There will be a general meeting of the Virgin Islands Carnival Committee at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, at the headquarters.
Make every effort to attend and on time.

There will be an important meeting for all bands interested in participating in the 2002 Carnival Band-O-Rama at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 17, at the Carnival Committee Office on lower Kronprindsens Gade.
For additional information contact Margaret Moore, Music Committee Chairperson at 714-2088.

There will be a general meeting of the Virgin islands Carnival Committee at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, at the headquarters.
Make every effort to attend.

The VIDAC will conduct a public forum on election reform from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Windward Passage Hotel.
Wanda Mills will act as moderator of this important forum that will have on the panel Supervisor of Elections John Abramson; State Chair of the Democratic Party Attorney Arturo Watlington, Jr; President of the Caribbean Democratic Alliance Club Mr. Woodrow C. Green; Assistant Attorney General Delia Smith; former Senator Arnold Golden; Attorney Maxwell McIntosh and political scientists Paul Leary and Malik Sekou.

Sept. 12, 2001 – As residents across the territory watched the World Trade Center and Pentagon carnage unfold on television Tuesday, bomb threats on St. Thomas and St. John added to the concerns of local safety and security forces.
An employee at a Scotia Bank office on St. Thomas received a call at 1:12 p.m. Tuesday saying there was a bomb in the building, according to Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty. Police evacuated the building but found no bomb, he said.
Calls to police and Scotia Bank to find out which branch received the call were not returned.
On St. John, students at Guy Benjamin School were evacuated after an employee received a bomb threat at 1:19 p.m. Again, police found no bomb.
Carty noted that making crank calls in a serious charge, particularly during a time of heightened security such as the current one. He asked residents to call 911 if they have any information on who may have placed the calls.

It is hard to communicate what I am feeling about the terrorist attacks and their aftermath because it still feels like a bad dream. The more details that come out about the "how" and "why" actually serve to further add to my disbelief.
I live blocks away from the White House and can walk to the Capitol. I chose this neighborhood to live close to my school and my job (off-hill advocacy). To think that some individuals see these locations as simply targets and have no regard for the people that live and work in and around these areas is inhuman.
The terrorists did not hit the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. They hit thousands of people, a few of whom I know intimately. They are my family, my friends from schools, and my colleagues. It is hard to believe someone you have never met can kill you so easily.
This morning [Wednesday], as we attempt to get on with our lives, our landscape is changed. On the path of my habitual 10-minute walk to work, there are Hummers, military police, firefighters and ambulances waiting to avert any possible future attack. They are there to protect us, but their presence serves as a reminder that it can happen again.
To the terrorists, we are no longer residents of these cities who live, work and enjoy our lives; we are strategic targets. How insane that someone can strip you of your humanity by virtue of your work address!
Today, I will again attempt to locate family and friends. To my knowledge, all communication has resumed in both D.C. and New York City. Yesterday, I tried to reach all my friends and family but had only marginal success. I made a particular effort to locate my friends in D.C.
Most of the people who live in the federal district are from all over the country and the world who came to work in the nation's capital. Few of them have family here, so close friends have to serve in that capacity. I have accounted for everyone I wanted to reach except for two individuals.
Although, it is the people of D.C. and N.Y.C. who felt the close impact of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, it is all of us who have been affected. For those of us who live in this great nation, a sense of security will be hard to restore, even after we rebuild.

Editor's note: Kris Benjamin, a Washington, D.C., resident, is the daughter of Cheryl Thomas and Elmo Benjamin, both born and raised in the Virgin Islands. She attended the Dober and Sts. Peter and Paul Schools and later took classes at the University of the Virgin Islands; she returns to the territory as often as she can.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Following are excerpts from statements issued Wednesday by V.I. public officials in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland Tuesday.
Sen. Lorraine Berry:
An act of war has been perpetrated against our country and every one of us should be concerned where this unprecedented aggression will lead our nation.
This is one of the saddest days in our history. Our hearts, our minds should be occupied with a special prayer that our leaders be endowed with divine wisdom as they determine how best to respond to this act of war.
This is the first time [in the history of] the United States — outside of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 — that an allegedly foreign nation has visited this type of aggression upon our soil.
We see how small this world is, making us really our brothers' keepers … This initial attack may be followed by many more. Whether we flood our churches or remain at home or at our workplace, these are times for prayer and for divine guidance.
Frank Savage, British Virgin Islands governor:
As neighbors with close family ties and kinship with the United States Virgin Islands, your grief is our grief and your sorrow is our sorrow. In the difficult days and weeks ahead, you can be assured of our prayers and support.
LaVerne E. Ragster, UVI senior vice president and provost, on behalf of UVI President Orville Kean:
The University of the Virgin Islands joins the nation and the world in mourning the many people who lost their lives or were injured in Tuesday's horrendous attacks. We extend our sympathy and our compassion to those who have lost friends and family members and to those who may not yet know the fate of their loved ones.
We as an institution are in agreement with President George W. Bush that the way to lessen the impact of such senseless violence is for us to continue with our normal activities. Toward that end, all classes on both campuses will continue as usual.
On the St. Thomas campus, we are asking that faculty, staff and students adhere to all parking restrictions imposed as a result of heightened security near the Cyril E. King Airport control tower.
In order to allow for an exchange of factual information and to promote the healing process that is necessary, assemblies will be held Thursday on both campuses. The St. Croix assembly will take place at noon in the cafetorium. The St. Thomas assembly will be at 1 p.m. in room B110 of the Business Administration Building.
Faculty members are asked to encourage students to attend the meetings and to invite them to take advantage of counseling services provided on both campuses. The university encourages its students, faculty and staff to view Tuesday's events with the level of seriousness and tolerance appropriate for a civilized society as we learn more in the days to come.

Sept. 12, 2001 – There was no count of the number of visitors stranded across the Virgin Islands Wednesday, but most of them won't have to pay the full hotel rate for the extra days they're forced to spend in the territory while they wait for airports to reopen.
Phyllis Blackman-Smith at the St. Thomas/St. John Hotel Association said most hotels cut prices for stranded guests by 30 to 50 percent.
It was not clear at noon Wednesday when the airports on St. Thomas and St. Croix, as well as those on the mainland, would reopen after being closed by the Federal Aviation Administration Tuesday in response to the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The Port Authority said in a release Wednesday that no one except employees with proper identification were being allowed to enter the airports until they reopen. It suggested that the traveling public "contact the airlines directly for updates as to travel arrangements."
Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas Hotel and Tourism Association, said that concern about any impact on tourism in the territory and globally pales in comparison that for the loss suffered by the victims and their families. He noted that in the Virgin Islands, the months of August, September and October traditionally see the fewest visitors, so any fall-off in the coming weeks will cause the territory relatively little harm economically.
Doumeng expressed the view that while many people may initially be reluctant to fly as a result of Tuesday's terrorism, in the longer term, they will view the attack as an isolated incident and return to their normal habits. These habits, he said, will include business travel and Caribbean vacations.
However, Doumeng added, Americans will have to get used to stringent security procedures already in place at what are considered vulnerable airports around the world. This means earlier check-ins and more thorough inspections, he said.
There were network television reports Wednesday that travelers should plan to get to airports at least two hours before their takeoff times, even for domestic travel, once flights resume.
"We've been so protected so long, we don't have a heightened sense of awareness like the rest of the world does," Doumeng said. He noted that security for El Al, the Israeli airline, is always high because the region experiences frequent terrorist attacks. "It's like the prime minister was on board every time," he said.
Eileen Irby, who manages vacation villas on St. John, said her business had already slowed down in recent weeks because of the stock market faltering, and potential guests were being conservative with their money. She suggested that even fewer visitors will be arriving in the territory "if this tips us into a recession."
Irby said she, too, doesn't believe people will stop flying. She noted that airplanes flying from the New York City area to the Virgin Islands or San Juan, where passengers connect with planes to the territory, carry as much fuel as those heading for Los Angeles. Published reports indicated that Tuesday's terrorists targeted flights bound from the East Coast to California because those planes carried heavy loads of fuel for cross-country travel.
West Indian Co. spokesman Calvin Wheatley said earlier that no cruise ships were scheduled to arrive for the rest of this week. The territory's seaports remained open Wednesday but under heightened security measures, the Port Authority said.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thursday's Senate Rules Committee hearing on St. Thomas is to convene as scheduled. A bill that was to have been considered has been removed from the agenda, but two nominations to the Public Services Commission will be heard.
Luis Sylvester, chief of staff to the committee chair, Sen. Carlton Dowe, said Wednesday that a bill from the Labor and Veterans Committee affecting the Unemployment Insurance Fund was removed from Thursday's agenda because that committee meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled. The bill had been scheduled for Rules consideration pending its approval by Labor and Veterans Affairs.
Still on the agenda for Rules are hearings on Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's nominations of Verne C. David and Jerris T. Browne to serve on the PSC.
Browne's nomination was first heard at an Aug. 30 hearing where three other PSC nominations were approved. Browne, Police deputy commissioner, was to have filled the position of Patrick Williams of St. Croix. Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole moved approval of the nomination but received no second as the committee sat silent. Earlier, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel had questioned Browne's knowledge of the PSC and expressed surprise that Browne was unaware of current legislation mandating rate investigations.
Sylvester said the nomination can be brought to the floor again and voted on.
At the Aug. 30 hearing, Rules approved Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, to chair the PSC, replacing Walter Challenger. It also approved Valencio Jackson, Finance Department assistant commissioner, to fill a board vacancy; and Desmond Maynard to serve another term on the commission. Maynard has been a PSC member since 1995.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thursday's Senate Rules Committee hearing on St. Thomas is to convene as scheduled. A bill that was to have been considered has been removed from the agenda, but two nominations to the Public Services Commission will be heard.
Luis Sylvester, chief of staff to the committee chair, Sen. Carlton Dowe, said Wednesday that a bill from the Labor and Veterans Committee affecting the Unemployment Insurance Fund was removed from Thursday's agenda because that committee meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled. The bill had been scheduled for Rules consideration pending its approval by Labor and Veterans Affairs.
Still on the agenda for Rules are hearings on Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's nominations of Verne C. David and Jerris T. Browne to serve on the PSC.
Browne's nomination was first heard at an Aug. 30 hearing where three other PSC nominations were approved. Browne, Police deputy commissioner, was to have filled the position of Patrick Williams of St. Croix. Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole moved approval of the nomination but received no second as the committee sat silent. Earlier, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel had questioned Browne's knowledge of the PSC and expressed surprise that Browne was unaware of current legislation mandating rate investigations.
Sylvester said the nomination can be brought to the floor again and voted on.
At the Aug. 30 hearing, Rules approved Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, to chair the PSC, replacing Walter Challenger. It also approved Valencio Jackson, Finance Department assistant commissioner, to fill a board vacancy; and Desmond Maynard to serve another term on the commission. Maynard has been a PSC member since 1995.