Oct. 6, 2001 – Effective Oct. 1, the V.I. government has contracted with CIGNA Healthcare to administer medical benefits and with MetLife to administer dental benefits for government employees, retirees and their dependents.
New identification cards are available at the Health Insurance Office located in the Division of Personnel offices on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Enrollment meetings will be held in October and November, according to Paulette Rabsatt, Health Insurance Board chair.
Following is information those insured should keep on file:
Medical insurance: CIGNA Policy No. 3151464
Customer service telephone number: 1-800-281-6043
Dental insurance: MetLife Policy No. 104246
Customer service telephone number: 1-800-942-0854
For further information, call 714-5000 on St. Thomas or 773-0341 on St. Croix.
NEW HEALTH INSURANCE I.D. CARDS AVAILABLE
Oct. 6, 2001 – Effective Oct. 1, the V.I. government has contracted with CIGNA Healthcare to administer medical benefits and with MetLife to administer dental benefits for government employees, retirees and their dependents.
New identification cards are available at the Health Insurance Office located in the Division of Personnel offices on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Enrollment meetings will be held in October and November, according to Paulette Rabsatt, Health Insurance Board chair.
Following is information those insured should keep on file:
Medical insurance: CIGNA Policy No. 3151464
Customer service telephone number: 1-800-281-6043
Dental insurance: MetLife Policy No. 104246
Customer service telephone number: 1-800-942-0854
For further information, call 714-5000 on St. Thomas or 773-0341 on St. Croix.
New identification cards are available at the Health Insurance Office located in the Division of Personnel offices on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Enrollment meetings will be held in October and November, according to Paulette Rabsatt, Health Insurance Board chair.
Following is information those insured should keep on file:
Medical insurance: CIGNA Policy No. 3151464
Customer service telephone number: 1-800-281-6043
Dental insurance: MetLife Policy No. 104246
Customer service telephone number: 1-800-942-0854
For further information, call 714-5000 on St. Thomas or 773-0341 on St. Croix.
NO MINCING OF WORDS AT WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
Oct. 6, 2001 – More than 600 women and perhaps 15 men assembled Saturday at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort to talk about "What Women Don't Talk About" at Sen. Lorraine Berry's 6th annual Women's Conference.
For the last two years, Berry's forums have focused on family issues involving children and youth, examining relationships, responsibilities and sexual awareness. Saturday's conference skipped a generation of two but basically addressed these same issues, although on a different level.
Berry said she conferred with experts who make "the study of the human condition" their life's work — social workers, psychologists, counselors — in planning the program for this years' "no-holds-barred" theme. If any woman left Saturday's day-long conference feeling she was alone in her "secrets," she simply must not have been listening.
Serving on conference panels were Pastor Marcia J. Estrada of the Kingdom Life International Christian Center; Michal Rhymer, executive director of Family Resource Center; Carol Henneman, educator, author and media specialist; Dr. Margaret Sprauve, gynecologist and maternal/fetal health specialist; attorneys Terrylyn Smock, Cindy Haro and Aquannette Chinnery; and Yvette de Laubanque, director of the V.I. Women's Business Center.
The program was moderated by Patricia R. Todman, psychologist and program coordinator of the University of the Virgin Islands Social Sciences Division.
A lively and emotional video presentation by an inspirational speaker set the tone for the day's discussions. On the tape, Pastor Juanita Bynum strode across a stage in a shocking pink outfit and high heels telling the women to get honest, "No more sheets." Bynum graphically illustrated her points by girding herself in bed sheets, which she said bind women in "wrong ideas."
These, she said, could be hurts from previous relationships, depression, abuse and/or low self-esteem — all representing layers of abuse, physical of emotional. Relating vivid stories of her own past, she laid out the dangers of marrying without knowing your partner well. "You should do a credit check," she said emphatically. "Check up on him before you check in with him … Is he able to submit to authority? Does he have aspirations, a future? Do your friends and family like him?"
Byrum emphasized that marriage is a covenant relationship. Stripping off all her sheets, she concluded, "Commit to yourself and God — no more sheets."
Estrada and Rhymer took up in person where Bynum left off on tape. Estrada stressed the reasons for the success of her marriage of many years. "We respect each other. We have developed together in mind, body, spirit and finances," she said. Sex is important, and even fun, she said, but that is not what marriage is about.
Sprauve encouraged her audience to speak openly about sexual concerns, those things most women shy away from even with their own doctors. "Choose a provider you are comfortable with," she advised. "Women don't ask their doctors about important things — masturbation, sexual abuse, dysfunction, sex drive or lack of it, oral sex, anal sex, abortion," she said.
A member of the audience raised a question about having sex with multiple partners and then finding out you have a sexually transmitted disease. Sprauve said the ethical thing would be to go to a Health Department STD clinic and provide information on your partners. She said this can also be done anonymously, if not in person.
Henneman held her audience in thrall from her opening statement: In the Virgin Islands, "We don't wear sheets," she announced. "We have king-size quilts." She lamented that so many Virgin Islands young women and girls think, "If they get his sperm, get his child, he will commit to them." In a word, she said, that's "Foolish!"
It takes men longer to become emotionally attached than it does women, Henneman said. She said she got married at 18 and readily admitted, "I didn't know what I was doing." But she figured it out, however, and soon will be celebrating 30 years of marriage to Myron Henneman.
Stressing the importance of mutual respect in marriage, she said, "We have no barriers. I am free to do what I want, talk to whomever I want … I live with a man I can reason with."
Her words of wisdom frequently had the auditorium roaring with laughter and applause: "Getting babies don't make you a woman." "You don't want anybody else's husband in your bed." "I expect a man to control his penis." And last, "If your husband's sleeping with your daughter, throw him out."
Moving the discussion into the realm of economics, de Laubanque said women have pervasive secrecy regarding money. "How many of you have had a best friend for more than five years?" she asked. And then, "How much does she make?" Given that most friends wouldn't know, she added, "That's because we are competitive, not supportive."
And they need to be supportive, she continued: Although women are statistically less likely to default on loans, they don't get preferential treatment — and only get about 5 percent of the equity that a man would receive in loans. "You have to take responsibility for yourself," she said.
De Laubanque has helped women on St. Croix move into jobs through the Welfare to Work program, creatively finding opportunities for candidates with little or no work experience. The Women's Business Center is "not a loan agency,"she stressed, but it does provide "micro-loans" to help women get started in business ventures. "We have seven women where they want to be right now, in their own businesses, starting from $5,000," she said.
Starting one's own business, she emphasized, requires commitment. "You have to be passionate. It's your life — no more 9 to 5."
Scattered throughout the mostly middle-age and older female audience were a few men. Calvin Christopher, a tall, youngish and fashionably dressed Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas Resort membership executive, was sitting alone during the presentation. But he found himself surrounded by women right afterward, all wondering what he was doing there.
"These things are good to know," he said with a smile. "They say what you don't know won't hurt you, but I disagree."
Jeff Chander said Berry invited him to attend last year, and he learned from that conference. "So, I decided to come again this time," he said. "It always helps to know more about the opposite sex."
Vincent Henry, an American Federation of Teachers St. Thomas local representative, said Berry had invited him this time. "It's open talk," he said. "I have a relationship, and I've learned some things that can strengthen our relationship. Finances are always a big issue. I'm enjoying it."
After a buffet lunch where the audience was serenaded by the Kingdom Life International Church Band, the afternoon session was devoted to discussions between audience participants and the presenters.
Sponsoring the event were WOW! (Wider Opportunities for Women Inc., which Berry founded after she organized the first conference), Chase Manhattan Bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, the V.I. Housing Authority, the Education Department, the St. John Action Committee and Cape Air.
For the last two years, Berry's forums have focused on family issues involving children and youth, examining relationships, responsibilities and sexual awareness. Saturday's conference skipped a generation of two but basically addressed these same issues, although on a different level.
Berry said she conferred with experts who make "the study of the human condition" their life's work — social workers, psychologists, counselors — in planning the program for this years' "no-holds-barred" theme. If any woman left Saturday's day-long conference feeling she was alone in her "secrets," she simply must not have been listening.
Serving on conference panels were Pastor Marcia J. Estrada of the Kingdom Life International Christian Center; Michal Rhymer, executive director of Family Resource Center; Carol Henneman, educator, author and media specialist; Dr. Margaret Sprauve, gynecologist and maternal/fetal health specialist; attorneys Terrylyn Smock, Cindy Haro and Aquannette Chinnery; and Yvette de Laubanque, director of the V.I. Women's Business Center.
The program was moderated by Patricia R. Todman, psychologist and program coordinator of the University of the Virgin Islands Social Sciences Division.
A lively and emotional video presentation by an inspirational speaker set the tone for the day's discussions. On the tape, Pastor Juanita Bynum strode across a stage in a shocking pink outfit and high heels telling the women to get honest, "No more sheets." Bynum graphically illustrated her points by girding herself in bed sheets, which she said bind women in "wrong ideas."
These, she said, could be hurts from previous relationships, depression, abuse and/or low self-esteem — all representing layers of abuse, physical of emotional. Relating vivid stories of her own past, she laid out the dangers of marrying without knowing your partner well. "You should do a credit check," she said emphatically. "Check up on him before you check in with him … Is he able to submit to authority? Does he have aspirations, a future? Do your friends and family like him?"
Byrum emphasized that marriage is a covenant relationship. Stripping off all her sheets, she concluded, "Commit to yourself and God — no more sheets."
Estrada and Rhymer took up in person where Bynum left off on tape. Estrada stressed the reasons for the success of her marriage of many years. "We respect each other. We have developed together in mind, body, spirit and finances," she said. Sex is important, and even fun, she said, but that is not what marriage is about.
Sprauve encouraged her audience to speak openly about sexual concerns, those things most women shy away from even with their own doctors. "Choose a provider you are comfortable with," she advised. "Women don't ask their doctors about important things — masturbation, sexual abuse, dysfunction, sex drive or lack of it, oral sex, anal sex, abortion," she said.
A member of the audience raised a question about having sex with multiple partners and then finding out you have a sexually transmitted disease. Sprauve said the ethical thing would be to go to a Health Department STD clinic and provide information on your partners. She said this can also be done anonymously, if not in person.
Henneman held her audience in thrall from her opening statement: In the Virgin Islands, "We don't wear sheets," she announced. "We have king-size quilts." She lamented that so many Virgin Islands young women and girls think, "If they get his sperm, get his child, he will commit to them." In a word, she said, that's "Foolish!"
It takes men longer to become emotionally attached than it does women, Henneman said. She said she got married at 18 and readily admitted, "I didn't know what I was doing." But she figured it out, however, and soon will be celebrating 30 years of marriage to Myron Henneman.
Stressing the importance of mutual respect in marriage, she said, "We have no barriers. I am free to do what I want, talk to whomever I want … I live with a man I can reason with."
Her words of wisdom frequently had the auditorium roaring with laughter and applause: "Getting babies don't make you a woman." "You don't want anybody else's husband in your bed." "I expect a man to control his penis." And last, "If your husband's sleeping with your daughter, throw him out."
Moving the discussion into the realm of economics, de Laubanque said women have pervasive secrecy regarding money. "How many of you have had a best friend for more than five years?" she asked. And then, "How much does she make?" Given that most friends wouldn't know, she added, "That's because we are competitive, not supportive."
And they need to be supportive, she continued: Although women are statistically less likely to default on loans, they don't get preferential treatment — and only get about 5 percent of the equity that a man would receive in loans. "You have to take responsibility for yourself," she said.
De Laubanque has helped women on St. Croix move into jobs through the Welfare to Work program, creatively finding opportunities for candidates with little or no work experience. The Women's Business Center is "not a loan agency,"she stressed, but it does provide "micro-loans" to help women get started in business ventures. "We have seven women where they want to be right now, in their own businesses, starting from $5,000," she said.
Starting one's own business, she emphasized, requires commitment. "You have to be passionate. It's your life — no more 9 to 5."
Scattered throughout the mostly middle-age and older female audience were a few men. Calvin Christopher, a tall, youngish and fashionably dressed Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas Resort membership executive, was sitting alone during the presentation. But he found himself surrounded by women right afterward, all wondering what he was doing there.
"These things are good to know," he said with a smile. "They say what you don't know won't hurt you, but I disagree."
Jeff Chander said Berry invited him to attend last year, and he learned from that conference. "So, I decided to come again this time," he said. "It always helps to know more about the opposite sex."
Vincent Henry, an American Federation of Teachers St. Thomas local representative, said Berry had invited him this time. "It's open talk," he said. "I have a relationship, and I've learned some things that can strengthen our relationship. Finances are always a big issue. I'm enjoying it."
After a buffet lunch where the audience was serenaded by the Kingdom Life International Church Band, the afternoon session was devoted to discussions between audience participants and the presenters.
Sponsoring the event were WOW! (Wider Opportunities for Women Inc., which Berry founded after she organized the first conference), Chase Manhattan Bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, the V.I. Housing Authority, the Education Department, the St. John Action Committee and Cape Air.
POLICE UNION IMPASSE GOES TO MEDIATION
Oct. 6, 2001 – A mediator has been appointed to step into an impasse in contract negotiations between the Police Benevolent Association and the V.I. government.
PBA Locals 816 and 1910 rejected the government's offer to return to the bargaining table on Oct. 24. The administration then asked the Public Employees Relations Board to appoint a mediator, and the PERB granted the request.
The PERB held a preliminary conference on Friday to allow each party to state its positions and to explore any possible settlement, a Government House release stated.
Commissioner Frances S. Dunham of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Sevice has been asked to begin the mediation "as soon as practical," the release stated. It said the mediator is required to report the parties' progress to the PERB within 14 days of when mediation begins.
PBA Locals 816 and 1910 rejected the government's offer to return to the bargaining table on Oct. 24. The administration then asked the Public Employees Relations Board to appoint a mediator, and the PERB granted the request.
The PERB held a preliminary conference on Friday to allow each party to state its positions and to explore any possible settlement, a Government House release stated.
Commissioner Frances S. Dunham of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Sevice has been asked to begin the mediation "as soon as practical," the release stated. It said the mediator is required to report the parties' progress to the PERB within 14 days of when mediation begins.
MOST STEP INCREASES TO BE EFFECTIVE OCT. 18
Oct. 6, 2001 – Not all unionized government employees are eligible for salary step increases that will take effect Oct. 18, Karen Andrews, the government's chief negotiator, said in a release Friday.
To be eligible, she said, a member of a bargaining unit must have been a part of the union at the time its contract was negotiated. "This includes persons who retired before the contract was implemented and those for whom a specific retirement provision was included," she said.
Andrews said contracts were negotiated and left partially implemented or not implemented at all during the previous administration. "These contracts … will finally be honored on Oct. 18," she said, with the exception of the Narcotics Strike Force union, for which step increases will be effective Oct. 31.
The unions are:
– American Maritime Officers District 2A – Master
– Educational Administrators Association
– International Association of Fire Fighters (firefighters)
– International Association of Fire Fighters (supervisors)
– Law Enforcement Supervisors Union
– Licensed Practical Nurses
– Police Benevolent Association
– Seafarers International Union – Master
– Seafarers International Union (assistant attorneys general)
– Seafarers International Union de Puerto Rico (security guards)
– United Steel Workers of America – Master
– United Steel Workers of America (enforcement officers)
– United Steel Workers of America (Narcotics Strike Force)
To be eligible, she said, a member of a bargaining unit must have been a part of the union at the time its contract was negotiated. "This includes persons who retired before the contract was implemented and those for whom a specific retirement provision was included," she said.
Andrews said contracts were negotiated and left partially implemented or not implemented at all during the previous administration. "These contracts … will finally be honored on Oct. 18," she said, with the exception of the Narcotics Strike Force union, for which step increases will be effective Oct. 31.
The unions are:
– American Maritime Officers District 2A – Master
– Educational Administrators Association
– International Association of Fire Fighters (firefighters)
– International Association of Fire Fighters (supervisors)
– Law Enforcement Supervisors Union
– Licensed Practical Nurses
– Police Benevolent Association
– Seafarers International Union – Master
– Seafarers International Union (assistant attorneys general)
– Seafarers International Union de Puerto Rico (security guards)
– United Steel Workers of America – Master
– United Steel Workers of America (enforcement officers)
– United Steel Workers of America (Narcotics Strike Force)
HOUSE PANEL OMITS RUM FROM ANDEAN TRADE PACT
Oct. 6, 2001 – The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to exclude rum from the scope of a new U.S. trade agreement with the Andean nations, thereby protecting the V.I. rum industry from new duty-free competition in U.S. markets.
The committee action "followed the recommendations and economic arguments presented" by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and Delegate Donna Christian Christensen at a hearing on the trade bill in May, a Government House release stated.
It said Turnbull also had provided the committee an economic analysis by a Washington, D.C., firm, the Law and Economics Consulting Group, of the potential negative impact to the territory's economy of including rum in the agreement.
The committee voted to exclude rum and textiles from the preferential trade benefits. The Andean Trade Preference Act covers the nations of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Turnbull said Reps. Phil Crane (R., Illinois), chair of the committee's trade subcommittee, and Charles Rangel (D., New York) led the effort on the territory's behalf. He also cited Christensen's leadership "in the fight to protect the industry, which last year generated more than $70 million in federal rum taxes that were returned to the territory's fiscal coffers," the release said.
The governor said the 2001 deadline has passed for nations to petition for duty-free treatment of particular products under the Generalized System of Preferences. While there had been speculation that the Philippines would submit a petition on rum, the release stated, it apparently decided not to do so.
The committee action "followed the recommendations and economic arguments presented" by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and Delegate Donna Christian Christensen at a hearing on the trade bill in May, a Government House release stated.
It said Turnbull also had provided the committee an economic analysis by a Washington, D.C., firm, the Law and Economics Consulting Group, of the potential negative impact to the territory's economy of including rum in the agreement.
The committee voted to exclude rum and textiles from the preferential trade benefits. The Andean Trade Preference Act covers the nations of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Turnbull said Reps. Phil Crane (R., Illinois), chair of the committee's trade subcommittee, and Charles Rangel (D., New York) led the effort on the territory's behalf. He also cited Christensen's leadership "in the fight to protect the industry, which last year generated more than $70 million in federal rum taxes that were returned to the territory's fiscal coffers," the release said.
The governor said the 2001 deadline has passed for nations to petition for duty-free treatment of particular products under the Generalized System of Preferences. While there had been speculation that the Philippines would submit a petition on rum, the release stated, it apparently decided not to do so.
OCT. 7 BEGINS FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
Fire Prevention Week will begin the activites with services at the Memorial Moravian Church, followed by a motorcade to pay respect to deceased firefighters.
Other activites during the wekk will include a family beach day on VI/Puerto Rico Friendship Day. There will be exhibits, lectures a kids jamboree and open house at the fire stations.
Fire Marshal Glen Francis extends an invitation to all residents to participate in any of the scheduled events.
Other activites during the wekk will include a family beach day on VI/Puerto Rico Friendship Day. There will be exhibits, lectures a kids jamboree and open house at the fire stations.
Fire Marshal Glen Francis extends an invitation to all residents to participate in any of the scheduled events.
FAMILY BEACH DAY
As part of Fire Prevention Week there will be a Family Beach Day on Monday, Oct. 8. Exhibits, lectures, a kids jamboree and open house at the fire stations will also be featured during the week.
UVI TO HOST OPEN HOUSE
The University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Campus, will host an Open House program for seniors attending the Educational Complex and the Vocational Complex at 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, in the Little Theater.
The program is offered in coordination with the School-to-Work/Career Initiative. Interesterd Compex seniors can sign up with their guidance counselors.
For more information contact Robin Groelle at UVI 692-4180.
The program is offered in coordination with the School-to-Work/Career Initiative. Interesterd Compex seniors can sign up with their guidance counselors.
For more information contact Robin Groelle at UVI 692-4180.
UVI OPEN HOUSE FOR COMPLEX SENIORS
The University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Campus, will host an Open House program for seniors attending the Educational Complex and Vocational Complex. The program offered in coordination with the School-to-Work/Career Initiative will be held in the Little Theatre.
Interested Complex seniors can sign up with their guidance counselors.
for more information contact Robin Groelle at UVI, 692-4180.
Interested Complex seniors can sign up with their guidance counselors.
for more information contact Robin Groelle at UVI, 692-4180.
