The Government Employees' Retirement System invites members over 30 years of age to participate in a Pre-retirement Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wdnesday, Oct. 24, in the GERS Conference Room, 3rd Floor GERS Building.
Learn about your benefits.

Oct. 9, 2001 – The Virgin Islands usually has no say when major American political decisions are made — such as the election of the president. But Delegate Donna Christian Christensen will be one of the decision-makers on Thursday when she votes for the new Democratic Party Whip in the House of Representatives.
It may sound like an obscure position, Democratic Whip of the House, but people holding that job often later become the Speaker of the House, one of the most important political posts in the nation. Carl Albert, Tip O'Neil and Tom Foley are among those who had been Democratic Whips before becoming Speaker.
The V.I. delegate, according to her staff, will vote for Nancy Pelosi, a liberal Democratic congresswoman from San Francisco. Pelosi is running against a moderate Democrat from the Maryland suburbs, Steny Hoyer. Both are seeking to fill the position being vacated by David Bonior, a liberal Michigan Democrat who will be leaving the House next year to run for governor of Michigan.
According to The Washington Post, Pelosi appears to be leading Hoyer in number of pledged supporters, but since voting is to be secret ballot on Thursday, pledges are no guarantee of who will win.
While the Virgin Islands is represented by a delegate who cannot vote on the floor of the House, she and the other island-territory delegates do vote in the Democratic Caucus (none are Republicans), and thus Christensen will be one of 215 people voting Thursday.
The Whip is the de facto deputy leader of the Democrats in the House when they are — as they are now — in the minority. The minority Whip often moves up to become the minority party's floor leader and, when the minority party becomes the majority, to become the Speaker.
The election of a Speaker every two years is fore-ordained by the composition of the House: The candidate of the majority party will win. But the party Whip race is an open one — and winners remember favorably those who supported them in these contests, even after the contests have faded into history.
Christensen's expected vote for Pelosi reminds old political hands of a contest for the Democratic floor leadership in 1977. In that contest, V.I. Delegate Ron de Lugo and all the other island delegates voted for the legendary, island-loving Congressman Phil Burton, but he lost by a single vote to Texan Jim Wright, who later moved up to be Speaker. Pelosi, winning her first election in 1987, succeeded Phil Burton's late widow, Sala Burton, in the House.

The Government Employees' Retirement System invites members over 30 to participate in a Pre-retirement Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the GERS Conference Room, 3rd Floor GERS Building.
Learn about your benefits.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Virgin Islands will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, and 8 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Baha'i Center at 129 Contant, St. Thomas.
For more information call 340-774-3648, or email nsa@vi.bahai.org or visit the website at www.vi.bahai.org.

Dear Source:
Let's talk about the crime in the Virgin Islands and the solutions that our politicians have suggested to bring it under control.
We have heard the governor proclaim that he hates guns.
Those charged with combating crime have established a task force to be on the front line of waging the war against the epidemic of violent, gun-related crimes infecting our paradise. Project "Exile" was implemented with much hoopla.
The Legislature has sent a law to the governor that increases the penalties for illegal firearm possession. These measures are designed to eradicate illegal firearms in the territory.
Their intentions are honorable; however, the measures do nothing to close a gaping loophole in the V.I. Code that handcuffs the police from (l) stopping individuals suspected of possessing firearms, (2) conducting a search of that individual to determine whether or not they in fact are in possession of a firearm and, if they are, (3) determining if they have a license.
This loophole in the V.I. Code was exposed in August of 2000 by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals – the court that represents the next-to-last court of final appeal in the Virgin Islands, subordinate only to the Supreme Court of the United States – when it declared " … it is not a crime to possess a firearm in the Virgin Islands – even when standing in a crowd."
The court made the declaration in deciding that the police had violated a young man's constitutional right to privacy when, acting on an anonymous tip, they approached him and seized a Jennings Long Rifle .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol, model J-22, concealed in his clothing in the middle of the J'Ouvert Carnival celebration.
The Code currently states: "Whoever, unless otherwise authorized by law, has, possesses, bears, transports or carries either, actually or constructively, openly or concealed, any firearm, … loaded or unloaded, may be arrested without a warrant, and shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than six months nor more than three years and shall be fined not more than $5,000."
There lies the loophole. The police can only approach an individual when they have a reason to believe that he is committing a crime. The police, in stopping the young man, did not determine beforehand that he was not authorized by law to possess the firearm. Therefore, the court opined that they had no reason to approach him and search him. If he was authorized by law to possess a firearm, he was not committing a crime.
The V.I. Code should state "Whoever has, possesses, bears, transports or carries either, actually or constructively, openly or concealed, any firearm, … loaded or unloaded, may be arrested without a warrant, and shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than six months nor more than three years and shall be fined not more than $5,000." That language would make it a crime to be in possession of a firearm by everyone.
Those individuals lawfully in possession of a firearm, those authorized by law, e.g. peace officers, military personnel, and those private citizens who have been lawfully licensed by the Government to possess a firearm, should be granted an exemption from prosecution by the next paragraph.
If we are to take firearms out of the hands of those unlawfully in possession of them, we must amend our laws to make possession of a firearm a crime in the Virgin Islands.
Phillip Phipps
St. Thomas

Editor's note: 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.

Dear Source:
Let's talk about the crime in the Virgin Islands and the solutions that our politicians have suggested to bring it under control.
We have heard the governor proclaim that he hates guns.
Those charged with combating crime have established a task force to be on the front line of waging the war against the epidemic of violent, gun-related crimes infecting our paradise. Project "Exile" was implemented with much hoopla.
The Legislature has sent a law to the governor that increases the penalties for illegal firearm possession. These measures are designed to eradicate illegal firearms in the territory.
Their intentions are honorable; however, these measures do nothing to close a gaping loophole in the V.I. Code that handcuffs the police from (l) stopping those individuals suspected of possessing firearms, (2) conducting a search of that individual to determine whether or not they in fact are in possession of a firearm and, if they are, (3) determining if they have a license.
This loophole in the V.I. Code was exposed in August of 2000 by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals – the court that represents the next-to-last court of final appeal in the Virgin Islands, subordinate only to the Supreme Court of the United States – when it declared " … it is not a crime to possess a firearm in the Virgin Islands – even when standing in a crowd."
The court made the declaration in deciding that the police had violated a young man's constitutional right to privacy when, acting on an anonymous tip, they approached him and seized a Jennings Long Rifle .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol, model J-22, concealed in his clothing in the middle of the J'Ouvert Carnival celebration.
The Code currently states: "Whoever, unless otherwise authorized by law, has, possesses, bears, transports or carries either, actually or constructively, openly or concealed, any firearm, … loaded or unloaded, may be arrested without a warrant, and shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than six months nor more than three years and shall be fined not more than $5,000."
There lies the loophole. The police can only approach an individual when they have a reason to believe that he is committing a crime. The police, in stopping the young man, did not determine beforehand that he was not authorized by law to possess the firearm. Therefore, the court opined that they had no reason to approach him and search him. If he was authorized by law to possess a firearm, he was not committing a crime.
The V.I. Code should state "Whoever has, possesses, bears, transports or carries either, actually or constructively, openly or concealed, any firearm, … loaded or unloaded, may be arrested without a warrant, and shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than six months nor more than three years and shall be fined not more than $5,000." That language would make it a crime to be in possession of a firearm by everyone.
Those individuals lawfully in possession of a firearm, those authorized by law, e.g. peace officers, military personnel, and those private citizens who have been lawfully licensed by the Government to possess a firearm, should be granted an exemption from prosecution by the next paragraph.
If we are to take firearms out of the hands of those unlawfully in possession of them, we must amend our laws to make possession of a firearm a crime in the Virgin Islands.
Phillip Phipps
St. Thomas

Editor's note: 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.

Oct. 9, 2001 – Caribbean-perfect sailing conditions — 15-plus knots of breeze and bright blue skies — sandwiched between Hurricane Iris and Tropical Storm Jerry made for excellent racing over the weekend at the Columbus Day Regatta hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club.
In the final event of the 11-race series, St. John beginning Optimist dinghy sailor Hugo Roller III stole the show by handily beating all 19 other Optimist sailors from the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, most of them older and more experienced Red, Blue and White Fleet sailors.
"I don't think this has ever been done in the history of the STYC," regatta director Shep Barrows said.
Hugo's explanation was: "I like to go where it isn't as crowded, so I sailed all the way to the right up to the windward mark." The move broke the young sailor free of the heavy current plus enabled him to catch a wind shift that propelled him out in front by a comfortable lead of 8 to 10 boat lengths. Once out in front, he pursued a smart tactical game plan.
"I knew just where I was going, but I was afraid the bigger kids were going to catch me," he said. Therefore, glancing at the closest competitor behind him, fellow St. Johnian Ryan Costanzo, 14, Hugo tacked when Ryan did, covering the Red Fleet sailor all the way to the finish line.
In the advanced Optimist Fleets, St. Thomas's Cy Thompson won the overall award, followed by Puerto Rico's Carlos Teixidor and St. Thomas's Taylor Canfield. "The competition was tough out there, especially Carlos," Cy said shortly before the awards presentation. When the sea spray settled, just 4 points separated the two.
By fleet, Cy was the winner in the Red Fleet (ages 13-15), Carlos captured first place in the Blue Fleet (ages 11 and 12), St. Thomas's Tyler Rice finished first in the White Fleet (ages 10 and under), and Hugo finished first in the Green Fleet (beginners).
In September, Hugo came in third in the Green Beginner Fleet at the International KATS Cup Regatta. "He's been sailing about a year," his father, Hugo Roller Jr., said. The two of them attended the Optimist Nationals in Barrington, Rhode Island, this summer, but Hugo Jr. added, "We really have to give a lot of credit to the St. John KATS [Kids and the Sea] program."
The annual regatta was started five years ago to foster more small-boat racing. In keeping with that concept, two new fleets, Laser and smaller-rigged Laser Radial, were added to the event last year.
"I really spanked the Radial Fleet. I couldn't compete with the big dogs, but I did take them down at least four times," Laser Radial Fleet winner Paul Stoeken of St. Thomas said. The "big dogs" included St. Thomas's Brett Clark, who smoked down the course at top speed in his standard-rigged Laser. "I haven't touched a Laser in four years," Clark said. "I've been doing a lot of snow boarding in the States instead. But my friends kept urging me to come out and race."
Laser Radial entries far outnumbered those in the standard-rigged fleet and saw lots of heavy competition within the class. "I haven't sailed Lasers for a while," Stoeken said, and for the first day he was asking Barrows for tips on tuning his rigging. "I guess you can say the coach was being coached," said Stoeken, who is junior sailing instructor at STYC.
Barrows and St. John's Ian Beam were hot on Stoeken's tail for much of the regatta. "It was certainly competitive out there," said Beam, who won Best Junior Laser Radial Sailor. St. John's Sarah Swan earned the Best Female Laser Radial Sailor award.
"It was really a great regatta. The conditions were great, and so was the competition," Barrows said at the awards ceremony.

Oct. 9, 2001 – Caribbean-perfect sailing conditions — 15-plus knots of breeze and bright blue skies — sandwiched between Hurricane Iris and Tropical Storm Jerry made for excellent racing over the weekend at the Columbus Day Regatta hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club.
In the final event of the 11-race series, St. John beginning Optimist dinghy sailor Hugo Roller III stole the show by handily beating all 19 other Optimist sailors from the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, most of them older and more experienced Red, Blue and White Fleet sailors.
"I don’t think this has ever been done in the history of the STYC," regatta director Shep Barrows said.
Hugo’s explanation was: "I like to go where it isn’t as crowded, so I sailed all the way to the right up to the windward mark." The move broke the young sailor free of the heavy current plus enabled him to catch a wind shift that propelled him out in front by a comfortable lead of 8 to 10 boat lengths. Once out in front, he pursued a smart tactical game plan.
"I knew just where I was going, but I was afraid the bigger kids were going to catch me," he said. Therefore, glancing at the closest competitor behind him, fellow St. Johnian Ryan Costanzo, 14, Hugo tacked when Ryan did, covering the Red Fleet sailor all the way to the finish line.
In the advanced Optimist Fleets, St. Thomas’s Cy Thompson won the overall award, followed by Puerto Rico’s Carlos Teixidor and St. Thomas’s Taylor Canfield. "The competition was tough out there, especially Carlos," Cy said shortly before the awards presentation. When the sea spray settled, just 4 points separated the two.
By fleet, Cy was the winner in the Red Fleet (ages 13-15), Carlos captured first place in the Blue Fleet (ages 11 and 12), St. Thomas’s Tyler Rice finished first in the White Fleet (ages 10 and under), and Hugo finished first in the Green Fleet (beginners).
In September, Hugo came in third in the Green Beginner Fleet at the International KATS Cup Regatta. "He’s been sailing about a year," his father, Hugo Roller Jr., said. The two of them attended the Optimist Nationals in Barrington, Rhode Island, this summer, but Hugo Jr. added, "We really have to give a lot of credit to the St. John KATS [Kids and the Sea] program."
The annual regatta was started five years ago to foster more small-boat racing. In keeping with that concept, two new fleets, Laser and smaller-rigged Laser Radial, were added to the event last year.
"I really spanked the Radial Fleet. I couldn’t compete with the big dogs, but I did take them down at least four times," Laser Radial Fleet winner Paul Stoeken of St. Thomas said. The "big dogs" included St. Thomas’s Brett Clark, who smoked down the course at top speed in his standard-rigged Laser. "I haven’t touched a Laser in four years," Clark said. "I’ve been doing a lot of snow boarding in the States instead. But my friends kept urging me to come out and race."
Laser Radial entries far outnumbered those in the standard-rigged fleet and saw lots of heavy competition within the class. "I haven’t sailed Lasers for a while," Stoeken said, and for the first day he was asking Barrows for tips on tuning his rigging. "I guess you can say the coach was being coached," said Stoeken, who is junior sailing instructor at STYC.
Barrows and St. John’s Ian Beam were hot on Stoeken’s tail for much of the regatta. "It was certainly competitive out there," said Beam, who won Best Junior Laser Radial Sailor. St. John’s Sarah Swan earned the Best Female Laser Radial Sailor award.
"It was really a great regatta. The conditions were great, and so was the competition," Barrows said at the awards ceremony.

Oct. 9, 2001 – Caribbean-perfect sailing conditions — 15-plus knots of breeze and bright blue skies — sandwiched between Hurricane Iris and Tropical Storm Jerry made for excellent racing over the weekend at the Columbus Day Regatta hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club.
In the final event of the 11-race series, St. John beginning Optimist dinghy sailor Hugo Roller III stole the show by handily beating all 19 other Optimist sailors from the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, most of them older and more experienced Red, Blue and White Fleet sailors.
"I don't think this has ever been done in the history of the STYC," regatta director Shep Barrows said.
Hugo's explanation was: "I like to go where it isn't as crowded, so I sailed all the way to the right up to the windward mark." The move broke the young sailor free of the heavy current plus enabled him to catch a wind shift that propelled him out in front by a comfortable lead of 8 to 10 boat lengths. Once out in front, he pursued a smart tactical game plan.
"I knew just where I was going, but I was afraid the bigger kids were going to catch me," he said. Therefore, glancing at the closest competitor behind him, fellow St. Johnian Ryan Costanzo, 14, Hugo tacked when Ryan did, covering the Red Fleet sailor all the way to the finish line.
In the advanced Optimist Fleets, St. Thomas's Cy Thompson won the overall award, followed by Puerto Rico's Carlos Teixidor and St. Thomas's Taylor Canfield. "The competition was tough out there, especially Carlos," Cy said shortly before the awards presentation. When the sea spray settled, just 4 points separated the two.
By fleet, Cy was the winner in the Red Fleet (ages 13-15), Carlos captured first place in the Blue Fleet (ages 11 and 12), St. Thomas's Tyler Rice finished first in the White Fleet (ages 10 and under), and Hugo finished first in the Green Fleet (beginners).
In September, Hugo came in third in the Green Beginner Fleet at the International KATS Cup Regatta. "He's been sailing about a year," his father, Hugo Roller Jr., said. The two of them attended the Optimist Nationals in Barrington, Rhode Island, this summer, but Hugo Jr. added, "We really have to give a lot of credit to the St. John KATS [Kids and the Sea] program."
The annual regatta was started five years ago to foster more small-boat racing. In keeping with that concept, two new fleets, Laser and smaller-rigged Laser Radial, were added to the event last year.
"I really spanked the Radial Fleet. I couldn't compete with the big dogs, but I did take them down at least four times," Laser Radial Fleet winner Paul Stoeken of St. Thomas said. The "big dogs" included St. Thomas's Brett Clark, who smoked down the course at top speed in his standard-rigged Laser. "I haven't touched a Laser in four years," Clark said. "I've been doing a lot of snow boarding in the States instead. But my friends kept urging me to come out and race."
Laser Radial entries far outnumbered those in the standard-rigged fleet and saw lots of heavy competition within the class. "I haven't sailed Lasers for a while," Stoeken said, and for the first day he was asking Barrows for tips on tuning his rigging. "I guess you can say the coach was being coached," said Stoeken, who is junior sailing instructor at STYC.
Barrows and St. John's Ian Beam were hot on Stoeken's tail for much of the regatta. "It was certainly competitive out there," said Beam, who won Best Junior Laser Radial Sailor. St. John's Sarah Swan earned the Best Female Laser Radial Sailor award.
"It was really a great regatta. The conditions were great, and so was the competition," Barrows said at the awards ceremony.

Oct. 9, 2001 – St. Thomas will be getting two extra cruise ship visits on Wednesday as a result of Hurricane Iris's movement across the Western Caribbean.
When the hurricane's approach threatened ports on the ships' normal itinerary, cruise line executives decided to reroute the two vessels and so informed The West Indian Co., according to a WICO release.
The Enchantment of the Seas is now scheduled to arrive at St. Thomas at 7 a.m. Wednesday from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and to depart at 6 p.m. for San Juan.
The Grand Princess also is to arrive at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to depart at 5 p.m.
WICO also said that the Century, in port on Tuesday, would depart at 7 p.m.