🌱 Lionfish Are Not For Sharks, New Hurdles For Limetree + More

Good morning. There are new objections to the sale of the Limetree Bay Refinery. That story and more below:

• Caribbean Oceanic Restoration and Education Foundation has been sounding the alarm on the invasive lionfish in USVI waters since 2009, along with actively removing the fish when found. Now the group has a new message for the public, via The Source: stop feeding lionfish to sharks. “We never used to see sharks harass us when we were removing lionfish. Now sharks are aggressive, and I think it’s because people are letting sharks eat lionfish off their spears,” said Frank Cummings, President of CORE.
• January 21 is the closing date for the sale of Limetree Bay Refinery to Jamaica-based West Indies Petroleum. But not if St. Croix Energy and the V.I. government have their way. Both parties have filed suit objecting to the transaction. St. Croix Energy wants to buy more time to appeal the auction process. Meanwhile, the V.I. government wants to ensure it will be paid $7.5 million in money owed to it by Limetree Bay Refining. Full story in The Source.
• Construction is going well at the Paul E. Joseph Stadium. Work began in October 2021 and the Department of Public Works confirmed that since then, the contractor has poured a full slab of concrete for the left field bleachers. Find out what's next in the VI Consortium.

Here are the top stories in US Virgin Islands today:

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Today's weather: Some sun with a quick shower. High: 82 Low: 73.

Today's Events:

• No Problemo Playing at BrewSTX (5:30 p.m.)
• Good Vibes Thursday Night featuring Reggae Dynasty (6:00 p.m.)
• Trivia Thursdays with Virgin Islands Comedy Club (7:00 p.m.)

Social Buzz:

• The VIPD St. Thomas / St. John District is asking for the community’s assistance in locating 32-year-old Kadeem Barnes. Barnes is a Black male, standing around 6 feet 2 inches in height, weighing approximately 165 pounds. He has black hair and beard, brown eyes, with a brown complexion. (Facebook)
• VI Department of Health Reminds Public: All Positive COVID-19 Cases to Isolate for 10 Days (Facebook)
• "One of your favorite Love City Establishments is celebrating some major milestones this month! Take a walk down memory lane with this classic Mongoose Junction restaurant." (Twitter)
• Wondering where you can watch the Eagles play the Bucs on Sunday? You're not the only one. "Any Philadelphia Eagles fans on island? Where are you watching the game on Sunday? Also where is a decent spot to watch football in general? Thank you!" Recommendations include Caribbean Saloon, Doghouse, Sudi's at Sapphire, The Dive Bar and Smoking Rooster. (Facebook)

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— 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.