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• Video News Shorts

  Clearing Up Usvi Dui And Open Container Laws

  ByAutomation Script-to-Article September 30, 2025

  The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) offers a unique blend of cultural norms and legal frameworks that often surprise visitors. While the territory is part of the United States, its legal drinking age is set at 18, unlike the standard 21 years in the mainland U.S. This distinction, along with other local laws, has led…

• Video News Shorts

  Seaborne Airlines: A New Chapter or Another Holding Pattern?

  ByAutomation Script-to-Article July 10, 2025July 10, 2025

  Seaborne Airlines, a key player in inter-island travel in the Virgin Islands, is under new ownership and leadership following a $1.425 million bankruptcy sale. The airline is now owned by the Leonite Fund, a New York-based private family office, and led by Darrell Richardson, a seasoned aviation executive known for restructuring Gulfstream into Silver Airways….

• Video News Shorts

  EPA Returns to St. Croix Refinery for Second Cleanup

  ByAutomation Script-to-Article July 10, 2025July 10, 2025

  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a second round of chemical cleanup at the former Limetree Bay or Hess refinery on St. Croix. This phase focuses on removing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) left inside two process units and an ISO container, which were overlooked due to a clerical error in earlier reporting. The oversight…

• Video News Shorts

  Dr. Gardiner Speaks Out on Abrupt Closure of Caribbean Kidney Center

  ByAutomation Script-to-Article July 9, 2025July 10, 2025

  On July 1st, Dr. Walter Gardiner made a decision that sent shockwaves through the island of St. Thomas: the abrupt closure of the Caribbean Kidney Center (CKC), the only private dialysis clinic in the USVI. With just hours’ notice, patients were left scrambling, and lawmakers accused him of abandoning care. Dr. Gardiner was called to…

• Video News Shorts

  Healthcare Crisis Sparks Protests Across Virgin Islands

  ByAutomation Script-to-Article July 9, 2025July 10, 2025

  Protesters took to the streets on both St. Croix and St. Thomas this week, raising alarms about what they describe as a collapsing healthcare system in the Virgin Islands. Demonstrations were held outside the territory’s main hospitals—Juan F. Luis Hospital (JFL) on St. Croix and Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas—where healthcare workers, patients,…

• Video News Shorts

  Dialysis Clinic Closure on St. Thomas Leaves Patients in Crisis

  ByAutomation Script-to-Article July 8, 2025July 10, 2025

  On July 1st, patients relying on life-saving dialysis on St. Thomas were given less than two hours’ notice before the Caribbean Kidney Center shut its doors. The closure occurred without a transition plan, patient records, or any arrangements for continued care. Dr. Walter Gardiner, the medical director of the clinic, emailed Schneider Regional Medical Center…

Read our Extended Articles for deeper coverage into important stories (in-progress)

• Extended Article

  (Out dated) UNDER CONSTRUCTION

  Byadmin May 25, 2025June 22, 2025

  We are rapidly expanding the VI Update network. As we do we will start including longer detailed written articles here to expand on our short-format video coverage. Of course we will post those to Facebook as well so be sure to follow Brian Louden (verified)!

Explore our frequently asked questions for clarity.

What is V.I. Update?

V.I. Update is an independent journalism platform dedicated to reporting in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We focus on transparency, public access, and accountability—delivering fact-first reporting through video, radio, and written stories.

How does V.I. Update ensure accuracy?

V.I. Update uses a combination of techniques to meet modern journalistic standards. Human vetting makes all final decisions. We use automated systems and filters to organize our resources and often information arrives to us from them. All of our systems reference where all information comes from allowing for the human to verify it before usage.

What topics do you cover?

Our reporting focuses on issues that directly impact daily life in the Virgin Islands. We cover local governance, public utilities, disaster recovery, infrastructure, economic development, and territorial law—always with a public-interest lens.

Who founded V.I. Update?

V.I. Update was founded by journalist and former MythBusters host Brian Louden. After relocating to St. Croix in 2020, he worked across a range of local industries—from managing adventure sport locations to repairing spear fishing gear and renting tanks out of La Reine Fish Market.

During that time, he built a dedicated audience of over 100,000 followers around his videos exploring the history, culture, politics, and daily life of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Inspired by creators like Aaron Parnas and Zoë Bread—and driven by a desire to shift from commentary to clarity—he refocused his efforts on journalism.

V.I. Update was launched to bring independent transparent, investigative reporting to the territory, with a focus on civic accountability, access to public data, and community engagement.