Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands in Battle Over Captain Morgan

Campaign cash pours in from Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

(NEWSER) - Charles Rangel’s campaign coffers are bulging with campaign cash from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but he insists that’s in no way influencing his decision on the competing rum tax bills each territory is pushing. “Besides Puerto Rico, you are the only one who has asked about it,” he told a Washington Times reporter. At stake: The Virgin Islands' pact to lure Captain Morgan’s distillery from Puerto Rico. More»

(NEWSER) - For those who associate "rum" with Captain Morgan, it might be time to put away the 2-liter bottle of generic cola. The perennial pirate fave is clawing its way up to the top shelf, writes John Mariani for Bloomberg, and giving whiskies, brandies, and Scotches a run for their money. Mariani's picks:

• Ron Zacapa Centenario Solera Grand Reserve ($39-$45): This Guatemalan offering "has a huge bouquet" with "plenty of caramel flavor and tasty tobacco notes." Cut with water.
• Flor de Cana Grand Reserve ($22): This "tropical, Nicaraguan beauty" has "a mild piney aroma" and fruit flavors.

Hurricane could threaten Puerto Rico as Category 2

(NEWSER) - Caribbean oil refineries are under threat from Hurricane Omar, whose 85-mph winds roared through St. Croix today, Bloomberg reports. It could hit the Virgin Islands, home to one of the hemisphere's largest refineries, as a Category 2 storm tomorrow. Puerto Rico may be in line for 20 inches of rain and life-threatening floods, forecasters say. More»

Family fun in the sun at St. Thomas beach resort

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is taking a breather from the grueling campaign trail in the US Virgin Islands, AP reports. The candidate and his family flew Sunday to St. Thomas, where tourists spotted them at a beach resort. Obama has been spending his downtime golfing rather than politicking, although he was greeted by the territory's Democratic governor at the airport. More»

Tens of thousands homeless as UN scrambles for aid

(NEWSER) - The death toll from a violent storm that ripped through the Caribbean earlier this week has risen to 38 as flood waters recede and rescuers comb through the wreckage, the BBC reports. All but three of the deaths from Tropical Storm Olga were in the Dominican Republic, where tens of thousands are homeless and crops have been devastated. Survivors say the government performed miserably during the storm. More»