Public holiday

The Beacon office will be closed for the Whit Monday holiday. It will reopen on Tuesday at the usual time, and advertising and editorial deadlines will remain the same. As a related reminder, the office is still temporarily located at Oyster Global Marketing across from the former Clarence Thomas Limited building in Pasea Estate.

 

Fighting the fire

Starting on Wednesday of last week, Facebook feeds were filled with photos and videos of the huge fire at the dumpsite in Coxheath. In the week since the blaze started, residents in this territory and the United States Virgin Islands have expressed concern over the still-burning fire and the constant smoke emanating from the site — which has caused respiratory issues and led some individuals to temporarily leave their homes. In the midst of the blaze, however, Chief Fire Officer Zebalon McLean and his team have clearly been working feverishly to extinguish the fire once and for all. The day after the blaze began, Mr. McLean was unable to speak to this reporter when she asked for more details about the incident (understandably, as he had much more pressing issues). But since that day, Mr. McLean has answered questions about the status of the fire while also continuing to oversee officers at the site as they control the blaze. It’s the Beaconite’s opinion that Mr. McLean and all hard-working fire officers deserve a lot of thanks, especially considering their limited resources since Hurricane Irma.

 

 

Digestives

A Beaconite first fell in love with McVitie’s digestive biscuits on a trip the United Kingdom many years ago. Later, in a roundabout way, they led to her forming a bond with a Greek scuba diver she met in the Cayman Islands (along with a shared fascination with Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, who is himself a native of Greece). They are a source of many fond memories, and in every Commonwealth country she’s travelled to since, she has sought them out. In fact, being able to buy them regularly was one of many selling points to her choosing to move to the VI. Her strange addiction, to the point where she usually devours a full-sized box every two days, initially made her an object of derision in the Beacon office, where most reporters, not being from the Commonwealth, were not familiar with them and held them in a certain contempt. At first they only started eating them because they were the only snack available. Gradually, they started asking for them, and in recent months, they have been regularly spotted buying them and bringing them into the office on their own. The Beaconite, her tastes finally vindicated, is delighted, because it often saves her a trip to the supermarket when she runs out.

 

Gag order?

A Beaconite attended last week’s public community meeting regarding the House of Commons’ decision to impose public registers on the British overseas territories. The meeting was very informative, and some of the territory’s most impressive legal minds presented interesting points and explanations about the development. However, a meeting organiser apparently didn’t want any of them to be known. He demanded that any media present refrain from reporting on anything said during the meeting. The Beaconite chuckled at this — no one can put a gag order on a public meeting, and no journalist can reasonably be expected to comply with such a demand, especially with no personal request made beforehand. The Beacon even received multiple official media invites to the event. The Beaconite paid no mind to the words, and hopes that no one will make any such orders in the future. Quotes from the meeting can be found in the public registers story, which begins on the front page.