The U.S. Coast Guard helicopter at the William D. Roebuck Industrial Park for a Changing of the Guard ceremony. (Photo courtesy VIEDA)
The William D. Roebuck Industrial Park (WDRIP) served as the landing site for a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter during its visit to St. Croix Wednesday, for a Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Managed by the Economic Development Park Corporation (EDPC), a unit of the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, WDRIP was selected for its strategic location and readiness to host high-profile events, according to the press release.
The EDPC team’s dedication to maintaining the industrial park played a key role in ensuring a seamless experience for the Coast Guard’s visit. The park’s well-kept grounds, described as “White House”-ready, demonstrated the team’s commitment to excellence, the press release stated.
As the largest industrial park under EDPC’s management, WDRIP spans 24 acres of the Virgin Islands Port Authority-owned property situated between Christiansted and Frederiksted. The park serves as a critical hub for the territory’s economic development, housing a diverse mix of tenants that include Gold Coast Yachts, Leatherback Brewing Company, Tropical Shipping, and the Bureau of Corrections, the release stated.
The selection of WDRIP as the helicopter landing site highlights its significance as a key asset to St. Croix and the Virgin Islands community, it said.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ashraf Abrahim, better known as “Abe” or “Ruff.”
Ashraf Abrahim
He was a Vietnam era veteran, beloved husband and father.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Theresa, and son, Jason, daughter-in law, Latasha, granddaughter, Alyriq, and grandson, Hassim, sisters Isha Abrahim, Sallima Rahaman, Farida Aubain, Nabbie Mohammed, brother-in-law Tom, brothers Asmath and Haroon Abrahim, special nephew, Sharief A. Scarbriel, nieces Maya Hathiramani, Nisha and Sayeeda Aubain, special family friend, Farrah Rajkumar, and many other numerous family members.
In Lieu of flowers, please send any donations towards The Wounded Warrior Project on his behalf. Funeral service will be on Jan. 23 at Turnbull’s Funeral Home. Tributes will be at 1:30 p.m., with a service 2 p.m. Interment will be at Eastern Cemetery.
George H. Lawrence Jr., of LaGrange transitioned into eternal life Jan. 11. He was 68 years old.
George H. Lawrence Jr.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Lawrence; father, George Lawrence Sr.; father-in-law, Ernest Browne; aunt, Gloria Hawkins; uncles, Lewis Hawkins, Lambert Heyliger.
He is survived by his wife, Valerie Lawrence; daughter, Victoria Ashley Lawrence; son, Jordan Philip Lawrence; mother-in-law, Wendy Browne; godchildren, Ryan James, Rwanda McIntosh; cousins and other relatives, Tina Williams, Shaniqua Henry, Janiq Burris, Satira Henry, Zaria Smith, Zaniyah Smith, Jayson Davis, Joseph Johnson, Tamika, Kali, Autumn, Jeremiah and Dallas Johnson, Eric and Keisha Gordon, Keylani, Kaliyah and Kennedi Gordon, Derrick and Karen Hawkins, Tamara Hawkins, Derrick Hawkins Jr., Noah Hawkins, Dolores Abramson Iles and family, Charlene Abramson Joseph and family, John Abramson and family, Shawn Abramson Samuel, Laurie Thomas Jacobs; special friends, Marvin Matthew and family, Adrian Williams, Denard El-Amin, Tyrone and Hilary Michael and family, Liliete Richards James, Marcia Richards Stafford, Sarah Dessel and Ferdi Abraham and family, Hovensa Crew, St. Joseph Class of 1974, Chicken Shack family; other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
Funeral service will be held on Feb. 3 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Viewing will begin at 10am with service starting at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at Frederiksted Cemetery.
Professional services are entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
He is survived by his wife, Janet Callwood Furet; his daughters: Je’Neal Furet, Nealda Furet Bowry, Leoneal Furet Joshua, Sha’Neal Furet, and Nealcia Furet; his son Neal Furet Jr.; granddaughters, LaNique Bowry, Anjahlique Bowry, Anique Bowry and Aa’ishah Abiff; grandsons, Ymari Joshua, Yasseem Joshua, Yadir Joshua, Ahnrik Bowry and Chaunoy Furet; great-granddaughter, Saiya Turnbull; brother, Alberto Furet Sr.; sisters, Lois Furet, Bryce Furet and Evelyn Edwards; nieces Shakima Harris, Shaniqua Harris, Jamia Baptiste, Rhea Richards, Ritza Richards, Jamila Brooks, Aliya Furet and Moniqua Furet; nephews: Alberto Furet Jr., Omar Furet, Dwayne Furet, Maurice Furet, Afibae Henley, Shamari Harris, Jamie Turner, Ramon Percival, Rafus Percival, Raford Percival and Abasuli Furet.
He is also survived by his brothers-in-law, Albert Callwood, Liston Callwood, Franklin Callwood and Bernard Callwood; sisters-in-law, Shirley Richardson and Vivian Furet; sons-in-law, Malik Bowry and Yusef Joshua; and special friends, Garfield “Shabazz” Hodge, Antonio Brown, Dalton Phillips, Marvin VanBeaverhoudt.
The family will be hosting a private viewing, but welcome all loved ones to the funeral service at the St. Andrews Episcopal Church at 10 a.m. on Friday Jan. 24th.
Interment will be in Eastern Cemetery, Smith Bay.
Any tributes can be sent to nealstribute@gmail.com
The V.I. Continuum of Care Council asks for help assessing the territory’s levels of homelessness.
A point-in-time count is a coordinated community effort to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness in a community in a single day/night and includes a survey administered to individuals experiencing homelessness.
HUD will use our count data to evaluate the effectiveness of USVI efforts to address homelessness and to determine funding amounts for future programming. Accurate data is essential for the USVI.
The family of the beloved Isidoro Felix Ortiz are saddened to announce his passing on Dec. 30, 2024.
Isidoro Felix Ortiz
He is survived by his wife: Isabel Felix; daughters: Maria Duncan, Margarita, Cristina and Sandra Felix; sons: Fernando “Papo Eddie”, Jose “Tony”, Raul, Reynaldo “Rey”, Miguel, and Manuel Felix; sisters: Mary, Lughina, and Petra Felix Ortiz; Brothers: Jesus “Chu”, Demetrio “Cano”, Esteban Felix Ortiz; grandchildren: Roberto “Sotito’, Julio, Maria “Chiquita”, Griselle “Bebe”, Ana Felix. Nyle, Anthony and Jermaine Duncan, Yesenia and Xiomara Felix,Elizabeth “Mama”, Anthony and Jose “Jochy” Felix, Marc Anthony and Miguel Torres, Carlos “Lito”, Gabriel “Gaby”, Serenity, Tru Angel, Emily Felix, Reyna, and Isa Felix, Anthony and Adassa Felix, Ronnell “RJ”, Jeromiah “JJ”, and Delaylah “Lala” Young, Isinuel “EZ” Poche and Isiandra “Sian, Izzy” Williams, Manuel “MJ”, Myalize “Mya”, and Maliyah “Mali” Felix; other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
Family and friends viewing will be Thursday, Jan. 23 at Kingshill Funeral Home Chapel, Clifton Hill, 303 Kingshill St. Croix., viewing time: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Funeral Service will be held on Friday, Jan. 24 at La Iglesias De Dios, Estate Profit St. Croix, Viewing 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Mango Tango presents two divergent shows Jan. 25 from 5:30 until 8:30.
“This Way” by Donald Laurent Dahlke
While W B Thompson has created his mixed-media exhibition here in St.Thomas, Don Dahlke, formerly of St. Croix and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico has created his oil-on-canvas paintings in Oregon.
Donald Laurent Dahlke’s first show at Mango Tango was in 1990. At that time he was developing his whimsical figurative style with great success. Almost 10 years later, Thompson asked to work with the gallery, noting that Mango Tango’s affiliation with the talented Dahlke interested him.
Both artists make the Virgin Islands proud. Both have developed different styles snapped up by avid collectors. In addition to Dahlke’s whimsical style, his portal style has garnered him international recognition. In 2002, he was selected for a solo exhibition at Museo de las Americas in San Juan, Puerto Rico for his abstract endeavors.
In 2008, Thompson was chosen along with 11 other Caribbean and Latin American artists to participate in an Absolut Vodka art collaboration entitled Absolut mmVodka Connections. Thompson joins Andy Warhol and Keith Haring and 300 other recognized painters, sculptors, and photographers who rendered their unique artistic interpretation of the bottle.
“Male Figure” by W.B Thompson
Dahlke’s exhibition includes four different styles: his portals, florals, layered figurative, and early whisicals. The portals create a window on the Caribbean where the viewer can dream. The florals are more spontaneous and include abstract compositions. The layered figurative style is called “We the People” and addresses sexual and racial inequality. Additionally, he includes a 40 by 60 inch vintage whimsical of islanders painted in St. Croix.
Thompson continues with his “Controlling Chaos with Color” technique which includes the initial drawing with conte pencil, painting with acrylic paint, and outlining with large oil pastel sticks. On view and for sale will be several island scenes and florals, the largest of which is a 8 by 5 foot painting of the harbor. He has also created three-dimensional assemblages, that is paintings with cut out layers.
Dahlke notes that he “is a multifaceted artist working in a variety of approaches and an assortment of media. My goal in creating art is not about seeking approval, but about developing a process that asks the questions of what art can be, how it can change, how we look at art and not limited to repeating a concept. Overall, I am an artist uninspired by trends and driven by my own devices.”
“Harbor Moonlight” by W B Thompson
Thompson explains that the works included in this show are his most recent works. “I have been evolving with my cut-out assemblages that are three-dimensional layered collages. The Caribbean landscape and harbor always provide a never ending inspiration. Over the years I have watched Dahlke’s many deep dives into realism, abstraction, and surrealism. We both work with other galleries, but sharing this venue with him as a part of Team Mango Tango is an honor.”
Please note that Thompson opened another show last Friday night at 81c. Gallery owner Jane Coombes sighs that “I am jealous of the dynamic mammoth-sized assemblage of a scratch band. But truthfully, 81c had just the wall on which to showcase Thompson’s talent to the new gallery’s followers, a gallery which is open Monday through Friday from 5 to 8pm.”
Guitar virtuoso Louis Taylor and maestro conga drummer Ras Abu will offer jazzy tunes in the parking lot where spirits and appetizers with be served. Inside, the walls will be brimming with new art.
The show continues for one month. To view the show, visit the gallery’s website: mangotangoart.com. For more information call 340 777 3060.
Community members on Martin Luther King Jr. Day march through the Sunny Isles Shopping Center in remembrance of the civil rights leader. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
Each year, across the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, communities come together to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr., whose tireless fight for civil rights and social justice changed the trajectory of American History. On Monday, residents of St. Croix came out in crowds of over 500 people to march in honor of the civil rights leader.
Schools including St. Croix Educational Complex, St. Croix Central High School, John H. Woodson Junior High, Lew Muckle Elementary, Claude O. Marco Elementary, Alfredo Andrews Elementary, Eulalie Rivera Elementary, St. Mary’s Catholic School, and St. Croix Seventh-day Adventist School participated. Additionally, groups like the Girl Scouts of St. Croix, fraternities, sororities, and many others also took part.
The St. Croix Educational Complex JROTC march in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade Monday. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
Immediately after the march, a ceremony was held in honor of King and the ceremony opened with conch blows from Terrence “Positive” Nelson and community member Jesus Espinosa. Masters of ceremony George Otto and Benson Ward led attendees through the program. Otto quoted King and said, “If justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Tide in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one, affects all indirectly.”
Jesus Espinosa blows the conch shell during the march in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
“This applies to school, this applies to the government, this applies to parents, this applies how you love people, this applies to anything. The same way we treat people, the same energy is going to come back to you,” said Otto.
Civil Rights Committee Chair-President Antoinette Rampersad led the crowd in singing the song “We Shall Overcome,” and a moment of silence was recognized for locals who we have lost over the years. Student Kaleb Joseph from Lew Muckle Elementary School delivered an emotional rendition of King’s iconic 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, originally recited at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Joseph recited from memory and delivered with tears in his eyes.
Civil Rights Committee Chair-President Antoinette Rampersad sings “We Shall Overcome” and asks the crowd to join in. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
A special keynote message was delivered by the CEO of AST Speaks and an assistant professor at the University of the Virgin Islands, Chenzira Davis-Kahina.
Kaleb Joseph from the Lew Muckle Elementary School recites the “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
“What really caught me was seeing a sea of young people. We saw the children come through today. What we saw today is what was important for them to share their voice, their vision, their power, their leadership in the Virgin Islands, St. Croix in particular,” she said.
Keynote speaker Chenzira Davis-Kahina delivers words to an audience during the Martin Luther King, Jr. ceremony Monday. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
“When we speak of a great man of peace, a great man of nonviolence, of civil disobedience, of leadership and strength. Someone who could articulate and enunciate every element of language in English and make it meaningful to a person who does not even speak that language. That is part of the embodiment of that man of peace, that man of God, that man of infinite source, Martin Luther King Jr. was,” said Davis-Kahina.
She also referred to another one of King’s speeches delivered in 1963, in which he said, “Everywhere paralyzing fears harrow people by day and haunt them by night. Deep clouds of anxiety and depression are suspended in our mental skies. More people are emotionally disturbed today than at any other time in human history.”
“Doesn’t that sound familiar? Does it sound similar to what we are experiencing right here, right now, more than 60 years later?” Davis Kahina asked.
St. Croix Central High School JROTC stands in honor of the national anthem, Virgin Islands March, and the Black national anthem. (Source photo by Diana Dias)
Other performances were by the St. Croix Central High School’s “Golden Voices,” who sang The national anthem, The Virgin Islands Anthem, and the Black national anthem. Also, there were performances by the Alfredo Andrews Elementary School, St. Mary’s School, Noah Ramnarine Cebedo, the Lew Muckle Elementary Quadrille Dancers, the CHS Carib Divas Dance Squad, words from the reigning Miss St. Croix 2024-2025 and other dignitaries.
Marchers made their way up Main Street on St. Thomas on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity hosted a peace march in honor of the late civil rights leader.
School groups, Girl Scouts, marching bands, majorettes, fraternities, sororities and labor leaders joined the line of march from Rothschild Francis Market Square to Emancipation Garden.
Organizers lead the way in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. (Source photo by Judi Shimel)
Merchants and tourists joined V.I. residents and parents of student marchers, taking in the spectacle. Grand Marshal Moleto Smith captured the spirit of the day, reflecting on the holiday and the inauguration of a new U.S. president.
“I know there’s a lot of things happening today — some in Washington, D.C., but this is what’s happening here,” Smith said. “Since 1986, when Martin Luther King Day was first observed as a federal holiday, millions of people throughout the world and the country commemorate this with marches and rallies.”
From the shade of Educator’s Park, observers view the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade (Source photo by Judi Shimel)
At the foot of Educator’s Park — across the road from the post office, Elvis Richardson and his family viewed the event. “This was a wonderful activity. We need to have activities like this,” he said.
Girl Scouts chant and march on their way to a rally in Emancipation Garden. (Source photo by Judi Shimel)
Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach said he came to “honor our icons” but also in support of an effort to rally Virgin Islanders around a shared ideal.
“Community building, spiritual grounding, and just encouraging our people to hold on in difficult moments,” Roach said.
Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach joins march organizers Monday. (Source photo by Judi Shimel)
Alpha Phi Alpha’s local chapter was chartered on St. Thomas in 1962, making it the oldest Greek-letter organization in the Virgin Islands. They welcomed Senate President Milton Potter, who delivered the keynote address at the rally that followed the peace march up Main Street Monday.
A single-entry participant at the peace march reminds everyone about King’s most memorable message. (Source photo by Judi Shimel)
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights advocate who led peace marches across the American South from 1955 in support of minority voters, unionized workers, and other worthy causes until his assassination in April 1968. Former President Ronald Reagan signed a measure proclaiming King’s birthday as a national holiday on Nov. 2, 1983.
Young Virgin Islanders will soon have access to free ancestor research tools. (Shutterstock image)
Virgin Islanders will soon have better tools to trace their ancestral roots as the Education Department partners with The Brue Family Learning Center to give all the territory’s schools free access to the American Ancestors platform.
The program that launches Jan. 22 offers educators a platform that brings history, heritage, and identity to life through genealogy research, according to a release from Education’s Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education.
The launch coincides with Black History Month in February and Virgin Islands History Month in March. Education officials said it was an opportunity for teachers to guide students on a journey of self-discovery and cultural pride.
“Through this platform, educators can access a curriculum that helps youth trace their family stories and understand their heritage, dive into historical records like census documents, immigration files, and vital records, and use interactive tools and multimedia to make history engaging and personal,” the statement said.
Here’s how it works:
Connect to Your School Network: To access the platform, make sure you are connected to your school’s secure internet. Access is tied to each school’s network.
Automatic Login: The system will recognize your school’s network and grant access automatically. You’ll see a banner confirming your access.
Create a Personal Account (Optional, but Highly Recommended): Click Sign Up or Register. Use your school email to create an account. This allows you to save searches, bookmark resources, and customize your experience.
Explore Resources: Check out the Learning Center for guides, tutorials, and lesson plans. Dive into the Youth Genealogy Curriculum to find engaging activities for students.
Troubleshooting: If you experience any issues, confirm your connection to the school network. Reach out to your IT team or contact the Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education for support.
The 2025 National Black History Month theme, African Americans and Labor, underscores the immense contributions of Black people to the labor movement and the progress of society, Education officials said.
“Nationally, the spotlight shines on Ashley L. Totten, a pioneering labor leader whose work with the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters paved the way for the first African American labor union to receive a charter from the American Federation of Labor. It is vital to highlight that Totten was born on St. Croix, making him not only a national figure but a proud son of the Virgin Islands of the United States,” the written statement said.
“Our students should take this opportunity to research Totten’s legacy and explore the broader history of labor movements in the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. By engaging with the stories of laborers and their significant contributions, they can gain a deeper appreciation of the resilience and unity that have shaped our collective identity.
This exploration connects their heritage to a larger narrative, empowering them to understand the vital role of labor in shaping both the Virgin Islands and the wider world.”
For more information or support, contact the Director of the Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education, Stephanie C. Brown, via email at stephanie.cbrown@vide.vi or at 340-773-1095 ext. 7032.
