Thursday, June 25, 2026 - Part 2

Thursday, June 25, 2026 - Part 2

Part 2 - Host Neville James welcomes Dr. Ashley Ward and Duke University students Hyunjin Lee, Nick Kantos, Dylan McCarthy, Melena Flores, Christopher Connors, Parker Upton, and Dresden Benke to discuss their Heat Policy Innovation Hub fieldwork in St. Croix. The students share insights on climate data collection, environmental challenges, career paths, and their personal experiences studying engineering, statistics, and science while engaging with the Virgin Islands community. Dr. Ward highlights interdisciplinary collaboration and future partnerships with the University of the Virgin Islands, as the group reflects on resilience, equity, and the next generation of scientific leadership.

Thursday, June 25, 2026 - Part 1

Part 1 - Host Neville James analyzes World Cup 2026 results and the new format, highlighting the United States’ performance as Group D winners and the broader economic power of FIFA compared to major U.S. sports leagues. He is joined by Dr. Ashley Ward and Duke University students Tim Jung, Catherine Hua, and Bri Hidalgo to discuss Duke’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub, their climate and heat-mapping work on St. Croix, and their first impressions of Virgin Islands culture and environment.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 - Part 2

Part 2 - Host Neville James is joined by guests Malik Sekou and Dwayne Henry in a discussion of rising inequality and cost‑of‑living. Malik emphasized the need for greater wealth redistribution and taxing billionaires, while Dwayne highlighted that people still aspire to economic mobility and are not fully committed to socialist systems. Neville concluded that although progressive ideas can gain traction, there is a natural limit to redistribution in American politics, which ultimately remains a hybrid of capitalism and targeted government intervention.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 - Part 1

Part 1 - Host Neville James is joined by Daryl Jaschen, Director of VITEMA, who provides a mid-season hurricane preparedness update, noting current conditions such as Sahara dust, heat, low humidity, and weak tropical waves, while emphasizing that peak hurricane risk typically comes later in the season despite early activity like Tropical Storm Arthur. Jasper highlights ongoing risks from sargassum impacting desalination plants, the importance of monitoring water temperatures, and the unpredictability of rapid storm intensification and heavy rainfall events that can cause flooding and infrastructure challenges across the Virgin Islands.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - Part 2

Part 2 - Analyze This with guest Karl Knight (CEO of WAPA) and Shanell Spencer (Communications Director) in a discussion about ongoing power challenges, including feeder outages, underground infrastructure repairs, and safety issues related to water in manholes. Knight explains that the main drivers of outages are aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance, and limited generation capacity, especially in St. Thomas, where multiple major units are offline and capacity margins are tight. The discussion highlights operational realities at WAPA, including the financial strain from repairs, the benefits of solar energy in reducing fuel costs, and ongoing efforts to stabilize the grid through backup generation and infrastructure upgrades.