Gov. Charles Turnbull has vowed to work with the new set of politicians set to make up the Senate majority in the 24th Legislature.
With Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd slated to take over the Senate presidency and Sen. Adelbert Bryan picked for vice president and chairman of the Rules Committee, the organization of the next Legislature will be vastly different than it has been for the last four years.
Turnbull, a Democrat, had several allies in the 23rd Legislature’s majority bloc, including Senate President Vargrave Richards and Finance Committee Chairwoman Lorraine Berry. However, Richards, from St. Croix, and Berry, of St. Thomas, are awaiting a count of absentee ballots to see whether they won the seventh seats in their respective districts.
But Turnbull said that no matter what party a senator represents, he and his administration will "work with all of them."
"I have said again and again, unity is our biggest need in the Virgin Islands," Turnbull said.
Senators-elect have tentatively formed a majority consisting of Liburd, Independent Citizens Movement; Bryan, ICM; former Sen. Celestino White, an independent, picked to head the 24th Legislature’s majority; Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, an independent, who has said he wants to chair the Finance Committee; Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, an independent who has been tapped to chair the Economic Development Committee; Sen. Donald Cole, an independent, chosen to chair the Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection; Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste, a sophomore Democrat, chosen to again chair the Committee on Education; and freshmen independents Carlton Dowe and Norma Samuel.
Democrats elected on Nov. 7 and shut out of the majority include St. Croix’s Douglas Canton, Emmett Hansen II and Sen. David Jones and St. Thomas Sen. Roosevelt David. Democratic Sen. George Goodwin barely took the seventh St. Thomas spot over Democrat Berry while Democrat Vargrave Richards and ICMer Raymond "Usie" Richards tied for the last St. Croix seat.
The tentative majority for the 24th Legislature is made up of many senators who have in the past feuded with past Democrat-led majority blocs, recently headed by Berry.
Sen. Alicia Hansen said people shouldn’t criticize the power shift to the former non-majority senators.
"Why should they feel we should sit back and not attempt to lead the community?" Sen. Hansen asked.

I expressed my concerns about the organization of the legislature to the President of the 23rd Legislature, Vargrave Richards, who replied to me verbally that it was too late to make any changes. I of course disagreed with him, I think it is never too late to correct mistakes or improve situations that need improvement. I called the Senate President's attention to the fact that his majority group in the 23rd Legislature failed to use good judgement when they failed to share committee leadership with those Senators that were not a part of the "majority." I suggested that there should be subcommittees within the major committees and all Senators would have leadership of a committee or a subcommittee. All Senators would have the opportunity to exercise their oversight responsibility over the three branches of government. It is so unfair and counterproductive the practice of unevenly allocating resources of the legislature between "majority" and "minority" Senators. The Senators are all elected by the citizens to represent them well in the legislature and no Senator should be deprived of the resources needed to adequately carry out their duties.
I trust the organization of the 24th Legislature would take into consideration the suggestions made herein, and would seek to treat all Senators fairly and with respect. The 24th Legislature should not continue the unfair practice of excluding certain Senators from common privileges, practicing tyranny of the majority. I hope the incoming legislature would take into account the expressed concerns of the electorate which was identified as: Elections reform, restructuring of the government, a balance budget, educational reform, improved economy, law enforcement, etc. Any legislative agenda of the 24th Legislature should include those concerns. May God illumine our representatives in Government and may they seek to do His will for the benefit of all.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas

Scores for Soccer Games for the weekend of Nov. 10-12.
FRIDAY
Antilles Red vs. All Saints Gold
1 – Antilles Red – Christo Dimopoulos
4 – All Saints Gold – Jabari Velinor (3), Manuel Santana
SATURDAY
Under 7
Antilles White vs. All Saints
Antilles White -0. All Saints – 2 – Kylaine David, Noah Mattew.
Antilles Blue vs. Montessori
1 – Antilles Blue – Frances Lenahan
2 – Montessori – Micah Callwood, Me'Khael Miller
Under 10
Antilles White vs. All Saints Gold
0 – Antilles White
5 – All Saints Gold – Jabari Velinor, John Philip Stryker
Manuel Santana, John David McDonald, Raymond Chetram.
Antilles Blue vs. Antilles Gold
2- Antilles White – Nick Schmidt 11 (2)
1- Antilles Gold – Ernie Evans
Antilles Red vs. Sibilly
2 – Antilles Red – Christo Dimopoulos, Mikael Doumeng.
4 – Sibilly – Ignacio
Estrada (2), Jennings Harris, Rahim Benjamin
Antilles White vs. Montessori
2- Antilles White – 2- Nolan Diehl, Zachary Nelthropp
4- Montessori – Tyler Rice (2), Richard Smith (2)
Antilles Blue vs. All Saints Green
2 – Antilles Blue – Daniel Rosey, Spencer Consolvo
0 – All Saints Green
Antilles Gold vs. Youth Soccer
2- Antilles Gold – Ernie Evans (2)
0 – Youth Soccer
Antilles Blue vs. Sibilly
0 – 0.
SUNDAY
Under 13
Dober vs. Sibilly
2 – Dober – Jamie Brown, Robert Richards
0 – Sibilly
All Saints vs. St. John Girls
0 – All Saints
3 – St. John – Tommy Barrows (2), Cobly Spencely.
Under 10
Dober vs. Sibilly
0 – 0
Youth Soccer vs. Montessori
0 – Youth Soccer
6 – Montessori – Adam Fuller (3), Richard Smith, Zachary Shulterbrandt, Eric
Dohm.
SUNDAY (St. Croix)
Under 14
Youth Soccer vs. St. Croix
4 – St Croix Strikers
3 – Youth Soccer
Cancryn vs. St. Croix
1 – Cancryn
1 – St. Croix
Youth Soccer vs. Cancryn – Not available
Call 776-2105 for additional information or Stephen Brusch at 776-2237.

In the contemporary vein of such Catholic school-inspired hits as John Powers Jr.'s musical comedy "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" and "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You" comes the to-the-point "Catholic School Girls" by Casey Kurti, extended for one more performance at Pistarckle Theater on Friday.
Kurti's satire uses four actresses to play the nuns and first- through eighth-grade students at "St. Georges School" in Yonkers, N.Y. during the 1960s.
Directed by Trudy Tucker, the show features Dawna Bayard, Dena Benson, Christina Harper and Mo Stanton.
The added show is at 8 p.m. Friday at the new Pistarckle Theater Building at Tillett Gardens. Tickets are $22 and can be purchased by phone with a credit card at 775-7877.

After landing its first brick-and-mortar casino, the V.I. Casino Control Commission is now exploring the billion-dollar world of cyberspace gambling .
On Nov. 16 and 17, the CCC is hosting an Internet gaming seminar at St. Croix’s Cormorant Hotel. Commission chairwoman Eileen Petersen said experts from Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Antigua will discuss the pros and cons of the burgeoning industry, which Internet research firms have estimated will generate $3 billion by 2002.
While Petersen acknowledged that Internet gambling could be a major revenue source for the local government and a profitable business venture, she urged members of the community, particularly senators, to do their homework on the issue to learn about "the benefits and pitfalls associated" with it.
"Countries throughout the gaming world are currently struggling to deal with the ramifications of the accessibility of Internet gaming," she said, noting that the territory’s Caribbean neighbor Antigua sanctions Internet gaming businesses.
On-line gambling varies from sites where people can bet on sports to traditional casino games like blackjack, slots and poker. Most of the sites are operated outside the U.S.
Australia, Antigua, Greece and Monte Carlo have legalized on-line gambling. In 1998, Australia became the first large country to develop and enact a player-protection act. In Antigua, operators of Internet gambling sites are subject to a background check and a licensing fee.
In the U.S., however, Congress is debating whether on-line gaming should be made illegal. The concerns include the availability of gambling to children and teens, the problems posed for adults with gambling addictions and the opportunity for illegal activity such as money-laundering and fraud.
Petersen urged all concerned residents in the territory to attend the informational seminar. Her own mind is open, she said: "I’m not making a statement pro or con until after the conference."
The seminar will begin on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. and continue to 4 p.m. On Friday the hours will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information call 773-3616.

The challenges facing the Virgin Islands National Park fall into three categories, according to newly appointed superintendent John King: visitation, finances and partnership.
King, who was deputy regional director of the Park Service's Intermountain Region for nearly six years, was selected in October to head the V.I. National Park. He made his first trip to St. John last week, where he spoke to a meeting of Rotarians on Friday afternoon at the Westin Resort.
King noted that when President Ulysses S. Grant created the nation's and world's first national park, Yellowstone, more than 125 years ago, only a handful of fur traders and trappers had ever visited the area.
"Today," King noted, "well over 4 million visit Yellowstone yearly."
Visitation to national parks is expected to top 300 million this year, he said. "The huge number of visits impact on resources, capabilities, facilities and staff, " King said.
The very qualities that make parks special and draw people to them, such as solitude, serenity, and unspoiled nature, are being compromised by increased visitation, he said.
Closer to home, King noted that visits to the V.I. National Park have increased to one million yearly. "Our challenge," he said, "is to manage visitations in such a way as to protect the natural and cultural resources that have been entrusted to the Park Service as steward of public lands while simultaneously ensuring a quality and meaningful experience for visitors."
The development of a Commercial Services Plan and a Vessel Use Plan will help address these decisions about balancing visitor enjoyment and resource protection, King said.
Regarding the financial challenge, King said, "The Park Service has been asked to do more with less even though visitation is on the rise." As a result parks are suffering nationwide. In some parks, facilities have closed, seasons shortened, and maintenance and repair of historic buildings and monuments deferred. In short, he said, the Park Service has lacked the funds needed to respond effectively to overcrowding and overuse.
"Financially the Virgin Islands National Park has fared better than most," King said. "In fiscal year 2001, the V.I. National Park received a $1 million base increase. This increase represents the second single largest increase among parks nationwide. Only Independence National Historic Park, which received a $1.25 million increase, did better.
"Over the past two years the V.I. National Park received an annual operating increase of nearly $1.9 million, which represents nearly a 75 percent increase over previous budgets," King said, primarily because of the efforts of retired Superintendent Russ Berry. "Yet," King said, "this park is still living on a financially ragged edge."
King told Rotarians he plans to adopt a business plan for the park that will lay out needs and market those needs within and outside the park.
"To accomplish this challenge we must embark on partnerships," he said, reaching out to scientific, educational, philanthropic, contractual and local government sectors for assistance and expertise. According to King, "nationwide there are a huge network of volunteers, supporters, and constituency organizations involved in communicating a strong message to Congress and the Administration that people love national parks."
King cited the V.I. Friends of the National Park as one such group that has done a phenomenal job in attracting funds and resources to the St. John park.
"It is this kind of partnership that we need to sponsor and expand," King said.
In a question-and-answer session with Rotarians, King said he intends for the park to continue to be a good neighbor with the people of the Virgin Islands and include the residents of St. John in any development plans.
"I believe you have to plan with people, not for people," he said.
King said, "The Virgin Islands National Park is part of a magnificent landscape which is the National Park Service, and it is one of its crown jewels. And I am honored to be a part of this grand place."
King leaves the territory Monday and will return in the first week of December to assume his role as superintendent.

Virgin Islands veterans were honored with parades and ceremonies on Saturday in both districts as the territory observed Veterans Day 2000.
On St. Thomas, hundreds lined the waterfront to watch a military parade make its way from the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School to Emancipation Garden. In ceremonies attended by a couple hundred persons, speakers called for increased services to veterans in the territory. "Many of the veterans in the Virgin Islands are becoming a part of the homeless community," said keynote speaker Greta Hart-Hyndman, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs office. "And while we return to our comfortable abode after these ceremonies, what are we doing to assist these men and women who have served?"
On St. Croix, the keynote address was delivered by Arnold Golden, who spoke of the many contributions of Virgin Islanders in both world wars, the Korean War and other conflicts.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull in his remarks on St. Thomas also noted the contributions of Virgin Islands veterans and addressed a contingent of Korean War veterans; this year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean conflict.
"I pledge the resources of my administration to assist veterans and provide services that this elite group of residents are in need of," Turnbull said.
Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 each year, the date which marked the signing of the armistice ending World War I.

Virgin Islands veterans were honored with parades and ceremonies on Saturday in both districts as the territory observed Veterans Day 2000.
On St. Thomas, hundreds lined the waterfront to watch a military parade make its way from the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School to Emancipation Garden. In ceremonies attended by a few hundred people, speakers called for increased services to veterans in the territory.
"Many of the veterans in the Virgin Islands are becoming a part of the homeless community," said keynote speaker Greta Hart-Hyndman, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs office. "And while we return to our comfortable abode after these ceremonies, what are we doing to assist these men and women who have served?"
On St. Croix, the keynote address was delivered by Arnold Golden, who spoke of the many contributions of Virgin Islanders in both world wars, the Korean War and other conflicts.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull in his remarks on St. Thomas also noted the contributions of Virgin Islands veterans and addressed a contingent of Korean War veterans; this year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean conflict.
"I pledge the resources of my administration to assist veterans and provide services that this elite group of residents are in need of," Turnbull said.
Veterans Day is celebrated each year on Nov. 11, the date that marked the signing of the armistice ending World War I.

Virgin Islands veterans were honored with parades and ceremonies on Saturday in both districts as the territory observed Veterans Day 2000.
On St. Thomas, hundreds lined the waterfront to watch a military parade make its way from the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School to Emancipation Garden. In ceremonies attended by a couple hundred persons, speakers called for increased services to veterans in the territory. "Many of the veterans in the Virgin Islands are becoming a part of the homeless community," said keynote speaker Greta Hart-Hyndman, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs office. "And while we return to our comfortable abode after these ceremonies, what are we doing to assist these men and women who have served?"
On St. Croix, the keynote address was delivered by Arnold Golden, who spoke of the many contributions of Virgin Islanders in both world wars, the Korean War and other conflicts.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull in his remarks on St. Thomas also noted the contributions of Virgin Islands veterans and addressed a contingent of Korean War veterans; this year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean conflict.
"I pledge the resources of my administration to assist veterans and provide services that this elite group of residents are in need of," Turnbull said.
Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 each year, the date which marked the signing of the armistice ending World War I.

Lawrence Lockhart, only a week from representing the Virgin Islands in the World Junior Track & Field Championships in Santiago, Columbia, took first place in Saturday’s 17th Annual Veterans Day 5K Cross-Country race held at the University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix Campus.
A group of four were together for the relatively slow first lap on the three-lap 3.1 mile course. Lockhart put distance between them near the end of 2 miles and cruised to the finish with a time of 17 minutes and 57 seconds. Jonathan Letang was second in 18:55 and Jabari Goodwin third in 19:38.
Theresa Harper, a teacher at St. Croix Country Day School, outclassed the group of high school track runners by winning the female category in 21:48; Earthla Arthur, a French teacher at the Education Complex, where many of the participants in the race are students, was second in 23:57 and Balbarie Lopez was third in 24:46.
The Finishers Male: 1. Lawrence Lockhart 17:57; 2. Hondo Freeman 18:55; 3. Jonahtan Letang 19:38; 4. Jabari Goodwin 20:24; 5. Amalee Lockhart 20:36; 6. Reginald Adams 21:42; 7. Gunnar Sanden 21:49; 8. Lewis Letang 22:13; 9. Barrymore Bereley 22:37; 10. John Harper 23:30; 11. Jay Wiltshire 23:56; 12. Rey Ruiz 25:00; 13. J'Kinde Goodwin 27:09; 14. Tom Alkon 27:55; 15. Jnuru Goodwin 33:33
The Finishers Female: 1. Theresa Harper 21:48; 2. Earthla Arthur 23:57; 3. Balbarie Lopez 24:26; 4. Xamara Gomez 25:56; 5. Claudina Jones 25:41; 6. Jawana Goodwin 27:37; 7. Kathy Prince 29:46; 7. Jean Sylvester 29:46; 9. Marie Elise Witmer 34:13
The race wall hosted by the University of the Virgin Islands Division of Student Affairs and organized by the Virgin Islands Pace Runners.
The next race on the V.I. Pace Runners calendar is the 26th Virgin Islands Half-Marathon on November 26.
For more information call V.I. Pace Runners at 777-0258 or click here.