On Monday, Members of Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Suffolk-CBNA, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, and the Vivo Group partnered to host a meal distribution at the St. Martin de Porres Outreach Center in Charlotte Amalie.

The event served more than 100 meals at the outreach center and across St. Thomas, with volunteers driving to the eastern and western ends of the island to deliver food. A similar distribution is scheduled for Tuesday on St. Croix at the St. Teresa of Calcutta House of Hope in downtown Christiansted starting at 11:45 a.m.

Lorraine Benjamin-Matthew, a member of the Mu Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. on St. Croix, emphasized the importance of community partnerships.

“We are here along with our sister chapter on St. Thomas, which is Sigma Theta Omega,” she said, noting the collaboration between the various organizations. She pointed to previous successes as the foundation for the current outreach, adding, “Last month, we had an event in St. Croix for Thanksgiving at Catholic Charities over there at St. Teresa’s House, and that was successful.”

Benjamin-Matthew said the community’s appreciation for the large meal sizes during the Thanksgiving distribution influenced the planning for the Christmas events. “We were known as giving the big plate because, of course, we did a bigger size plate,” she said.

She noted the larger portions meant “they were able to get a little bit more for the holidays.” The initiative aims to both nourish and uplift the local population. “It’s very impactful, and those are the things that we do as an organization. We want to impact the community, especially our community,” she stated. “That’s why we’re here.”

Pointing to the festive garlands and the music playing in the background, she noted the impact of the event’s “Christmas spirit.”

“It’s not all about giving the food, but also when they come, they feel a sense of awareness that they’re part of the Christmas season,” Benjamin-Matthew said. Whether through providing extra food or additional decorations, she said the sorority always strives to go “that extra mile” to help the community.

Alicia Barnes, a member of the Mu Gamma Omega chapter and community outreach coordinator for the Suffolk-CBNA joint venture, highlighted the significance of the event and partnership.

“Suffolk-CBNA has been contracted by the government of the Virgin Islands to rebuild schools on St. Thomas and St. Croix,” she noted. “They were able to provide the funding for us to purchase 100 meals for distribution in St. Thomas/St. John, and another 100 meals for St. Croix.”

Barnes described the event as a tapestry of organizations working toward a common goal. “This is community engagement and outreach. It’s a collaboration between the Suffolk-CBNA joint venture, the Mu Gamma Omega and Sigma Theta Omega chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, which acted as the fiduciary for the food distribution,” she explained.

Catholic Charities hosted the event while the Vivo Group provided transportation and logistics support. “It’s a true community partnership and collaboration,” Barnes added.

The holiday menu was designed to be filling and delicious. “We have chicken, oxtail, which is a treat for many, and salmon. We also have drinks and dessert,” Barnes shared. “We wanted to make it a bit more special for the holiday season.”

Barnes said the mission of the sororities and the other foundations is to reach the community’s most vulnerable members. “We really believe the sororities are of service to all mankind,”

She continued “During this holiday season, we know it could be challenging… we just want to have an opportunity to spread some goodwill, give them a warm holiday meal and let them know that we see them, we hear them, and we care.”

Linique Williams, president of the Sigma Theta Omega chapter, reiterated the sorority’s mission of service. “We are a group of college educated women focused on service and sisterhood… Our sorority focuses on uplifting our local community. We just want to give back to those who have supported us in the past and cater to those in need.”

Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands Executive Director Andrea Shillingford expressed gratitude for the collective effort, noting that such partnerships bolster the organization’s daily work. On a typical day, the nonprofit serves between 65 and 100 clients at this outreach center, while also reaching out to the homebound and elderly with their delivery service.

Shillingford emphasized that this outreach is a direct extension of the organization’s faith-based mission. “Christ has called us to serve the less fortunate. We are here to feed them, clothe them, and house them,” she said.

Peter Gasparini, executive vice president for project controls at the Suffolk-CBNA joint venture, said the company views community outreach as inseparable from its rebuilding work in the territory.

“Suffolk and CBNA came here to the Virgin Islands as part of the rebuild USVI program. So we’re here to rebuild the schools that have been damaged since the back-to-back hurricanes in 2017, so our entire mission here is to help rebuild the community,” he said. “We know that rebuilding the community isn’t isolated to just the construction side of it. It’s helping wherever we can… it’s important for us to let the Virgin Islanders know that we’re here to serve them, and not just to come in and build a few buildings, but to serve the community in any way that we can.”

Attorneys for St. Croix residents claiming airborne petroleum releases coated cisterns and rooftops in toxins have told a federal judge that the oil refinery’s former owners were stalling, hoping to avoid a court date for as long as possible.

The June 2021 lawsuit against Limetree Bay Ventures and associated companies has dragged on for four and half years, including a pause until September 2022 while Limetree Bay Refining declared bankruptcy and its assets were sold. When work on the case restarted, a Virgin Islands District Court judge issued a March 2025 deadline for evidence to be entered by each side.

On Dec. 5, Limetree attorneys asked for an extension. On Dec. 19, attorneys for oil-spray victims told the judge the delay was calculated.

“Consistent with a strategy of delay that defendants have pursued throughout this litigation, nearly two months after a discovery deadline that they agreed to, Defendants now seek to reopen fact discovery indefinitely and for no legitimate purpose, let alone ‘good cause,’” plaintiff’s attorneys wrote. “This is just the latest of many attempts by Defendants in this litigation to slow the progress of this matter and deny plaintiffs their day in court …”

Limetree attorneys told the court they needed to collect more information in the very complicated case and that proceeding without all the facts could cause future confusion and potential errors.

It was not clear when the judge might rule on the proposed delay.

There were plenty of wrinkles in the suit, many from Limetree’s own actions, according to court records.

In August, a federal judge ordered the release of previously withheld documents about how many homes were sprayed by toxins from St. Croix’s refinery in 2021 and the extent of the damage, according to court records.

Limetree Bay Terminals and associated companies attempted to restart the dormant petroleum refinery in early 2021, causing the release of airborne oil. By May of that year, Limetree hired Sedgwick Claims Management Services to assess complaints from St. Croix residents claiming their property, including cisterns, had been fouled by the toxins, according to court records.

That report was hidden away while Sedgwick attempted to collect a $1.1 million outstanding invoice from Limetree. The more than four-year-long argument included disagreement about which Limetree-associated entity even hired Sedgwick, according to court records.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III ordered Sedgwick to release the findings crucial to lawsuits against Limetree, which had surrendered the refinery in a June 2021 bankruptcy.

Sedgwick must turn the documents over to Crucians who have sued for damages by Aug. 18, Henderson ordered. In a twist, however, the plaintiffs were ordered to pay $25,000 to offset a portion of Sedgwick’s unpaid claim against Limetree.

Shortly after the early 2021 oil-release incidents, Limetree sought to both minimize the spray’s reach and emphasize the company’s response. In a June 2021 court filing, Jeffrey Charles, Limetree Terminal’s vice president and incident commander, said, “On or about May 12, 2021 an incident occurred at the Limetree facility in St Croix, USVI which caused very small amounts of oil to disperse in certain areas downwind of Limetree.”

He said Sedgwick was hired the next day — the same day the Environmental Protection Agency ordered the refinery closed for 60 days.

And by June 10, “ … Limetree has washed over 700 cars arranged for thousands of roofs Cisterns, exterior walls, and other structures to be washed and has delivered over 16,000 cases of water to affected residents,” Charles said in a court filing.

Limetree would later argue delivering water to people with oily-cistern claims was too much of a financial burden. Several court rulings disagreed.

In September 2024, Limetree sought $44,000 from an oily-cistern claimant, successfully arguing that a law bringing the elderly man’s case to court quickly was unconstitutional.

The refinery encountered numerous problems during its brief restart in February 2021. It had been largely shuttered since 2012 by former owner Hovensa following several years of heavy losses. Hovensa declared bankruptcy in 2015. Limetree had hoped to take advantage of a brief period when sulfur regulations for maritime shipping fuel were changing. The refinery was originally slated to reopen before January 2020, but started its aborted run a year later. By then, worldwide shipping had slumped from the COVID pandemic.

A man accused of robbing a motorist at gunpoint outside a Head Start center in Hospital Ground remains in custody after a judge set bail following his arrest.

According to court documents, Dante Tonge is accused of confronting a motorist near the Head Start center on Dec. 17 and taking jewelry at gunpoint. Police said a witness reported the incident and provided a description of the suspect.

Officers responding to the area said they soon encountered a man who matched that description nearby. Police reported that the suspect — later identified as Tonge — was wearing a chain similar to the one described by the alleged victim.

When questioned by officers, Tonge told them he had called the motorist over to complain about reckless driving near the center. According to police, he said, “I’m glad I saw you; this man does come in here every day speeding.”

Police said that when officers asked Tonge to sit down, he removed the chain and handed it to them. Officers also recovered a gold pendant and a ring, which were believed to have been taken during the robbery.

Tonge was arrested and charged with robbery, assault, grand larceny, possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of a felony, possession of stolen property, and disturbance of the peace.

At his initial appearance Monday before Magistrate Judge Julie Todman, bail was set at $75,000, with a 10 percent cash bond required for pretrial release. Tonge’s arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

The defendant in the Dec. 17 incident was known to authorities because of a prior incident in 2019.

Later in the day police posted a public safety alert on their social media page about an increase in robbery reports and the need to take precautions. “The Virgin Islands Police Department is advising the community that the St. Thomas-St. John District has experienced an increase in armed robberies. We are asking all residents and visitors to remain vigilant …” the notice said.

Safety tips include avoiding poorly-lit areas around automatic cash machines, parking lots and other locations; resisting the urge to help persons appearing to be in distress or having vehicle trouble.

Police are also urging the public to trust their instincts and leave areas where they believe suspicious activity is taking place.