June 30, 2001 – The "village spirit" of the St. John Festival abounded Friday night as both the Festival Village, this year honoring Cheryl Boynes-Jackson, and the Children's Village opened for business and pleasure.
Adding to their appeal was the return to the festival, after about a decade's absence, of carnival midway rides, set up in the ball field by the V.I. National Park Visitor Center.
St. Johnians, neighbors from St. Thomas and tourists shared the fun of the village, named in honor of Cheryl Boynes-Jackson, chief operating officer for Boyson Inc. and a former Miss St. John. The official opening ceremony that included participation by government officials, festival royalty and honored guests began at 7 p.m. with music the Love City Pan Dragons.
Mistress of ceremonies Alecia Wells welcomed those on the stage, which included the village honoree, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd, Harry Daniel and St. John Administrator Julien Harley.
Liburd and Harley urged everyone to have a fun festival but not to forget the struggles leading to freedom, celebrated on Emancipation Day, July 3, and Independence Day, July 4, in the Virgin Islands. Liburd reminded the audience that the "freedom train" in the islands began on St. John with the slave rebellion of 1733.
Turnbull said St. John, the smallest of the three major U.S. Virgin Islands, is unmatched in its love and community support and has a special place in the destiny of the Virgin Islands.
Brian Young, managing director of Caneel Bay, a long-time festival corporate supporter, was thanked for the resort's contributions. Bellows International was awarded a plaque for its continued sponsorship of the village.
Boynes-Jackson seemed overwhelmed by the accolades she received on the stage — floral bouquets, plaques and testimonials from those who have known and worked with her over the years. Among the well wishers, WSTA radio personality Addie Ottley presented her with a plaque from his station acknowledging her community service to the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, the island of St. John and the Virgin Islands.
Addressing the audience, Boynes-Jackson expressed gratitude for the honors. She said the festival has always been an integral part of her life and that the village helps her unwind and reduce stress. She urged everyone to partake of local food and drinks, and when "grinding and winding" and "meeting and greeting," keep in mind "Heritage, Culture and Fun for Festival 2001" — the theme of this year's festival.
After the presentations, a ribbon was cut to open the village officially. It will be the scene of nightly band performances through the end of the festival on Wednesday.
In the Children's Village, operated by the St. John Community Foundation, "a constant flow of children and teen-agers filled the space," volunteer Cheryl Miller said. "We had popcorn, cotton candy and loads of Rotary volunteers."
Seen on the scene: young drum majorettes and mocko jumbi-ettes practicing for the Fourth of July parade. And pre-teens and toddlers smiling with anticipation as games, both new and time tested, beckoned them to try their luck or skill for 50 cents a pop.
Jan Henderson, visiting from the mainland, displayed the brute strength of a "bell ringer" with the rubber mallet. Other youngsters indulged in dart throw, ring toss and wheel of fortune games in their quest for the gold "doubloons" which can be accumulated and then redeemed for a variety of prizes.
Kathy and Martin Missen, St. Thomas residents with their nephews from England in tow, said this is their eighth St. John festival, and they come each year for the "atmosphere."
Long-time foundation activist Lonnie Willis was selling tickets for the foundation raffle with prizes including accommodations at Marriott Frenchman's Reef and other St. Thomas hotels, dining and shopping certificates, a sailing trip, jewelry, champagne and spa services.
Daniel, a foundation board member, ran the adult Bingo operation set up within Children's Village. "The table was filled once B-12 was called out," Miller said, and "prizes flowed."
The idea behind Children's Village is to provide an alcohol- and drug-free environment for young people to enjoy themselves while adults pursue other festival interests. It's operated as a fund-raiser for the foundation, which makes mini-grants to other groups and provides support for other community activities throughout the year.
Overall, Miller said, "Carnival Village felt so comfortable. There was a feeling of old-time fun, family and fete."
Until Tuesday, the villages are where the St. John Festival action is at. On Tuesday night the first-ever Mr. Emancipation show is to get under way at 8 p.m. in the Winston Wells Ball Park Wednesday, the Fourth of July, is to kick off at 4 a.m. (island time) with J'Ouvert, followed by the traditional parade at 11 a.m. and fireworks in Cruz Bay harbor at 9 p.m.
For the full festival lineup, see the Source St. John Festival schedule.

June 30, 2001 – The V.I. Justice Department is planning to seek federal funds to hire two full-time, permanent prosecutors to pursue cases of violent crime in which a gun is used.
The U.S. Justice Department is making such funding available to the states and territories under its Community Gun Violence Prosecution Grant Program. The program goals are to enable chief prosecutors to assign assistant prosecutors who are dedicated to the prosecution of firearm-related crime; to improve the long-term ability of prosecutors' offices to address the issue of firearm-related violent crime more fully; and to deter gun-related violent crime through the swift certainty of prosecution.
The grants are to enable justice offices to hire personnel who will "focus their attention of the prosecution of cases involving violent crimes committed with guns and other violations of gun statues involving drug trafficking and gang-related crimes in high firearm-related violence areas," an outline of the program states.
Grants are available of up to $40,000 a year for three years to cover up to 80 percent of the total salary and benefit costs of hiring a new prosecutor for a three-year period. The funds cannot be used to contract lawyers on a non-permanent, non-full-time basis. And jurisdictions receiving grants must make "a good faith effort to retain these prosecutors for a minimum of one year beyond the conclusion of the grant period," the outline states.
Applicants must agree to "make good-faith efforts to coordinate the gun prosecution strategy with the U.S. attorney for the applicant's district and with other community justice initiatives (such as Weed and Seed)." The Virgin Islands has an award-winning Weed and Seed program, which works with at-risk young people, on St. Thomas.
Jurisdictions with populations of less than 150,000 may seek funding for two prosecutors, and that is what Attorney General Iver Stridiron is proposing to do.
In a memorandum to "all media," Stridrion said that "in order to attract seasoned prosecutors," he will "propose that an additional $18,000 be added to each prosecutor's salary for a total of $58,000 each. Under the 80:20 federal matching formula, the total package with $40,000 funding would be $50,000. If the federal match is $58,000, the package would be $72,500.
The deadline for submitting grant applications is July 20.

June 30, 2001 – The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved $2 million to cover the cost of canceling the outstanding balance on the territory’s Hurricane Hugo Community Disaster Loan, provided after the devastating storm in 1989.
The committee action brings the Turnbull administration another step closer to its goal of having the $46 million loan forgiven. The approval reduces the Hugo debt by nearly 97 percent, leaving a balance of just over $1 million.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said the federal government has already shifted nearly $45 million into a special account to cover the writeoff. The $2 million for the cancellation costs, originally estimated at $3.5 million, is to cover the re-estimated loan balance and interest.
The re-estimate of the Hugo loan was done under the Federal Credit Reform Act at the behest of the V.I. government. Turnbull said that with the Senate committee’s approval and with a similar measure approved in the U.S. House of Representatives last week, elimination of the Hugo debt from the territory’s books is almost complete.
"I am extremely gratified by the Senate committee vote to cancel this burdensome debt," Turnbull said in a release. "Without the House and Senate action, the government would have been forced to pay off the entire $46 million balance at a cost of nearly $10 million a year, a sum which we could ill afford and which would have put our economic and financial recovery in jeopardy."
Meanwhile, the Turnbull administration completed an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency two weeks ago to have $160 million in principal and interest owed on the Hurricane Marilyn disaster loan forgiven. Hurricane Marilyn struck the territory in 1995.
One requirement for getting the Marilyn loan canceled is the submission of the official financial statements of the territory for the three fiscal years after the disaster. FEMA and other federal officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the financial reports provided by the government, questioning the accuracy of the accountings.
Among multiple requests for supplemental budget appropriations this week, Turnbull asked the Legislature to approve $2.75 million for Finance Department repairs, equipment and "personnel costs associated with the hiring of personnel to monitor and facilitate agreed-upon audit procedures and to pay for any additional costs associated with auditing of the government's financial records." At the special session the governor called Thursday to address his measures, the Senate majority voted to send all of the appropriation requests to the Finance Committee.
According to FEMA records, the Virgin Islands has repaid $7.4 million of the money owed from Marilyn. Including the accumulated interest, it should be paying off the balance to the tune of just over $9 million per year.
Turnbull said it could take FEMA at least several months to process the Marilyn request. He said he will use the same debt-relief procedures under the Federal Credit Reform Act to seek cancellation of any balance of the Marilyn loan not forgiven by FEMA.

June 30, 2001 — Despite assurances that 185 Hovensa contract workers won’t be losing their jobs — because they are being hired by another company within the refinery, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel was relentless in her questioning Friday night of company and union officials.
Earlier this week, the Source reported that because Jacobs-ICM had lost a maintenance contract with Hovensa, it would have to lay off 185 workers. But at a marathon meeting of the Senate Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee chaired by Pickard-Samuel, senators were told the workers are being hired by a new company, Triangle Construction and Maintenance.
"The people who were laid off from Jacobs we will accommodate," said Leroy Mitchell, general manager of Triangle Construction. "Triangle will be absorbing every single individual. They will suffer absolutely no loss in pay or benefits."
But Pickard-Samuel and other senators blasted Mitchell and officials from Jacobs-ICM and the United Steelworkers International union for not informing workers about details of the job changes, such as receiving severance pay and the retention of seniority. Intensive questioning revealed that a contract has yet to be drawn up between the union and Triangle covering the workers involved in the transfer.
Frederick Joseph, Steelworkers subdistrict director, said he was told of the transfer plans just a few days ago. "I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Jacobs-IMC," he said. "There was concerns -– rightfully -– because the employees weren’t confident in what was going on."
Mitchell said the deal came about quickly and some details were yet to be completed. But he was adamant that all of the workers would be rehired by Triangle.
Illustrating the confusion was disagreement between Mitchell and Joseph on whether the workers being transferred would keep their seniority. Mitchell said that any Jacobs employee who accepted severance pay would be hired by Triangle without seniority.
Joseph, however, said workers would receive severance and still retain seniority. The confusion drew hoots and hollers from the workers in the audience. Joseph and Mitchell agreed that details still have to be ironed out.
Triangle, which won the maintenance contract over Jacobs, was formed because its predecessor company, C&C Construction, was not unionized. Mitchell said all companies must be unionized in order to work on Hovensa’s $535 million coker project. And at the refinery that means under the Steelworkers union, which has an agreement with Hovensa.
That, claims St. Croix attorney Ronald Russell, is collusion. Russell, who is representing a client with a claim against the Steelworkers union, blasted Joseph and the union for not responding to the needs of its members. "It’s really the union shafting the people here," he said.
Pickard-Samuel agreed, and took the accusation a step further. She contends that Hovensa uses subcontractors "interchangeably" to avoid direct commitments to workers.
"It goes back to Hovensa," she said, "and they are getting away with murder."

June 29, 2001 – Facing questions as to whether measures approved at a previous meeting of the Public Services Commission were binding since the action was taken without a quorum present, the commission on Friday unanimously reapproved the hiring of AUS Consultants to do investigative work for the PSC.
On May 8, the three commission members present voted to appoint AUS Consultants to conduct rate investigations of Innovative Telephone and the Water and Power Authority. The commission by law has seven voting members, making four a quorum. Commission member Desmond Maynard had been present at the start of that meeting but stormed out shortly after it began, in protest of hiring of AUS.
Walter Challenger, commission chair, called for a revote at the start of Friday's meeting, because "the matters created an assumption of illegality."
He and fellow PSC members Patrick Williams, Alecia Wells and Luther Renee voted unanimously to approve AUS, which according to Challenger has already begun working for the commission.
But, Challenger said, because AUS has been working "ad hoc" with no contract, no information is available as to the work it has been asked to do, the work it has completed or how much it is costing the commission.
Renee expressed concern that little information was available to commission members on the background of the firm, the work it has been contracted to do and the price tag therefor. "We need to have some written documents as to the terms," he said. "What they will be doing for us, I don't know."
Renee said he had no objection to hiring AUS as a consultant but was bothered that the company was brought in by "one member" of the PSC and was being used as the commission's permanent and sole consultant without commission members having received any information about the firm.
"I have nothing against AUS," Renee said. "I have serious concerns with the way things are done. It looks as though AUS is the permanent consultant for this commission. What I am against is one person on the commission choosing the consultant."
Challenger said the commissioners had agreed to hire AUS and took exception to Renee's comments about one member — understood to be himself — having brought AUS on board. Challenger said the commission has voted twice to use AUS as a consultant.
It approved hiring the consulting firm to investigate whether the PSC should grant a request from Wireless World that the commission require Innovative Telephone to allow Wireless World to interconnect with Innovative's local lines. Under federal deregulation laws, Wireless World is seeking to provide local telephone service in direct competition with Innovative, which to date has a monopoly on local service. Wireless World and Innovative each will be assessed $50,000 to cover costs incurred by the PSC in hiring the consultant and holding hearings on the matter.
Also on Friday, the PSC received a request from Joseph Thomas, executive director of the Water and Power Authority, for a an increase in the fuel component of the base rate of electric bills, to $0.5 per kilowatt hour from the current $.0425. He said the increase is needed to keep the financially troubled utility afloat.
The price of oil is dropping slightly on world markets, Thomas said, and increasing the fuel component rate, while at the same holding the "levelized energy adjustment" rate at its current level will allow WAPA to keep its revenue from the surcharges constant. He said WAPA needs to maintain its revenue because it is behind in its payments to Hovensa, its oil supplier.
Thomas said customers would not see an increase in their electric bill unless the price of oil skyrockets. "The customer's bill should look the same or less, unless there is a large increase in the price of oil," he said. "It is technically a rate adjustment, but there will be no increase in what the customer will pay."
The PSC voted to defer action on the request until a rate investigation is completed. AUS Consultants also has been designated to investigate WAPA cases.
Thomas also told the commission that WAPA is in dire financial straits and that its financial picture will improve only if the V.I. government pays the more than $25 million that it owes in past-due electric bills.
"The utility has the framework for a strong financial foundation," he said, but the huge government debt is drastically impacting its financial stability. "Every time we go to the bond market, every time we go to get a letter of credit, were going to be paying more than we should," because of the debt, he told the commission.
If WAPA did not press the government to pay the millions owed and did nothing to force the issue, the utility could be in deep financial trouble soon after July 15, Thomas said. "Our concerns about the financial stability of WAPA are real," he said. "We are not crying wolf. We could be insolvent within days," he said.
Thomas and Gov. Charles W. Turnbull are to meet on July 10 to discuss payment of the government's water and power bills. Even if the Legislature approves a special appropriation requested by the governor to pay utility bills, Thomas said, a payment plan for the outstanding balance must still be worked out. Turnbull asked earlier this week for the Senate to approve $15 million "to fund prior year obligations inclusive of past due utility bills." At Thursday's special session, the majority voted to send that and most of the governor's other appropriation requests to the Finance Committee for hearings.
Thomas told the PSC of a telephone call he received from a woman with a young child. She had not paid her WAPA bill in the mandatory 30 days, and her electricity had been cut off, leaving her with an infant in the dark, he said. The woman was "hysterical," he said, and her call pointed up the inequity of how WAPA deals with the government and the residents of the Virgin Islands. He said he didn't know how much the woman owed, but he knew "it was nowhere near" what the government owes.
In other action, the PSC voted to approve interconnection between Vitel Cellular and Innovative Telephone. It was able to do so legally only because Innovative allowed the PSC extra time to consider the request, Challenger said.
When a utility files a petition with the PSC, the commission has a time limit for responding. If the commission does not respond within that time frame, the petition becomes law and the PSC loses jurisdiction over the matter, Challenger said.
He expressed concern that future requests before the PSC may not be completed before deadlines set by the V.I. code.
"Legally, we would have lost jurisdiction on this matter," he said of the Vitel Cellular/Innovative case. "They extended time to us on three separate occasions." The request was approved unanimously.
The PSC currently has six voting members. Maynard and Dora Hill were absent Friday. One St. Croix seat is vacant. Appointments have not been made in the 24th Legislature for two senators to serve as non-voting members.

June 29, 2001 – A former manager of the Tourism Department's Chicago office was sentenced Friday to three months in prison followed by two years on probation for using government funds for personal expenditures.
Susan Riddle pleaded guilty in May to six counts of fraud. In the plea bargain, she admitted having diverted $1,893 in government funds over the course of four years as manager of the Chicago office.
A government audit determined that Riddle had more than $11,000 questionable expenditures, including first-class airline tickets for family members, car rentals, meals and home telephone bills. Most of the money allegedly came from funds accessed from a government account by automated teller machine.
Riddle also must pay $1,275 in fines and court costs and make restitution to the government of $1,893. The prosecution asked for more than $10,000 in restitution, but Holler ruled that Riddle could only be forced to repay the amount she pleaded guilty to having taken in a plea bargain.
At Riddle's request, Hollar gave her until Monday to begin serving her sentence. Riddle asked to have the weekend to make arrangements for the care of her three children.
The sentencing cames just a day after a former employee of the Virgin Islands Lottery pleaded guilty to embezzling $11,930 in lottery funds.
In sentencing Riddle, Territorial Court Judge Brenda Hollar noted that she was aware of at least five cases in the last year of government officials facing public corruption charges. "The court can not trivialize those cases," she said.

June 29, 2001 – A former employee in the Tourism Department's Chicago office was sentenced Friday to three months in prison followed by two years on probation for using government funds for personal expenditures.
Susan Riddle pleaded guilty in May to six counts of fraud. In the plea bargain, she admitted having diverted $1,893 in government funds over the course of four years as manager of the Chicago office.
A government audit determined that Riddle had more than $11,000 questionable expenditures, including first-class airline tickets for family members, car rentals, meals and home telephone bills. Most of the money allegedly came from funds accessed from a government account by automated teller machine.
Riddle also must pay $1,275 in fines and court costs and make restitution to the government of $1,893. The prosecution asked for more than $10,000 in restitution, but Holler ruled that Riddle could only be forced to repay the amount she pleaded guilty to having taken in a plea bargain.
At Riddle's request, Hollar gave her until Monday to begin serving her sentence. Riddle asked to have the weekend to make arrangements for the care of her three children.
The sentencing cames just a day after a former employee of the Virgin Islands Lottery pleaded guilty to embezzling $11,930 in lottery funds.
In sentencing Riddle, Territorial Court Judge Brenda Hollar noted that she was aware of at least five cases in the last year of government officials facing public corruption charges. "The court can not trivialize those cases," she said.

June 29, 2001 – A former manager of the Tourism Department's Chicago office was sentenced Friday to three months in prison followed by two years on probation for using government funds for personal expenditures.
Susan Riddle pleaded guilty in May to six counts of fraud. In the plea bargain, she admitted having diverted $1,893 in government funds over the course of four years as manager of the Chicago office.
A government audit determined that Riddle had more than $11,000 questionable expenditures, including first-class airline tickets for family members, car rentals, meals and home telephone bills. Most of the money allegedly came from funds accessed from a government account by automated teller machine.
Riddle also must pay $1,275 in fines and court costs and make restitution to the government of $1,893. The prosecution asked for more than $10,000 in restitution, but Holler ruled that Riddle could only be forced to repay the amount she pleaded guilty to having taken in a plea bargain.
At Riddle's request, Hollar gave her until Monday to begin serving her sentence. Riddle asked to have the weekend to make arrangements for the care of her three children.
The sentencing cames just a day after a former employee of the Virgin Islands Lottery pleaded guilty to embezzling $11,930 in lottery funds.
In sentencing Riddle, Territorial Court Judge Brenda Hollar noted that she was aware of at least five cases in the last year of government officials facing public corruption charges. "The court can not trivialize those cases," she said.

June 29, 2001 – Gaston Lionel "Nell" Richardson died the evening of Saturday, June 23, at St. Thomas Hospital. He was 85.
The patriarch of the Richardson clan on St. Thomas, he was born in New York City on Nov. 28, 1915, to Constant and Eunice Richardson. He attended school in French St. Martin and completed his schooling through adult education classes on St. Thomas.
He married Josephine Marie Mingo in 1934, and they became the parents of 10 children. He served in the U.S. Army in 1945, stationed in Puerto Rico. When he returned to civilian life, the couple and their first five children moved to the Virgin Islands. He worked for the Rockefellers at Caneel Bay Plantation on St. John, then later was employed by Cable and Wireless, often traveling to other Caribbean islands to install communication towers.
A master carpenter as well, Richardson refurbished many stores on Main Street, including those of Little Switzerland, the old Place Vandome and H. Stern Jewellers. He was also a musician, sailor, boat builder, fisherman, contractor and gardener. He built a sailboat from scratch at "Punto," or Ballast Island, a no-longer-extant outcropping between the old Antilles Airboats ramp, Hassel Island and the former Avery's Boathouse docks, and named it The Veteran. It was one of the vessels which pioneered the territory's yacht chartering industry, and its familiar blue sails were recognized throughout the bays and ports of St. Thomas, St. John and Tortola.
"Throughout the years," Richardson's son Henry said, he "never missed a good get-together. He was the life of the party, especially on the dance floor."
On Friday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull issued a statement of condolence, saying that Richardson's family "can take great satisfaction in the knowledge that his life's work and efforts have not been in vain and that many of his children and grandchildren have made and continue to make solid contributions to the development of the territory."
Nine years ago, after Richardson suffered two major strokes, his family and friends aided in his therapy. During his last days he suffered a third stoke and was hospitalized for several weeks.
Viewing will be from 8 to 9 a.m. Monday, July 2, at John Thomas Funeral Home, with the funeral following at 10 a.m. in St. Ann's Chapel in Frenchtown.

June 29, 2001 – Summer school for the elementary grades on St. Croix will begin Monday. Following are the locations and the schools they will serve:
Alexander Henderson School — Henderson and Claude O. Markoe pupils.
Evelyn M. Williams School — Williams, Eulalie Rivera, Alfredo Andrews and Charles H. Emanuel pupils.
Pearl B. Larsen School — Larsen, Juanita Gardine and Lew Muckle pupils.
Only students whose parents and guardians submitted application forms distributed at schools in the spring are eligible to attend the summer sessions.
Lunch is being provided, but students should bring their own drinking water. There will be no bus transportation service, and children must be picked up at 1 p.m. each school day.
Secondary summer school classes are already under way.
For further information, call St. Croix Supt. Terrence Joseph at 773-1095, or Leroy Trotman, deputy commissioner of Education for curriculum and instruction, at 774-0100, ext. 3042.