Oct. 26, 2002 – The Baha'i Community of the Virgin Islands invites the public to devotional meetings at 10 a.m. Sunday on St. Thomas at the Baha'i National Center at 129 Contant; call 776-5852 for directions. On Wednesday, an evening devotional meeting will be held on St. John; call 776-6254 for information.
On the 40th anniversary of United Nations Day, established Oct. 24, 1945, the Baha'i faith's governing body, the Universal House of Justice, issued a statement titled "The Promise of World Peace." To acknowledge the most recent UN Day, the Baha'i community shared an excerpt from the 1985 document, which begins:
"To the Peoples of the World: The Great Peace towards which people of goodwill throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World Peace is not only possible, but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet and in the words of one great thinker; it is 'the planetization of mankind.'"
The Baha'i community believes that humanity can achieve this promise of world peace and endorses the formation and efforts of the United Nations. For more information on "The Promise of World Peace" and Baha'i activities towards achieving this goal in communities throughout the world, please visit the Web site http://www.vi.bahai.org or e-mail info@vi.bahai.org.
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HOMICIDES IN 2002
(1) STX
(1) Territory
Date of death: Jan. 24
Kirby Charles, 25, died at about 2 p.m. after being shot in the chest by an unnamed off-duty police officer after the two fought outside the officer’s home in Campo Rico. The officer was placed on administrative leave.
(1) STT
(2) Territory
Date of death: Feb. 5
Ignatius Charles was killed at night as he was dropping his girlfriend off in Estate Nazareth. Speculation was running high that either the girl’s ex-boyfriend or a man who had been stalking her opened fire on Charles.
(2) STT
(3) Territory
Date of death: Feb. 8
Darien Gumbs, 23, was found with several gunshot wounds to his body in a house on Lower Kronprindsens Gade that had been riddled with gunfire.
(3) STT
(4) Territory
Date of death: Feb. 8
Julien Kline, 18, died from a gunshot wound to the chest inside a house in Hospital Ground.
(2) STX
(5) Territory
Date of death: Feb. 9
Ray Seeles, 47, was shot and killed by an unknown assailant. Seeles was shot in the upper body at the FNA Service Station across from Sunny Isle Shopping Center. He was pronounced dead at about 3 a.m. at Juan F. Luis Hospital.
(3) STX
(6) Territory
Date of death: Feb. 18
Donald Lewis, 31, was fatally shot in the forehead when two individuals sprayed a group of people with gunfire, also injuring another man. Lewis was sitting outside a Harborview Apartments building playing video games at about 10:30 p.m. when the shots were fired in what police said may have been an attempted robbery. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
(4) STT
(7) Territory
Date of death: March 11
Clayton Laurent, 39, a native of Dominica, was stabbed to death at his home on St. Thomas’s East End.
(5) STT
(8) Territory
Date of death: March 16
Susana Sanchez, 42, was found lying in a pool of blood inside the Merengue Bar on Lower Kronprindsens Gade. She had been stabbed multiple times, police said. Roberto "Cuquie" Medina, also 42, was taken into custody and charged with murder in the death.
(6) STT
(9) Territory
Date of death: March 25
Franciso "Frank" Donato, 23, was killed when a gunman opened fire on a crowded corner near Rothschild Francis "Market" Square. Police did not publicly identify Donato until eight days after the killing.
(4) STX
(10) Territory
Date of death: March 30
Delroy Henry, 39, was shot to death near the intersection of Hill and Market Streets in downtown Christiansted shortly before 2 a.m. He suffered several gunshots to the body. Police had no suspects, nor any motive for the killing.
(7) STT
(11) Territory
Date of death: Jan. 18.
Body found: April 19
Ianthe Thomas, 51, was killed by a single gunshot wound to her head. Her body was found buried in a shallow grave on her own property. Her live-in boyfriend, Raphael "Nolo" Rivera, 36, a security guard, was arrested.
(5) STX
(12) Territory
Date of death: April 26
Terrance "Bouncer" Heywood, 31, was shot at about 1:30 p.m. by an unidentified police officer. Heywood had been bathing nude at Dorsch Beach when he was confronted by the officer and a scuffle ensued. Police said the officer would not be identified while the investigation was ongoing.
(8) STT
(13) Territory
Date of death: April 28
Alliston Francis Jr., 17, was repeatedly stabbed in the neck during a fight with another young man near the Carnival Children’s Village late on the night of April 27 and died later at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Homicide detectives arrested a 16-year-old boy the next day and charged him with murder.
(9) STT
(14) Territory
Date of death: May 5
Jermaine "Fat Cat" Browne, 18, died after being shot several times, including once in the head. His body was found at the top of steps leading from Seventh-day Adventist Street to Blackbeard’s Hill.
(10) STT
(15) Territory
Date of death: May 10
Melea Pownell, 3, was dead on arrival at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Derick Hoheb, 25, the boyfriend of Melea’s mother, was charged with 20 counts of murder and child abuse. Police say Hoheb beat the child to death after she had been playing with her food. An autopsy determined a history of physical abuse; Human Services had removed Melea’s older sister from their home several days earlier.
(11) STT
(16) Territory
Date of death: May 12
Irad Frett Jr., 20, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back. His body was found next to a dumpster behind the former Aqui Me Quedo located adjacent to the Cock Pit on Brookman Road. Police had no suspects, witnesses or motives immediately following the shooting.
(12) STT
(17) Territory
Date of death: May 12
Dariel Wheatley was shot in the chest as she was leaving Forde’s Laundromat on Garden Street. She died about four hours later at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Police theorized she was an unintended victim; there were reports of a man running and a gray Honda Accord speeding from the scene.
(13) STT
(18) Territory
Date of death: May 12
Kiante Charles, 20, died of multiple gunshot wounds en route to Roy L. Schneider Hospital after he and three other persons were shot in the Mariendahl area. Police said the shootings may have been in retaliation for the stabbing death of Alliston Francis Jr., 17, near the Carnival Children’s Village on April 27.
(6) STX
(19) Territory
Date of death: unknown
Body found: June 2
The decomposed body 37-year-old Edwin "Miller" Velaquez was found by two boys walking their dog on Carlton Beach four days after Velaquez was reported missing by his girlfriend. Medical Examiner Dr. William Fogarty said Velazquez died of a gunshot wound to the head.
(7) STX
(20) Territory
Date of death: June 14
George Anduze, 30, of Gallows Bay died at Juan F. Luis Hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen. Assailants opened fire on him in the crowded Times Square area. Police said the shooting may have been a retaliation but had no other information.
(8) STX
(21) Territory
Date of death: June 19
Kurt Lawrence, who police say was 19 or 20 years old, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. Police believe he was killed in retaliation for the shooting death of George Anduze a week earlier.
(14) STT
(22) Territory
Date of death: July 14
Warrington George, believed to be in his mid-30s, was shot and killed as he left a party after a cricket match in Estate Nazareth near Ivanna Eudora Kean High School. He was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head.
(15) STT
(23) Territory
Date of death: July 21
Sylvia Byrd, 35, was killed by gunshots to the head. She was the mother of Melea Pownell, 3, who died of a beating in May. Byrd was charged in May with 12 counts of child abuse and neglect after Melea was killed on May 10. Byrd’s former boyfriend, Derick Hoheb, 25, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Melea’s death and was in jail at the time of Byrd’s killing.
(9) STX
(24) Territory
Date of death: July 15
John Bentick, a Christiansted shop owner, died in Juan F. Luis Hospital after being assaulted three days earlier by a man described by police as homeless and apparently mentally ill. Police said the assailant, Selvin "Shamba" Durant, entered Bentick’s Liquor, a neighborhood store, and got into an argument with the clerk. When the owner, John Bentick, who was in the back of the shop, heard the altercation and came out to investigate, Durant struck him on the head.
(10) STX
(25) Territory
Date of death: unknown
Body found: Aug. 9
Law-enforcement divers found the body of Chamonie Miller, 26, at 11:50 a.m. in her vehicle submerged in the murky waters of Krause Lagoon on St. Croix’s southwest shoreline, ending a five-day search of the island. Miller was last seen by co-workers early Monday morning when she dropped them at their home in Castle Coakley after they got off work.
(16) STT
(26) Territory
Date of death: Aug. 8
The bullet-ridden body of Leroy "Tyrene" Williams, 22, of St. Joseph and Rosendahl was found at night outside Building 21 of the Tutu Hi-Rise complex. Williams had been shot multiple times in the chest and was found lying face down on the ground by police on patrol. Williams had been charged in March with threatening to kill a child witness in the November shooting death of another child, Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School student Alphonso Blyden III.
(11) STX
(27) Territory
Date of death: Aug. 27
Jose Williams Torres, 27, of the John F. Kennedy public housing community was gunned down outside Building 11 of the D. Hamilton Jackson public housing community in Christiansted. He was found face down with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.
(12) STX
(28) Territory
Date of death: Aug. 30
Glen Williams, 27, was found by police about 6:17 p.m. sitting in a parked car in Estate La Reine, bleeding from gunshot wounds to thigh, shoulder and back. An ambulance transported him to Luis Hospital, where he died a few hours later. A second shooting victim, Andre Williams, age unknown and unrelated to Glen Williams, was in critical condition. Police said he may have been the only witness to the killing and that the circumstances of the shooting were unknown.
(17) STT
(29) Territory
Date of death: Sept. 1
Travis Poleon, 21, was found by police after calls to 911 reported a man kidnapped and shot. Police made contact with Poleon on the porch of a house in the Lower Agnes Fancy area and observed bullet wounds to his legs and multiple head injuries. Poleon was taken by ambulance to Roy L. Schneider, where he was pronounced dead at 4:16 p.m. Suspects were unknown.
(13) STX
(30) Territory
Date of death: Sept. 4
Police responding to a call shortly after 6 a.m. found the body of Jose F. Garcia, 19, of No. 10 Calquohoun on a porch in the Harvey housing community. Police said he had been shot once in the head, possibly as early as 11 p.m. Sept. 3, and that he was a suspect in a recent carjacking.
(14) STX
(31) Territory
Date of death: Sept. 8 – Police officers dispatched to the D. Hamilton Jackson Terrace public housing community shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday in response to reports of shots fired were directed to an apartment where they found the bullet-riddled body of Walston Tonge, believed to be in his 30s. Police officials said afterward that they had no motive or suspects in the killing.
(18) STT
(32) Territory
Date of death: Sept. 17
Dan’l Liburd, 24, was shot multiple times outside Building 7 of the Michael J. Kirwan Terrace housing community; he died after undergoing emergency surgery at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Police said Liburd said he did not know his assailants. Sources said Azula Nibbs, 20, of Lindbergh Bay surrendered to police before Liburd died and that charges against Nibbs were later upgraded from assault to first-degree murder.
(15) STX
(33) Territory
Date of death: Sept. 23
Rose Ovalle, 33, was shot multiple times by a lone gunman during the mid-morning robbery of her convenience store of $60 to $80. Before dying after undergoing emergency surgery, Ovalle identified Khamalli Barker, 22, as her assailant. Police charged Barker with first-degree murder on Sept. 25 and a judge set bail at $1 million. Police were seeking the driver of a green Honda sedan in which Barker allegedly made his getaway.
(16) STX
(34) Territory
Date of discovery of Body: Oct.5
Noel Rivera’s decomposed body was found in the rear seat of a Mitsubishi Mirage found parked in a bushy area in White Bay, Frederiksted — a stone’s throw from the Walter I.M Hodge public housing community.
(17) STX
(35) Territory
Date of death: Oct. 17
Julio Rivera, 19, of Estate Humbug, died around 1:30 a.m. of a gunshot wound to the back that exited the chest. According to Lt. Greg Bennerson of the Criminal Investigation Unit, the victim was still alive and underwent emergency surgery, but did not recover from his injury.
(18) STX
(36) Territory
Date of death: Oct. 23
Ricky Maxwell, 24, of Estate New Works was gunned down in the Louis E. Brown Housing community. When police found him he was semi-conscious, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He died at Juan Luis Hospital less than an hour after he was shot.
(19) STX
(37) Territory
Date of death: Oct 25
Emanuel Lee, a taxi driver, was shot and killed Friday night near King Street, Christiansted. Lee was pronounced dead at the scene. First reports indicated the taxi driver had been kidnaped near Sion by two suspects who forced him to drive to Christiansted.
(20) STX
(38) Territory
Date of death: Oct. 27
Jonathan Almestica, 19, died at Juan F. Luis Hospital after being shot Sunday night in the Campo Rico area. Police initially put a cap on the release of information concerning the case but identified Almestica at a press conference on Oct. 31. Officers were called shortly after 8 p.m. and told that two persons had been shot. The second was reported in stable condition in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg.
(19) STT
(39) Territory
Date of death: Oct. 28
The body of Khoy A. Smith, 23, was found Monday in the bush near Building 3 of the Tutu High-Rise Apartments. Police were called to the scene around 10 a.m. Smith had been shot once in the back. By late afternoon, police indicated they had no suspects but were receiving some cooperation from area residents.
(21) STX
(40) Territory
Date of death: Nov. 9
The body 17-year-old Stephanie Parris of Castle Burke was found on the ground in the Castle Burke area, and near a black Nissan Altima, where a second body was found.
(22) STX
(41) Territory
Date of death: Nov. 9
Dale Roberson, 19, of Morningstar was found shot to death inside a heavily tinted black Nissan Altima in the Castle Burke area. The body of Stephanie Parris was found a few feet from the car.
(23) STX
(42) Territory
Date of death: Nov. 17
Glenroy Farrell, 21, a resident of the Ralph de Chabert housing community, was shot several times by an unknown assailant in a stolen pick-up truck. Police suspected Farrell’s killing may have been retaliatory.
POLICE: 2 PARADISE MILLS KILLINGS MAY BE RELATED
Oct. 26, 2002 – Police on St. Croix are looking at the recent shooting death of a man near the Paradise Mills housing community as possibly being related to another killing that took place a short distance away, a few days before.
Ricky Maxwell, 24, was shot several times Wednesday night by an unknown assailant. He was found gravely wounded in a storeroom of Paradise Mills Building 3 and died later that night at Juan F. Luis Hospital.
The shooting took place "within a few hundred feet" of where 19-year-old Julio Rivera was fatally shot on Oct. 17, according to Police Lt. Gregory Bennerson, the chief investigator. Both incidents may have been linked to drugs, Bennerson said on Saturday.
The area where the two deaths occurred is recognized by authorities as a congregating point for people — not necessarily public housing residents — who buy and sell drugs.
But police also are looking at the possibility that Maxwell may have been shot in retaliation for the earlier shooting at Paradise Mills.
Maxwell's death was the third homicide recorded this month that occurred near a public housing community on St. Croix. On Oct. 7, the decomposed body of Noel Rivera was found in a bushy area near the Walter I.M. Hodge Pavilion. The nature of the man's death was not immediately evident at the time of the discovery, Bennerson said, but gunshot wounds were found on the body in later examination, and the case was ruled a homicide.
The two Riveras were not related, police said.
Police are now going door to door in the communities in search of clues. Bennerson said there has been some cooperation from residents, but much of the information that has been shared so far was already known to investigators.
Anyone who may be able to assist police with the investigation of these crimes is asked to call the police at 778-2211 or emergency number, 911.
The three killings brought the homicide toll for 2002 to 18 on St. Croix and 36 territorywide, compared with 10 on St. Croix and 20 in the Virgin Islands as of this time last year.
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Ricky Maxwell, 24, was shot several times Wednesday night by an unknown assailant. He was found gravely wounded in a storeroom of Paradise Mills Building 3 and died later that night at Juan F. Luis Hospital.
The shooting took place "within a few hundred feet" of where 19-year-old Julio Rivera was fatally shot on Oct. 17, according to Police Lt. Gregory Bennerson, the chief investigator. Both incidents may have been linked to drugs, Bennerson said on Saturday.
The area where the two deaths occurred is recognized by authorities as a congregating point for people — not necessarily public housing residents — who buy and sell drugs.
But police also are looking at the possibility that Maxwell may have been shot in retaliation for the earlier shooting at Paradise Mills.
Maxwell's death was the third homicide recorded this month that occurred near a public housing community on St. Croix. On Oct. 7, the decomposed body of Noel Rivera was found in a bushy area near the Walter I.M. Hodge Pavilion. The nature of the man's death was not immediately evident at the time of the discovery, Bennerson said, but gunshot wounds were found on the body in later examination, and the case was ruled a homicide.
The two Riveras were not related, police said.
Police are now going door to door in the communities in search of clues. Bennerson said there has been some cooperation from residents, but much of the information that has been shared so far was already known to investigators.
Anyone who may be able to assist police with the investigation of these crimes is asked to call the police at 778-2211 or emergency number, 911.
The three killings brought the homicide toll for 2002 to 18 on St. Croix and 36 territorywide, compared with 10 on St. Croix and 20 in the Virgin Islands as of this time last year.
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.
WAPA AGREES TO BEGIN TALKS WITH CARIBE WASTE
Oct. 26, 2002 – Talks are expected to begin soon between the Water and Power Authority and a company that wants to sell electricity and water to the utility as a part of its solid-waste processing system for the territory. WAPA meanwhile is appealing the decision that made the talks mandatory.
The decision to negotiate with Caribe Waste Technology came during a recent meeting of the WAPA governing board and three months after the Public Services Commission certified CWT as a small power provider, paving the way for the company to build and operate at least one waste-to-energy production plant in the Virgin Islands. But at the same meeting, the board voted to appeal the PSC's certification of CWT, although board members voting against the move questioned its propriety.
(For background, see "WAPA board balks at push for talks with CWT".)
Meantime, CWT's chief executive officer, Mark Augenblick, said company executives "look forward to negotiating in good faith" with the WAPA board "for the purchase of power and water." He said later that it was most likely the company would sell only electricity, and not water, to the local utility.
Since the WAPA board's go-ahead to begin negotiations, Augenblick said, he had heard from WAPA attorney Samuel H. Hall Jr. and representatives of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a New York law firm the utility had hired to investigate CWT's technological and financial background while the company's application for certification was before the PSC. Augenblick said he thought it was a smart move for WAPA to engage the same firm for the negotiations that it had used for the investigation.
CWT and WAPA jointly had hired Stone and Webster, a utility consulting firm, to investigate what the "avoided cost" to WAPA would be of an agreement for the utility to purchase power produced by CWT. The WAPA board decided to retain Stone and Webster until it completed the avoided cost study.
WAPA's acting executive director, Glenn Rothgeb, told board members at their last monthly meeting that outside counsel would be needed to draft a skeleton interconnection contract. "I believe professionals operating in good faith can accomplish a great deal," he said.
On Friday, Augenblick said he expects negotiations to begin as soon as the parties involved can find a mutually agreeable date. From CWT's perspective, he said, talks could begin within a week. He estimated that it could take four to six weeks to reach an agreement.
One WAPA board member, Andrew Rutnik, said holding the talks is the responsible thing to do, given the mandate from the PSC, which regulates the utility. By law, he said, "we're required to negotiate with them."
But at the same time, Rutnik said, talks about WAPA agreeing to buy power derived from burning trash are only talk until CWT proves it can deliver a reliable product consistently. It's a point that other board members, including Claude "Tappy" Molloy, raise as their primary objection to holding the talks at all.
Molloy said his doubts are based on the facts that the company has no assets, owns no land, has never built the kind of waste-to-energy plant it is proposing to build in the Virgin Islands, and is proposing to use technologies that have never been used commercially before. "I'm opposed to it because our consultant indicates it's a sham," he said.
He added, "Interstate General is the parent company of Caribe Waste Technology, and they don't do anything in this area." CWT itself, he said, hasn't "had a profit in the last five or six years. They're not viable."
Molloy said he opposed the WAPA board's decision to enter into the negotiations while simultaneously appealing the PSC action that made the negotiations mandatory. He did so, he said, "because if we win on appeal, we don't have to negotiate."
Attorney Hall did not return telephone calls inquiring as to the status of the board's appeal.
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 decision to negotiate with Caribe Waste Technology came during a recent meeting of the WAPA governing board and three months after the Public Services Commission certified CWT as a small power provider, paving the way for the company to build and operate at least one waste-to-energy production plant in the Virgin Islands. But at the same meeting, the board voted to appeal the PSC's certification of CWT, although board members voting against the move questioned its propriety.
(For background, see "WAPA board balks at push for talks with CWT".)
Meantime, CWT's chief executive officer, Mark Augenblick, said company executives "look forward to negotiating in good faith" with the WAPA board "for the purchase of power and water." He said later that it was most likely the company would sell only electricity, and not water, to the local utility.
Since the WAPA board's go-ahead to begin negotiations, Augenblick said, he had heard from WAPA attorney Samuel H. Hall Jr. and representatives of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a New York law firm the utility had hired to investigate CWT's technological and financial background while the company's application for certification was before the PSC. Augenblick said he thought it was a smart move for WAPA to engage the same firm for the negotiations that it had used for the investigation.
CWT and WAPA jointly had hired Stone and Webster, a utility consulting firm, to investigate what the "avoided cost" to WAPA would be of an agreement for the utility to purchase power produced by CWT. The WAPA board decided to retain Stone and Webster until it completed the avoided cost study.
WAPA's acting executive director, Glenn Rothgeb, told board members at their last monthly meeting that outside counsel would be needed to draft a skeleton interconnection contract. "I believe professionals operating in good faith can accomplish a great deal," he said.
On Friday, Augenblick said he expects negotiations to begin as soon as the parties involved can find a mutually agreeable date. From CWT's perspective, he said, talks could begin within a week. He estimated that it could take four to six weeks to reach an agreement.
One WAPA board member, Andrew Rutnik, said holding the talks is the responsible thing to do, given the mandate from the PSC, which regulates the utility. By law, he said, "we're required to negotiate with them."
But at the same time, Rutnik said, talks about WAPA agreeing to buy power derived from burning trash are only talk until CWT proves it can deliver a reliable product consistently. It's a point that other board members, including Claude "Tappy" Molloy, raise as their primary objection to holding the talks at all.
Molloy said his doubts are based on the facts that the company has no assets, owns no land, has never built the kind of waste-to-energy plant it is proposing to build in the Virgin Islands, and is proposing to use technologies that have never been used commercially before. "I'm opposed to it because our consultant indicates it's a sham," he said.
He added, "Interstate General is the parent company of Caribe Waste Technology, and they don't do anything in this area." CWT itself, he said, hasn't "had a profit in the last five or six years. They're not viable."
Molloy said he opposed the WAPA board's decision to enter into the negotiations while simultaneously appealing the PSC action that made the negotiations mandatory. He did so, he said, "because if we win on appeal, we don't have to negotiate."
Attorney Hall did not return telephone calls inquiring as to the status of the board's appeal.
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.
WAPA AGREES TO BEGIN TALKS WITH CARIBE WASTE
Oct. 26, 2002 – Talks are expected to begin soon between the Water and Power Authority and a company that wants to sell electricity and water to the utility as a part of its solid-waste processing system for the territory. WAPA meanwhile is appealing the decision that made the talks mandatory.
The decision to negotiate with Caribe Waste Technology came during a recent meeting of the WAPA governing board and three months after the Public Services Commission certified CWT as a small power provider, paving the way for the company to build and operate at least one waste-to-energy production plant in the Virgin Islands. But at the same meeting, the board voted to appeal the PSC's certification of CWT, although board members voting against the move questioned its propriety.
(For background, see "WAPA board balks at push for talks with CWT".)
Meantime, CWT's chief executive officer, Mark Augenblick, said company executives "look forward to negotiating in good faith" with the WAPA board "for the purchase of power and water." He said later that it was most likely the company would sell only electricity, and not water, to the local utility.
Since the WAPA board's go-ahead to begin negotiations, Augenblick said, he had heard from WAPA attorney Samuel H. Hall Jr. and representatives of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a New York law firm the utility had hired to investigate CWT's technological and financial background while the company's application for certification was before the PSC.. Augenblick said he thought it was a smart move for WAPA to engage the same firm for the negotiations that it had used for the investigation.
CWT and WAPA jointly had hired Stone and Webster, a utility consulting firm, to investigate what the "avoided cost" to WAPA would be of an agreement for the utility to purchase power produced by CWT. The WAPA board decided to retain Stone and Webster until it completed the avoided cost study.
WAPA's acting executive director, Glenn Rothgeb, told board members at their last monthly meeting that outside counsel would be needed to draft a skeleton interconnection contract. "I believe professionals operating in good faith can accomplish a great deal," he said.
On Friday, Augenblick said he expects negotiations to begin as soon as the parties involved can find a mutually agreeable date. From CWT's perspective, he said, talks could begin within a week. He estimated that it could take four to six weeks to reach an agreement.
One WAPA board member, Andrew Rutnik, said holding the talks is the responsible thing to do, given the mandate from the PSC, which regulates the utility. By law, he said, "we're required to negotiate with them."
But at the same time, Rutnik said, talks about WAPA agreeing to buy power derived from burning trash are only talk until CWT proves it can deliver a reliable product consistently. It's a point that other board members, including Claude "Tappy" Molloy, raise as their primary objection to holding the talks at all.
Molloy said his doubts are based on the facts that the company has no assets, owns no land, has never built the kind of waste-to-energy plant it is proposing to build in the Virgin Islands, and is proposing to use technologies that have never been used commercially before. "I'm opposed to it because our consultant indicates it's a sham," he said.
He added, "Interstate General is the parent company of Caribe Waste Technology, and they don't do anything in this area." CWT itself, he said, hasn't "had a profit in the last five or six years. They're not viable."
Molloy said he opposed the WAPA board's decision to enter into the negotiations while simultaneously appealing the PSC action that made the negotiations mandatory. He did so, he said, "because if we win on appeal, we don't have to negotiate."
Attorney Hall did not return telephone calls inquiring as to the status of the board's appeal.
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.
The decision to negotiate with Caribe Waste Technology came during a recent meeting of the WAPA governing board and three months after the Public Services Commission certified CWT as a small power provider, paving the way for the company to build and operate at least one waste-to-energy production plant in the Virgin Islands. But at the same meeting, the board voted to appeal the PSC's certification of CWT, although board members voting against the move questioned its propriety.
(For background, see "WAPA board balks at push for talks with CWT".)
Meantime, CWT's chief executive officer, Mark Augenblick, said company executives "look forward to negotiating in good faith" with the WAPA board "for the purchase of power and water." He said later that it was most likely the company would sell only electricity, and not water, to the local utility.
Since the WAPA board's go-ahead to begin negotiations, Augenblick said, he had heard from WAPA attorney Samuel H. Hall Jr. and representatives of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a New York law firm the utility had hired to investigate CWT's technological and financial background while the company's application for certification was before the PSC.. Augenblick said he thought it was a smart move for WAPA to engage the same firm for the negotiations that it had used for the investigation.
CWT and WAPA jointly had hired Stone and Webster, a utility consulting firm, to investigate what the "avoided cost" to WAPA would be of an agreement for the utility to purchase power produced by CWT. The WAPA board decided to retain Stone and Webster until it completed the avoided cost study.
WAPA's acting executive director, Glenn Rothgeb, told board members at their last monthly meeting that outside counsel would be needed to draft a skeleton interconnection contract. "I believe professionals operating in good faith can accomplish a great deal," he said.
On Friday, Augenblick said he expects negotiations to begin as soon as the parties involved can find a mutually agreeable date. From CWT's perspective, he said, talks could begin within a week. He estimated that it could take four to six weeks to reach an agreement.
One WAPA board member, Andrew Rutnik, said holding the talks is the responsible thing to do, given the mandate from the PSC, which regulates the utility. By law, he said, "we're required to negotiate with them."
But at the same time, Rutnik said, talks about WAPA agreeing to buy power derived from burning trash are only talk until CWT proves it can deliver a reliable product consistently. It's a point that other board members, including Claude "Tappy" Molloy, raise as their primary objection to holding the talks at all.
Molloy said his doubts are based on the facts that the company has no assets, owns no land, has never built the kind of waste-to-energy plant it is proposing to build in the Virgin Islands, and is proposing to use technologies that have never been used commercially before. "I'm opposed to it because our consultant indicates it's a sham," he said.
He added, "Interstate General is the parent company of Caribe Waste Technology, and they don't do anything in this area." CWT itself, he said, hasn't "had a profit in the last five or six years. They're not viable."
Molloy said he opposed the WAPA board's decision to enter into the negotiations while simultaneously appealing the PSC action that made the negotiations mandatory. He did so, he said, "because if we win on appeal, we don't have to negotiate."
Attorney Hall did not return telephone calls inquiring as to the status of the board's appeal.
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.
WAPA AGREES TO BEGIN TALKS WITH CARIBE WASTE
Oct. 26, 2002 – Talks are expected to begin soon between the Water and Power Authority and a company that wants to sell electricity and water to the utility as a part of its solid-waste processing system for the territory. WAPA meanwhile is appealing the decision that made the talks mandatory.
The decision to negotiate with Caribe Waste Technology came during a recent meeting of the WAPA governing board and three months after the Public Services Commission certified CWT as a small power provider, paving the way for the company to build and operate at least one waste-to-energy production plant in the Virgin Islands. But at the same meeting, the board voted to appeal the PSC's certification of CWT, although board members voting against the move questioned its propriety.
(For background, see "WAPA board balks at push for talks with CWT".)
Meantime, CWT's chief executive officer, Mark Augenblick, said company executives "look forward to negotiating in good faith" with the WAPA board "for the purchase of power and water." He said later that it was most likely the company would sell only electricity, and not water, to the local utility.
Since the WAPA board's go-ahead to begin negotiations, Augenblick said, he had heard from WAPA attorney Samuel H. Hall Jr. and representatives of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a New York law firm the utility had hired to investigate CWT's technological and financial background while the company's application for certification was before the PSC.. Augenblick said he thought it was a smart move for WAPA to engage the same firm for the negotiations that it had used for the investigation.
CWT and WAPA jointly had hired Stone and Webster, a utility consulting firm, to investigate what the "avoided cost" to WAPA would be of an agreement for the utility to purchase power produced by CWT. The WAPA board decided to retain Stone and Webster until it completed the avoided cost study.
WAPA's acting executive director, Glenn Rothgeb, told board members at their last monthly meeting that outside counsel would be needed to draft a skeleton interconnection contract. "I believe professionals operating in good faith can accomplish a great deal," he said.
On Friday, Augenblick said he expects negotiations to begin as soon as the parties involved can find a mutually agreeable date. From CWT's perspective, he said, talks could begin within a week. He estimated that it could take four to six weeks to reach an agreement.
One WAPA board member, Andrew Rutnik, said holding the talks is the responsible thing to do, given the mandate from the PSC, which regulates the utility. By law, he said, "we're required to negotiate with them."
But at the same time, Rutnik said, talks about WAPA agreeing to buy power derived from burning trash are only talk until CWT proves it can deliver a reliable product consistently. It's a point that other board members, including Claude "Tappy" Molloy, raise as their primary objection to holding the talks at all.
Molloy said his doubts are based on the facts that the company has no assets, owns no land, has never built the kind of waste-to-energy plant it is proposing to build in the Virgin Islands, and is proposing to use technologies that have never been used commercially before. "I'm opposed to it because our consultant indicates it's a sham," he said.
He added, "Interstate General is the parent company of Caribe Waste Technology, and they don't do anything in this area." CWT itself, he said, hasn't "had a profit in the last five or six years. They're not viable."
Molloy said he opposed the WAPA board's decision to enter into the negotiations while simultaneously appealing the PSC action that made the negotiations mandatory. He did so, he said, "because if we win on appeal, we don't have to negotiate."
Attorney Hall did not return telephone calls inquiring as to the status of the board's appeal.
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.
The decision to negotiate with Caribe Waste Technology came during a recent meeting of the WAPA governing board and three months after the Public Services Commission certified CWT as a small power provider, paving the way for the company to build and operate at least one waste-to-energy production plant in the Virgin Islands. But at the same meeting, the board voted to appeal the PSC's certification of CWT, although board members voting against the move questioned its propriety.
(For background, see "WAPA board balks at push for talks with CWT".)
Meantime, CWT's chief executive officer, Mark Augenblick, said company executives "look forward to negotiating in good faith" with the WAPA board "for the purchase of power and water." He said later that it was most likely the company would sell only electricity, and not water, to the local utility.
Since the WAPA board's go-ahead to begin negotiations, Augenblick said, he had heard from WAPA attorney Samuel H. Hall Jr. and representatives of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a New York law firm the utility had hired to investigate CWT's technological and financial background while the company's application for certification was before the PSC.. Augenblick said he thought it was a smart move for WAPA to engage the same firm for the negotiations that it had used for the investigation.
CWT and WAPA jointly had hired Stone and Webster, a utility consulting firm, to investigate what the "avoided cost" to WAPA would be of an agreement for the utility to purchase power produced by CWT. The WAPA board decided to retain Stone and Webster until it completed the avoided cost study.
WAPA's acting executive director, Glenn Rothgeb, told board members at their last monthly meeting that outside counsel would be needed to draft a skeleton interconnection contract. "I believe professionals operating in good faith can accomplish a great deal," he said.
On Friday, Augenblick said he expects negotiations to begin as soon as the parties involved can find a mutually agreeable date. From CWT's perspective, he said, talks could begin within a week. He estimated that it could take four to six weeks to reach an agreement.
One WAPA board member, Andrew Rutnik, said holding the talks is the responsible thing to do, given the mandate from the PSC, which regulates the utility. By law, he said, "we're required to negotiate with them."
But at the same time, Rutnik said, talks about WAPA agreeing to buy power derived from burning trash are only talk until CWT proves it can deliver a reliable product consistently. It's a point that other board members, including Claude "Tappy" Molloy, raise as their primary objection to holding the talks at all.
Molloy said his doubts are based on the facts that the company has no assets, owns no land, has never built the kind of waste-to-energy plant it is proposing to build in the Virgin Islands, and is proposing to use technologies that have never been used commercially before. "I'm opposed to it because our consultant indicates it's a sham," he said.
He added, "Interstate General is the parent company of Caribe Waste Technology, and they don't do anything in this area." CWT itself, he said, hasn't "had a profit in the last five or six years. They're not viable."
Molloy said he opposed the WAPA board's decision to enter into the negotiations while simultaneously appealing the PSC action that made the negotiations mandatory. He did so, he said, "because if we win on appeal, we don't have to negotiate."
Attorney Hall did not return telephone calls inquiring as to the status of the board's appeal.
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.
P.R. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT IS NOV. 2
Oct. 26, 2002 – The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra makes its fourth annual journey to St. Thomas to perform on Nov. 2 at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. This appearance, like the three before it, is a presentation of the Birch Forum.
The program will open with the Overture to Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute," followed by a Bruch Concerto for violin and orchestra with Henry Hutchinson, the orchestra's first violinist, as soloist. Following intermission, the final work will be Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
Mozart wrote "The Magic Flute" in 1791, just after the French Revolution and just before he died. It is said that he composed the Overture the night before the opera's premiere. His vibrant melodies make the most of the fantasy tale of conflict between the cosmic forces of good and evil. The music, it has been said, is "Mozart at his most serious and most playful."
Bruch composed his Concerto for violin and orchestra in 19th century, in the waning years of the Romantic period.
Beethoven's four-movement Seventh Symphony, in A Major, Op. 92, written in 1813, is considered by many to be the best of the nine that he wrote, as well as his personal favorite. With its simple rhythms leading to a number of melodious and interwoven themes in the Viennese classical style, the work conveys angst and anger, despair and deliverance, all emotions that must have been well known to the composer as he was going deaf.
There is nothing else in the territory to compare with this annual opportunity to hear a classical orchestra — and the Reichhold Center setting makes the occasion even more special. "The majestic full symphony orchestra fills the stage, and their music fills the air," the Reichhold's Web site states. It describes the orchestra as "one of the most eminent in the Americas."
Sponsored by the government of Puerto Rico, the orchestra performs an annual 48-week season which includes symphonic concerts, operas, ballets and pops, educational and children's concerts. It also presents outdoor performances throughout the commonwealth and has educational outreach programs in Puerto Rico's public and private schools. Its members are represented by the American Federation of Musicians.
Guillermo Figueroa will conduct the orchestra for its St. Thomas appearance. A native Puerto Rican, he has since last year held the position of music director with both the PRSO and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Albuquerque.
The Birch Forum, founded by Patti Birch, widow of the late St. Thomas attorney Everett Birch, has been underwriting classical music and other cultural arts programs in the territory since 1996.
"It is an immense undertaking to bring 80 musicians and their instruments here," Neil Prior, Birch Forum chair, said.
The musicians and instruments will arrive on island on by plane on Nov. 1. The musicians will stay for two nights at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
"This year promises to be the most exciting and popular program we've heard so far," Prior said. The orchestra played to a full house at the Reichhold Center in 2000 and seats were few and far between for the 1999 and 2001 programs.
Corporate sponsors of this season's concert are FirstBank, Frenchman's Reef, Shell Seekers, Choice Communications and Globalvest Management Co.
Tickets for the Nov. 2 concert are priced at $65 for the covered section, $30 for the lower uncovered seating and $5 for the upper open-air seats.
They are on sale at the Reichhold box office, UVI bookstore, Modern Music, Parrot Fish Music and Krystal & Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections in Cruz Bay on St. John. They also may be ordered with a charge card by calling the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 on online at the Reichhold Center Web site.
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.
The program will open with the Overture to Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute," followed by a Bruch Concerto for violin and orchestra with Henry Hutchinson, the orchestra's first violinist, as soloist. Following intermission, the final work will be Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
Mozart wrote "The Magic Flute" in 1791, just after the French Revolution and just before he died. It is said that he composed the Overture the night before the opera's premiere. His vibrant melodies make the most of the fantasy tale of conflict between the cosmic forces of good and evil. The music, it has been said, is "Mozart at his most serious and most playful."
Bruch composed his Concerto for violin and orchestra in 19th century, in the waning years of the Romantic period.
Beethoven's four-movement Seventh Symphony, in A Major, Op. 92, written in 1813, is considered by many to be the best of the nine that he wrote, as well as his personal favorite. With its simple rhythms leading to a number of melodious and interwoven themes in the Viennese classical style, the work conveys angst and anger, despair and deliverance, all emotions that must have been well known to the composer as he was going deaf.
There is nothing else in the territory to compare with this annual opportunity to hear a classical orchestra — and the Reichhold Center setting makes the occasion even more special. "The majestic full symphony orchestra fills the stage, and their music fills the air," the Reichhold's Web site states. It describes the orchestra as "one of the most eminent in the Americas."
Sponsored by the government of Puerto Rico, the orchestra performs an annual 48-week season which includes symphonic concerts, operas, ballets and pops, educational and children's concerts. It also presents outdoor performances throughout the commonwealth and has educational outreach programs in Puerto Rico's public and private schools. Its members are represented by the American Federation of Musicians.
Guillermo Figueroa will conduct the orchestra for its St. Thomas appearance. A native Puerto Rican, he has since last year held the position of music director with both the PRSO and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Albuquerque.
The Birch Forum, founded by Patti Birch, widow of the late St. Thomas attorney Everett Birch, has been underwriting classical music and other cultural arts programs in the territory since 1996.
"It is an immense undertaking to bring 80 musicians and their instruments here," Neil Prior, Birch Forum chair, said.
The musicians and instruments will arrive on island on by plane on Nov. 1. The musicians will stay for two nights at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
"This year promises to be the most exciting and popular program we've heard so far," Prior said. The orchestra played to a full house at the Reichhold Center in 2000 and seats were few and far between for the 1999 and 2001 programs.
Corporate sponsors of this season's concert are FirstBank, Frenchman's Reef, Shell Seekers, Choice Communications and Globalvest Management Co.
Tickets for the Nov. 2 concert are priced at $65 for the covered section, $30 for the lower uncovered seating and $5 for the upper open-air seats.
They are on sale at the Reichhold box office, UVI bookstore, Modern Music, Parrot Fish Music and Krystal & Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections in Cruz Bay on St. John. They also may be ordered with a charge card by calling the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 on online at the Reichhold Center Web site.
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.
P.R. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT IS NOV. 2
Oct. 26, 2002 – The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra makes its fourth annual journey to St. Thomas to perform on Nov. 2 at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. This appearance, like the three before it, is a presentation of the Birch Forum.
The program will open with the Overture to Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute," followed by a Bruch Concerto for violin and orchestra with Henry Hutchinson, the orchestra's first violinist, as soloist. Following intermission, the final work will be Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
Mozart wrote "The Magic Flute" in 1791, just after the French Revolution and just before he died. It is said that he composed the Overture the night before the opera's premiere. His vibrant melodies make the most of the fantasy tale of conflict between the cosmic forces of good and evil. The music, it has been said, is "Mozart at his most serious and most playful."
Bruch composed his Concerto for violin and orchestra in 19th century, in the waning years of the Romantic period.
Beethoven's four-movement Seventh Symphony, in A Major, Op. 92, written in 1813, is considered by many to be the best of the nine that he wrote, as well as his personal favorite. With its simple rhythms leading to a number of melodious and interwoven themes in the Viennese classical style, the work conveys angst and anger, despair and deliverance, all emotions that must have been well known to the composer as he was going deaf.
There is nothing else in the territory to compare with this annual opportunity to hear a classical orchestra — and the Reichhold Center setting makes the occasion even more special. "The majestic full symphony orchestra fills the stage, and their music fills the air," the Reichhold's Web site states. It describes the orchestra as "one of the most eminent in the Americas."
Sponsored by the government of Puerto Rico, the orchestra performs an annual 48-week season which includes symphonic concerts, operas, ballets and pops, educational and children's concerts. It also presents outdoor performances throughout the commonwealth and has educational outreach programs in Puerto Rico's public and private schools. Its members are represented by the American Federation of Musicians.
Guillermo Figueroa will conduct the orchestra for its St. Thomas appearance. A native Puerto Rican, he has since last year held the position of music director with both the PRSO and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Albuquerque.
The Birch Forum, founded by Patti Birch, widow of the late St. Thomas attorney Everett Birch, has been underwriting classical music and other cultural arts programs in the territory since 1996.
"It is an immense undertaking to bring 80 musicians and their instruments here," Neil Prior, Birch Forum chair, said.
The musicians and instruments will arrive on island on by plane on Nov. 1. The musicians will stay for two nights at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
"This year promises to be the most exciting and popular program we've heard so far," Prior said. The orchestra played to a full house at the Reichhold Center in 2000 and seats were few and far between for the 1999 and 2001 programs.
Corporate sponsors of this season's concert are FirstBank, Frenchman's Reef, Shell Seekers, Choice Communications and Globalvest Management Co.
Tickets for the Nov. 2 concert are priced at $65 for the covered section, $30 for the lower uncovered seating and $5 for the upper open-air seats.
They are on sale at the Reichhold box office, UVI bookstore, Modern Music, Parrot Fish Music and Krystal & Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections in Cruz Bay on St. John. They also may be ordered with a charge card by calling the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 on online at the Reichhold Center Web site.
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 program will open with the Overture to Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute," followed by a Bruch Concerto for violin and orchestra with Henry Hutchinson, the orchestra's first violinist, as soloist. Following intermission, the final work will be Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
Mozart wrote "The Magic Flute" in 1791, just after the French Revolution and just before he died. It is said that he composed the Overture the night before the opera's premiere. His vibrant melodies make the most of the fantasy tale of conflict between the cosmic forces of good and evil. The music, it has been said, is "Mozart at his most serious and most playful."
Bruch composed his Concerto for violin and orchestra in 19th century, in the waning years of the Romantic period.
Beethoven's four-movement Seventh Symphony, in A Major, Op. 92, written in 1813, is considered by many to be the best of the nine that he wrote, as well as his personal favorite. With its simple rhythms leading to a number of melodious and interwoven themes in the Viennese classical style, the work conveys angst and anger, despair and deliverance, all emotions that must have been well known to the composer as he was going deaf.
There is nothing else in the territory to compare with this annual opportunity to hear a classical orchestra — and the Reichhold Center setting makes the occasion even more special. "The majestic full symphony orchestra fills the stage, and their music fills the air," the Reichhold's Web site states. It describes the orchestra as "one of the most eminent in the Americas."
Sponsored by the government of Puerto Rico, the orchestra performs an annual 48-week season which includes symphonic concerts, operas, ballets and pops, educational and children's concerts. It also presents outdoor performances throughout the commonwealth and has educational outreach programs in Puerto Rico's public and private schools. Its members are represented by the American Federation of Musicians.
Guillermo Figueroa will conduct the orchestra for its St. Thomas appearance. A native Puerto Rican, he has since last year held the position of music director with both the PRSO and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Albuquerque.
The Birch Forum, founded by Patti Birch, widow of the late St. Thomas attorney Everett Birch, has been underwriting classical music and other cultural arts programs in the territory since 1996.
"It is an immense undertaking to bring 80 musicians and their instruments here," Neil Prior, Birch Forum chair, said.
The musicians and instruments will arrive on island on by plane on Nov. 1. The musicians will stay for two nights at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
"This year promises to be the most exciting and popular program we've heard so far," Prior said. The orchestra played to a full house at the Reichhold Center in 2000 and seats were few and far between for the 1999 and 2001 programs.
Corporate sponsors of this season's concert are FirstBank, Frenchman's Reef, Shell Seekers, Choice Communications and Globalvest Management Co.
Tickets for the Nov. 2 concert are priced at $65 for the covered section, $30 for the lower uncovered seating and $5 for the upper open-air seats.
They are on sale at the Reichhold box office, UVI bookstore, Modern Music, Parrot Fish Music and Krystal & Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at Connections in Cruz Bay on St. John. They also may be ordered with a charge card by calling the Reichhold box office at 693-1559 on online at the Reichhold Center Web site.
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.
YOUTH GROUP TO HONOR 5 ADULT SUPPORTERS
Oct. 25, 2002 – A St. Thomas organization working to inspire excellence in youth is taking time on Sunday to honor five adult volunteers who have kept the efforts going for the last 10 years.
This is the second year that SPARKS is giving out Flames of Inspiration and Commitment Awards to people who have contributed their time and effort to the youth group, founder Judy Gomez said. This year's honorees are Lockhart Elementary school teacher Symra-Dee Brown, nurse Merla Kimball, chaperone Winifred Francis, retired high school counselor Lydia Hendricks and Sen. Carlton Dowe.
SPARKS stands for Students Promoting Awareness, Responsibility, Knowledge and Service
Gomez, who founded the group in 1993, when she was a V.I. senator, had words of praise Friday for all of this year's honorees, who will receive their awards at a luncheon scheduled for Sunday at Palms Court Harborview Hotel.
Brown, she said, helps organize the group's activities. Hendricks shares her culinary secrets by holding cooking classes. Dowe has lent interest and moral support to SPARKS from the early days and helps to provide opportunities for the young people to watch dance demonstrations and enjoy other cultural experiences. Francis, as a parent, is the all-rounder, pitching in wherever there's a need. Kimball counsels those who need advice — and took her skills at doing so to New York where she served as a Red Cross volunteer after last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Among the supporters expected to be on hand to congratulate the honorees is entertainer and radio personality Irvin "Brownie" Brown, who says he will be featured in a supporting role, that of proud father to honoree Symra Brown.
"I'm so very proud of this young lady," Brownie said, adding, with characteristic good humor, "I can't keep up with her. She's ordering me around now, and I don't know how that sounds, but to me it sounds good."
Gomez said she also is proud of, and thankful to, all of the adult volunteers who have helped SPARKS thrive over the years.
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.
This is the second year that SPARKS is giving out Flames of Inspiration and Commitment Awards to people who have contributed their time and effort to the youth group, founder Judy Gomez said. This year's honorees are Lockhart Elementary school teacher Symra-Dee Brown, nurse Merla Kimball, chaperone Winifred Francis, retired high school counselor Lydia Hendricks and Sen. Carlton Dowe.
SPARKS stands for Students Promoting Awareness, Responsibility, Knowledge and Service
Gomez, who founded the group in 1993, when she was a V.I. senator, had words of praise Friday for all of this year's honorees, who will receive their awards at a luncheon scheduled for Sunday at Palms Court Harborview Hotel.
Brown, she said, helps organize the group's activities. Hendricks shares her culinary secrets by holding cooking classes. Dowe has lent interest and moral support to SPARKS from the early days and helps to provide opportunities for the young people to watch dance demonstrations and enjoy other cultural experiences. Francis, as a parent, is the all-rounder, pitching in wherever there's a need. Kimball counsels those who need advice — and took her skills at doing so to New York where she served as a Red Cross volunteer after last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Among the supporters expected to be on hand to congratulate the honorees is entertainer and radio personality Irvin "Brownie" Brown, who says he will be featured in a supporting role, that of proud father to honoree Symra Brown.
"I'm so very proud of this young lady," Brownie said, adding, with characteristic good humor, "I can't keep up with her. She's ordering me around now, and I don't know how that sounds, but to me it sounds good."
Gomez said she also is proud of, and thankful to, all of the adult volunteers who have helped SPARKS thrive over the years.
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.
TELEPHONE SURVEYS SEEK HEALTH INSURANCE DATA
Oct. 25, 2002 – Researchers working through the University of the Virgin Islands are reaching out to households across the territory to find out how many have access to affordable health insurance and how many do not.
UVI's Eastern Caribbean Center is conducting telephone surveys to obtain the data.
Center director Frank Mills, who also is directing the insurance research project, says that over the next 10 weeks data collectors will call homes at random on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John and Water Island. The information they get from survey respondents will be used to create statistical profiles of uninsured and underinsured families that in turn will be used to identify ways to make affordable health insurance coverage available to all.
"The results of the survey will be used by the Virgin Islands government to develop a plan or to propose options that would ensure every citizen access to affordable health insurance benefits," Mills said.
In addition to asking about insurance coverage, callers will ask respondents about their household size, age, the relationships of individuals within the household, general health care, race, ethnicity and other demograpics. "The public is assured of the complete confidentiality of the information gathered," a UVI release stated, and the information obtained will be used only for statistical purposes.
Meantime, a separate but related survey will be made of V.I. businesses, seeking to determine how many provide insurance benefits to their employees, how affordable such coverage is, and what's available to employers in the insurance market.
Mills, who is in charge of U.S. Census data gathering in the Virgin Islands, said the insurance surveys are being carried out with a planning grant from the V.I. government.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released information on health insurance coverage of mainland populations. Mills said the Census Bureau obtained the data via one of the smaller surveys it conducts in between the big 10-year counts. In the Virgin Islands, he said, such supplemental surveys have not been done — until now.
Some experts who deal with matters related to health care and insurance in the territory say they expect the survey results to show a tremendous need for a comprehensive strategy to insure a vulnerable population and safeguard financially the system that provides most of its health care.
According to Roy L. Schneider Hospital's chief executive, Rodney Miller, the burden created by a large uninsured population can ruin the financial health of an institution such as Schneider Hospital. "It's dire for us, because our highest payer percentage is self-pay, which is no pay. Most of that is indigent care, which means there is no insurance." he said.
Miller said about 40 percent of people receiving care at Schneider Hospital are self pay patients. Institutions across the country that are comparable to RLS start running into financial distress when their self pay rate hits 10 percent, he said.
Getting the numbers right is one of the keys to the V.I. health insurance survey, according to Mills. The project was designed with the help of University of Minnesota researchers, who came to the territory to train the data collectors and who will analyze the data collected. What they find will ultimately be reported to Government House.
An initial test of the telephone survey system took place last week, Mills said, and the actual surveying began this week and will continue through December.
Funding for the project is being provided in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "The federal government supports the gathering of information which the local agency would use to develop a plan to ensure that every citizen has access to affordable health insurance benefits," Mills said.
Nationwide, there are currently more than 40 million Americans who are not covered by some form of health insurance.
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.
UVI's Eastern Caribbean Center is conducting telephone surveys to obtain the data.
Center director Frank Mills, who also is directing the insurance research project, says that over the next 10 weeks data collectors will call homes at random on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John and Water Island. The information they get from survey respondents will be used to create statistical profiles of uninsured and underinsured families that in turn will be used to identify ways to make affordable health insurance coverage available to all.
"The results of the survey will be used by the Virgin Islands government to develop a plan or to propose options that would ensure every citizen access to affordable health insurance benefits," Mills said.
In addition to asking about insurance coverage, callers will ask respondents about their household size, age, the relationships of individuals within the household, general health care, race, ethnicity and other demograpics. "The public is assured of the complete confidentiality of the information gathered," a UVI release stated, and the information obtained will be used only for statistical purposes.
Meantime, a separate but related survey will be made of V.I. businesses, seeking to determine how many provide insurance benefits to their employees, how affordable such coverage is, and what's available to employers in the insurance market.
Mills, who is in charge of U.S. Census data gathering in the Virgin Islands, said the insurance surveys are being carried out with a planning grant from the V.I. government.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released information on health insurance coverage of mainland populations. Mills said the Census Bureau obtained the data via one of the smaller surveys it conducts in between the big 10-year counts. In the Virgin Islands, he said, such supplemental surveys have not been done — until now.
Some experts who deal with matters related to health care and insurance in the territory say they expect the survey results to show a tremendous need for a comprehensive strategy to insure a vulnerable population and safeguard financially the system that provides most of its health care.
According to Roy L. Schneider Hospital's chief executive, Rodney Miller, the burden created by a large uninsured population can ruin the financial health of an institution such as Schneider Hospital. "It's dire for us, because our highest payer percentage is self-pay, which is no pay. Most of that is indigent care, which means there is no insurance." he said.
Miller said about 40 percent of people receiving care at Schneider Hospital are self pay patients. Institutions across the country that are comparable to RLS start running into financial distress when their self pay rate hits 10 percent, he said.
Getting the numbers right is one of the keys to the V.I. health insurance survey, according to Mills. The project was designed with the help of University of Minnesota researchers, who came to the territory to train the data collectors and who will analyze the data collected. What they find will ultimately be reported to Government House.
An initial test of the telephone survey system took place last week, Mills said, and the actual surveying began this week and will continue through December.
Funding for the project is being provided in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "The federal government supports the gathering of information which the local agency would use to develop a plan to ensure that every citizen has access to affordable health insurance benefits," Mills said.
Nationwide, there are currently more than 40 million Americans who are not covered by some form of health insurance.
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