Local News

Remember last month when we told you all about an incredible new video called Virgin Islands Nice? Yeah, it was pretty awesome, right? Well we’re happy to tell all of you that the Department of Tourism took notice, so much that they’ve decided to use it in a national campaign to promote the territory this summer. Seriously, how great is that?!

Virgin Islands Nice, written and performed by Delyno “Pressure Busspipe” Brown, will be featured in a 30-second national commercial which will be part of a national ad campaign and social media strategy created to promote tourism within the territory this summer.

The campaign will feature “Nice Packages,” showcasing several travel segments within the territory, while local tourism providers will be rewarded for delivering “Nice Experiences” each month.

Visitors will be encouraged to share their experiences across social media, and lucky winners will be rewarded for their posts. Very cool idea if you ask us.

So what prompted Pressure to create this song in the first place?

“The song was written to help Virgin Islanders home and abroad remember what great history we have as a people and because of those people is why we should be proud of where we come from,” Pressure said Friday.

Ahh, Pressure. Well said.

And in case you missed the video the first time, here it is again:

For those of you who can’t get enough of St. John, there’s a new villa blog in town.

Lori S. of New York recently purchased Windswept, a four-bedroom villa in Estate Hard Labor in Coral Bay. Closing on the house last Friday, Lori decided to create a blog about her experiences in becoming a homeowner on St. John.

“After a long time thinking about it, and a crazy weekend of looking, we made an offer on a house on the island of St John in the USVI,” Lori wrote on the blog. “The offer was accepted and now we have a house…. The house needs work…. and so this blog is the ‘story’ of our renovation process as we prepare the house for friends, family and eventually renters (if we ever get that far!)”

In her first post, Lori admits that the house “had issues” but even she was surprised about some of the findings during her first few days as a St. John homeowner. Did you know that rodents like to gnaw on kitchen cabinets? Neither did I.

The blog is called HardLaborSTJ – Renovating a House … Let the Hijinks Begin. Sounds like it will be a good one. Check it out here.

Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls told the St. John Tradewinds on January 29 that the new ferries would be running “within the next 30 days.” Well according to our math, those 30 days have come and gone, and still no new ferries.

There was a sighting, however, last week over in St. Thomas. Captain John Brandi spotted the Red Hook I last Wednesday. Seeing that the ferry wasn’t being put to use, he thought he could start the Palm Tree Charters Express or perhaps The Soggy Dollar Limin’ Express as he suggested back in January.

Now we figured that everyone loves a contest. When do you think the new ferries will begin operating between Cruz Bay and Red Hook? Leave your guess in the comments section. The winners will receive some News of St. John swag.

The new ferries by the numbers:

• 34 days since Smalls said they’d start operating “within 30 days”
• 43 days since Smalls told the Tradewinds that there was “no major holdup”
• 88 days since a champagne dedication ceremony was held
• 134 days since the government announced that sea trials had began
• 687 days since the governor signed a contract to begin building the two ferries

Everyone likes a good scandal, right?

For those of you on St. John, you may have noticed this incredible tall ship sailing the waters around the island the past few days – the Freedom Schooner Amistad.

The Amistad is a replica of the original vessel known for its 1839 mutiny by captured Mende slaves who took control of the ship off the coast of Cuba. The original ship set off an international legal battle following their capture by the Federal survey brig Washington near Montauk Point, Long Island, New York. It became a US Supreme Court case of 1841.

The Freedom Schooner Amistad is a 129-foot replica which was launched in Connecticut in May 2000. The goal of the Amistad was to travel as an educational ambassador, teaching lessons of history, cooperation and leadership in the many ports it visits.

Here’s where the scandal comes in…

(Disclaimer: Papa News of St. John is all over this Amistad scandal, so we have to give him a bit of credit for this story.)

Ok, so according to Papa News of St. John as well as the media in Connecticut, it seems as though the Amistad accepted at least $8 million in Connecticut state funds yet is unable to account for the money. It even lost its nonprofit status in 2012 after failing to file tax returns for three years. And to top it off, the tall ship – which by contract is supposed to be in Connecticut waters during hurricane season – sailed to Puerto Rico last summer right in the middle of hurricane season.

Oh and speaking of Puerto Rico – News of St. John happened to come across the Amistad docked in Old San Juan on February 15. At the time, it was flying the Puerto Rican flag, not the US or Connecticut flags. No bueno.

As you can see in Captain John Brandi’s picture above, the Puerto Rican flag has since been removed. The Amistad is now flying both the US and Connecticut flags.

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that this schooner is up to no good. What are your thoughts?

Want to learn more about the Amistad’s story? Click here to visit the National Park Service’s page dedicated to the ship. Want to know more about its scandal in the States? Click here and here.

Ok, so we have something pretty exciting to share … News of St. John products are now available on island thanks to a great new partnership with the Jolly Dog Trading Co. How exciting is that?!

Beginning today, you can head on over to the Jolly Dog – located at Skinny Legs in Coral Bay – and take home a News of St. John koozie, shot glass or both! Check them out:

Jolly Dog Trading Co. is an awesome little shop that’s been operating on St. John for 17 years. It carries a variety of items from beach stuff and surfwear to locally made hook bracelets, larimar jewelry, and of course its award-winning Jolly Dog Trading Co. line of tshirts. We’re definitely in great company!

So next time you’re in Coral Bay, stop by and say hello to our friends over at the Jolly Dog. And grab a News of St. John koozie or shot glass while you’re at it. Even better, send us a pic of you with our News of St. John swag and we’ll post it.

Not on island? You can buy our News of St. John swag at our online store. Click here to see our products. 

Happy shopping!