Car rental owners are invited to attend a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, may 10, at the Legislature Conference Room.
Rental companies and the public are invited to discuss the rental issue. The heearings will determine whether the current limitations are sufficient on each island.

Car rental owners are invited to attend a public hearing scheduled at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, may 10, at the legislature Conference Room.
Rental companies and the public are invited to discus the rental issure. The hearings will determine whether the current limitations are sufficient on each island.

The Joseph Gomez School has organized a Gala Celebration honoring its recent retirees to be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 29, aboard the cruise ship Monarch of the Seas.
Honored will be Joan Pilgrim Dawson, Gene A. Powell, Caroline Thomas and Mary E. Williams. Tickets are $30 each and all participants must bring photo ID iin order to board the ship.

The Joseph Gomez School has organized a Gala Celebration honoring its recent retirees that will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 29, aboard the cruise ship Monarch of the Seas.
Honored will be Joan Pilgrim Dawson, Gene A. Powell, Caroline Thomas and Mary E. Williams.
Tickets are $30 each and all participants must bring photo ID to board the ship.

Dear Source,
I read with interest the story of the two hotels. However the Ritz Carlton on St Thomas,or Caneel Bay or Virgin Grande on St John have always met the standards set by the first hotel story.
As for the rest of them they basically all fall into some degree of the second story,In the U.S there are many bad hotels.
But Turnberry Isle in Aventura and the Ritz Carlton in Naples are all 5 star and would fit the first story.
Many other hotels in U S are like St.Thomas.
Don't always believe that because it is in the States it is automatically better.
Sen. David Purtiz
Editor's note: To read op-ed piece click here.

Dear Source,
In the quiz , can you identify which hotels in St. Thomas are being
talked about.
In my opinion after living there I've come up with the following:the first hotel was the Ritz Carlton and the second hotel was every other hotel on the island since island caring and hospitality are almost non existent on the island.
When you here people talk about the V.I. you hear the same thing most of the time and that is they will never go back. Its great for a 6 hour cruise ship call but not for a land vacation.
David Bilardi
Sarasota, Fl.
Editor's note: To read op-ed piece click here.

Dear Source,
Let's see, could hotel number two be in the Virgin Islands?
Repeat guests are what we should be looking for in this, the largest, income producing sector of our economy. It takes more than sun, sea and sand. Add soul to the mix. It is a shame because as a native of St. Thomas, I know of just the opposite. This however does not occur enough. Why? A few ideas…
1. We must own or have a larger stake in the tourism industry. Reap the rewards for your efforts or the faults, then try to make it better.
Please read " Raving Fans " by Ken Blanchard.
2. Learn new skills and training from here or abroad. You are never too young or too old to learn.
3. Realize that the actions you take towards our visitors today are a reflection on all of us in this industry, good or bad. Let's hear more good!
Not bad for a "pop quiz" Mr. Schneiger. Now lets get a more than a passing grade.
Jason Budsan
"the candle man"
Editor's note: To read op-ed piece on hotel quiz click here.

The St. John Source welcomes your views on any subject. Letters must contain your full name. Include your address and phone number in the event we need to contact you. Your name will be published; your email address and phone number will not, except for the name of the island or the state in which you reside. You can e-mail the Source at source@viaccess.net.
Unlike a printed newspaper, length is not a problem for us, but please try to be succinct. Material of territory-wide interest will appear on all three Sources, including the St. Croix Source and St. Thomas Source.
The Source reserves the right to reject any material it considers unsuitable.

Judi Shimel
For a quarter-century, V.I. Carnival fans have heard Irvin "Brownie" Brown tell them their annual celebration is a "good t'ing."
For the first festivities of the new millennium, the V.I. Carnival Committee repaid the compliment, naming the Year 2000 Carnival Village "Brownie's Ville."
Relatives, friends, musical mates from Milo's Kings, Savaneros and fellow broadcasters came out at the village opening ceremonies Monday night to pay tribute to the modest man with the mustache, glasses, broad smile and Tortolan alter ego named Walter.
"The Original Side of Walter and Brownie" has entertained calypso fans tuning into WSTA Radio/Lucky 13 for the past 30 years. But even before he took to the Virgin Islands airwaves, this seventh-grade dropout who worked as a teenager to support his family had found that entertainment would be the way he would make his mark in the world.
Brownie spent 17 years playing drums for the venerable Milo and the Kings, a Virgin Islands band that began its career at the Pilgrim's Terrace nightclub on St. Thomas and later gained fame in Puerto Rico for its soca, merengue, calypso and big band repertoire. Directed by Emile "Milo" Francis until his death 1997, Milo and the Kings also toured to the U.S. mainland, Canada and other far-flung destinations.
At Monday's program dedicating the village, mistress of ceremonies Debra Brown Roumo recalled as a child hearing her father, Warren E. Brown, say that her cousin was back in town and how proud he was of young Irvin, who was making a name for himself as a musician. Unlike many success stories, however, Brownie did not opt to leave his islands for good.
For the past 25 years of Carnival on St. Thomas, Brownie has emceed hundreds of staged events — among them the Carnival queen, prince and princess competitions, calypso shows and culture nights.
As calypso emcee and as the split personality of Brownie and Walter, Brown shows his talent for comedy. In a thick B.V.I. accent, always trading w's for v's, Walter is a quarrelsome but befuddled character who always seems to miss the point. Brownie often reminds him how "chupidd" he sounds when he says certain things.
Brownie also is an environmentalist among entertainers: He recycles jokes. There's the one about the two friends who are walking along when one is bitten by a snake in his private parts. His friend runs to find help and finally finds a doctor who instructs him to make two cuts over the snake bite and suck out the poison.
The friend rushes back to the side of his stricken friend, who asks desperately what the doctor said. The friend replies, "He said you're going to die."
Those who have heard it so many times before recite the punchline before the newly told can finish their own retelling.
Brownie continues to put in the time and energy at Carnival that would lay our others half his age. Covering the big parades, he has stood for hours in the searing sun on Main Street shielded only by his Atlanta Braves baseball cap. There have been countless late nights after daytime work at the radio station, onstage and in the village, conducting live interviews of locals and visitors, announcing the festival schedule and showcasing musical acts.
Why does he do it? His daughter told those gathered for the opening of Brownie's Ville that she had often thought her dad was overdoing it. But, she recalled, when she raised her concerns, he would say he spent the hours and the years in the spotlight because it was his community and he lived here.
In his unaccustomed role of honoree rather than interviewer or emcee, Brownie stood patiently on same stage with speaker after speaker listing his contributions and sterling qualities. But when his turn came to offer a few comments, he could not resist cracking a joke. "All day long I've been looking for what to say when they called me to the mike," he said, "and I finally found what I would say.
"Thank you. Good night," he said.
The veteran St. Thomas entertainer announced his intention to spend rest of the evening away from the microphone and down in the crowds around the Carnival booths, greeting old friends and wishing them well for the festival season.
"I think this is the prettiest village I've seen in a long time," he said, "and I'm not being prejudiced. It's beautiful. These people went all out to beautify this village. I'd like to see everyone come out, meet your friends, walk around, chat with everybody. Just enjoy yourself. That's what it's all about."
The opportunity to do just that remains available nightly through the Last Lap partying following the fireworks on Saturday night. Village hours are 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. To see the schedule of music groups performing, click on Community/Other stuff .

The next regular meeting of the GERS Board of Trustees will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, may 9, in the GERS St. Croix Office at #5 Orange Grove.