Harbour Night, a Caribbean street festival, will take place 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, Nov. 22 on the waterfront at Strand Street in Frederiksted.
Passengers and crew from the Carnival Victory will be in port until midnight and will join the festivities.
Fifty art and craft vendors will display their products, with Christmas shopping in mind, and entertainment will be provided by The World Famous Midnight Band, Noel's Band, Cricket with Lava, DJ Johnny–The Music Ambassador, and Willard John's Mocko Jumbies.
"Crucian Fruits," a musical stage production takes place at Fort Frederik during each Harbour Night, with two shows per evening.
The production is an exciting musical that uses song, dance, and dramatic narrative to explore the Crucian culture. Tickets are $24.95. Locals and hotel guests receive a 40% discount. Times vary.
Parking will be banned on Strand Street in Frederiksted from 5 p.m. until midnight.
Please call 772-4000 for more information.
HARBOUR NIGHT KICKS OFF HOLIDAY WEEK-END
Harbour Night, a Caribbean street festival, will take place 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, Nov. 22 on the waterfront at Strand Street in Frederiksted.
Passengers and crew from the Carnival Victory will be in port until midnight and will join the festivities.
Fifty art and craft vendors will display their products, with Christmas shopping in mind, and entertainment will be provided by The World Famous Midnight Band, Noel's Band, Cricket with Lava, DJ Johnny–The Music Ambassador, and Willard John's Mocko Jumbies.
"Crucian Fruits," a musical stage production takes place at Fort Frederik during each Harbour Night, with two shows per evening.
The production is an exciting musical that uses song, dance, and dramatic narrative to explore the Crucian culture. Tickets are $24.95. Locals and hotel guests receive a 40% discount. Times vary.
Parking will be banned on Strand Street in Frederiksted from 5 p.m. until midnight.
Please call 772-4000 for more information.
Passengers and crew from the Carnival Victory will be in port until midnight and will join the festivities.
Fifty art and craft vendors will display their products, with Christmas shopping in mind, and entertainment will be provided by The World Famous Midnight Band, Noel's Band, Cricket with Lava, DJ Johnny–The Music Ambassador, and Willard John's Mocko Jumbies.
"Crucian Fruits," a musical stage production takes place at Fort Frederik during each Harbour Night, with two shows per evening.
The production is an exciting musical that uses song, dance, and dramatic narrative to explore the Crucian culture. Tickets are $24.95. Locals and hotel guests receive a 40% discount. Times vary.
Parking will be banned on Strand Street in Frederiksted from 5 p.m. until midnight.
Please call 772-4000 for more information.
PRINCE AND PRINCESS APPLICATION DEADLINE
PRINCE AND PRINCESS APPLICATION DEADLINE
The Virgin Islands Carnival Committee announced the deadline for applications for the Carnival 2001 Prince and Princess contest is Friday, Dec. 1.
Applications can be submitted to the Carnival committee office on lower Kronprindsens Gade, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
For more information call Francine Roberts at 774-1343.
The Virgin Islands Carnival Committee announced the deadline for applications for the Carnival 2001 Prince and Princess contest is Friday, Dec. 1.
Applications can be submitted to the Carnival committee office on lower Kronprindsens Gade, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
For more information call Francine Roberts at 774-1343.
LIONS CLUB HOSTS NEW YEAR'S EVE GALA
The Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas Lions Club will host a Millennium Dinner Dance at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31 at Palm Court Harborview Hotel.
The New Year's Eve gala will honor several Lions; Bernice Hodge, Ronald M. Joseph, Malcolm C. Kirwan, Minnie Lewis, Malcolm Morgan, and Patricia Wiltshire.
A four course sit-down dinner including complimentary champagne will be served.
Live music will be offered by the Sea Breeze Band and the festivities will be broadcast live by WIUJ radio. Party favors will be provided.
Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased from Lions members, Nisky Pharmacy, Family Health Center, Krystal and Gifts Galore, and Palms Court Harborview Hotel.
For additional information call Debra at 776-3859.
The New Year's Eve gala will honor several Lions; Bernice Hodge, Ronald M. Joseph, Malcolm C. Kirwan, Minnie Lewis, Malcolm Morgan, and Patricia Wiltshire.
A four course sit-down dinner including complimentary champagne will be served.
Live music will be offered by the Sea Breeze Band and the festivities will be broadcast live by WIUJ radio. Party favors will be provided.
Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased from Lions members, Nisky Pharmacy, Family Health Center, Krystal and Gifts Galore, and Palms Court Harborview Hotel.
For additional information call Debra at 776-3859.
CONTESTED SENATE SEATS MAY BE DECIDED BY SUNDAY
Just as the cliff-hanger national election still has to play itself out, so does the local senatorial vote that could decide at least two seats in the Legislature. But the local question may not be answered until the end of the weekend.
Approximately 1,157 absentee ballots were either mailed or picked up in the territory before the Nov. 7 election, said Supervisor of Elections John Abramson. As of Thursday afternoon, the day before the return deadline, some 700 had been mailed back. That number is running par to the 80 percent that are historically returned, he said.
But Abramson cautioned people in the community who are holding their breaths do keep breathing. Because each ballot is counted individually by hand it may take the whole weekend before a final tally is issued.
"That’s an all-day process," Abramson said. "I anticipate that it may carry on past Saturday or Sunday as well."
That means Sen. Vargrave Richards and Raymond "Usie" Richards on St. Croix and Sens. George Goodwin and Lorraine Berry on St. Thomas will have to wait a few more days before they know what their jobs will be come January.
On St. Croix, 478 absentee ballots were issued and 679 in the St Thomas-St John district.
On St. Thomas, Goodwin won the seventh and last district seat with an unofficial 4,998 votes. Berry was close behind with 4,883. Berry could easily pick up enough absentee votes to surpass Goodwin.
Less likely but also possible is that Berry and Goodwin could garner enough absentee votes to edge out Norma Samuel, now in the No. 6 slot.
On St. Croix, the Richards cousins are tied unofficially at 3,936. Most observers are looking at the absentee count simply as a tie-breaker because sixth-place senator, Adelbert Bryan, has a 387-vote cushion.
But ninth-place finisher Luther Renee is within striking distance of both Richards by just 19 votes. If he does considerably better than both of them in the absentee counting, he could slip into the 24th Legislature.
Approximately 1,157 absentee ballots were either mailed or picked up in the territory before the Nov. 7 election, said Supervisor of Elections John Abramson. As of Thursday afternoon, the day before the return deadline, some 700 had been mailed back. That number is running par to the 80 percent that are historically returned, he said.
But Abramson cautioned people in the community who are holding their breaths do keep breathing. Because each ballot is counted individually by hand it may take the whole weekend before a final tally is issued.
"That’s an all-day process," Abramson said. "I anticipate that it may carry on past Saturday or Sunday as well."
That means Sen. Vargrave Richards and Raymond "Usie" Richards on St. Croix and Sens. George Goodwin and Lorraine Berry on St. Thomas will have to wait a few more days before they know what their jobs will be come January.
On St. Croix, 478 absentee ballots were issued and 679 in the St Thomas-St John district.
On St. Thomas, Goodwin won the seventh and last district seat with an unofficial 4,998 votes. Berry was close behind with 4,883. Berry could easily pick up enough absentee votes to surpass Goodwin.
Less likely but also possible is that Berry and Goodwin could garner enough absentee votes to edge out Norma Samuel, now in the No. 6 slot.
On St. Croix, the Richards cousins are tied unofficially at 3,936. Most observers are looking at the absentee count simply as a tie-breaker because sixth-place senator, Adelbert Bryan, has a 387-vote cushion.
But ninth-place finisher Luther Renee is within striking distance of both Richards by just 19 votes. If he does considerably better than both of them in the absentee counting, he could slip into the 24th Legislature.
HOT BIO-ETHICS TOPICS CLOSE SCHNEIDER SERIES
Is it legally or morally wrong to "pull the plug" on a terminally ill patient? What really constitutes "physician-assisted suicide?" These and other controversial questions were addressed Friday morning at the final workshop of the 7th annual Bio-Ethics workshop series at Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
In a videotaped presentation, Thomas Beauchamp discussed the "vague, the gray areas" surrounding physician-assisted suicide. Beauchamp served on the President's Commission for the Study of Medicine and BioMedical and Behavior Research and is senior author of the book, "The Principles of BioMedical Ethics." He is Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Oregon, Beauchamp said, is the only state which allows doctors to write a "lethal prescription" for a terminally ill patient. A state referendum passed the measure in 1993, but it was held up in court battles until 1996.
In 1997, the Supreme Court said there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, contrary to a decision handed down by the 2nd and 9th Courts of Appeals a year earlier. However, the court said states can make their own rules.
So far, Oregon is the only state, and the Netherlands and Japan are the only countries allowing the procedure. Japan has had a law allowing it for 30 years, but has never had one case.
Beauchamp said "homicide" is a very tricky term to use, and one that doctors would obviously shy away from when allowing a patient to be taken off a life-support system.
Dr. Leighmin Lu, a St. Thomas psychiatrist, said such a decision is often influenced by economics. He cited a case last year where a comatose young man was brought into the hospital with an extremely slim chance of recovery.
The family wanted to know how long he could remain comatose, and the doctors had to say they had no means of knowing, Lu said. The family was concerned about hospital bills, and felt they would have to let him go.
The hospital Ethics Committee met and went along with the family's decision. "The family's decision was economic and fear-based," Lu said.
Beauchamp cited the American Medical Association's tenets: "Killing is wrong; letting die is right." The doctor said this leads to many areas of gray.
"Intention" is a factor. The doctor's intention is to remove pain; the side effect is dying. Contemporary law and ethics do not adequately cover the many aspects of the problem, he said.
Another videotape showed the well-publicized case of burn patient Dax Coward, who had suffered third-degree burns all over his body and was kept alive through painful debrading, pulling the skin back and putting him in water baths, seven days a week.
Coward pleaded with doctors to let him die; they refused. He recovered, took them to court, and won, but he is permanently scarred.
Dolores Marshall, Schneider vice-president of patient care services, said Coward now is a public speaker and a very powerful one. She also cited the pain factor in patients with terminal illnesses, which often is overlooked in the battle over whether to keep them alive. She said, "Dr. (Jack) Kevorkian was open, but I think subtlely, all over the nation, doctors are assisting patient's wishes."
Retired Moravian Church Pastor Ray Joseph said he thought guilt was a factor in many families' decisions, when the patient has made no advance plans about his desires. "Do all possible" is frequently heard in such cases, even when a family knows it's futile. Joseph said more thought should be given to the spiritual side of these decisions.
Adeline Connor, Schneider clinical care coordinator, said more workshops are planned specifically for the clergy on these issues.
In a videotaped presentation, Thomas Beauchamp discussed the "vague, the gray areas" surrounding physician-assisted suicide. Beauchamp served on the President's Commission for the Study of Medicine and BioMedical and Behavior Research and is senior author of the book, "The Principles of BioMedical Ethics." He is Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Oregon, Beauchamp said, is the only state which allows doctors to write a "lethal prescription" for a terminally ill patient. A state referendum passed the measure in 1993, but it was held up in court battles until 1996.
In 1997, the Supreme Court said there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, contrary to a decision handed down by the 2nd and 9th Courts of Appeals a year earlier. However, the court said states can make their own rules.
So far, Oregon is the only state, and the Netherlands and Japan are the only countries allowing the procedure. Japan has had a law allowing it for 30 years, but has never had one case.
Beauchamp said "homicide" is a very tricky term to use, and one that doctors would obviously shy away from when allowing a patient to be taken off a life-support system.
Dr. Leighmin Lu, a St. Thomas psychiatrist, said such a decision is often influenced by economics. He cited a case last year where a comatose young man was brought into the hospital with an extremely slim chance of recovery.
The family wanted to know how long he could remain comatose, and the doctors had to say they had no means of knowing, Lu said. The family was concerned about hospital bills, and felt they would have to let him go.
The hospital Ethics Committee met and went along with the family's decision. "The family's decision was economic and fear-based," Lu said.
Beauchamp cited the American Medical Association's tenets: "Killing is wrong; letting die is right." The doctor said this leads to many areas of gray.
"Intention" is a factor. The doctor's intention is to remove pain; the side effect is dying. Contemporary law and ethics do not adequately cover the many aspects of the problem, he said.
Another videotape showed the well-publicized case of burn patient Dax Coward, who had suffered third-degree burns all over his body and was kept alive through painful debrading, pulling the skin back and putting him in water baths, seven days a week.
Coward pleaded with doctors to let him die; they refused. He recovered, took them to court, and won, but he is permanently scarred.
Dolores Marshall, Schneider vice-president of patient care services, said Coward now is a public speaker and a very powerful one. She also cited the pain factor in patients with terminal illnesses, which often is overlooked in the battle over whether to keep them alive. She said, "Dr. (Jack) Kevorkian was open, but I think subtlely, all over the nation, doctors are assisting patient's wishes."
Retired Moravian Church Pastor Ray Joseph said he thought guilt was a factor in many families' decisions, when the patient has made no advance plans about his desires. "Do all possible" is frequently heard in such cases, even when a family knows it's futile. Joseph said more thought should be given to the spiritual side of these decisions.
Adeline Connor, Schneider clinical care coordinator, said more workshops are planned specifically for the clergy on these issues.
MONTESSORI SCHOOL TO HOLD 'VEGAS NIGHT'
Montessori School is holding its annual "Las Vegas Night" starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort ballroom, featuring a cash raffle with a top prize of $10,000.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance, or $35 at the door, and can be purchased from the school, or from any Montessori parent. They are also available at Glenn's Gifts and Bags, Phil's Paradise in Tutu park Mall, Sanrio, East End Secretarial in Red Hook, the Veggie Table in Frenchtown, Silk Greenery in Fort Mylner and Connections in Cruz Bay, St. John. Raffle tickets are $5, and can be purchased from any Montessori student or parent. For more information, call (340) 775-6360 or (340) 775-6511.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance, or $35 at the door, and can be purchased from the school, or from any Montessori parent. They are also available at Glenn's Gifts and Bags, Phil's Paradise in Tutu park Mall, Sanrio, East End Secretarial in Red Hook, the Veggie Table in Frenchtown, Silk Greenery in Fort Mylner and Connections in Cruz Bay, St. John. Raffle tickets are $5, and can be purchased from any Montessori student or parent. For more information, call (340) 775-6360 or (340) 775-6511.
EU ASKS FOR $4B IN U.S. SANCTIONS OVER FSCs
The European Union asked the World Trade Organization on Friday for authorization to impose as much as $4 billion in sanctions against the United States over U.S. Foreign Sales Corporations, according to the Reuters news agency.
The action comes just days after the House of Representatives passed legislation that effectively ended tax breaks for U.S. exporters using foreign sales corporations in the country’s territories. The U.S. Senate passed the bill just before it adjourned two weeks ago.
The Virgin Islands stands to lose about $10 million annually in revenues from FSCs once the legislation is signed into law by President Clinton, as is widely expected.
But the EU has already made clear that it feels the new law does not comply with WTO free trade rules, and Reuters reported that U.S. Ambassador Rita Hayes said Friday the United States would request WTO arbitration on the request for sanctions.
At a news conference in Geneva, the U.S. trade envoy said the administration believed its new legislation does comply with the WTO, which ruled earlier this year that the FSC program was an illegal export subsidy.
“Quite obviously the United States will reject the EU's contention that it is entitled to suspend $4 billion dollars worth of tariff reductions as a result of this dispute and will request arbitration,'' Reuters quoted Hayes as saying.
The action comes just days after the House of Representatives passed legislation that effectively ended tax breaks for U.S. exporters using foreign sales corporations in the country’s territories. The U.S. Senate passed the bill just before it adjourned two weeks ago.
The Virgin Islands stands to lose about $10 million annually in revenues from FSCs once the legislation is signed into law by President Clinton, as is widely expected.
But the EU has already made clear that it feels the new law does not comply with WTO free trade rules, and Reuters reported that U.S. Ambassador Rita Hayes said Friday the United States would request WTO arbitration on the request for sanctions.
At a news conference in Geneva, the U.S. trade envoy said the administration believed its new legislation does comply with the WTO, which ruled earlier this year that the FSC program was an illegal export subsidy.
“Quite obviously the United States will reject the EU's contention that it is entitled to suspend $4 billion dollars worth of tariff reductions as a result of this dispute and will request arbitration,'' Reuters quoted Hayes as saying.
GIRL, 14, REPORTEDLY RAPED IN BOLONGO AREA
A 14-year-old girl was reportedly raped Wednesday night near the Sea View Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility in Bolongo, according to Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty.
Carty said the girl was hitchhiking from Anna's Retreat to Red Hook when a man in a dark two-door vehicle stopped and picked her up. He then drove to Bolongo where he is alleged to have forcibly raped her, Carty said.
The attack happened around 8:15 p.m., Carty said. The girl was treated at Roy L. Schneider Hospital and released.
Police described the suspect as a black male about 6 feet tall with a slim build and dark complexion, clean-shaven with a bald head.
Police spokeswoman Annette Raimer said that while the attack was classified as a second-degree rape–involving an adult having sex with a child between 13 and 16 years old–the use of force in the incident meant the charge could be upgraded to first-degree rape.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Investigation Bureau at 774-4050, the Crime Line at 777-8711, or 911.
Carty said the girl was hitchhiking from Anna's Retreat to Red Hook when a man in a dark two-door vehicle stopped and picked her up. He then drove to Bolongo where he is alleged to have forcibly raped her, Carty said.
The attack happened around 8:15 p.m., Carty said. The girl was treated at Roy L. Schneider Hospital and released.
Police described the suspect as a black male about 6 feet tall with a slim build and dark complexion, clean-shaven with a bald head.
Police spokeswoman Annette Raimer said that while the attack was classified as a second-degree rape–involving an adult having sex with a child between 13 and 16 years old–the use of force in the incident meant the charge could be upgraded to first-degree rape.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Investigation Bureau at 774-4050, the Crime Line at 777-8711, or 911.
BAILEY NAMED V.I. REALTOR OF THE YEAR
Longtime St. Thomas Realtor Nick Bailey, of John Foster Real Estate, returned this week from San Francisco where he was honored at the National Association of Realtors annual convention as the Virgin Islands Territorial Realtor of the Year.
The V.I. Realtors Association awarded Bailey the title about two weeks ago and he carried it with him to the convention. As part of the ceremonies, he joined winners from other parts of the country, each bearing the flag of their state or territory onto the stage of the convention.
About 23,000 of the National Association's 800,000 members were in attendance, Bailey said.
"It was a real thrill," he said. "It was very gratifying to be recognized by your peers."
St. Croix Realtor Greg Hamilton, Hamilton Real Estate, was last year's Realtor of the Year and as such was chairman of the selection committee this year.
He said the committee chose Bailey because he is "somebody who's put a lot of time in and worked for the organization and then is very active in the community." He praised Bailey for his work in coordinating efforts between the St. Thomas and the territorial boards.
The V.I. Realtors Association awarded Bailey the title about two weeks ago and he carried it with him to the convention. As part of the ceremonies, he joined winners from other parts of the country, each bearing the flag of their state or territory onto the stage of the convention.
About 23,000 of the National Association's 800,000 members were in attendance, Bailey said.
"It was a real thrill," he said. "It was very gratifying to be recognized by your peers."
St. Croix Realtor Greg Hamilton, Hamilton Real Estate, was last year's Realtor of the Year and as such was chairman of the selection committee this year.
He said the committee chose Bailey because he is "somebody who's put a lot of time in and worked for the organization and then is very active in the community." He praised Bailey for his work in coordinating efforts between the St. Thomas and the territorial boards.
