Nov. 14, 2002 – Police have arrested a 16-year-old student at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School and charged him with third-degree assault in connection with a lunchtime stabbing of another student on Wednesday in the school cafeteria.
The 15-year old student who was stabbed was taken to Roy L. Schneider Hospital, where he was treated and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Authorities said the incident took place around 1 p.m. St. Thomas Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty said the victim "indicated he was standing in the cafeteria when someone started punching him. After a while, he said, he turned to defend himself and soon he found himself in a large crowd of people." After someone separated the group of students, Carty continued, "he realized he had been stabbed."
Because both students are minors, police did not release their identities. Carty said he did not know whether the youth who was arrested was released into the custody of his parents or held in custody.
On Thursday, Eudora Kean's acting principal, Lydia Lettsome, said school officials are trying to sort out the events that led up to the fight. "After we do our investigation, and after we determine what took place, we'll be happy to discuss the situation," she said.
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ONE KEAN STUDENT STABBED; ANOTHER ARRESTED
Nov. 14, 2002 – Police have arrested a 16-year-old student at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School and charged him with third-degree assault in connection with a lunchtime stabbing of another student on Wednesday in the school cafeteria.
The 15-year old student who was stabbed was taken to Roy L. Schneider Hospital, where he was treated and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Authorities said the incident took place around 1 p.m. St. Thomas Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty said the victim "indicated he was standing in the cafeteria when someone started punching him. After a while, he said, he turned to defend himself and soon he found himself in a large crowd of people." After someone separated the group of students, Carty continued, "he realized he had been stabbed."
Because both students are minors, police did not release their identities. Carty said he did not know whether the youth who was arrested was released into the custody of his parents or held in custody.
On Thursday, Eudora Kean's acting principal, Lydia Lettsome, said school officials are trying to sort out the events that led up to the fight. "After we do our investigation, and after we determine what took place, we'll be happy to discuss the situation," she said.
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The 15-year old student who was stabbed was taken to Roy L. Schneider Hospital, where he was treated and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Authorities said the incident took place around 1 p.m. St. Thomas Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty said the victim "indicated he was standing in the cafeteria when someone started punching him. After a while, he said, he turned to defend himself and soon he found himself in a large crowd of people." After someone separated the group of students, Carty continued, "he realized he had been stabbed."
Because both students are minors, police did not release their identities. Carty said he did not know whether the youth who was arrested was released into the custody of his parents or held in custody.
On Thursday, Eudora Kean's acting principal, Lydia Lettsome, said school officials are trying to sort out the events that led up to the fight. "After we do our investigation, and after we determine what took place, we'll be happy to discuss the situation," she said.
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SUNDAY SHIP'S VISIT A 'LITMUS TEST' FOR THE FUTURE
Nov. 14, 2002 – A sight for sore eyes will appear at the Frederiksted waterfront on Sunday as Celebrity Cruises' 1,950-passenger Constellation makes the first of 21 weekly calls on St. Croix scheduled for this season.
It will be the first time a major cruise ship has visited the island since last April, when Carnival Cruise Lines took St. Croix off its itinerary. And it is the only major passenger vessel scheduled to make regular calls to the island this season.
Representatives of the three cruise lines that canceled calls to the island earlier this year have said they will not put St. Croix back on their itineraries unless and until the island addresses two key issues — crime against passengers and crew, and what they describe as St. Croix's low marketability.
Last June, executives of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and its member lines met with local government and private-sector representatives for several days, hammering out plans that included bringing the Constellation, Celebrity's newest ship, to St. Croix on a trial basis.
A year ago, Carnival Cruise Lines' director of port operations, Gordon Buck, began writing to V.I. government authorities about passengers and crew members being robbed. He wrote in December and in February and, finally, in April, when Carnival announced that its Triumph and Victory would discontinue their semi-weekly calls at St. Croix.
After that announcement, Police Commissioner Franz Christian wrote to Buck saying that the Police Department had implemented several initiatives geared at safeguarding tourists. "We have saturated the outlying beaches, the rainforest, the town areas of Christiansted and Frederiksted with peace officers from several law-enforcement entities in an effort to provide comprehensive coverage of the island during port calls," he said in the April 22 letter.
In May, however, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it was canceling eight calls by the Norwegian Sky that had been scheduled for this season. And in June, Holland America announced the cancellation of the 43 calls scheduled for its new ship Zuidendam. That left the Constellation as the only large ship calling regularly, with 21 visits scheduled between Nov. 17 and April 6, 2003.
Security game plan's the same
Christian said on Thursday that the security game plan has not changed for Sunday's visit and that he is optimistic that things will go smoothly. The tab for having extra law-enforcement officers on duty, including personnel from the Port Authority, Planning and Natural Resources Department, Territorial Court Marshals and Housing Authority, is being picked up by the Port Authority.
Christian and other police officials have said crimes often occur because visitors wander into dangerous areas in search of illicit drugs or sex. "It is very difficult to curb incidents where passengers or crew venture from the security of well-traversed areas and inexplicably seek out clandestine locations," the commissioner said in his April letter to Buck. "I am routinely advised by my officers of having to caution, even admonish visitors about venturing in unfavorable areas, only for those persons to surreptitiously return moments later."
He said on Thursday that more officers will be on duty in such areas on the days ships are in port. "We want to ensure that our tourists get treated as friendly as possible," he said, adding, "Those who try to do otherwise will be caught; the long arm of justice will be there."
Christian noted that some Frederiksted private-sector organizations are getting involved in efforts to help keep the tourists safe. Our Town Frederiksted donated additional bicycles for patrolling officers, for example. "Everybody wants to help make this a success," he said.
Unise Tranberg, president of the Frederiksted Economic Development Association, said it's a matter of do or die for the private sector. All of the businesses in town are feeling the economic pinch from the lack of cruise ships, she said.
According to Tranberg, who owns Pier 69 Restaurant, "Five businesses in Strand Court alone have gone out of business."
At the June meeting with F-CCA and cruise representatives, Tourism Department officials agreed that the territory would come up with a comprehensive marketing plan for St. Croix to "grow demand" for the island as a visitor destination.
The department submitted its plan to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which owns Celebrity Cruises, at the end of August. As part of the plan, FEDA is sponsoring a cultural program for tourists that includes music by the Ricardo Richards Steel Pan Band, moko jumbies and masquerade dancers.
Meanwhile, at the start of September, a new community coalition called St. Croix Alive, made up of retailers, tour operators, restaurant owners and taxi operators, presented its own marketing plan to Royal Caribbean.
Short-term test, long-term outlook
Michael Ronan, Royal Caribbean Cruises associate vice president for destination development, said the Constellation's arrival will be a litmus test for the island's progress. "The short-term reality is that this will address any concerns that the community will be able to deliver the product," he said.
Sen. Emmett Hansen II, who hosted a series of town meetings to discuss the St. Croix tourism crisis, said he has doubts as to whether any major strides have been made since last spring. He said no major public outreach or community education efforts have been implemented to bring home the economic importance of the cruise ships, which represented an estimated $50 million a year in revenues.
"One of their biggest concerns was about passengers being robbed," Hansen said of the cruise lines. "We haven't had anything going on to change the mindset of those persons who prey on cruise ship passengers. We have to now look at preventative measures. Is it going to work? I don't know."
Hansen pointed out that the cruise industry officials were very clear about what they saw as changes needed regarding both crime and marketability: "They told us really clearly, if it's the same old same old, 'We're out of here.'"
Even a successful Sunday on St. Croix won't work miracles, though. If other cruise lines decide to send their ships to the island once again, they won't do so for at least another year. "The planning cycle is normally 18 to 20 months," Ronan said, and schedules through 2003 are already in place.
"We have to be realistic. In the planning cycle, these changes don't take place overnight," he said.
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.
It will be the first time a major cruise ship has visited the island since last April, when Carnival Cruise Lines took St. Croix off its itinerary. And it is the only major passenger vessel scheduled to make regular calls to the island this season.
Representatives of the three cruise lines that canceled calls to the island earlier this year have said they will not put St. Croix back on their itineraries unless and until the island addresses two key issues — crime against passengers and crew, and what they describe as St. Croix's low marketability.
Last June, executives of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and its member lines met with local government and private-sector representatives for several days, hammering out plans that included bringing the Constellation, Celebrity's newest ship, to St. Croix on a trial basis.
A year ago, Carnival Cruise Lines' director of port operations, Gordon Buck, began writing to V.I. government authorities about passengers and crew members being robbed. He wrote in December and in February and, finally, in April, when Carnival announced that its Triumph and Victory would discontinue their semi-weekly calls at St. Croix.
After that announcement, Police Commissioner Franz Christian wrote to Buck saying that the Police Department had implemented several initiatives geared at safeguarding tourists. "We have saturated the outlying beaches, the rainforest, the town areas of Christiansted and Frederiksted with peace officers from several law-enforcement entities in an effort to provide comprehensive coverage of the island during port calls," he said in the April 22 letter.
In May, however, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it was canceling eight calls by the Norwegian Sky that had been scheduled for this season. And in June, Holland America announced the cancellation of the 43 calls scheduled for its new ship Zuidendam. That left the Constellation as the only large ship calling regularly, with 21 visits scheduled between Nov. 17 and April 6, 2003.
Security game plan's the same
Christian said on Thursday that the security game plan has not changed for Sunday's visit and that he is optimistic that things will go smoothly. The tab for having extra law-enforcement officers on duty, including personnel from the Port Authority, Planning and Natural Resources Department, Territorial Court Marshals and Housing Authority, is being picked up by the Port Authority.
Christian and other police officials have said crimes often occur because visitors wander into dangerous areas in search of illicit drugs or sex. "It is very difficult to curb incidents where passengers or crew venture from the security of well-traversed areas and inexplicably seek out clandestine locations," the commissioner said in his April letter to Buck. "I am routinely advised by my officers of having to caution, even admonish visitors about venturing in unfavorable areas, only for those persons to surreptitiously return moments later."
He said on Thursday that more officers will be on duty in such areas on the days ships are in port. "We want to ensure that our tourists get treated as friendly as possible," he said, adding, "Those who try to do otherwise will be caught; the long arm of justice will be there."
Christian noted that some Frederiksted private-sector organizations are getting involved in efforts to help keep the tourists safe. Our Town Frederiksted donated additional bicycles for patrolling officers, for example. "Everybody wants to help make this a success," he said.
Unise Tranberg, president of the Frederiksted Economic Development Association, said it's a matter of do or die for the private sector. All of the businesses in town are feeling the economic pinch from the lack of cruise ships, she said.
According to Tranberg, who owns Pier 69 Restaurant, "Five businesses in Strand Court alone have gone out of business."
At the June meeting with F-CCA and cruise representatives, Tourism Department officials agreed that the territory would come up with a comprehensive marketing plan for St. Croix to "grow demand" for the island as a visitor destination.
The department submitted its plan to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which owns Celebrity Cruises, at the end of August. As part of the plan, FEDA is sponsoring a cultural program for tourists that includes music by the Ricardo Richards Steel Pan Band, moko jumbies and masquerade dancers.
Meanwhile, at the start of September, a new community coalition called St. Croix Alive, made up of retailers, tour operators, restaurant owners and taxi operators, presented its own marketing plan to Royal Caribbean.
Short-term test, long-term outlook
Michael Ronan, Royal Caribbean Cruises associate vice president for destination development, said the Constellation's arrival will be a litmus test for the island's progress. "The short-term reality is that this will address any concerns that the community will be able to deliver the product," he said.
Sen. Emmett Hansen II, who hosted a series of town meetings to discuss the St. Croix tourism crisis, said he has doubts as to whether any major strides have been made since last spring. He said no major public outreach or community education efforts have been implemented to bring home the economic importance of the cruise ships, which represented an estimated $50 million a year in revenues.
"One of their biggest concerns was about passengers being robbed," Hansen said of the cruise lines. "We haven't had anything going on to change the mindset of those persons who prey on cruise ship passengers. We have to now look at preventative measures. Is it going to work? I don't know."
Hansen pointed out that the cruise industry officials were very clear about what they saw as changes needed regarding both crime and marketability: "They told us really clearly, if it's the same old same old, 'We're out of here.'"
Even a successful Sunday on St. Croix won't work miracles, though. If other cruise lines decide to send their ships to the island once again, they won't do so for at least another year. "The planning cycle is normally 18 to 20 months," Ronan said, and schedules through 2003 are already in place.
"We have to be realistic. In the planning cycle, these changes don't take place overnight," he said.
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.
AG'S OFFICE CONTENDS IT DOES REPRESENT THE PSC
Nov. 14, 2002 – A battle raging between lawyer Lee Rohn and the Attorney General's Office is threatening to upstage the actual court case they are arguing about.
Mincing no words, the Attorney General's Office filed a response Wednesday to Rohn's motion to represent the Public Services Commission chair, Desmond Maynard, in a case The V.I. Daily News has filed against Maynard and the PSC. It accuses Rohn of misrepresentation of facts and says one of her assertions can "most accurately be described as an outright lie."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by the PSC chair, Desmond Maynard, to represent him in a lawsuit The V.I. Daily News has filed against the commission. The suit seeks details of an executive session discussion on Sept. 12. The newspaper contends the session violated the Open Meetings Act.
It is the contention of Attorney General Iver Stridiron that government agencies cannot hire private attorneys to represent their interests but must be represented by the government's own lawyers. Rohn says the PSC is an exception to that rule because its funding does not come from government coffers but from fees assessed the public utilities it regulates. (See "Lawyer: PSC can and does hire private counsel".)
The documents Rohn filed in Territorial Court on St. Croix last week ask the court to disregard anything that Kerry Drue, an assistant attorney general, has filed on behalf of Maynard and the PSC in response to the newspaper suit. Drue is the lawyer the government assigned to represent the PSC. In the motion, Rohn says she has been retained to represent Maynard and the PSC, and that Maynard does not want the Attorney General's Office to represent him.
In the government's response, Drue says that, had Rohn inquired, she would have discovered that the AG's office had, indeed, contacted Maynard and the PSC regarding their representation in court. Drue states that she personally contacted Maynard on Oct. 21 to notify him that she would be filing an "Answer" to the newspaper's suit on behalf of him and the PSC. The document states that Maynard responded "Okay."
In the document, Drue cites a section of the V.I. Code — 3 V.I.C. Section 114 (8) which includes among the duties of the attorney general: "upon request of the governor or the Legislature, to render written opinion on any legal questions relating to the exercise of the power or duties of any department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality or officer of the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Rohn contended in her motion that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the PSC is a different kind of agency because its funds come from the entities it investigates. As far as its hiring private attorneys, she said, "the Legislature has never acted to stop the practice."
Drue's response cites a 1977 letter that Edgar Ross, then attorney general, wrote to Gustav Danielson, then PSC chair, noting the cited V.I. Code provision as well as a section which states that the "Public Services Commission has no authority to utilize the services of private counsel; the law provides for representation of the commission by the Office of the Attorney General."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by Maynard and the PSC. Drue's response does not state that Maynard has agreed to be represented by the attorney general. Repeated telephone calls to Maynard on Thursday seeking clarification went unreturned.
Rohn said on Thursday afternoon that she had not seen Drue's document but that the Attorney General's Office typically files a response to a motion "with the court, but not with opposing counsel." She said no one from the AG's Office told Maynard of its intention to represent him and that Maynard, who also is a lawyer, has notified Stridiron's office in writing that it does not represent him.
The PSC has contracted attorney Frederick Watts not only as a hearing examiner but also as legal counsel, Rohn noted. And the commission formerly utilized the services of Maria Tankenson Hodge, also a lawyer in private practice.
"The only thing I can see different between them and myself" in the current situation, Rohn said, "is that I have gone to battle against Prosser, and he does not like me." Her reference was to Jeffrey Prosser, owner of Innovative Communication Corp., which owns the Daily News and three entities regulated by the PSC — Innovative Telephone and the territory's two Innovative Cable-TV companies.
Rohn's clients have included several individuals suing Prosser companies, including four former Daily News employees and a former senior executive at Prosser's V.I. Community Bank.
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.
Mincing no words, the Attorney General's Office filed a response Wednesday to Rohn's motion to represent the Public Services Commission chair, Desmond Maynard, in a case The V.I. Daily News has filed against Maynard and the PSC. It accuses Rohn of misrepresentation of facts and says one of her assertions can "most accurately be described as an outright lie."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by the PSC chair, Desmond Maynard, to represent him in a lawsuit The V.I. Daily News has filed against the commission. The suit seeks details of an executive session discussion on Sept. 12. The newspaper contends the session violated the Open Meetings Act.
It is the contention of Attorney General Iver Stridiron that government agencies cannot hire private attorneys to represent their interests but must be represented by the government's own lawyers. Rohn says the PSC is an exception to that rule because its funding does not come from government coffers but from fees assessed the public utilities it regulates. (See "Lawyer: PSC can and does hire private counsel".)
The documents Rohn filed in Territorial Court on St. Croix last week ask the court to disregard anything that Kerry Drue, an assistant attorney general, has filed on behalf of Maynard and the PSC in response to the newspaper suit. Drue is the lawyer the government assigned to represent the PSC. In the motion, Rohn says she has been retained to represent Maynard and the PSC, and that Maynard does not want the Attorney General's Office to represent him.
In the government's response, Drue says that, had Rohn inquired, she would have discovered that the AG's office had, indeed, contacted Maynard and the PSC regarding their representation in court. Drue states that she personally contacted Maynard on Oct. 21 to notify him that she would be filing an "Answer" to the newspaper's suit on behalf of him and the PSC. The document states that Maynard responded "Okay."
In the document, Drue cites a section of the V.I. Code — 3 V.I.C. Section 114 (8) which includes among the duties of the attorney general: "upon request of the governor or the Legislature, to render written opinion on any legal questions relating to the exercise of the power or duties of any department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality or officer of the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Rohn contended in her motion that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the PSC is a different kind of agency because its funds come from the entities it investigates. As far as its hiring private attorneys, she said, "the Legislature has never acted to stop the practice."
Drue's response cites a 1977 letter that Edgar Ross, then attorney general, wrote to Gustav Danielson, then PSC chair, noting the cited V.I. Code provision as well as a section which states that the "Public Services Commission has no authority to utilize the services of private counsel; the law provides for representation of the commission by the Office of the Attorney General."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by Maynard and the PSC. Drue's response does not state that Maynard has agreed to be represented by the attorney general. Repeated telephone calls to Maynard on Thursday seeking clarification went unreturned.
Rohn said on Thursday afternoon that she had not seen Drue's document but that the Attorney General's Office typically files a response to a motion "with the court, but not with opposing counsel." She said no one from the AG's Office told Maynard of its intention to represent him and that Maynard, who also is a lawyer, has notified Stridiron's office in writing that it does not represent him.
The PSC has contracted attorney Frederick Watts not only as a hearing examiner but also as legal counsel, Rohn noted. And the commission formerly utilized the services of Maria Tankenson Hodge, also a lawyer in private practice.
"The only thing I can see different between them and myself" in the current situation, Rohn said, "is that I have gone to battle against Prosser, and he does not like me." Her reference was to Jeffrey Prosser, owner of Innovative Communication Corp., which owns the Daily News and three entities regulated by the PSC — Innovative Telephone and the territory's two Innovative Cable-TV companies.
Rohn's clients have included several individuals suing Prosser companies, including four former Daily News employees and a former senior executive at Prosser's V.I. Community Bank.
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SIGNED GERS CHECKS TO REPLACE UNSIGNED ONES
Nov. 14, 2002 – A glitch at the Puerto Rico-based ADP, the company that prints benefits checks for the Government Employees Retirement System, caused it to run off all the checks for the current pay period without a signature, according to the GERS administrator, Laurence E. Bryan.
"They are looking into it," Bryan said Thursday.
For some unknown reason, he said, the imprint of his signature that always appears on GERS checks did not come out on the ones printed this time.
New checks bearing Bryan's signature were issued on Thursday and were expected to be delivered to the main post office on St. Thomas in the afternoon, he said.
About 75 percent of the more than 5,000 GERS retirees were affected by the problem, Bryan said. The other 25 percent receive their benefits via direct deposit to their accounts, which is done electronically.
Bryan said retirees should send the unsigned checks to the GERS offices on St. Thomas or St. Croix.
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"They are looking into it," Bryan said Thursday.
For some unknown reason, he said, the imprint of his signature that always appears on GERS checks did not come out on the ones printed this time.
New checks bearing Bryan's signature were issued on Thursday and were expected to be delivered to the main post office on St. Thomas in the afternoon, he said.
About 75 percent of the more than 5,000 GERS retirees were affected by the problem, Bryan said. The other 25 percent receive their benefits via direct deposit to their accounts, which is done electronically.
Bryan said retirees should send the unsigned checks to the GERS offices on St. Thomas or St. Croix.
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MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING FIANCEE PLEADS INNOCENT
Oct. 14, 2002 – Kenmore Boston, 32, pleaded not guilty in Territorial Court on Wednesday to charges that he murdered his fiancee, Chamonie Miller, in August.
Boston, who has been released into his parents' custody under house arrest and electonic surveillance, was apprehended on Oct. 30. Judge Edgar Ross has scheduled his trial for Jan. 13.
Ross had initially set bail for Boston at $500,000 cash. But at a hearing on Tuesday, he changed it to $250,000 in property and an unsecured bond that his parents posted.
Miller, a card dealer at the Divi Carina Bay Casino, was reported missing after she failed to return home early Aug. 5 after working a late shift the night of Aug. 4. Her body was found on Aug. 9 inside her Ford Explorer at the bottom of Krause Lagoon. An autopsy determined that she likely died of blunt trauma to the head.
Boston is the father of Miller's 3-year-old son. She also was the mother of 5-year-old twins.
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Boston, who has been released into his parents' custody under house arrest and electonic surveillance, was apprehended on Oct. 30. Judge Edgar Ross has scheduled his trial for Jan. 13.
Ross had initially set bail for Boston at $500,000 cash. But at a hearing on Tuesday, he changed it to $250,000 in property and an unsecured bond that his parents posted.
Miller, a card dealer at the Divi Carina Bay Casino, was reported missing after she failed to return home early Aug. 5 after working a late shift the night of Aug. 4. Her body was found on Aug. 9 inside her Ford Explorer at the bottom of Krause Lagoon. An autopsy determined that she likely died of blunt trauma to the head.
Boston is the father of Miller's 3-year-old son. She also was the mother of 5-year-old twins.
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.
AG'S OFFICE CONTENDS IT DOES REPRESENT THE PSC
Nov. 14, 2002 – A battle raging between lawyer Lee Rohn and the Attorney General's Office is threatening to upstage the actual court case they are arguing about.
Mincing no words, the Attorney General's Office filed a response Wednesday to Rohn's motion to represent the Public Services Commission chair, Desmond Maynard, in a case The V.I. Daily News has filed against Maynard and the PSC. It accuses Rohn of misrepresentation of facts and says one of her assertions can "most accurately be described as an outright lie."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by the PSC chair, Desmond Maynard, to represent him in a lawsuit The V.I. Daily News has filed against the commission. The suit seeks details of an executive session discussion on Sept. 12. The newspaper contends the session violated the Open Meetings Act.
It is the contention of Attorney General Iver Stridiron that government agencies cannot hire private attorneys to represent their interests but must be represented by the government's own lawyers. Rohn says the PSC is an exception to that rule because its funding does not come from government coffers but from fees assessed the public utilities it regulates. (See "Lawyer: PSC can and does hire private counsel".)
The documents Rohn filed in Territorial Court on St. Croix last week ask the court to disregard anything that Kerry Drue, an assistant attorney general, has filed on behalf of Maynard and the PSC in response to the newspaper suit. Drue is the lawyer the government assigned to represent the PSC. In the motion, Rohn says she has been retained to represent Maynard and the PSC, and that Maynard does not want the Attorney General's Office to represent him.
In the government's response, Drue says that, had Rohn inquired, she would have discovered that the AG's office had, indeed, contacted Maynard and the PSC regarding their representation in court. Drue states that she personally contacted Maynard on Oct. 21 to notify him that she would be filing an "Answer" to the newspaper's suit on behalf of him and the PSC. The document states that Maynard responded "Okay."
In the document, Drue cites a section of the V.I. Code — 3 V.I.C. Section 114 (8) which includes among the duties of the attorney general: "upon request of the governor or the Legislature, to render written opinion on any legal questions relating to the exercise of the power or duties of any department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality or officer of the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Rohn contended in her motion that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the PSC is a different kind of agency because its funds come from the entities it investigates. As far as its hiring private attorneys, she said, "the Legislature has never acted to stop the practice."
Drue's response cites a 1977 letter that Edgar Ross, then attorney general, wrote to Gustav Danielson, then PSC chair, noting the cited V.I. Code provision as well as a section which states that the "Public Services Commission has no authority to utilize the services of private counsel; the law provides for representation of the commission by the Office of the Attorney General."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by Maynard and the PSC. Drue's response does not state that Maynard has agreed to be represented by the attorney general. Repeated telephone calls to Maynard on Thursday seeking clarification went unreturned.
Rohn said on Thursday afternoon that she had not seen Drue's document but that the Attorney General's Office typically files a response to a motion "with the court, but not with opposing counsel." She said no one from the AG's Office told Maynard of its intention to represent him and that Maynard, who also is a lawyer, has notified Stridiron's office in writing that it does not represent him.
The PSC has contracted attorney Frederick Watts not only as a hearing examiner but also as legal counsel, Rohn noted. And the commission formerly utilized the services of Maria Tankenson Hodge, also a lawyer in private practice.
"The only thing I can see different between them and myself" in the current situation, Rohn said, "is that I have gone to battle against Prosser, and he does not like me." Her reference was to Jeffrey Prosser, owner of Innovative Communication Corp., which owns the Daily News and three entities regulated by the PSC — Innovative Telephone and the territory's two Innovative Cable-TV companies.
Rohn's clients have included several individuals suing Prosser companies, including four former Daily News employees and a former senior executive at Prosser's V.I. Community Bank.
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.
Mincing no words, the Attorney General's Office filed a response Wednesday to Rohn's motion to represent the Public Services Commission chair, Desmond Maynard, in a case The V.I. Daily News has filed against Maynard and the PSC. It accuses Rohn of misrepresentation of facts and says one of her assertions can "most accurately be described as an outright lie."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by the PSC chair, Desmond Maynard, to represent him in a lawsuit The V.I. Daily News has filed against the commission. The suit seeks details of an executive session discussion on Sept. 12. The newspaper contends the session violated the Open Meetings Act.
It is the contention of Attorney General Iver Stridiron that government agencies cannot hire private attorneys to represent their interests but must be represented by the government's own lawyers. Rohn says the PSC is an exception to that rule because its funding does not come from government coffers but from fees assessed the public utilities it regulates. (See "Lawyer: PSC can and does hire private counsel".)
The documents Rohn filed in Territorial Court on St. Croix last week ask the court to disregard anything that Kerry Drue, an assistant attorney general, has filed on behalf of Maynard and the PSC in response to the newspaper suit. Drue is the lawyer the government assigned to represent the PSC. In the motion, Rohn says she has been retained to represent Maynard and the PSC, and that Maynard does not want the Attorney General's Office to represent him.
In the government's response, Drue says that, had Rohn inquired, she would have discovered that the AG's office had, indeed, contacted Maynard and the PSC regarding their representation in court. Drue states that she personally contacted Maynard on Oct. 21 to notify him that she would be filing an "Answer" to the newspaper's suit on behalf of him and the PSC. The document states that Maynard responded "Okay."
In the document, Drue cites a section of the V.I. Code — 3 V.I.C. Section 114 (8) which includes among the duties of the attorney general: "upon request of the governor or the Legislature, to render written opinion on any legal questions relating to the exercise of the power or duties of any department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality or officer of the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Rohn contended in her motion that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the PSC is a different kind of agency because its funds come from the entities it investigates. As far as its hiring private attorneys, she said, "the Legislature has never acted to stop the practice."
Drue's response cites a 1977 letter that Edgar Ross, then attorney general, wrote to Gustav Danielson, then PSC chair, noting the cited V.I. Code provision as well as a section which states that the "Public Services Commission has no authority to utilize the services of private counsel; the law provides for representation of the commission by the Office of the Attorney General."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by Maynard and the PSC. Drue's response does not state that Maynard has agreed to be represented by the attorney general. Repeated telephone calls to Maynard on Thursday seeking clarification went unreturned.
Rohn said on Thursday afternoon that she had not seen Drue's document but that the Attorney General's Office typically files a response to a motion "with the court, but not with opposing counsel." She said no one from the AG's Office told Maynard of its intention to represent him and that Maynard, who also is a lawyer, has notified Stridiron's office in writing that it does not represent him.
The PSC has contracted attorney Frederick Watts not only as a hearing examiner but also as legal counsel, Rohn noted. And the commission formerly utilized the services of Maria Tankenson Hodge, also a lawyer in private practice.
"The only thing I can see different between them and myself" in the current situation, Rohn said, "is that I have gone to battle against Prosser, and he does not like me." Her reference was to Jeffrey Prosser, owner of Innovative Communication Corp., which owns the Daily News and three entities regulated by the PSC — Innovative Telephone and the territory's two Innovative Cable-TV companies.
Rohn's clients have included several individuals suing Prosser companies, including four former Daily News employees and a former senior executive at Prosser's V.I. Community Bank.
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AG'S OFFICE CONTENDS IT DOES REPRESENT THE PSC
Nov. 14, 2002 – A battle raging between lawyer Lee Rohn and the Attorney General's Office is threatening to upstage the actual court case they are arguing about.
Mincing no words, the Attorney General's Office filed a response Wednesday to Rohn's motion to represent the Public Services Commission chair, Desmond Maynard, in a case The V.I. Daily News has filed against Maynard and the PSC. It accuses Rohn of misrepresentation of facts and says one of her assertions can "most accurately be described as an outright lie."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by the PSC chair, Desmond Maynard, to represent him in a lawsuit The V.I. Daily News has filed against the commission. The suit seeks details of an executive session discussion on Sept. 12. The newspaper contends the session violated the Open Meetings Act.
It is the contention of Attorney General Iver Stridiron that government agencies cannot hire private attorneys to represent their interests but must be represented by the government's own lawyers. Rohn says the PSC is an exception to that rule because its funding does not come from government coffers but from fees assessed the public utilities it regulates. (See "Lawyer: PSC can and does hire private counsel".)
The documents Rohn filed in Territorial Court on St. Croix last week ask the court to disregard anything that Kerry Drue, an assistant attorney general, has filed on behalf of Maynard and the PSC in response to the newspaper suit. Drue is the lawyer the government assigned to represent the PSC. In the motion, Rohn says she has been retained to represent Maynard and the PSC, and that Maynard does not want the Attorney General's Office to represent him.
In the government's response, Drue says that, had Rohn inquired, she would have discovered that the AG's office had, indeed, contacted Maynard and the PSC regarding their representation in court. Drue states that she personally contacted Maynard on Oct. 21 to notify him that she would be filing an "Answer" to the newspaper's suit on behalf of him and the PSC. The document states that Maynard responded "Okay."
In the document, Drue cites a section of the V.I. Code — 3 V.I.C. Section 114 (8) which includes among the duties of the attorney general: "upon request of the governor or the Legislature, to render written opinion on any legal questions relating to the exercise of the power or duties of any department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality or officer of the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Rohn contended in her motion that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the PSC is a different kind of agency because its funds come from the entities it investigates. As far as its hiring private attorneys, she said, "the Legislature has never acted to stop the practice."
Drue's response cites a 1977 letter that Edgar Ross, then attorney general, wrote to Gustav Danielson, then PSC chair, noting the cited V.I. Code provision as well as a section which states that the "Public Services Commission has no authority to utilize the services of private counsel; the law provides for representation of the commission by the Office of the Attorney General."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by Maynard and the PSC. Drue's response does not state that Maynard has agreed to be represented by the attorney general. Repeated telephone calls to Maynard on Thursday seeking clarification went unreturned.
Rohn said on Thursday afternoon that she had not seen Drue's document but that the Attorney General's Office typically files a response to a motion "with the court, but not with opposing counsel." She said no one from the AG's Office told Maynard of its intention to represent him and that Maynard, who also is a lawyer, has notified Stridiron's office in writing that it does not represent him.
The PSC has contracted attorney Frederick Watts not only as a hearing examiner but also as legal counsel, Rohn noted. And the commission formerly utilized the services of Maria Tankenson Hodge, also a lawyer in private practice.
"The only thing I can see different between them and myself" in the current situation, Rohn said, "is that I have gone to battle against Prosser, and he does not like me." Her reference was to Jeffrey Prosser, owner of Innovative Communication Corp., which owns the Daily News and three entities regulated by the PSC — Innovative Telephone and the territory's two Innovative Cable-TV companies.
Rohn's clients have included several individuals suing Prosser companies, including four former Daily News employees and a former senior executive at Prosser's V.I. Community Bank.
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.
Mincing no words, the Attorney General's Office filed a response Wednesday to Rohn's motion to represent the Public Services Commission chair, Desmond Maynard, in a case The V.I. Daily News has filed against Maynard and the PSC. It accuses Rohn of misrepresentation of facts and says one of her assertions can "most accurately be described as an outright lie."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by the PSC chair, Desmond Maynard, to represent him in a lawsuit The V.I. Daily News has filed against the commission. The suit seeks details of an executive session discussion on Sept. 12. The newspaper contends the session violated the Open Meetings Act.
It is the contention of Attorney General Iver Stridiron that government agencies cannot hire private attorneys to represent their interests but must be represented by the government's own lawyers. Rohn says the PSC is an exception to that rule because its funding does not come from government coffers but from fees assessed the public utilities it regulates. (See "Lawyer: PSC can and does hire private counsel".)
The documents Rohn filed in Territorial Court on St. Croix last week ask the court to disregard anything that Kerry Drue, an assistant attorney general, has filed on behalf of Maynard and the PSC in response to the newspaper suit. Drue is the lawyer the government assigned to represent the PSC. In the motion, Rohn says she has been retained to represent Maynard and the PSC, and that Maynard does not want the Attorney General's Office to represent him.
In the government's response, Drue says that, had Rohn inquired, she would have discovered that the AG's office had, indeed, contacted Maynard and the PSC regarding their representation in court. Drue states that she personally contacted Maynard on Oct. 21 to notify him that she would be filing an "Answer" to the newspaper's suit on behalf of him and the PSC. The document states that Maynard responded "Okay."
In the document, Drue cites a section of the V.I. Code — 3 V.I.C. Section 114 (8) which includes among the duties of the attorney general: "upon request of the governor or the Legislature, to render written opinion on any legal questions relating to the exercise of the power or duties of any department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality or officer of the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Rohn contended in her motion that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the PSC is a different kind of agency because its funds come from the entities it investigates. As far as its hiring private attorneys, she said, "the Legislature has never acted to stop the practice."
Drue's response cites a 1977 letter that Edgar Ross, then attorney general, wrote to Gustav Danielson, then PSC chair, noting the cited V.I. Code provision as well as a section which states that the "Public Services Commission has no authority to utilize the services of private counsel; the law provides for representation of the commission by the Office of the Attorney General."
Rohn stated in her motion that she has been retained by Maynard and the PSC. Drue's response does not state that Maynard has agreed to be represented by the attorney general. Repeated telephone calls to Maynard on Thursday seeking clarification went unreturned.
Rohn said on Thursday afternoon that she had not seen Drue's document but that the Attorney General's Office typically files a response to a motion "with the court, but not with opposing counsel." She said no one from the AG's Office told Maynard of its intention to represent him and that Maynard, who also is a lawyer, has notified Stridiron's office in writing that it does not represent him.
The PSC has contracted attorney Frederick Watts not only as a hearing examiner but also as legal counsel, Rohn noted. And the commission formerly utilized the services of Maria Tankenson Hodge, also a lawyer in private practice.
"The only thing I can see different between them and myself" in the current situation, Rohn said, "is that I have gone to battle against Prosser, and he does not like me." Her reference was to Jeffrey Prosser, owner of Innovative Communication Corp., which owns the Daily News and three entities regulated by the PSC — Innovative Telephone and the territory's two Innovative Cable-TV companies.
Rohn's clients have included several individuals suing Prosser companies, including four former Daily News employees and a former senior executive at Prosser's V.I. Community Bank.
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.
TAXI ASSOCIATION GIVES IN, GETS PARK PERMIT
Nov. 14, 2002 – After three taxi drivers got $50 tickets for operating in the V.I. National Park without permits, the St. John Taxi Association finally gave in and paid the $250 fee for a blanket permit for its 60 members on Thursday, park Superintendent John King said.
"It's over and done with," King said of the resistance to the annual permit fee that raged for more than a year.
He said a taxi association representative started the paperwork process on Wednesday and picked up the permit and decals for all of the association members on Thursday.
King noted that the 2002 permit is only good until Dec. 31, and a new one will be required for 2003.
The brouhaha over the permit fees began in the fall of 2001, year when taxi drivers learned they would need permits to operate in the park beginning Jan. 1 of this year. Park officials had held numerous public meetings on their proposed Commercial Services Plan, which includes the permit requirement, but the taxi drivers claimed they didn't know they would have to pay a fee for a permit to conduct tours within the park. (No permit or fee is required for transporting passengers from point A to point B.)
Initially, the tour fees were to be $300 for independent drivers and $750 for associations and companies. In an effort to bring reluctant taxi drivers into compliance, King lowered the fees to $75 and $250, respectively, last November. The taxi drivers still refused to comply.
The permit program went into effect as scheduled on Jan. 1, but because the St. John Taxi Association took the park to court, park officials held off issuing tickets.
Many tour operators and independent taxi drivers and about a dozen of the St. John Taxi Association's members got permits on their own so they could continue to work in the park On Sept. 27, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Moore ruled that the park had the right to require the permits and to impose the fees for them.
King said on Tuesday that the park waited until after the Nov. 5 elections to start giving out tickets to those without permits so that the move would not become a campaign issue.
Since the three drivers were cited, King said, several individual association drivers have come in on their own to get permits. They've each had to pay the $75 rate.
The island has a total of 132 taxi drivers and tour operators.
King said he views taxi drivers as important partners with the park and is pleased the issue has finally been resolved. "I hope we will be able to put his behind us," he said.
St. John Taxi Association spokeswoman Lorelei Monsanto could not be reached for comment.
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.
"It's over and done with," King said of the resistance to the annual permit fee that raged for more than a year.
He said a taxi association representative started the paperwork process on Wednesday and picked up the permit and decals for all of the association members on Thursday.
King noted that the 2002 permit is only good until Dec. 31, and a new one will be required for 2003.
The brouhaha over the permit fees began in the fall of 2001, year when taxi drivers learned they would need permits to operate in the park beginning Jan. 1 of this year. Park officials had held numerous public meetings on their proposed Commercial Services Plan, which includes the permit requirement, but the taxi drivers claimed they didn't know they would have to pay a fee for a permit to conduct tours within the park. (No permit or fee is required for transporting passengers from point A to point B.)
Initially, the tour fees were to be $300 for independent drivers and $750 for associations and companies. In an effort to bring reluctant taxi drivers into compliance, King lowered the fees to $75 and $250, respectively, last November. The taxi drivers still refused to comply.
The permit program went into effect as scheduled on Jan. 1, but because the St. John Taxi Association took the park to court, park officials held off issuing tickets.
Many tour operators and independent taxi drivers and about a dozen of the St. John Taxi Association's members got permits on their own so they could continue to work in the park On Sept. 27, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Moore ruled that the park had the right to require the permits and to impose the fees for them.
King said on Tuesday that the park waited until after the Nov. 5 elections to start giving out tickets to those without permits so that the move would not become a campaign issue.
Since the three drivers were cited, King said, several individual association drivers have come in on their own to get permits. They've each had to pay the $75 rate.
The island has a total of 132 taxi drivers and tour operators.
King said he views taxi drivers as important partners with the park and is pleased the issue has finally been resolved. "I hope we will be able to put his behind us," he said.
St. John Taxi Association spokeswoman Lorelei Monsanto could not be reached for comment.
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.
SIGNED GERS CHECKS TO REPLACE UNSIGNED ONES
Nov. 14, 2002 – A glitch at the Puerto Rico-based ADP, the company that prints benefits checks for the Government Employees Retirement System, caused it to run off all the checks for the current pay period without a signature, according to the GERS administrator, Laurence E. Bryan.
"They are looking into it," Bryan said Thursday.
For some unknown reason, he said, the imprint of his signature that always appears on GERS checks did not come out on the ones printed this time.
New checks bearing Bryan's signature were issued on Thursday and were expected to be delivered to the main post office on St. Thomas in the afternoon, he said.
About 75 percent of the more than 5,000 GERS retirees were affected by the problem, Bryan said. The other 25 percent receive their benefits via direct deposit to their accounts, which is done electronically.
Bryan said retirees should send the unsigned checks to the GERS offices on St. Thomas or St. Croix.
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"They are looking into it," Bryan said Thursday.
For some unknown reason, he said, the imprint of his signature that always appears on GERS checks did not come out on the ones printed this time.
New checks bearing Bryan's signature were issued on Thursday and were expected to be delivered to the main post office on St. Thomas in the afternoon, he said.
About 75 percent of the more than 5,000 GERS retirees were affected by the problem, Bryan said. The other 25 percent receive their benefits via direct deposit to their accounts, which is done electronically.
Bryan said retirees should send the unsigned checks to the GERS offices on St. Thomas or St. Croix.
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.
