Nov. 7, 2002 – The next time you're at a cocktail party and an asparagus spear begins telling you Bible stories, don't panic. It could be you're hobnobbing with a celebrity from "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie."
The movie is a spinoff from the popular Christian children's "Veggie Tales" videos. And, you've got to admit, talking vegetables are a novel way to teach kids about the Bible — assuming you've already gotten them to have positive feelings about vegetables.
In "Jonah," Jonah himself, cleverly disguised as Archibald, an animated asparagus spear, tells the kiddies all about how truly uncomfortable it was in the belly of that awful whale, and how he got there from disobeying God's instructions, and how he learned about mercy and compassion. That's a lot to swallow, so to speak, from an asparagus spear.
The movie also has dancing veggies in a production number that could have come straight out of "Oklahoma," according to one enthusiastic critic who praises the computer-based animation and the tunes.
A half-hour "Jonah" sing-along video of the soundtrack songs came out months before the movie was released, so kids would be up on the "11 toe-tapping, finger-snapping, whale-splashing tunes" before seeing them acted out on the big screen. The cuts include a live "Belly of the Whale" music video featuring the Newsboys in concert, a "Viking Medley" ("We're Vikings," "Look, Olaf!" and "My Share" from Lyle the Kindly Viking) and "Second Chances."
The plot is a story within a story, as the recurring Veggie characters' van runs off the road, sending them to the nearest roadside restaurant to wait for a tow. There, they encounter some pirates who tell them the tale of Jonah and the whale. In it, the "Veggie Tales" hosts, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber (have a little faith here), try to coax a terrified Archibald out of his dressing room to finish his role as Jonah, no small task as Archie has a phobia about fish.
This caper also involves a merchandising-minded caterpillar named Khalil and the three lazy pirates. A politically correct-minded critic at Hollywood.com found a lot of stereotyping here, even complaining that "there is something bizarre about watching limbless vegetables hobbling around." Still, the niche-market movie made it up to No. 9 on the national box office chart last month in its third week in release.
The "Veggie Tales" producers are very upfront about what they're about: "a series that teaches timeless values like honesty, kindness, and forgiveness in a delightfully wacky way." They say that "in a world full of kids' shows that teach your kids to be better toy buyers or kick boxers, 'Veggie Tales' is a show that helps teach your kids to be better kids."
Ironically, in this day and age, even an effort of this genre has its "violent" moments, as the Kids-in-Mind Web site points out in its usual dispassionate way. (It also notes, "Many of the themes of Christian piety and obedience touched upon in this feature may be of concern to members of some Christian denominations, non-Christians and non-believers.")
Still and all, the irrepressible Jonah has had a timeless way of capturing the imagination. Take that old roadside shaving cream commercial:
The whale tossed Jonah down the hatch
but coughed him up because he scratched.
— Burma Shave.
Directed by Phil Vischer (who also owns the production company, produced the film, wrote the script and voices several of the characters) and Mike Nawrocki, "Jonah" is an hour and 25 minutes long and is rated R. No, no, just kidding; it's rated G.
It's playing at Market Square East on St. Thomas.
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.
'JONAH' IS ONE WHALE OF A 'VEGGIE TALE'
Nov. 7, 2002 – The next time you're at a cocktail party and an asparagus spear begins telling you Bible stories, don't panic. It could be you're hobnobbing with a celebrity from "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie."
The movie is a spinoff from the popular Christian children's "Veggie Tales" videos. And, you've got to admit, talking vegetables are a novel way to teach kids about the Bible — assuming you've already gotten them to have positive feelings about vegetables.
In "Jonah," Jonah himself, cleverly disguised as Archibald, an animated asparagus spear, tells the kiddies all about how truly uncomfortable it was in the belly of that awful whale, and how he got there from disobeying God's instructions, and how he learned about mercy and compassion. That's a lot to swallow, so to speak, from an asparagus spear.
The movie also has dancing veggies in a production number that could have come straight out of "Oklahoma," according to one enthusiastic critic who praises the computer-based animation and the tunes.
A half-hour "Jonah" sing-along video of the soundtrack songs came out months before the movie was released, so kids would be up on the "11 toe-tapping, finger-snapping, whale-splashing tunes" before seeing them acted out on the big screen. The cuts include a live "Belly of the Whale" music video featuring the Newsboys in concert, a "Viking Medley" ("We're Vikings," "Look, Olaf!" and "My Share" from Lyle the Kindly Viking) and "Second Chances."
The plot is a story within a story, as the recurring Veggie characters' van runs off the road, sending them to the nearest roadside restaurant to wait for a tow. There, they encounter some pirates who tell them the tale of Jonah and the whale. In it, the "Veggie Tales" hosts, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber (have a little faith here), try to coax a terrified Archibald out of his dressing room to finish his role as Jonah, no small task as Archie has a phobia about fish.
This caper also involves a merchandising-minded caterpillar named Khalil and the three lazy pirates. A politically correct-minded critic at Hollywood.com found a lot of stereotyping here, even complaining that "there is something bizarre about watching limbless vegetables hobbling around." Still, the niche-market movie made it up to No. 9 on the national box office chart last month in its third week in release.
The "Veggie Tales" producers are very upfront about what they're about: "a series that teaches timeless values like honesty, kindness, and forgiveness in a delightfully wacky way." They say that "in a world full of kids' shows that teach your kids to be better toy buyers or kick boxers, 'Veggie Tales' is a show that helps teach your kids to be better kids."
Ironically, in this day and age, even an effort of this genre has its "violent" moments, as the Kids-in-Mind Web site points out in its usual dispassionate way. (It also notes, "Many of the themes of Christian piety and obedience touched upon in this feature may be of concern to members of some Christian denominations, non-Christians and non-believers.")
Still and all, the irrepressible Jonah has had a timeless way of capturing the imagination. Take that old roadside shaving cream commercial:
The whale tossed Jonah down the hatch
but coughed him up because he scratched.
— Burma Shave.
Directed by Phil Vischer (who also owns the production company, produced the film, wrote the script and voices several of the characters) and Mike Nawrocki, "Jonah" is an hour and 25 minutes long and is rated R. No, no, just kidding; it's rated G.
It's playing at Market Square East.
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 movie is a spinoff from the popular Christian children's "Veggie Tales" videos. And, you've got to admit, talking vegetables are a novel way to teach kids about the Bible — assuming you've already gotten them to have positive feelings about vegetables.
In "Jonah," Jonah himself, cleverly disguised as Archibald, an animated asparagus spear, tells the kiddies all about how truly uncomfortable it was in the belly of that awful whale, and how he got there from disobeying God's instructions, and how he learned about mercy and compassion. That's a lot to swallow, so to speak, from an asparagus spear.
The movie also has dancing veggies in a production number that could have come straight out of "Oklahoma," according to one enthusiastic critic who praises the computer-based animation and the tunes.
A half-hour "Jonah" sing-along video of the soundtrack songs came out months before the movie was released, so kids would be up on the "11 toe-tapping, finger-snapping, whale-splashing tunes" before seeing them acted out on the big screen. The cuts include a live "Belly of the Whale" music video featuring the Newsboys in concert, a "Viking Medley" ("We're Vikings," "Look, Olaf!" and "My Share" from Lyle the Kindly Viking) and "Second Chances."
The plot is a story within a story, as the recurring Veggie characters' van runs off the road, sending them to the nearest roadside restaurant to wait for a tow. There, they encounter some pirates who tell them the tale of Jonah and the whale. In it, the "Veggie Tales" hosts, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber (have a little faith here), try to coax a terrified Archibald out of his dressing room to finish his role as Jonah, no small task as Archie has a phobia about fish.
This caper also involves a merchandising-minded caterpillar named Khalil and the three lazy pirates. A politically correct-minded critic at Hollywood.com found a lot of stereotyping here, even complaining that "there is something bizarre about watching limbless vegetables hobbling around." Still, the niche-market movie made it up to No. 9 on the national box office chart last month in its third week in release.
The "Veggie Tales" producers are very upfront about what they're about: "a series that teaches timeless values like honesty, kindness, and forgiveness in a delightfully wacky way." They say that "in a world full of kids' shows that teach your kids to be better toy buyers or kick boxers, 'Veggie Tales' is a show that helps teach your kids to be better kids."
Ironically, in this day and age, even an effort of this genre has its "violent" moments, as the Kids-in-Mind Web site points out in its usual dispassionate way. (It also notes, "Many of the themes of Christian piety and obedience touched upon in this feature may be of concern to members of some Christian denominations, non-Christians and non-believers.")
Still and all, the irrepressible Jonah has had a timeless way of capturing the imagination. Take that old roadside shaving cream commercial:
The whale tossed Jonah down the hatch
but coughed him up because he scratched.
— Burma Shave.
Directed by Phil Vischer (who also owns the production company, produced the film, wrote the script and voices several of the characters) and Mike Nawrocki, "Jonah" is an hour and 25 minutes long and is rated R. No, no, just kidding; it's rated G.
It's playing at Market Square East.
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.
SEA TO HOST SOUTHGATE FARM TOUR
Nov. 7, 2002 – The St. Croix Environmental Association will host a tour of Southgate Farm at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23. Visitors will see how vegetabbles are organically grown and learn about the methods.
For more information and to sign up call Nina Cook at 773-6933 or SEA office at 773-1989.
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.
For more information and to sign up call Nina Cook at 773-6933 or SEA office at 773-1989.
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.
SEA TO HOST SOUTHGATE FARM TOUR
The St. Croix Environmental Association will host a tour of Southgate Farm. Visitors will see how vegetables are organically grown.
For more information and to sign up call Nina Cook at 773-6933 or SEA office at 773-1989.
For more information and to sign up call Nina Cook at 773-6933 or SEA office at 773-1989.
V.I. MAN INDICTED IN GEORGIA DRUG OPERATION
Nov. 7, 2002 – A St. Thomas man sought by the FBI as an international drug trafficker and fugitive was arrested on Tuesday and brought before a Georgia judge on Wednesday, charged with supplying cocaine to several drug dealers in the city of Augusta.
According to a Wednesday story in the Augusta Chronicle, close to a dozen unmarked cars bearing state and federal police formed a convoy to escort James Spencer Springette through the city to an advice-of-rights hearing in U.S. District Court.
Springette, also known as "Jimmy the Juice," who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended by military police Tuesday in Venezuela and quickly extradicted to the U.S. mainland.
Click here for an FBI Ten Most Wanted flyer on Springette.
Here is the FBI's Nov. 7 announcement of Springette's arrest. It states that he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities near the capital of Caracas.
In a brief court appearance in Augusta on Wednesday, he acknowledged his identity before a federal magistrate and was tentatively ordered to return to court later in the afternoon for a bail hearing.
Springette had been on the run since March 2000, when Colombian authorities say he escaped from jail. Two years earlier, he was charged in federal court in Georgia with conspiracy to import cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and money laundering. The Chronicle says he is the last of seven people to be prosecuted in that case.
V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who until last July headed the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said on Thursday morning that HIDTA, a combined V.I.-Puerto Rican law-enforcement coalition, was instrumental in bringing about Springette's capture.
"The arrest of 'Jimmy the Juice' was part of a worldwide effort, and HIDTA was part of that effort," Stridiron said. He declined to comment on the details of the regional agency's participation.
Among Springette's alleged associates in Augusta is another Virgin Islander, Eugene Smalls, who was paralyzed in a shooting incident in March 1991 in which another man, Askia Rojas, was killed.
A grand jury indictment includes charges that Springette smuggled more than a ton of cocaine into the Georgia area from St. Thomas in 1996. He is also linked to the transport of another 6,000 kilograms of the drug into the area later that same year.
Authorities on the mainland say Springette has been the head of an international drug smuggling ring called the Island Boys since 1991, when they allege that he purchased a boat for $304,000 and used it to supply illegal drugs into Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia.
For the FBI's announcement issued Wednesday on Springette following his arrest in Venezuela, see this FBI Atlanta office release.
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.
According to a Wednesday story in the Augusta Chronicle, close to a dozen unmarked cars bearing state and federal police formed a convoy to escort James Spencer Springette through the city to an advice-of-rights hearing in U.S. District Court.
Springette, also known as "Jimmy the Juice," who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended by military police Tuesday in Venezuela and quickly extradicted to the U.S. mainland.
Click here for an FBI Ten Most Wanted flyer on Springette.
Here is the FBI's Nov. 7 announcement of Springette's arrest. It states that he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities near the capital of Caracas.
In a brief court appearance in Augusta on Wednesday, he acknowledged his identity before a federal magistrate and was tentatively ordered to return to court later in the afternoon for a bail hearing.
Springette had been on the run since March 2000, when Colombian authorities say he escaped from jail. Two years earlier, he was charged in federal court in Georgia with conspiracy to import cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and money laundering. The Chronicle says he is the last of seven people to be prosecuted in that case.
V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who until last July headed the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said on Thursday morning that HIDTA, a combined V.I.-Puerto Rican law-enforcement coalition, was instrumental in bringing about Springette's capture.
"The arrest of 'Jimmy the Juice' was part of a worldwide effort, and HIDTA was part of that effort," Stridiron said. He declined to comment on the details of the regional agency's participation.
Among Springette's alleged associates in Augusta is another Virgin Islander, Eugene Smalls, who was paralyzed in a shooting incident in March 1991 in which another man, Askia Rojas, was killed.
A grand jury indictment includes charges that Springette smuggled more than a ton of cocaine into the Georgia area from St. Thomas in 1996. He is also linked to the transport of another 6,000 kilograms of the drug into the area later that same year.
Authorities on the mainland say Springette has been the head of an international drug smuggling ring called the Island Boys since 1991, when they allege that he purchased a boat for $304,000 and used it to supply illegal drugs into Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia.
For the FBI's announcement issued Wednesday on Springette following his arrest in Venezuela, see this FBI Atlanta office release.
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.
ST. THOMIAN INDICTED IN GEORGIA DRUG OPERATION
Nov. 7, 2002 – A St. Thomas man sought by the FBI as an international drug trafficker and fugitive was arrested on Tuesday and brought before a Georgia judge on Wednesday, charged with supplying cocaine to several drug dealers in the city of Augusta.
According to a Wednesday story in the Augusta Chronicle, close to a dozen unmarked cars bearing state and federal police formed a convoy to escort James Spencer Springette through the city to an advice-of-rights hearing in U.S. District Court.
Springette, also known as "Jimmy the Juice," who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended by military police Tuesday in Venezuela and quickly extradicted to the U.S. mainland.
Click here for an FBI Ten Most Wanted flyer on Springette.
Here is the FBI's Nov. 7 announcement of Springette's arrest. It states that he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities near the capital of Caracas.
In a brief court appearance in Augusta on Wednesday, he acknowledged his identity before a federal magistrate and was tentatively ordered to return to court later in the afternoon for a bail hearing.
Springette had been on the run since March 2000, when Colombian authorities say he escaped from jail. Two years earlier, he was charged in federal court in Georgia with conspiracy to import cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and money laundering. The Chronicle says he is the last of seven people to be prosecuted in that case.
V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who until last July headed the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said on Thursday morning that HIDTA, a combined V.I.-Puerto Rican law-enforcement coalition, was instrumental in bringing about Springette's capture.
"The arrest of 'Jimmy the Juice' was part of a worldwide effort, and HIDTA was part of that effort," Stridiron said. He declined to comment on the details of the regional agency's participation.
Among Springette's alleged associates in Augusta is another Virgin Islander, Eugene Smalls, who was paralyzed in a shooting incident in March 1991 in which another man, Askia Rojas, was killed.
A grand jury indictment includes charges that Springette smuggled more than a ton of cocaine into the Georgia area from St. Thomas in 1996. He is also linked to the transport of another 6,000 kilograms of the drug into the area later that same year.
Authorities on the mainland say Springette has been the head of an international drug smuggling ring called the Island Boys since 1991, when they allege that he purchased a boat for $304,000 and used it to supply illegal drugs into Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia.
For the FBI's announcement issued Wednesday on Springette following his arrest in Venezuela, see this FBI Atlanta office release.
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.
According to a Wednesday story in the Augusta Chronicle, close to a dozen unmarked cars bearing state and federal police formed a convoy to escort James Spencer Springette through the city to an advice-of-rights hearing in U.S. District Court.
Springette, also known as "Jimmy the Juice," who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended by military police Tuesday in Venezuela and quickly extradicted to the U.S. mainland.
Click here for an FBI Ten Most Wanted flyer on Springette.
Here is the FBI's Nov. 7 announcement of Springette's arrest. It states that he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities near the capital of Caracas.
In a brief court appearance in Augusta on Wednesday, he acknowledged his identity before a federal magistrate and was tentatively ordered to return to court later in the afternoon for a bail hearing.
Springette had been on the run since March 2000, when Colombian authorities say he escaped from jail. Two years earlier, he was charged in federal court in Georgia with conspiracy to import cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and money laundering. The Chronicle says he is the last of seven people to be prosecuted in that case.
V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who until last July headed the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said on Thursday morning that HIDTA, a combined V.I.-Puerto Rican law-enforcement coalition, was instrumental in bringing about Springette's capture.
"The arrest of 'Jimmy the Juice' was part of a worldwide effort, and HIDTA was part of that effort," Stridiron said. He declined to comment on the details of the regional agency's participation.
Among Springette's alleged associates in Augusta is another Virgin Islander, Eugene Smalls, who was paralyzed in a shooting incident in March 1991 in which another man, Askia Rojas, was killed.
A grand jury indictment includes charges that Springette smuggled more than a ton of cocaine into the Georgia area from St. Thomas in 1996. He is also linked to the transport of another 6,000 kilograms of the drug into the area later that same year.
Authorities on the mainland say Springette has been the head of an international drug smuggling ring called the Island Boys since 1991, when they allege that he purchased a boat for $304,000 and used it to supply illegal drugs into Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia.
For the FBI's announcement issued Wednesday on Springette following his arrest in Venezuela, see this FBI Atlanta office release.
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.
ST. THOMIAN INDICTED IN GEORGIA DRUG OPERATION
Nov. 7, 2002 – A St. Thomas man sought by the FBI as an international drug trafficker and fugitive was arrested on Tuesday and brought before a Georgia judge on Wednesday, charged with supplying cocaine to several drug dealers in the city of Augusta.
According to a Wednesday story in the Augusta Chronicle, close to a dozen unmarked cars bearing state and federal police formed a convoy to escort James Spencer Springette through the city to an advice-of-rights hearing in U.S. District Court.
Springette, also known as "Jimmy the Juice," who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended by military police Tuesday in Venezuela and quickly extradicted to the U.S. mainland.
Click here for an FBI Ten Most Wanted flyer on Springette.
Here is the FBI's Nov. 7 announcement of Springette's arrest. It states that he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities near the capital of Caracas.
In a brief court appearance in Augusta on Wednesday, he acknowledged his identity before a federal magistrate and was tentatively ordered to return to court later in the afternoon for a bail hearing.
Springette had been on the run since March 2000, when Colombian authorities say he escaped from jail. Two years earlier, he was charged in federal court in Georgia with conspiracy to import cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and money laundering. The Chronicle says he is the last of seven people to be prosecuted in that case.
V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who until last July headed the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said on Thursday morning that HIDTA, a combined V.I.-Puerto Rican law-enforcement coalition, was instrumental in bringing about Springette's capture.
"The arrest of 'Jimmy the Juice' was part of a worldwide effort, and HIDTA was part of that effort," Stridiron said. He declined to comment on the details of the regional agency's participation.
Among Springette's alleged associates in Augusta is another Virgin Islander, Eugene Smalls, who was paralyzed in a shooting incident in March 1991 in which another man, Askia Rojas, was killed.
A grand jury indictment includes charges that Springette smuggled more than a ton of cocaine into the Georgia area from St. Thomas in 1996. He is also linked to the transport of another 6,000 kilograms of the drug into the area later that same year.
Authorities on the mainland say Springette has been the head of an international drug smuggling ring called the Island Boys since 1991, when they allege that he purchased a boat for $304,000 and used it to supply illegal drugs into Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia.
For the FBI's announcement issued Wednesday on Springette following his arrest in Venezuela, see this FBI Atlanta office release.
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.
According to a Wednesday story in the Augusta Chronicle, close to a dozen unmarked cars bearing state and federal police formed a convoy to escort James Spencer Springette through the city to an advice-of-rights hearing in U.S. District Court.
Springette, also known as "Jimmy the Juice," who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended by military police Tuesday in Venezuela and quickly extradicted to the U.S. mainland.
Click here for an FBI Ten Most Wanted flyer on Springette.
Here is the FBI's Nov. 7 announcement of Springette's arrest. It states that he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities near the capital of Caracas.
In a brief court appearance in Augusta on Wednesday, he acknowledged his identity before a federal magistrate and was tentatively ordered to return to court later in the afternoon for a bail hearing.
Springette had been on the run since March 2000, when Colombian authorities say he escaped from jail. Two years earlier, he was charged in federal court in Georgia with conspiracy to import cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and money laundering. The Chronicle says he is the last of seven people to be prosecuted in that case.
V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron, who until last July headed the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said on Thursday morning that HIDTA, a combined V.I.-Puerto Rican law-enforcement coalition, was instrumental in bringing about Springette's capture.
"The arrest of 'Jimmy the Juice' was part of a worldwide effort, and HIDTA was part of that effort," Stridiron said. He declined to comment on the details of the regional agency's participation.
Among Springette's alleged associates in Augusta is another Virgin Islander, Eugene Smalls, who was paralyzed in a shooting incident in March 1991 in which another man, Askia Rojas, was killed.
A grand jury indictment includes charges that Springette smuggled more than a ton of cocaine into the Georgia area from St. Thomas in 1996. He is also linked to the transport of another 6,000 kilograms of the drug into the area later that same year.
Authorities on the mainland say Springette has been the head of an international drug smuggling ring called the Island Boys since 1991, when they allege that he purchased a boat for $304,000 and used it to supply illegal drugs into Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia.
For the FBI's announcement issued Wednesday on Springette following his arrest in Venezuela, see this FBI Atlanta office release.
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.
MAYNARD: INNOVATIVE ACTING IN BAD FAITH
Nov. 6, 2002 – Innovative Telephone's failure to pay the full $400,000 in assessments as ordered by the Public Services Commission last month drew criticism and resulted in an executive session being called during a special meeting of the PSC on Wednesday.
After a couple of rounds between Samuel Ebbesen, Innovative Telephone president, and PSC chair Desmond Maynard, commission counsel Frederick Watts said he would give legal advice to the body in executive session.
In a hearing on Sept. 30, the PSC voted to require Innovative to pay $400,000 of its $604,400 debt to the commission by Oct. 4. At that meeting, Ebbesen said Innovative was trying to resolve the matter but didn't understand all of the bills, some of which dated back to July 2001, and therefore couldn't pay them.
However, at Wednesday's meeting it came to light that V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, now known as Innovative Telephone, had signed an agreement with the PSC in April 1989 stating that in the event of an appeal of any assessment, the utility company would pay the assessment and work out the questions later.
Ebbesen attempted to convince the commission there were extenuating circumstances that forced the utility to sign the 1989 agreement, but Maynard was having none of it. "I don't believe that the commission is acting in a vindictive way, but I get the sense the commission feels Vitelco is acting in bad faith," Maynard said.
Commission member Alric Simmonds asked Ebbesen if the phone company allowed its customers to hold off paying their phone bills until any discrepancies were worked out. Simmonds, who works for the Office of the Governor, said the phone company had sent a "huge" bill to the government, "and we had to pay that bill." Later, he added, "we ended up with a huge credit."
At the Sept. 30 hearing Ebbesen had said the phone company was trying to meet with the PSC to get its questions answered and that was why it hadn't paid the bills.
On Wednesday, he said the company was making headway in understanding the vouchers related to the assessment but that, due to the Innovative Telephone and Cable Television strike, "We are all doing four or five jobs."
But Maynard said, "the ongoing labor dispute" notwithstanding, "the matter goes back to July of last year."
The Oct. 4 deadline passed without payment, but two payments of $75,000 each have been made since then. An earlier $75,000 payment had been made prior to the PSC's order. But the commission members weren't inclined on Wednesday to accept $225,000 as being enough.
"The commission asked for $400,000," Maynard said, but the company is paying "on account" instead.
PSC member Jerris Browne asked what recourse was available, and fellow member Valencio Jackson asked Watts if interest could be charged to the company. Watts deferred his response to questions for the executive session.
When the commission members came out of executive session, they would say only that they had directed Watts to write to the phone company laying out their decision on how to handle Innovative's delinquency. Neither they nor Watts would detail the terms to be laid out in the letter.
No recusal for Maynard
Before addressing the delinquent payments issue, Innovative attorney Kevin Rames attempted to get the PSC to respond to the company's earlier request that Maynard recuse himself from matters related to Innovative Telephone because Maynard, also a lawyer, represents a former Virgin Islands Daily News photographer who is suing both the newspaper and its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., which also owns Innovative Telephone. (See "Challenge of PSC chair raises ICC questions".)
Watts questioned Rames repeatedly on where in the law Rames found anything to indicate the commission should rule on such a request. Regarding the authority of the PSC, "the statute is clear," Watts told Rames. "What right does the PSC have to interpret" a possible conflict of interest?
Rames called the V.I. Code statute an "outline," adding that a commission member should voluntarily step down if there is a conflict of interest.
"What Mr. Watts is trying to get to," Maynard then said, "is what if the person doesn't agree that there is a conflict of interest."
Watts said the attorney general is the official legally charged with deciding conflict-of-interest cases. In the end, Watts said Rames's request would be "taken under advisement," saying it was the same as a standing request. The commissioners then moved on with the business of the agenda, with Maynard continuing to chair the meeting.
Action deferred on other matters
Attorney Daryl Dodson, representing Choice Communications, formerly called Wireless World, sat through most of the agenda, which included a complaint filed by Wireless World about the rates Innovative Telephone is charging Choice, an Innovative competitor, for its broadband access. Dodson said companies elsewhere could receive 28 times the capacity for the price that Innovative is charging Choice.
Ebbesen said he was not familiar with the letter filed in July by then-Wireless World asking the PSC to exercise its authority to establish a tariff for Innovative's DS-3 broadband service. Watts agreed to give Ebbesen two weeks to review the document, saying he would put the matter on the agenda for the next meeting.
On a request by the V.I. Source newspapers to have access to the financial statements filed by all regulated companies with the PSC, Watts said the commission should first circulate the request to all of the regulated companies seeking their response. He also said he would seek the Source's legal justification for getting the documents.
Commission members in attendance were Browne, Verne David, Jackson, Maynard, Simmonds and Alecia Wells. The seventh voting member, Luther Renee, and the two non-voting legislative members, Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Emmett Hansen II, were absent.
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.
After a couple of rounds between Samuel Ebbesen, Innovative Telephone president, and PSC chair Desmond Maynard, commission counsel Frederick Watts said he would give legal advice to the body in executive session.
In a hearing on Sept. 30, the PSC voted to require Innovative to pay $400,000 of its $604,400 debt to the commission by Oct. 4. At that meeting, Ebbesen said Innovative was trying to resolve the matter but didn't understand all of the bills, some of which dated back to July 2001, and therefore couldn't pay them.
However, at Wednesday's meeting it came to light that V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, now known as Innovative Telephone, had signed an agreement with the PSC in April 1989 stating that in the event of an appeal of any assessment, the utility company would pay the assessment and work out the questions later.
Ebbesen attempted to convince the commission there were extenuating circumstances that forced the utility to sign the 1989 agreement, but Maynard was having none of it. "I don't believe that the commission is acting in a vindictive way, but I get the sense the commission feels Vitelco is acting in bad faith," Maynard said.
Commission member Alric Simmonds asked Ebbesen if the phone company allowed its customers to hold off paying their phone bills until any discrepancies were worked out. Simmonds, who works for the Office of the Governor, said the phone company had sent a "huge" bill to the government, "and we had to pay that bill." Later, he added, "we ended up with a huge credit."
At the Sept. 30 hearing Ebbesen had said the phone company was trying to meet with the PSC to get its questions answered and that was why it hadn't paid the bills.
On Wednesday, he said the company was making headway in understanding the vouchers related to the assessment but that, due to the Innovative Telephone and Cable Television strike, "We are all doing four or five jobs."
But Maynard said, "the ongoing labor dispute" notwithstanding, "the matter goes back to July of last year."
The Oct. 4 deadline passed without payment, but two payments of $75,000 each have been made since then. An earlier $75,000 payment had been made prior to the PSC's order. But the commission members weren't inclined on Wednesday to accept $225,000 as being enough.
"The commission asked for $400,000," Maynard said, but the company is paying "on account" instead.
PSC member Jerris Browne asked what recourse was available, and fellow member Valencio Jackson asked Watts if interest could be charged to the company. Watts deferred his response to questions for the executive session.
When the commission members came out of executive session, they would say only that they had directed Watts to write to the phone company laying out their decision on how to handle Innovative's delinquency. Neither they nor Watts would detail the terms to be laid out in the letter.
No recusal for Maynard
Before addressing the delinquent payments issue, Innovative attorney Kevin Rames attempted to get the PSC to respond to the company's earlier request that Maynard recuse himself from matters related to Innovative Telephone because Maynard, also a lawyer, represents a former Virgin Islands Daily News photographer who is suing both the newspaper and its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., which also owns Innovative Telephone. (See "Challenge of PSC chair raises ICC questions".)
Watts questioned Rames repeatedly on where in the law Rames found anything to indicate the commission should rule on such a request. Regarding the authority of the PSC, "the statute is clear," Watts told Rames. "What right does the PSC have to interpret" a possible conflict of interest?
Rames called the V.I. Code statute an "outline," adding that a commission member should voluntarily step down if there is a conflict of interest.
"What Mr. Watts is trying to get to," Maynard then said, "is what if the person doesn't agree that there is a conflict of interest."
Watts said the attorney general is the official legally charged with deciding conflict-of-interest cases. In the end, Watts said Rames's request would be "taken under advisement," saying it was the same as a standing request. The commissioners then moved on with the business of the agenda, with Maynard continuing to chair the meeting.
Action deferred on other matters
Attorney Daryl Dodson, representing Choice Communications, formerly called Wireless World, sat through most of the agenda, which included a complaint filed by Wireless World about the rates Innovative Telephone is charging Choice, an Innovative competitor, for its broadband access. Dodson said companies elsewhere could receive 28 times the capacity for the price that Innovative is charging Choice.
Ebbesen said he was not familiar with the letter filed in July by then-Wireless World asking the PSC to exercise its authority to establish a tariff for Innovative's DS-3 broadband service. Watts agreed to give Ebbesen two weeks to review the document, saying he would put the matter on the agenda for the next meeting.
On a request by the V.I. Source newspapers to have access to the financial statements filed by all regulated companies with the PSC, Watts said the commission should first circulate the request to all of the regulated companies seeking their response. He also said he would seek the Source's legal justification for getting the documents.
Commission members in attendance were Browne, Verne David, Jackson, Maynard, Simmonds and Alecia Wells. The seventh voting member, Luther Renee, and the two non-voting legislative members, Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Emmett Hansen II, were absent.
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25TH LEGISLATURE WILL HAVE DEMOCRATS DRIVING
Nov. 6, 2002 – It's all over now but the shouting — which is in full gear — and the counting of the potentially rebalancing absentee ballots. But no matter how you slice it, the Democratic Party will have the majority in the 25th Legislature.
Democratic newcomers have unseated some entrenched, and some thought unbeatable, members of the current majority. In the St. Thomas-St. John district, St. Thomas-Water Island Administrator Louis Hill finished a strong fifth, slightly ahead of 10-term Sen. Lorraine Berry, also a Democrat. Shawn-Michael Malone is clinging to the seventh seat, 19 votes ahead of incumbent majority Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole.
The absentee ballots could change that and could conceivably also give a boost to eighth-place Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, another majority bloc member. If both were pushed into the winners' circle, they would displace Berry, in sixth place, and Malone, in seventh.
On St. Croix, newcomer Luther Renee received the second-highest vote in the district, after fellow Democrat and incumbent Sen. Douglas Canton Jr. Renee ran unsuccessfully as an independent in 2000 election but aligned himself with the Democrats this time around, as did attorney Ronald Russell, who garnered fifth place in his first bid for the Senate. Incumbent Democrat David Jones finished fourth.
It's possible that absentee votes could move the eighth- and ninth-place finishers, veteran Sen. Adelbert M. Bryan and newcomer Juan Figueroa-Serville, into the top seven on St. Croix; should that happen, sixth-ranked independent Sen. Emmett Hansen II and seventh-place Independent Citizens Movement newcomer Raymond "Usie" Richards would be the losers.
For the moment, however, the Democratic lineup for the 25th Legislature is an eight-member majority: Sens. Berry, Canton, David, Hill, Jones, Malone, Renee and Russell.
Democrats of record Hansen and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste, who opted to cast their lots in the current Legislature with the unaligned majority, could return to the Democratic fold now, but neither has made a definitive statement as yet. There's been no delay in jockeying for position on St. Croix, where several senators were reported to be meeting Wednesday, but their staffs would not release any information.
The power-broking begins
The Democrats ruled in the 23rd Legislature but lost their clout in the 24th. However, as Berry said on Wednesday morning, it's good to have a majority with more than the minimal 8/7 margin, which is how it now stands.
Berry was jubilant about her sixth-place finish, since she conducted the last weeks of her campaign from her bed recovering from a serious knee injury. "This is the first time that I haven't spent election day running from poll to poll," she said Wednesday.
Unaligned Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, who finished in first place, as he had done two years ago, said on Tuesday night on WVWI radio that he would align himself with whatever majority takes charge. He said he would "most definitely lobby for" chairing the powerful Finance Committee, so he could direct funding for education and health.
Berry sees no problem with that. "I am not seeking the Finance chair again," she said Wednesday. "I have done that for three terms, and that's enough." She said she wants to focus her energies on economic development. "There are many initiatives, 175 in fact, that came out of my economic summit that I want to concentrate on this term," she said.
She has several bills, including one to create a Bureau of Financial Services, that she wants to discuss with the administration before proposing them in the Senate. And she wants to move forward on creating a tourism authority, which Turnbull in his campaign speeches has said he would support.
Another concern of Berry's is her new understanding of needs of the physically challenged. "I have learned a lot about that these past weeks," she said.
Neither she nor David would comment on the Senate presidency, for which both have been rumored, but neither denied aspiring for the post. David said on Tuesday, "That is a rumor, you know; but all things are on the table." Berry was president of the 22nd Legislature; David hasn't held the post.
David said he is enormously pleased with the election of so many candidates from the Team 2002 Democratic slate and he sees cooperation ahead with Government House. "I've had a great relationship with the governor, and I think it's going to get better," he said. His focus for the 25th Legislature will be on the V.I. economy, education and crime — major problems mentioned by virtually every candidate, successful and unsuccessful.
David also said he is working on a plan to bring gasoline pump prices down on St. Thomas and St. John, a problem dear to the hearts of that district, where residents pay about 90 percent more than on St. Croix. "There is $5 million set aside in the GARVEE bonds to construct a gas storage facility on St. Thomas," he said. "This will be a big story."
The GARVEE — federal grant anticipation revenue — bonds have been issued mainly to finance the construction of the long-awaited Enighed Pond commercial port on St. John and the related Red Hook marine terminal on St. Thomas. David has been an unrelenting force behind getting the federally-backed bonds for the territory.
New face, new agenda
Malone, a former aide to Delegate Donna M. Christensen, expressed confidence Wednesday morning about getting the absentee votes he will need to retain his seventh-place finish in the St. Thomas-St. John district. "I feel I did a very good — I wouldn't say aggressive — job of addressing the absentee voters," he said. He said he sent a letter to them all explaining his agenda and seeking to distinguish himself from the other candidates.
That agenda calls for legislative reform and for visionary planning for the territory. "It's past time for crisis management, which is what we do," Malone said. "We have to stop just reacting to problems … We should be a group for the future — where are we going to be in 10 years?"
As a first-term senator, Malone said, he is anxious to do what no other lawmakers have done recently with any success. "We need governmental reform; we need to have a constitutional convention to restructure government. We are operating on an Organic Act that addressed the 19th and 20th centuries. We need to move into the 21st century," he said.
The young candidate, active in the Democratic Party from his high school days, said the Virgin Islands needs to be the English-speaking voice for the Caribbean. "We need to enhance our role in the Caribbean with Cuba coming in," he said. He sees the future of St. Croix as a technical and industrial center diversifying the territory from its tourism-dependent economy.
He also said he's committed to enactment of a comprehensive land and water use plan for the territory. This is a notion that has been around for decades, with countless senators making it a part of their campaigns. However, the territory still has no plan.
Calls to the other Democratic candidates were not returned Wednesday morning.
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.
Democratic newcomers have unseated some entrenched, and some thought unbeatable, members of the current majority. In the St. Thomas-St. John district, St. Thomas-Water Island Administrator Louis Hill finished a strong fifth, slightly ahead of 10-term Sen. Lorraine Berry, also a Democrat. Shawn-Michael Malone is clinging to the seventh seat, 19 votes ahead of incumbent majority Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole.
The absentee ballots could change that and could conceivably also give a boost to eighth-place Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, another majority bloc member. If both were pushed into the winners' circle, they would displace Berry, in sixth place, and Malone, in seventh.
On St. Croix, newcomer Luther Renee received the second-highest vote in the district, after fellow Democrat and incumbent Sen. Douglas Canton Jr. Renee ran unsuccessfully as an independent in 2000 election but aligned himself with the Democrats this time around, as did attorney Ronald Russell, who garnered fifth place in his first bid for the Senate. Incumbent Democrat David Jones finished fourth.
It's possible that absentee votes could move the eighth- and ninth-place finishers, veteran Sen. Adelbert M. Bryan and newcomer Juan Figueroa-Serville, into the top seven on St. Croix; should that happen, sixth-ranked independent Sen. Emmett Hansen II and seventh-place Independent Citizens Movement newcomer Raymond "Usie" Richards would be the losers.
For the moment, however, the Democratic lineup for the 25th Legislature is an eight-member majority: Sens. Berry, Canton, David, Hill, Jones, Malone, Renee and Russell.
Democrats of record Hansen and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste, who opted to cast their lots in the current Legislature with the unaligned majority, could return to the Democratic fold now, but neither has made a definitive statement as yet. There's been no delay in jockeying for position on St. Croix, where several senators were reported to be meeting Wednesday, but their staffs would not release any information.
The power-broking begins
The Democrats ruled in the 23rd Legislature but lost their clout in the 24th. However, as Berry said on Wednesday morning, it's good to have a majority with more than the minimal 8/7 margin, which is how it now stands.
Berry was jubilant about her sixth-place finish, since she conducted the last weeks of her campaign from her bed recovering from a serious knee injury. "This is the first time that I haven't spent election day running from poll to poll," she said Wednesday.
Unaligned Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, who finished in first place, as he had done two years ago, said on Tuesday night on WVWI radio that he would align himself with whatever majority takes charge. He said he would "most definitely lobby for" chairing the powerful Finance Committee, so he could direct funding for education and health.
Berry sees no problem with that. "I am not seeking the Finance chair again," she said Wednesday. "I have done that for three terms, and that's enough." She said she wants to focus her energies on economic development. "There are many initiatives, 175 in fact, that came out of my economic summit that I want to concentrate on this term," she said.
She has several bills, including one to create a Bureau of Financial Services, that she wants to discuss with the administration before proposing them in the Senate. And she wants to move forward on creating a tourism authority, which Turnbull in his campaign speeches has said he would support.
Another concern of Berry's is her new understanding of needs of the physically challenged. "I have learned a lot about that these past weeks," she said.
Neither she nor David would comment on the Senate presidency, for which both have been rumored, but neither denied aspiring for the post. David said on Tuesday, "That is a rumor, you know; but all things are on the table." Berry was president of the 22nd Legislature; David hasn't held the post.
David said he is enormously pleased with the election of so many candidates from the Team 2002 Democratic slate and he sees cooperation ahead with Government House. "I've had a great relationship with the governor, and I think it's going to get better," he said. His focus for the 25th Legislature will be on the V.I. economy, education and crime — major problems mentioned by virtually every candidate, successful and unsuccessful.
David also said he is working on a plan to bring gasoline pump prices down on St. Thomas and St. John, a problem dear to the hearts of that district, where residents pay about 90 percent more than on St. Croix. "There is $5 million set aside in the GARVEE bonds to construct a gas storage facility on St. Thomas," he said. "This will be a big story."
The GARVEE — federal grant anticipation revenue — bonds have been issued mainly to finance the construction of the long-awaited Enighed Pond commercial port on St. John and the related Red Hook marine terminal on St. Thomas. David has been an unrelenting force behind getting the federally-backed bonds for the territory.
New face, new agenda
Malone, a former aide to Delegate Donna M. Christensen, expressed confidence Wednesday morning about getting the absentee votes he will need to retain his seventh-place finish in the St. Thomas-St. John district. "I feel I did a very good — I wouldn't say aggressive — job of addressing the absentee voters," he said. He said he sent a letter to them all explaining his agenda and seeking to distinguish himself from the other candidates.
That agenda calls for legislative reform and for visionary planning for the territory. "It's past time for crisis management, which is what we do," Malone said. "We have to stop just reacting to problems … We should be a group for the future — where are we going to be in 10 years?"
As a first-term senator, Malone said, he is anxious to do what no other lawmakers have done recently with any success. "We need governmental reform; we need to have a constitutional convention to restructure government. We are operating on an Organic Act that addressed the 19th and 20th centuries. We need to move into the 21st century," he said.
The young candidate, active in the Democratic Party from his high school days, said the Virgin Islands needs to be the English-speaking voice for the Caribbean. "We need to enhance our role in the Caribbean with Cuba coming in," he said. He sees the future of St. Croix as a technical and industrial center diversifying the territory from its tourism-dependent economy.
He also said he's committed to enactment of a comprehensive land and water use plan for the territory. This is a notion that has been around for decades, with countless senators making it a part of their campaigns. However, the territory still has no plan.
Calls to the other Democratic candidates were not returned Wednesday morning.
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.
MAYNARD: INNOVATIVE ACTING IN BAD FAITH
Nov. 6, 2002 – Innovative Telephone's failure to pay the full $400,000 in assessments as ordered by the Public Services Commission last month drew criticism and resulted in an executive session being called during a special meeting of the PSC on Wednesday.
After a couple of rounds between Samuel Ebbesen, Innovative Telephone president, and PSC chair Desmond Maynard, commission counsel Frederick Watts said he would give legal advice to the body in executive session.
In a hearing on Sept. 30, the PSC voted to require Innovative to pay $400,000 of its $604,400 debt to the commission by Oct. 4. At that meeting, Ebbesen said Innovative was trying to resolve the matter but didn't understand all of the bills, some of which dated back to July 2001, and therefore couldn't pay them.
However, at Wednesday's meeting it came to light that V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, now known as Innovative Telephone, had signed an agreement with the PSC in April 1989 stating that in the event of an appeal of any assessment, the utility company would pay the assessment and work out the questions later.
Ebbesen attempted to convince the commission there were extenuating circumstances that forced the utility to sign the 1989 agreement, but Maynard was having none of it. "I don't believe that the commission is acting in a vindictive way, but I get the sense the commission feels Vitelco is acting in bad faith," Maynard said.
Commission member Alric Simmonds asked Ebbesen if the phone company allowed its customers to hold off paying their phone bills until any discrepancies were worked out. Simmonds, who works for the Office of the Governor, said the phone company had sent a "huge" bill to the government, "and we had to pay that bill." Later, he added, "we ended up with a huge credit."
At the Sept. 30 hearing Ebbesen had said the phone company was trying to meet with the PSC to get its questions answered and that was why it hadn't paid the bills.
On Wednesday, he said the company was making headway in understanding the vouchers related to the assessment but that, due to the Innovative Telephone and Cable Television strike, "We are all doing four or five jobs."
But Maynard said, "the ongoing labor dispute" notwithstanding, "the matter goes back to July of last year."
The Oct. 4 deadline passed without payment, but two payments of $75,000 each have been made since then. An earlier $75,000 payment had been made prior to the PSC's order. But the commission members weren't inclined on Wednesday to accept $225,000 as being enough.
"The commission asked for $400,000," Maynard said, but the company is paying "on account" instead.
PSC member Jerris Browne asked what recourse was available, and fellow member Valencio Jackson asked Watts if interest could be charged to the company. Watts deferred his response to questions for the executive session.
When the commission members came out of executive session, they would say only that they had directed Watts to write to the phone company laying out their decision on how to handle Innovative's delinquency. Neither they nor Watts would detail the terms to be laid out in the letter.
No recusal for Maynard
Before addressing the delinquent payments issue, Innovative attorney Kevin Rames attempted to get the PSC to respond to the company's earlier request that Maynard recuse himself from matters related to Innovative Telephone because Maynard, also a lawyer, represents a former Virgin Islands Daily News photographer who is suing both the newspaper and its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., which also owns Innovative Telephone. (See "Challenge of PSC chair raises ICC questions".)
Watts questioned Rames repeatedly on where in the law Rames found anything to indicate the commission should rule on such a request. Regarding the authority of the PSC, "the statute is clear," Watts told Rames. "What right does the PSC have to interpret" a possible conflict of interest?
Rames called the V.I. Code statute an "outline," adding that a commission member should voluntarily step down if there is a conflict of interest.
"What Mr. Watts is trying to get to," Maynard then said, "is what if the person doesn't agree that there is a conflict of interest."
Watts said the attorney general is the official legally charged with deciding conflict-of-interest cases. In the end, Watts said Rames's request would be "taken under advisement," saying it was the same as a standing request. The commissioners then moved on with the business of the agenda, with Maynard continuing to chair the meeting.
Action deferred on other matters
Attorney Daryl Dodson, representing Choice Communications, formerly called Wireless World, sat through most of the agenda, which included a complaint filed by Wireless World about the rates Innovative Telephone is charging Choice, an Innovative competitor, for its broadband access. Dodson said companies elsewhere could receive 28 times the capacity for the price that Innovative is charging Choice.
Ebbesen said he was not familiar with the letter filed in July by then-Wireless World asking the PSC to exercise its authority to establish a tariff for Innovative's DS-3 broadband service. Watts agreed to give Ebbesen two weeks to review the document, saying he would put the matter on the agenda for the next meeting.
On a request by the V.I. Source newspapers to have access to the financial statements filed by all regulated companies with the PSC, Watts said the commission should first circulate the request to all of the regulated companies seeking their response. He also said he would seek the Source's legal justification for getting the documents.
Commission members in attendance were Browne, Verne David, Jackson, Maynard, Simmonds and Alecia Wells. The seventh voting member, Luther Renee, and the two non-voting legislative members, Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Emmett Hansen II, were absent.
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.
After a couple of rounds between Samuel Ebbesen, Innovative Telephone president, and PSC chair Desmond Maynard, commission counsel Frederick Watts said he would give legal advice to the body in executive session.
In a hearing on Sept. 30, the PSC voted to require Innovative to pay $400,000 of its $604,400 debt to the commission by Oct. 4. At that meeting, Ebbesen said Innovative was trying to resolve the matter but didn't understand all of the bills, some of which dated back to July 2001, and therefore couldn't pay them.
However, at Wednesday's meeting it came to light that V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, now known as Innovative Telephone, had signed an agreement with the PSC in April 1989 stating that in the event of an appeal of any assessment, the utility company would pay the assessment and work out the questions later.
Ebbesen attempted to convince the commission there were extenuating circumstances that forced the utility to sign the 1989 agreement, but Maynard was having none of it. "I don't believe that the commission is acting in a vindictive way, but I get the sense the commission feels Vitelco is acting in bad faith," Maynard said.
Commission member Alric Simmonds asked Ebbesen if the phone company allowed its customers to hold off paying their phone bills until any discrepancies were worked out. Simmonds, who works for the Office of the Governor, said the phone company had sent a "huge" bill to the government, "and we had to pay that bill." Later, he added, "we ended up with a huge credit."
At the Sept. 30 hearing Ebbesen had said the phone company was trying to meet with the PSC to get its questions answered and that was why it hadn't paid the bills.
On Wednesday, he said the company was making headway in understanding the vouchers related to the assessment but that, due to the Innovative Telephone and Cable Television strike, "We are all doing four or five jobs."
But Maynard said, "the ongoing labor dispute" notwithstanding, "the matter goes back to July of last year."
The Oct. 4 deadline passed without payment, but two payments of $75,000 each have been made since then. An earlier $75,000 payment had been made prior to the PSC's order. But the commission members weren't inclined on Wednesday to accept $225,000 as being enough.
"The commission asked for $400,000," Maynard said, but the company is paying "on account" instead.
PSC member Jerris Browne asked what recourse was available, and fellow member Valencio Jackson asked Watts if interest could be charged to the company. Watts deferred his response to questions for the executive session.
When the commission members came out of executive session, they would say only that they had directed Watts to write to the phone company laying out their decision on how to handle Innovative's delinquency. Neither they nor Watts would detail the terms to be laid out in the letter.
No recusal for Maynard
Before addressing the delinquent payments issue, Innovative attorney Kevin Rames attempted to get the PSC to respond to the company's earlier request that Maynard recuse himself from matters related to Innovative Telephone because Maynard, also a lawyer, represents a former Virgin Islands Daily News photographer who is suing both the newspaper and its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., which also owns Innovative Telephone. (See "Challenge of PSC chair raises ICC questions".)
Watts questioned Rames repeatedly on where in the law Rames found anything to indicate the commission should rule on such a request. Regarding the authority of the PSC, "the statute is clear," Watts told Rames. "What right does the PSC have to interpret" a possible conflict of interest?
Rames called the V.I. Code statute an "outline," adding that a commission member should voluntarily step down if there is a conflict of interest.
"What Mr. Watts is trying to get to," Maynard then said, "is what if the person doesn't agree that there is a conflict of interest."
Watts said the attorney general is the official legally charged with deciding conflict-of-interest cases. In the end, Watts said Rames's request would be "taken under advisement," saying it was the same as a standing request. The commissioners then moved on with the business of the agenda, with Maynard continuing to chair the meeting.
Action deferred on other matters
Attorney Daryl Dodson, representing Choice Communications, formerly called Wireless World, sat through most of the agenda, which included a complaint filed by Wireless World about the rates Innovative Telephone is charging Choice, an Innovative competitor, for its broadband access. Dodson said companies elsewhere could receive 28 times the capacity for the price that Innovative is charging Choice.
Ebbesen said he was not familiar with the letter filed in July by then-Wireless World asking the PSC to exercise its authority to establish a tariff for Innovative's DS-3 broadband service. Watts agreed to give Ebbesen two weeks to review the document, saying he would put the matter on the agenda for the next meeting.
On a request by the V.I. Source newspapers to have access to the financial statements filed by all regulated companies with the PSC, Watts said the commission should first circulate the request to all of the regulated companies seeking their response. He also said he would seek the Source's legal justification for getting the documents.
Commission members in attendance were Browne, Verne David, Jackson, Maynard, Simmonds and Alecia Wells. The seventh voting member, Luther Renee, and the two non-voting legislative members, Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Emmett Hansen II, were absent.
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.
