🌱 Man Shot In Conant + Bryan Sets Aside $40 Million For Workers

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in the territory, with 209 new cases since yesterday. The current total is 2,169. But there's good news for folks who had to work through the pandemic, to the tune of $40 million in stimulus payments.

Those stories and more are worth reading:

• A male victim was shot on Tuesday night in Conant. He told police he was in a local establishment when he heard gunshots. Only then did he realize he had been shot. Full story in Patch USVI.
• Governor Bryan has earmarked $40 million to be paid to VI employees in the public and private sectors who worked through pandemic. Professions include nurses, grocery store employees and others. The pay-outs are considered stimulus payments. Read more in the VI Consortium.
• Commercial waste haulers started paying tipping fees to the V.I. Waste Management Authority on Monday, after the authority held several town hall meetings with the haulers to discuss the new procedures. Some haulers have voiced dissatisfaction with the new system and say they are still owed money by the Authority. Find out how the tipping fees are implemented and why, via the Virgin Islands Daily News.
• The Coast Guard rescued four men after their boat ran out of fuel and drifted for three days. British Virgin Islands authorities assisted with the rescue on Tuesday. The men were floating near BVI territory. According to a press release from the Coast Guard, crews rescued "a French and three Dutch nationals, who were traveling aboard the 30-foot recreational vessel Water Baby on Sunday morning from Anguilla to Saint-Maarten, when their vessel reportedly ran out of gas." Via the Virgin Islands Daily News.
• The Mars Hill Central Records Bureau Offices is closed due to a COVID-19 exposure, via Patch USVI

From our sponsor:

Today's US Virgin Islands Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in US Virgin Islands!

Today's weather: Humid; a shower in the p.m.. High: 83 Low: 73. Weekend weather forecast via Patch USVI.

Today's Events:

• Altona Lagoon Clean Up (8:30 a.m.)
• Friday Movie Nights (6:00 p.m.)
• Annual Service to Honor the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King (6:30 p.m.)
• Jahnee Red Locks at Leatherback Brewing Company in St. Croix (5:00 p.m.)
• Caribbean Community Theater Presents: Fireflies (8:00 p.m.)

And check out the line-up of events this weekend via Patch USVI.

Social Buzz:

• "Introducing “Here, St.John” — an oral history about Virgin Islands National Park and St. John that serves to give voice to the heritage, culture and natural history as told by born St. Johnians and resident scientists. These stories reca..." (Facebook)
• Tune in to hear Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett speak at the Annual Service in Honor of the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King. Hosted by the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas. This event will be held on Zoom. (Facebook)
• Governmental & Industrial Co-ed Softball is making a come-back. To register a team, sign up by January 14th, 2022. Don't miss this "fierce inter-agency competition!" (Facebook)
• The "No V.I. Child Goes Hungry" Feeding Initiative begins Jan. 13 in the St. Croix District and Jan. 18 in the St. Thomas-St. John District. (Facebook)

Enjoying these updates? Here are 3 ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at ashleigh.baldwin@patch.com

— 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.