🌱 Legionnaires' Disease In USVI + A Story Of Slave Voyages

Good morning and good Monday! Let's kick off with the headlines. But first, are you sick of the rain, yet? The sun is back! Check the weekly weather forecast via Patch USVI.

Here are the stories I'm following this morning:

• Several cases of Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia that can be deadly, have been detected in the USVI. Cases were confirmed on St. Thomas and St. Croix, although the Health Department has not said how many cases they've detected. Individuals are infected if they breath in droplets of water that have the Legionella bacteria. In response to this latest outbreak, officials are advising residents to maintain their cisterns and other water systems, via the Virgin Islands Daily News.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $58.4 million via loans and grants to businesses in rural Florida and the Virgin Islands. The funding is intended to provide job training, support business expansion and provide technical assistance. The following USVI businesses were included in the announcement, via the VI Consortium:
  • Central Wholesale Inc. in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands will use $4,450,000 to purchase a building and open a second location. The new 16,000 sq. ft. location is near the cruise port and well-populated areas of Estate Thomas, Havensite and Frenchman's Bay. The store will provide tourist items for visitors from the cruise port.
  • Tramway Properties LLC in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands will use $5,000,000 to refinance a real estate debt and provide working capital. The project consists of a gondola skylift, skyride to Paradise Point and providing transportation to passengers on Flag Hill in St. Thomas. Paradise Point is a popular location with restaurants and retail shops that provide panoramic views of the harbor at 700 ft. elevation.
  • Abacus International LLC in St. Croix, Virgin Islands will use $5,100,000 to purchase equipment for the company.

"The VIPD [is] asking all residents to bring their firearms to the locations and we will give you cash at a fair market value for your guns...Bring in your firearms, ammunition and walk away with cold, hard cash no questions asked, no ID required," reads a statement from the V.I. Police Department. The Department is hosting a series of cash-for-guns events on St. Croix and St. Thomas, via the VI Consortium.

February is Black History Month, so please don't miss Mat Probasco's editorial in The Source about the Slave Trade: "Early this February, Black History Month, I found a resource that takes a reader back to before many of those people lived. The site, slavevoyages.org, chronicles the trans-Atlantic slave trade year by year, ship by ship. When possible, it lists where the voyages began and ended, the captain of the vessels, and how many captives they carried." Read more.

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Weather: A shower or two this morning. High: 80 Low: 73.

Today's Events:

• Power Yoga with Bille (5:30 p.m.)
• Bethlehem Watershed - Stormwater Solutions (5:30 p.m.)
• Whine & Fête While You Sweat: Dance Class with Natalie (6:30 p.m.)

Social Highlights:

• VI Dept. of Education: Meal Distribution Update for Secondary Students on the Days they Learn Virtually - Effective Mon., Feb. 7, 2022. (Facebook)
• The V.I. Housing Finance Authority has announced the availability of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2022 grant year applications. (Facebook)
• The VIPD is hosting a Community Fun & Paint event on February 12, from 10am-until. Everyone is encouraged to come out and have fun while painting. Please contact Captain Sandra Colbourne at (340) 244-6539 for more information. (Facebook)
• Friends of Virgin Islands National Park: has 2 announcements:
  • Trail Crew volunteers! This week’s work locations and meeting times ... (Facebook)
  • This week in the Park! Explore, experience, and learn!🌱💙 🐢Tuesday & Thursday (9AM - 11AM) — Turtle Info Table. Stop by and say hi to the Park Turtle Program Coordinators at Maho... (Facebook)

— Ashleigh Baldwin

About me: I'm the Patch Community News Editor for the U.S. Virgin Islands. I'm here to provide news you can use. Do you have a news tip, question or feedback? Please contact me at ashleigh.baldwin@patch.com.