The University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees will meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6 at the MacLean Marine Science Center on the St. Thomas Campus.
This meeting is the rescheduled date for the October 23 meeting which was postponed due to Hurricane Jose.
The meeting will convene with regular session agenda items beginning with the president's report. Among the areas highlighted in President Orville Kean's report to the board will be implementation of UVI's administrative reorganization, refinancing of the 1994 bonds and the Science and Math Department's 3.5 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.
Other committee reports on the agenda include the Development Committee: nominees to the Board of the Foundation for UVI and the capital campaign; Finance and Budget Committee: reports on allotments from the V.I. government and fiscal year 2000 budget reduction plans; Planning Committee: summary report on the 1995-99 Strategic Plan, report on aspects of the new administrative structure; Buildings and Grounds Committee: status of capital improvement projects on both campuses.
At the completion of the committee reports, the board will move into executive session. Dr. Auguste Rimpel, senior partner in Price Waterhouse, is chairman of the board of trustees. The board last met on Aug. 5, 1999 on the St. Thomas campus.

Elvin Yabba Nibet of St John ran away with first place in the Northside Five Mile run sponsored by St Thomas Association of Roadrunners.
Eighteen runners came out to participate in the hilly two mile and five mile event on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The race courses began and ended at Sorgenfrei. The five mile runners ran past Four Corners turned around at Solberg.
The two mile winner was Mathew Daniels with a time of 15:53. Second place was Christina Driscoll with a time of 22:56.
Elvin Yabba Nibet’s winning time was 37:35. He was followed by Isaah Aronson in 39:49 and Patrick O’Donnel in 40:08. The women runners were led by Grace Tuma, soon to participate in NY City Marathon, with a time of 40:43. The second woman was Jude Woodcock, of St John, with a time of 45:16.
The next STAR event can be found on the Local Sports Calendar.

The yearend holidays are just around the corner, and that means the annual Arts Alive Arts and Crafts Festival is even closer.
It's set for the usual time, the after-Thanksgiving weekend (which this year is Friday through Sunday, Nov. 26-28), and the usual place, Tillett Gardens.
After 18 years of Arts Alive fairs and festivals, you might think it's hard to come up with something new for the 19th. Not so, founder Rhoda Tillett says, sharing these examples:
— Among the first-time exhibitors will be English wood-turning artist Matthew Calder, who will display his one-of-a-kind shaped and polished hardwood sculptures and demonstrate how they are produced.
— An assortment of original ceramic bowls will be exhibited until Sunday at 2 p.m., when they will go up for auction in the "Empty Bowl Project" organized by local potters Gail Schmiedt- Felix and Lynn Berry. They are inviting local clay artists to contribute works to be sold to the highest bidder, with the proceeds to benefit local agencies that provide food and shelter to those in need. Vitelco spokeswoman Katrina White-Comissiong will be the auctioneer. (Potters who haven't been contacted or who would like more information can call Berry at 776-0901 or Schmiedt-Felix at 774-7637.)
— Exhibitors will compete for a record five cash prizes: the John Lovatt Award for best in crafts ($100), the David O'Neill Award for best in fine arts ($100), the Ira Smith Award for best student exhibitor ($50) and the David O'Neill Award for best of show ($200).
Throughout the three days, and into the evening on Friday and Saturday, there will be live entertainment in Tillett Gardens, including traditional mocko jumbie dancing and quelbe music.
"The holiday festival traditionally kicks off the yearend shopping season," Tillett says. "Exhibition space is filling up, but some is still available on a first-come basis. I would especially like to see a few more fine art painters."
Any artist or artisan wanting an application form or further information about exhibiting should call 775-1929, fax to 775-9482 or send an e-mail to tillett@islands.vi. Any musician or other performing artist available for a one-hour gig on any of the three days should do the same.
For more on-line information about the fair, go to www.tillettgardens.com.

The Harmonic Lodge has rescheduled the Annual past Master's Dinner Dance for 7 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2000, at the Renaissance Grand Beach resort.
Tickets purchased for the hurricane postponed Oct. 23rd date will be honored.
For additional information contact Etienne Bertrand at 775-5491 or Jim Hague at 775-6633.

The first round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the qualifying series for the America's Cup Regatta, has been completed with each of the eleven contenders having a race against each of the opponents. Source sailing reporter W. Bostwick comments on the action and suggests matches to check in the next round.
Most of the experienced commentators predicted three teams would be on top, Prada, (Italy), Young America (New York Yacht Club), and AmericaOne (San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club). The factors of money, experience of crew, depth of team, and long hours of practice put these three at the head of the pack.
Fifty races later no one has lost any money betting on the sure things.
This does not mean all the races are boring, however. There have been exciting leads changes, dramatic gear failure, and very close action between these nimble and powerful 75 foot boats.
One match between the Aloha Challenge and AmericaTrue featured a 35 tack duel on a single upwind leg. Most of the very close action is during the pre-start maneuvers which have included two collisions. But a down wind leg between Prada and AmericaOne had the boats overlapped with the distance between them varying from ten to twenty feet for a period of almost 15 minutes, while both boats were trying to go at their maximum speed!
The long months of practice put in by the Italians have paid off. Reliable crew work, good boat speed and a great match racing skipper in Francesco de Angelis have combined to give Team Prada an unblemished 10 and 0 record.
Paul Cayard, captain of AmericaOne, must be pleased with the first round results (8-2) dealt out to his team. Their loss to Prada by 17 seconds came at the end of a close fought affair with spinnaker gear failure on both boats causing the major passing opportunities.
The only other loss came as a result of inability to keep the main sail attached to the mast in a high wind day during their match against Young America. AmericaOne tried to sail the course hoping for a breakdown on the part of Young America, but gave up and retired to go start tweaking for the next round robin.
Young America and skipper Ed Baird also had a great first round to finish equal to AmericaOne at 8 wins and 2 losses. Young America also had a great battle with Prada, again with spinnaker gear problems letting a close "Luna Rossa" into the lead past Young America. The New York Yacht Club based boat finished only 10 seconds behind the Italians. The other loss was a gear failure on the strong wind day, making it impossible to sail the course against Stars and Stripes.
Really though, these are just the warm up races. Each race in the first round robin is worth one point, wins in the second are worth four points and wins in the third are worth nine points. So winning three races in the next set of races is worth more than winning all ten of the first races.
Remember also that six boats will be going to the semi-finals. This means it is more important not to be number seven, than to be number one.
As reported by Peter Holmberg, all teams, especially the one boat teams, are now going ‘back to the shed' for modifications. The modifications will vary from mild to wild. The more successful teams will most likely do minor changes to suit any expected difference in the forecast weather during the next round. The guys on the bottom of the heap, like the Swiss with their radical double keel configuration, will be trying anything to improve.
Even as the last racers and umpires were going home from the last race, their way was blocked by a large welding truck entering the French compound. Word is they plan major changes to their hull (chain saw type major) and are going for a new keel.
The second round will define who is "on the qualifying bubble" as they say at the Indianapolis 500. The fourth through eighth teams, AmericaTrue, Japan, Spain, Stars and Stripes, and the Aloha Challenge from Hawaii are all very even.
Watch for matches between these players and also what kind of surprises France, Young Australia, and the Swiss can pull out of the shed on November 6.

Round Robin One is finally over. We have raced each of the other ten teams once, with each race worth one point. We will do another Round Robin starting November 6 (with each win worth four points) and then Round Robin 3 starting December 2 (each win worth nine points). The intent of this increasing point value is to allow teams to improve their boat and crew so as to help select the best Challenger to race against Team New Zealand, current holders of the America's Cup.
The best funded teams each built the maximum number of new boats allowed by the rules (2) and as expected came out strongest in the early rounds. Each of the one-boat teams used the low point Round One to learn their boat, test against the more advanced teams, and are now making big upgrades. That's the theory at least!
Italy (Team Prada, skipper Francesco DeAngelis) leads with 10 wins and no defeats. San Francisco (AmericaOne, Paul Cayard) is second with 8 wins and 2 two defeats. New York (Young America, Ed Baird) is third at 8 and 2. Fourth is the second San Francisco team (AmericaTrue, John Cutler) at 6-4, fifth is Japan (Nippon, Peter Gilmour) at 6-4, sixth is Spain (Desafio Espanol, Pedro Campos) at 5-5, seventh is Stars & Stripes (Dennis Conner) at 5-5, eighth is Hawaii (Abracadabra, John Kolius) at 4-6, ninth is France (Le Defi, Bertrand Pace) at 2-8, tenth is Australia (James Spithill) at 1-9, and eleventh is Switzerland (FAST 2000, Jochan Schuman) at 0-10. The only footnote to this is that Japan and Stars & Stripes each had a ½ point deducted for crashing into another boat!
We on Stars and Stripes had a tough series. We are all very good sailors and it is not easy to keep your composure when getting beat by teams with faster boats. But we have done a good job keeping the crew's moral up, assuring them that we have more to learn and improve than the others, so better times are ahead.
The highlight of this series was the rough conditions and strong winds that caused a lot of gear failures and teams unable to finish their races. We are quite happy that our boat has proven strong and well built, as we were able to complete all of our races in the 20-30 knot winds and big seas.
So how is it onboard for this St. Thomian from the easy-going Caribbean? Kenny Read is our helmsman and I am the tactician, with the job of creating the tactical plan against the opponent and for the changing wind direction. I am the lucky one who holds the position which is traditionally blamed for losing races, but never credited for winning, as that honor gets taken by the helmsman. This is of course why I have always tried to be the helmsman in my racing career! But it is a good challenge that is teaching me to grow thick skin and I am learning a tremendous amount from all those around me.
As for the skinny on what's really happening, I am very happy to see that no one is blazing fast and out of reach, and that the Italians and New York with all of their testing and training are only a little faster than our team. The French are making major changes to their hull (with a chain saw) and keel (new one). I think we have a good boat with the ability to win if given the right upgrades. We have some nice improvements planned for our mast and sail program, which should give us some good leaps forward. We also have a long way to go before we are sailing the boat to it's full potential. We now have one week to catch our breath, make some of these changes, and get prepared for the start of the next Round.

The government of the Virgin Islands' precarious financial position is now well known and is exacerbated by debt in operating expenses which continues to rise unabated.
Naturally, the remedy for relief cannot be a simplistic one. The Virgin Islands is fortunate to possess a native product which has done extremely well in yielding solid dollars for the Treasury of the Virgin Islands.
I refer directly to the rum industry of the Virgin Islands. When everything else has had its ups and downs in the Virgin Islands economy, including tourism, rum has been a steady revenue earner.
One of the most impressive legislative acts passed by the Congress of the United States was the amendment to the Organic Act which facilitated the federal taxes on rum shipped from the Virgin Islands to the United States to be covered into the Treasury of the Government of the Virgin Islands. That was then and even now referred to as Internal Matching Funds.
These funds originally were used for capital improvements, (construction of schools, hospitals, roads, etc.). Later on, a portion of the funds was used for operating expenses and the balance used to retire general obligation bonds.
Today, the Internal Revenue Matching Funds are used almost exclusively for operating expenses and just enough set aside for retirement of general obligation bonds.
Up to 1993-94, the rum revenue did not exceed $29 million, but with the recruitment of Todhunter Industries from Palm Beach, Florida, and the movement of its principal operations to St. Croix, rum tax revenue sky rocketed to $50 million annually.
There is still more room for the growth of rum taxes. For every million gallons of rum shipped to the U. S. using the lowest tax yield of $10.30, the territory will yield $10.3 million.
Considering the dire straits of the finances, the government should do all in its power to grow this industry by promoting rum in cooperation with Virgin Islands Rum Industries, (Cruzan Rum) by using all means and pulling out all stops.
For years, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency on the matter of the effluent, which is pumped to the south shore, has scrutinized the rum industry on St. Croix. To this date there has been no scientific evidence that the effluent in question has caused any harm to marine life in that area. Yet the EPA continues to hold the Damocles sword over the rum industry of the Virgin Islands.
The government of the Virgin Islands including all departments and agencies, the people of the territory — regardless of the island of residence — should rally around Cruzan Rum to support and ensure its survival. There should be no hesitation to support this vital industry.
As a matter of fact, the Virgin Islands should enact legislation to designate the rum industry of the Virgin Islands as a protected industry. It should be given perpetual tax exemption with a proviso to always support its promotion.
Historically, the Virgin Islands rum industry has relied almost exclusively on the shipping of bulk rum and that has served the territory very well. But in view of NAFTA and the market implications in the continental states, another strategy must be devised and employed. The Virgin Islands should have no fear in competing with other well known and promoted brands of rum.
The rum industry of the Virgin Islands can be expanded to produce more revenue if the Cruzan brand is promoted nationwide. Every gallon of Cruzan Rum whether it is shipped in tanks or glass bottles, yields not less than $10.30 per proof gallon.
It would seem that a government strapped for cash would explore every means to produce enhanced revenue. Bulk sales have done very well and will continue to do well in producing revenue, but the addition of the bottle trade could produce even more.
Another reason to commence promoting the Cruzan brand is the inevitable effects to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which became effective in 1991. The NAFTA Agreement commenced the phasing out of the tariff on Mexican rum over a 10
year period. And in 2001, there will be virtually no barriers to the price advantage of Cruzan bulk rum over Mexican rum. In other words, Mexican rum will roll across the border without any restrictions while Virgin Islands rum must ride the seas and overland when it reaches the mainland.
It behooves the Executive Branch, the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, the Chambers of Commerce and any other civic organization with public influence to rally behind the rum industry of the Virgin Islands and not take it for granted. There are major threats to this vital industry and everyone must help to secure it for generations to come. It will require astuteness and vigilance by all everyone.
The Virgin Islands is fortunate that the Nelthropp family has nurtured Cruzan Rum for generations and have never compromised the quality of the rum for anyone or for any cause, and through the ingenuity of Donald "Hardy" Nelthropp, the product has maintained its high quality.
The best selling point of CRUZAN RUM is the undisputed fact that it is THE BEST RUM IN THE WORLD, and that has been proven time and again.
Eric E. Dawson
Burke, Virginia

Alric Thomas, 27, of Towers Condo Apartments was shot four times Monday night at Oswald Harris Court. He remains in serious but stable condition at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
Police were called at 9:55 p.m. by someone in the area to report the shooting. By the time police reached the scene, the victim had already been taken to the hospital, according to a release from Police Chief Jose Garcia.
Thomas was shot twice in the chest and twice in the back. Garcia's release had no other information.
Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call the Investigation Bureau at 774-4050 or 911.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation Monday containing V.I. rum tax provisions.
The Tax Relief Extension Act of 1999 (S. 1792), which contains the territory's rum tax provisions, is one step closer to passage and now goes to the Conference Committee for a vote, said Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen.
Final passage of the bill would lift the cap on rum excise taxes for 18 months retroactive to July 1999. Christensen said she is optimistic about the bill passing because of its recent approval in the Senate Finance Committee and strong support from the White House.
"This is very good news for us," Christensen said. "While the bill's current language would only temporarily lift the cap on rum taxes returned to the territory, it is indeed a victory and an excellent start to having the cap permanently lifted."
The Tax Relief Extension Act of 1999 provides for the extension of a number of tax provisions through Dec. 31, 2000.

The first round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the qualifying series for the America's Cup Regatta, has been completed with each of the eleven contenders having a race against each of the opponents.
Most of the experienced commentators predicted three teams would be on top, Prada, (Italy), Young America (New York Yacht Club), and AmericaOne (San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club). The factors of money, experience of crew, depth of team, and long hours of practice put these three at the head of the pack.
Fifty races later no one has lost any money betting on the sure things.
This does not mean all the races are boring, however. There have been exciting leads changes, dramatic gear failure, and very close action between these nimble and powerful 75 foot boats.
One match between the Aloha Challenge and AmericaTrue featured a 35 tack duel on a single upwind leg. Most of the very close action is during the pre-start maneuvers which have included two collisions. But a down wind leg between Prada and AmericaOne had the boats overlapped with the distance between them varying from ten to twenty feet for a period of almost 15 minutes, while both boats were trying to go at their maximum speed!
The long months of practice put in by the Italians have paid off. Reliable crew work, good boat speed and a great match racing skipper in Francesco de Angelis have combined to give Team Prada an unblemished 10 and 0 record.
Paul Cayard, captain of AmericaOne, must be pleased with the first round results (8-2) dealt out to his team. Their loss to Prada by 17 seconds came at the end of a close fought affair with spinnaker gear failure on both boats causing the major passing opportunities.
The only other loss came as a result of inability to keep the main sail attached to the mast in a high wind day during their match against Young America. AmericaOne tried to sail the course hoping for a breakdown on the part of Young America, but gave up and retired to go start tweaking for the next round robin.
Young America and skipper Ed Baird also had a great first round to finish equal to AmericaOne at 8 wins and 2 losses. Young America also had a great battle with Prada, again with spinnaker gear problems letting a close "Luna Rossa" into the lead past Young America. The New York Yacht Club based boat finished only 10 seconds behind the Italians. The other loss was a gear failure on the strong wind day, making it impossible to sail the course against Stars and Stripes.
Really though, these are just the warm up races. Each race in the first round robin is worth one point, wins in the second are worth four points and wins in the third are worth nine points. So winning three races in the next set of races is worth more than winning all ten of the first races.
Remember also that six boats will be going to the semi-finals. This means it is more important not to be number seven, than to be number one.
As reported by Peter Holmberg, all teams, especially the one boat teams, are now going ‘back to the shed' for modifications. The modifications will vary from mild to wild. The more successful teams will most likely do minor changes to suit any expected difference in the forecast weather during the next round. The guys on the bottom of the heap, like the Swiss with their radical double keel configuration, will be trying anything to improve.
Even as the last racers and umpires were going home from the last race, their way was blocked by a large welding truck entering the French compound. Word is they plan major changes to their hull (chain saw type major) and are going for a new keel.
The second round will define who is "on the qualifying bubble" as they say at the Indianapolis 500. The fourth through eighth teams, AmericaTrue, Japan, Spain, Stars and Stripes, and the Aloha Challenge from Hawaii are all very even.
Watch for matches between these players and also what kind of surprises France, Young Australia, and the Swiss can pull out of the shed on November 6.