the age of five because the brain is maturing.”
Founder of Imagination Academy VI Ms Sharia de Castro contributed her perspective from the private education sector, calling for a shift from traditional instruction to more interactive, skill-based learning.
“I think we have to move away from the culture that is quick to put a pencil into their hand and give them a worksheet,” Ms de Castro said. “Instead, give them interactive experiences where their whole body is engaged.”
She explained, “For example, if we are focusing on letter identification or formation, instead of giving them a pencil and asking them to do that, we give them some playdough and ask them to form it instead—because we are building finger muscles and everything that we need for later learning.”
The panel discussion was part of Early Childhood Awareness Week. The full video is available for public viewing on the Government’s official Facebook page at BVIGovernment.
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