A St. Thomas man turned himself into authorities after assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, the V.I. Police Department reported Friday.
On Thursday at about 10:30 a.m., Deon McKenzie was placed under arrest after his ex-girlfriend identified him as the person who assaulted her, according to the police report.
The victim stated that McKenzie became irate when she decided to end their relationship. The victim also stated that McKenzie shoved her against a wall, placed a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her. She further stated that McKenzie threatened to kill her numerous times and demanded that she not leave, the police report stated.
McKenzie, 51, turned himself into the Domestic Violence Unit and faces charges of assault second-degree domestic violence, assault third-degree domestic violence, false imprisonment domestic violence, simple assault domestic violence, and disturbance of the peace domestic violence. No bail was set as per the Domestic Violence statute, police said.
Ganesh Sooklal
With heavy hearts and great sadness, we announce the loss of Ganesh “Sookie” Sooklal born on Aug. 16, 1943, and passed on Aug. 17. He was 80 years old.
He was survived by his wife, Myroon Sooklal; children and in-laws: Joanne and Wilfred Cooksey, Rohan and Jaqueline Sooklal, and Sandra Sooklal; grandchildren: Sahnjun, Brittany, Brandon, Kaliska, Kyle, Zoe and Vashti; great-grandchildren: Grace and Jeremiah; siblings: Ramsaroop Sarran and Dularee Sarran; as well as relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
Sookie was born on the beautiful island of Trinidad and Tobago. He relocated with his wife and children to St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov. 7, 1977. He was a jack of all trades, master of none. In 1989, Sookie and Myroon established M&G’s Restaurant at 75 Corner, Savan. Known for the best roti on the island, he became well-known as the “roti man.” In 1998, Mamie’s House of Roti was established at TuTu Park Mall and closed in 2006.
Sookie was known for his beautiful smile to all who patronized the restaurant. enjoyed traveling and spending time with his children, grandchildren and friends. Many of you who knew him will remember him for his sense of humor — always ready to tell a joke.
He was passionate about gardening and horse racing. Always willing to teach and give advice to his children and grandchildren. He was intelligent, patient and kind!
In 1998, Sookie had a massive heart attack, which led to open heart surgery. After hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, he relocated to Texas in 2019, where he had a second open heart surgery. While on vacation on his beloved island of St. Thomas, he had a massive stroke on Aug. 6. He is now happily reunited with loved ones and in the arms of his God and Lord Jesus Christ, resting in eternal peace.
A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. Please join us for the celebration of life for a phenomenal man at 10:30 a.m., Nov. 16, at Blyden Memorial Chapel. He will forever be missed.
Expressions of condolences may be made online at www.turnbullsfuneralhome.vi.com. Professional services are entrusted to Turnbull’s Funeral Home and Crematory Services, 3815 Crown Bay, Suite 10, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Turnbull’s Funeral Home and Crematory Services St. Thomas, USVI.
In Thursday’s committee hearing on St. John, lawmakers approved three bills. (Photo by Judi Shimel)
Lawmakers met Thursday on St. John to consider a better way for emergency managers to communicate in times of disaster. A proposal that would allow trained volunteers to assist in that area was one of three bills approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Justice, and Public Safety.
V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency Assistant Director Steve Deblasio led a panel of three testifiers speaking to Bill No. 35-0175. The measure, sponsored by Committee Chairman Kenneth Gittens, would authorize a team of volunteers to operate an auxiliary radio network before, during, and after a catastrophic event.
He was accompanied by the manager of the American Radio Relay League and a representative of a local volunteer network called VOAD. Both league manager Fred Kleber and St. John businesswoman Celia Kalousek are licensed ham radio operators. Kleber told lawmakers how running an effective auxiliary network can help emergency managers stay in touch when hurricanes and other disasters damage infrastructure that normal communications rely on.
“These contributions from the hams are quantifiable and are of a direct benefit to the territory,” Kleber said. But to protect those volunteers, he said, any law created should include Good Samaritan provisions. There would also have to be some cross-training between government responders and the volunteers to make sure the jargon they rely on is recognized by all.
Appeals for a unified approach also came from officials of the V.I. Division of Personnel during consideration of Bill No. 35-0086. That bill, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Dwayne DeGraff, would make background checks a requirement for information technicians handling confidential information or working in government data centers.
DeGraff said the measure is intended to keep sensitive information away from those who might misuse it. Sen. Diane Capehart, a non-committee member, offered an endorsement.
“It only takes one bad hire to jeopardize your entire department,” Capehart said. But Division of Personnel Director Cindy Richardson was among those encouraging a different approach.
Johnathan Tucker, deputy director of the Bureau of Information Technology, said putting background checks in the hands of the BIT would cost more than letting Personnel take charge. It may also put the agency at risk of violating anti-discrimination laws.
Gittens praised DeGraff and other committee members for thinking things over and coming up with amendments. The measure passed as amended.
Afterward, the sponsor expressed satisfaction. “I’m not trying to violate anyone’s laws, but a process has to be in place, in the law, going forward,” DeGraff said.
The third measure passed on Thursday would establish the Real Crime Center Centralized Crime Data System within the Virgin Islands Police Department. Capehart, the sponsor, said Bill No. 35-0131 would help police access real-time information to aid their investigations. “You have all these different kinds of technologies — you have ShotSpotters, the reader ID for your license plates, cameras — all of these things tie into a real-time crime center,” Capehart said.
As the measure moves towards further consideration in the Rules and Judiciary Committee and the full Senate, the sponsor said she is arranging some field trips for her colleagues to see similar systems in action on the U.S. mainland.
Sens Kenneth L. Gittens, Ray Fonseca, Angel L. Bolques Jr, Diane T. Capehart, Dwayne M. DeGraff, Alma Francis Heyliger, and Franklin D. Johnson attended Thursday’s hearing.
United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller, who has served the District Court of the Virgin Islands since 2010, will be retiring in July, Chief District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy announced Wednesday.
Miller was appointed as Magistrate Judge for the Division of St. Thomas/St. John on April 26, 2010, and was later reappointed on April 26, 2018. She will retire on July 25.
“During her tenure, Judge Miller served the federal judiciary with distinction, handling preliminary, pretrial and trial matters in civil and criminal cases, and other matters as assigned. She is known to be a knowledgeable jurist of exceptional temperament who takes great pride in moving her cases. Judge Miller is a stickler for timeliness, civility, and professional responsibility — aiding in the effective and efficient management of the Court’s docket,” according to the press release announcing her retirement.
“It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the people of the Virgin Islands in the District Court,” Miller said in a statement. “It is bittersweet to be moving on, but I know the next generation of lawyers and judges will continue to raise the bar in administering justice in this community.”
Miller grew up in Evanston, Illinois, attended college at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and graduated from the John Marshall Law School (now the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law) in 1983. She left a partnership in a Big Law firm to move to the Virgin Islands in 1993, where she became a dedicated “boatie,” practicing in the territory both as a solo practitioner and with the firm of Dudley Topper Feuerzeig before joining the Court.
Miller served on the board of Legal Services, and was an international judge for sailing events, traveling the world for 20 years, according to the release. She and her husband, Galen Swingen, have a large family of rescued cats and look forward to spending more time playing golf and being on the water, it said.
“On behalf of the entire District Court family, Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy extends his sincere gratitude for the 14 years of dedicated service that Judge Miller provided to the District Court of the Virgin Islands, the legal community of the Virgin Islands, and the people of the territory. We wish her a very happy retirement!” the release stated.
An Alfredo Andrews Elementary School student is tested for lead in the blood. (Photo courtesy of V.I. Health Department)
Beginning Monday, the V.I. Health Department, in cooperation with the V.I. Education Department, will offer pediatric blood lead level testing at the Lew Muckle Elementary School for students six years old and younger, the agencies announced Thursday.
The lead test will be provided at no cost to the child and parental consent is required before the test can be administered, according to the press release.
Last week, the department established a base of operation near its modulars in Estate Richmond to provide lead testing for all children 0 to 6 years of age on St. Croix. However, parent-teacher organizations and legislators have requested that the DOH also begin testing at school campuses. In response, the department’s Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases divisions are reorganizing its team members to offer lead testing at two sites each day — at a school and at its base, the press release stated.
The move comes after tests conducted at the end of September and returned to the territory Oct. 13 showed elevated amounts of lead in 35 of 65 test sites and elevated copper levels at 15 sites on St. Croix. A few test sites revealed dangerously toxic water.
“We understand that many parents are concerned and anxious about their children being exposed to lead and want them tested now,” said V.I. Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion. “We are working as quickly as we can to make the pediatric lead testing as accessible as possible. We ask parents for their patience and cooperation as we work to provide lead testing at schools and in communities impacted by the lead contamination,” she said.
Additionally, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has directed the DOH to include other health-related activities while it conducts pediatric lead testing at elementary schools. The department is including physical and behavioral health education through the Maternal Child Health and Behavioral Health divisions, the release stated.
Parents or guardians must register their child and give consent on the DOH’s registration portal, Lead Testing Gateway | Beacon USVI.
The pediatric blood lead test, also known as a finger-prick sample, is the first step in checking a child’s blood for lead content. If the finger prick test yields positive results, the DOH will promptly contact the parent or guardian to recommend follow-up testing through a venous blood draw, according to the release.
A blood lead test is the best way to find out if a child has lead poisoning, the department said. A child with lead poisoning may not have visible signs or symptoms, and many children who have lead poisoning look and act healthy. Children under the age of six are still developing rapidly, and lead exposure can adversely affect their brain, nervous system, growth, development, and overall behavior, it said.
Lead exposure, which can begin in the womb and continue through early childhood, has been linked to attention deficits, hyperactivity, and lowered IQ levels in children. Early identification of lead in the blood is key to reducing the long-term effects of lead exposure. Often, lead poisoning may not manifest visible symptoms, making blood lead tests crucial for diagnosis, the release stated.
The pediatric lead testing is part of the department’s “Safe Haven — A Lead-Free Families Initiative,” program which aims to test 1,000 children on St. Croix to establish a baseline of current exposure levels as the territory progresses toward a lead-free future, it said.
Testing Results
Lew Muckle is the second elementary school on St. Croix to receive free pediatric lead testing. Last week, the DOH tested 64 Alfredo Andrews Elementary School students from Granny Pre-K, first and second grade. To date, the Epidemiology Division has tested 85 children, with 84 negative results and one suspected positive identified, according to the release.
In response to concerns about elevated levels of lead and copper in St. Croix’s potable water system, Bryan declared a State of Emergency on Oct. 31. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the DOH are leading the response effort, alongside VITEMA and the V.I. Water and Power Authority, it said.
Residents with health concerns related to lead exposure and testing may call the V.I. Health Department hotlines from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For assistance, contact 340-712-6299 or 340-776-1519.
“Clear de Road,” the Emancipation 175 Exhibit at the Fort Frederik Museum, part three of a three-part series, concludes with artists whose “decolonial work recenters the narrative to ensure it speaks from inside the Virgin Islands and for the Virgin Islands.”The exhibit opened on July 3 and can be seen through Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Clear de Road” is presented by the Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums and was in partnership with the 175th Emancipation Commemorative Committee, sponsored by First Bank, with support by the Office of the Governor.Part One and Part Two reveal the diversity of the artists in honoring their ancestors. Part Three continues in the same vein and invites the community to explore each part, digest each part, and share each part in honor of those who came before and of those who are yet to come. Typhanie Yanique is a novelist, essayist, and poet. She is an outspoken activist on behalf of the Caribbean. She appeared on Democracy Now! on NPR and published an op-ed in the New York Times on the U.S. response to hurricanes in the region. Winner of numerous literary prizes, Yanique was a finalist for the Lambda Awards and the Townsend Prize for her most recent novel, Monster in the Middle. She is from the Virgin Islands and is a professor at Emory University.Stephanie Hanlon is a photographer, writer, and businesswoman. Hanlon’s photography has been shown in a number of exhibitions, including those curated by the High Museum’s photographer, curator Gregory Harris and the Atlanta Contemporary Museum of Art’s Executive Director Veronica Hogan. Her photography has appeared in many publications throughout New York and the Virgin Islands during her nearly 20 years as a journalist. Hanlon currently publishes her work on her blog, Literary Lens.Portal — Printed Book and Postcards by Tiphanie Yanique and Stephanie HanlonPortal is a collaboration between writer Yanique and photographer Hanlon to make art a decolonial magic of connecting descendants to their homeland. Formally, Portal is a series of postcards. This ubiquitous symbol of touristic and colonial gaze is recalled and put instead into service for Virgin Islanders to communicate with other Virgin Islanders. The poems do myth-making work by presenting narrative writing from ancestors and to ancestors using the poetic forms of the found poem, the golden shovel and the map. The photos do the magic of abbreviating time and flattening space using techniques with slow and fast exposures. The duo said, “We approach this work as mothers.” Hanlon, a native New Yorker, birthed her child in the Virgin Islands. Yanique, a native Virgin Islander, birthed her children in New York. “We claim the V.I. for our children. Portal serves as a compressed voyage for our children to a Virgin Islands’ legacy.”Portal (Source photo by Elisa McKay)V.I. Youths as Keepers of the Flame Project by Mark “Feijao” Milligan II & Danica David V.I. Youths as Keepers of a five-part mural is a collaborative project by world-renowned artist Milligan and artist/educator David, curator Monica Marin, and students of the St. Croix Educational Complex High School’s 21st Century Summer Program. Panel 1 – General Buddhoe blows the conch shell to alert enslaved St. Croix Africans of their freedom at Fort Frederik in 1848. (Photo by Quiana Adams)
Panel 2 — Cutlass red and white colors are reminiscent of the Danish flag and Panel 3 — Three Queens of the Fireburn of 1878. Horizon shows flames of plantations or crops on fire. (Photo by Quiana Adams)Panel 4 – Conch Shell used for calling those who were not nearby. (Photo by Quiana Adams)Panel 5 — Represents the modern day of 2023 with profiles of a young man and young woman. Flames in the background signify the Youths as Keepers of the Flame Now and in the Future. (Photo by Quiana Adams)Gerville Larsen “To conceptualize the importance and relevance of Emancipation to native Virgin Islanders and the African Diaspora by invoking the hunger for freedom realized and achieved by our heroic ancestors. This hunger for freedom is encoded in our DNA as descendants of formerly enslaved Africans and Indigenous Peoples.”Larsen’s two works address “facets of what we have endured and what connective bridges we have with our past that are linked to our present.”Viatic Voyage was one of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ representatives in the III Biennial of Caribbean and Latin American Art held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.It is part one of two differently scaled figurist paintings that address the inconceivable horror of the transport of enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage.Viatic Voyage (Source photo by Elisa McKay)Fervid & Forthright
Part of a diptych from the “fervid & forthright” collection. The piece is based on the principle of Sankofa, a word in the Twi language of the Akan people of Ghana, which translates to “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind (The power of Sankofa centers around this: to know history and your heritage is to know your current self, the world around you, and how to better both).
” … mine nourishing my soul” Watercolor, gesso, ink. (Source photo by Elisa McKay)Ayana Omilade Flewellen (they/she) is a Black feminist, an archaeologist, a storyteller, and an artist scholar. Flewellen is the co-founder and current president of the Society of Black Archaeologists, sits on the Board of Diving With a Purpose, and is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. As an artist, their work addresses Black Feminist Theory, historical archaeology, maritime heritage conservation, processes of identity formations, representations of slavery, and memory. Their art practice is rooted in the physicality of the ground and takes the form of metal and stone adornments and small installation pieces.Flewellen was selected for the inaugural 2021-2023 cohort Called By Water and has been featured in National Geographic, Science Magazine, PBS, and CNN; and regularly presents their work at Stanford, Harvard, and the National Museum for Women in the Arts.
Flewellen shares the piece as part of an ongoing series, “Histories Held in the Atlantic: The Boat Above and the Boat Below,” which asks what formations of Black futurity are made possible when we wade into the depths of the Atlantic as a space of Black becoming.”Histories Held in the Atlantic is unfolding in my mind and through my hand as I read and reread “The Open Boat” by Edouard Glissant,” they said. “In the ‘Open Boat,’ Glissant theorized the ethnogenesis of Black Diasporic identity in the Americas through the wooden vessels carrying enslaved Africans across the Atlantic as spaces of death and rebirth.” Glissant writes, “The Slave Trade came through the cramped doorway of the slave ship, leaving a wake like that of crawling desert caravans.” While Glissant theorizes cultural formations on both sides of the Atlantic, Histories Held in the Atlantic holds the ocean as an intermediator in stasis, asking that knowledge is held by the ancestors in the depths of the ocean.Histories Held in the Atlantic: The Belly of the Boat, Oya and our Ancestors. Copper, cow bone, cowrie shell, gemstone. (Photo by Monica Marin)Elisa McKay is a self-taught artist who grew up in Harlem, New York. McKay migrated to St. Croix to teach high school English, raise her young daughter, and become a companion/caregiver to her aging parents in their native home. This “Island Paradise” was the inspiration for her handcrafted greeting cards, which later moved to increasingly larger formats interpreting themes of family, community, celebration, and culture. Silhouettes of African fabric and paper, combined with acrylic, gouache, watercolor and findings, create striking mixed-media designs. McKay exhibits regularly on St. Croix and has shown her work at galleries on the mainland. Her collages can be seen on local calendars. They have adorned the covers of several publications and have been used as advertising media. McKay’s most recent contribution to the arts is her Solo Retrospective: Celebrating 40 Years of Joy at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted, St. Croix. Ancestral Joy is McKay’s collage embellished on the canvas background of Ogese McKay’s rendition of the Christiansted Steeple, built in 1753 and was the place for religious worship until 1831. It was the first Lutheran Church, which was later changed to the Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church. Officers and soldiers at Fort Christiansvaern, plus government officials and staff of the Danish West Indies, worshiped there. Africans were allowed to worship at the Steeple building before the Emancipation of 1848. “My parents were married in the Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church on King St. in 1919. They were both eulogized there — my mother in 1985, my father in 1995. The art depicts Ancestral Joy full circle.”Ancestral Joy (Submitted photo)Paloma McGregor is a Crucian choreographer based in New York City. McGregor makes Black work with Black folks for Black space. A former newspaper reporter, she combines a choreographer’s craft, a journalist’s urgency, and an anti-racist organizer’s framework to activate creative communities and shepherd collaborative visioning. McGregor has been an inaugural recipient of several major awards for her art-making and organizing, including Mosaic Network & Fund, Dance/USA’s Fellowship to Artists, Urban Bush Woman’s Choreographic Center Institute Fellowship, and Surdna Foundation’s Artists Engaging in Social Change. In 2017, she won a “Bessie” Award for performance with skeleton architecture, a collection of Black women(+) improvisers. McGregor is currently a resident artist at BAAD! The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance is a recipient of the two-year Artist Employment Program of Creatives Rebuild New York (2022-2024).A ‘we deh ya (All of us are here): Sketch 321 – Salt/Cane/WombIn a Crucian sugar cane field, three Black women converge, dancing through an inherited liberation code. The choreographic proposal is a political one: our bodies carry the technologies for reclaiming spaces and enacting our freedom. Our freedom depends on our ability to collaborate across Black diasporic experience; the collaborators have roots in Ghana, Peru, the Virgin Islands, and the Continental U.S.
“A ‘we deh ya” is:Conceived and directed by Paloma McGregorCo-created by Rosa Lisbeth NavarreteFilmed by McGregor, MK Abadoo and Monica MarinChoreographed and performed by Paloma McGregor, MK Abadoo and Savannah Lyons Anthony, with Olamina McGregor, Young-Spivey and Ella AbadooPoems by Jacob V. WhiteVoice by Rosa Lisbeth NavarreteProduced by Angela’s PulseFilmed in Ay Ay (colonially known as St. Croix, US Virgin Islands)Special Thanks to:Open Society Foundation’s Soros Arts FellowshipThe National Center for Choreography (NCCAkron)And curator Cara Hagan, for your invitation, vision and faithV.I. Youths as Keepers of the Flame Project are the following SCECHS students who assisted in the five-panel mural: Malik Stevens, Jayla John, A’Nyra Richards, Alexander Polydore Jr., Zuma Nisbett, Jayda Patrick, and educator Eloise A. Henry.The V.I. Youths as Keepers of the Flame Project was made possible by DPNR’s Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museum’s Chief Curator Monica Marin, Director Amy DeSorbo, The Virgin Islands 175th Emancipation Commemoration Committee Chairwoman Carol Burke, ECC’s Subcommittee on Education and Public Display Chair Akeem McIntosh, SCECHS Principal Rodney Moorehead, Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach.Clear de Road was curated by Monica Marin and co-produced by Akeem McIntosh, chair of the 175th EEC’s Subcommittee on Education and Public Display, with exhibition installation and assistance from Niarus Walker and Ralph Motta.For more information:
Call Fort Frederik Museum at 340-772-2021
The 2023 holiday schedule was announced by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. Thursday, locking in the dates that government employees will be granted administrative leave and Virgin Islands government offices will be closed. 2023 Holiday Schedule: · Friday, Nov. 10: Veteran’s Day (Observed) — Closed· Thursday, Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Day – Closed· Friday, Nov. 24: Day after Thanksgiving — All non-essential Executive Branch employees will be granted administrative leave from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.· Monday, Dec. 25: Christmas Day — Closed· Tuesday, Dec. 26: Boxing Day — Closed· Monday, Jan. 1: New Year’s Day — Closed
Wednesday, Jan. 3: Crucian Christmas Festival — Food, Arts, and Crafts Fair – All non-essential Executive Branch employees on the island of St. Croix will be granted administrative leave from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m
Thursday, Jan. 4: Crucian Christmas Festival — J’Ouvert — All non-essential Executive Branch employees on the island of St. Croix will be granted administrative leave from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m
Friday, Jan. 5: Crucian Christmas Festival — Children’s Parade — All non-essential Executive Branch employees territory-wide will be granted administrative leave from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15, 2024: Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Closed
Three Kings Day will be celebrated on Saturday, Jan. 6.
USVI Men’s Lacrosse Team will compete at the 2023 Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) Sixes Cup in Jamaica. (Photo courtesy of USVI Lacrosse Association)
The U.S. Virgin Islands Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Teams will be traveling to Kingston, Jamaica, to play in the 2023 Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) Sixes Cup from Nov. 9-11, the U.S. Virgin Islands Lacrosse Association announced Thursday.
Rich Carter, the executive director of the U.S. Virgin Islands Lacrosse Association, is thrilled for the inaugural USVI Women’s team and the USVI Men’s team to compete in the upcoming tournament, “I am extremely excited that both our Women’s and Men’s teams will have the opportunity to represent the Virgin Islands in what will be a fantastic event in Jamaica,” Carter said.
While the Men’s program has previously played in PALA tournaments, the event in Jamaica will be the first event for the U.S. Virgin Islands Women’s Lacrosse team, according to the press release.
The Sixes format of lacrosse that will be played over the three days is the version of the sport that the International Olympic Committee approved on Oct. 16 for lacrosse’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the press release stated.
“Sixes is a fast-paced version of the sport played on a smaller field (70 x 36 meters), with fewer players (6 v 6), a condensed game length (four 8-minute quarters) and a 30-second shot clock,” according to the USA Lacrosse website.
This will be the second edition of the PALA Sixes Cup after the first tournament took place in Auburndale, Florida, in 2021, the release stated.
Lacrosse in the Caribbean is on the rise as Jamaica placed 8th in the 2023 World Lacrosse Championships and Puerto Rico finished 10th this summer, according to the release.
The USVI Men will open the tournament against Jamaica at 11 a.m. EST (12 p.m. AST) before playing Puerto Rico at 8:30 a.m. EST (9:30 AST) and Mexico at 1:30 p.m. EST
(2:30 p.m. AST) on Friday, it said.
The USVI Women’s Team will start their tournament against Jamaica at 9:45 a.m. EST (10:45 a.m. AST) on Thursday before playing Haudenosaunee at 4 p.m. EST (5 p.m. AST) later in the day. They conclude group play against Peru at 9:45 a.m. EST (10:45 a.m. AST) on Friday, according to the release.
Results of the first three games will determine the schedule for the remainder of the tournament. Games will be streamed at plus.nlse.com
The Men’s team will be led by Head Coach Jojo Marasco, while the women’s team looks to Kim Russell as their head coach. The Men’s assistant coach will be Ryan Meade and the Women’s assistant coaches are Tiffany Holt Moore and Destinee Johnson. Additional staff for both teams include team doctor Keith Robinson and Strength and Conditioning Coach Micah Kurtz, the release stated.
The roster for the Men’s team will be led by Captains Mike Murray, Tyler Peworchik and Ben Duhoski. Other players on the roster include Teddy Bettencourt, Jake Walter, Gavin Jones, Miller Barbour, Scott Hutchens, Matt Williams, Kyle Murphy, Victor Hall, Bryce Phillips, Blake Runkle, Andy Sjolander and Pedro Alvardo, according to the release.
Marasco said that the team has been working hard all summer and fall to get ready for this tournament and that “This is a great group of men who continue to grow the sport of lacrosse around the world and especially in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As the head coach I’m extremely excited to get back to coaching these men on the field and have the opportunity to grow the sport and the game with this event in Jamaica.”
“We have a talented team that is going to surprise a lot of other teams,” he added.
“We are super excited by the opportunity to play in PALA Sixes Cup, especially on the news that Lacrosse will be in the 2028 Olympic Games. I think we have put together a strong team and expect to compete,” Duhoski said.
The women’s team roster includes players Haley Olive, Danielle Notto, Maddie Russell, C.J. Hobbs, Talia Coryat, Anysia Hutchens, Anjali Coryat, Kiera Baker, Jennie Jones, Amanada Jones, Sam Powers, Tiffany Holt Moore and Destinee Johnson, the release stated.
Russell said, “Every single one of our athletes and coaches are competitors. This will be an incredible learning experience for all of us and we are excited to compete!”
She noted that this is a major step for the Women’s National Team program and “we are all incredibly excited to have this opportunity to compete at PALA Sixes. It means even more that our first competition is Sixes format with the recent announcement of Sixes lacrosse making its debut in the 2028 Olympics.”
Russell added that this tournament would be an opportunity for the players to get to know each other on the field and get familiar with the Sixes format.
Men’s team leader Peworchik’s duties are not limited to being just player and captain as he is also the team’s general manager. Peworchik says that it has been an honor and privilege to help put together the roster and “the men and women that we have representing the USVI in these programs are exactly the caliber of athlete and individual that we want representing and laying the foundation for the USVI Lacrosse Olympic program.”
He was also extremely proud of the coaching staff that both the Men’s and Women’s teams have been able to put together. “ In addition to the rosters that we were able to put together, we were able to bring in two nationally recognized coaches in the lacrosse community, Jojo Marasco and Kim Russell. Having them lead our programs immediately gives credibility and respect to both our programs that is undeniable,” Peworchik said.
Peworchik wanted to recognize H.H. Tire and Battery for their sponsorship and contributions to the USVI Lacrosse Program and said, “They are a company that has been involved within the St Croix and the Virgin Islands community for several years. They’ve been involved with the USVI Lacrosse Association program from day one through sponsorships, donations, and allocations of their time. H.H. Tire and Battery continues to provide these resources not just for our men’s and women’s national teams, but even more importantly, the development of youth lacrosse throughout all three islands.”
Sixth-graders from the Juanita Gardine PreK-8 school completed a STEM project to celebrate National STE(A)M Day Wednesday. The students designed and built a model bridge to transport people from St. Croix to St. Thomas. Students also wrote opinion pieces about why building a bridge may or may not be feasible, the V.I. Education Department announced.
(Photo courtesy of V.I. Education Department)(Photo courtesy of V.I. Education Department)(Photo courtesy of V.I. Education Department)(Photo courtesy of V.I. Education Department)(Photo courtesy of V.I. Education Department)(Photo courtesy of V.I. Education Department)
Chunmei Zhang, 55, of China, was found guilty of illegal entry into the United States following a trial, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Thursday.
According to evidence introduced at trial, on July 25, Zhang and her husband, Sheng Chen, 55, arrived at the Cyril E. King airport on St. Thomas and attempted to board a Delta flight to New York. Both were referred to Customs and Border Protection for inspection as neither had a United States passport or any other travel documents in their possession. When interviewed, Zhang and Chen stated that they arrived on St. Thomas on July 24 by boat from Suriname and admitted paying approximately $25,000 to their traffickers to transport them to St. Thomas. Both Zhang and Chen are Chinese nationals, and no record exists of either applying for, seeking, or receiving prior permission to enter or reside in the United States. On their convictions, Zhang and Chen were sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller to time served.
