Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach sought to end the year on a positive note during the last Government House briefing of 2024 on Monday morning.
Bryan lauded the opening of the Crucian Christmas Festival Village on Sunday evening, and V.I. Police Department Deputy Chief Uston Cornelius said the department has been preparing for Festival since November.
“Right after Thanksgiving, the planning went straight into effect, and we were able to get our first three nights without any issues,” he said, noting the pageants and the inaugural USVI Band Clash. “Last night, it was open, it was really — it was well-atended.”
Soon after the briefing concluded, the V.I. Police Department issued a press release to address a self-inflicted gunshot wound incurred by a licensed gun owner in the Coney Island area of the Festival Village on Sunday night.
According to VIPD, an officer requested emergency medical services around 9:53 p.m. after an adult male shot himself in the calf while adjusting his holster. The man was on a ride with his child at the time, and no other people were injured by the accidental discharge, according to police.
Government House and police spokespersons have not yet responded to requests for comment, and it’s unclear why the matter was not mentioned during Monday morning’s briefing.
During Monday’s press briefing, The Source asked Bryan to list a few of his administration’s major accomplishments over the past year. He noted: efforts to stabilize the V.I. Water and Power Authority; President Joseph Biden’s visit; and securing a two-percent cost-share match for certain disaster recovery projects.
“I don’t want to be petty, but I have to say — the Legislature not extending the state of emergency is indicative of the mistakes we’ve made in the past,” Bryan said later. “You know, we half-fix something — it’s fixed for like, a year, and then we’re back in the same place.”
The reality, he said, is that the Water and Power Authority needs to be fixed once and for all. Bryan also hinted that his forthcoming State of the Territory address would contain good news about the territory’s disaster recovery efforts.
“We got a lot of good news … We’ve got some news about people who are worried about money expiring — so we’ve got some news about that — we’ve gotta save some little ‘nuggets,’” he said.
Monday’s briefing came after reports that the V.I. Waste Management Authority lost its main contractor due to nonpayment. A Government House spokesperson told the Source on Monday that Bryan had held an emergency meeting with Waste Management. In a press release sent out on Monday, Waste Management said the bin site at Mon Bijou will reopen for household waste disposal on Jan. 1.
