Dear Source,
The current initiative that is being processed with the gathering of signatures is in my view a very significant exercise of the rights granted to the people of the Virgin Islands by the U.S. Congress as expressed in the Organic Act 1954 as amended.
There are unfortunately some individuals who are frustrated politicians and who are bent on creating confusion in the community whenever any efforts by others are made to promote any positive change for the benefit of the people. Unless it comes from them they look for or create some basis to object to the positive efforts of others; we should be aware of these prophets of doom.
There are those who really fear changes, but then there are those who for selfish reasons try to maintain the status quo for their own selfish purposes. However, I urge all persons of good will who really love the Virgin Islands and want to see improvement to get involved with others of like mind and intentions and work for positive changes.
The re-empowerment of the people as this initiative of putting the numbered seat question on the ballot signifies. To me that is the greatest significance of this exercise of putting the question on the ballot: the people’s decision, the will of the people to put it on the ballot. Whether it prevails or not is not the most important factor but the right of the citizens to put it on the ballot is. We need to send a message to the elected representatives that we are ready to assume the responsibility that is ours – which is to control our government, by using the mechanism afforded to us by the U.S. Congress: the initiative. We can initiate a proposition and put it on the ballot where the electorate will make the decision directly and the legislators would have to abide by the will of the people.
We all have experienced the blatant disregard our legislators have been demonstrating towards the expressed desire of the electorate. We have the tools to correct that, notwithstanding the work involved in getting it done. Some persons have questioned how the mechanics of the numbered seat would work. It will be the duty of the Board of Elections to devise the procedures to implement the system.
I believe the way it could work: the Board of Elections would have the incumbents draw numbers one through seven and that will initiate the numbered system. Thereafter the legislator occupying a numbered seat can and will be challenged in following elections by challengers who would vie for a particular numbered seat when they register as candidates.
The question also is being asked, knowing the character of some politicians, how it would work if several choose a seat that they perceive the incumbent as very weak and that seat could have large number of challengers as opposed to the incumbent considered as strong, who may not have any challenger. I believe the way the Bd. of Election could avoid that is by stipulating a set number of challengers per seat to even the field of challengers and incumbent. An example of the procedure could be that each seat would have no more than three challengers until all seats are challenged; thereafter, open the challengers' slots after all seats have been challenged by at least three challengers. The mechanism can be devised to implement the numbered system once it is done intelligently and fairly to all concerned: candidate and electors.
Presently all candidates draw lots to be assigned a number on the ballot; in the numbered seats the procedure will slightly different. The important factor is fairness for all concerned.
The idea that a whole semester of voters’ education is needed to implement changes in the system has no basis in the history of electoral changes. I agree the electorate needs to be properly informed and instructed clearly on the new procedure using audio-visual and hands-on tools in the instruction. Detractors usually invent excuses not to implement positive changes; many are afraid of changes but change is important for progress: Change is a characteristic of life itself.
Where there is a will, a way will be found. Power to the people.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
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.
PLACING INITIATIVE ON BALLOT IS MOST SIGNIFICANT
Dear Source,
The current initiative that is being processed with the gathering of signatures is in my view a very significant exercise of the rights granted to the people of the Virgin Islands by the U.S. Congress as expressed in the Organic Act 1954 as amended.
There are unfortunately some individuals who are frustrated politicians and who are bent on creating confusion in the community whenever any efforts by others are made to promote any positive change for the benefit of the people. Unless it comes from them they look for or create some basis to object to the positive efforts of others; we should be aware of these prophets of doom.
There are those who really fear changes, but then there are those who for selfish reasons try to maintain the status quo for their own selfish purposes. However, I urge all persons of good will who really love the Virgin Islands and want to see improvement to get involved with others of like mind and intentions and work for positive changes.
The re-empowerment of the people as this initiative of putting the numbered seat question on the ballot signifies. To me that is the greatest significance of this exercise of putting the question on the ballot: the people’s decision, the will of the people to put it on the ballot. Whether it prevails or not is not the most important factor but the right of the citizens to put it on the ballot is. We need to send a message to the elected representatives that we are ready to assume the responsibility that is ours – which is to control our government, by using the mechanism afforded to us by the U.S. Congress: the initiative. We can initiate a proposition and put it on the ballot where the electorate will make the decision directly and the legislators would have to abide by the will of the people.
We all have experienced the blatant disregard our legislators have been demonstrating towards the expressed desire of the electorate. We have the tools to correct that, notwithstanding the work involved in getting it done. Some persons have questioned how the mechanics of the numbered seat would work. It will be the duty of the Board of Elections to devise the procedures to implement the system.
I believe the way it could work: the Board of Elections would have the incumbents draw numbers one through seven and that will initiate the numbered system. Thereafter the legislator occupying a numbered seat can and will be challenged in following elections by challengers who would vie for a particular numbered seat when they register as candidates.
The question also is being asked, knowing the character of some politicians, how it would work if several choose a seat that they perceive the incumbent as very weak and that seat could have large number of challengers as opposed to the incumbent considered as strong, who may not have any challenger. I believe the way the Bd. of Election could avoid that is by stipulating a set number of challengers per seat to even the field of challengers and incumbent. An example of the procedure could be that each seat would have no more than three challengers until all seats are challenged; thereafter, open the challengers' slots after all seats have been challenged by at least three challengers. The mechanism can be devised to implement the numbered system once it is done intelligently and fairly to all concerned: candidate and electors.
Presently all candidates draw lots to be assigned a number on the ballot; in the numbered seats the procedure will slightly different. The important factor is fairness for all concerned.
The idea that a whole semester of voters’ education is needed to implement changes in the system has no basis in the history of electoral changes. I agree the electorate needs to be properly informed and instructed clearly on the new procedure using audio-visual and hands-on tools in the instruction. Detractors usually invent excuses not to implement positive changes; many are afraid of changes but change is important for progress: Change is a characteristic of life itself.
Where there is a will, a way will be found. Power to the people.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
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 current initiative that is being processed with the gathering of signatures is in my view a very significant exercise of the rights granted to the people of the Virgin Islands by the U.S. Congress as expressed in the Organic Act 1954 as amended.
There are unfortunately some individuals who are frustrated politicians and who are bent on creating confusion in the community whenever any efforts by others are made to promote any positive change for the benefit of the people. Unless it comes from them they look for or create some basis to object to the positive efforts of others; we should be aware of these prophets of doom.
There are those who really fear changes, but then there are those who for selfish reasons try to maintain the status quo for their own selfish purposes. However, I urge all persons of good will who really love the Virgin Islands and want to see improvement to get involved with others of like mind and intentions and work for positive changes.
The re-empowerment of the people as this initiative of putting the numbered seat question on the ballot signifies. To me that is the greatest significance of this exercise of putting the question on the ballot: the people’s decision, the will of the people to put it on the ballot. Whether it prevails or not is not the most important factor but the right of the citizens to put it on the ballot is. We need to send a message to the elected representatives that we are ready to assume the responsibility that is ours – which is to control our government, by using the mechanism afforded to us by the U.S. Congress: the initiative. We can initiate a proposition and put it on the ballot where the electorate will make the decision directly and the legislators would have to abide by the will of the people.
We all have experienced the blatant disregard our legislators have been demonstrating towards the expressed desire of the electorate. We have the tools to correct that, notwithstanding the work involved in getting it done. Some persons have questioned how the mechanics of the numbered seat would work. It will be the duty of the Board of Elections to devise the procedures to implement the system.
I believe the way it could work: the Board of Elections would have the incumbents draw numbers one through seven and that will initiate the numbered system. Thereafter the legislator occupying a numbered seat can and will be challenged in following elections by challengers who would vie for a particular numbered seat when they register as candidates.
The question also is being asked, knowing the character of some politicians, how it would work if several choose a seat that they perceive the incumbent as very weak and that seat could have large number of challengers as opposed to the incumbent considered as strong, who may not have any challenger. I believe the way the Bd. of Election could avoid that is by stipulating a set number of challengers per seat to even the field of challengers and incumbent. An example of the procedure could be that each seat would have no more than three challengers until all seats are challenged; thereafter, open the challengers' slots after all seats have been challenged by at least three challengers. The mechanism can be devised to implement the numbered system once it is done intelligently and fairly to all concerned: candidate and electors.
Presently all candidates draw lots to be assigned a number on the ballot; in the numbered seats the procedure will slightly different. The important factor is fairness for all concerned.
The idea that a whole semester of voters’ education is needed to implement changes in the system has no basis in the history of electoral changes. I agree the electorate needs to be properly informed and instructed clearly on the new procedure using audio-visual and hands-on tools in the instruction. Detractors usually invent excuses not to implement positive changes; many are afraid of changes but change is important for progress: Change is a characteristic of life itself.
Where there is a will, a way will be found. Power to the people.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
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.
PLACING INITIATIVE ON BALLOT IS MOST SIGNIFICANT
Dear Source,
The current initiative that is being processed with the gathering of signatures is in my view a very significant exercise of the rights granted to the people of the Virgin Islands by the U.S. Congress as expressed in the Organic Act 1954 as amended.
There are unfortunately some individuals who are frustrated politicians and who are bent on creating confusion in the community whenever any efforts by others are made to promote any positive change for the benefit of the people. Unless it comes from them they look for or create some basis to object to the positive efforts of others; we should be aware of these prophets of doom.
There are those who really fear changes, but then there are those who for selfish reasons try to maintain the status quo for their own selfish purposes. However, I urge all persons of good will who really love the Virgin Islands and want to see improvement to get involved with others of like mind and intentions and work for positive changes.
The re-empowerment of the people as this initiative of putting the numbered seat question on the ballot signifies. To me that is the greatest significance of this exercise of putting the question on the ballot: the people’s decision, the will of the people to put it on the ballot. Whether it prevails or not is not the most important factor but the right of the citizens to put it on the ballot is. We need to send a message to the elected representatives that we are ready to assume the responsibility that is ours – which is to control our government, by using the mechanism afforded to us by the U.S. Congress: the initiative. We can initiate a proposition and put it on the ballot where the electorate will make the decision directly and the legislators would have to abide by the will of the people.
We all have experienced the blatant disregard our legislators have been demonstrating towards the expressed desire of the electorate. We have the tools to correct that, notwithstanding the work involved in getting it done. Some persons have questioned how the mechanics of the numbered seat would work. It will be the duty of the Board of Elections to devise the procedures to implement the system.
I believe the way it could work: the Board of Elections would have the incumbents draw numbers one through seven and that will initiate the numbered system. Thereafter the legislator occupying a numbered seat can and will be challenged in following elections by challengers who would vie for a particular numbered seat when they register as candidates.
The question also is being asked, knowing the character of some politicians, how it would work if several choose a seat that they perceive the incumbent as very weak and that seat could have large number of challengers as opposed to the incumbent considered as strong, who may not have any challenger. I believe the way the Bd. of Election could avoid that is by stipulating a set number of challengers per seat to even the field of challengers and incumbent. An example of the procedure could be that each seat would have no more than three challengers until all seats are challenged; thereafter, open the challengers' slots after all seats have been challenged by at least three challengers. The mechanism can be devised to implement the numbered system once it is done intelligently and fairly to all concerned: candidate and electors.
Presently all candidates draw lots to be assigned a number on the ballot; in the numbered seats the procedure will slightly different. The important factor is fairness for all concerned.
The idea that a whole semester of voters’ education is needed to implement changes in the system has no basis in the history of electoral changes. I agree the electorate needs to be properly informed and instructed clearly on the new procedure using audio-visual and hands-on tools in the instruction. Detractors usually invent excuses not to implement positive changes; many are afraid of changes but change is important for progress: Change is a characteristic of life itself.
Where there is a will, a way will be found. Power to the people.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
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 current initiative that is being processed with the gathering of signatures is in my view a very significant exercise of the rights granted to the people of the Virgin Islands by the U.S. Congress as expressed in the Organic Act 1954 as amended.
There are unfortunately some individuals who are frustrated politicians and who are bent on creating confusion in the community whenever any efforts by others are made to promote any positive change for the benefit of the people. Unless it comes from them they look for or create some basis to object to the positive efforts of others; we should be aware of these prophets of doom.
There are those who really fear changes, but then there are those who for selfish reasons try to maintain the status quo for their own selfish purposes. However, I urge all persons of good will who really love the Virgin Islands and want to see improvement to get involved with others of like mind and intentions and work for positive changes.
The re-empowerment of the people as this initiative of putting the numbered seat question on the ballot signifies. To me that is the greatest significance of this exercise of putting the question on the ballot: the people’s decision, the will of the people to put it on the ballot. Whether it prevails or not is not the most important factor but the right of the citizens to put it on the ballot is. We need to send a message to the elected representatives that we are ready to assume the responsibility that is ours – which is to control our government, by using the mechanism afforded to us by the U.S. Congress: the initiative. We can initiate a proposition and put it on the ballot where the electorate will make the decision directly and the legislators would have to abide by the will of the people.
We all have experienced the blatant disregard our legislators have been demonstrating towards the expressed desire of the electorate. We have the tools to correct that, notwithstanding the work involved in getting it done. Some persons have questioned how the mechanics of the numbered seat would work. It will be the duty of the Board of Elections to devise the procedures to implement the system.
I believe the way it could work: the Board of Elections would have the incumbents draw numbers one through seven and that will initiate the numbered system. Thereafter the legislator occupying a numbered seat can and will be challenged in following elections by challengers who would vie for a particular numbered seat when they register as candidates.
The question also is being asked, knowing the character of some politicians, how it would work if several choose a seat that they perceive the incumbent as very weak and that seat could have large number of challengers as opposed to the incumbent considered as strong, who may not have any challenger. I believe the way the Bd. of Election could avoid that is by stipulating a set number of challengers per seat to even the field of challengers and incumbent. An example of the procedure could be that each seat would have no more than three challengers until all seats are challenged; thereafter, open the challengers' slots after all seats have been challenged by at least three challengers. The mechanism can be devised to implement the numbered system once it is done intelligently and fairly to all concerned: candidate and electors.
Presently all candidates draw lots to be assigned a number on the ballot; in the numbered seats the procedure will slightly different. The important factor is fairness for all concerned.
The idea that a whole semester of voters’ education is needed to implement changes in the system has no basis in the history of electoral changes. I agree the electorate needs to be properly informed and instructed clearly on the new procedure using audio-visual and hands-on tools in the instruction. Detractors usually invent excuses not to implement positive changes; many are afraid of changes but change is important for progress: Change is a characteristic of life itself.
Where there is a will, a way will be found. Power to the people.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
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.
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK BEGINS WITH A BLAZE
Oct. 7, 2002 – On the second day of Fire Prevention Week, fire crews responded to a backyard auto-garage fire in the residential community of Hannah's Rest, Frederiksted, where a resident was repairing a lawn mover.
Jacob Fleming said he was using an arc welder to repair a riding lawn mower. He told Deputy Fire Inspector Roberto Martinez that the mower had a full tank of gas, which was not leaking but possibly ignited the fumes and caused a flash fire.
The fire spread to engulf the two-bay galvanized structure, melting cable TV wires and burning an Acura Legend, a Land Rover and a 1964 Mustang.
Fleming estimated the cost of the mower at $1,000, but he could not anticipate the loss caused to his friend's garage and vehicles.
Property owner Julius St. Catherine said he had been working on the Land Rover earlier this morning. He said he had just bought the Acura from a cousin.
The garage was located about 40 feet away from a three-bedroom wooden home, which was spared from the blaze.
Mavis St. Catherine said, "I was at the bank when someone told me to 'Get home fast. There is a fire at your home!'"
Fleming and Pastor John Freeman thanked neighbors and the quick response of the fire department because the phone located in the garage had burned and the adjacent home was locked, so they had no way to call for help.
One 1,500-gallon water tanker, a 2,500-gallon tanker and four firefighters with Scott-packs on their backs showered 150-pounds of water pressure on the flames. The fire had a strong chemical smell that burned one firefighter's nose and eyes. One resident pulled his white T-shirt over his nose as he looked on.
According to the inspector's report, the mechanic was not licensed to conduct repairs at the residential site.
While firefighters tackled the blaze, various government agencies and community interest groups joined the V.I. Fire Service at the Fort Frederik Museum to launch the 2002 Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 6-12.
Fire Service is asking the community to "Team Up For Fire Safety" in recognition of the 80th year of Fire Prevention Week. The national theme expresses the cooperative efforts that have taken place in the territory between various agencies.
In a press conference today, Fire Marshal Alexandro Rivera said the St. Croix District Fire Service was "placing its emphasis this year on the identification and elimination of fire hazards located in the town limits." He said those hazards include substandard construction and electrical installations, dilapidated buildings, excessive rubbish and debris, abandoned vehicles and overgrown vacant lots.
Fire Service is asking for the community's assistance in safety and beautification efforts.
Fire Inspector Marcellino Ventura said the department's goals for fire hazard elimination go hand-in-hand with the staff's concern for the beauty of the island.
Ventura said the department has identified that fire hazards exist in Christiansted and Frederiksted.
Rivera said the St. Croix Fire Service is working with other government agencies and civic organizations to carry out the elimination of fire hazards.
"We have teamed up with the Virgin Islands State Historical Preservation Office and the St. Croix Historical Preservation Commission to facilitate and increase communications," Rivera said. "The partnership has already produced positive results in reducing fire hazards, litter accumulation, and simultaneously preserving historical properties."
Lena Shulterbrandt, vice-president of Our Town Frederiksted, said she has personally walked the streets of Frederiksted to assist the department with the identification of buildings. "We want to get the vacant lots cleaned," she said, "but it does not seem to work as fast as we want. We can't find anyone to clean them."
Some property owners are elderly and do not have the means to conduct the repairs or clearing of their vacant lots. Other properties are in litigation or deeded to multiple owners.
Other agencies teaming up with Fire Service include the Police Department, Public Works, Division of Environmental Health, Human Services, St. Croix Landmarks Society and the St. Croix Foundation.
John Green, Public Works Litter Enforcement director, said the department has multiple roles in dealing with fire prevention. He said Fire Service requested Public Works' assistance in approaching the eradication of litter-strewn areas. "It seems that the laws that deal with hazards do not have the strength as our litter laws."
Green said his litter enforcement team identifies properties and then sends a notice to the owners. "This is having a great impact," Green said. He said 15 to 20 lots have been cleaned in the town of Christiansted over the past eight months. "Next year we are going to work in Frederiksted."
Fire Service is asking the community to be its eyes and ears. If you are aware of a property that poses a hazard, contact the Arson Prevention and Investigation Unit at 773-8050. And if you are in contact with an owner who is off-island, ask him or her to have someone remedy any hazards posed by structures or vacant lots.
President Woodrow Wilson issued the first proclamation for Fire Prevention Week in 1920 after the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 that killed more than 250 people and destroyed 17,400 structures, leaving about 100,000 people homeless.
In the Virgin Islands, various fire codes were put in place in the 1700s and 1800s, according to Myron Jackson, director of the State Historic Preservation Commission. Jackson said the National Registered Districts in the Virgin Islands have been a major concern for preservationists in the territory.
Fire Prevention Week activities include open houses at all fire stations from Tuesday through Friday by appointment, radio and TV interviews, an Emergency Services parade Saturday at 5 p.m. along the waterfront on Strand Street in Frederiksted, followed by fireworks at 9 p.m.
Emergency Service organizations will have informational displays set up on Saturday, as well as food and music, and a blood drive will be conducted after the parade.
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.
Jacob Fleming said he was using an arc welder to repair a riding lawn mower. He told Deputy Fire Inspector Roberto Martinez that the mower had a full tank of gas, which was not leaking but possibly ignited the fumes and caused a flash fire.
The fire spread to engulf the two-bay galvanized structure, melting cable TV wires and burning an Acura Legend, a Land Rover and a 1964 Mustang.
Fleming estimated the cost of the mower at $1,000, but he could not anticipate the loss caused to his friend's garage and vehicles.
Property owner Julius St. Catherine said he had been working on the Land Rover earlier this morning. He said he had just bought the Acura from a cousin.
The garage was located about 40 feet away from a three-bedroom wooden home, which was spared from the blaze.
Mavis St. Catherine said, "I was at the bank when someone told me to 'Get home fast. There is a fire at your home!'"
Fleming and Pastor John Freeman thanked neighbors and the quick response of the fire department because the phone located in the garage had burned and the adjacent home was locked, so they had no way to call for help.
One 1,500-gallon water tanker, a 2,500-gallon tanker and four firefighters with Scott-packs on their backs showered 150-pounds of water pressure on the flames. The fire had a strong chemical smell that burned one firefighter's nose and eyes. One resident pulled his white T-shirt over his nose as he looked on.
According to the inspector's report, the mechanic was not licensed to conduct repairs at the residential site.
While firefighters tackled the blaze, various government agencies and community interest groups joined the V.I. Fire Service at the Fort Frederik Museum to launch the 2002 Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 6-12.
Fire Service is asking the community to "Team Up For Fire Safety" in recognition of the 80th year of Fire Prevention Week. The national theme expresses the cooperative efforts that have taken place in the territory between various agencies.
In a press conference today, Fire Marshal Alexandro Rivera said the St. Croix District Fire Service was "placing its emphasis this year on the identification and elimination of fire hazards located in the town limits." He said those hazards include substandard construction and electrical installations, dilapidated buildings, excessive rubbish and debris, abandoned vehicles and overgrown vacant lots.
Fire Service is asking for the community's assistance in safety and beautification efforts.
Fire Inspector Marcellino Ventura said the department's goals for fire hazard elimination go hand-in-hand with the staff's concern for the beauty of the island.
Ventura said the department has identified that fire hazards exist in Christiansted and Frederiksted.
Rivera said the St. Croix Fire Service is working with other government agencies and civic organizations to carry out the elimination of fire hazards.
"We have teamed up with the Virgin Islands State Historical Preservation Office and the St. Croix Historical Preservation Commission to facilitate and increase communications," Rivera said. "The partnership has already produced positive results in reducing fire hazards, litter accumulation, and simultaneously preserving historical properties."
Lena Shulterbrandt, vice-president of Our Town Frederiksted, said she has personally walked the streets of Frederiksted to assist the department with the identification of buildings. "We want to get the vacant lots cleaned," she said, "but it does not seem to work as fast as we want. We can't find anyone to clean them."
Some property owners are elderly and do not have the means to conduct the repairs or clearing of their vacant lots. Other properties are in litigation or deeded to multiple owners.
Other agencies teaming up with Fire Service include the Police Department, Public Works, Division of Environmental Health, Human Services, St. Croix Landmarks Society and the St. Croix Foundation.
John Green, Public Works Litter Enforcement director, said the department has multiple roles in dealing with fire prevention. He said Fire Service requested Public Works' assistance in approaching the eradication of litter-strewn areas. "It seems that the laws that deal with hazards do not have the strength as our litter laws."
Green said his litter enforcement team identifies properties and then sends a notice to the owners. "This is having a great impact," Green said. He said 15 to 20 lots have been cleaned in the town of Christiansted over the past eight months. "Next year we are going to work in Frederiksted."
Fire Service is asking the community to be its eyes and ears. If you are aware of a property that poses a hazard, contact the Arson Prevention and Investigation Unit at 773-8050. And if you are in contact with an owner who is off-island, ask him or her to have someone remedy any hazards posed by structures or vacant lots.
President Woodrow Wilson issued the first proclamation for Fire Prevention Week in 1920 after the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 that killed more than 250 people and destroyed 17,400 structures, leaving about 100,000 people homeless.
In the Virgin Islands, various fire codes were put in place in the 1700s and 1800s, according to Myron Jackson, director of the State Historic Preservation Commission. Jackson said the National Registered Districts in the Virgin Islands have been a major concern for preservationists in the territory.
Fire Prevention Week activities include open houses at all fire stations from Tuesday through Friday by appointment, radio and TV interviews, an Emergency Services parade Saturday at 5 p.m. along the waterfront on Strand Street in Frederiksted, followed by fireworks at 9 p.m.
Emergency Service organizations will have informational displays set up on Saturday, as well as food and music, and a blood drive will be conducted after the parade.
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.
STUDENT'S LAWYER VOWS FIGHT OVER HAIRSTYLE
Oct. 7, 2002 – Education officials have been warned that recent disciplinary action against a St. Croix junior high school honor student could lead to a discrimination lawsuit.
Anthony Gibson, 12, was sent home from John H. Woodson Junior High School on Sept. 19 and again the following day because he was wearing his hair braided in corn rows. On Sept. 20, school officials called police to the school, claiming the boy was creating a disturbance.
The Woodson dress code prohibits boys from wearing braids. Published reports at the time cited Principal Vaughn Hewitt as saying that hair worn in that style by boys was a sign of gang affiliation.
Anthony's parents were already taking on the system with an appeal to the Board of Education when their son came home on Sept. 30 with a written notice that he had been transferred to Arthur A. Richards Junior High.
"They just gave him this letter and said, 'Give this to your father,'" Shawn Gibson, an employee of a contractor at the Hovensa refinery, said on Sunday. Gibson made it clear: "I didn't ask for a transfer."
Gibson subsequently engaged lawyer Lee J. Rohn to represent his son. In a letter dated Oct. 3 addressed to Acting Commissioner Noreen Michael and other top Education officials, Rohn said Anthony has the right to wear his hair in the braids without fear of suspension or police intervention. And, she said, transferring the student without notifying the parents was only making things worse.
In her letter, Rohn gave the board and department authorities 10 days to end the policy and to allow Anthony the freedom to wear corn rows to school. If the matter is not resolved by then, she said, she will take the matter to court.
"As I understand it, Anthony Gibson is an exemplary student who has had no disciplinary problems. He prefers to wear his hair in braids both as a matter of personal preference and as a statement as to what he stands for and his origins," she said.
"It is clear that the Department of Education is discriminating against him, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, denied him the right to be heard before imposing discipline, and slandered him by suggesting his hairstyle was a sign of gang affiliation," Rohn wrote.
Anthony "was not told the reason for his suspension, he was not given an opportunity to present his side of the matter, the notice of suspension was to be given to him in writing, and the suspension was to be reported to the parent in writing, which was not done," she wrote.
Rohn said her client especially objected to the school administration calling the police on Sept. 20, charging that the boy was creating a disturbance.
After receiving the transfer notice, he sent his son back to Woodson with his hair unbraided, Gibson said on Sunday. "I can't afford for him to miss school, and I can't afford for him to get hauled off by the cops, which is what they threatened to do," he said.
And he said he has agreed to comply with Hewitt's request not to send Anthony to school wearing corn rows while the situation is under review.
School dress codes are part of the overall disciplinary codes set by the Board of Education, but transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, where spokeswoman Juel Anderson said she found an account of Anthony's transfer hard to believe. "I spoke to the assistant principal," she said on Friday. "She told me the little boy was in school … I really don't believe they would transfer him without the notification of the parents."
Anderson said on Friday that both Hewitt and St. Croix District Superintendent Terrence Joseph were off island and could not be reached for comment.
Joseph had said earlier that an internal review of the controversy would result in a policy to apply to all of the St. Croix district public schools.
The executive director of the Board of Education, Evadney Hodge, said Anthony has been granted a hearing before the board on the matter, and it probably will take place by the end of October.
On Sunday, almost two weeks since the initial suspension, Gibson said he had not received a hearing date. He also said he has heard from other parents on St. Croix — one of them a teacher who taught him when he was a student at Central High School — about summary transfers involving their children in the district.
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.
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Anthony Gibson, 12, was sent home from John H. Woodson Junior High School on Sept. 19 and again the following day because he was wearing his hair braided in corn rows. On Sept. 20, school officials called police to the school, claiming the boy was creating a disturbance.
The Woodson dress code prohibits boys from wearing braids. Published reports at the time cited Principal Vaughn Hewitt as saying that hair worn in that style by boys was a sign of gang affiliation.
Anthony's parents were already taking on the system with an appeal to the Board of Education when their son came home on Sept. 30 with a written notice that he had been transferred to Arthur A. Richards Junior High.
"They just gave him this letter and said, 'Give this to your father,'" Shawn Gibson, an employee of a contractor at the Hovensa refinery, said on Sunday. Gibson made it clear: "I didn't ask for a transfer."
Gibson subsequently engaged lawyer Lee J. Rohn to represent his son. In a letter dated Oct. 3 addressed to Acting Commissioner Noreen Michael and other top Education officials, Rohn said Anthony has the right to wear his hair in the braids without fear of suspension or police intervention. And, she said, transferring the student without notifying the parents was only making things worse.
In her letter, Rohn gave the board and department authorities 10 days to end the policy and to allow Anthony the freedom to wear corn rows to school. If the matter is not resolved by then, she said, she will take the matter to court.
"As I understand it, Anthony Gibson is an exemplary student who has had no disciplinary problems. He prefers to wear his hair in braids both as a matter of personal preference and as a statement as to what he stands for and his origins," she said.
"It is clear that the Department of Education is discriminating against him, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, denied him the right to be heard before imposing discipline, and slandered him by suggesting his hairstyle was a sign of gang affiliation," Rohn wrote.
Anthony "was not told the reason for his suspension, he was not given an opportunity to present his side of the matter, the notice of suspension was to be given to him in writing, and the suspension was to be reported to the parent in writing, which was not done," she wrote.
Rohn said her client especially objected to the school administration calling the police on Sept. 20, charging that the boy was creating a disturbance.
After receiving the transfer notice, he sent his son back to Woodson with his hair unbraided, Gibson said on Sunday. "I can't afford for him to miss school, and I can't afford for him to get hauled off by the cops, which is what they threatened to do," he said.
And he said he has agreed to comply with Hewitt's request not to send Anthony to school wearing corn rows while the situation is under review.
School dress codes are part of the overall disciplinary codes set by the Board of Education, but transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, where spokeswoman Juel Anderson said she found an account of Anthony's transfer hard to believe. "I spoke to the assistant principal," she said on Friday. "She told me the little boy was in school … I really don't believe they would transfer him without the notification of the parents."
Anderson said on Friday that both Hewitt and St. Croix District Superintendent Terrence Joseph were off island and could not be reached for comment.
Joseph had said earlier that an internal review of the controversy would result in a policy to apply to all of the St. Croix district public schools.
The executive director of the Board of Education, Evadney Hodge, said Anthony has been granted a hearing before the board on the matter, and it probably will take place by the end of October.
On Sunday, almost two weeks since the initial suspension, Gibson said he had not received a hearing date. He also said he has heard from other parents on St. Croix — one of them a teacher who taught him when he was a student at Central High School — about summary transfers involving their children in the district.
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.
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STUDENT'S LAWYER VOWS FIGHT OVER HAIRSTYLE
Oct. 7, 2002 – Education officials have been warned that recent disciplinary action against a St. Croix junior high school honor student could lead to a discrimination lawsuit.
Anthony Gibson, 12, was sent home from John H. Woodson Junior High School on Sept. 19 and again the following day because he was wearing his hair braided in corn rows. On Sept. 20, school officials called police to the school, claiming the boy was creating a disturbance.
The Woodson dress code prohibits boys from wearing braids. Published reports at the time cited Principal Vaughn Hewitt as saying that hair worn in that style by boys was a sign of gang affiliation.
Anthony's parents were already taking on the system with an appeal to the Board of Education when their son came home on Sept. 30 with a written notice that he had been transferred to Arthur A. Richards Junior High.
"They just gave him this letter and said, 'Give this to your father,'" Shawn Gibson, an employee of a contractor at the Hovensa refinery, said on Sunday. Gibson made it clear: "I didn't ask for a transfer."
Gibson subsequently engaged lawyer Lee J. Rohn to represent his son. In a letter dated Oct. 3 addressed to Acting Commissioner Noreen Michael and other top Education officials, Rohn said Anthony has the right to wear his hair in the braids without fear of suspension or police intervention. And, she said, transferring the student without notifying the parents was only making things worse.
In her letter, Rohn gave the board and department authorities 10 days to end the policy and to allow Anthony the freedom to wear corn rows to school. If the matter is not resolved by then, she said, she will take the matter to court.
"As I understand it, Anthony Gibson is an exemplary student who has had no disciplinary problems. He prefers to wear his hair in braids both as a matter of personal preference and as a statement as to what he stands for and his origins," she said.
"It is clear that the Department of Education is discriminating against him, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, denied him the right to be heard before imposing discipline, and slandered him by suggesting his hairstyle was a sign of gang affiliation," Rohn wrote.
Anthony "was not told the reason for his suspension, he was not given an opportunity to present his side of the matter, the notice of suspension was to be given to him in writing, and the suspension was to be reported to the parent in writing, which was not done," she wrote.
Rohn said her client especially objected to the school administration calling the police on Sept. 20, charging that the boy was creating a disturbance.
After receiving the transfer notice, he sent his son back to Woodson with his hair unbraided, Gibson said on Sunday. "I can't afford for him to miss school, and I can't afford for him to get hauled off by the cops, which is what they threatened to do," he said.
And he said he has agreed to comply with Hewitt's request not to send Anthony to school wearing corn rows while the situation is under review.
School dress codes are part of the overall disciplinary codes set by the Board of Education, but transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, where spokeswoman Juel Anderson said she found an account of Anthony's transfer hard to believe. "I spoke to the assistant principal," she said on Friday. "She told me the little boy was in school … I really don't believe they would transfer him without the notification of the parents."
Anderson said on Friday that both Hewitt and St. Croix District Superintendent Terrence Joseph were off island and could not be reached for comment.
Joseph had said earlier that an internal review of the controversy would result in a policy to apply to all of the St. Croix district public schools.
The executive director of the Board of Education, Evadney Hodge, said Anthony has been granted a hearing before the board on the matter, and it probably will take place by the end of October.
On Sunday, almost two weeks since the initial suspension, Gibson said he had not received a hearing date. He also said he has heard from other parents on St. Croix — one of them a teacher who taught him when he was a student at Central High School — about summary transfers involving their children in the district.
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.
Anthony Gibson, 12, was sent home from John H. Woodson Junior High School on Sept. 19 and again the following day because he was wearing his hair braided in corn rows. On Sept. 20, school officials called police to the school, claiming the boy was creating a disturbance.
The Woodson dress code prohibits boys from wearing braids. Published reports at the time cited Principal Vaughn Hewitt as saying that hair worn in that style by boys was a sign of gang affiliation.
Anthony's parents were already taking on the system with an appeal to the Board of Education when their son came home on Sept. 30 with a written notice that he had been transferred to Arthur A. Richards Junior High.
"They just gave him this letter and said, 'Give this to your father,'" Shawn Gibson, an employee of a contractor at the Hovensa refinery, said on Sunday. Gibson made it clear: "I didn't ask for a transfer."
Gibson subsequently engaged lawyer Lee J. Rohn to represent his son. In a letter dated Oct. 3 addressed to Acting Commissioner Noreen Michael and other top Education officials, Rohn said Anthony has the right to wear his hair in the braids without fear of suspension or police intervention. And, she said, transferring the student without notifying the parents was only making things worse.
In her letter, Rohn gave the board and department authorities 10 days to end the policy and to allow Anthony the freedom to wear corn rows to school. If the matter is not resolved by then, she said, she will take the matter to court.
"As I understand it, Anthony Gibson is an exemplary student who has had no disciplinary problems. He prefers to wear his hair in braids both as a matter of personal preference and as a statement as to what he stands for and his origins," she said.
"It is clear that the Department of Education is discriminating against him, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, denied him the right to be heard before imposing discipline, and slandered him by suggesting his hairstyle was a sign of gang affiliation," Rohn wrote.
Anthony "was not told the reason for his suspension, he was not given an opportunity to present his side of the matter, the notice of suspension was to be given to him in writing, and the suspension was to be reported to the parent in writing, which was not done," she wrote.
Rohn said her client especially objected to the school administration calling the police on Sept. 20, charging that the boy was creating a disturbance.
After receiving the transfer notice, he sent his son back to Woodson with his hair unbraided, Gibson said on Sunday. "I can't afford for him to miss school, and I can't afford for him to get hauled off by the cops, which is what they threatened to do," he said.
And he said he has agreed to comply with Hewitt's request not to send Anthony to school wearing corn rows while the situation is under review.
School dress codes are part of the overall disciplinary codes set by the Board of Education, but transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, where spokeswoman Juel Anderson said she found an account of Anthony's transfer hard to believe. "I spoke to the assistant principal," she said on Friday. "She told me the little boy was in school … I really don't believe they would transfer him without the notification of the parents."
Anderson said on Friday that both Hewitt and St. Croix District Superintendent Terrence Joseph were off island and could not be reached for comment.
Joseph had said earlier that an internal review of the controversy would result in a policy to apply to all of the St. Croix district public schools.
The executive director of the Board of Education, Evadney Hodge, said Anthony has been granted a hearing before the board on the matter, and it probably will take place by the end of October.
On Sunday, almost two weeks since the initial suspension, Gibson said he had not received a hearing date. He also said he has heard from other parents on St. Croix — one of them a teacher who taught him when he was a student at Central High School — about summary transfers involving their children in the district.
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.
STUDENT'S LAWYER VOWS FIGHT OVER HAIRSTYLE
Oct. 7, 2002 – Education officials have been warned that recent disciplinary action against a St. Croix junior high school honor student could lead to a discrimination lawsuit.
Anthony Gibson, 12, was sent home from John H. Woodson Junior High School on Sept. 19 and again the following day because he was wearing his hair braided in corn rows. On Sept. 20, school officials called police to the school, claiming the boy was creating a disturbance.
The Woodson dress code prohibits boys from wearing braids. Published reports at the time cited Principal Vaughn Hewitt as saying that hair worn in that style by boys was a sign of gang affiliation.
Anthony's parents were already taking on the system with an appeal to the Board of Education when their son came home on Sept. 30 with a written notice that he had been transferred to Arthur A. Richards Junior High.
"They just gave him this letter and said, 'Give this to your father,'" Shawn Gibson, an employee of a contractor at the Hovensa refinery, said on Sunday. Gibson made it clear: "I didn't ask for a transfer."
Gibson subsequently engaged lawyer Lee J. Rohn to represent his son. In a letter dated Oct. 3 addressed to Acting Commissioner Noreen Michael and other top Education officials, Rohn said Anthony has the right to wear his hair in the braids without fear of suspension or police intervention. And, she said, transferring the student without notifying the parents was only making things worse.
In her letter, Rohn gave the board and department authorities 10 days to end the policy and to allow Anthony the freedom to wear corn rows to school. If the matter is not resolved by then, she said, she will take the matter to court.
"As I understand it, Anthony Gibson is an exemplary student who has had no disciplinary problems. He prefers to wear his hair in braids both as a matter of personal preference and as a statement as to what he stands for and his origins," she said.
"It is clear that the Department of Education is discriminating against him, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, denied him the right to be heard before imposing discipline, and slandered him by suggesting his hairstyle was a sign of gang affiliation," Rohn wrote.
Anthony "was not told the reason for his suspension, he was not given an opportunity to present his side of the matter, the notice of suspension was to be given to him in writing, and the suspension was to be reported to the parent in writing, which was not done," she wrote.
Rohn said her client especially objected to the school administration calling the police on Sept. 20, charging that the boy was creating a disturbance.
After receiving the transfer notice, he sent his son back to Woodson with his hair unbraided, Gibson said on Sunday. "I can't afford for him to miss school, and I can't afford for him to get hauled off by the cops, which is what they threatened to do," he said.
And he said he has agreed to comply with Hewitt's request not to send Anthony to school wearing corn rows while the situation is under review.
School dress codes are part of the overall disciplinary codes set by the Board of Education, but transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, where spokeswoman Juel Anderson said she found an account of Anthony's transfer hard to believe. "I spoke to the assistant principal," she said on Friday. "She told me the little boy was in school … I really don't believe they would transfer him without the notification of the parents."
Anderson said on Friday that both Hewitt and St. Croix District Superintendent Terrence Joseph were off island and could not be reached for comment.
Joseph had said earlier that an internal review of the controversy would result in a policy to apply to all of the St. Croix district public schools.
The executive director of the Board of Education, Evadney Hodge, said Anthony has been granted a hearing before the board on the matter, and it probably will take place by the end of October.
On Sunday, almost two weeks since the initial suspension, Gibson said he had not received a hearing date. He also said he has heard from other parents on St. Croix — one of them a teacher who taught him when he was a student at Central High School — about summary transfers involving their children in the district.
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.
Anthony Gibson, 12, was sent home from John H. Woodson Junior High School on Sept. 19 and again the following day because he was wearing his hair braided in corn rows. On Sept. 20, school officials called police to the school, claiming the boy was creating a disturbance.
The Woodson dress code prohibits boys from wearing braids. Published reports at the time cited Principal Vaughn Hewitt as saying that hair worn in that style by boys was a sign of gang affiliation.
Anthony's parents were already taking on the system with an appeal to the Board of Education when their son came home on Sept. 30 with a written notice that he had been transferred to Arthur A. Richards Junior High.
"They just gave him this letter and said, 'Give this to your father,'" Shawn Gibson, an employee of a contractor at the Hovensa refinery, said on Sunday. Gibson made it clear: "I didn't ask for a transfer."
Gibson subsequently engaged lawyer Lee J. Rohn to represent his son. In a letter dated Oct. 3 addressed to Acting Commissioner Noreen Michael and other top Education officials, Rohn said Anthony has the right to wear his hair in the braids without fear of suspension or police intervention. And, she said, transferring the student without notifying the parents was only making things worse.
In her letter, Rohn gave the board and department authorities 10 days to end the policy and to allow Anthony the freedom to wear corn rows to school. If the matter is not resolved by then, she said, she will take the matter to court.
"As I understand it, Anthony Gibson is an exemplary student who has had no disciplinary problems. He prefers to wear his hair in braids both as a matter of personal preference and as a statement as to what he stands for and his origins," she said.
"It is clear that the Department of Education is discriminating against him, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, denied him the right to be heard before imposing discipline, and slandered him by suggesting his hairstyle was a sign of gang affiliation," Rohn wrote.
Anthony "was not told the reason for his suspension, he was not given an opportunity to present his side of the matter, the notice of suspension was to be given to him in writing, and the suspension was to be reported to the parent in writing, which was not done," she wrote.
Rohn said her client especially objected to the school administration calling the police on Sept. 20, charging that the boy was creating a disturbance.
After receiving the transfer notice, he sent his son back to Woodson with his hair unbraided, Gibson said on Sunday. "I can't afford for him to miss school, and I can't afford for him to get hauled off by the cops, which is what they threatened to do," he said.
And he said he has agreed to comply with Hewitt's request not to send Anthony to school wearing corn rows while the situation is under review.
School dress codes are part of the overall disciplinary codes set by the Board of Education, but transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, where spokeswoman Juel Anderson said she found an account of Anthony's transfer hard to believe. "I spoke to the assistant principal," she said on Friday. "She told me the little boy was in school … I really don't believe they would transfer him without the notification of the parents."
Anderson said on Friday that both Hewitt and St. Croix District Superintendent Terrence Joseph were off island and could not be reached for comment.
Joseph had said earlier that an internal review of the controversy would result in a policy to apply to all of the St. Croix district public schools.
The executive director of the Board of Education, Evadney Hodge, said Anthony has been granted a hearing before the board on the matter, and it probably will take place by the end of October.
On Sunday, almost two weeks since the initial suspension, Gibson said he had not received a hearing date. He also said he has heard from other parents on St. Croix — one of them a teacher who taught him when he was a student at Central High School — about summary transfers involving their children in the district.
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.
'CLOSE TO HOME' PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT TO OPEN
Oct. 7, 2002 – "Close to Home," an exhibition of photographs by Carol Beckowitz, opens Oct. 17 at the V.I. Cultural Heritage Institute. The landscape and nature photographs were shot in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands as well as on Puerto Rico.
Beckowitz, who won the institute's first photography contest, "Last Rites," has a great passion for the natural world. She said she is constantly struck by the beauty of nature's most fundamental objects: the molecular unity of moving water, the aggregate of minerals that color stones and the astonishing variety of plant life.
Her dreamy and poetic photographs will be on display through Nov. 22 at the institute located in downtown Charlotte Amalie at 1826 Kongens Gade, also known as Education Street.
Beckowitz came to the Virgin Islands as a disaster relief worker after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. She lives on St. John with three cats and a menagerie of goats and wild donkeys, which are often the subjects of her photographs. Along with being a photographer, Beckowitz is a writer, naturalist, explorer and licensed emergency medical technician.
The opening reception begins Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 774-9537.
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Beckowitz, who won the institute's first photography contest, "Last Rites," has a great passion for the natural world. She said she is constantly struck by the beauty of nature's most fundamental objects: the molecular unity of moving water, the aggregate of minerals that color stones and the astonishing variety of plant life.
Her dreamy and poetic photographs will be on display through Nov. 22 at the institute located in downtown Charlotte Amalie at 1826 Kongens Gade, also known as Education Street.
Beckowitz came to the Virgin Islands as a disaster relief worker after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. She lives on St. John with three cats and a menagerie of goats and wild donkeys, which are often the subjects of her photographs. Along with being a photographer, Beckowitz is a writer, naturalist, explorer and licensed emergency medical technician.
The opening reception begins Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 774-9537.
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.
INNOVATIVE'S NONPAYMENT FORCING PSC TO ACT
Oct. 7, 2002 – Innovative Telephone faces court action as a result of its failure to pay $400,000 to the Public Services Commission by last Friday's deadline set by the PSC at a meeting on Sept. 30.
PSC attorney Frederick Watts said on Monday that he is "sure" he will be receiving instructions from the PSC, "and I'll report very shortly on that."
The court action may be for more than the $400,000. Watts said, "We'll take everything we're entitled to." The telephone company owes the commission $604,400 in rate investigation assessments dating back to May 2001. At its Sept. 30 meeting, the commission ordered Innovative to pay $400,000 of that amount by Friday or face being sued for everything it owes.
Innovative filed a motion for reconsideration of the order the same day, a spokesman said on Friday evening. However, that appeal has no bearing on its failure to pay the money it owes, Watts and PSC officials said.
Thomas J. Dunn, the Innovative Telephone spokesman, said on Monday that the PSC is "certainly entitled" to take legal action and that he had nothing more to say on the subject.
The telephone company has paid $75,000 of its total assessments since the legally mandated rate investigation began last year. It failure to pay the remainder has put the commission on flimsy financial footing, seriously hampering its ability to function, its chair, Desmond Maynard, and its account maintenance officer, Claudius Moore, have said.
Moore said at the Sept. 30 meeting that if Innovative does not put money into the PSC's government account to cover consulting fees and payroll costs, the commission might not receive its $150,000 fourth-quarter allotment for Fiscal Year 2002. In addition to the $604,400 Innovative owes in back invoices, Moore said, many subsequent assessments have not yet been billed. The company paid the $75,000 of a $213,000 invoice sent out about two months ago, Keithley Joseph, PSC executive director, said on Monday.
A utility regulated by the PSC has 30 days from the date of an assessment to make payment. At the Sept. 30 meeting, Watts told the commission regarding Innovative, "They're out of time." A company also has 30 days to file a petition for reassessment after an order, he said, and "you don't have to give them an extension."
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.
PSC attorney Frederick Watts said on Monday that he is "sure" he will be receiving instructions from the PSC, "and I'll report very shortly on that."
The court action may be for more than the $400,000. Watts said, "We'll take everything we're entitled to." The telephone company owes the commission $604,400 in rate investigation assessments dating back to May 2001. At its Sept. 30 meeting, the commission ordered Innovative to pay $400,000 of that amount by Friday or face being sued for everything it owes.
Innovative filed a motion for reconsideration of the order the same day, a spokesman said on Friday evening. However, that appeal has no bearing on its failure to pay the money it owes, Watts and PSC officials said.
Thomas J. Dunn, the Innovative Telephone spokesman, said on Monday that the PSC is "certainly entitled" to take legal action and that he had nothing more to say on the subject.
The telephone company has paid $75,000 of its total assessments since the legally mandated rate investigation began last year. It failure to pay the remainder has put the commission on flimsy financial footing, seriously hampering its ability to function, its chair, Desmond Maynard, and its account maintenance officer, Claudius Moore, have said.
Moore said at the Sept. 30 meeting that if Innovative does not put money into the PSC's government account to cover consulting fees and payroll costs, the commission might not receive its $150,000 fourth-quarter allotment for Fiscal Year 2002. In addition to the $604,400 Innovative owes in back invoices, Moore said, many subsequent assessments have not yet been billed. The company paid the $75,000 of a $213,000 invoice sent out about two months ago, Keithley Joseph, PSC executive director, said on Monday.
A utility regulated by the PSC has 30 days from the date of an assessment to make payment. At the Sept. 30 meeting, Watts told the commission regarding Innovative, "They're out of time." A company also has 30 days to file a petition for reassessment after an order, he said, and "you don't have to give them an extension."
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.
INNOVATIVE'S NON-PAYMENT FORCING PSC TO ACT
Oct. 7, 2002 – Innovative Telephone faces court action as a result of its failure to pay $400,000 to the Public Services Commission by last Friday's deadline set by the PSC at a meeting on Sept. 30.
PSC attorney Frederick Watts said on Monday that he is "sure" he will be receiving instructions from the PSC, "and I'll report very shortly on that."
The court action may be for more than the $400,000. Watts said, "We'll take everything we're entitled to." The telephone company owes the commission $604,400 in rate investigation assessments dating back to May 2001. At its Sept. 30 meeting, the commission ordered Innovative to pay $400,000 of that amount by Friday or face being sued for everything it owes.
Innovative filed a motion for reconsideration of the order the same day, a spokesman said on Friday evening. However, that appeal has no bearing on its failure to pay the money it owes, Watts and PSC officials said.
Thomas J. Dunn, the Innovative Telephone spokesman, said on Monday that the PSC is "certainly entitled" to take legal action and that he had nothing more to say on the subject.
The telephone company has paid $75,000 of its total assessments since the legally mandated rate investigation began last year. It failure to pay the remainder has put the commission on flimsy financial footing, seriously hampering its ability to function, its chair, Desmond Maynard, and its account maintenance officer, Claudius Moore, have said.
Moore said at the Sept. 30 meeting that if Innovative does not put money into the PSC's government account to cover consulting fees and payroll costs, the commission might not receive its $150,000 fourth-quarter allotment for Fiscal Year 2002. In addition to the $604,400 Innovative owes in back invoices, Moore said, many subsequent assessments have not yet been billed. The company paid the $75,000 of a $213,000 invoice sent out about two months ago, Keithley Joseph, PSC executive director, said on Monday.
A utility regulated by the PSC has 30 days from the date of an assessment to make payment. At the Sept. 30 meeting, Watts told the commission regarding Innovative, "They're out of time." A company also has 30 days to file a petition for reassessment after an order, he said, and "you don't have to give them an extension."
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.
PSC attorney Frederick Watts said on Monday that he is "sure" he will be receiving instructions from the PSC, "and I'll report very shortly on that."
The court action may be for more than the $400,000. Watts said, "We'll take everything we're entitled to." The telephone company owes the commission $604,400 in rate investigation assessments dating back to May 2001. At its Sept. 30 meeting, the commission ordered Innovative to pay $400,000 of that amount by Friday or face being sued for everything it owes.
Innovative filed a motion for reconsideration of the order the same day, a spokesman said on Friday evening. However, that appeal has no bearing on its failure to pay the money it owes, Watts and PSC officials said.
Thomas J. Dunn, the Innovative Telephone spokesman, said on Monday that the PSC is "certainly entitled" to take legal action and that he had nothing more to say on the subject.
The telephone company has paid $75,000 of its total assessments since the legally mandated rate investigation began last year. It failure to pay the remainder has put the commission on flimsy financial footing, seriously hampering its ability to function, its chair, Desmond Maynard, and its account maintenance officer, Claudius Moore, have said.
Moore said at the Sept. 30 meeting that if Innovative does not put money into the PSC's government account to cover consulting fees and payroll costs, the commission might not receive its $150,000 fourth-quarter allotment for Fiscal Year 2002. In addition to the $604,400 Innovative owes in back invoices, Moore said, many subsequent assessments have not yet been billed. The company paid the $75,000 of a $213,000 invoice sent out about two months ago, Keithley Joseph, PSC executive director, said on Monday.
A utility regulated by the PSC has 30 days from the date of an assessment to make payment. At the Sept. 30 meeting, Watts told the commission regarding Innovative, "They're out of time." A company also has 30 days to file a petition for reassessment after an order, he said, and "you don't have to give them an extension."
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.
