My name is Jamel Lake. I work as an assistant to Bob Green who writes the Anguilla news. I was born and raised on St. Thomas and graduated from I.E.K.H.S. in '97. Shortly after graduation I moved to Anguilla with my mom to help her with her Bar and Restaurant. I am now a purchasing agent and office assistant manager for BeachShack.
St. Thomas is my home at heart and will always be, but I don't see myself living there. Occasionally, I visit and I don't stay for long.
Each time I visit I look at St. Thomas as if I was a tourist, and each time I am impressed with my home. I see more and more development, I find the island to be clean, the people to be friendly, the beaches are beautiful, and the services and businesses the Island has to offer are very good.
My only concern is the crime. I often wonder, an island so small with so much to offer, why in the world the government isn't doing enough to stop the ship from sinking.
Although my house is smoking it is not up in flames.
I still believe that St. Thomas has hope for a bright future filled with prosperity. In order for us to enjoy what St. Thomas has to offer, the ongoing problem of crime has got to stop, and it must stop NOW!!.
I challenge our leaders to face these problems and take an approach that the parents of Geoff and Jason might take. Failure to do so is failure as leaders and most importantly the result in the next 5-10 years will be unbelievable, and probably to some parents unforgivable.
Jamel Lake
Anguilla
OCEAN CITY REMAINS CLOSED
Ocean City remained closed Wednesday, after a reinspection by Ethlyn Joseph, director of environmental health. "They called me four times to come inspect," Joseph said, "and when I went, they weren't ready."
Joseph said the roach problem still exists. Though Simon Chang of Ocean City claimed he'd had the restaurant fumigated, he could not produce a receipt from the exterminating company, Joseph said, adding she suspects Chang did the spraying himself.
She also said the kitchen still needs degreasing. The "whole place still isn't clean – the floors are dirty, and so are the walls." She said the accumulated grease presents a fire hazard.
As to the food handlers' cards, Chang said he didn't have one and he was the only employee present. Since Chang, though manager, also works in the kitchen, he is required to have a food handlers' card. Chang could not be reached for comment.
Joseph said she will do another inspection when Chang calls her, "but the restaurant will have to be clean, and the food handlers' cards will have to be there."
Joseph said the roach problem still exists. Though Simon Chang of Ocean City claimed he'd had the restaurant fumigated, he could not produce a receipt from the exterminating company, Joseph said, adding she suspects Chang did the spraying himself.
She also said the kitchen still needs degreasing. The "whole place still isn't clean – the floors are dirty, and so are the walls." She said the accumulated grease presents a fire hazard.
As to the food handlers' cards, Chang said he didn't have one and he was the only employee present. Since Chang, though manager, also works in the kitchen, he is required to have a food handlers' card. Chang could not be reached for comment.
Joseph said she will do another inspection when Chang calls her, "but the restaurant will have to be clean, and the food handlers' cards will have to be there."
SONAR TESTING HALT OFF NEW JERSEY HAILED HERE
Local marine scientists say they're glad the Navy announced the suspension of underwater sonar testing that was scheduled for this week off the New Jersey coast.
The second phase of testing what's called the Littoral Warfare Advanced Development (LWAD) system was called off last week after a meeting between officials of the Navy and of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, according to news reports.
The decision-makers were reportedly concerned that use of low-frequency active sonar could harm whales and other marine animals.
"It sounds like maybe now someone realizes there's a problem," said Rafe Boulon, chief of resource management for the Virgin Islands National Park.
Over the past year, concern for the impact of sonar testing on the ears of marine mammals has focused on the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.
In March, during the first phase of testing in the Bahamas, some 16 whales and dolphins were beached. Since then, Navy officials and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service have been looking for a possible connection between sonar testing that the Navy admits was going on in the region and the strandings.
Last October, four whales stranded in the U.S. Virgin Islands during a time when some local scientists believe unannounced sonar tests may have been taking place. A few weeks prior to that, about a dozen pilot whales stranded in the nearby British Virgin Islands.
By December, an expert at the Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Puerto Rico said research on the two animals that died — one on St. Thomas and one on St. John — were inconclusive, in part because tissue samples were not available.
Adam Quant, a researcher working with Dr. Rick Nemeth, a University of the Virgin Islands marine biologist, was one of a group of people diving near St. John's Lameshur Bay at the time of the stranding at Salt Pond Beach. He's convinced the Navy was conducting sonar testing. "We were hearing them that day," Quant said. "The noise was so intense, I was lifting my head every five minutes to see if they were passing over, but they were a couple of bays away."
Scientists studying the bodies of some of the whales that perished in the Bahamas found blood in their ears and sent tissue samples to the mainland for testing. The findings have not been conclusive, according to Paul Jobsis, an assistant professor of biology at UVI.
Jobsis is a key player in a year-long research project under contract with the Navy that's about to get under way at UVI on the possible effects of Trident submarine missile launchings on marine mammals and sea turtles. He said suspension of the New Jersey sonar testing is "a good sign" of cooperation between the military and environmentalists.
"They just decided to be cautious until the results of more tests are in," Jobsis said. He added that Navy officials are "going to continue with their schedule for LWAD tests, except for low-frequency active sonar."
The second phase of testing what's called the Littoral Warfare Advanced Development (LWAD) system was called off last week after a meeting between officials of the Navy and of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, according to news reports.
The decision-makers were reportedly concerned that use of low-frequency active sonar could harm whales and other marine animals.
"It sounds like maybe now someone realizes there's a problem," said Rafe Boulon, chief of resource management for the Virgin Islands National Park.
Over the past year, concern for the impact of sonar testing on the ears of marine mammals has focused on the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.
In March, during the first phase of testing in the Bahamas, some 16 whales and dolphins were beached. Since then, Navy officials and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service have been looking for a possible connection between sonar testing that the Navy admits was going on in the region and the strandings.
Last October, four whales stranded in the U.S. Virgin Islands during a time when some local scientists believe unannounced sonar tests may have been taking place. A few weeks prior to that, about a dozen pilot whales stranded in the nearby British Virgin Islands.
By December, an expert at the Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Puerto Rico said research on the two animals that died — one on St. Thomas and one on St. John — were inconclusive, in part because tissue samples were not available.
Adam Quant, a researcher working with Dr. Rick Nemeth, a University of the Virgin Islands marine biologist, was one of a group of people diving near St. John's Lameshur Bay at the time of the stranding at Salt Pond Beach. He's convinced the Navy was conducting sonar testing. "We were hearing them that day," Quant said. "The noise was so intense, I was lifting my head every five minutes to see if they were passing over, but they were a couple of bays away."
Scientists studying the bodies of some of the whales that perished in the Bahamas found blood in their ears and sent tissue samples to the mainland for testing. The findings have not been conclusive, according to Paul Jobsis, an assistant professor of biology at UVI.
Jobsis is a key player in a year-long research project under contract with the Navy that's about to get under way at UVI on the possible effects of Trident submarine missile launchings on marine mammals and sea turtles. He said suspension of the New Jersey sonar testing is "a good sign" of cooperation between the military and environmentalists.
"They just decided to be cautious until the results of more tests are in," Jobsis said. He added that Navy officials are "going to continue with their schedule for LWAD tests, except for low-frequency active sonar."
MANY OKS NEEDED TO SWAP CAY FOR PARKLAND
The dream of trading a Virgin Islands cay for land on St. John to build a new school is likely a distant one, but it's not impossible, according to a mainland spokesman for the National Park Service.
V.I. National Park Supt. Russell Berry Jr. has reportedly gotten signals from the Department of the Interior that such a deal is possible. But spokesman Paul Weineger in the NPS regional office in Atlanta says parkland trades don't happen often.
And long before one does, he said, the move much be approved at the regional office, Park Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., and sometimes Interior.
"It's an idea that has to be explored," Weineger said, "but it's do-able. There's precedence for such a land exchange." But, he said, it's not done often and not undertaken lightly.
A recent article in a local print newspaper said Berry described the proposal at a May 23 meeting in Cruz Bay of the Environmental Heritage Center. Weineger indicated surprise when queried by a Source reporter about the prospect of a St. John land swap.
St. John administrator Julien Harley, who attended the May 23 meeting, said the proposal is still in its preformative stage and may not have come to the attention of Atlanta yet. "I don't have anything concrete to tell you about it," he said.
The push to free some parkland to build a new public school has been raised before by Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who once taught at the Julius E. Sprauve School. He said he was among a small group of local officials who raised the subject to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Alaska Congressman Don Young during their recent visits to the territory.
Liburd said the current proposal calls for exchanging five acres of land near the entrance to the park at Catherineberg for an offshore Virgin Islands cay of similar acreage. "There are some cays the government doesn't deal with, and they would be better protected under the park's jurisdiction," he said.
Over the years, school officials and island administrators have discussed the possibility of moving Sprauve School outside of dusty, noisy Cruz Bay and turning the school buildings into a one-stop complex of government agencies. If the proposal is vigorously pushed, Liburd said, the first step — acquiring the land in Catherineberg — could be achieved within two years.
In fact, he said, "I don't think it would take long. It would be a matter of getting the people together." He said President Clinton and Babbitt "want to make it part of their legacy" as the president's second term comes to an end.
But first, Weineger said, NPS officials have to decide if trading land is "something they would want to do." The park superintendent would have to submit a formal recommendation, he said. Then, if the recommendation received all the required approvals, two suitable land parcels would have to be identified and assessed for natural resources and hidden artifacts. After that, a preliminary exchange agreement would have to be signed between the park service and the V.I. government.
So far, there has been only preliminary correspondence. In February, Liburd asked Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds to write to Washington about any plans to build a new public school on St. John, and how the Catherineberg land would be used if it were to become available.
Harley said he is trying to confirm whether a letter was sent to Berry saying federal officials were willing at least to discuss the possibility.
V.I. National Park Supt. Russell Berry Jr. has reportedly gotten signals from the Department of the Interior that such a deal is possible. But spokesman Paul Weineger in the NPS regional office in Atlanta says parkland trades don't happen often.
And long before one does, he said, the move much be approved at the regional office, Park Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., and sometimes Interior.
"It's an idea that has to be explored," Weineger said, "but it's do-able. There's precedence for such a land exchange." But, he said, it's not done often and not undertaken lightly.
A recent article in a local print newspaper said Berry described the proposal at a May 23 meeting in Cruz Bay of the Environmental Heritage Center. Weineger indicated surprise when queried by a Source reporter about the prospect of a St. John land swap.
St. John administrator Julien Harley, who attended the May 23 meeting, said the proposal is still in its preformative stage and may not have come to the attention of Atlanta yet. "I don't have anything concrete to tell you about it," he said.
The push to free some parkland to build a new public school has been raised before by Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who once taught at the Julius E. Sprauve School. He said he was among a small group of local officials who raised the subject to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Alaska Congressman Don Young during their recent visits to the territory.
Liburd said the current proposal calls for exchanging five acres of land near the entrance to the park at Catherineberg for an offshore Virgin Islands cay of similar acreage. "There are some cays the government doesn't deal with, and they would be better protected under the park's jurisdiction," he said.
Over the years, school officials and island administrators have discussed the possibility of moving Sprauve School outside of dusty, noisy Cruz Bay and turning the school buildings into a one-stop complex of government agencies. If the proposal is vigorously pushed, Liburd said, the first step — acquiring the land in Catherineberg — could be achieved within two years.
In fact, he said, "I don't think it would take long. It would be a matter of getting the people together." He said President Clinton and Babbitt "want to make it part of their legacy" as the president's second term comes to an end.
But first, Weineger said, NPS officials have to decide if trading land is "something they would want to do." The park superintendent would have to submit a formal recommendation, he said. Then, if the recommendation received all the required approvals, two suitable land parcels would have to be identified and assessed for natural resources and hidden artifacts. After that, a preliminary exchange agreement would have to be signed between the park service and the V.I. government.
So far, there has been only preliminary correspondence. In February, Liburd asked Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds to write to Washington about any plans to build a new public school on St. John, and how the Catherineberg land would be used if it were to become available.
Harley said he is trying to confirm whether a letter was sent to Berry saying federal officials were willing at least to discuss the possibility.
SUSPICIOUS BAG PROMPTS 1/2-HOUR AIRPORT CLOSING
The Cyril E. King Airport was evacuated for about half an hour at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday after a suspicious bag was found in the U.S. Customs area.
The suitcase had been pre-cleared and was destined for an American Eagle flight, sources told WVWI/Radio One News. The station quoted aviation sources as saying something inside the bag was vibrating or making a ticking sound.
Port Authority police removed the bag from the terminal to a secure area. As of midday, there was no word as to its contents.
The evacuation notice was given over the airport terminal's public address system, directing all employees and passengers to leave the building immediately. Within half an hour, the building was declared safe and airport operations resumed.
Federal Aviation Administration officials at the airport control tower said the evacuation did not cause any serious problems for in-bound or out-bound air traffic. One arrival was held off for a few minutes until the terminal was declared safe, they said.
Port Authority public information officer Shirley L. Smith referred inquiries to O'Neal Moolenaar, chief of airport security, who could not immediately be reached.
The suitcase had been pre-cleared and was destined for an American Eagle flight, sources told WVWI/Radio One News. The station quoted aviation sources as saying something inside the bag was vibrating or making a ticking sound.
Port Authority police removed the bag from the terminal to a secure area. As of midday, there was no word as to its contents.
The evacuation notice was given over the airport terminal's public address system, directing all employees and passengers to leave the building immediately. Within half an hour, the building was declared safe and airport operations resumed.
Federal Aviation Administration officials at the airport control tower said the evacuation did not cause any serious problems for in-bound or out-bound air traffic. One arrival was held off for a few minutes until the terminal was declared safe, they said.
Port Authority public information officer Shirley L. Smith referred inquiries to O'Neal Moolenaar, chief of airport security, who could not immediately be reached.
JOSEPH: I DON'T LIKE CLOSING PEOPLE DOWN
Contrary to the comments of Ocean City Restaurant spokesman Simon Chang on Tuesday, Health Department environmental health director Ethlyn Joseph said Wednesday morning that she saw no way the restaurant could be ready to re-open later in the day.
Joseph said she closed the Havensight restaurant Tuesday because it has exterminating and cleaning problems, and because only one employee was able to produce a valid food-handler card when she arrived for an unannounced inspection Tuesday.
According to Chang, the other employees had left their cards at home. He said Tuesday that he expected "to be ready for her" — Joseph — on Wednesday and to reopen after reinspection.
The Chinese restaurant is the third eatery in the immediate area that Joseph has closed for environmental health violations. Kum Wah, another Chinese restaurant, and the Wendy's fast-food restaurant, both at Mandela Circle, were temporarily shut down in recent weeks.
Joseph said she closed Ocean City Tuesday after finding one roach too many. "I was going to let them go ahead and finish serving lunch," she said, "but as I continued my inspection, I was astonished. I've never seen so many roaches in my life! They were everywhere – in the vegetables, the chicken, the water, on the ceiling, the floor, in the cabinets."
So "I told them that they would have to close right then," Joseph said. She said she asked Chang "how in the world" he could let such conditions exist, adding that "no way in the world would I let you stay open to feed the public."
Chang said the restaurant is exterminated once a month. Joseph said that couldn't be true, noting bags of cornstarch and sugar in the kitchen that had roaches crawling out of them, and ordering Chang to throw them away.
Joseph said, "I really don't know what these people think. The other restaurant closings have been in the newspapers and on the radio – you'd think they'd listen." She said she doesn't enjoy closing restaurants, but "you have to protect the community's health."
Also, she said, if she simply found one employee somewhere without a valid health card, she would tell the management to be sure the person got one right away, and let it go at that. But when it's only one employee who does have a card, she said, it's a different matter.
"Let me tell you, I don't like doing this, I don't like closing people down," Joseph said. "It's not my nature. I don't get any fun out of it."
Joseph said she would reinspect the restaurant later Wednesday. "Chang told me he was going to have the exterminator in last night," she said. "But unless he has new employees with valid health cards, I don't see how he can open."
Joseph said she closed the Havensight restaurant Tuesday because it has exterminating and cleaning problems, and because only one employee was able to produce a valid food-handler card when she arrived for an unannounced inspection Tuesday.
According to Chang, the other employees had left their cards at home. He said Tuesday that he expected "to be ready for her" — Joseph — on Wednesday and to reopen after reinspection.
The Chinese restaurant is the third eatery in the immediate area that Joseph has closed for environmental health violations. Kum Wah, another Chinese restaurant, and the Wendy's fast-food restaurant, both at Mandela Circle, were temporarily shut down in recent weeks.
Joseph said she closed Ocean City Tuesday after finding one roach too many. "I was going to let them go ahead and finish serving lunch," she said, "but as I continued my inspection, I was astonished. I've never seen so many roaches in my life! They were everywhere – in the vegetables, the chicken, the water, on the ceiling, the floor, in the cabinets."
So "I told them that they would have to close right then," Joseph said. She said she asked Chang "how in the world" he could let such conditions exist, adding that "no way in the world would I let you stay open to feed the public."
Chang said the restaurant is exterminated once a month. Joseph said that couldn't be true, noting bags of cornstarch and sugar in the kitchen that had roaches crawling out of them, and ordering Chang to throw them away.
Joseph said, "I really don't know what these people think. The other restaurant closings have been in the newspapers and on the radio – you'd think they'd listen." She said she doesn't enjoy closing restaurants, but "you have to protect the community's health."
Also, she said, if she simply found one employee somewhere without a valid health card, she would tell the management to be sure the person got one right away, and let it go at that. But when it's only one employee who does have a card, she said, it's a different matter.
"Let me tell you, I don't like doing this, I don't like closing people down," Joseph said. "It's not my nature. I don't get any fun out of it."
Joseph said she would reinspect the restaurant later Wednesday. "Chang told me he was going to have the exterminator in last night," she said. "But unless he has new employees with valid health cards, I don't see how he can open."
GOOD AND LOVING PEOPLE LIVE IN THE V.I.
Dear Source,
Thanks for the story about Geoff Kennedy. I will look forward to the rest of them in the next few days. I do still plan on moving back to St. Thomas even with all the crime taking place.
I know that there are so many good and loving people on the islands and that only a few lawless idiots are giving the islands such a bad name.
Don't they realize that nobody takes a vacation where there is a war going on? Each and every crime that takes place will be remembered and brought to the public's attention.
When are the police going to take their job seriously?
I'm sure there are good police on the islands but the ones that don't care will be sorry when there are no more tourists visiting and the economy completely collapses.
Maybe what it will take is when one of their loved ones is killed or paralyzed, then they will take their jobs seriously.
Keep up the excellent work.
Brad Schweizer
Anderson, Calif.
Thanks for the story about Geoff Kennedy. I will look forward to the rest of them in the next few days. I do still plan on moving back to St. Thomas even with all the crime taking place.
I know that there are so many good and loving people on the islands and that only a few lawless idiots are giving the islands such a bad name.
Don't they realize that nobody takes a vacation where there is a war going on? Each and every crime that takes place will be remembered and brought to the public's attention.
When are the police going to take their job seriously?
I'm sure there are good police on the islands but the ones that don't care will be sorry when there are no more tourists visiting and the economy completely collapses.
Maybe what it will take is when one of their loved ones is killed or paralyzed, then they will take their jobs seriously.
Keep up the excellent work.
Brad Schweizer
Anderson, Calif.
BEAL APPEAL WON'T BRING COMPANY BACK TO ISLAND
Beal Aerospace’s involvement in the appeal of the Camp Arawak land swap decision in merely a matter of "house-cleaning" and not an attempt to return to St. Croix, a company spokesman said Tuesday.
Beal and the V.I. government were blocked by a Territorial Court judge last Dec. 15 from implementing a land exchange agreement that would have given the company 14 acres of public property as part of a larger plan to construct its world headquarters and rocket assembly plant on 270 acres near Great Pond Bay.
Beal announced that it was pulling out of St. Croix two weeks after Judge Alphonso Andrews granted plaintiff Alicia "Chucky" Hansen’s request for a permanent injunction against the land swap, which had been approved by the Legislature on Oct. 5. Andrews ruled that the deal between the company and the government violated terms of the charitable trust through which the land was deeded to the people of the Virgin Islands.
The government and Texas-based Beal, however, both filed an appeal of Andrews' decision. Their cases have been consolidated and are pending in the local Appellate Division of the District Court.
But whatever the outcome, Beal vice president David Spoede said, the company has no interest in returning to the Virgin Islands. He said that as far as Beal is concerned, the appeal is to make sure the company doesn’t have to pay the plaintiff’s attorney fees. The government effort, he said, is to undo the "horribly bad" precedent set by the judge in the case.
"We’re making no effort whatsoever" to return to St. Croix, Spoede said. He added that a successful appeal "would mean the government of the Virgin Islands isn’t left with bad precedent."
Spoede said Beal hasn’t decided where it will build its rocket manufacturing facility. The company recently completed a deal to build a rocket launch pad in the South American country of Guyana. However, there, as on St. Croix, the plan has run into opposition within the country.
Meanwhile, Hansen’s attorney, Ned Jacobs, said the appeals process could take three months. The territory's two District Court judges, Raymond Finch and Thomas Moore, and a yet-to-be-announced Territorial Court judge will review the transcripts of the trial proceedings in Andrews' court. Then the government and Beal will have 40 days to submit briefs explaining why the decision should be overturned.
At that point, Jacobs will have 30 days to respond to the defendants’ briefs, which will be followed by another two weeks where the government and Beal can again reply. The judges will then decide whether to hear oral arguments without additional testimony. The losing party could appeal a decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
"Beal has indicated they want to go ahead with this appeal," Jacobs said. "What’s going on in Guyana right now has no effect on the appeal."
Meantime, the V.I. government has asked the federal court to vacate the section of Andrews' order calling for the Turnbull administration to develop the Camp Arawak property into a park. The government contends that it doesn’t have the estimated $1.3 million required to comply with the order.
Jacobs, however, responded by saying that if the government’s appeal is based on the cost of developing Camp Arawak into a park, then a more modest proposal should be considered. He also said the government should consider removing itself from the position of trustee for the property.
Beal and the V.I. government were blocked by a Territorial Court judge last Dec. 15 from implementing a land exchange agreement that would have given the company 14 acres of public property as part of a larger plan to construct its world headquarters and rocket assembly plant on 270 acres near Great Pond Bay.
Beal announced that it was pulling out of St. Croix two weeks after Judge Alphonso Andrews granted plaintiff Alicia "Chucky" Hansen’s request for a permanent injunction against the land swap, which had been approved by the Legislature on Oct. 5. Andrews ruled that the deal between the company and the government violated terms of the charitable trust through which the land was deeded to the people of the Virgin Islands.
The government and Texas-based Beal, however, both filed an appeal of Andrews' decision. Their cases have been consolidated and are pending in the local Appellate Division of the District Court.
But whatever the outcome, Beal vice president David Spoede said, the company has no interest in returning to the Virgin Islands. He said that as far as Beal is concerned, the appeal is to make sure the company doesn’t have to pay the plaintiff’s attorney fees. The government effort, he said, is to undo the "horribly bad" precedent set by the judge in the case.
"We’re making no effort whatsoever" to return to St. Croix, Spoede said. He added that a successful appeal "would mean the government of the Virgin Islands isn’t left with bad precedent."
Spoede said Beal hasn’t decided where it will build its rocket manufacturing facility. The company recently completed a deal to build a rocket launch pad in the South American country of Guyana. However, there, as on St. Croix, the plan has run into opposition within the country.
Meanwhile, Hansen’s attorney, Ned Jacobs, said the appeals process could take three months. The territory's two District Court judges, Raymond Finch and Thomas Moore, and a yet-to-be-announced Territorial Court judge will review the transcripts of the trial proceedings in Andrews' court. Then the government and Beal will have 40 days to submit briefs explaining why the decision should be overturned.
At that point, Jacobs will have 30 days to respond to the defendants’ briefs, which will be followed by another two weeks where the government and Beal can again reply. The judges will then decide whether to hear oral arguments without additional testimony. The losing party could appeal a decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
"Beal has indicated they want to go ahead with this appeal," Jacobs said. "What’s going on in Guyana right now has no effect on the appeal."
Meantime, the V.I. government has asked the federal court to vacate the section of Andrews' order calling for the Turnbull administration to develop the Camp Arawak property into a park. The government contends that it doesn’t have the estimated $1.3 million required to comply with the order.
Jacobs, however, responded by saying that if the government’s appeal is based on the cost of developing Camp Arawak into a park, then a more modest proposal should be considered. He also said the government should consider removing itself from the position of trustee for the property.
ALLIANCE FORMED TO HELP PROBLEM GAMBLERS
To cope with the possible problem of compulsive gamblers now that legalized gaming is available on St. Croix, the Casino Control Commission has formed the V.I. Alliance on Responsible Gaming.
The commission established the seven-member alliance in conjunction with the opening of the territory’s first casino in March. However, members won’t be focusing only on people having problems with legal gambling.
"We’re not targeting the Divi Casino per se," said commission member Lloyd McAlpin, adding that horse racing, cockfighting, the lottery and bingo are also on the alliance list of potential problem areas.
The Alliance on Responsible Gaming will be headed by McAlpin and include representatives from V.I. Partners in Recovery and officials from the Department of Health’s mental health unit. The alliance is in the process of drafting bylaws and articles of incorporation. Once that's done, McAlpin said, the group’s first priority is to draft a questionnaire that will be sent to community groups and service organizations throughout St. Croix.
Feedback will be used to develop an outreach plan to help individuals and families with gambling problems, McAlpin said.
But even though the alliance will assist people with any kind of gambling problem, casino gaming will be a main focus because of the number of local players frequenting the Divi Carina Bay Casino. In the casino’s first month of operation, owners reported, 80 to 85 percent of the approximately 41,000 people who had played at the casino were locals. Some $12 million was dropped into slot machines alone in that time, with winnings of $11.4 million.
Despite those numbers, McAlpin said, he’s aware of only "one or two" calls seeking help with gambling problems.
"Things are going rather smoothly, but we still want to stress responsible gaming," he said. "We want to be in a position to address these things when they happen."
For information on problem gambling, call V.I. Partners in Recovery at 719-9800 or the Division of Mental Health at 773-1311 ext. 3007.
The commission established the seven-member alliance in conjunction with the opening of the territory’s first casino in March. However, members won’t be focusing only on people having problems with legal gambling.
"We’re not targeting the Divi Casino per se," said commission member Lloyd McAlpin, adding that horse racing, cockfighting, the lottery and bingo are also on the alliance list of potential problem areas.
The Alliance on Responsible Gaming will be headed by McAlpin and include representatives from V.I. Partners in Recovery and officials from the Department of Health’s mental health unit. The alliance is in the process of drafting bylaws and articles of incorporation. Once that's done, McAlpin said, the group’s first priority is to draft a questionnaire that will be sent to community groups and service organizations throughout St. Croix.
Feedback will be used to develop an outreach plan to help individuals and families with gambling problems, McAlpin said.
But even though the alliance will assist people with any kind of gambling problem, casino gaming will be a main focus because of the number of local players frequenting the Divi Carina Bay Casino. In the casino’s first month of operation, owners reported, 80 to 85 percent of the approximately 41,000 people who had played at the casino were locals. Some $12 million was dropped into slot machines alone in that time, with winnings of $11.4 million.
Despite those numbers, McAlpin said, he’s aware of only "one or two" calls seeking help with gambling problems.
"Things are going rather smoothly, but we still want to stress responsible gaming," he said. "We want to be in a position to address these things when they happen."
For information on problem gambling, call V.I. Partners in Recovery at 719-9800 or the Division of Mental Health at 773-1311 ext. 3007.
POLICE SAY KENNEDY SHOOTING CASE 'PROGRESSING'
Last of a three-part series
From the day 19-year-old Geoffrey Brian Kennedy was shot in the back and left paralyzed from the waist down, he, his parents and the friend who is their most vocal advocate have had nothing but good things to say about the professional medical and law-enforcement help they've gotten.
But in the five weeks since the April 25 broad-daylight shooting in downtown Charlotte Amalie, their anxiety has grown about what is being done to investigate the crime. And their efforts to retrieve Geoff Kennedy's wallet, passport and backpack from the V.I. Police Department have been frustrated so far.
Police have not communicated with Geoff Kennedy since an officer took information from him in the Roy L. Schneider Hospital emergency room that same day.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Reynold Fraser of the V.I. Police Department's Investigation Bureau on St. Thomas told the Source that the case is "progressing satisfactorily" and that he anticipates arresting a suspect in the "reasonable near future."
In a press release from the Police Department on the day of the shooting, Police Chief Jose Garcia stated that a spent casing from a .38-caliber handgun was found at the scene, as was a brown bicycle that the assailant apparently used before fleeing on foot.
Sgt. Anthony Hunt was at the shooting scene. He said he "was there in my capacity as sergeant of the Forensics Unit." He declined further comment, saying only that "the investigative chief is the one that you would really have to talk to."
That person is Fraser.
"We are actively working the case, and it's progressing satisfactorily," Fraser said Tuesday. "We have the bicycle in our possession." He said police have identified the owner of the bike. He would not confirm that police have custody of the .38 bullet casing, however, and would say only, "It seems the forensic unit was at the scene."
Asked if police anticipated taking the bicycle owner into custody, Fraser said, "I think it's best not to comment any further on the case." He said he anticipates that a suspect will be apprehended "within a reasonable near future." He declined to specify an estimated time frame, repeating, "a reasonable near future."
Fraser said he spoke to Terry Kennedy by telephone "last week," while the elder Kennedy puts the date at two and a half weeks ago. As to how soon he anticipates being able to arrange for Geoff Kennedy to view a photo line-up, Fraser would say only, "At this point, I'm not going to comment any more. Things are at a too-sensitive stage."
Fraser said he and Hunt "are the supervisors of the units" involved in investigating the shooting. He also said that the man charged in the fatal shooting on Main Street last week of 18-year-old Jason Carroll is not a suspect in the Kennedy case.
The Kennedys have praised the work of the police and emergency medical personnel at the scene of the shooting, in the Schneider Hospital emergency room, in the Puerto Rico hospital where Geoff Kennedy spent 24 days, and at the San Juan rehabilitation center where he is now receiving intensive therapy.
His mother, Pam Kennedy, spoke once by telephone with Hunt as the officer who went to the scene of the crime. She was gratified to learn that he had received emergency medical training and grateful that he warned those gathered at the site "not to touch Geoff," so the bullet, between two vertebrae and close to the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, would not dislodge.
His father, Terry Kennedy, says he received the message about two and a half weeks ago that Fraser had telephoned him at the Puerto Rico hotel where he has been staying to be with his son. He returned the call, spoke with Fraser, and said the officer asked when someone from the Police Department could show his son some photographs to see if he could identify his assailant. According to Terry Kennedy, that was the only communication he has had with police.
Mary Castle Bartolucci, the mother of Geoff Kennedy's closest friend, Antilles School graduating senior Lesley Castle, has tried for weeks to retrieve Geoff's personal possessions that were taken by the police at the scene of the shooting.
According to Bartolucci, who lives on St. John, the latest word is that his parents, who are the managing partners of a small hotel on Tortola, must provide a notarized letter authorizing the police to release the items — his wallet containing about $200, his U.S. passport and his backpack — to her.
From the day 19-year-old Geoffrey Brian Kennedy was shot in the back and left paralyzed from the waist down, he, his parents and the friend who is their most vocal advocate have had nothing but good things to say about the professional medical and law-enforcement help they've gotten.
But in the five weeks since the April 25 broad-daylight shooting in downtown Charlotte Amalie, their anxiety has grown about what is being done to investigate the crime. And their efforts to retrieve Geoff Kennedy's wallet, passport and backpack from the V.I. Police Department have been frustrated so far.
Police have not communicated with Geoff Kennedy since an officer took information from him in the Roy L. Schneider Hospital emergency room that same day.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Reynold Fraser of the V.I. Police Department's Investigation Bureau on St. Thomas told the Source that the case is "progressing satisfactorily" and that he anticipates arresting a suspect in the "reasonable near future."
In a press release from the Police Department on the day of the shooting, Police Chief Jose Garcia stated that a spent casing from a .38-caliber handgun was found at the scene, as was a brown bicycle that the assailant apparently used before fleeing on foot.
Sgt. Anthony Hunt was at the shooting scene. He said he "was there in my capacity as sergeant of the Forensics Unit." He declined further comment, saying only that "the investigative chief is the one that you would really have to talk to."
That person is Fraser.
"We are actively working the case, and it's progressing satisfactorily," Fraser said Tuesday. "We have the bicycle in our possession." He said police have identified the owner of the bike. He would not confirm that police have custody of the .38 bullet casing, however, and would say only, "It seems the forensic unit was at the scene."
Asked if police anticipated taking the bicycle owner into custody, Fraser said, "I think it's best not to comment any further on the case." He said he anticipates that a suspect will be apprehended "within a reasonable near future." He declined to specify an estimated time frame, repeating, "a reasonable near future."
Fraser said he spoke to Terry Kennedy by telephone "last week," while the elder Kennedy puts the date at two and a half weeks ago. As to how soon he anticipates being able to arrange for Geoff Kennedy to view a photo line-up, Fraser would say only, "At this point, I'm not going to comment any more. Things are at a too-sensitive stage."
Fraser said he and Hunt "are the supervisors of the units" involved in investigating the shooting. He also said that the man charged in the fatal shooting on Main Street last week of 18-year-old Jason Carroll is not a suspect in the Kennedy case.
The Kennedys have praised the work of the police and emergency medical personnel at the scene of the shooting, in the Schneider Hospital emergency room, in the Puerto Rico hospital where Geoff Kennedy spent 24 days, and at the San Juan rehabilitation center where he is now receiving intensive therapy.
His mother, Pam Kennedy, spoke once by telephone with Hunt as the officer who went to the scene of the crime. She was gratified to learn that he had received emergency medical training and grateful that he warned those gathered at the site "not to touch Geoff," so the bullet, between two vertebrae and close to the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, would not dislodge.
His father, Terry Kennedy, says he received the message about two and a half weeks ago that Fraser had telephoned him at the Puerto Rico hotel where he has been staying to be with his son. He returned the call, spoke with Fraser, and said the officer asked when someone from the Police Department could show his son some photographs to see if he could identify his assailant. According to Terry Kennedy, that was the only communication he has had with police.
Mary Castle Bartolucci, the mother of Geoff Kennedy's closest friend, Antilles School graduating senior Lesley Castle, has tried for weeks to retrieve Geoff's personal possessions that were taken by the police at the scene of the shooting.
According to Bartolucci, who lives on St. John, the latest word is that his parents, who are the managing partners of a small hotel on Tortola, must provide a notarized letter authorizing the police to release the items — his wallet containing about $200, his U.S. passport and his backpack — to her.
