Sept. 24, 2001 – A family fun day that's also a fund-raiser for American Red Cross relief efforts under way in New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as for the agency's local chapter, is set for Sunday on the beach at the Bolongo Bay Beach Club.
From noon to sunset by Iggies Beach Bar and Grill, there will be live music and food, drinks and commemorative T-shirts for sale. There'll also be activities for kids and a raffle of prizes "already up to $5,000 in value and growing" that includes a stay at the Divi Carina Bay Resort on St. Croix, according to Bryan Hollenbaugh, one of the event organizers.
All of the talent is volunteer, all of the food and drink is being donated, and so are all of the raffle prizes, Hollenbaugh said. And all of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross — "90 percent for terrorist disaster relief, and 10 percent for our local Red Cross chapter, to keep them going as well," he said.
The event is being called — what else? — United Ah We. "We want to provide an outlet where people of our community can support a great cause while being able to reflect on what has happened as well as how we're going to move forward," the other organizer, Paul Doumeng, said. Admission is free.
Doumeng, who manages Bolongo Bay, said he and Hollenbaugh, who is general manager of WIVI-FM/Pirate Radio (96.1 FM), came up with the idea to raise funds for the victims of the terrorist attacks and their families. Doumeng said he's put benefits together before, but this one is different: "Nobody likes to call somebody and solicit funds or product," he said, "but this time it's been easy — because it's for a benefit that everybody understands."
The music will probably start around 1 p.m. "We'll be starting with jazz, float through acoustic, then move into reggae, calypso and rock," Hollenbaugh said. Louis Taylor and Friends and the Sax Cymbals will be serving up the jazz. Cymbals leader Rusty Vellek said the two groups will join forces after separate sets, and other "musicians are invited to bring instruments and voices and join the jam." Other bands already signed on are Tahra Richardson's TNT, Steve Richmond's Wize Gize, the reggae group Solidarity and a Florida rock band named Intense.
When all of the guest artists have done their turns, Bolongo Bay's house steelpan ensemble, Band in the Sand, will close things out.
The Florida group is a part of the mix, Hollenbaugh said, because Pirate Radio had already been "looking at doing a joint promotion" with Iggies because the band was coming to St. Thomas to do a record promotion with the station. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he said, he called Doumeng "and said let's do something different. It went from being a couple of separate things to something that is steamrolling pretty rapidly."
Attractions for youngsters will include a water-dunk tank and face painting. "It's about 'Let's go to the beach, bring the kids, spend some money and do some good,'" Doumeng said. He said the commemorative T-shirts feature "a big American flag."
Putting together a variety of music was one way of "trying to get a good cross section of the entire island to come out," Doumeng said.
Product donations are coming from Bellows International, Quality Foods and Coca-Cola Bottling of the V.I., Hollenbaugh said. And the Offshore Bar and Cyber Cafe and the Green House will be running additional bars on the beach, again with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross. Seaborne Airlines is flying the visiting band from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas.
That's all great, Hollenbaugh said, but what makes it even better is that "nobody is asking for credit. Nobody said 'Put up my banner' or 'Do this to promote us.' Their attitude is that 'We just want to help you guys be able to generate the funds for this cause.'"
Anyone wanting to volunteer or contribute to Sunday's effort can reach Hollenbaugh by calling 774-1972 or e-mailing to pirateradiovi@aol.com. Or call Doumeng at 775-1800 or Yvonne Vinacola at the St. Thomas-St. John chapter of the American Red Cross at 774-0375.

Sept. 24, 2001 – A family fun day that's also a fund-raiser for American Red Cross relief efforts under way in New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as for the agency's local chapter, is set for Sunday on the beach at the Bolongo Bay Beach Club.
From noon to sunset by Iggies Beach Bar and Grill, there will be live music and food, drinks and commemorative T-shirts for sale. There'll also be activities for kids and a raffle of prizes "already up to $5,000 in value and growing" that includes a stay at the Divi Carina Bay Resort on St. Croix, according to Bryan Hollenbaugh, one of the event organizers.
All of the talent is volunteer, all of the food and drink is being donated, and so are all of the raffle prizes, Hollenbaugh said. And all of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross — "90 percent for terrorist disaster relief, and 10 percent for our local Red Cross chapter, to keep them going as well," he said.
The event is being called — what else? — United Ah We. "We want to provide an outlet where people of our community can support a great cause while being able to reflect on what has happened as well as how we're going to move forward," the other organizer, Paul Doumeng, said. Admission is free.
Doumeng, who manages Bolongo Bay, said he and Hollenbaugh, who is general manager of WIVI-FM/Pirate Radio (96.1 FM), came up with the idea to raise funds for the victims of the terrorist attacks and their families. Doumeng said he's put benefits together before, but this one is different: "Nobody likes to call somebody and solicit funds or product," he said, "but this time it's been easy — because it's for a benefit that everybody understands."
The music will probably start around 1 p.m. "We'll be starting with jazz, float through acoustic, then move into reggae, calypso and rock," Hollenbaugh said. Louis Taylor and Friends and the Sax Cymbals will be serving up the jazz. Cymbals leader Rusty Vellek said the two groups will join forces after separate sets, and other "musicians are invited to bring instruments and voices and join the jam." Other bands already signed on are Tahra Richardson's TNT, Steve Richmond's Wize Gize, the reggae group Solidarity and a Florida rock band named Intense.
When all of the guest artists have done their turns, Bolongo Bay's house steelpan ensemble, Band in the Sand, will close things out.
The Florida group is a part of the mix, Hollenbaugh said, because Pirate Radio had already been "looking at doing a joint promotion" with Iggies because the band was coming to St. Thomas to do a record promotion with the station. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he said, he called Doumeng "and said let's do something different. It went from being a couple of separate things to something that is steamrolling pretty rapidly."
Attractions for youngsters will include a water-dunk tank and face painting. "It's about 'Let's go to the beach, bring the kids, spend some money and do some good,'" Doumeng said. He said the commemorative T-shirts feature "a big American flag."
Putting together a variety of music was one way of "trying to get a good cross section of the entire island to come out," Doumeng said.
Product donations are coming from Bellows International, Quality Foods and Coca-Cola Bottling of the V.I., Hollenbaugh said. And the Offshore Bar and Cyber Cafe and the Green House will be running additional bars on the beach, again with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross. Seaborne Airlines is flying the visiting band from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas.
That's all great, Hollenbaugh said, but what makes it even better is that "nobody is asking for credit. Nobody said 'Put up my banner' or 'Do this to promote us.' Their attitude is that 'We just want to help you guys be able to generate the funds for this cause.'"
Anyone wanting to volunteer or contribute to Sunday's effort can reach Hollenbaugh by calling 774-1972 or e-mailing to pirateradiovi@aol.com. Or call Doumeng at 775-1800 or Yvonne Vinacola at the St. Thomas-St. John chapter of the American Red Cross at 774-0375.

Sept. 24, 2001 – Friends of Edward O'Brien are invited to join his family in a celebration of Edward's life at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Peter Mountain Great House.
In addition, a viewing will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Creque Chapel prior to a private burial at sea.
O'Brien died Sunday in a parachuting accident on St. Thomas.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara O'Brien; his daughter, Kelly O'Brien; a brother, Thomas; and two sisters, Maureen Grasso and Kathleen Guglielmo.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Edward O'Brien Fund at Antilles School, Frenchman's Bay No. 16-1, St. Thomas VI 00802.
A tribute to O'Brien will be established in the new sports facility at the school, the Mark C. Marin Center.

Sept. 24, 2001 – Kenrick Maynard shot down Adolph Hyman Sr. on a Savan street and then stood over him firing shot after shot into his body from an assault rifle, witnesses testified in the opening day of Maynard's trial Monday.
Maynard is charged with first-degree murder and various firearm and assault charges related to events in July 1999. If convicted of the first-degree murder of Hyman, he will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Assistant Attorney General Lofton Holder presented evidence Monday that Maynard was involved in a fight at the St. John Fourth of July celebration in 1999. Maynard was stabbed several times in the fight, which involved Kimba George and Leslie Hyman, one of Adolph Hyman's sons, witnesses testified.
Leslie Hyman testified Monday that he was outside the Friendly Bar in Savan on July 26, 1999, when Maynard approached him from behind and shot him five or six times. He was wounded in the arm, the leg and the side of his chest, he said as he showed jurors some of his scars.
Adolph Hyman Sr., who was in Atlanta at the time of the shooting, returned to St. Thomas after learning that his son had been wounded, according to testimony from Maria Weekes, the elder Hyman's long-time girlfriend.
On July 28, 1999, Weekes testified, she was walking down General Gade with Adolph Hyman Sr. and Adolph Hyman Jr. when Maynard approached them in the area of the Red Ball Grocery. Maynard opened fire with what police later determined to be an AK-47 assault rifle, hitting her in the foot as she tried to get out of the way, she told the court.
Maynard then shot Adolph Hyman Sr. as he tried to run away, then stood over his body pumping shots into him, Weekes said.
"This man roll up and give him seven more shots," she said, pointing to Maynard, who sat with defense attorney Stephen Brusch. After Maynard left the scene in a car and ambulance crews arrived, she said, she went over to her dead boyfriend. "I held his head in my lap," she said. "My life is gone with him."
In questioning of witnesses, Brusch noted that Maynard had been stabbed repeatedly in the Fourth of July fight with the relatives of Adolph Hyman Sr. and that Leslie Hyman was carrying an unlicensed .380-caliber handgun at the time he was shot.
Brusch also noted that Leslie Hyman did not report the Fourth of July fight to police, that he did not tell investigators who had shot him on July 26, and that he was never charged with carrying what he admitted was an illegal firearm.
Maynard, who has also used the name Samuel Blyden, was arrested in Georgia last year on a warrant in connection with the murder charge.
The murder trial is expected to continue Tuesday before Territorial Court Judge Rhys Hodge.

Dear Editor,
After lengthy and painful efforts to rationalize the behavior of our government in regards to many public policies, in particular the fiscal state of affairs, I must surmise that the entire legislative and executive branches have lost their minds. There is no other explanation for the madness that is happening.
What does the governor base his rosy picture of the local economy on? Especially when the rest of the country is facing recession, does it not stand to reason that people will engage in leisure travel less? Isn't leisure travel where we make most of our money? I'm no economist, but, please . . .
As for the Legislature, the squandering of money at a giddy pace is appalling. Priorities are entirely out of order. Waste needs to be reduced (by layoffs if necessary and definitely by reducing so-called "capital expenditures" which are really pork in disguise), if we are going to pay teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and other important and essential government employees what they are worth. Millions of dollars for a house plot at Drakes Seat is a gross example of misguided priorities.
I hate to say it, but our attitudes toward outside companies must change. While we must protect the interests of the islands, including the environment and our way of life, common ground must be found in negotiations. We can't have it "our way or no way" all the time. In these days of a global economy, no man is an island unto himself.
Dwayne Henry
Virgin Islander studying law in North Carolina.

Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.

Sept. 24, 2001 – There's a silver lining for the Virgin Islands in the dark economic clouds on the horizon as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks: The S/S Norway will be returning to St. Thomas and St. John for another year of service starting the last week of this year.
Norwegian Cruise Lines and its new parent company, Star Cruises, had announced plans to reposition the Norway to Asia beginning with the winter season. Its "farewell Atlantic crossing" sailed out of Miami on Sept. 2, bound for Southampton, England, with arrival on Sept. 18. But with the global unrest now, NCL/Star Cruises has now decided to continue homeporting the ship in Miami for Eastern Caribbean cruises calling at Sint Maarten, St. Thomas and St. John, and the privately owned Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
The Caribbean itinerary will begin Dec. 23 and continue "through at least December 2002," according to a release from The West Indian Co. The Norway will call in the territory on Thursdays, beginning Dec. 27.
"This is exceptionally good news in light of events of the last few days as we attempt to stabilize our tourism economy," Edward Thomas, WICO president, said in a release Monday. "The S/S Norway has been an economic staple, especially for Main Street, and its return for the peak of the season bodes very well for all of us."
The Norway has a passenger capacity of 2,032 and carries a crew of 900. With a draft of 35 feet, the ship is one of the few that has never docked at St. Thomas, instead anchoring in the outer harbor and transporting personnel to and from the waterfront aboard two large tenders that are carried from port to port aboard the vessel itself.
Before entering back into service in the Caribbean, the Norway will be in dry dock in Europe for the next three months undergoing refurbishing.
The bright blue vessel with its familiar twin smokestacks has been calling weekly at St. Thomas for two decades. In the 1990s, a morning drop-off stop at St. John was added, with passengers allowed to disembark, see St. John, then travel to St. Thomas by ferry to board the ship from the Charlotte Amalie waterfront in the afternoon. The ship, the longest in the world until megavessels began making their appearance in the '90s, was built in 1962 and christened the France. It re-emerged as the Norway in 1980 and last underwent refurbishment in 1996.

Dear Editor,
After lengthy and painful efforts to rationalize the behavior of our government in regards to many public policies, in particular the fiscal state of affairs, I must surmise that the entire legislative and executive branches have lost their minds. There is no other explanation for the madness that is happening.
What does the governor base his rosy picture of the local economy on? Especially when the rest of the country is facing recession, does it not stand to reason that people will engage in leisure travel less? Isn't leisure travel where we make most of our money? I'm no economist, but, please . . .
As for the Legislature, the squandering of money at a giddy pace is appalling. Priorities are entirely out of order. Waste needs to be reduced (by layoffs if necessary and definitely by reducing so-called "capital expenditures" which are really pork in disguise), if we are going to pay teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and other important and essential government employees what they are worth. Millions of dollars for a house plot at Drakes Seat is a gross example of misguided priorities.
I hate to say it, but our attitudes toward outside companies must change. While we must protect the interests of the islands, including the environment and our way of life, common ground must be found in negotiations. We can't have it "our way or no way" all the time. In these days of a global economy, no man is an island unto himself.
Dwayne Henry
Virgin Islander studying law in North Carolina.

Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.

Dear Source,
It was with much sadness that I read this morning of the death of Ed O'Brien. We were shocked to read of his tragic death. We were old friends of Ed going back 35 or more years. We used to sail to Tortola together.
To Barbara and his daughter, we extend our deepest heartfelt sympathies and love. We shall all miss him very much. May God bless his family and everyone.
Our love to all.
Sen. David A. Puritz and family
Aventura, Florida

Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.

Sept. 24, 2001 – There's a silver lining for the Virgin Islands in the dark economic clouds on the horizon as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks: The S/S Norway will be returning to St. Thomas and St. John for another year of service starting the last week of this year.
Norwegian Cruise Lines and its new parent company, Star Cruises, had announced plans to reposition the Norway to Asia beginning with the winter season. Its "farewell Atlantic crossing" sailed out of Miami on Sept. 2, bound for Southampton, England, with arrival on Sept. 18. But with the global unrest now, NCL/Star Cruises has decided to continue homeporting the ship in Miami for Eastern Caribbean cruises calling at Sint Maarten, St. Thomas and St. John, and the privately owned Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
The Caribbean itinerary will begin Dec. 23 and continue "through at least December 2002," according to a release from The West Indian Co. The Norway will call in the territory on Thursdays, beginning Dec. 27.
"This is exceptionally good news in light of events of the last few days as we attempt to stabilize our tourism economy," Edward Thomas, WICO president, said in a release Monday. "The S/S Norway has been an economic staple, especially for Main Street, and its return for the peak of the season bodes very well for all of us."
The Norway has a passenger capacity of 2,032 and carries a crew of 900. With a draft of 35 feet, the ship is one of the few that has never docked at St. Thomas, instead anchoring in the outer harbor and transporting personnel to and from the waterfront aboard two large tenders that are carried from port to port aboard the vessel itself.
Before entering back into service in the Caribbean, the Norway will be in dry dock in Europe for the next three months undergoing refurbishing.
The bright blue vessel with its familiar twin smokestacks has been calling weekly at St. Thomas for two decades. In the 1990s, a morning drop-off stop at St. John was added, with passengers allowed to disembark, see St. John, then travel to St. Thomas by ferry to board the ship from the Charlotte Amalie waterfront in the afternoon. The ship, the longest in the world until megavessels began making their appearance in the '90s, was built in 1962 and christened the France. It re-emerged as the Norway in 1980 and last underwent refurbishment in 1996.

The V.I. Carnival Committee has scheduled a regular general meeeting for 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, at the Committee's offices located across from the Department of Finance. Planning continues for the 50th celebration of the Virgin Islands Carnival.
For more information call 776-3112.
Applications are now available for the Carnival 2002 Prince and Princess Pageant. Contact Francisque Roberts at 774-1343 or the VICC at 776-3112.
Applications are also now available for the 2002 Carnival Queen Pageant. For more information contact Lorna Webster at 776-3112.