Local News

July 8th COVID Update: Another Surge in Testing Results…….

There has been a surge in COVID testing on St Croix, St Thomas, and St John.

Unfortunately St Croix continues to see positive tests, and to a lesser extent St Thomas.

  • Over the last two weeks St Croix has gone from a total of 37 positive tests on June 28th, to 71 positive tests on July 7th.
  • Over the same time period, St Thomas has gone from a total of 40 positive tests to a total of 47 positive tests.
  • Very good news on St John.  St John had ZERO positive tests in that same time period.

This isn’t necessarily a result of limited testing.  We had 10 negative tests in a single day, and 26 negative tests of the time period in question.

(an additional negative test was reported on July 7th)

So despite the Governor opening up the doors to travel, and surges of positive tests on the other islands, we have done a good job in preventing infection and spread of the virus.

That doesn’t mean we should let our guard down.  We will have positive tests again in the future.

But if we continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing, we can continue to do better than other areas of the country.

New Review Feature Launched, Starting with Lovango Rum Bar and Just Fish Charters

“Yum, yum, yummm”

“The best pizza on island”

“The best pizza, period.”

Lovango Rum Bar has been open for roughly a month and the reviews have been fantastic.  People love the amazing Neapolitan pizza paired with a craft cocktail or flight of rum and a spectacular Cruz Bay sunset.  But how would the business know how they’re doing without your reviews?

The News of St John is adding a new “review” feature so that YOU can review and rate St John businesses after trying their products!

Lovango Rum Bar is helping to launch the new News of St John review service by adding 20 additional gift certificates to the StJohn.Deals marketplace.  Have you heard about StJohn.Deals?  Well, its a new site that allows you to purchase activitity, dining, shopping and lodging vouchers at a discount before you visit!  Lovango Rum Bar vouchers are available in limited quantity and when you buy one for $80, you get $100 to spend on dinner and drinks!

Please take a moment to read the previous Lovango Rum Bar spotlight.  If you have already checked out the place, then please leave a review at the bottom of the article (screenshot shown below, use links to participate).

If you haven’t yet been, there then feel free to buy a gift certificate and leave a review afterwards.

We have tested the review feature on the Just Fish charter and will be adding review functionality to more business spotlights regularly.  Check out this new feature and, if you have used Just Fish, please review them!

Caneel Bay and ZoZo’s Announce Partnership!

I have some VERY exciting news to share with you this evening!

I received the following official message this afternoon and immediately got goosebumps and started crying happy tears!  You may not know this about me, but I was privileged enough to work behind the bar at ZoZo’s and have missed it immensely as I’m sure many of you have as well.

Along with this official release from Caneel Bay, I’ve included a couple of pics that I snapped at the old location at the Sugar mill while working during the summer of 2017.

This reunion is TRULY something to look forward to:

Read moreCaneel Bay and ZoZo’s Announce Partnership!

The Meaning Behind St. John’s July 4th Festivities

Freedom statue in Cruz Bay park – Image credit: Steve Simonsen

Hello everyone, and happy July 4th! The Fourth of July is usually a day of nonstop celebration on St. John beginning with j’ouvert (pronounced joo-vay) – a street party that begins at daybreak, followed by a parade that features great music, dancing and so many amazing and colorful troupes! The evening typically includes fireworks over Cruz Bay, which is then followed by hours of music and dancing over at the Village. But as we all know, this year is different for all of us. Festival has been cancelled, which means we will have to celebrate twice as much next year!

The Fourth of July is a big deal on St. John. But the reason it is celebrated so much on the island is much different than why it is celebrated in the States.

David Whitney Knight Sr. is a St. John historian, who often shares interesting content regarding the island’s history on his Facebook page. For the past few years, he has reminded us all why July 4th is such an important day in St. John’s history. Here is a portion of what he wrote yesterday:

This is why July 4th is such a significant date in the history of St. John:
Word of Emancipation first reached St. John on July 4, 1848.

Late in the afternoon the owner of the Lamesure plantation, Captain Ingjald Mourier, arrived at Cruz Bay from St. Thomas bringing word of the Governor-General’s pronouncement of Emancipation. After hastily informing Police Master Carl Hanshell of the news, Mourier and Hanshell set out on horseback to inform the people in the countryside. Just after sunset, the enslaved populati

on on Estate Adrian were the first to learn of their newly achieved freedom.

According to the last pre-Emancipation census carried out in the Danish West Indies on October 5, 1846, there were 105 “Unfree” individuals toiling on the Adrian plantation at that date.

Read moreThe Meaning Behind St. John’s July 4th Festivities

Business Spotlight: A Fun Day for the Whole Family on Salt Deck!

I’m sure that everyone has been wondering what’s going on with the British Virgin Islands….Well , right now they stand as CLOSED until at least September 1.  But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan to get out on the water while you’re here.  And one of St. John’s newest boats, The Salt Deck, offers a unique experience in and of itself!

Read moreBusiness Spotlight: A Fun Day for the Whole Family on Salt Deck!