Government House Briefing Reflects Territory’s Highs, Lows and Murky In-Betweens

A press briefing led by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. Monday included new details about a landmark land acquisition tempered by budget concerns, doubling down on the West Indian Company’s right to opacity and frustration over a bomb threat and school monitor sickout, which temporarily shuttered St. Croix schools.

Bryan called the bomb threat, which circulated over social media this weekend, a “reckless act that disrupted the lives of students, parents, educators and administrators … as a matter of fact, it really upset the entire community, and we simply will not tolerate it.”

“Let me be clear: there is no place in our community for threats that endanger our children or undermine their education, and we will pursue every avenue to hold accountable the individual or individuals responsible for this disruption,” he said before thanking school personnel for their response to the potential threat. “And I thank the students and their parents who endured the anxiety and uncertainty of this day.”

He was less thankful toward the multitude of school monitors who reportedly called in sick to work Monday.