March 18, 2003 – The University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix campus on Wednesday will host federal representatives and administrators from 34 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) for a two-day technical assistance workshop.
The program is jointly sponsored by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and UVI, and will concentrate on funding and career opportunities for HBCU representatives involved in international programs, sponsored programs, and career planning and placement.
Representatives from local government agencies and businesses are encouraged to attend in order to gain perspective on grants, contracts, fellowships and career opportunities.
U.S. Ambassador Leonard H.O. Spearman, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, will give opening remarks Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. The workshop on Thursday will also begin at 8:30 a.m. also and will end at 2 p.m.
In addition to the U.S. Department of Education, other participating agencies include the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of State.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of the Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy have also been invited to participate.
UVI President LaVerne E. Ragster will host a reception for workshop participants on at 5:30 p.m. at the Great House on UVI’s St. Croix campus.
For more information on the workshop, please contact Mrs. Nereida Washington at 692-4000.

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March 17, 2003 – Senators arriving from St. Thomas soon will have only to walk across the street to the Legislature Building on St. Croix, rather than ride from the airport or Christiansted, thanks to a decision by the Planning and Environmental Protection Committee.
The committee on Monday approved a Coastal Zone Management permit that will allow Seaborne Airlines to provide seaplane service between Charlotte Amalie and the Frederiksted pier. The action does not require the full Legislature's approval, senators said.
Seaborne representatives appeared before the committee on Monday morning to provide details on the plan and to lobby for approval of the CZM permit.
"There is possibly a very lucrative market in Frederiksted," Maurice Kurg, management adviser and former chief executive officer at Seaborne, said. The high volume of government employees traveling between the islands makes the new service feasible, he said.
A ticketing office will be opened in an old Tourism Department building adjacent to the Ann Abramson Pier, he said, and Seaborne will install a 25-foot long floating dock where passengers will emplane and deplane, similar to the one used in Christiansted.
Sen. Roosevelt David said he was "very concerned" that the company will not be required to pay fees for using 1,000 square feet of submerged land beneath the floating dock.
The V.I. Code states that the fees are not assessed for land used for public purposes, which Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, a lawyer, interpreted to include Seaborne. Constance Krieger, legislative chief counsel, disagreed with that interpretation, but she termed the discrepancy a technicality and left the fee decision up to DPNR.
David asked whether the company would be able to lower its fares in Frederiksted because it won't have to pay those fees.
Kurg replied that Seaborne would likely offer incentives to bolster ridership at Frederiksted for the first few months, but the venture "couldn't go ahead on discounted rates."
He noted that Seaborne would still pay to lease the site and would be responsible for per-head passenger fees assessed by the Port Authority.
"I wouldn't want anybody to think our company is profitable," Kurg said. "We are struggling at this point."
The impact of rising aviation fuel prices — which have more than doubled over the last three years — has been compounded by a "trickle-down" effect of the problems facing the major airlines since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Kurg said, and these factors continue to hurt Seaborne. "We have survived by the skin of our teeth, and we're still trying to recover," he said.
With Hovensa on St. Croix, "we get a bit of a break" on fuel costs, he said, "but the relative increase has been the same."
The new dock will have little if any effect on marine life under the pier and could likely serve as a nursery area for fish, Plaskett said. Kurg said the company will not take on fuel at the facility, and only two to four small holes will be drilled in the ocean floor to anchor the platform.
Seaborne, Kurg said, could have the Frederiksted operation up and running in 90 to 120 days. That could be welcome news for V.I. commuters, as American Airlines announced on Monday that American Eagle as of May 1 will no longer fly between St. Thomas and St. Croix, in part because of a recent 25 percent hike in Port Authority airport landing and passenger fees. (See "American Eagle axing St. Croix-St. Thomas links".)
It is unclear whether Seaborne can absorb all the traffic now handled by American Eagle. The company flies three seaplanes daily, Kurg said, and adds a fourth on busy days. A fifth plane is undergoing repairs, he said, and the company may add another later in the year.
"We'll take up any slack we can," Kurg said. "The only thing that keeps us from operating 10 airplanes instead of five is cash."
Of Seaborne's 97 employees, 84 percent are locals, Kurg testified. The new dock will employ five more people.
The permit was approved unanimously. Committee members present were the chair, Sen. Louis Hill, and Sens. David, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe, Almando "Rocky" Liburd and Ronald Russell. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused.

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March 17, 2003 – Senators arriving from St. Thomas soon will have only to walk across the street to the Legislature Building on St. Croix, thanks to a decision on Monday by the Planning and Environmental Protection Committee.
The committee on Monday approved a Coastal Zone Management permit that will allow Seaborne Airlines to provide seaplane service between Charlotte Amalie and the Frederiksted pier. The action does not require the full Legislature's approval, senators said.
Seaborne representatives appeared before the committee on Monday morning to provide details on the plan and to lobby for approval of the CZM permit.
"There is possibly a very lucrative market in Frederiksted," Maurice Kurg, management adviser and former chief executive officer at Seaborne, said. The high volume of government employees traveling between the islands makes the new service feasible, he said.
A ticketing office will be opened in an old Tourism Department building adjacent to the Ann Abramson Pier, he said, and Seaborne will install a 25-foot long floating dock where passengers will emplane and deplane, similar to the one used in Christiansted.
Sen. Roosevelt David said he was "very concerned" that the company will not be required to pay fees for using 1,000 square feet of submerged land beneath the floating dock.
The V.I. Code states that the fees are not assessed for land used for public purposes, which Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, a lawyer, interpreted to include Seaborne. Constance Krieger, legislative chief counsel, disagreed with that interpretation, but she termed the discrepancy a technicality and left the fee decision up to DPNR.
David asked whether the company would be able to lower its fares in Frederiksted because it won't have to pay those fees.
Kurg replied that Seaborne would likely offer incentives to bolster ridership at Frederiksted for the first few months, but the venture "couldn't go ahead on discounted rates."
He noted that Seaborne would still pay to lease the site and would be responsible for per-head passenger fees assessed by the Port Authority.
"I wouldn't want anybody to think our company is profitable," Kurg said. "We are struggling at this point."
The impact of rising aviation fuel prices — which have more than doubled over the last three years — has been compounded by a "trickle-down" effect of the problems facing the major airlines since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Kurg said, and these factors continue to hurt Seaborne. "We have survived by the skin of our teeth, and we're still trying to recover," he said.
With Hovensa on St. Croix, "we get a bit of a break" on fuel costs, he said, "but the relative increase has been the same."
The new dock will have little if any effect on marine life under the pier and could likely serve as a nursery area for fish, Plaskett said. Kurg said the company will not take on fuel at the facility, and only two to four small holes will be drilled in the ocean floor to anchor the platform.
Seaborne, Kurg said, could have the Frederiksted operation up and running in 90 to 120 days. That could be welcome news for V.I. commuters, as American Airlines announced on Monday that American Eagle as of May 1 will no longer fly between St. Thomas and St. Croix, in part because of a recent 25 percent hike in Port Authority airport landing and passenger fees. (See "American Eagle axing St. Thomas-St. Croix links".)
It is unclear whether Seaborne can absorb all the traffic now handled by American Eagle. The company flies three seaplanes daily, Kurg said, and adds a fourth on busy days. A fifth plane is undergoing repairs, he said, and the company may add another later in the year.
"We'll take up any slack we can," Kurg said. "The only thing that keeps us from operating 10 airplanes instead of five is cash."
Of Seaborne's 97 employees, 84 percent are locals, Kurg testified. The new dock will employ five more people.
The permit was approved unanimously. Committee members present were the chair, Sen. Louis Hill, and Sens. David, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe, Almando "Rocky" Liburd and Ronald Russell. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused.

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March 17, 2003 – Senators arriving from St. Thomas soon will have only to walk across the street to the Legislature Building on St. Croix, rather than ride from the airport or Christiansted, thanks to a decision on Monday by the Planning and Environmental Protection Committee.
The committee on Monday approved a Coastal Zone Management permit that will allow Seaborne Airlines to provide seaplane service between Charlotte Amalie and the Frederiksted pier. The action does not require the full Legislature's approval, senators said.
Seaborne representatives appeared before the committee on Monday morning to provide details on the plan and to lobby for approval of the CZM permit.
"There is possibly a very lucrative market in Frederiksted," Maurice Kurg, management adviser and former chief executive officer at Seaborne, said. The high volume of government employees traveling between the islands makes the new service feasible, he said.
A ticketing office will be opened in an old Tourism Department building adjacent to the Ann Abramson Pier, he said, and Seaborne will install a 25-foot long floating dock where passengers will emplane and deplane, similar to the one used in Christiansted.
Sen. Roosevelt David said he was "very concerned" that the company will not be required to pay fees for using 1,000 square feet of submerged land beneath the floating dock.
The V.I. Code states that the fees are not assessed for land used for public purposes, which Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, a lawyer, interpreted to include Seaborne. Constance Krieger, legislative chief counsel, disagreed with that interpretation, but she termed the discrepancy a technicality and left the fee decision up to DPNR.
David asked whether the company would be able to lower its fares in Frederiksted because it won't have to pay those fees.
Kurg replied that Seaborne would likely offer incentives to bolster ridership at Frederiksted for the first few months, but the venture "couldn't go ahead on discounted rates."
He noted that Seaborne would still pay to lease the site and would be responsible for per-head passenger fees assessed by the Port Authority.
"I wouldn't want anybody to think our company is profitable," Kurg said. "We are struggling at this point."
The impact of rising aviation fuel prices — which have more than doubled over the last three years — has been compounded by a "trickle-down" effect of the problems facing the major airlines since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Kurg said, and these factors continue to hurt Seaborne. "We have survived by the skin of our teeth, and we're still trying to recover," he said.
With Hovensa on St. Croix, "we get a bit of a break" on fuel costs, he said, "but the relative increase has been the same."
The new dock will have little if any effect on marine life under the pier and could likely serve as a nursery area for fish, Plaskett said. Kurg said the company will not take on fuel at the facility, and only two to four small holes will be drilled in the ocean floor to anchor the platform.
Seaborne, Kurg said, could have the Frederiksted operation up and running in 90 to 120 days. That could be welcome news for V.I. commuters, as American Airlines announced on Monday that American Eagle as of May 1 will no longer fly between St. Thomas and St. Croix, in part because of a recent 25 percent hike in Port Authority airport landing and passenger fees. (See "American Eagle axing St. Thomas-St. Croix links".)
It is unclear whether Seaborne can absorb all the traffic now handled by American Eagle. The company flies three seaplanes daily, Kurg said, and adds a fourth on busy days. A fifth plane is undergoing repairs, he said, and the company may add another later in the year.
"We'll take up any slack we can," Kurg said. "The only thing that keeps us from operating 10 airplanes instead of five is cash."
Of Seaborne's 97 employees, 84 percent are locals, Kurg testified. The new dock will employ five more people.
The permit was approved unanimously. Committee members present were the chair, Sen. Louis Hill, and Sens. David, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe, Almando "Rocky" Liburd and Ronald Russell. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused.

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March 17, 2003 – The final Classics in the Garden concert of the series' 16th season brings a musical first to Tillett Gardens on Wednesday night — a flute, viola and harp trio.
It also ended up bringing complications — not for the St. Thomas concert but for the night-later performance that traditionally follows at the St. John School of the Arts in Cruz Bay.
Two-thirds of the Auréole Trio — flutist Laura Gilbert and violist Mary Hammann — travel with their easily portable musical instruments when they tour. No so harpist Stacey Shames, who like pianists and organists relies on the host venue to provide an acceptable instrument for her to play.
It turned out there were two such harps on St. Thomas but none on St. John, and while one of the St. Thomas instruments was available for transport across Pillsbury Sound, the expense of getting there and back proved prohibitive.
The upshot is that the Thursday St. John performance has been canceled, but complimentary transportation will be provided to anyone on St. John wishing to travel to St. Thomas for the Classics in the Garden concert on Wednesday. (For details, see the "Tickets and transportation" section at the end of this article.)
On St. John, "we had all looked forward to hearing the fascinating combination of harp, viola and flute," Ruth "Sis" Frank, School of the Arts director, said. She said it was especially disappointing that "we were not able to present this program in the ideal acoustics of our school."
Diana White, a member of the Arts Alive board of directors, said: "We are trying very hard not to lose anyone through the cracks."
That being the case, a full to overflowing house in Tillett Gardens is more than a possibility.
The Auréole Trio has captivated audiences around the world. The ensemble specializes in music of the Impressionists and the 20th century with a repertoire that includes many works written expressly for them by such composers including Sir Richard Rodney Bennett — who himself has on two occasions graced the stages of Tillett Gardens and the St. John School of the Arts.
In fact, the trio's third CD is of music by Bennett and Nicholas Maw, and it was released to great acclaim. Their most recent album is devoted to the compositions for flute of Toru Takemitsu — whose work is included on the program for Wednesday's performance.
The concert will open with Deux Interludes by Jacques lbert (1890-1962), followed by "And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind" by Takemitsu (b. 1930) and the three-movement Sonate by Debussy (1862-1918). The second half of the program will begin with a Suite by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), consisting of three works titled "The Fog Is Lifting," "The Children Are Playing" and "Faith and Hope Are Playing." This will be followed by "Tenderness of Cranes," a work for solo flute by Shirish Korde (b. 1945), and a four-movement Trio by Harald Genzmer (b. 1909).
A Washington Post reviewer of the group's first album which hailed Auréole as an ensemble that "play with effortless technique and a fine sensitivity to the music and to one another. Their performance is as chamber music should be, like a conversation among friends."
The word auréole means a halo, or the corona around Earth's sun. But the three musicians weren't thinking of solar glow when they chose the name Auréole for their collective self. They were inspired, publicity states, by a composition of that name by Jacob Druckman "which explores the ever-changing palette of color, sound and timbral possibilities of a traditional instrumental ensemble."
Auréole has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad and has participated in numerous artist-in-residence programs. Recent performance venues include Merkin and Weill Halls in New York, the Philips Collection gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Wang Center for the Arts in Boston.
Individually, the Auréole artists have active solo and chamber music careers, appearing with and as members of such ensembles as Musicians from Marlboro, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Alexander Schneider's Brandenburg Ensemble, Orpheus, Speculum Musicae, the Bach Aria Group and the Metropolitan Opera.
Harpist Shames was 14 when she made her professional debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. She won first prize at the 1987 American Harp Society National Competition and was a top winner of the 11th International Harp Contest in Israel. She tours nationwide on the American Harp Society's New Concert Artists Program roster. She has been principal harpist of the Saint Louis Symphony and the Aspen Chamber Symphony. A graduate of the Juilliard School, she also studied at the Manhattan School of Music.
Flutist Gilbert has had solo appearances at Carnegie and Weill Halls and The Kennedy Center and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. She also performs and records with guitarist Antigoni Goni. She collaborated in numerous chamber music performances with the late pianist Rudolf Serkin and was a member of the ensemble with Dawn Upshaw that won the 1991 Grammy Award for "The Girl With the Orange Lips."
Violist Hammann has performed as principal violist of the New York String Orchestra and has appeared in numerous chamber music festivals. Her solo performances this season include a concert with the Jupiter Symphony at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and the Mannes College of Music.
Ticket and transportation information
Wednesday's program in Tillett Gardens begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. A three-course pre-performance dinner in the garden with concert seating is an additional $30 excluding bar service and gratuity. Dinner is served from 6 p.m. and will conclude before the concert begins.
Reservations are required for dinner; with seating reserved and limited, they also are strongly recommended for the concert alone. To make reservations or to purchase tickets using a charge card, call the Arts Alive office at 775-1929.
Tickets for what was to have been Thursday's performance at the St. John School of the Arts will be honored for the Wednesday program. Those persons on St. John wishing to attend the St. Thomas concert should call the school at 779-4322 to confirm their intent.
Those traveling from St. John should take the 7 p.m. ferry from Cruz Bay. In Red Hook, they will board shuttle safari buses to Tillett Gardens. The shuttle buses will depart Tillett Gardens at 9:45 p.m. to catch the 10 p.m. ferry back to Cruz Bay.
Anyone on St. John wishing to have dinner at Tillett Gardens before the concert will need to make their own travel arrangements.
Those holding School of the Arts concert tickets also have the option of turning them in for a full refund. Again, call the school at 779-4322.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 17, 2003 – The final Classics in the Garden concert of the series' 16th season brings a musical first to Tillett Gardens on Wednesday night — a flute, viola and harp trio.
It also ended up bringing complications — not for the St. Thomas concert but for the night-later performance that traditionally follows at the St. John School of the Arts in Cruz Bay.
Two-thirds of the Auréole Trio — flutist Laura Gilbert and violist Mary Hammann — travel with their easily portable musical instruments when they tour. No so harpist Stacey Shames, who like pianists and organists relies on the host venue to provide an acceptable instrument for her to play.
It turned out there were two such harps on St. Thomas but none on St. John, and while one of the St. Thomas instruments was available for transport across Pillsbury Sound, the expense of getting there and back proved prohibitive.
The upshot is that the Thursday St. John performance has been canceled, but complimentary transportation will be provided to anyone on St. John wishing to travel to St. Thomas for the Classics in the Garden concert on Wednesday. (For details, see the "Tickets and transportation" section at the end of this article.)
On St. John, "we had all looked forward to hearing the fascinating combination of harp, viola and flute," Ruth "Sis" Frank, School of the Arts director, said. She said it was especially disappointing that "we were not able to present this program in the ideal acoustics of our school."
Diana White, a member of the Arts Alive board of directors, said: "We are trying very hard not to lose anyone through the cracks."
That being the case, a full to overflowing house in Tillett Gardens is more than a possibility.
The Auréole Trio has captivated audiences around the world. The ensemble specializes in music of the Impressionists and the 20th century with a repertoire that includes many works written expressly for them by such composers including Sir Richard Rodney Bennett — who himself has on two occasions graced the stages of Tillett Gardens and the St. John School of the Arts.
In fact, the trio's third CD is of music by Bennett and Nicholas Maw, and it was released to great acclaim. Their most recent album is devoted to the compositions for flute of Toru Takemitsu — whose work is included on the program for Wednesday's performance.
The concert will open with Deux Interludes by Jacques lbert (1890-1962), followed by "And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind" by Takemitsu (b. 1930) and the three-movement Sonate by Debussy (1862-1918). The second half of the program will begin with a Suite by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), consisting of three works titled "The Fog Is Lifting," "The Children Are Playing" and "Faith and Hope Are Playing." This will be followed by "Tenderness of Cranes," a work for solo flute by Shirish Korde (b. 1945), and a four-movement Trio by Harald Genzmer (b. 1909).
A Washington Post reviewer of the group's first album which hailed Auréole as an ensemble that "play with effortless technique and a fine sensitivity to the music and to one another. Their performance is as chamber music should be, like a conversation among friends."
The word auréole means a halo, or the corona around Earth's sun. But the three musicians weren't thinking of solar glow when they chose the name Auréole for their collective self. They were inspired, publicity states, by a composition of that name by Jacob Druckman "which explores the ever-changing palette of color, sound and timbral possibilities of a traditional instrumental ensemble."
Auréole has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad and has participated in numerous artist-in-residence programs. Recent performance venues include Merkin and Weill Halls in New York, the Philips Collection gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Wang Center for the Arts in Boston.
Individually, the Auréole artists have active solo and chamber music careers, appearing with and as members of such ensembles as Musicians from Marlboro, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Alexander Schneider's Brandenburg Ensemble, Orpheus, Speculum Musicae, the Bach Aria Group and the Metropolitan Opera.
Harpist Shames was 14 when she made her professional debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. She won first prize at the 1987 American Harp Society National Competition and was a top winner of the 11th International Harp Contest in Israel. She tours nationwide on the American Harp Society's New Concert Artists Program roster. She has been principal harpist of the Saint Louis Symphony and the Aspen Chamber Symphony. A graduate of the Juilliard School, she also studied at the Manhattan School of Music.
Flutist Gilbert has had solo appearances at Carnegie and Weill Halls and The Kennedy Center and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. She also performs and records with guitarist Antigoni Goni. She collaborated in numerous chamber music performances with the late pianist Rudolf Serkin and was a member of the ensemble with Dawn Upshaw that won the 1991 Grammy Award for "The Girl With the Orange Lips."
Violist Hammann has performed as principal violist of the New York String Orchestra and has appeared in numerous chamber music festivals. Her solo performances this season include a concert with the Jupiter Symphony at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and the Mannes College of Music.
Ticket and transportation information
Wednesday's program in Tillett Gardens begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. A three-course pre-performance dinner in the garden with concert seating is an additional $30 excluding bar service and gratuity. Dinner is served from 6 p.m. and will conclude before the concert begins.
Reservations are required for dinner; with seating reserved and limited, they also are strongly recommended for the concert alone. To make reservations or to purchase tickets using a charge card, call the Arts Alive office at 775-1929.
Tickets for what was to have been Thursday's performance at the St. John School of the Arts will be honored for the Wednesday program. Those persons on St. John wishing to attend the St. Thomas concert should call the school at 779-4322 to confirm their intent.
Those traveling from St. John should take the 7 p.m. ferry from Cruz Bay. In Red Hook, they will board shuttle safari buses to Tillett Gardens. The shuttle buses will depart Tillett Gardens at 9:45 p.m. to catch the 10 p.m. ferry back to Cruz Bay.
Anyone on St. John wishing to have dinner at Tillett Gardens before the concert will need to make their own travel arrangements.
Those holding School of the Arts concert tickets also have the option of turning them in for a full refund. Again, call the school at 779-4322.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 17, 2003 – An editorial call by The Avis for St. Croix to become a territory separate from the Virgin Islands should serve as a wake-up call, as far as community activist Noel Loftus is concerned.
"I see it as a shot across the bow," Loftus said on Monday.
The editorial in the Sunday/Monday issue of The Avis was headlined "Time for a divorce." It called on Congress to further revise the 1954 Revised Organic Act so that St. Croix could become a separate territory.
The Avis asked registered voters on St. Croix to sign a petition, printed in the paper, supporting secession. Signed copies are to be delivered to the newspaper's headquarters in La Grande Princesse by April 7.
"We are advocating this because St. Croix's economy is in the doldrums," Avis managing editor Will Jones said on Monday. "All we hear is more talk and hot air."
Loftus, a St. Croix businessman and president of the organization St. Croix Alive, said he sees the editorial not as an actual call for secession but rather as a way to bring attention to St. Croix's plight. He noted that he was speaking for himself, not the group's members, since he had not had a chance to ask their opinions.
Jones said the newspaper's stance is that money generated on St. Croix should stay on St. Croix.
The editorial said that St. Croix's major private-sector employers — Hovensa, V.I. Rum Industries, Kapok Management, the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino — and one individual, San Antonio Spurs basketball star Tim Duncan, together contribute about $416.4 million to the government coffers. The paper claims this accounts for 70.9 percent of the territory's overall revenues.
"Most of the money collected by the government is spent on St. Thomas," the paper charged.
The paper called on Delegate Donna M. Christensen to petition Congress to make the change in the Organic Act, which in lieu of a local constitution sets forth the powers of the V.I. government.
Christensen aide Brian Modeste said broader community and official government support would be needed before the delegate would put such a request before her colleagues. And, he said, if the governor or the Legislature opposed such a move, it "wouldn't happen."
However, Modeste said the issue has legitimacy because the Croix newspaper of record, The Avis, advocates the change.
The Avis called for a separate governor, lieutenant governor and five-member legislature for St. Croix, with St. Croix continuing to share a delegate to Congress with the other islands.
According to the editorial, autonomy will allow St. Croix to run its own affairs, with control over its own departments and agencies. The editorial said the island should not give up its share of federal funding.
Loftus said the editorial crystallizes what St. Croix residents already feel. Ticking off a list of businesses that have closed since three cruise lines stopped calling at St. Croix last year, he predicted that more failures will follow.
The planned $540 million Seven Hills Beach Resort and Casino development at Robin Bay appears to be the only bright light on the horizon economically, Loftus said. However, he said, if the Legislature does not repeal the bill allowing video lottery terminal operations in the St. Thomas-St. John district, the Robin Bay project will evaporate.
Loftus said it is particularly discouraging that Senate President David Jones, who represents St. Croix, has led the charge for VLT's.
The Avis editorial noted that Anguilla successfully seceded from St. Kitts and Nevis after years of troubles When St. Kitts and Nevis became independent in 1983, Anguilla opted to remain a British colony.
Craig Barshinger, a St. John political activist, has long advocated more autonomy for St. Croix and St. John in the form of island councils. Decisions about what happens on a particular island should be made on that island, not by the central government on St. Thomas, he said Monday.
He said he sees the Avis' call for secession as a "harbinger of things to come" and called it a step on the territory's road to political maturity.
It's an indication that people are no longer passive and that they are seeking to control their own destiny, Barshinger said. He added, "I think that is very healthy."

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March 17, 2003 – An editorial call by The Avis for St. Croix to become a territory separate from the Virgin Islands should serve as a wake-up call, as far as community activist Noel Loftus is concerned.
"I see it as a shot across the bow," Loftus said on Monday.
The editorial in the Sunday/Monday issue of The Avis was headlined "Time for a divorce." It called on Congress to further revise the 1954 Revised Organic Act so that St. Croix could become a separate territory.
The Avis asked registered voters on St. Croix to sign a petition, printed in the paper, supporting secession. Signed copies are to be delivered to the newspaper's headquarters in La Grande Princesse by April 7.
"We are advocating this because St. Croix's economy is in the doldrums," Avis managing editor Will Jones said on Monday. "All we hear is more talk and hot air."
Loftus, a St. Croix businessman and president of the organization St. Croix Alive, said he sees the editorial not as an actual call for secession but rather as a way to bring attention to St. Croix's plight. He noted that he was speaking for himself, not the group's members, since he had not had a chance to ask their opinions.
Jones said the newspaper's stance is that money generated on St. Croix should stay on St. Croix.
The editorial said that St. Croix's major private-sector employers — Hovensa, V.I. Rum Industries, Kapok Management, the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino — and one individual, San Antonio Spurs basketball star Tim Duncan, together contribute about $416.4 million to the government coffers. The paper claims this accounts for 70.9 percent of the territory's overall revenues.
"Most of the money collected by the government is spent on St. Thomas," the paper charged.
The paper called on Delegate Donna M. Christensen to petition Congress to make the change in the Organic Act, which in lieu of a local constitution sets forth the powers of the V.I. government.
Christensen aide Brian Modeste said broader community and official government support would be needed before the delegate would put such a request before her colleagues. And, he said, if the governor or the Legislature opposed such a move, it "wouldn't happen."
However, Modeste said the issue has legitimacy because the Croix newspaper of record, The Avis, advocates the change.
The Avis called for a separate governor, lieutenant governor and five-member legislature for St. Croix, with St. Croix continuing to share a delegate to Congress with the other islands.
According to the editorial, autonomy will allow St. Croix to run its own affairs, with control over its own departments and agencies. The editorial said the island should not give up its share of federal funding.
Loftus said the editorial crystallizes what St. Croix residents already feel. Ticking off a list of businesses that have closed since three cruise lines stopped calling at St. Croix last year, he predicted that more failures will follow.
The planned $540 million Seven Hills Beach Resort and Casino development at Robin Bay appears to be the only bright light on the horizon economically, Loftus said. However, he said, if the Legislature does not repeal the bill allowing video lottery terminal operations in the St. Thomas-St. John district, the Robin Bay project will evaporate.
Loftus said it is particularly discouraging that Senate President David Jones, who represents St. Croix, has led the charge for VLT's.
The Avis editorial noted that Anguilla successfully seceded from St. Kitts and Nevis after years of troubles When St. Kitts and Nevis became independent in 1983, Anguilla opted to remain a British colony.
Craig Barshinger, a St. John political activist, has long advocated more autonomy for St. Croix and St. John in the form of island councils. Decisions about what happens on a particular island should be made on that island, not by the central government on St. Thomas, he said Monday.
He said he sees the Avis' call for secession as a "harbinger of things to come" and called it a step on the territory's road to political maturity.
It's an indication that people are no longer passive and that they are seeking to control their own destiny, Barshinger said. He added, "I think that is very healthy."

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March 17, 2003 – An editorial call by The Avis for St. Croix to become a territory separate from the Virgin Islands should serve as a wake-up call, as far as community activist Noel Loftus is concerned.
"I see it as a shot across the bow," Loftus said on Monday.
The editorial in the Sunday/Monday issue of The Avis was headlined "Time for a divorce." It called on Congress to further revise the 1954 Revised Organic Act so that St. Croix could become a separate territory.
The Avis asked registered voters on St. Croix to sign a petition, printed in the paper, supporting secession. Signed copies are to be delivered to the newspaper's headquarters in La Grande Princesse by April 7.
"We are advocating this because St. Croix's economy is in the doldrums," Avis managing editor Will Jones said on Monday. "All we hear is more talk and hot air."
Loftus, a St. Croix businessman and president of the organization St. Croix Alive, said he sees the editorial not as an actual call for secession but rather as a way to bring attention to St. Croix's plight. He noted that he was speaking for himself, not the group's members, since he had not had a chance to ask their opinions.
Jones said the newspaper's stance is that money generated on St. Croix should stay on St. Croix.
The editorial said that St. Croix's major private-sector employers — Hovensa, V.I. Rum Industries, Kapok Management, the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino — and one individual, San Antonio Spurs basketball star Tim Duncan, together contribute about $416.4 million to the government coffers. The paper claims this accounts for 70.9 percent of the territory's overall revenues.
"Most of the money collected by the government is spent on St. Thomas," the paper charged.
The paper called on Delegate Donna M. Christensen to petition Congress to make the change in the Organic Act, which in lieu of a local constitution sets forth the powers of the V.I. government.
Christensen aide Brian Modeste said broader community and official government support would be needed before the delegate would put such a request before her colleagues. And, he said, if the governor or the Legislature opposed such a move, it "wouldn't happen."
However, Modeste said the issue has legitimacy because the Croix newspaper of record, The Avis, advocates the change.
The Avis called for a separate governor, lieutenant governor and five-member legislature for St. Croix, with St. Croix continuing to share a delegate to Congress with the other islands.
According to the editorial, autonomy will allow St. Croix to run its own affairs, with control over its own departments and agencies. The editorial said the island should not give up its share of federal funding.
Loftus said the editorial crystallizes what St. Croix residents already feel. Ticking off a list of businesses that have closed since three cruise lines stopped calling at St. Croix last year, he predicted that more failures will follow.
The planned $540 million Seven Hills Beach Resort and Casino development at Robin Bay appears to be the only bright light on the horizon economically, Loftus said. However, he said, if the Legislature does not repeal the bill allowing video lottery terminal operations in the St. Thomas-St. John district, the Robin Bay project will evaporate.
Loftus said it is particularly discouraging that Senate President David Jones, who represents St. Croix, has led the charge for VLT's.
The Avis editorial noted that Anguilla successfully seceded from St. Kitts and Nevis after years of troubles When St. Kitts and Nevis became independent in 1983, Anguilla opted to remain a British colony.
Craig Barshinger, a St. John political activist, has long advocated more autonomy for St. Croix and St. John in the form of island councils. Decisions about what happens on a particular island should be made on that island, not by the central government on St. Thomas, he said Monday.
He said he sees the Avis' call for secession as a "harbinger of things to come" and called it a step on the territory's road to political maturity.
It's an indication that people are no longer passive and that they are seeking to control their own destiny, Barshinger said. He added, "I think that is very healthy."

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Jan. 30, 2003 – The Friends of the V.I. National Park is offering two scholarships this spring to students pursuing careers in natural resources management or protection and majoring in fields such as marine biology, botany, ecology or forestry. The awards are for students going into their junior or senior year at an accredited college or university.
"The Friends scholarship program has become a very important piece of our environmental education mandate," Joe Kessler, the not-for-profit organization's president, said.
The $1,000 scholarships will be disbursed as $500 per semester.
Scholarship recipients also will be offered the chance to serve as interns with the Friends during the summer before their junior or senior year.
To be eligible for the awards, students must be Virgin Islands residents and have completed high school in the Virgin Islands. They must hold a B or 3.0 average through the first three semesters of college for sophomore applicants and through the first five semesters for junior applicants. And they must have completed all prerequisite coursework for majors in appropriate fields.
Applications are due March 31. The application forms are available by writing to the Friends at PO Box 811 Cruz Bay, St. John VI 00831 and may be picked up at the University of the Virgin Islands Financial Aid Office.
Kim Lyons, Friends development director, said that last year, when the scholarship program began, one award was available and applicants were limited to Virgin Islands students at UVI. The progam has now been opened up to V.I. students at any applicable college, with two awards to be given.
The first scholarship went to Leia LaPlace, a St. Croix student majoring in marine biology at UVI.
For more information about the program, call Lyons at 779-4940.

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