My Brother's Workshop has upped the ante for this year's Mystery Event! Join MBW for a night of sleuthing and fun at the 3rd Annual MBW Mystery Event on Feb. 8 at VI Montessori School & Peter Gruber International Academy. Food will be provided by MBW Cafe and Bakery and drinks will be available for purchase. The theme this year is Mystery in the Wild West. There will be fun carnival style games and poker games for prizes, live entertainment and don't forget about prizes for best dressed, best sleuth and best actors! Attendees are encouraged to dress in costume, but not required. Totally immerse yourself in this mystery experience or come as you are for the entertainment and fun! It will be a night of mystery and mayhem in the Wild West and all are invited to attend! All proceeds from the event go towards furthering the mission of MBW. Purchase your tickets here. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this event, please click here . If you would like to volunteer at the event, please fill out this form . Volunteer shifts are available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and are all 2.5-3 hours long. Each volunteer receives free admission to the event!

The USVI is updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan is mandated by FEMA so the territory can receive the appropriate level of funding pre- and post-disasters. The purpose of the Steering Committee is to guide the update of the Hazard Mitigation Plan for the territory. The planning process, as mandated by FEM A, requires that the Steering Committee meet on a regular basis to ensure that mitigation strategies are in line with the territory's strategic development direction, and reflect the capabilities and capacities present. VITEMA and the University of the Virgin Islands will be hosting the first Steering Committee meeting on Feb. 5 from 1-2:30 p.m. The meeting will be held on St. Croix at VITEMA’s Emergency Operations Center, and video-linked to the St. Thomas VITEMA’s Emergency Operations Center for those who cannot travel. A FEMA representative will be present at the meeting. If you plan to attend, please email Kim Waddell at [email protected] and copy Michael Emanuel, our project assistant, at [email protected] .

Guest tip by Nadjya Ghausi: Storytelling is a tradition as old as humanity itself. Stories unify us, drawing us out of our world and into that of someone else. We tell stories to connect, to remember, to entertain and, ultimately, to communicate. And because we are wired to engage, the better the story, the deeper the connection. Read more .