Oct. 2, 2001 – The V.I. National Guard was finalizing plans Monday to deploy members at the territory’s two airports to help in security duty.
The move is part of President George W. Bush’s order last week that state and territorial governors use the troops to supplement airport security. Locally, there were reports Monday that 25 National Guard members were already manning posts at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas.
But a VING spokeswoman, Staff Sgt. Karen Williams, said Monday afternoon that plans were still being drawn up concerning the deployment of Guard members. She said VING officers were creating a profile of members who would best suit the security duty, which could last up to six months.
Williams said there will first be a call for volunteers, and then assignments could be made. VING's 661st Military Police component will likely be tapped first, she said.
V.I. Police Department officials have expressed concern because many Guard members in the military police unit are also members of the police force, which already is experiencing manpower shortages.
On Friday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull ordered Adj. Gen. Cleave McBean of the V.I. National Guard to work with the U.S. National Guard Bureau, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Port Authority and the Attorney General’s Office to prepare the deployment of troops at the two airports.
Once deployment plans are approved by the National Guard Bureau, Turnbull said, the costs will be covered by the federal government. He didn’t say how many VING troops would be involved.
Airport security was added to the National Guard’s growing list of civil support and homeland defense missions on Thursday at Bush's direction. The FAA had asked the Defense Department to coordinate the use of about 5,000 National Guard members at 422 commercial airports nationwide for the next four to six months.
According to the National Guard Bureau, the FAA will train the National Guard troops in airport security techniques.
VING is operated as a separate function within the Office of Governor, with headquarters on St. Croix. It is headed by an adjutant general appointed by the President of the United States.
NATIONAL GUARD PRESENCE AT AIRPORTS PLANNED
Oct. 2, 2001 – The V.I. National Guard was finalizing plans Monday to deploy members at the territory’s two airports to help in security duty.
The move is part of President George W. Bush’s order last week that state and territorial governors use the troops to supplement airport security. Locally, there were reports Monday that 25 National Guard members were already manning posts at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas.
But a VING spokeswoman, Staff Sgt. Karen Williams, said Monday afternoon that plans were still being drawn up concerning the deployment of Guard members. She said VING officers were creating a profile of members who would best suit the security duty, which could last up to six months.
Williams said there will first be a call for volunteers, and then assignments could be made. VING's 661st Military Police component will likely be tapped first, she said.
V.I. Police Department officials have expressed concern because many Guard members in the military police unit are also members of the police force, which already is experiencing manpower shortages.
On Friday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull ordered Adj. Gen. Cleave McBean of the V.I. National Guard to work with the U.S. National Guard Bureau, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Port Authority and the Attorney General’s Office to prepare the deployment of troops at the two airports.
Once deployment plans are approved by the National Guard Bureau, Turnbull said, the costs will be covered by the federal government. He didn’t say how many VING troops would be involved.
Airport security was added to the National Guard’s growing list of civil support and homeland defense missions on Thursday at Bush's direction. The FAA had asked the Defense Department to coordinate the use of about 5,000 National Guard members at 422 commercial airports nationwide for the next four to six months.
According to the National Guard Bureau, the FAA will train the National Guard troops in airport security techniques.
VING is operated as a separate function within the Office of Governor, with headquarters on St. Croix. It is headed by an adjutant general appointed by the President of the United States.
The move is part of President George W. Bush’s order last week that state and territorial governors use the troops to supplement airport security. Locally, there were reports Monday that 25 National Guard members were already manning posts at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas.
But a VING spokeswoman, Staff Sgt. Karen Williams, said Monday afternoon that plans were still being drawn up concerning the deployment of Guard members. She said VING officers were creating a profile of members who would best suit the security duty, which could last up to six months.
Williams said there will first be a call for volunteers, and then assignments could be made. VING's 661st Military Police component will likely be tapped first, she said.
V.I. Police Department officials have expressed concern because many Guard members in the military police unit are also members of the police force, which already is experiencing manpower shortages.
On Friday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull ordered Adj. Gen. Cleave McBean of the V.I. National Guard to work with the U.S. National Guard Bureau, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Port Authority and the Attorney General’s Office to prepare the deployment of troops at the two airports.
Once deployment plans are approved by the National Guard Bureau, Turnbull said, the costs will be covered by the federal government. He didn’t say how many VING troops would be involved.
Airport security was added to the National Guard’s growing list of civil support and homeland defense missions on Thursday at Bush's direction. The FAA had asked the Defense Department to coordinate the use of about 5,000 National Guard members at 422 commercial airports nationwide for the next four to six months.
According to the National Guard Bureau, the FAA will train the National Guard troops in airport security techniques.
VING is operated as a separate function within the Office of Governor, with headquarters on St. Croix. It is headed by an adjutant general appointed by the President of the United States.
MAN SHOT, CRITICALLY WOUNDED BY POLICE
Oct. 1, 2001 — A St. Croix man is in critical condition at the island’s hospital after being shot by police over the weekend.
According to St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis, Michael Herbert, 27, was shot once by an officer at about 9 p.m. on Saturday in the Mon Bijou area. At 8:56, officers reportedly observed a car parked at the rear of the La Loma Supermarket and then approached to investigate.
Francis said the officers could see two men in the vehicle and as they approached the "driver of the parked car go out and fled on foot with a firearm in his hand."
An officer gave chase and in the process Herbert was shot once, Francis said. Herbert was taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he remains in critical condition. A .357 caliber automatic handgun was recovered from the scene, Francis said.
"As per contractual agreement, the name of the police officer cannot be released at this time," Francis said. "However, he was treated at the Juan Luis Hospital for minor injuries and released."
The shooting is under investigation by the police department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Internal Affairs Unit.
In June, a 17-year-old high school boy was shot and killed by police after he lunged at his mother and police officers with a 9-inch kitchen knife during a domestic dispute.
According to St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis, Michael Herbert, 27, was shot once by an officer at about 9 p.m. on Saturday in the Mon Bijou area. At 8:56, officers reportedly observed a car parked at the rear of the La Loma Supermarket and then approached to investigate.
Francis said the officers could see two men in the vehicle and as they approached the "driver of the parked car go out and fled on foot with a firearm in his hand."
An officer gave chase and in the process Herbert was shot once, Francis said. Herbert was taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he remains in critical condition. A .357 caliber automatic handgun was recovered from the scene, Francis said.
"As per contractual agreement, the name of the police officer cannot be released at this time," Francis said. "However, he was treated at the Juan Luis Hospital for minor injuries and released."
The shooting is under investigation by the police department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Internal Affairs Unit.
In June, a 17-year-old high school boy was shot and killed by police after he lunged at his mother and police officers with a 9-inch kitchen knife during a domestic dispute.
THIS JOB ACTION MEANT HARDLY ANY WORK STOPPAGE
Oct. 1, 2001 – After 20 years of working side by side in their respective local districts of the American Federation of Teachers, Cecil Benjamin and Glen J. Smith are back together again — at the Labor Department.
Benjamin, the recently sworn-in commissioner of Labor, confirmed Monday that Smith has been hired to fill the long-empty position of director of labor relations. Smith's last day as president of the St. Thomas-St. John teachers union was Aug. 31. He started his new job last week.
Smith ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature two years ago. Benjamin, then president of the St. Croix teachers union, also ran for the Senate then, also unsuccessfully.
Benjamin refused to say how much Smith is being paid in his new Labor post, saying he considers it private information even though the job is a taxpayer-paid position. He referred such questions to the government's Personnel Division.
When Kenneth Hermon, special assistant to the Personnel director, Joanne Barry, was asked about the salary level, he said he was not aware that the position had been filled. Since it is an exempt position, it falls outside of the classified service for which Personnel keeps salary listings. For exempt positions, the head of the department or agency involved recommends a salary to the governor, who has the final say.
To obtain the salary information, Hermon said, a request had to be submitted in writing; there was no response to that written request by the end of the business day Monday.
Benjamin, the recently sworn-in commissioner of Labor, confirmed Monday that Smith has been hired to fill the long-empty position of director of labor relations. Smith's last day as president of the St. Thomas-St. John teachers union was Aug. 31. He started his new job last week.
Smith ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature two years ago. Benjamin, then president of the St. Croix teachers union, also ran for the Senate then, also unsuccessfully.
Benjamin refused to say how much Smith is being paid in his new Labor post, saying he considers it private information even though the job is a taxpayer-paid position. He referred such questions to the government's Personnel Division.
When Kenneth Hermon, special assistant to the Personnel director, Joanne Barry, was asked about the salary level, he said he was not aware that the position had been filled. Since it is an exempt position, it falls outside of the classified service for which Personnel keeps salary listings. For exempt positions, the head of the department or agency involved recommends a salary to the governor, who has the final say.
To obtain the salary information, Hermon said, a request had to be submitted in writing; there was no response to that written request by the end of the business day Monday.
THIS JOB ACTION MEANT HARDLY ANY WORK STOPPAGE
Oct. 1, 2001 – After 20 years of working side by side in their respective local districts of the American Federation of Teachers, Cecil Benjamin and Glen J. Smith are back together again — at the Labor Department.
Benjamin, the recently sworn-in commissioner of Labor, confirmed Monday that Smith has been hired to fill the long-empty position of director of labor relations. Smith's last day as president of the St. Thomas-St. John teachers union was Aug. 31. He started his new job last week.
Smith ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature two years ago. Benjamin, then president of the St. Croix teachers union, also ran for the Senate then, also unsuccessfully.
Benjamin refused to say how much Smith is being paid in his new Labor post, saying he considers it private information even though the job is a taxpayer-paid position. He referred such questions to the government's Personnel Division.
When Kenneth Hermon, special assistant to the Personnel director, Joanne Barry, was asked about the salary level, he said he was not aware that the position had been filled. Since it is an exempt position, it falls outside of the classified service for which Personnel keeps salary listings. For exempt positions, the head of the department or agency involved recommends a salary to the governor, who has the final say.
To obtain the salary information, Hermon said, a request had to be submitted in writing; there was no response to that written request by the end of the business day Monday.
Benjamin, the recently sworn-in commissioner of Labor, confirmed Monday that Smith has been hired to fill the long-empty position of director of labor relations. Smith's last day as president of the St. Thomas-St. John teachers union was Aug. 31. He started his new job last week.
Smith ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature two years ago. Benjamin, then president of the St. Croix teachers union, also ran for the Senate then, also unsuccessfully.
Benjamin refused to say how much Smith is being paid in his new Labor post, saying he considers it private information even though the job is a taxpayer-paid position. He referred such questions to the government's Personnel Division.
When Kenneth Hermon, special assistant to the Personnel director, Joanne Barry, was asked about the salary level, he said he was not aware that the position had been filled. Since it is an exempt position, it falls outside of the classified service for which Personnel keeps salary listings. For exempt positions, the head of the department or agency involved recommends a salary to the governor, who has the final say.
To obtain the salary information, Hermon said, a request had to be submitted in writing; there was no response to that written request by the end of the business day Monday.
WITH FAT JOBLESS FUND, TAX BREAK STILL PLEDGED
Oct. 1, 2001 – As the territory braces for more layoffs amid predictions of dire economic fallout locally from the war on terrorism, it has one ace in the hole: a super-healthy unemployment fund.
But administration and legislative initiatives to reduce that fund are still moving ahead.
Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin brushed aside the idea Monday that a dramatic increase in layoffs might strain the fund. "It's over-solvent" now, he said, and "it's too early" to tell just what demands will be made on it in the near future.
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, whose bill to adjust the fund made it through the first committee in early September, said the cushion in the fund is so big that it will take about 15 years to use it up.
"This is not going to last for the next 10 to 15 years," she said of the current international crisis. "I have more confidence in America than that."
The fund now stands at a little over $60 million. According to Pickard-Samuel, federal officials say reserves of $20 million to $24 million would be acceptable for the Virgin Islands.
That range is considered sufficient to cover the average number of claims for unemployment compensation for a two-year period. That average is based on prior years' performance.
Benjamin said the territory's unemployment rate "doesn't fluctuate much." It hovers around 6 to 8 percent and "seldom goes beyond that."
Pickard-Samuel said unemployment claims have been running a little over $4 million a year and have been paid out of the interest being earned by the fund. "We're not even touching the principal," she said.
There have been cries for years for the V.I. government to change the way in which employers pay into the unemployment fund. The criticism have come both from local business leaders and from the federal government, which acts as custodian of the fund.
In every jurisdiction nationwide, employers are required to pay a percentage of their workers' salaries into the fund in order to cover benefits to workers who are laid off. The percentage for a given business is supposed to be based on the demands placed on the fund by that employer's workers. But in the Virgin Islands the system has been marked by wide swings in the level of contributions required of employers — and, in general, by overly high contributions.
Pickard-Samuel's bill to amend the system was reported out of the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee, which she chairs, on Sept. 7. She said on Monday that she expects the measure to be considered by the Rules Committee at its next meeting, set for Oct. 12.
Like Benjamin, Pickard-Samuel said she is not worried that the use of the fund will increase significantly because of the current economic downturn. "Now is the time more than ever to pursue that bill," she said, adding that employers need the tax relief it will bring.
But at the same time she is offering employers a break by lowering their payments into the fund, she also plans to amend the bill to levy a surcharge on them of 0.1 percent of wages paid. That money would filter through the insurance fund but would remain at the disposal of the local government for use in computer and Internet services training programs. That, she said, translates into retraining for laid-off workers.
Although Pickard-Samuel failed to get a similar amendment through her own committee, she said she has reworked it and expects it to pass the next time.
Meanwhile, Benjamin said the Labor Department is working on its own version of unemployment insurance fund reform.
"We are proposing a brand-new structure to give a sort of relief to employers," he said. The proposal, not yet drafted, will be a "more permanent solution" than Pickard-Samuel's bill, he said.
Under the administration's plan, it would take 12 years to bring the territory's unemployment insurance fund down gradually to the federally recommended level of reserves — assuming that unemployment rates remain constant.
But administration and legislative initiatives to reduce that fund are still moving ahead.
Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin brushed aside the idea Monday that a dramatic increase in layoffs might strain the fund. "It's over-solvent" now, he said, and "it's too early" to tell just what demands will be made on it in the near future.
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, whose bill to adjust the fund made it through the first committee in early September, said the cushion in the fund is so big that it will take about 15 years to use it up.
"This is not going to last for the next 10 to 15 years," she said of the current international crisis. "I have more confidence in America than that."
The fund now stands at a little over $60 million. According to Pickard-Samuel, federal officials say reserves of $20 million to $24 million would be acceptable for the Virgin Islands.
That range is considered sufficient to cover the average number of claims for unemployment compensation for a two-year period. That average is based on prior years' performance.
Benjamin said the territory's unemployment rate "doesn't fluctuate much." It hovers around 6 to 8 percent and "seldom goes beyond that."
Pickard-Samuel said unemployment claims have been running a little over $4 million a year and have been paid out of the interest being earned by the fund. "We're not even touching the principal," she said.
There have been cries for years for the V.I. government to change the way in which employers pay into the unemployment fund. The criticism have come both from local business leaders and from the federal government, which acts as custodian of the fund.
In every jurisdiction nationwide, employers are required to pay a percentage of their workers' salaries into the fund in order to cover benefits to workers who are laid off. The percentage for a given business is supposed to be based on the demands placed on the fund by that employer's workers. But in the Virgin Islands the system has been marked by wide swings in the level of contributions required of employers — and, in general, by overly high contributions.
Pickard-Samuel's bill to amend the system was reported out of the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee, which she chairs, on Sept. 7. She said on Monday that she expects the measure to be considered by the Rules Committee at its next meeting, set for Oct. 12.
Like Benjamin, Pickard-Samuel said she is not worried that the use of the fund will increase significantly because of the current economic downturn. "Now is the time more than ever to pursue that bill," she said, adding that employers need the tax relief it will bring.
But at the same time she is offering employers a break by lowering their payments into the fund, she also plans to amend the bill to levy a surcharge on them of 0.1 percent of wages paid. That money would filter through the insurance fund but would remain at the disposal of the local government for use in computer and Internet services training programs. That, she said, translates into retraining for laid-off workers.
Although Pickard-Samuel failed to get a similar amendment through her own committee, she said she has reworked it and expects it to pass the next time.
Meanwhile, Benjamin said the Labor Department is working on its own version of unemployment insurance fund reform.
"We are proposing a brand-new structure to give a sort of relief to employers," he said. The proposal, not yet drafted, will be a "more permanent solution" than Pickard-Samuel's bill, he said.
Under the administration's plan, it would take 12 years to bring the territory's unemployment insurance fund down gradually to the federally recommended level of reserves — assuming that unemployment rates remain constant.
WITH FAT JOBLESS FUND, TAX BREAK STILL PLEDGED
Oct. 1, 2001 – As the territory braces for more layoffs amid predictions of dire economic fallout locally from the war on terrorism, it has one ace in the hole: a super-healthy unemployment fund.
But administration and legislative initiatives to reduce that fund are still moving ahead.
Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin brushed aside the idea Monday that a dramatic increase in layoffs might strain the fund. "It's over-solvent" now, he said, and "it's too early" to tell just what demands will be made on it in the near future.
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, whose bill to adjust the fund made it through the first committee in early September, said the cushion in the fund is so big that it will take about 15 years to use it up.
"This is not going to last for the next 10 to 15 years," she said of the current international crisis. "I have more confidence in America than that."
The fund now stands at a little over $60 million. According to Pickard-Samuel, federal officials say reserves of $20 million to $24 million would be acceptable for the Virgin Islands.
That range is considered sufficient to cover the average number of claims for unemployment compensation for a two-year period. That average is based on prior years' performance.
Benjamin said the territory's unemployment rate "doesn't fluctuate much." It hovers around 6 to 8 percent and "seldom goes beyond that."
Pickard-Samuel said unemployment claims have been running a little over $4 million a year and have been paid out of the interest being earned by the fund. "We're not even touching the principal," she said.
There have been cries for years for the V.I. government to change the way in which employers pay into the unemployment fund. The criticism have come both from local business leaders and from the federal government, which acts as custodian of the fund.
In every jurisdiction nationwide, employers are required to pay a percentage of their workers' salaries into the fund in order to cover benefits to workers who are laid off. The percentage for a given business is supposed to be based on the demands placed on the fund by that employer's workers. But in the Virgin Islands the system has been marked by wide swings in the level of contributions required of employers — and, in general, by overly high contributions.
Pickard-Samuel's bill to amend the system was reported out of the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee, which she chairs, on Sept. 7. She said on Monday that she expects the measure to be considered by the Rules Committee at its next meeting, set for Oct. 12.
Like Benjamin, Pickard-Samuel said she is not worried that the use of the fund will increase significantly because of the current economic downturn. "Now is the time more than ever to pursue that bill," she said, adding that employers need the tax relief it will bring.
But at the same time she is offering employers a break by lowering their payments into the fund, she also plans to amend the bill to levy a surcharge on them of 0.1 percent of wages paid. That money would filter through the insurance fund but would remain at the disposal of the local government for use in computer and Internet services training programs. That, she said, translates into retraining for laid-off workers.
Although Pickard-Samuel failed to get a similar amendment through her own committee, she said she has reworked it and expects it to pass the next time.
Meanwhile, Benjamin said the Labor Department is working on its own version of unemployment insurance fund reform.
"We are proposing a brand-new structure to give a sort of relief to employers," he said. The proposal, not yet drafted, will be a "more permanent solution" than Pickard-Samuel's bill, he said.
Under the administration's plan, it would take 12 years to bring the territory's unemployment insurance fund down gradually to the federally recommended level of reserves — assuming that unemployment rates remain constant.
But administration and legislative initiatives to reduce that fund are still moving ahead.
Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin brushed aside the idea Monday that a dramatic increase in layoffs might strain the fund. "It's over-solvent" now, he said, and "it's too early" to tell just what demands will be made on it in the near future.
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, whose bill to adjust the fund made it through the first committee in early September, said the cushion in the fund is so big that it will take about 15 years to use it up.
"This is not going to last for the next 10 to 15 years," she said of the current international crisis. "I have more confidence in America than that."
The fund now stands at a little over $60 million. According to Pickard-Samuel, federal officials say reserves of $20 million to $24 million would be acceptable for the Virgin Islands.
That range is considered sufficient to cover the average number of claims for unemployment compensation for a two-year period. That average is based on prior years' performance.
Benjamin said the territory's unemployment rate "doesn't fluctuate much." It hovers around 6 to 8 percent and "seldom goes beyond that."
Pickard-Samuel said unemployment claims have been running a little over $4 million a year and have been paid out of the interest being earned by the fund. "We're not even touching the principal," she said.
There have been cries for years for the V.I. government to change the way in which employers pay into the unemployment fund. The criticism have come both from local business leaders and from the federal government, which acts as custodian of the fund.
In every jurisdiction nationwide, employers are required to pay a percentage of their workers' salaries into the fund in order to cover benefits to workers who are laid off. The percentage for a given business is supposed to be based on the demands placed on the fund by that employer's workers. But in the Virgin Islands the system has been marked by wide swings in the level of contributions required of employers — and, in general, by overly high contributions.
Pickard-Samuel's bill to amend the system was reported out of the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee, which she chairs, on Sept. 7. She said on Monday that she expects the measure to be considered by the Rules Committee at its next meeting, set for Oct. 12.
Like Benjamin, Pickard-Samuel said she is not worried that the use of the fund will increase significantly because of the current economic downturn. "Now is the time more than ever to pursue that bill," she said, adding that employers need the tax relief it will bring.
But at the same time she is offering employers a break by lowering their payments into the fund, she also plans to amend the bill to levy a surcharge on them of 0.1 percent of wages paid. That money would filter through the insurance fund but would remain at the disposal of the local government for use in computer and Internet services training programs. That, she said, translates into retraining for laid-off workers.
Although Pickard-Samuel failed to get a similar amendment through her own committee, she said she has reworked it and expects it to pass the next time.
Meanwhile, Benjamin said the Labor Department is working on its own version of unemployment insurance fund reform.
"We are proposing a brand-new structure to give a sort of relief to employers," he said. The proposal, not yet drafted, will be a "more permanent solution" than Pickard-Samuel's bill, he said.
Under the administration's plan, it would take 12 years to bring the territory's unemployment insurance fund down gradually to the federally recommended level of reserves — assuming that unemployment rates remain constant.
OVER FORTY SOFTBALL UP TO BAT
Sept. 25, 2001 – A ceremony to distribute last season's trophies will mark the opening of the 2001-2002 season of the Susthens Vialet Over Forty Modified Pitch Softball League. The ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Emile Griffith Ball Park on St. Thomas, and games will begin at 1 p.m.
The first game will be a rematch between last season's champion, the Movements, and the division runner-up, the Bapos. The rest of the schedule includes Ambassadors vs. Ninjars at 3 p.m., Roughnecks vs. Dynamics at 5 p.m., and Silver Bullets vs. Oilers at 7 p.m., according to a release. The league has a total of 10 teams. The teams not playing at the opener are Savages and Royals.
The Ambassadors is a St. John team, and the slate of games on three Sundays will be played at Winston Wells Ball Park in Cruz Bay. Those scheduled dates are Nov. 18, Jan. 13, and Feb. 3.
The season is expected to finish before Carnival. Regular play is scheduled through February, with playoffs in March, according to spokesperson Karl Callwood. Weather may affect the schedule.
The season is foreshortened, said Callwood, due to the pullout of the group that had formerly organized the league. Three weeks ago the V.I. Amateur Sports Association stepped in and quickly got the season set. The full schedule of games will be released later today.
The first game will be a rematch between last season's champion, the Movements, and the division runner-up, the Bapos. The rest of the schedule includes Ambassadors vs. Ninjars at 3 p.m., Roughnecks vs. Dynamics at 5 p.m., and Silver Bullets vs. Oilers at 7 p.m., according to a release. The league has a total of 10 teams. The teams not playing at the opener are Savages and Royals.
The Ambassadors is a St. John team, and the slate of games on three Sundays will be played at Winston Wells Ball Park in Cruz Bay. Those scheduled dates are Nov. 18, Jan. 13, and Feb. 3.
The season is expected to finish before Carnival. Regular play is scheduled through February, with playoffs in March, according to spokesperson Karl Callwood. Weather may affect the schedule.
The season is foreshortened, said Callwood, due to the pullout of the group that had formerly organized the league. Three weeks ago the V.I. Amateur Sports Association stepped in and quickly got the season set. The full schedule of games will be released later today.
V.I. OFFICIALS: NO NEED YET FOR BUSINESS TAX RELIEF
Oct 1, 2001 – One of the administration's top financial officers warned Monday that just because funds have been appropriated to departments and agencies doesn't necessarily mean they'll be there for the spending.
"We can't release allotments for which we have no resources," Ira Mills, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said. And, he added, "We can't be said to be holding back money if there's no money to hold back."
Mills was one of three administration financial officers speaking on the "Topp Talk" show on WVWI Radio Monday morning. Joining him were Louis Willis, Internal Revenue Bureau director, and Kent Bernier, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's economic adviser.
The government's budget is based on revenue projections, Mills said, and since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, those projections have changed. For Fiscal Year 2001, which ended Sunday, the Legislature recently passed two supplemental appropriation bills, he noted. "And what we are going to have to do is delay as long as possible many of those items — to make sure the mandatory items are covered. As the revenues shrink, we have to be more cautious."
Similar concerns were expressed by several senators about the Fiscal Year 2002 budget, but that budget was passed by the Legislature last week and sent to Government House with no changes to reflect the recent and projected losses in revenue due to tourist cancellations since Sept. 11. Sens. Lorraine Berry, Emmett Hansen II and Vargrave Richards had written to the governor about these concerns but had received no response as of last Friday.
Government House announced on Sunday that Turnbull had signed two measures into law that were passed by the Senate last week — allocating federal community development funds and contracting for medical and dental insurance for government workers. But there was no information concerning his response to the FY 2002 budget.
Mills said some departments, starting with Police Department, "will get their full allocation." The governor's other priorities – education and health care – come next, he said.
"Everyone will see his item as a priority," he acknowledged, "but that doesn't give us any authority to release allotments for which we have no resources."
Mills also cautioned nonprofit agencies who have allotments coming, "Don't make any commitments until you have the money in hand."
Private sector can 'sustain themselves'
Talk show host Sam Topp asked Bernier what the government could do to aid the territory's hotels, which currently are reporting less than 15 percent occupancy. The St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association president, Richard Doumeng, said last week that several hotels won't be able to stay open if they don't get some immediate relief. The business sector has proposed, among other things, a four-month deferral in paying gross receipts taxes and electric and water bills.
Bernier had no answer, except to say, "They'll be able to sustain themselves." He referred to recent meetings between administration officials and leaders of the territory's two hotel associations and two chambers of commerce. "We have discussed a gross receipts tax break or something from WAPA," he said, "but there's no need to react until we see how great the impact is further down the road, until we get more data."
Bernier added, "We've been trying to bring something to the table to help," he said. But Mills said even a temporary tax break isn't an option, because the government's tax revenues are pledged to bond issues. "We will see which members are adversely affected, and see if we could make some accommodations without upsetting the bond holders," he said.
Bernier described a new tourism initiative the private and public sectors are launching. The government, he said, is "putting $3.5 million toward advertising the V.I. destination." He described the project to offer New York and Washington, D.C., relief workers a week's free vacation in the Virgin Islands that was proposed by the hotel associations and chambers of commerce last week. "The government is supplying 1,000 airline tickets, and the hotels are supplying 500 rooms free of charge for the rescue workers for a seven-day stay," he said.
Bernier said Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards would be on a radio show later in the week to explain another tourism campaign which includes a free airplane ticket for every one purchased for travelers across the nation, as well as 25-percent-discounted hotel rates and a money-back guarantee on cancellations.
Bernier said he is going to Aruba this week to attend a two- or three-day meeting with cruise line officials. "We are projecting excess cruise ship calls," he said, given public concern about travel in the Middle East and Asia. Already, Norwegian Cruise Lines/Star Cruises have announced they will return the Norway to the Caribbean at the end of this year after it is refurbished, instead of pursuing earlier plans to reposition it in Asian waters.
Focus on getting capital projects going
Both Mills and Bernier said getting capital projects on line is the immediate answer to the territory's economic ills. Bernier said, "We're not trying to stay in the box with just the hotel association." He said a technical park proposed by the Port Authority on St. Croix is under way, and that expansion of the Divi Carina Bay Resort and development of a new 300-room hotel and casino by Golden Gaming, both on St. Croix, and the Red Hook marine terminal on St. Thomas and the Enighed Pond cargo port on St. John will be started by the end of the year.
"We are mobilizing all of our forces to diversify the economy," Bernier said.
Mills said, "We are working in Washington, D.C., with the Tourism Department and the House of Representatives to be part of the multimillion-dollar recent nationwide package developed to take care of tourism."
Willis said the impact on the territory from the terrorist attacks was less severe than if it had come in a month when the agency collects high gross receipts and hotel room taxes. "September and October are always the slowest months" for tourist arrivals, he noted.
Hotel room-tax revenues are typically about $300,000 in September and October, Willis said, compared with $1.1 million in February and March. He said he would have to wait until the tax revenues come in to see exactly how much the bureau has been affected.
Willis said he see "a light" coming on for St. Croix. "So far this year, we've had $120 million in St. Croix tax revenues, and that's just through August," he said. Previous years' taxes had totaled around $118 million for the whole year, he said.
"We can't release allotments for which we have no resources," Ira Mills, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said. And, he added, "We can't be said to be holding back money if there's no money to hold back."
Mills was one of three administration financial officers speaking on the "Topp Talk" show on WVWI Radio Monday morning. Joining him were Louis Willis, Internal Revenue Bureau director, and Kent Bernier, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's economic adviser.
The government's budget is based on revenue projections, Mills said, and since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, those projections have changed. For Fiscal Year 2001, which ended Sunday, the Legislature recently passed two supplemental appropriation bills, he noted. "And what we are going to have to do is delay as long as possible many of those items — to make sure the mandatory items are covered. As the revenues shrink, we have to be more cautious."
Similar concerns were expressed by several senators about the Fiscal Year 2002 budget, but that budget was passed by the Legislature last week and sent to Government House with no changes to reflect the recent and projected losses in revenue due to tourist cancellations since Sept. 11. Sens. Lorraine Berry, Emmett Hansen II and Vargrave Richards had written to the governor about these concerns but had received no response as of last Friday.
Government House announced on Sunday that Turnbull had signed two measures into law that were passed by the Senate last week — allocating federal community development funds and contracting for medical and dental insurance for government workers. But there was no information concerning his response to the FY 2002 budget.
Mills said some departments, starting with Police Department, "will get their full allocation." The governor's other priorities – education and health care – come next, he said.
"Everyone will see his item as a priority," he acknowledged, "but that doesn't give us any authority to release allotments for which we have no resources."
Mills also cautioned nonprofit agencies who have allotments coming, "Don't make any commitments until you have the money in hand."
Private sector can 'sustain themselves'
Talk show host Sam Topp asked Bernier what the government could do to aid the territory's hotels, which currently are reporting less than 15 percent occupancy. The St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association president, Richard Doumeng, said last week that several hotels won't be able to stay open if they don't get some immediate relief. The business sector has proposed, among other things, a four-month deferral in paying gross receipts taxes and electric and water bills.
Bernier had no answer, except to say, "They'll be able to sustain themselves." He referred to recent meetings between administration officials and leaders of the territory's two hotel associations and two chambers of commerce. "We have discussed a gross receipts tax break or something from WAPA," he said, "but there's no need to react until we see how great the impact is further down the road, until we get more data."
Bernier added, "We've been trying to bring something to the table to help," he said. But Mills said even a temporary tax break isn't an option, because the government's tax revenues are pledged to bond issues. "We will see which members are adversely affected, and see if we could make some accommodations without upsetting the bond holders," he said.
Bernier described a new tourism initiative the private and public sectors are launching. The government, he said, is "putting $3.5 million toward advertising the V.I. destination." He described the project to offer New York and Washington, D.C., relief workers a week's free vacation in the Virgin Islands that was proposed by the hotel associations and chambers of commerce last week. "The government is supplying 1,000 airline tickets, and the hotels are supplying 500 rooms free of charge for the rescue workers for a seven-day stay," he said.
Bernier said Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards would be on a radio show later in the week to explain another tourism campaign which includes a free airplane ticket for every one purchased for travelers across the nation, as well as 25-percent-discounted hotel rates and a money-back guarantee on cancellations.
Bernier said he is going to Aruba this week to attend a two- or three-day meeting with cruise line officials. "We are projecting excess cruise ship calls," he said, given public concern about travel in the Middle East and Asia. Already, Norwegian Cruise Lines/Star Cruises have announced they will return the Norway to the Caribbean at the end of this year after it is refurbished, instead of pursuing earlier plans to reposition it in Asian waters.
Focus on getting capital projects going
Both Mills and Bernier said getting capital projects on line is the immediate answer to the territory's economic ills. Bernier said, "We're not trying to stay in the box with just the hotel association." He said a technical park proposed by the Port Authority on St. Croix is under way, and that expansion of the Divi Carina Bay Resort and development of a new 300-room hotel and casino by Golden Gaming, both on St. Croix, and the Red Hook marine terminal on St. Thomas and the Enighed Pond cargo port on St. John will be started by the end of the year.
"We are mobilizing all of our forces to diversify the economy," Bernier said.
Mills said, "We are working in Washington, D.C., with the Tourism Department and the House of Representatives to be part of the multimillion-dollar recent nationwide package developed to take care of tourism."
Willis said the impact on the territory from the terrorist attacks was less severe than if it had come in a month when the agency collects high gross receipts and hotel room taxes. "September and October are always the slowest months" for tourist arrivals, he noted.
Hotel room-tax revenues are typically about $300,000 in September and October, Willis said, compared with $1.1 million in February and March. He said he would have to wait until the tax revenues come in to see exactly how much the bureau has been affected.
Willis said he see "a light" coming on for St. Croix. "So far this year, we've had $120 million in St. Croix tax revenues, and that's just through August," he said. Previous years' taxes had totaled around $118 million for the whole year, he said.
GOVERNOR NOTES V.I. SOLAR, WIND POWER POTENTIAL
Oct. 1, 2001 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has declared October "Energy Awareness Month in the Virgin Islands.
Nationwide, the observance "promotes awareness of energy issues, appliance efficiency, environmental protection and practical resources in renewable energy," Turnbull said.
A Government House release announcing the proclamation noted that the territory "has the great potential to benefit from the sun, wind and sea that surrounds us and to maximize these elements for the production of alternative energy sources."
Nationwide, the observance "promotes awareness of energy issues, appliance efficiency, environmental protection and practical resources in renewable energy," Turnbull said.
A Government House release announcing the proclamation noted that the territory "has the great potential to benefit from the sun, wind and sea that surrounds us and to maximize these elements for the production of alternative energy sources."
