The St. Thomas/St. John American Cancer Society will hold its fourth annual "Making Strides Aginst Breast Cancer Walk, Run Roll,"
on Sunday, Oct. 28, at Cruz Bay St. John.
Contact Jane Rawlings at 693-9467 or 714-5522 for more information.
GERALDINE MORRIS FUNERAL FRIDAY
Services for Geraldine Morris who died Sunday, Sept. 30, will be held on Friday, at the Calvary Baptiste Church with viewing starting at 8 a.m. Internment will be at Western Cemetery.
She is survived by a son Henry Morris, Jr.; daughters Henrita Todman, Pearlita harper, Louise Hendricks and Gloria Thompson; brother Alwyn "Lad" Richards; sisters Etta Lewis, Andromeda Husband, Delphine Smith and Vitalia Wallace; 17 grandchildren; 25 grandchildren; too many friends and relatives to mention.
Funeral arrangements by Creque Funeral Home.
MEETINGS SET ON PARK MOORING, ANCHORING FEES
Oct. 3, 2001 – With a mooring and anchoring fee program in the wind, V.I. National Park officials are asking for public input at two meetings scheduled on St. John. The first will be an evening session, from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Legislature building. The other will be a morning forum, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Oct. 18 in the third-floor meeting area at the Marketplace.
While park officials wants to know boaters' and residents' opinions, they also want to hear from companies interested in bidding on contracts to collect the money.
Acting park planner Jim Owens said they want to know what companies propose before deciding on the scope of the contract. He said it might play out that one company gets the contract for the entire park, with subcontractors working the various bays, or the job might be divided up geographically among several firms.
"There's going to be some physical limitations on how many places you can get to," Owens said, referring to the need for the contractor to go from boat to boat, day to day, to collect the fees.
There are 182 overnight moorings in park waters. Owens said the park's vessel management plan, now in its final stages of development, calls for overnight fees of $12 for mooring use and $8 for anchoring in park waters. "Day use will continue to be free," he said.
Park officials plan to start collecting mooring fees in early 2002. The use of a contractor to carry out the work comes under the park's commercial services plan which took effect in July.
Officials also want to know if any companies holding commercial services permits — which allow them to operate within the park — are interested in hiring a park ranger for their visitor tours. Owens said some tour operators have indicated they would do so if rangers were available. He estimated it would cost about $35 an hour to hire a ranger. If there is a demand, "We will expand the interpretative ranger staff," he said.
In addition to expressing views at the upcoming meetings, anyone may fill out a questionnaire that addresses the mooring and anchoring fees as well as the availability of rangers for hire. Copies of the questionnaires are available at Connections in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay, as well as from Owens. They must be submitted by Oct. 31. Owens can be reached by telephone at 776-6201, ext. 247, or by e- mail to npplanning@islands.vi.
While park officials wants to know boaters' and residents' opinions, they also want to hear from companies interested in bidding on contracts to collect the money.
Acting park planner Jim Owens said they want to know what companies propose before deciding on the scope of the contract. He said it might play out that one company gets the contract for the entire park, with subcontractors working the various bays, or the job might be divided up geographically among several firms.
"There's going to be some physical limitations on how many places you can get to," Owens said, referring to the need for the contractor to go from boat to boat, day to day, to collect the fees.
There are 182 overnight moorings in park waters. Owens said the park's vessel management plan, now in its final stages of development, calls for overnight fees of $12 for mooring use and $8 for anchoring in park waters. "Day use will continue to be free," he said.
Park officials plan to start collecting mooring fees in early 2002. The use of a contractor to carry out the work comes under the park's commercial services plan which took effect in July.
Officials also want to know if any companies holding commercial services permits — which allow them to operate within the park — are interested in hiring a park ranger for their visitor tours. Owens said some tour operators have indicated they would do so if rangers were available. He estimated it would cost about $35 an hour to hire a ranger. If there is a demand, "We will expand the interpretative ranger staff," he said.
In addition to expressing views at the upcoming meetings, anyone may fill out a questionnaire that addresses the mooring and anchoring fees as well as the availability of rangers for hire. Copies of the questionnaires are available at Connections in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay, as well as from Owens. They must be submitted by Oct. 31. Owens can be reached by telephone at 776-6201, ext. 247, or by e- mail to npplanning@islands.vi.
SIBILLY CLASSES RESUME AS CISTERN WORK GOES ON
Oct. 3, 2001 – It was business as usual Wednesday at Joseph Sibilly School, according to Education Department spokeswoman Juel Anderson.
Students were sent home early on Tuesday after the school ran short of water in its temporary plastic cisterns. Anderson said when teachers learned that a water delivery expected before the start of school on Tuesday had not arrived, they refused to enter their classrooms.
She said their concerns centered on the fact that although some water remained in cisterns, there wasn't enough to supply all the toilets. "That's a sanitary issue," she said.
Anderson said the plastic cisterns have been in use at the school because work crews haven't finished installing filtration systems in the permanent cisterns. She said this job was part of the summer maintenance program that didn't get finished because the Education Department didn't have enough contractors for all the needed work. She stressed that Tuesday's problem was in no way related to the water contamination problems that plagued the school in recent years.
Water for the plastic cisterns had been ordered on Monday, but due to a mixup in delivery orders was not delivered until around 11 a.m. Tuesday, after the students had spent several hours outdoors waiting for it.
Anderson said Principal Dora Hill decided that because the morning's events had frustrated both the teachers and the students, she would close the school after the students had lunch. School buses were summoned, and the children were dismissed around noon. "The principal said the day was lost," Anderson said.
Hill was atttending an all-day workshop Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.
Anderson, whose daughter attends Sibilly School, said she always sends her child to school with a jug of water, to make sure she gets enough to drink.
Students were sent home early on Tuesday after the school ran short of water in its temporary plastic cisterns. Anderson said when teachers learned that a water delivery expected before the start of school on Tuesday had not arrived, they refused to enter their classrooms.
She said their concerns centered on the fact that although some water remained in cisterns, there wasn't enough to supply all the toilets. "That's a sanitary issue," she said.
Anderson said the plastic cisterns have been in use at the school because work crews haven't finished installing filtration systems in the permanent cisterns. She said this job was part of the summer maintenance program that didn't get finished because the Education Department didn't have enough contractors for all the needed work. She stressed that Tuesday's problem was in no way related to the water contamination problems that plagued the school in recent years.
Water for the plastic cisterns had been ordered on Monday, but due to a mixup in delivery orders was not delivered until around 11 a.m. Tuesday, after the students had spent several hours outdoors waiting for it.
Anderson said Principal Dora Hill decided that because the morning's events had frustrated both the teachers and the students, she would close the school after the students had lunch. School buses were summoned, and the children were dismissed around noon. "The principal said the day was lost," Anderson said.
Hill was atttending an all-day workshop Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.
Anderson, whose daughter attends Sibilly School, said she always sends her child to school with a jug of water, to make sure she gets enough to drink.
FIVE NEW CRUISE SHIPS MAKING V.I. CALLS THIS SEASON
Oct. 3, 2001 – While the territory's outlook for overnight visitor arrivals is uncertain in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 events, the Virgin Islands continues to be a destination in demand as far as cruise arrivals go, officials of the West Indian Co. reported this week.
In WICO's October newsletter, its president and chief executive officer, Edward Thomas, reported that five new vessels will be entering the V.I. market in the year ahead, including two that will call in the territory year 'round: Royal Caribbean International's Eagle-class megaship Adventure of the Seas and Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Pride. The other new ships, all expected to be season callers, are two from Celebrity Cruises, the Infinity and the Summit, and RCI's Radiance of the Seas.
Thomas noted that the Millennium and the Norwegian Sky will be calling weekly this season at St. Thomas, doubling the number of calls last year.
Thomas also reported that WICO has begun annual maintenance dredging at the Havensight cruise ship dock to remove the sand buildup which results from the propeller action of cruise ships and from runoff from nearby hillsides that empties into Long Bay through storm drains within the WICO property.
"In order to safely accommodate the vessels, we have to provide water depths of 30 to 34 feet," Thomas said. The dredged material is turned over to the Public Works Department for use as garbage cover at the Bovoni landfill.
This season, which began Monday and runs through April 30, 2002, a total of 736 cruise ships calls are scheduled in the territory. "These ships will bring an estimated 1.9 million visitors for the year," Thomas said. And for calendar year 2002, he's projecting 2 million for the St. Thomas and St. John district alone.
V.I. ports are part of Eastern Caribbean cruise itineraries, most of them out of the Miami area or San Juan. There is some concern within the region that the region will be facing stiffer competition than in the past with its own immediate neighbor, the Western Caribbean. That region is experiencing the fastest growth in the cruise industry, with marketing aimed at heavy drive markets of the U.S. South and Southwest.
The Gulf of Mexico ports of Houston, Galveston, New Orleans and Tampa are quickly becoming major embarkation points for three- and four-day cruises, as well as seven-day Western Caribbean routes. And with the current reticence of many Americans to fly, that could take business away from the eastern itineraries.
Meantime, however, the Caribbean as a whole is expected to benefit from a similar reticence on the part of U.S. travelers to take cruise vacations in the Mediterranean and Asia.
And looking ahead a year, Thomas said, the next winter season will begin on Oct. 4, 2002, with the return of the Sea Princess from its summer Alaska positioning. New ships scheduled to call at V.I. ports in the 2002-2003 high season include Carnival's Constellation, Holland America’s Zuiderdam, Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess, Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Dream and another RCI Eagle-class ship, Navigator of the Seas.
In WICO's October newsletter, its president and chief executive officer, Edward Thomas, reported that five new vessels will be entering the V.I. market in the year ahead, including two that will call in the territory year 'round: Royal Caribbean International's Eagle-class megaship Adventure of the Seas and Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Pride. The other new ships, all expected to be season callers, are two from Celebrity Cruises, the Infinity and the Summit, and RCI's Radiance of the Seas.
Thomas noted that the Millennium and the Norwegian Sky will be calling weekly this season at St. Thomas, doubling the number of calls last year.
Thomas also reported that WICO has begun annual maintenance dredging at the Havensight cruise ship dock to remove the sand buildup which results from the propeller action of cruise ships and from runoff from nearby hillsides that empties into Long Bay through storm drains within the WICO property.
"In order to safely accommodate the vessels, we have to provide water depths of 30 to 34 feet," Thomas said. The dredged material is turned over to the Public Works Department for use as garbage cover at the Bovoni landfill.
This season, which began Monday and runs through April 30, 2002, a total of 736 cruise ships calls are scheduled in the territory. "These ships will bring an estimated 1.9 million visitors for the year," Thomas said. And for calendar year 2002, he's projecting 2 million for the St. Thomas and St. John district alone.
V.I. ports are part of Eastern Caribbean cruise itineraries, most of them out of the Miami area or San Juan. There is some concern within the region that the region will be facing stiffer competition than in the past with its own immediate neighbor, the Western Caribbean. That region is experiencing the fastest growth in the cruise industry, with marketing aimed at heavy drive markets of the U.S. South and Southwest.
The Gulf of Mexico ports of Houston, Galveston, New Orleans and Tampa are quickly becoming major embarkation points for three- and four-day cruises, as well as seven-day Western Caribbean routes. And with the current reticence of many Americans to fly, that could take business away from the eastern itineraries.
Meantime, however, the Caribbean as a whole is expected to benefit from a similar reticence on the part of U.S. travelers to take cruise vacations in the Mediterranean and Asia.
And looking ahead a year, Thomas said, the next winter season will begin on Oct. 4, 2002, with the return of the Sea Princess from its summer Alaska positioning. New ships scheduled to call at V.I. ports in the 2002-2003 high season include Carnival's Constellation, Holland America’s Zuiderdam, Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess, Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Dream and another RCI Eagle-class ship, Navigator of the Seas.
PAUL HARRIS DINNER DANCE
The St. Thomas and St. John Rotary Clubs will hold their annual Paul Harris Dinner Dance at 5 p.m on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Westin Resort.
The fun- and fund-raiser, hosted by the St. John Rotarians, will have as its theme "Flavors of St. John."
Tickets are available from Rotarians.
The fun- and fund-raiser, hosted by the St. John Rotarians, will have as its theme "Flavors of St. John."
Tickets are available from Rotarians.
PAUL HARRIS DINNER DANCE
The St. Thomas and St. John Rotary Clubs will hold their annual Paul Harris Dinner Dance at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Westin Resort on St. John.
The fun- and fund-raising event, hosted by the St. John Rotary Club, will have as its theme "Flavors of St. John."
Tickets are available from Rotarians.
The fun- and fund-raising event, hosted by the St. John Rotary Club, will have as its theme "Flavors of St. John."
Tickets are available from Rotarians.
PROBLEMS COULD HAMPER INTERNET GAMING LAW
Oct. 3, 2001 — Even though the Legislature approved the territory’s Internet gaming bill in July, Casino Control Commission members said Tuesday that major flaws remain in the law.
The problems center mostly around the Internet gaming "master franchisers" spelled out in the law. The law provides for two franchiser companies to fund and build a data center, or a "server farm," on St. Croix where Internet gaming firms will house their websites. Along with marketing the territory as an Internet gaming jurisdiction – something the Casino Commission is not charged to do – the master franchisers will charge the gaming firms to operate. Perspective gaming firms will also pay application and licensing fees to the Casino Commission, which will be responsible for investigating and approving them, as it does for brick-and-mortar casino applicants.
But Frederick Handleman, solicitor general for the V.I. Justice Department and legal counsel to the Casino Commission, said Tuesday that he believes the law inconsistent, especially when it comes to background checks of the franchisers and what happens if a check comes back negative. Both Casino Commission chairwoman Eileen Petersen and Oliver David, the head of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, said the ambiguous language would result in a waste of time and money for an already cash- and personnel-strapped agency.
Initially, V.I. Technological Initiative LLP, a company formed specifically for Internet gaming by St. Thomas businessmen Nick Pourzal, Michael Bornn and Tom Colameco, was to hold the sole franchise. But even though the St. Thomas trio did the initial work on the proposed bill, senators decided to allow a franchiser from St. Croix into the game.
Two principals in the company, St. Croix Gaming LLP, are Bernie Burkholder, president and CEO of Treasure Bay Gaming & Resorts Inc., which operates the Divi Casino on St. Croix, and St. Croix businessman Paul Arnold.
More glitches
Yet another major glitch in the law is that while Internet gaming operators must pay fees to the Casino Commission and the master franchisers for the opportunity to base themselves in the territory, the franchisers won’t pay any V.I. tax.
According to past estimates from V.I. Technological Initiative when it was proposed as the sole franchise holder, the government would stand to collect 10 percent of the company’s gross revenues, projected at about $50 million a year by 2003. But Handleman said that the way the law was finally approved, the franchisers don’t pay any taxes to the V.I. government.
"I understand now that [Handleman] was correct. No taxes at all," Petersen said in a subsequent interview. She added that the law doesn’t call for the payment of a franchise fee to the government either. "I don’t know why the Legislature drafted it in that manner. I can’t imagine they meant to draft it that way."
Handleman said that the tax issue – along with the other problems – where pointed out to senators during hearings on the Internet bill.
"One of the reasons given for Internet gaming being approved was for the economics," Handleman said.
"I’ve never been presented with an objective analysis of how much money would come to the government," Petersen said.
At the Casino Commission meeting on Tuesday, Michael Bornn, a partner in of one the franchisers, V.I. Technological Initiative, was asked about revenues his company was projecting. He said the company won’t know until the Casino Commission drafts its Internet gaming rules and regulations.
"It is one of our great anxieties about what we have. We don’t know until the rules and regulations are done to allow us to compete," he said, adding that there are a lot of variables that will effect revenues. "I can’t tell you a number straight up."
Proponents say Internet gambling will bring billions of dollars into the Virgin Islands treasury as a percentage of the money wagered. Neither Congress nor the U.S. Justice Department has taken a definitive stand on whether Internet gambling violates the federal Wire Act of 1960. The governor of Nevada signed a bill in June allowing the Internet gaming in that state, and observers say the outcome there will likely determine whether the V.I. government can clear the many legal hurdles of bringing the industry to the territory.
Petersen, meanwhile, said the V.I. Casino Control Act had to be amended three times before commissioners and prospective investors were comfortable with its provisions. She said the Internet gaming law will be similar, more so because it is unexplored territory for any American jurisdiction.
Drafting rules and regulation alone will take six to nine months she said. And that will come about with the help of Anthony Cabot, a world renown expert on Internet gaming working under contract with the Casino Commission. Then there must be a background investigation of the franchisers. Finally, the Casino Commission must be satisfied that the Internet gaming meets all applicable laws, not just nationally.
All that on $300,000 that has yet to be allocated by the Turnbull administration.
"As soon as the money is secured, I will give the go-ahead to start," Petersen said. "If there is no money we won’t go forward.
"Las Vegas called Internet gaming for them a monumental challenge," she added. "For us, it’s a leap into the unknown."
The problems center mostly around the Internet gaming "master franchisers" spelled out in the law. The law provides for two franchiser companies to fund and build a data center, or a "server farm," on St. Croix where Internet gaming firms will house their websites. Along with marketing the territory as an Internet gaming jurisdiction – something the Casino Commission is not charged to do – the master franchisers will charge the gaming firms to operate. Perspective gaming firms will also pay application and licensing fees to the Casino Commission, which will be responsible for investigating and approving them, as it does for brick-and-mortar casino applicants.
But Frederick Handleman, solicitor general for the V.I. Justice Department and legal counsel to the Casino Commission, said Tuesday that he believes the law inconsistent, especially when it comes to background checks of the franchisers and what happens if a check comes back negative. Both Casino Commission chairwoman Eileen Petersen and Oliver David, the head of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, said the ambiguous language would result in a waste of time and money for an already cash- and personnel-strapped agency.
Initially, V.I. Technological Initiative LLP, a company formed specifically for Internet gaming by St. Thomas businessmen Nick Pourzal, Michael Bornn and Tom Colameco, was to hold the sole franchise. But even though the St. Thomas trio did the initial work on the proposed bill, senators decided to allow a franchiser from St. Croix into the game.
Two principals in the company, St. Croix Gaming LLP, are Bernie Burkholder, president and CEO of Treasure Bay Gaming & Resorts Inc., which operates the Divi Casino on St. Croix, and St. Croix businessman Paul Arnold.
More glitches
Yet another major glitch in the law is that while Internet gaming operators must pay fees to the Casino Commission and the master franchisers for the opportunity to base themselves in the territory, the franchisers won’t pay any V.I. tax.
According to past estimates from V.I. Technological Initiative when it was proposed as the sole franchise holder, the government would stand to collect 10 percent of the company’s gross revenues, projected at about $50 million a year by 2003. But Handleman said that the way the law was finally approved, the franchisers don’t pay any taxes to the V.I. government.
"I understand now that [Handleman] was correct. No taxes at all," Petersen said in a subsequent interview. She added that the law doesn’t call for the payment of a franchise fee to the government either. "I don’t know why the Legislature drafted it in that manner. I can’t imagine they meant to draft it that way."
Handleman said that the tax issue – along with the other problems – where pointed out to senators during hearings on the Internet bill.
"One of the reasons given for Internet gaming being approved was for the economics," Handleman said.
"I’ve never been presented with an objective analysis of how much money would come to the government," Petersen said.
At the Casino Commission meeting on Tuesday, Michael Bornn, a partner in of one the franchisers, V.I. Technological Initiative, was asked about revenues his company was projecting. He said the company won’t know until the Casino Commission drafts its Internet gaming rules and regulations.
"It is one of our great anxieties about what we have. We don’t know until the rules and regulations are done to allow us to compete," he said, adding that there are a lot of variables that will effect revenues. "I can’t tell you a number straight up."
Proponents say Internet gambling will bring billions of dollars into the Virgin Islands treasury as a percentage of the money wagered. Neither Congress nor the U.S. Justice Department has taken a definitive stand on whether Internet gambling violates the federal Wire Act of 1960. The governor of Nevada signed a bill in June allowing the Internet gaming in that state, and observers say the outcome there will likely determine whether the V.I. government can clear the many legal hurdles of bringing the industry to the territory.
Petersen, meanwhile, said the V.I. Casino Control Act had to be amended three times before commissioners and prospective investors were comfortable with its provisions. She said the Internet gaming law will be similar, more so because it is unexplored territory for any American jurisdiction.
Drafting rules and regulation alone will take six to nine months she said. And that will come about with the help of Anthony Cabot, a world renown expert on Internet gaming working under contract with the Casino Commission. Then there must be a background investigation of the franchisers. Finally, the Casino Commission must be satisfied that the Internet gaming meets all applicable laws, not just nationally.
All that on $300,000 that has yet to be allocated by the Turnbull administration.
"As soon as the money is secured, I will give the go-ahead to start," Petersen said. "If there is no money we won’t go forward.
"Las Vegas called Internet gaming for them a monumental challenge," she added. "For us, it’s a leap into the unknown."
ROTARY CLUB OF ST. JOHN
The Rotary Club of St. John will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, at Westin hotel's Beach Cafe. The speaker will be Susan Laua Lugo of United Way.
ROTARY CLUB OF ST. JOHN
The Rotary Club of St. John will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, at Westin Hotel's Beach Cafe. The speaker will be Susan Laura Lugo of United Way.
