The Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts opened its 2026 Dialogues on Freedom Series and Pride Month observance Thursday evening with an opening reception for “Conversations on Pride,” an exhibition featuring work by artists from the Virgin Islands LGBTQIA community.

Co-curated by Sonia Nahar Deane of Cane Roots Art Gallery and CMCArts, the exhibition was developed in collaboration with the STX Pride organization. According to promotional materials, the partnership is rooted in “celebrating the right for our LGBTQIA family and friends to be themselves and to live their lives as they choose.”

Organizers said the exhibition reflects a shared commitment to freedom of expression and recognition of the LGBTQIA community in the Virgin Islands.

Several artists whose work is featured in the exhibition attended the reception, which included complimentary hors d’oeuvres from Barb’s Bites, a cash bar and music provided by a DJ in the courtyard. Artists represented in the exhibition include Johánna Bermudez-Ruiz, Victoria Rivera, Augustin Holder, Gene Rotter and Saroo Gena.

One of the first works visitors encounter upon entering the second-floor gallery is “Worthy,” an acrylic painting on a found shutter by Rivera. The piece features a silhouetted figure with a raised hand extending into bands of the Pride rainbow.

Rivera described the work as “a contemporary look at age-old societal constructs. The androgynous figure is superimposed on a discarded, traditional wooden shutter found on St Croix. It represents growing up and out of that which no longer serves our well-being and ability to thrive and flourish. It is a signpost declaring we are worthy as we are; we have always deserved to be seen and cherished.”

For the exhibition, Rivera said she chose “to create pieces representing struggle, defeat, lessons and growth.”

Nearby is “Soul Love: A Celestial Meeting (Amour Del Alma: Un Encuentro Celestial),” a 52-by-52-inch acrylic-on-canvas work by filmmaker, writer and painter Johánna Bermudez-Ruiz.

According to the artist’s description, the painting depicts two women who “live fully independent physical lives, yet they cross time, space and past lives to meet across the celestial sky.”

The work combines influences that the artist describes as “the bold geometric facial structures of Picasso, the surreal metaphysical dreamscapes of Dali and the symbolic dualities of Frida Kahlo.”

The composition also incorporates what Bermudez-Ruiz describes as “sacred botanical, cultural and cosmic iconography,” including lavender and orchids, which she notes have historically been used by members of the LGBTQIA community as symbols of resistance, identity and bodily autonomy.

Rivera also contributed two self-portraits to the exhibition. “Self Portrait 2025,” she said, “portrays my struggle with identity as a young queer adoptee of color in a rural town.”

She described “Self Portrait 2026” as “a visualized inner dialogue. It is a lifelike portrait and offers a resting place for abandonment, shame and fear … leaving sacred space for love, vulnerability, and self-acceptance.”

The exhibition serves as the opening event for both CMCArts’ 2026 Dialogues on Freedom Series and St. Croix Pride Month activities.

“We are honored to support everyone in their creative endeavors,” said Lisa Mordhorst, executive director of CMCArts. “Our work is rooted in freedom of expression, empowering the voices of our entire community.”

Mordhorst said the exhibition reflects that commitment.

“Freedom is a part of the human condition,” she said. “We all live. We all breathe. We all wake up in the morning and we all want to be free.”

The V.I. Waste Management Board convened Thursday to review a presentation on the utility’s 2024 audit, budget projections for the upcoming fiscal year and several ongoing projects.

Accountant George Willie from the firm Bert Smith and Company noted during his presentation to board members that the authority continues to struggle with a full accounting of its assets, including vehicles and other equipment, which may be obsolete or no longer working. Willie also flagged discrepancies between work the WMA contracted and work contractors billed for.

“I couldn’t get totally comfortable that we actually owe these dollars,” he said, adding that the cost of some jobs changed from one week to the next. “I think there has to be a definition of what a contract is, what a contracted amount is, what it is that you will not be paid for in excess of.”

Chief Financial Officer Daryl Griffith acknowledged later that Waste Management is still dealing with work that was performed without contracts after the 2017 hurricanes. The issue, he said, is that those contractors had expected to be paid by now.

“So when the auditor sends them the letter saying ‘how much does Waste Management owe you,’ they’re like, ‘well, we had settled on a contract for $5 million but it’s been five years. We want $7 million now,’” he said.

Griffith also noted that Waste Management regularly hires contractors on an emergency basis — particularly for wastewater issues.

During Thursday’s regular meeting, the board also approved a one-year, $367,770 contract with Falken USVI for security services at the territory’s landfills and treatment plants and approved the utility’s 2027 budget plan. Griffith estimated the authority will have an operating budget of $52.8 million for the next fiscal year. That sum includes approximately $39.5 million in government appropriations and a projected $4.5 million in tipping fees. Griffith said the authority also expects to bring in revenue through solid waste management fees and federal reimbursements.

The 36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands on Thursday confirmed Associate Justice Denise M. Francois to serve a 10-year term on the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands and Attorney Renee M. Andre to serve a six-year term as a judge of the Superior Court in the St. Thomas-St. John district, a press release announced.

Chief Justice Rhys S. Hodge announced Francois’ confirmation as the fifth justice of the Supreme Court, while Presiding Judge Jessica Gallivan announced Andre’s confirmation to the Superior Court bench, according to the press release.

Hodge said Francois’ confirmation marks a milestone for the Virgin Islands judiciary because it is the first time the Supreme Court will have all five justices seated since the court expanded from three to five members under Act No. 7888. He also noted Francois is only the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands.

“The nomination and confirmation of Associate Justice Denise M. Francois is a monumental milestone in the history of the Virgin Islands Judiciary,” Hodge said.

Francois was first nominated in 2013 by Gov. John P. DeJongh Jr. and confirmed by the 30th Legislature to serve a six-year term as a Superior Court judge. She was later renominated by Gov. Albert A. Bryan Jr. and unanimously confirmed by the 33rd Legislature in 2020 for a second six-year term on the Superior Court, the press release stated.

A graduate of Berkshire School in Massachusetts, Francois was among the first class of women admitted to Amherst College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1980. After returning to the Virgin Islands, she worked in the Department of Social Welfare as an investigator in the Division of Paternity and Child Support before serving as an economist in the Department of Commerce’s Division of Policy Planning and Research, the release stated.

Francois later earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1984 and passed the California bar before returning home to join the law firm of Maria Tankenson Hodge, P.C. She later became a partner in Hodge and Francois, P.C.

For nearly 30 years, Francois practiced before local and district courts, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and various Virgin Islands government administrative agencies, the release stated.

“Associate Justices Maria M. Cabret, Ive Arlington Swan, Harrold W. L. Willocks and I welcome Associate Justice Denise M. Francois to the Supreme Court and are confident that her service on the Supreme Court will be tremendous benefit to the court and the people of the Virgin Islands,” Hodge said.

Andre will serve a six-year term as judge of the Superior Court in the St. Thomas-St. John district, the release stated.

Andre graduated summa cum laude from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology before attending West Virginia University College of Law. While in law school, she was a W.E.B. DuBois Fellow and Brown W. Payne Scholar, the release stated.

Following law school, Andre completed a federal judicial clerkship with Judge Curtis V. Goméz before joining the Law Offices of Marjorie Rawls Roberts, P.C.

As a partner with the firm, Andre brings 18 years of legal experience in family law, probate, trust and estates, criminal defense, real estate, corporate transactions, contracts, economic development and tax matters, the release stated.

Andre is admitted to practice law in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, the U.S. Tax Court, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. She also previously practiced in West Virginia, the release stated.

Gallivan said Andre’s confirmation adds another jurist to the bench with a demonstrated commitment to “service, fairness and the rule of law.”

“Indeed, the entire judiciary welcomes Judge Andre and is confident she will serve with integrity and distinction,” Gallivan said.

Government House held its annual Academic Excellence Awards ceremony and reception Wednesday evening, where Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. encouraged honorees to pursue ambitious goals, return home after their studies and help shape the territory’s future.

The ceremony honored academic achievement among some of the Virgin Islands’ top graduating students and also highlighted Charlotte Amalie High School student Ta’Mya Davis, who recently earned first place in the senior division of the 2025 Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Foundation Children’s Essay Competition.

Assistant Education Commissioner Victor Somme III opened the ceremony by congratulating the territory’s graduating valedictorians and salutatorians and encouraging students to continue growing beyond graduation.

“Life is a journey,” Somme said. “Do not stop growing once you get your diploma.”

Speaking during the Government House Academic Excellence Awards ceremony Wednesday evening, Somme told students that education was something that could never be taken away from them.

“School has provided you with invaluable education that you will carry with you for the rest of your life,” he said. “They can take everything else, but they cannot take what you learn from you.”

Somme also encouraged students to make decisions based on their own goals and ambitions.

“From this day forward, make each decision with your best interest in mind,” he said. “Believe in yourself, so that you can reach your goals and fulfill your dreams.”

In closing remarks, Somme urged students to recognize their opportunities and shape the future around them.

“Remember that this world is more malleable than you think, and it is waiting for you to hammer it into shape,” he said.

Deputy Tourism Commissioner RoseAnne DeFreitas also addressed students during the ceremony, describing the room as filled with “greatness, intellect and innovation” and said the territory’s future leaders were among the honorees. “The future is bright,” she said.

DeFreitas then recognized Charlotte Amalie High School senior Ta’Mya Davis, who recently earned first place in the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association essay competition against students from across the Caribbean and Mexico.

According to DeFreitas, Davis is a former elementary school salutatorian, a three-time pageant titleholder, captain of the Charlotte Amalie High School auxiliary dance team, an AP scholar and currently ranked seventh in her graduating class.

“Ta’Mya is not just excelling academically, but is a well-rounded student who exemplifies what balance and success looks like,” DeFreitas said.

She added that Davis also received the 2025 I Am Hope Fund Youth Role Model Award and will attend the University of South Florida this fall to study advanced research in psychology.

DeFreitas said Davis’ accomplishment also reflected the territory’s long-standing partnership with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and its investment in youth development and future leaders.

Speaking to students and families gathered at Government House, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. described the Virgin Islands as being in “a period of massive growth and change” and told students, “You are the leadership.”

“We bring you here tonight to celebrate you, to tell you that you are indeed special, that you have a community that looks up to you and honors you, supports you, and wants you to be successful,” Bryan said.

Bryan urged students to see themselves as visionaries, saying that when they have a clear idea of what they want to build or change in the world, others may not immediately understand it. He said that pattern has repeated throughout history and in his own life, noting he first imagined becoming governor when he was in the fourth grade.

“There has never been — ever, ever, ever — anybody who has done anything incredible in this world that people didn’t think they were crazy,” he said.