On Monday, the Senate Committee on Youth, Sports, Parks, and Recreation approved the “bush-track bill.” If enacted into law, the bill would set aside land for a makeshift horse racetrack to alleviate community grievances that the territory’s two official race tracks have yet to reopen after they were devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Senator Kurt Vialet presented the bill after a discussion earlier with the Virgin Islands Horse Racing Commission. During the senate hearing, representatives of the Virgin Islands Horse Racing Commission informed legislators that there is a “stalemate” involving VIGL Operations LLC, the grantee, and Southland Gaming Inc. The committee passed the bill by a 6-1 vote, forwarding it to the Rules and Judiciary Committee for further review. If signed into law, the bill allows the Government of the Virgin Islands to set aside land for a bush track and authorizes the Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation to issue the St. Croix Horsemen a license to use government property to operate a bush track.
The national weather service in San Juan provides an update on the weather. The storm we are watching is Tropical Storm Teddy, which is intensifying and is expected to become a hurricane today with sustained winds of 115 miles per hours. Teddy expected to be a major hurricane with sustained winds of 115 miles per hours. On its current track, Teddy is expected to pass more than 500 miles northeast of the territory.
Federal and territorial officials and law enforcement officers came together to fight health care fraud. The U.S. Attorney, Gretchen C.F. Shappert, announced that with these increased levels of funding in the territory, the task force is an essential step in our efforts to increase our collaboration with the Virgin Islands Justice Department, health care agencies, and law enforcement partners. “The fight against criminal and civil health care fraud is a top priority for my office, and the task force strengthens our capacity to fight health care fraud through a collaborative approach.”