Aug. 23, 2002 – Testing for federal Transportation Security Administration screener jobs began Wednesday on St. Croix, said Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen in a news release.
The tests are being given at the Buccaneer Hotel and will continue until the TSA has filled the jobs at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix.
Testing began about three weeks ago at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa on St. Thomas. "We need a lot of people for St. Thomas and St. Croix," a tester said.
For persons who are interested but haven't yet applied for one of 140 baggage and passenger screeners in St. Croix and 130 jobs in St. Thomas, it's not too late. Go online at www.tsa.dot.gov or call 888-328-6172 to apply. Online, under menu choice at left for "Employment Opportunities," choose "Security Screener Opportunities."
TSA officials first announced the 270 hiring figure in July. (See Feds: V.I. Airport Screeners to Increase Six-fold)
Those who make it through the application process receive notification to call 877-631-5627 or 888-328-6172, or to go online to www.monster.com to register for the test.
"Within a week, they'll get a call back," said one tester at the Buccaneer.
They will be given an appointment at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. When they show up at the Buccaneer or the Wyndham, they will be directed to the testing location. Their name must be on the list in order for the guard at the gate to let them in.
The federal screener jobs pay $23,600 to $35,400 depending on experience. Additionally, workers get what the federal government calls locality pay and federal government benefits (health insurance, life insurance, retirement, paid vacation, and sick leave).
Screeners now employed at the airports are being encouraged to apply for these jobs. Anyone with relevant experience, which could include military experience, would be a suitable candidate as well.
Cyril E. King Airport currently has 31 screeners and three supervisors. Henry E. Rohlsen Airport has 14 screeners and three supervisors. All work for Worldwide Flight Services Inc., which holds contracts with the airlines for the service.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, speak English, hold a high school or general equivalency diploma, pass hearing and visual tests, and able to lift suitcases.
The jobs are supposed to start by Nov. 19, the deadline handed down by President George W. Bush when he signed into law the Aviation and Transportation Security Act on Nov. 19, 2001. It shifts responsibility for airport screening from private companies to the federal government.
The agency is currently recruiting people for these full- and part-time positions at 429 airports across the country. As of Aug. 20, said the TSA Website, "TSA has hired over 16,500 screeners, more than half of the 30,000 [passenger screeners] needed by the November deadline."

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Aug. 23, 2002 – Right-of-way issues with homeowners have caused months of delay in rebuilding a section of Route 107 and the 700 feet of Route 108 that abuts it, Ira Wade, deputy Public Works commissioner for St. John, said on Friday.
"We're in discussion right now with the Federal Highway Administration in regard to issuing RFP's," Wade said, referring to a request for proposals from contractors wanting to bid on the job.
He said the project is expected to run several million dollars but declined to be more specific.
Wade said 75 people own land along Route 107, and right-of-way permission had to be secured from all of them. He said contacting them all was an arduous process.
Some of the land owners of record were deceased, he said, and their heirs, and in some cases the heirs of the heirs, had to be located. "We had to chase them down," he said. Two pieces of land were condemned, he said.
Last October, FHA officials said construction was expected to start in five months. The delay prompted one off-island owner of land along Route 108 to ask the federal agency why the territory was not taking advantage of the federal money available for the project.
The landowner, Bart Wailes of Rockville, Maryland, said that after learning about the 75 land owners, he had a better understanding of issues on St. John.
"I know enough now to know I don't know what's going on," he said.
In e-mail messages to Wailes, FHA officials said problems with the Public Works Department's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program caused the delays. A recent report of a federal Interior Department audit said the territory failed to meet the federal mandate that 10 percent of federally funded programs go to qualified DBE companies.
Efforts to learn more about plans to bring the territory into compliance were unsuccessful. Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood Jr. did not return a telephone call requesting comment. Wade referred questions on the issue to Sharon Challenger, who heads the DBE program locally. She also did not return a phone call.
The project involves paving Route 107 from Coral Bay to the V.I. National Park road leading to Lameshur Bay. Preliminary work that included solving major drainage problems and installing some swales on Route 107 was finished in 2000.
Route 108 runs from Route 107 near Island Blues Restaurant outside Coral Bay through Bordeaux to Centerline Road. One segment that starts 700 feet from the road's end near Route 107 is paved. It runs uphill for a length equal to several city blocks to connect with a small stretch paved this spring after residents put up around $15,000 to pay for the project.
Residents have complained repeatedly about the section of Route 108 closest to Route 107. It is filled with deep ruts and large boulders. Two years ago, residents trucked dirt from a construction project in Coral Bay to the road in an attempt to make it safer to drive on.
While paving the 700 feet of Route 108 closest to Route 107 will solve those problems, people with property beyond where the paving now ends still face treacherous going.
The road is paved where it meets Centerline Road near the Bordeaux Overlook. Wade said an additional 0.8 mile of that road is slated for paving in the near future.
Bid opening is scheduled for Sept. 17.

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Aug. 24, 2002 — With three previous USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament titles to its credit, Lady Lou was the boat to beat this year. And no one could do it.
A total of 12 blue marlin releases this week at the 30th annual event, popularly known as the Boy Scouts Tournament, gave the San Juan entry a four-peat win for Best Boat, successfully defending Lady Lou's 2001 title.
Four marlin releases earned Lady Lou sportfisherman Jose Valdes Jr. the Best Angler award, $10,000 in cash.
His father, Jose Valdes Sr., owner/angler aboard the 61-foot Viking yacht, commented afterward, "It's great. All the marlin — that's what keeps us coming here each year."
A total of 81 anglers fishing off 29 yachts headed out to the North Drop for marlin hunting on Monday, Day 1, when Rum Bum took the lead with three blue marlin released by Jennifer Bacardi.
That day, Lady Lou angler and mate Luis Infanzoa said afterward, "We saw four fish, but only released one," by Valdes Jr. "So, we made some adjustments, some changes in the lures we were using."
Come Day 2, Lady Lou put its new strategy into play. "We headed right for what they call the Cuban Hole and — bang! — we started catching fish," Infanzoa said. "Every half hour, bing, bing, bing!" Angler Raphael Suares scored three of the Lady Lou releases, the same number as Luis Santana aboard Sandy, and Carl Hitch aboard Black and Gold. Suares took the lead by being the first to release three. Infanzoa released two and Valdes Jr. and Sr., one apiece, to give Lady Lou a three-fish lead at day's end.
Three more releases, two by Valdes Jr. and one by Suares, gave Lady Lou an unbeatable 11-fish total on Day 3. Infanzoa commented at the end of that day, "We've broke our own tournament record, and there's still one more day of fishing. We're pumped. There seems to be a lot more fish out there this year."
At the American Yacht Harbor docks that evening, while anglers celebrated and crews hosed down the vessels, the white and blue marlin flags flying signaled a great catching day for the fleet.
On Day 4, Infanzoa had one more release, not that the Lady Lou team needed it for Best Boat honors.
St Croix's Rock-N-Robin placed second, with eight releases. "It was pretty suspenseful," Jason Pruns, captain of the 60-foot Hatteras, said at the end of the final day of fishing. "We were neck and neck with another boat but had them on time. Then we got another one this morning, but they got one after that. Then they hooked up and missed, then we missed one, too."
Ultimately, the other vessel, Black Shadow, with Capt. Chris Turner at the helm, placed third for Best Boat, also with eight released blue marlin.
Behind Valdes Jr., Santana aboard Sandy placed second for Best Angler, and Suares on Lady Lou was third.
Lady Lou also won the Best Crew award, for Capt. Johnny Fulgueira and mates Israel Ruiz and Tito Martinez.
Bacardi triumphed as Best Female Angler.
The fishing proved fantastic over the August full moon, with the 29 boats releasing
a total of 117 blue marlin — an average of four per boat — all on relatively lightweight 50-pound test line that requires adept angling skills.
For the 15th year, no fish were boated, with release points and times determining the winners. Once again, no one could claim the $1 million prize offered annually — and yet to be won — for reeling in the first blue marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
Over its three decades, the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament has evolved into one of the world's most competitive saltwater sportfishing events. It's a part of the Bisbee's World Billfish Series and is a qualifier for the Rolex-IGFA Invitational Tournament of Champions.
In the local community, the tournament is best known as a fund-raiser for the Virgin Islands Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Last year, it raised more than $140,000 for the V.I. scouting program. Tournament director Jimmy Loveland said he anticipates a comparable donation this year.

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Aug. 23, 2002 – Statistics from the V.I. Bureau of Economic Research showing the number of tourists coming to the territory in the first six months of 2002 down by 7.8 percent from the year-earlier period are being seen in different lights by the government and the private sector.
Lauritz Mills, director of the Bureau of Economic Research, sent out a press release saying, in essence, wait a minute, things aren't as bad as they seem.
"Let's put it in perspective," she said in a Source interview.
Across the Caribbean, she said, tourism fell by double digits following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland. Until Sept. 11, she said, Virgin Islands tourism was strong.
Thanks to a healthy winter, spring and summer in 2001 that offset plummeting figures after Sept. 11, tourism arrivals increased by 5 percent overall for 2001, she said.
While the number of cruise ship passengers increased by 7 percent for all of 2001, the number of air arrivals dropped by 3 percent.
Mills' press release was followed by one from gubernatorial candidate John de Jongh that said the figures don't lie.
"We're in trouble, and those at the top refuse to acknowledge it," de Jongh said, calling for the creation of a V.I. Tourism Authority.
The V.I. business sector in general and the hospitality industry in particular lobbied several years ago for the creation of a private/public tourism authority that would replace the government's Tourism Department. The semi-autonomous authority would have majority membership from the private sector. The 23rd Legislature passed a bill creating such an authority, but Gov. Charles W. Turnbull vetoed it.
In his release, de Jongh said the territory needs leadership that "understands the basics of a tourism economy and who knows how to partner with all components of the industry … the airlines, the cruise ship companies, the hotels, the travel agents, the charter boat companies and all others that impact this most important segment of our economy."
In addition to the effects of Sept. 11, observers say the drop in tourist arrivals reflects a downturn in the economy — the plummeting stock market and the fact that major corporations are laying off workers left and right.
Bob Siefert, president of the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association and general manager of the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino, said that economically "bulletproof" resorts such as Caneel Bay on St. John, Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda and the Four Seasons on Nevis aren't affected. But, he added, properties such as the Divi suffer because their middle-income guests are worried about whether they'll have jobs next month.
And, he said, the publicity about Carnival Cruise Lines dropping St. Croix as a stop for two of its larger ships because of concerns about crime hasn't helped.
A look at the January-June figures for 2002 and 2001 show that St. Croix took the biggest hit, with air arrivals down 11 percent this year over last. For St. Thomas and St. John, the drop was 4.4 percent.
Cruise passenger arrivals were off 28.7 percent for St. Croix, which had relatively few ships calling, and down 8.7 percent combined for St. Thomas, by far the territory's major port of call, and St. John.
As far as overnight visitors, since St. Thomas and St. John numbers are lumped together, they may not reflect St. John's reality. Kathy McLaughlin, who heads the St. John Accommodations Council, said that while this January looked a little soft compared to January 2001, bookings were strong throughout the spring.
"We had a lot more last-minute bookings," she said. And she said vacation villa managers were occasionally driven to discount their prices to fill their properties.
McLaughlin's remarks reflect what hoteliers said throughout the winter and spring season — that people were waiting until right before their departure to book, so as to see what sales might materialize and whether it was safe to fly.
However, Richard Doumeng, former president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel Association, said that given what the industry had anticipated after Sept. 11, the winter season turned out better than expected.
But number of visitors does not tell the whole story. Territorywide, hoteliers slashed their prices to entice tourists. "It's a double whammy," Siefert said.
Siefert said a government-sponsored promotion giving guests their fourth night free, a 35 percent discount on the room rate and a $100 gift certificate that cost hoteliers $50 helped to fill rooms. But, he added, it didn't generate as much revenue as rooms sold at the usual rate would have done.
Doumeng said rates published in The New York Times showed the upscale Renaissance Grand Beach Resort offering deals cheaper than the middle-of-the-road Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villas, which his family owns and for which he is the general manager.
"That's not good for the Renaissance, and it's not good for Bolongo," Doumeng said.
Siefert said the prognosis for the coming winter season doesn't look promising. "We’re not seeing anything," he said.
But Doumeng said he's not worrying yet. Long before Sept. 11, the travel industry created a "society of procrastinators and bargain hunters," he said. "It's not unusual to pick up 30 to 35 percent of the occupancy rate for the month in the month."
David Yamada, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, and the organization's executive director, Beverly Nicholson, were both off island on Friday.

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Aug. 23, 2002 – With gambling addiction an increasingly visible problem since the Divi Carina Bay Casino opened its doors in March 2000, the V.I. Alliance for Responsible Gaming wants to help.
However, Casino Control Commission Director Shawna K. Richards said the Finance Department hasn't released a penny of the more than $3 million deposited by Divi Carina Bay in the Casino Revenue Fund so the Alliance can set up a treatment program.
The V.I. Casino and Resort Control Act of 1995 mandates that 1 percent of the casino fund go to gambling and addiction programs and 1 percent to The Village–Virgin Islands Partners in Recovery, for preventing and treating gambling addictions.
While the law doesn't state who gets the first 1 percent, the Alliance for Responsible Gaming is an appropriate organization to set up such a program, said Richards. The alliance is made up of representatives from the casino, lottery and horse-racing industries, gaming regulators and mental health professionals.
"Although providing gambling education and treatment programs is not a mandated responsibility of the Casino Control Commission, we have taken a very aggressive role in spearheading the efforts of the Alliance because we believe it is our responsibility to the Virgin Islands community," Lloyd McAlpin, Casino Control commissioner, said in a news release.
Richards said the Alliance would like to provide training for people who deal with gambling addictions and set up a 24-hour hot line for people who need help. She did not know how much money would be needed for these programs.
McAlpin said access to those funds would allow the newly formed Gamblers Anonymous and The Village to help people who need it.
Despite the provision in the Casino and Resort Control Act of 1995 that it get 1 percent of the Casino Revenue Fund, The Village also has not received any money, director Chainie Lang said.
"People will seek help if they know help is there, but we cannot do it without dollars" Lang said.
Both she and Richards are quick to point out that gambling addictions existed across the territory before the arrival of the Divi, mentioning horse-racing, dog fights and cockfights as examples.
One member of Gamblers Anonymous who spoke on condition of anonymity said that across the United States, about 3 percent of the population are thought to be compulsive gamblers. Gamblers Anonymous started about six weeks ago, according to this source, who said attendance was low, in part because word isn't out about the group.
"Compulsive gambling is a new subject. There hasn't been any type of awareness program," the person said.
A money management program that starts with children and high school students could help prevent people from becoming compulsive gamblers, said the source. Instead, they would learn to budget a set amount for entertainment, including gambling, and stop when they spent it.
Gamblers Anonymous follows a 12-step assisted self-help program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. The source said the group did not need funding.
In fact the GA Web site states "Every Gamblers Anonymous Group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions." Twelve-step groups traditionally support themselves by accepting small donations, usually about $1, at meetings.
The organization meets at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Speak the Word Ministries in Peter's Rest, St. Croix.
Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull did not return a phone call requesting comment about the money earmarked for treatment.
Lang said people who want information about Gamblers Anonymous can call the Village at 719-9800 or write to Gamblers Anonymous in care of The Village at Box 5105, Sunny Isle, St. Croix, 00823.

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Aug. 24, 2002 — With three previous USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament titles to its credit, Lady Lou was the boat to beat this year. And no one could do it.
A total of 12 blue marlin releases this week at the 30th annual event, popularly known as the Boy Scouts Tournament, gave the San Juan entry a four-peat win for Best Boat, successfully defending Lady Lou's 2001 title.
Four marlin releases earned Lady Lou sportfisherman Jose Valdes Jr. the Best Angler award, $10,000 in cash.
His father, Jose Valdes Sr., owner/angler aboard the 61-foot Viking yacht, commented afterward, "It's great. All the marlin — that's what keeps us coming here each year."
A total of 81 anglers fishing off 29 yachts headed out to the North Drop for marlin hunting on Monday, Day 1, when Rum Bum took the lead with three blue marlin released by Jennifer Bacardi.
That day, Lady Lou angler and mate Luis Infanzoa said afterward, "We saw four fish, but only released one," by Valdes Jr. "So, we made some adjustments, some changes in the lures we were using."
Come Day 2, Lady Lou put its new strategy into play. "We headed right for what they call the Cuban Hole and — bang! — we started catching fish," Infanzoa said. "Every half hour, bing, bing, bing!" Angler Raphael Suares scored three of the Lady Lou releases, the same number as Luis Santana aboard Sandy, and Carl Hitch aboard Black and Gold. Suares took the lead by being the first to release three. Infanzoa released two and Valdes Jr. and Sr., one apiece, to give Lady Lou a three-fish lead at day's end.
Three more releases, two by Valdes Jr. and one by Suares, gave Lady Lou an unbeatable 11-fish total on Day 3. Infanzoa commented at the end of that day, "We've broke our own tournament record, and there's still one more day of fishing. We're pumped. There seems to be a lot more fish out there this year."
At the American Yacht Harbor docks that evening, while anglers celebrated and crews hosed down the vessels, the white and blue marlin flags flying signaled a great catching day for the fleet.
On Day 4, Infanzoa had one more release, not that the Lady Lou team needed it for Best Boat honors.
St Croix's Rock-N-Robin placed second, with eight releases. "It was pretty suspenseful," Jason Pruns, captain of the 60-foot Hatteras, said at the end of the final day of fishing. "We were neck and neck with another boat but had them on time. Then we got another one this morning, but they got one after that. Then they hooked up and missed, then we missed one, too."
Ultimately, the other vessel, Black Shadow, with Capt. Chris Turner at the helm, placed third for Best Boat, also with eight released blue marlin.
Behind Valdes Jr., Santana aboard Sandy placed second for Best Angler, and Suares on Lady Lou was third.
Lady Lou also won the Best Crew award, for Capt. Johnny Fulgueira and mates Israel Ruiz and Tito Martinez.
Bacardi triumphed as Best Female Angler.
The fishing proved fantastic over the August full moon, with the 29 boats releasing
a total of 117 blue marlin — an average of four per boat — all on relatively lightweight 50-pound test line that requires adept angling skills.
For the 15th year, no fish were boated, with release points and times determining the winners. Once again, no one could claim the $1 million prize offered annually — and yet to be won — for reeling in the first blue marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
Over its three decades, the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament has evolved into one of the world's most competitive saltwater sportfishing events. It's a part of the Bisbee's World Billfish Series and is a qualifier for the Rolex-IGFA Invitational Tournament of Champions.
In the local community, the tournament is best known as a fund-raiser for the Virgin Islands Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Last year, it raised more than $140,000 for the V.I. scouting program. Tournament director Jimmy Loveland said he anticipates a comparable donation this year.

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.

Aug. 23, 2002 – Statistics from the V.I. Bureau of Economic Research showing the number of tourists coming to the territory in the first six months of 2002 down by 7.8 percent from the year-earlier period are being seen in different lights by the government and the private sector.
Lauritz Mills, director of the Bureau of Economic Research, sent out a press release saying, in essence, wait a minute, things aren't as bad as they seem.
"Let's put it in perspective," she said in a Source interview.
Across the Caribbean, she said, tourism fell by double digits following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland. Until Sept. 11, she said, Virgin Islands tourism was strong.
Thanks to a healthy winter, spring and summer in 2001 that offset plummeting figures after Sept. 11, tourism arrivals increased by 5 percent overall for 2001, she said.
While the number of cruise ship passengers increased by 7 percent for all of 2001, the number of air arrivals dropped by 3 percent.
Mills' press release was followed by one from gubernatorial candidate John de Jongh that said the figures don't lie.
"We're in trouble, and those at the top refuse to acknowledge it," de Jongh said, calling for the creation of a V.I. Tourism Authority.
The V.I. business sector in general and the hospitality industry in particular lobbied several years ago for the creation of a private/public tourism authority that would replace the government's Tourism Department. The semi-autonomous authority would have majority membership from the private sector. The 23rd Legislature passed a bill creating such an authority, but Gov. Charles W. Turnbull vetoed it.
In his release, de Jongh said the territory needs leadership that "understands the basics of a tourism economy and who knows how to partner with all components of the industry … the airlines, the cruise ship companies, the hotels, the travel agents, the charter boat companies and all others that impact this most important segment of our economy."
In addition to the effects of Sept. 11, observers say the drop in tourist arrivals reflects a downturn in the economy — the plummeting stock market and the fact that major corporations are laying off workers left and right.
Bob Siefert, president of the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association and general manager of the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino, said that economically "bulletproof" resorts such as Caneel Bay on St. John, Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda and the Four Seasons on Nevis aren't affected. But, he added, properties such as the Divi suffer because their middle-income guests are worried about whether they'll have jobs next month.
And, he said, the publicity about Carnival Cruise Lines dropping St. Croix as a stop for two of its larger ships because of concerns about crime hasn't helped.
A look at the January-June figures for 2002 and 2001 show that St. Croix took the biggest hit, with air arrivals down 11 percent this year over last. For St. Thomas and St. John, the drop was 4.4 percent.
Cruise passenger arrivals were off 28.7 percent for St. Croix, which had relatively few ships calling, and down 8.7 percent combined for St. Thomas, by far the territory's major port of call, and St. John.
As far as overnight visitors, since St. Thomas and St. John numbers are lumped together, they may not reflect St. John's reality. Kathy McLaughlin, who heads the St. John Accommodations Council, said that while this January looked a little soft compared to January 2001, bookings were strong throughout the spring.
"We had a lot more last-minute bookings," she said. And she said vacation villa managers were occasionally driven to discount their prices to fill their properties.
McLaughlin's remarks reflect what hoteliers said throughout the winter and spring season — that people were waiting until right before their departure to book, so as to see what sales might materialize and whether it was safe to fly.
However, Richard Doumeng, former president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel Association, said that given what the industry had anticipated after Sept. 11, the winter season turned out better than expected.
But number of visitors does not tell the whole story. Territorywide, hoteliers slashed their prices to entice tourists. "It's a double whammy," Siefert said.
Siefert said a government-sponsored promotion giving guests their fourth night free, a 35 percent discount on the room rate and a $100 gift certificate that cost hoteliers $50 helped to fill rooms. But, he added, it didn't generate as much revenue as rooms sold at the usual rate would have done.
Doumeng said rates published in The New York Times showed the upscale Renaissance Grand Beach Resort offering deals cheaper than the middle-of-the-road Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villas, which his family owns and for which he is the general manager.
"That's not good for the Renaissance, and it's not good for Bolongo," Doumeng said.
Siefert said the prognosis for the coming winter season doesn't look promising. "We’re not seeing anything," he said.
But Doumeng said he's not worrying yet. Long before Sept. 11, the travel industry created a "society of procrastinators and bargain hunters," he said. "It's not unusual to pick up 30 to 35 percent of the occupancy rate for the month in the month."
David Yamada, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, and the organization's executive director, Beverly Nicholson, were both off island on Friday.

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.

Aug. 23, 2002 – With gambling addiction an increasingly visible problem since the Divi Carina Bay Casino opened its doors in March 2000, the V.I. Alliance for Responsible Gaming wants to help.
However, Casino Control Commission Director Shawna K. Richards said the Finance Department hasn't released a penny of the more than $3 million deposited by Divi Carina Bay in the Casino Revenue Fund so the Alliance can set up a treatment program.
The V.I. Casino and Resort Control Act of 1995 mandates that 1 percent of the casino fund go to gambling and addiction programs and 1 percent to The Village–Virgin Islands Partners in Recovery, for preventing and treating gambling addictions.
While the law doesn't state who gets the first 1 percent, the Alliance for Responsible Gaming is an appropriate organization to set up such a program, said Richards. The alliance is made up of representatives from the casino, lottery and horse-racing industries, gaming regulators and mental health professionals.
"Although providing gambling education and treatment programs is not a mandated responsibility of the Casino Control Commission, we have taken a very aggressive role in spearheading the efforts of the Alliance because we believe it is our responsibility to the Virgin Islands community," Lloyd McAlpin, Casino Control commissioner, said in a news release.
Richards said the Alliance would like to provide training for people who deal with gambling addictions and set up a 24-hour hot line for people who need help. She did not know how much money would be needed for these programs.
McAlpin said access to those funds would allow the newly formed Gamblers Anonymous and The Village to help people who need it.
Despite the provision in the Casino and Resort Control Act of 1995 that it get 1 percent of the Casino Revenue Fund, The Village also has not received any money, director Chainie Lang said.
"People will seek help if they know help is there, but we cannot do it without dollars" Lang said.
Both she and Richards are quick to point out that gambling addictions existed across the territory before the arrival of the Divi, mentioning horse-racing, dog fights and cockfights as examples.
One member of Gamblers Anonymous who spoke on condition of anonymity said that across the United States, about 3 percent of the population are thought to be compulsive gamblers. Gamblers Anonymous started about six weeks ago, according to this source, who said attendance was low, in part because word isn't out about the group.
"Compulsive gambling is a new subject. There hasn't been any type of awareness program," the person said.
A money management program that starts with children and high school students could help prevent people from becoming compulsive gamblers, said the source. Instead, they would learn to budget a set amount for entertainment, including gambling, and stop when they spent it.
Gamblers Anonymous follows a 12-step assisted self-help program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. The source said the group did not need funding.
In fact the GA Web site states "Every Gamblers Anonymous Group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions." Twelve-step groups traditionally support themselves by accepting small donations, usually about $1, at meetings.
The organization meets at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Speak the Word Ministries in Peter's Rest, St. Croix.
Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull did not return a phone call requesting comment about the money earmarked for treatment.
Lang said people who want information about Gamblers Anonymous can call the Village at 719-9800 or write to Gamblers Anonymous in care of The Village at Box 5105, Sunny Isle, St. Croix, 00823.

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.

Aug. 23, 2002 – Testing for federal Transportation Security Administration screener jobs began Wednesday on St. Croix, said Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen in a news release.
The tests are being given at the Buccaneer Hotel and will continue until the TSA has filled the jobs at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix.
Testing began about three weeks ago at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa on St. Thomas. "We need a lot of people for St. Thomas and St. Croix," a tester said.
For persons who are interested but haven't yet applied for one of 140 baggage and passenger screeners in St. Croix and 130 jobs in St. Thomas, it's not too late. Go online at www.tsa.dot.gov or call 888-328-6172 to apply. Online, under menu choice at left for "Employment Opportunities," choose "Security Screener Opportunities."
TSA officials first announced the 270 hiring figure in July. (See Feds: V.I. Airport Screeners to Increase Six-fold)
Those who make it through the application process receive notification to call 877-631-5627 or 888-328-6172, or to go online to www.monster.com to register for the test.
"Within a week, they'll get a call back," said one tester at the Buccaneer.
They will be given an appointment at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. When they show up at the Buccaneer or the Wyndham, they will be directed to the testing location. Their name must be on the list in order for the guard at the gate to let them in.
The federal screener jobs pay $23,600 to $35,400 depending on experience. Additionally, workers get what the federal government calls locality pay and federal government benefits (health insurance, life insurance, retirement, paid vacation, and sick leave).
Screeners now employed at the airports are being encouraged to apply for these jobs. Anyone with relevant experience, which could include military experience, would be a suitable candidate as well.
Cyril E. King Airport currently has 31 screeners and three supervisors. Henry E. Rohlsen Airport has 14 screeners and three supervisors. All work for Worldwide Flight Services Inc., which holds contracts with the airlines for the service.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, speak English, hold a high school or general equivalency diploma, pass hearing and visual tests, and able to lift suitcases.
The jobs are supposed to start by Nov. 19, the deadline handed down by President George W. Bush when he signed into law the Aviation and Transportation Security Act on Nov. 19, 2001. It shifts responsibility for airport screening from private companies to the federal government.
The agency is currently recruiting people for these full- and part-time positions at 429 airports across the country. As of Aug. 20, said the TSA Website, "TSA has hired over 16,500 screeners, more than half of the 30,000 [passenger screeners] needed by the November deadline."

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Aug. 23, 2002 – All but the biggest chunks of the government's Fiscal Year 2003 budget made their way through the Senate Rules Committee Thursday, despite the repeated efforts of one senator to bring proceedings to a halt.
Sen. Adelbert Bryan, who attended no Finance Committee budget hearings, made up for lost time Thursday, questioning the intent and financing of each bill, while opining far and wide on everything from Saddam Hussein and President Bush to Cruzan Rum sales at A.H. Riise.
The committee approved 23 of the 26 bills on the agenda, allowed one to die in committee, and postponed action until Monday on the executive branch budget and the voluminous Omnibus Appropriation Act of 2003. Also yet to be adopted is the Legislature's own FY 2003 budget, which originates in the Rules Committee.
Thursday's session was to have begun at 10 a.m. but was delayed for more than an hour awaiting the arrival of some St. Croix senators because their flight to St. Thomas was late. It was recessed shortly after it was convened, when Bryan demanded the post auditor's analysis of each bill on the agenda, so work didn't actually get under way until early afternoon.
After calling a half-hour recess around 6 p.m., the Rules chair, Sen. Carlton Dowe, announced the executive budget and Omnibus bills would be heard on Monday, which had been scheduled for a full Senate session for final review of all the budget bills. Dowe said the full session would be changed to Tuesday and Wednesday.
The executive branch budget, the Omnibus bill and the legislative budget were to have been heard last in the afternoon. The other bills, which had gone through extensive review in the Finance Committee and mark-up sessions, were approved with little discussion. The only dissenting votes came from Bryan, who either abstained or voted "no" on all but three of the measures.
The bills approved include fund transfers, supplemental department appropriations, $29 million for the University of the Virgin Islands, a $4.5 million for WTJX-TV/the V.I. Public Television System to comply with the federally mandated conversion from analog to digital transmission, and additional funding for the territory's three carnival events.
Bryan quizzed Post Auditor Terry Drake on each bill, asking questions Drake sometimes couldn't answer. Things came to a head when Bryan demanded to know the breakdown of appropriations from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund. The fund is supported by excise taxes from rum sales on the U.S. mainland, and therefore fluctuates. Bryan demanded to know the present amount in the fund, a figure Drake could not supply.
Hansen noted, and her other colleagues agreed, that it is impossible to know the precise amount of money in the fund at any given time. "It is a projection," she said. "If people drink more rum next year, then it's more; and if they don't, it's less." She added that Bryan was fully aware of how the fund operated.
As Bryan continued to badger Drake, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel also came to the post auditor's defense. "The impression is that we don't get information; that is not so," she said. "We do get information."
More sparks over Lieutenant Governor's Office
Another hot-button topic of the day was the budget for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, which Hansen and Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II spoke out on in back-to-back press conferences last week. The Finance Committee cut James's budget by about $1.4 million from the increase the governor had proposed after James refused to appear before the committee himself, instead on two occasions sending his chief of staff. Hansen refused to hear testimony from the aide, so the budget never got an airing before the committee.
Bryan persisted in quizzing Drake about the $1.4 million cut. "These are people who deal with property taxes and insurance," Bryan said. "On the one hand, you are increasing salaries, and on the other hand, you are decreasing the salaries of others."
Drake's explanation of the committee's action was: "It was vacant positions that were cut from the lieutenant governor's office. There were no employees in the positions at the time."
Bryan disagreed, insisting that James's office had been shorted 25 positions. He said he would later offer an amendment on the office budget. "They don't have new employees to assess properties like Hovensa," Bryan said.
Hansen said, "If these positions were so important, why weren't they listed in the classified category? They're political positions." She added of James, "He should have come before the committee." She also pointed out that, had Bryan attended the budget hearings, he would have had all the information he needed.
Pickard-Samuel, a Finance Committee member, sided with Hansen, making it clear the committee had not reduced James's staff. "I don't want anyone in this community to think we cut anyone's salary," she said. James has said he was in the process of interviewing candidates for the positions and that he terminated the process because of the budget cut.
No support for privatization of clinics
A bill transferring the East End Family Health Center on St. Thomas to the St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corp. and the Frederiksted Health Center/Ingeborg Nesbitt Clinic to Frederiksted Health Care Inc. was not approved. It died in committee for lack of a second after Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole moved its adoption.
From the start, Hansen had opposed the transfer of the facilities from government status to not-for-profit operations, which Government House has cited as an example of its move toward privitization of certain government services. Administration officials had said the clinics at not-for-profits would be eligible for federal grant funding they could not receive as government entities.
At the last Finance Committee meeting, it was approved despite her protests on a 3-1 vote, with one abstention. Sens. Douglas E. Canton Jr., Cole and Dowe voted "yes," with Hansen voting "no" and Sen. Norman Jn Baptist abstaining. On Thursday, Cole found himself standing alone.
At the Finance hearing, Hansen had called the proposal, submitted by the governor, "very ridiculous." She compared it to giving the territory's hospitals semi-autonomy, which she said has been the downfall of Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix by creating jurisdictional problems within the facility. On Thursday, Hansen asked Dowe if the bill could be moved again in the Rules Committee. Dowe replied, "Yes, but not today." Hansen retorted, "I'll move it again. I'll move it to kill it."
As Bryan continued to try to hold the meeting hostage with his verbal attacks on Drake and his relentless questioning of issues already resolved in earlier meetings, Dowe criticized his colleague's tactics. "Every member of this body had the opportunity to attend budget hearings," Dowe said. "Today is not the time" to be raising questions already addressed, he said.
All of the budget bills were reported out to the full Senate on a "close rule," which means they cannot be amended on the floor — and effectively prevents any non-majority member from acting on them. The Rules Committee comprises all majority members.
Budget bills approved
The committee approved:
No. 24-0265 – to appropriate money to the Property and Procurement Department for operating expenses from Business and Commercial Properties Revolving Fund.
No. 24-0266 – to appropriate money to the University of the Virgin Islands for salaries and expenses, and for other purposes.
No. 24-0267 – to appropriate money to the Finance and Labor Departments for operating expenses from the Government Insurance Fund.
No. 24-0268 – to appropriate a lump sum from the Health Revolving Fund.
No. 24-0269 – to app ropriate a lump sum from the Indirect Cost Fund for salaries, operating expenses and other purposes of the Office of Management and Budget, Division of Personnel, Property and Procurement Department and Finance Department.
No. 24-0270 – to appropriate a lump sum from the Insurance Guaranty Fund to the General Fund.
No. 24-0271 – to appropriate funds from the Interest Revenue Fund.
No. 24-0272 – to appropriate funds from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund.
No. 24-0273 – to appropriate funds from the Caribbean Basin Initiative Fund.
No. 24-0274 – to appropriate funds from the Transportation Revolving Fund for salaries, fringe benefits, supplies and other services and charges for the Property and Procurement Department.
No. 24-0275 – to appropriate funds for Public Works Department operating expenses from the Sewage System Fund.
No. 24-0276 – to appropriate $10 million from the Transportation Trust Fund to the General Fund.
No. 24-0277 – to appropriate funds to the Public Services Commission for operating expenses.
No. 24-0278 – to appropriate funds for Public Works Department operating expenses from the St. John Capital Improvement Fund.
No. 24-0279 – to appropriate $4.5 million from the General Fund to WTJX/Public Television System.
No. 24-0280 – to appropriate funds from the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund to the Housing Parks and Recreation Department.
No. 24-0281 – to provide for operating expenses of the Public Employees Relations Board and the Labor Management Committee.
No. 24-0286 – to authorize the Office of Management and Budget director to allocate funds from the Miscellaneous Section of the 2003 Fiscal Year Budget to cover salary increases to each department and agency of the executive branch. *
No. 24-0287 – to amend the V.I. Code to permit the Property and Procurement commissioner to set fees for use of the government printing office.
No. 24-0288 – to appropriate funds to the Taxicab Commission for operating expenses.
No. 24-0289 – to appropriate funds from the Anti-Litter and Beautification Fund to the Public Works Department, and for other purposes.
No. 24-0290 – to appropriate funds for Territorial Court and Judicial Council salaries and expenses, and for other purposes. *
No. 24-0291 – to appropriate funds for Territorial Public Defender's Office operating expenses. *
* These three bills were approved unanimously. On all of the others, Bryan cast the lone "no" vote or abstained.

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