Governor Mapp Travels Out Of Territory Tomorrow; Returns November 7

ST. CROIX — Governor Kenneth Mapp will leave the territory tomorrow and won’t return until November 7, a press release Government House issued tonight has revealed. Mr. Mapp returned from a Florida trip four days ago, where he was said to have attended a “series of meetings,” according to Government House Communications Director Kimberly Jones.

This latest trip, however, sees the territory’s leader traveling to Colorado Springs, CO at the invitation of the National Governors Association to attend the Summit of North American Governors and Premiers. According to the release, the meetings will commence on Friday and will include discussions on innovative infrastructure investment, North American economic innovation and jobs and investment strategies. Mr. Mapp will also tour the U.S. Air Force Academy as well as the Alternate Command Center of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), according to the release.

Following the Colorado trip, Mr. Mapp will travel to Florida for personal leave, according to the release. It did not reveal how long the governor would remain in Colorado; and since Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter is also out of the territory, Commissioner of Finance Valdamier Collens becomes acting governor until Mr. Potter or the governor himself returns. The release did not state where the lieutenant governor had traveled to.

The travel announcement comes amid a surge in deadly violence in the territory, with three young men losing their lives on this island in four days. Government House has yet to release a statement concerning the recent criminal activity.

On Sunday morning, a woman in St. Thomas who was hit with multiple gunshots while speaking with two men outside the Jala Jala Nightclub, died on the spot.