Nov. 19, 2002 – A man charged with slashing telephone lines on St. Croix a month ago has no apparent connection to Innovative Telephone, Innovative Cable TV or their more than 300 employees who have been on strike since Oct. 2.
Julio Davis III, 20, was arrested on Sunday on federal charges of destruction of communication lines used for military and civil defense functions as well as local charges of destruction of property, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Hugh Mabe.
Davis appeared in District Court on Monday for a bail hearing. "What came out at the initial appearance is the fact that he is employed at the Divi hotel facility," Mabe said, referring to the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino.
Bail was set at $10,000 in cash or property, Mabe said. He would not comment on whether Davis is connected in any way to Innovative.
Innovative Telephone spokesman Thomas Dunn said no connection has been established, "but I'm sure that's something they're checking on."
The criminal complaint against Davis alleges that he was seen cutting telephone lines with a machete early in the morning of Oct. 20 near Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"The chopping of fiber-optic cables disrupted communications services to several Innovative Telephone company clients," the statement said, "including the radio antenna facility on St. Croix's East End which provides information to the military."
If convicted of the federal charges, Davis could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The territorial destruction of property charge carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $200 fine.
In the release, U.S. Attorney David Nissman commended the FBI "for its investigation of this case." Mabe would not comment on whether the FBI is involved in other investigations of vandalism against Innovative.
There have been repeated reports of sabotage of Innovative cable and phone lines, affecting thousands of customers, in the seven weeks since some 310 members of the International Steelworkers of America went on strike after contract talks with Innovative broke down. Innovative has offered a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons or persons involved in the vandalism.
Dunn said Davis's arrest was based on FBI surveillance and that the reward still stands.
On Monday, in the latest reported vandalism, more than 175 Innovative Telephone customers lost service in the Mary's Fancy area on St. Croix, Dunn said. He said he expected repairs to be completed on Tuesday.

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.

Nov. 19, 2002 – After a hiatus of three weeks, Zan's Recycling is again accepting glass, corrugated cardboard, newspapers, office paper, No. 1 plastic and aluminum cans for recycling at various locations around St. Thomas and St. John.
Zan's was forced to stop accepting items on Oct. 29 because the response was overwhelming after expanded recycling began in mid-September.
"The contractor had too much stuff in his yard," said Cordell Jacobs, who serves as director of the St. Thomas-St. John Anti-litter and Beautification Commission.
Jacobs said the contractor and the commission also had to catch up with the paperwork. He said that during the first 1 1/2 months of recycling, Zan's collected nearly 100,000 pounds of materials. Cardboard topped the list with 79,000 pounds.
"People have an opportunity to get a lot of cardboard," Jacobs said.
He said that people who deliver appliances and trucking company employees bring in the cardboard for recycling. Bar and restaurant staff members as wells as hotel maids recycle aluminum cans and glass found on their jobs, which augments their income.
"But our goal is to make people understand recycling helps the environment. You don't just do it for the money," Jacobs said.
Recycling does pay, however. Newspaper, office paper, cardboard and glass are worth 5 cents a pound; plastic brings 25 cents a pound; and aluminum gets 50 cents a pound. The commission was forced to drop the price for newspaper, cardboard, office paper and glass from 25 cents a pound to 5 cents a pound because it has a heavier weight than the other materials.
Jacobs said that on Tuesday, the first day the recycling program reopened, lines were long as people brought in the materials they stockpiled during the three weeks the program didn't operate.
Recycle on St. Thomas from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day at Zan's Recycling, located behind Lima's Superette in Bovoni; from 2 to 5 p.m. Fridays at the cricket field next to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School; from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays at Price Smart parking lot and Lockhart Gardens; and from 2 to 6 p.m. Sundays at the USO parking lot on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront.
On St. John, recycle from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays at the parking lot next to the public tennis courts.

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.

Nov. 19, 2002 – A man charged with slashing telephone lines on St. Croix a month ago has no apparent connection to Innovative Telephone, Innovative Cable TV or their more than 300 employees who have been on strike since Oct. 2.
Julio Davis III, 20, was arrested on Sunday on federal charges of destruction of communication lines used for military and civil defense functions as well as local charges of destruction of property, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Hugh Mabe.
Davis appeared in District Court on Monday for a bail hearing. "What came out at the initial appearance is the fact that he is employed at the Divi hotel facility," Mabe said, referring to the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino.
Bail was set at $10,000 in cash or property, Mabe said. He would not comment on whether Davis is connected in any way to Innovative.
Innovative Telephone spokesman Thomas Dunn said no connection has been established, "but I'm sure that's something they're checking on."
The criminal complaint against Davis alleges that he was seen cutting telephone lines with a machete early in the morning of Oct. 20 near Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"The chopping of fiber-optic cables disrupted communications services to several Innovative Telephone company clients," the statement said, "including the radio antenna facility on St. Croix's East End which provides information to the military."
If convicted of the federal charges, Davis could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The territorial destruction of property charge carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $200 fine.
In the release, U.S. Attorney David Nissman commended the FBI "for its investigation of this case." Mabe would not comment on whether the FBI is involved in other investigations of vandalism against Innovative.
There have been repeated reports of sabotage of Innovative cable and phone lines, affecting thousands of customers, in the seven weeks since some 310 members of the International Steelworkers of America went on strike after contract talks with Innovative broke down. Innovative has offered a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons or persons involved in the vandalism.
Dunn said Davis's arrest was based on FBI surveillance and that the reward still stands.
On Monday, in the latest reported vandalism, more than 175 Innovative Telephone customers lost service in the Mary's Fancy area on St. Croix, Dunn said. He said he expected repairs to be completed on Tuesday.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix 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.

Nov. 15, 2002 – The fourth production for St. John's Epiphany Theater Company — and the first of its second season, which opens on Saturday — is the play that has the distinction of being the longest-running stage show in the United States and the longest-running musical in the world.
It is, of course, "The Fantasticks."
The play, best known for its opening song, "Try to Remember," almost went on forever at the 150-seat Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York's Greenwich Village, opening on May 3, 1960, and playing for 17,162 performances before closing this past Jan. 13.
Epiphany's planned run of four Saturday and four Sunday nights is but a fly speck on that continuum, but the artistic and technical demands of the local production are no less than those for the New York show. And the venue for the St. John theater group actually has a larger seating capacity — 170.
Artistic director Paul Devine says rehearsals began on Sept. 18, initially for three hours a night, three nights a week. This week, in the countdown to Saturday's opening, there are nightly sessions. Do the math, and you get something approaching 100 hours of rehearsal time.
The cast comprises Rob Scott as El Gallo, the narrator; Chad Bevan as Matt, the teen-age boy; Jessie Cawley as Luisa, the teen-age girl; Tim Jackson as Hucklebee, Matt's father; Paul Devine as Bellomy, Luisa's father; John Grammar as The Mute, whose function is to indicate a wall between the two families' adjacent homes; and Michael Beason and James Julien as Henry and Mortimer, a couple of down-on-their-luck actors.
Lisa Duncan is directing the production, with Ernie Kim as musical director and Elizabeth Putnam as choreographer.
Musical accompaniment is on piano, with Kim at the keys. He's the one performer imported for the production (if you don't count Bevan, who's commuting from St. Thomas). Kim, described by Devine as "a friend of a friend of Michael Beason's," arrived from Minnesota on Sunday. "We could not find a piano player on St. John or St. Thomas, so we decided to fly Ernie in." Devine said.
Other behind-the-scenes talent includes Grant Simmons, lighting; Linda Willard and Ruthellen Mulberg, costumes; and Devine, Jackson and Julien, construction coordination. The play is being produced by Epiphany Theater Company itself, which also collectively created the set design, Devine said.
The plot is a timeless romantic tale "that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time," one synopsis found on the Internet states. Teen-agers who live next door to each other fall in love, despite the fact that their fathers are feuding. Shades of "Romeo and Juliet," it seems — but the audience comes to find out it's all a sham. The men are the best of friends but feigned animosity as the surest way to throw their children into each other's arms — and it worked.
Now, the problem is how to end the "feud." The men decide to hire El Gallo to stage the abduction of Luisa, so that Matt can heroically rescue her and win the affection of her father as well. All goes off more or less as planned, and there is an appropriate "happy ending"– but it's only the ending of Act One.
In Act Two, things come unglued. The fathers confess their deception, El Gallo arrives with a bill for his abduction services, Matt challenges him again and this time is vanquished. The fathers get into a real feud and so do their offspring. Matt goes off to see the world. A month or so later, Luisa becomes infatuated with her abductor and asks him to take her off to see the world as well.
By the time the story ends, both young people have endured a good dose of reality, even if by way of fantasy experiences, and have grown wiser as a result. As El Gallo puts it in a reprise of the opening song, "Deep in December, it's nice to remember, without a hurt, the heart is hollow."
The Epiphany show includes all of the songs from the Broadway production, Devine said, except for the substitution of "The Abduction" for what was originally called "Rape Ballet." Even though it was an abduction, not a rape, all along, the consensus was that the language was offensive, he said.
"The Fantasticks" opens this weekend with performances on Saturday and Sunday. It continues through the next three Saturdays and Sundays after that, ending on Dec. 15. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $20 in advance (available from The Mail Center at the Marketplace and Connections) and $25 at the door.
The performance venue may come as a surprise to previous Epiphany playgoers. It's once again the theater on the third floor of the Marketplace complex, above St. John Hardware, where the company's most recent production, "Picnic," was staged in February and March. Soon after that, Epiphany got word that it would have to find a new home, because the theater space was to be reconfigured to accommodate offices.
The explanation for why this hasn't happened is that "the construction got delayed," Devine said. "It was supposed to get started in September but won't until probably January. Since the space was still available, we were able to take advantage of it."
Epiphany Theater Company is registered as a not-for-profit V.I. corporation and has applied for federal 501(c)(3) status, Devine said. While "The Fantasticks" is self-produced, he said, the company is grateful for support provided by The Marketplace, the St. John Foundation and program book advertisers.
Epiphany's first two productions were "Bus Stop" and "The Tender Trap." Next on tap is "The Shadow Box," a contemporary drama about death and dying. Frank Bartolucci, who directed the first three productions, will be back in that capacity for this one. And for "The Shadow Box," the company really will have to have a new home, Devine said.

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.

Nov. 15, 2002 – Epiphany Theater Company's fourth production — and the first of its second season, which opens on Saturday — is the play that has the distinction of being the longest-running stage show in the United States and the longest-running musical in the world.
It is, of course, "The Fantasticks."
The play, best known for its opening song, "Try to Remember," almost went on forever at the 150-seat Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York's Greenwich Village, opening on May 3, 1960, and playing for 17,162 performances before closing this past Jan. 13.
Epiphany's planned run of four Saturday and four Sunday nights is but a fly speck on that continuum, but the artistic and technical demands of the local production are no less than those for the New York show. And the venue for the St. John theater group actually has a larger seating capacity — 170.
Artistic director Paul Devine says rehearsals began on Sept. 18, initially for three hours a night, three nights a week. This week, in the countdown to Saturday's opening, there are nightly sessions. Do the math, and you get something approaching 100 hours of rehearsal time.
The cast comprises Rob Scott as El Gallo, the narrator; Chad Bevan as Matt, the teen-age boy; Jessie Cawley as Luisa, the teen-age girl; Tim Jackson as Hucklebee, Matt's father; Paul Devine as Bellomy, Luisa's father; John Grammar as The Mute, whose function is to indicate a wall between the two families' adjacent homes; and Michael Beason and James Julien as Henry and Mortimer, a couple of down-on-their-luck actors.
Lisa Duncan is directing the production, with Ernie Kim as musical director and Elizabeth Putnam as choreographer.
Musical accompaniment is on piano, with Kim at the keys. He's the one performer imported for the production (if you don't count Bevan, who's commuting from St. Thomas). Kim, described by Devine as "a friend of a friend of Michael Beason's," arrived from Minnesota on Sunday. "We could not find a piano player on St. John or St. Thomas, so we decided to fly Ernie in." Devine said.
Other behind-the-scenes talent includes Grant Simmons, lighting; Linda Willard and Ruthellen Mulberg, costumes; and Devine, Jackson and Julien, construction coordination. The play is being produced by Epiphany Theater Company itself, which also collectively created the set design, Devine said.
The plot is a timeless romantic tale "that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time," one synopsis found on the Internet states. Teen-agers who live next door to each other fall in love, despite the fact that their fathers are feuding. Shades of "Romeo and Juliet," it seems — but the audience comes to find out it's all a sham. The men are the best of friends but feigned animosity as the surest way to throw their children into each other's arms — and it worked.
Now, the problem is how to end the "feud." The men decide to hire El Gallo to stage the abduction of Luisa, so that Matt can heroically rescue her and win the affection of her father as well. All goes off more or less as planned, and there is an appropriate "happy ending"– but it's only the ending of Act One.
In Act Two, things come unglued. The fathers confess their deception, El Gallo arrives with a bill for his abduction services, Matt challenges him again and this time is vanquished. The fathers get into a real feud and so do their offspring. Matt goes off to see the world. A month or so later, Luisa becomes infatuated with her abductor and asks him to take her off to see the world as well.
By the time the story ends, both young people have endured a good dose of reality, even if by way of fantasy experiences, and have grown wiser as a result. As El Gallo puts it in a reprise of the opening song, "Deep in December, it's nice to remember, without a hurt, the heart is hollow."
The Epiphany show includes all of the songs from the Broadway production, Devine said, except for the substitution of "The Abduction" for what was originally called "Rape Ballet." Even though it was an abduction, not a rape, all along, the consensus was that the language was offensive, he said.
"The Fantasticks" opens this weekend with performances on Saturday and Sunday. It continues through the next three Saturdays and Sundays after that, ending on Dec. 15. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $20 in advance (available from The Mail Center at the Marketplace and Connections) and $25 at the door.
The performance venue may come as a surprise to previous Epiphany playgoers. It's once again the theater on the third floor of the Marketplace complex, above St. John Hardware, where the company's most recent production, "Picnic," was staged in February and March. Soon after that, Epiphany got word that it would have to find a new home, because the theater space was to be reconfigured to accommodate offices.
The explanation for why this hasn't happened is that "the construction got delayed," Devine said. "It was supposed to get started in September but won't until probably January. Since the space was still available, we were able to take advantage of it."
Epiphany Theater Company is registered as a not-for-profit V.I. corporation and has applied for federal 501(c)(3) status, Devine said. While "The Fantasticks" is self-produced, he said, the company is grateful for support provided by The Marketplace, the St. John Foundation and program book advertisers.
Epiphany's first two productions were "Bus Stop" and "The Tender Trap." Next on tap is "The Shadow Box," a contemporary drama about death and dying. Frank Bartolucci, who directed the first three productions, will be back in that capacity for this one. And for "The Shadow Box," the company really will have to have a new home, Devine said.

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.

United Way of St. Thomas-St. John will hold its fifth annual Day of Caring, which links people with group volunteer projects, from 8 a.m. to noon. This year volunteers and sponsors will assist the Roy L. Schneider Hospital in its improvement efforts.
While the hospital is currently undergoing major renovations, volunteers are needed to help with painting, landscaping and installing special amenities for patients and visitors. Volunteers will paint the hospital’s lobby, an area on the second floor and planters in front of the emergency room. Other projects include landscaping the parking area in the rear of the hospital and installing benches by the emergency room.
To learn more about the Day of Caring or to sign up as a volunteer, contact the United Way office at 774-3185.

Nov. 19, 2002 – United Way of St. Thomas-St. John will hold its fifth annual Day of Caring, which links people with group volunteer projects, on Saturday, Nov. 23. This year volunteers and sponsors will assist the Roy L. Schneider Hospital in its improvement efforts.
While the hospital is currently undergoing major renovations, volunteers are needed to help with painting, landscaping and installing special amenities for patients and visitors. From 8 a.m. to noon, volunteers will paint the hospital’s lobby, an area on the second floor and planters in front of the emergency room. Other projects include landscaping the parking area in the rear of the hospital and installing benches by the emergency room.
S.L. Caesar, United Way president, said, “By providing meaningful hands-on volunteer opportunities, especially to those who are strapped for time, United Way is helping to enrich the lives of the participants while at the same time, making significant improvements to a community resource."
Last year, more than 250 volunteers worked on various projects at the Al McBean Park in old Tutu that gave the park a much-needed facelift.
To learn more about the Day of Caring or to sign up as a volunteer, contact the United Way office at 774-3185.

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.

United Way of St. Thomas-St. John will hold its fifth annual Day of Caring, which links people with group volunteer projects from 8 a.m. to noon. This year volunteers and sponsors will assist the Roy L. Schneider Hospital in its improvement efforts.
While the hospital is currently undergoing major renovations, volunteers are needed to help with painting, landscaping and installing special amenities for patients and visitors.
To learn more about the Day of Caring or to sign up as a volunteer, contact the United Way office at 774-3185.

Nov. 19, 2002 – United Way of St. Thomas-St. John will hold its fifth annual Day of Caring, which links people with group volunteer projects, on Saturday. This year volunteers and sponsors will assist the Roy L. Schneider Hospital in its improvement efforts.
While the hospital is currently undergoing major renovations, volunteers are needed to help with painting, landscaping and installing special amenities for patients and visitors. From 8 a.m. to noon, volunteers will paint the hospital’s lobby, an area on the second floor and planters in front of the emergency room. Other projects include landscaping the parking area in the rear of the hospital and installing benches by the emergency room.
S.L. Caesar, United Way president, said, “By providing meaningful hands-on volunteer opportunities, especially to those who are strapped for time, United Way is helping to enrich the lives of the participants while at the same time, making significant improvements to a community resource."
Last year, more than 250 volunteers worked on various projects at the Al McBean Park in old Tutu that gave the park a much-needed facelift.
To learn more about the Day of Caring or to sign up as a volunteer, contact the United Way office at 774-3185.

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.

The next Rock Lounge, a free open mic experience of poetry, music, visual arts and other creative expression will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. at Villa Fairview, 8A Catherineberg just up and around the corner from All Saints School.
A cash bar and great food will be available. This month's Rock Lounge features pianist Catherine Hintz and potter James Maduro. For information, call Tiphanie Yanique at 513-2266.