June 29, 2001 — Pay up or be shut off: That’s essentially the message commissioners of government departments will be reading in letters being sent Friday by the Water and Power Authority as it seeks to collect the $25 million owed by the central government.
Departments will have 15 days to pay what they owe for electricity and/or water, or service will be shut off, Joseph Thomas, WAPA executive director, told the utility’s board members on Thursday.
"We’re at a point now where we have to move to a next step," Thomas said of collecting the government bills that have been building up for five years. He said the $25 million debt carried on the WAPA books affects everything from its bond rating to audits.
"Virtually every deal we have, this issue comes up. It’s a significant item," Thomas, who became the utility's top official seven weeks ago, said.
Despite the hardships caused by two major hurricanes over the last 12 years, Thomas said, allowing the government to be in arrears is unfair to the household accounts that are shut off after 30 days of non-payment. WAPA records show that executive branch utility bills come to about $1.5 million per month.
WAPA board members gave Thomas the green light at their last meeting to begin looking into ways of collecting on the government debt. However, the two board members who are department heads themselves — Andrew Rutnik and Ira Hobson, commissioners of Licensing and Consumer Affairs and of Housing, Parks and Recreation, respectively — expressed reservations about the hardball tactics.
Most public housing tenants receive full or partially subsidies on their water bills, causing the his department to be the biggest WAPA debtor, Hobson said. Acknowledging the debt, Hobson said, "I’m concerned at looking ahead and finding my department completely without electricity, without recourse."
Rutnik said any WAPA shut-off of service "should be selective and it should be surgical." Turning off the government’s water and power could cause a "severe problem," he said. "It would create a great deal of chaos in the community."
Despite those concerns, board member Alphonso Franklin noted that Thomas was given the go-ahead last month to collect the government debt.
"I don’t think we should find ways to back out of this," Franklin said. "We’ve been doing this for the last year."
Thomas said he hoped to have the collection letters out Friday and to meet with Gov. Charles W. Turnbull within two weeks. If no pressure is brought to bear on the government, it is likely no money will be forthcoming, he said.
"We ought to be able to think this thing through," he said. "I can assure you we will spell out our plan before we do anything."
According to WAPA records, the government water bills over the last five years have accounted for the largest part of its unpaid balance. The amount owed for water was $3.4 million in fiscal year 1995 and about $15 million by FY 1999.
WAPA’s electrical system was owed $2.6 million in FY 1995 and $13.8 million by FY 1999.

St. Croix Campus Open House
The UVI Counseling and Placement Office on the St.Croix Campus invites 7th-12th grade students and their parents to the UVI St. Croix Campus Open House to be held on Thursdays, June 28, July 12, and July 19, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This is an opportunity for junior and senior high school students to learn more about the advantages of attending college, current trends in university life, admissions and financial aid. The program is free and will include a campus tour and refreshments. To register for one of the open house dates contact Robin S. Groelle at 692-4187.
Cultural and Ecological History of Salt River workshop
UVI's Cooperative Extension Service, Agriculture and Natural Resources Program will hold a workshop on the "Cultural and Ecological History of Salt River" on Thursday, June 28, at 6 p.m. in the UVI Research and Extension Center, room 133. For more information call Olassee Davis at 692-4053.
St. Croix's Mango Melee and Tropical Fruit Festival
UVI's Cooperative Extension Service, UVI Agricultural Experiment Station, St. George Village Botanical Garden and the VI Department of Agriculture and Bio Impact present the 5th Annual Mango Melee and Tropical Fruits Festival. The festival will be held on Sunday, July 8, at the St. George Village Botanical Garden from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children under 12 years old.
This is a day for the whole family, with games for the kids, food, music, garden tours and a farmer's market.
For more information call 692-4080.
Anyone interested in entering the Mango Melee and Tropical Fruits Festival "Tasters Choice" competition should call Clint Ferris at 692-4188 or Alice Henry at 692-4092.
UVI Scholarship Fundraiser Dance
The UVI Alumni Association is hosting a scholarship fundraiser dance from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Saturday, July 7, at "The Nest" in Long Bush, Tortola, BVI.
Music will be provided by Lashing Dogs and proceeds will go to the UVI BVI Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund.
Tickets are available at Bobby's Marketplace in Roadtown, Tortola and at UVI Alumni Affairs Office, St. Thomas Campus. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
For more information, call Jacqueline Sprauve at 693-1046.
UVI Workshop on coastal hazards
The Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) at UVI and the State University of West Georgia will sponsor a free mini-course and workshop on coastal hazards in St. Thomas from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 16, through Friday, July 20.
The course, which will take place in the Teacher Education Building, Room T101, on the St. Thomas campus, will consist of a three-day conference and two days of field trips.
To register and to obtain further information, please call Dr. Rosenid Hernandez-Badia at 693-1383.
For more about the University of the Virgin Islands, check the website at www.uvi.edu.

St. Croix Campus Open House
The UVI Counseling and Placement Office on the St.Croix Campus invites 7th-12th grade students and their parents to the UVI St. Croix Campus Open House to be held on Thursdays, June 28, July 12, and July 19, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This is an opportunity for junior and senior high school students to learn more about the advantages of attending college, current trends in university life, admissions and financial aid. The program is free and will include a campus tour and refreshments. To register for one of the open house dates contact Robin S. Groelle at 692-4187.
Cultural and Ecological History of Salt River workshop
UVI's Cooperative Extension Service, Agriculture and Natural Resources Program will hold a workshop on the "Cultural and Ecological History of Salt River" on Thursday, June 28, at 6 p.m. in the UVI Research and Extension Center, room 133. For more information call Olassee Davis at 692-4053.
St. Croix's Mango Melee and Tropical Fruit Festival
UVI's Cooperative Extension Service, UVI Agricultural Experiment Station, St. George Village Botanical Garden and the VI Department of Agriculture and Bio Impact present the 5th Annual Mango Melee and Tropical Fruits Festival. The festival will be held on Sunday, July 8, at the St. George Village Botanical Garden from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children under 12 years old.
This is a day for the whole family, with games for the kids, food, music, garden tours and a farmer's market.
For more information call 692-4080.
Anyone interested in entering the Mango Melee and Tropical Fruits Festival "Tasters Choice" competition should call Clint Ferris at 692-4188 or Alice Henry at 692-4092.
UVI Scholarship Fundraiser Dance
The UVI Alumni Association is hosting a scholarship fundraiser dance from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Saturday, July 7, at "The Nest" in Long Bush, Tortola, BVI.
Music will be provided by Lashing Dogs and proceeds will go to the UVI BVI Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund.
Tickets are available at Bobby's Marketplace in Roadtown, Tortola and at UVI Alumni Affairs Office, St. Thomas Campus. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
For more information, call Jacqueline Sprauve at 693-1046.
UVI Workshop on coastal hazards
The Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) at UVI and the State University of West Georgia will sponsor a free mini-course and workshop on coastal hazards in St. Thomas from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 16, through Friday, July 20.
The course, which will take place in the Teacher Education Building, Room T101, on the St. Thomas campus, will consist of a three-day conference and two days of field trips.
To register and to obtain further information, please call Dr. Rosenid Hernandez-Badia at 693-1383.
For more about the University of the Virgin Islands, check the website at www.uvi.edu.

June 27, 2001 – Here's the schedule of the 2001-2002 Crucian Christmas Festival Committee. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
July – Theme selection and announcement; fund-raising kickoff for corporate donors.
August – Back-to-school dance/
September – Donkey races.
October – Latin dance.
November
– Queen candidate presentations and cocktail party.
– Jump-up in Frederiksted.
– Harbor Night with festival at Fort Frederik.
December
Sunday, Dec. 9 – Prince and Princess Show.
Saturday, Dec. 15 – Queen Show
Friday, Dec. 21 – Food Fair honoring Gloria Joseph
Sunday, Dec. 23 – Coney Island opens.
Wednesday, Dec. 26 – "Bradley's Village" opening.
Thursday, Dec. 27 – Reggae Night.
Friday, Dec. 28 – Junior Calypsonians Show with special guests Xpress Band.
Saturday, Dec. 29 – Greek Night, step show with sorority and fraternity members.
Sunday, Dec. 30 – Latin Night.
Monday, Dec. 31 – Native Rhythms, Velma Cruz.
January
Tuesday, Jan. 1 – 5 a.m., New Year's Tramp; 8 p.m., Cultural Night – Community Quadrille at Bradley's Village.
Wednesday, Jan. 2 – Band-O-Rama with Imagination Brass, Jam Band and Xpress Band.
Thursday, Jan. 3 – 8 p.m., Calypso Monarch Competition, Island Center; 4 a.m., J'Ouvert.
Friday, Jan. 4 – Children's Parade.
Saturday, Jan. 5 – Three Kings Day Parade.
Sunday, Jan. 6 – Last Lap with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
Monday, Jan. 7 – Calypso Show with junior calypsonians, monarch and guest artists.
To learn more or to provide information to the festival committe, contact Vera M. Falu, president, by calling 778-9257, faxing to 773-3176 or e-mailing to Festival Committee.

June 28, 2001 – Dr. Roy Schneider was part of a team of physicians at Howard University who operated on a 64-year-old patient in May by using an experimental form of treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to an issue of the Medical Bulletin of the District of Columbia published on June 21.
Schneider, the immediate past governor of the Virgin Islands, and Drs. Alfred Goldson and Paul Sugarbaker developed a new procedure that involves surgically implanting radiation capsules directly into a patient's tumor while also using chemotherapy to treat the cancer.
According to the publication, the radioactive pellets injected into the patient's tumor will remain in the body and emit radiation to the pancreas for a year. In theory, the radiation will not go past the tissue outside the pancreas and will dissolve internally over a one-year period.
Pancreatic cancer afflicts men more often than women. The first-year survival rate for those with the disease is 10 percent, according to the Medical Bulletin. Few patients with pancreatic cancer are found to be operable because the cancer is often not diagnosed until its advanced stages.

June 28, 2001 – By passing an amendment closing legal loopholes in earlier legislation, the Legislature paved the way Thursday for the territory to receive a $1.4 million payment this year and millions more over the next two decades from a nationwide settlement with tobacco companies.
The amendment was to the original act allowing the V.I. government to participate in the 1998 out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit against tobacco companies.
But the Senate opted not to address a long list of supplemental budget appropriations requested earlier this week by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, instead referring them all to the Finance Committee.
The tobacco settlement gives the Virgin Islands and other states and territories cash payments in exchange for exempting tobacco companies from future legal action. The statute the territory was required to enact in order to participate in the deal contained typing and technical language errors that needed to be corrected by July 1.
Additionally, according to the master settlement agreement reached in 1998, the state and territorial laws could not be attached to any other legislation, Yvonne Tharpes, assistant legal counsel for the Legislature, said.
The revisions are "just for clarity, so that we don't have any argument from a tobacco company that the legislation was repealed or re-enacted," she said.
Changes to the tobacco settlement law made by the 23rd legislature were added to the Omnibus Act of 2000, which also included various zoning changes, the creation of a tourism authority and legislation allowing vendors to operate at Drake's Seat.
Turnbull — who must sign the amended bill into law by Friday — submitted legislation to make the needed changes at the last minute because the Virgin Islands was unaware its law was not in compliance with the master settlement agreement, according to Paul Gimenez, Government House legal counsel.
Gimenez said if the loopholes in the law had not been closed by July 1, the Virgin Islands would have risked losing any future payments of its the roughly $50 million portion of the settlement over 25 years. And, he added, some $2.4 million in tobacco settlement funds the territory has already received could have been recalled.
He said other states and territories, including Guam, had to make similar last-minute changes to their statues to avoid losing payments.
When the special session of the Senate, announced by the governor on Tuesday, was called to order just after 9 a.m., the bill was sent back to legal counsel for further revision to correct errors made in numbered subsections of the law, to replace some phrases and to insert sections that had been omitted. It was four hours later that the final version of the bill was brought to the floor.
The Senate approved the changes, 14-1, with Sen. Adelbert Bryan casting the "nay" vote.
The majority bloc voted to send the multiplicity of proposals from the governor to appropriate millions of dollars of supplemental funding for this fiscal year to committee. The action was on an 8-7 vote, with minority senators protesting that certain spending proposals, including matching a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were too important to hold off on.
"We are in the midst of hurricane, season and such an important piece of legislation should not be sent to the Finance Committee," Sen. Emmett Hansen II said of the FEMA measure.
The majority sent the bill to committee because the members need time to look over the spending proposals, Sen. Carlton Dowe, a majority member, said.
"I would like to take some time to digest this," Dowe said. "We have only just received this document. It is not a matter of trying to hold up anything,"
Turnbull released his itemized supplemental appropriations request on Tuesday, the same day he called the special session. Many of the items lack detail. To see them, go to the governor's proposal.
The Senate majority also voted to send a bill to amend the Uniform Commercial Code to the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee.
A series of separate supplemental minority appropriation proposals announced on Wednesday was not introduced as an amendment to the governor's spending plan before the majority voted to send the Turnbull proposals to the Finance Committee.

June 28, 2001 — Golden Gaming LLC has cleared what the Casino Control Commission chair on Thursday called the most difficult hurdle in the casino license-application process.
After about three days of closed-door sessions, the commission granted Golden Gaming, headed by New Jersey restaurateur Paul Golden, a statement of compliance. Golden now has a year to prove the integrity of his financial backing for his proposed 400-room hotel casino; that the resort is suitable for the island; and that his team has the experience to operate such a facility.
If Golden is successful in all regards, he will be granted a casino license.
From Monday, commission members heard testimony from Golden’s lawyers and members of the V.I. Division of Gaming Enforcement, which conducted a background check of the applicant. Based on the information given, the commission then deliberated on whether Golden has the integrity, honesty and business acumen needed to run a casino.
"This was the hardest part, the hurdle he just passed," Eileen Petersen, commission chair, said.
Commission member Lloyd McAlpin said that Golden, who recently sold his New Jersey steakhouse restaurant for $1 million, fouled up the application process by "making some bad judgments and errors." However, he added, Golden was forthcoming in admitting that it was his own fault. Commission members also noted that Golden had previously been in volved in bad business deals, but they said glowing references from government officials in New Jersey, business associates and others outweighed the negatives.
Commission member Imelda Dizon noted Golden's community involvement on the mainland and that, despite a "bitter divorce," he was awarded custody of his son.
"Even though I am a firm believer in always doing right and not wrong, no one is perfect," McAlpin said, in explaining his reasoning for voting to grant the statement of compliance.
An important aspect for her, Petersen said, was that Golden "has no known associations with persons of questionable backgrounds." She said that as far as the Casino Control Act is concerned, Golden has the required attributes.
"I recognize he’s not perfect, and I recognize he has a lot to learn," she said.
Before a license is granted, she said, Golden must purchase, lease or hold an option on a piece of property to build his hotel/casino. The planned project, to have 400 rooms, a 10,000-square-foot casino and a golf course, will be designed by Las Vegas-based Paul Steelman, a noted designer of casinos throughout the world.
Steelman’s appearance to testify on behalf of Golden during the closed-session hearings evidently impressed the commission members.

June 28, 2001 – A former employee of the Virgin Islands Lottery, Sonia Foy, has pleaded guilty to embezzling $11,930 in lottery funds.
She was the second V.I. Lottery employee to be charged with fraud this year. In April, former lottery director Alec Dizon pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges.
Foy was accused of collecting cash from lottery dealers whose checks had bounced, issuing them receipts for the cash, but keeping the money, instead of turning it over to the lottery.
The standard way dealers pay for the tickets they sell is by check. If any checks are returned for insufficient funds, the dealers must reimburse the lottery for the check amount plus pay a returned-check fee.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office, the embezzlement of which Foy is accused occurred during the five-month period July 1 – Nov. 30, 1998.
A recent audit of the V.I. Lottery found that fraud and mismanagement within the program had cost the territorial government in excess of $3 million in lost revenues.
Foy was arraigned Thursday before Magistrate Judge Geoffrey W. Barnard and pleaded guilty to one count of federal program fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment or a fine of $250,000 – or both.
The fraud was uncovered in an audit conducted by the office of the U.S. Inspector General and local auditors working with that office, according to U.S. Attorney David L. Atkinson.

June 28, 2001 – A former employee of the Virgin Islands Lottery, Sonia Foy, has pleaded guilty to embezzling $11,930 in lottery funds.
She was the second V.I. Lottery employee to be charged with fraud this year. In April, former lottery director Alec Dizon pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges.
Foy was accused of collecting cash from lottery dealers whose checks had bounced, issuing them receipts for the cash, but keeping the money, instead of turning it over to the lottery.
The standard way dealers pay for the tickets they sell is by check. If any checks are returned for insufficient funds, the dealers must reimburse the lottery for the check amount plus pay a returned-check fee.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office, the embezzlement of which Foy is accused occurred during the five-month period July 1 – Nov. 30, 1998.
A recent audit of the V.I. Lottery found that fraud and mismanagement within the program had cost the territorial government in excess of $3 million in lost revenues.
Foy was arraigned Thursday before Magistrate Judge Geoffrey W. Barnard and pleaded guilty to one count of federal program fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment or a fine of $250,000 – or both.
The fraud was uncovered in an audit conducted by the office of the U.S. Inspector General and local auditors working with that office, according to U.S. Attorney David L. Atkinson.

June 28, 2001 – A former employee of the Virgin Islands Lottery, Sonia Foy, has pleaded guilty to embezzling $11,930 in lottery funds.
She was the second V.I. Lottery employee to be charged with fraud this year. In April, former lottery director Alec Dizon pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges.
Foy was accused of collecting cash from lottery dealers whose checks had bounced, issuing them receipts for the cash, but keeping the money, instead of turning it over to the lottery.
The standard way dealers pay for the tickets they sell is by check. If any checks are returned for insufficient funds, the dealers must reimburse the lottery for the check amount plus pay a returned-check fee.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office, the embezzlement of which Foy is accused occurred during the five-month period July 1 – Nov. 30, 1998.
A recent audit of the V.I. Lottery found that fraud and mismanagement within the program had cost the territorial government in excess of $3 million in lost revenues.
Foy was arraigned Thursday before Magistrate Judge Geoffrey W. Barnard and pleaded guilty to one count of federal program fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment or a fine of $250,000 – or both.
The fraud was uncovered in an audit conducted by the office of the U.S. Inspector General and local auditors working with that office, according to U.S. Attorney David L. Atkinson.