Government House is investigating how three people still on the government payroll were issued lump-sum payments in December for unpaid annual and other leave.
Juel Molloy, chief of staff for Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, said checks should not have been issued to Deandre J. Atwell, Leslie Millin Jr. and Maria C. Benjamin because they have not resigned from government service.
Former Gov. Roy L. Schneider approved checks Dec. 30 for himself and 36 people in his administration — including Atwell, Millin and Benjamin — totaling $383,000 for unpaid leave, but Molloy said some of that leave went beyond the Dec. 30 approval date for the checks.
She said Atwell, a Public Works deputy commissioner, returned her $14,175 leave check, saying she hadn't requested it.
Millin, the Public Works Department's controller, got a check for $2,648 and Benjamin, a Government House housekeeper, got one for $1,201.
Molloy was among those sharply critical of those who took the lump-sum payments when the government is in such dire financial shape that the hospital can't buy oxygen and the police can't afford gasoline for their squad cars.
"It's a matter of misplaced priorities," she said. "Lump sum certainly should not take precedence over milk for school children, gas for police vehicles and medicine for hospitals."
UNIONS WANT MEETING BEFORE LAYOFFS BEGIN
A union official is asking the governor to form a special committee and hold meetings before any layoffs of government workers begin.
Amos Peters, vice president of the United Industrial Workers Union, wrote Gov. Charles W. Turnbull on Wednesday to seek a joint committee of labor leaders and Cabinet members to review layoffs and “deal with the issue of nonessential government workers,” according to Thursday's Independent.
Peters' letter was in response to Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's directive last week to department heads to identify nonessential workers.
Peters said the government has an obligation to meet with union officials because the government owes unionized employees an estimated $170 million in retroactive wages and pay increases.
Turnbull in his State of the Territory address promised to reduce the government payroll by 25 percent over the next five years.
The unions, whose leaders campaigned against former Gov. Roy L. Schneider due to the
huge amount of money owed to workers, have been quiet since the election, waiting to see what the new administration will propose.
Glen Smith, president of the St. Thomas-St. John American Federation of Teachers, said
the AFT is giving Turnbull 100 days to see how he will handle the back wages.
Amos Peters, vice president of the United Industrial Workers Union, wrote Gov. Charles W. Turnbull on Wednesday to seek a joint committee of labor leaders and Cabinet members to review layoffs and “deal with the issue of nonessential government workers,” according to Thursday's Independent.
Peters' letter was in response to Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's directive last week to department heads to identify nonessential workers.
Peters said the government has an obligation to meet with union officials because the government owes unionized employees an estimated $170 million in retroactive wages and pay increases.
Turnbull in his State of the Territory address promised to reduce the government payroll by 25 percent over the next five years.
The unions, whose leaders campaigned against former Gov. Roy L. Schneider due to the
huge amount of money owed to workers, have been quiet since the election, waiting to see what the new administration will propose.
Glen Smith, president of the St. Thomas-St. John American Federation of Teachers, said
the AFT is giving Turnbull 100 days to see how he will handle the back wages.
POVERTY'S IMPACT ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN
According to the 1990 U. S. Census, about one-fourth of all families in the U. S. Virgin Islands live in poverty. Moreover, 83 percent of those families had children younger than 18.
I should note that the number of children living in poverty in the U. S. Virgin Islands is about 12 percent higher than the average in the United States. The great majority of these households were headed by females.
A casual review of many of these homes reflects that contributing factors to their poverty are:
— The mother had her first child before completing her education.
— The children have different fathers.
— The fathers of the children also have fathered children with other females and, therefore, provide limited financial and/or emotional contributions to their children.
Many undereducated and/or untrained mothers work, but do so in low-paying occupations, generally without much hope of upward mobility.
These jobs commonly come without the benefits that are necessary to their well-being: health care and pensions. To avoid this, we must collectively strive to get out the message to our teens that they must wait to have children until they have completed their education.
Many of these women could still have risen out of poverty if they had limited themselves to one or two children. However, many instead had four to six, and by doing so oftentimes doomed themselves and their children to a life of poverty and limited options for success.
It is essential that we in the Virgin Islands understand the relationship between lack of family planning and poverty.
We must find non-threatening, user-friendly ways to get our people to believe in the need for family planning. Continuing to fail to do so can only result in an increase in taxpayer-supported programs and a declining tax base.
If this persists, where will the money be found to ensure that each and every child receives all the support needed, both financial and emotional, to develop into healthy adults?
Editor's note: Catherine L. Mills has a master's degree in social work and is a former Human Services commissioner.
I should note that the number of children living in poverty in the U. S. Virgin Islands is about 12 percent higher than the average in the United States. The great majority of these households were headed by females.
A casual review of many of these homes reflects that contributing factors to their poverty are:
— The mother had her first child before completing her education.
— The children have different fathers.
— The fathers of the children also have fathered children with other females and, therefore, provide limited financial and/or emotional contributions to their children.
Many undereducated and/or untrained mothers work, but do so in low-paying occupations, generally without much hope of upward mobility.
These jobs commonly come without the benefits that are necessary to their well-being: health care and pensions. To avoid this, we must collectively strive to get out the message to our teens that they must wait to have children until they have completed their education.
Many of these women could still have risen out of poverty if they had limited themselves to one or two children. However, many instead had four to six, and by doing so oftentimes doomed themselves and their children to a life of poverty and limited options for success.
It is essential that we in the Virgin Islands understand the relationship between lack of family planning and poverty.
We must find non-threatening, user-friendly ways to get our people to believe in the need for family planning. Continuing to fail to do so can only result in an increase in taxpayer-supported programs and a declining tax base.
If this persists, where will the money be found to ensure that each and every child receives all the support needed, both financial and emotional, to develop into healthy adults?
Editor's note: Catherine L. Mills has a master's degree in social work and is a former Human Services commissioner.
TURNBULL APPOINTS KRIGGER, MOLLOY
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has announced his appointments of Rudolph E. Krigger Sr. as assistant to the governor on fiscal policy and economic affairs and Juel Molloy as interim chief of staff.
Molloy has been in government service since the late 1960s when she was a legislative staff assistant. She was one of the first officials to resign from Gov. Roy L. Schneider's administration. Her most recent position was chief of staff for Senate President Lorraine Berry during the 22nd Legislature.
Krigger was campaign manager for the Turnbull-James campaign and chief of staff to the transition team.
He has worked for several government offices over the last 20 years, including a stint at Management and Budget from 1987 to 1991. He left to become commissioner of Finance under the Farrelly administration.
Neither release on the new appointments indicated how much Krigger and Molloy are being paid or whether they are on payroll or on contract.
Wednesday's announcements were the first about Turnbull's Government House staff.
However, at least three other special assistants to the governor are now on the job: James O’Bryan, Whitman Browne and Roy Frett.
Browne is special assistant with oversight on education, labor, and cultural and civic affairs.
O’Bryan, state chairman for the Democratic Party and special assistant to the governor, declined Wednesday to specify the various purviews of Turnbull's other assistants, including his own, saying releases would soon be forthcoming from Government House.
Molloy has been in government service since the late 1960s when she was a legislative staff assistant. She was one of the first officials to resign from Gov. Roy L. Schneider's administration. Her most recent position was chief of staff for Senate President Lorraine Berry during the 22nd Legislature.
Krigger was campaign manager for the Turnbull-James campaign and chief of staff to the transition team.
He has worked for several government offices over the last 20 years, including a stint at Management and Budget from 1987 to 1991. He left to become commissioner of Finance under the Farrelly administration.
Neither release on the new appointments indicated how much Krigger and Molloy are being paid or whether they are on payroll or on contract.
Wednesday's announcements were the first about Turnbull's Government House staff.
However, at least three other special assistants to the governor are now on the job: James O’Bryan, Whitman Browne and Roy Frett.
Browne is special assistant with oversight on education, labor, and cultural and civic affairs.
O’Bryan, state chairman for the Democratic Party and special assistant to the governor, declined Wednesday to specify the various purviews of Turnbull's other assistants, including his own, saying releases would soon be forthcoming from Government House.
GOV. TURNBULL PROCLAIMS MID-WIVES WEEK
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has deemed the week of Feb. 7 to 13 as "Mid-Wives"week in the Virgin Islands. The proclamation coincides with the 13th anniversary of the Virgin Islands Mid-Wives Association.
Turnbull issued the proclamation "in honor of our dedicated mid-wives and to show our appreciation to these persons for their dedication, contribution and positive impact on the lives of those for whom they care."
Turnbull issued the proclamation "in honor of our dedicated mid-wives and to show our appreciation to these persons for their dedication, contribution and positive impact on the lives of those for whom they care."
COLOMBIA COPS ARREST V.I. MAN ON DRUG CHARGE
James Spencer Springette, 38, of St. Thomas, has been arrested by agents of the Colombian security agency, DAS, in Medellin, Colombia, on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
Springette was picked up on a U.S. government request, according to an Associated Press report.
DAS described Springette as an expert in mapping Caribbean routes used by cocaine traffickers.
He was living in a three-floor penthouse apartment with gold bathroom fixtures, costly oil paintings and a steel-reinforced front door, according to the AP report.
His passport showed 24 trips in and out of Colombia in the last four years, most of them to and from the United States via Panama, according to police.
He was captured carrying a Florida driver's license in the name of one of eight aliases he used, the AP story said.
A Drug Enforcement Agency official in St. Croix said Springette was the same person identified in an August 1997 court document as a "major trafficker in the illegal drug trade" and one of 12 people sought in a major drug investigation known as "RAIN," the Daily News reported Thursday.
Springette also organized a shipment of 1,260 kilograms (2,772 pounds) of cocaine through Tortola, the Daily News story said. That shipment ended in a shootout June 6, 1996, between police and several suspects.
Springette was picked up on a U.S. government request, according to an Associated Press report.
DAS described Springette as an expert in mapping Caribbean routes used by cocaine traffickers.
He was living in a three-floor penthouse apartment with gold bathroom fixtures, costly oil paintings and a steel-reinforced front door, according to the AP report.
His passport showed 24 trips in and out of Colombia in the last four years, most of them to and from the United States via Panama, according to police.
He was captured carrying a Florida driver's license in the name of one of eight aliases he used, the AP story said.
A Drug Enforcement Agency official in St. Croix said Springette was the same person identified in an August 1997 court document as a "major trafficker in the illegal drug trade" and one of 12 people sought in a major drug investigation known as "RAIN," the Daily News reported Thursday.
Springette also organized a shipment of 1,260 kilograms (2,772 pounds) of cocaine through Tortola, the Daily News story said. That shipment ended in a shootout June 6, 1996, between police and several suspects.
DAVIS MURDER SUSPECT HELD WITHOUT BAIL
Irvine Hodge Jr., charged with murdering jewelry store owner Larry Davis, will be held without bail because he is a danger to society, a judge has ruled.
Federal Magistrate-Judge Geoffrey Barnard acceded to the request of Audrey Thomas Francis, an assistant U.S. attorney, at a detention hearing Wednesday, the Independent reported.
Hodge, 21, is charged, along with Jason Hull, 23, and another man who was a minor at the time of the crime, with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and violation of the Hobbs Act. A fourth suspect is still being sought.
Hull confessed to the crime and identified Hodge as being in the store when he was shot, the Independent quotes Thomas-Francis as saying.
Hodge was convicted in September of a 1995 robbery at the same Emerald Lady jewelry store. He was out on bail awaiting trial in that crime at the time of Davis' murder.
Hodge still has not been sentenced in that case.
Federal Magistrate-Judge Geoffrey Barnard acceded to the request of Audrey Thomas Francis, an assistant U.S. attorney, at a detention hearing Wednesday, the Independent reported.
Hodge, 21, is charged, along with Jason Hull, 23, and another man who was a minor at the time of the crime, with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and violation of the Hobbs Act. A fourth suspect is still being sought.
Hull confessed to the crime and identified Hodge as being in the store when he was shot, the Independent quotes Thomas-Francis as saying.
Hodge was convicted in September of a 1995 robbery at the same Emerald Lady jewelry store. He was out on bail awaiting trial in that crime at the time of Davis' murder.
Hodge still has not been sentenced in that case.
UVI FACULTY CONCERNED ABOUT BREAK-INS
Two University of the Virgin Islands staffers living in the Faculty East campus housing were recently burglarized in broad daylight despite surveillance cameras and, in one case, bars because only one security officer is on duty during the day shift.
The concerned victims say trimmed bushes, re-positioned surveillance cameras and more day-time security would help.
UVI officials say they have tried to increase the officer presence in the area and are working to further secure it.
But residents aren't satisfied. And while they're pushing UVI officials to provide more security, they also have created an informal "buddy system" to watch over one another's homes.
After UVI microcomputer specialist Erik Pattison's home — with bars and a private alarm system — was broken into late last year for the second time in six months, he decided the situation wasn't shaping up, so he shipped out.
Two weeks after the second break-in, he was gone.
Dr. Vincent Cooper, professor of English, was the next victim.
Cooper's losses, which included jewelry, watches, a VCR, three CD players and a new lap-top computer, totaled several thousands of dollars. But more importantly, he feels robbed of his security and peace of mind.
"After a burglary nobody can feel safe," he said. "We are expecting them to come back at any time."
Rudolph Blaize, UVI's security chief, said some action has been taken to alleviate the problem.
"We have security stay at Faculty East longer so they are more visible," he said.
But while four or five of 16 security officers share the early morning and late night shifts, there still is only one officer on duty from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — the hours of concern for residents.
Blaize said he is also awaiting an estimate of how much it would cost to re-position surveillance cameras to face the homes' front doors and the walkway instead of the parking lot, as Cooper and others have suggested.
Cooper also wants shrubs cut back — something else that hasn't been done yet.
Meanwhile, Cooper and others have formed a crime-watch buddy system "to watch over each other. We are more vigilant now than before."
The concerned victims say trimmed bushes, re-positioned surveillance cameras and more day-time security would help.
UVI officials say they have tried to increase the officer presence in the area and are working to further secure it.
But residents aren't satisfied. And while they're pushing UVI officials to provide more security, they also have created an informal "buddy system" to watch over one another's homes.
After UVI microcomputer specialist Erik Pattison's home — with bars and a private alarm system — was broken into late last year for the second time in six months, he decided the situation wasn't shaping up, so he shipped out.
Two weeks after the second break-in, he was gone.
Dr. Vincent Cooper, professor of English, was the next victim.
Cooper's losses, which included jewelry, watches, a VCR, three CD players and a new lap-top computer, totaled several thousands of dollars. But more importantly, he feels robbed of his security and peace of mind.
"After a burglary nobody can feel safe," he said. "We are expecting them to come back at any time."
Rudolph Blaize, UVI's security chief, said some action has been taken to alleviate the problem.
"We have security stay at Faculty East longer so they are more visible," he said.
But while four or five of 16 security officers share the early morning and late night shifts, there still is only one officer on duty from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — the hours of concern for residents.
Blaize said he is also awaiting an estimate of how much it would cost to re-position surveillance cameras to face the homes' front doors and the walkway instead of the parking lot, as Cooper and others have suggested.
Cooper also wants shrubs cut back — something else that hasn't been done yet.
Meanwhile, Cooper and others have formed a crime-watch buddy system "to watch over each other. We are more vigilant now than before."
CANCRYN TO DISTRIBUTE REPORT CARDS
Addelita Cancryn Junior High School will distribute report cards and hold an open house from 8 a.m to 10:45 and 11:45 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday,Feb.10.
CHILD AND ADULT CARE WORKSHOPS
A Child and Adult Care Workshop will be held for all participating and interested sponsors on Thurs.Feb.11, at the Curriculum Center in Estate Tutu from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For furtherinformation contact the state office at 774-9373.
For furtherinformation contact the state office at 774-9373.
