🌱 Travel Portal To Accept All Vaccines, Caneel Bay Plans + More

Good day folks. Read on for updates on the travel portal, the redevelopment of Caneel Bay, and some good news for kids, parents and caregivers on St. Thomas. And don't miss the Social Buzz section to see what people are really talking about.

• Starting Monday, March 7, the U.S. Virgin Islands' Travel Portal will accept vaccination cards from outside the territory. "Starting next week you can come in with any vaccination to the U.S. Virgin Islands," said Governor Bryan. "By next week Monday any vaccination will do, we just need to give the airlines enough time so we don't have confusion. So we started that process today, by next week you just need a vaccination card to get into the Virgin Islands." Read more about the travel portal and other updates to COVID-19 restrictions in the VI Consortium.
• Several organizations are lobbying to extend the deadline for comments on the redevelopment of Caneel Bay. Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, the St. John Community Foundation, and the St. John Historical Society have asked the U.S. Department to give the community more time to learn about the four development options and weigh in. Currently, public opinion is scarce. Government House recently hosted a two-hour listening session on St. John to inform the public about the plans. Only three people spoke up and the session ended after 30 minutes. Read more in The Source.
• The USVI will receive just shy of $8 million to combat the opioid crisis. The money is the USVI's share of a $26 billion settlement with four major drug companies: Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson. "Under the terms of the settlement agreement, eighty-five percent of these funds will go directly to support treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and other strategies to address opioid abuse and addiction," said Attorney General Denise N. George. Full story in The Source.
• Good news for kids: the Lindbergh Bay Park has reopened. "We are happy to announce that we have recently opened the general play area and this week we completed repairs to the water park area of the park. This marks the completion of the entire restoration project for the park," said V.I. Port Authority spokesperson Monifa Marrero Brathwaite. Full story in The Daily News. The park includes a water playground, a wooden play structure and an outdoor basketball court.

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Today's Weather: Partly sunny, a shower; humid. High: 82 Low: 73.

Today's Events:

• Don't miss Beer School at Leatherback Brewing St. Thomas (5:00 p.m.)
• Wednesdays with Wayne at Lovongo Rum Bar in Cruz Bay (5:00 p.m.)
• Mom Fitness with Katrin at Yacht Haven Grande (5:00 p.m.)
• Kickboxing with Trey on the lawn at Yacht Haven Grande (6:00 p.m.)

Social Buzz:

• Nothing is more fabulous than #Carnival in #StThomas! Book your tickets now to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of our Carnival celebration in the #USVirginIslands. The “roogoodoo” starts April 27 through May 1, 2022. (Facebook)
• Troy Massoth was arrested in California and extradited to St. Thomas on Sunday, February 27. Massoth is a suspect in the 2021 murder of 69-year-old Thoms F. Carpenter. Carpenter's remains were found partially buried near Smith Bay in September 2021. Massoth and Carpenter were roommates at the time of his death. (VIPD Facebook)
• Tickets for March 5 opening & performance going fast...https://www.cmcarts.org/events (Facebook)
• A Celebration of the life of Athniel C. "Addie" Ottley at UVI Sports and Fitness Center
  (Government House Facebook)
• "All Hail the Virgin Islands...Happy Virgin Islands History Month 2022! Stay tuned for the Department of Education Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education's month-long programming..." (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.