Sept. 12, 2001 – Thursday's Senate Rules Committee hearing is to convene on St. Thomas 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 – Sixteen years of a rich Rotary history will be the topic of an address by Richard Grant, Rotary International district governor for 2001-2002, at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas at noon Thursday at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
The event will be a get-together for all the Rotary Clubs of St. Thomas and St. John – Rotary II, Rotary Charlotte Amalie, Rotary Club East and Rotary Club of St. John.
Grant, a St. Croix resident, became a Rotarian in 1985 and became treasurer of Rotary II on St. Thomas two years later. After moving to St. Croix, he became treasurer of the Rotary Club of St. Croix Mid-Isle in 1989. Most recently, he served as assistant district governor from 1997 to 2000.
An active community leader, Grant was named "Motivator of the Year" in 1991 by the V.I. Business Journal. Honored by Rotary three times as a Paul Harris Fellow, he is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, psychologist and former Health Department assistant commissioner, who is also a Paul Harris fellow, and a member of Rotary's Bequest Society.
Grant's jurisdiction as district governor includes Rotary Clubs, in addition to those in the territory, in Anguilla, the Bahamas except for Grand Bahama, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, St. Barth's, St. Martin, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Sixteen years of a rich Rotary history will be discussed by Richard Grant, Rotary International District Governor for 2001-2002, Thursday at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas at noon at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Resort.
The event will be a get together for all the Rotary Clubs of St. Thomas and St. John – Rotary II, Rotary Charlotte Amalie, Rotary Club East, and the Rotary Club of St. John.
Grant, a St. Croix resident, joined Rotary in 1985 and became treasurer of Rotary II on St. Thomas in 1987. After a move to St. Croix, he became treasurer of the Rotary Club of St. Croix Mid-Isle in 1989. Most recently, Grant served as Assistant District Governor from 1997 to 2000.
An active community leader, Grant was named "Motivator of the Year," in the V. I. Business Journal 1991 awards.
Grant, a three-time Paul Harris Fellow, is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, psychologist and former V. I. Health department assistant commissioner, who is also a Paul Harris fellow, and a member of Rotary's Bequest Society.
Grant's new post is extensive. He will govern over Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, the Bahamas, except for Grant Bahama, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the U.S. V.I.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Sixteen years of a rich Rotary history will be discussed by Richard Grant, Rotary International District Governor for 2001-2002, Thursday at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas at noon at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Resort.
The event will be a get together for all the Rotary Clubs of St. Thomas and St. John – Rotary II, Rotary Charlotte Amalie, Rotary Club East, and the Rotary Club of St. John.
Grant, a St. Croix resident, joined Rotary in 1985 and became treasurer of Rotary II on St. Thomas in 1987. After a move to St. Croix, he became treasurer of the Rotary Club of St. Croix Mid-Isle in 1989. Most recently, Grant served as Assistant District Governor from 1997 to 2000.
An active community leader, Grant was named "Motivator of the Year," in the V. I. Business Journal 1991 awards.
Grant, a three-time Paul Harris Fellow, is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, psychologist and former V. I. Health department assistant commissioner, who is also a Paul Harris fellow, and a member of Rotary's Bequest Society.
Grant's new post is extensive. He will govern over Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, the Bahamas, except for Grant Bahama, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the U.S. V.I.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thousands of Virgin Islanders live and work in New York City and Washington, D.C. With communications breakdowns Tuesday, little information was available locally about family and friends on the mainland.
Naturally, people throughout the territory and those elsewhere with strong ties to the Virgin Islands are anxious to obtain information about loved ones and associates, and to learn of their experiences and feelings with regard to Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the mainland.
The Source asks readers to e-mail any such information to source@viaccess.net so that we can keep our virtual community as enlightened as possible.
Information sought
Alana Mawson [e-mail to alanamawson@islands.vi] writes:
I am trying to contact my friends George, Christine, Mathew and Andrew Aprile, who live just blocks from the World Trade Center at 75 Murray Street. I have been unable to reach them via either e-mail or telephone and am very concerned about their whereabouts. Especially disconcerting was watching the news and seeing the Murray Street sign lying on the ground amid debris. If anyone can be of any help w/any information I would be most grateful. Thank you.

Like many persons on the planet, my wife and I have been watching the news out of the United States closely. We have been watching US News and International News and chatting with our new Danish friends. We thought that our friends in the islands would be interested in the European reaction to Tuesday's atrocities.
The news is every bit as huge here as it appears to be in America. People are glued to their television sets. Bars and such leave the coverage on non-stop.
Everyone we have met is disgusted and in shock. The thought of war is very much in the air — but perhaps with a different perspective. Many worry that this is "George Bush's excuse for the war he has been wanting." Here, Bush is considered trigger-happy.
Many people we met have ties with folks in New York and are concerned about friends and family. The world has become hugely interconnected. There were many sets of eyes full of tears.
Currently European stock markets are slightly down, but the U.S. currency is stronger. Both markets and currency exchange are in huge flux. Many governments are taking strong local action. Planes are not allowed to fly over London. The French army is patrolling the Paris airport and metro (subway/railroad).
It is interesting to note that Denmark has the world's largest Muslim population outside of the Middle East, most of whom came here on refugee status. One person joked with us, asking, "Does this mean that the U.S. is going to war with Denmark?"
The local situation perhaps recapitulates the problems of the world with the Middle East. Even though most are here on refugee status, the Muslim community in Denmark is often violently opposed to the Danish way of life. One major riot and several small ones have occurred in the few weeks that we have been here. The police have to patrol the Muslim district in large groups.
It is unfortunate that for some, the actions of a few persons can give entire religions, cultures and nations a bad name. No matter who is found guilty, now is the time for ALL of us to stick together against the very few who deserve condemnation.
We have not heard of any comment from the local Muslim community in response to yesterday's actions.

Editor's note: Charles Balch and his wife recently moved to Denmark from his native St. Thomas, where he taught computer sciences courses at the University of the Virgin Islands for many years.
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. 11, 2001 – Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen went into her Capitol Hill office early Tuesday morning, hours before suspected terrorists launched kamikaze attacks on the nearby Pentagon and New York City's World Trade Center.
The territory’s representative had gone to work earlier than normal to complete a speech for a meeting she was scheduled to attend later that day in Maryland. It wasn’t until she was on the road when she heard the unbelievable on the radio. She turned around and headed back to the nation’s capital where smoke was billowing from the Pentagon, the inner sanctum of the U.S. military.
"It was utter disbelief that this type of thing could be happening," Christensen related Tuesday evening from Washington, which, like Congress, was literally shut down earlier in the day. "We’re pretty much numb."
That shock, however, must be shaken off quickly as the House will convene Wednesday to draft a resolution condemning the attacks, Christensen said.
There was some debate among House members on whether there should be a session following the tragedies. But after a conference call with House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D.,Mo.) and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R., Ill.), it was decided to continue conducting the people’s business.
While the decision was made to show the world that the country wouldn’t be brought to its knees, Christensen said it wasn’t an easy one to make considering that no one is really sure that the attacks have ceased.
Whether it is safe, she said, is "really with the [Bush] administration at this point."
"We need to go back to do work, but we shouldn’t be daredevils about it," she said. "I don’t think we have anything to prove to anyone at this point."
As for striking back at whomever is responsible for the deadly attacks, the delegate said she had mixed feelings. On one hand, she said U.S. officials need to identify the terrorists, where they come from and "make sure they pay."
On the other hand, Christensen said that the United States, particularly national security experts, must learn more about the rabid dislike for the U.S. in some parts of the world, especially when retaliatory strikes will only pour more fuel on the smoldering hate.
"I’m not for fanning those fires just to say we are a big powerful country," she said. "We need to take a look at that."
Meanwhile, Christensen echoed the sentiments of Gov. Charles Turnbull that residents of the territory should be vigilant even though the islands are thousands of miles away from the death and destruction.
"I don’t think the Virgin Islands are under any specific threat," she said. "But it doesn’t hurt to be cautious."

Sept. 11, 2001 – While Gov. Charles W. Turnbull sent out a press release on Aug. 31 urging the Water and Power Authority board to consider several water line projects on St. John, WAPA's director, Joseph R. Thomas Jr., says the request doesn't come with any money.
"These projects end up at the end of the line, so revenue is hard to find," Thomas said.
The governor called for improvements to the existing potable water lines in Cruz Bay and Pine Peace as well as installation of new lines in Adrian. Thomas said upgrading and installing these lines would not solve the island's annual winter water shortage, "but it will help, short term."
Additionally, he said, production capability at WAPA's Frank Bay plant on St. John has been increased by 80,000 gallons a day to an output of 260,000 gallons a day, and this also will help.
Thomas said the installation of a permanent undersea pipeline from Red Hook to Cruz Bay should put an end to the shortages on St. John. He said WAPA is in the midst of the permitting process to undertake that project.
WAPA also must find funding for the leg of the water-distribution system on St. Thomas that runs between Red Hook and Tutu, Thomas said. "We're working hard to get it funded," he said.

Sept. 11, 2001 – Following is information concerning events and operations in the Virgin Islands that has been announced as a result of the terrorists attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning. This posting is being updated as additional information is received.
Notices may be e-mailed to source@viaccess.net. They may be faxed to 777-8136 or to (509) 267-3448.
Government House social functions canceled
"In light of the tragic events that transpired in New York City, Washington, D.C., and other parts of the U.S. mainland, all planned social receptions at Government House in both districts" have been canceled until further notice, according to an announcement from the administration's Office of Public Relations.
Mail for off-island restricted to 1 pound or less
Postmaster Louis Jackson, V.I. coordinator for the U.S. Postal Service, announced on Tuesday afternoon that post offices in the territory will not accept any parcels weighing more than 1 pound that are destined for the continental United States or international locales.
He said the restriction is because of the shutdown of the nation's airports. Similarly, he said, until further notice, timely delivery of Express Mail letters and parcels cannot be guaranteed.
Seaplanes included in FAA shutdown
Along with all of the nation's land-based air carriers, Seaborne Airlines has been ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration to suspended flights flights of its seaplanes until at least noon Wednesday. "We are awaiting word from the FAA," chief marketing officer Omer ErSelcuk said. "After we get the go ahead, we will put on extra flights if necessary to get everybody back home."
ErSelcuk said the airline's recently inaugurated flight from San Juan had just landed on St. Thomas as news of the grounding was received. As a result, "Now, we have three planes waiting on St. Thomas," he said. He said Seaborne will do everything it can to help move passengers on Wednesday, assuming the FAA lifts the suspension. "Like everybody else," he said, "we're still in a state of shock."
Mourning service to be held on St. Thomas
Members of all faiths are invited to an ecumenical Mourning Service that will be held Wednesday evening at the St. Thomas Reformed Church as a response to the terrorist attacks.
The service is to begin at 5:15 p.m. in the historic Dutch Reformed house of worship located at the corner of Nye Gade and Crystal Gade in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
Local blood drive called for to assist victims
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg said Tuesday afternoon that he has asked the local chapters of the American Red Cross to help organize a blood drive in the Virgin Islands to assist those injured in the terrorist attacks. A release from his office noted that communities across the U.S. mainland are undertaking similar efforts.
Veterans Affairs office closed
Fernando Webster, director of the Office of Veterans Affairs, said Tuesday that the St. Thomas office will be closed until further notice. Anyone needing emergency service is asked to call 773-6663.
Hearing on V.I. Hotel conversion postponed
The Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee hearing scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Legislature Building on St. Thomas has been postponed until further notice. The hearing was to share information on plans to turn the former Virgin Isles Hotel into a veterans' multipurpose center.
"Several of the investment bankers and developers scheduled to testify … are unable to travel due to the security now being enforced at all airports throughout the nation," the committee chair, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel, said in a release. The hearing will be rescheduled, she said.
Telecommunications security heightened
Holland Redfield, vice president for corporate affairs of Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of the Innovative Telephone, formerly the V.I. Telephone Corp., said Tuesday afternoon that all ICC facilities were on heightened alert and taking security precautions. He declined to provide details.
Innovative also owns the St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix cable television companies, Innovative Wireless and four other Caribbean cable companies.
Hospitality sector concerns
Asked what impact she thought the terrorist attacks would have on tourism in the Virgin Islands, Beverly Nicholson, executive director of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said Tuesday afternoon, "I'm concerned about the impact, but right now our hearts go out to the families." She also said member hotels have activated their "normal disaster plans."
Kathy Demar, who manages vacation villas on St. John, said she fears the worst will happen to the territory's tourism-based economy. "How many people will not get on a plane now?" she wondered. However, Nicholson said she thinks people will continue to visit the territory because the American flag flies overhead. "People will feel safer," she said.
Nicholson said that with airports on both islands and throughout the nation closed, guests would be remaining at least over Tuesday night. Hotels were making arrangements to accommodate them, she said.
Wendall Snider, president of the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association, said hotels on St. Croix are "on the empty side" at this time of year, so accommodating guests unable to leave is not a problem. He said the federal government did the right thing in shutting down airports across the country as a security measure.
VITEMA advises vulnerable
Clayton Sutton, V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency director in St. Thomas, said VITEMA officials have advised all vulnerable areas in the territory to take precautions. He included the Water and Power Authority, telecommunications companies including Innovative Telephone, the hospitals, and the ports on his list.
In planning to deal with disasters, Sutton said, "We try to brainstorm as many circumstances as possible." He noted that terrorist attacks are among those circumstances.
Security stepped up at WAPA facilities
Joseph R. Thomas Jr., executive director of the Water and Power Authority, said the utility has stepped up security at all of its facilities. In addition to its staff security personnel, he said, WAPA has V.I. National Guard personnel on patrol. Thomas said he does not feel that facilities in the Virgin Islands would be a target of the terrorists who attacked on the mainland Tuesday but that it was best to be prepared for any eventuality.
Security increased at Hovensa
The Hovensa oil refinery stepped up its security when news of the attack reached St. Croix, according to Alex Moorhead, vice president for government affairs and community relations. "We have 24-7 security," he said. "We just tightened it up."
He said the huge refinery, one of the largest in the world, has a disaster plan. But should an airplane dive-bomb into the installation, as those did in the New York and Washington Tuesday morning, Hovensa could not be able to defend itself.
Caneel Bay beefs up security
At Caneel Bay Resort in St. John, the staff stepped up security on the advice of Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, rooms manager James Dalmida said. "We're looking for unusual vehicles and suspicious people," he said. He noted that guests were having to remain at the resort due to the closing of Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas.
Dalmida said one guest was a World Trade Center worker who would have been at his desk on Tuesday if he hadn't decided to extend his vacation by one day. Dalmida also said other guests had family and friends who worked at the center. Our main concern is caring for them," he said.
Police, firefighters placed on readiness
Police Commissi
oner Franz Christian in agreement with Fire Services Director Ian Williams Sr. issued an advisory on Tuesday afternoon to the effect that all law-enforcement personnel in the territory "should be diligent" in the inspection of the territory's docks, ports, hospitals, the Water and Power Authority, all government buildings and the Hovensa refinery.
Christian and Williams said Police Department and Fire Services personnel should remain in readiness in the event that the mainland attacks "have any causal effect" upon the Virgin Islands.
V.I. airports closed like all other
Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix are closed until further notice to both departing and arriving traffic, the Port Authority confirmed. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the closing of all airports across the United States around 10 a.m. Tuesday, until further notice.
American Airlines flight No. 655 out of New York's JFK International Airport was the last to fly into St. Thomas as scheduled. As of 11:36 a.m., no further planes were being allowed to land. Port Authority officials said no flights would be coming in or out of the airports throughout the day Tuesday, and the closure would be
until further notice.
Security teams were making sweeps of the airports as a cautionary action, but there were no indications of specific security questions in connection with the Virgin Islands airports, according to Monifa Marrero in the Port Authority public relations office. "It was just a general security assessment," she said about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Casino commission meeting rescheduled

The regular meeting of the Casino Control Commission that had been scheduled for Wednesday has been rescheduled for Sept. 19, at 9:30 a.m. at the commission offices in Orange Grove in Christiansted. On the agenda for consideration are casino employee licenses, casino servicing entity licenses, authorization for the operation of new casino games, and the required preparation for implementation of the recent act legalizing Internet gaming in the Virgin Islands.
No indication of cruise ship changes
Calvin Wheatley, spokesman for the West Indian Co., said the two cruise ships scheduled to call in the territory Tuesday were already in port at St. Thomas when the attacks occurred. He expected details on whether they would remain in port or depart as scheduled by mid-afternoon. "The port remains open," he said.
Angelica Rios, secretary of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, based in Pembroke Pines, Fla., just north of Miami, said the association has received no information from cruise lines concerning any plans to change ship itineraries.
St. Croix Senate hearing on block grants canceled
The Legislature Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for Tuesday night at the Legislature building in Frederiksted has been canceled, Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd said. The meeting was to address the proposed apportioning of federal Community Development Block Grant funds.
DPNR offices close for security assessment
Planning and Natural Resources offices located at Cyril E. King Airport were closed while airport staff assessed security, Commissioner Dean Plaskett said in a news release.

Editor's note: Contributing to these reports were Source staff members Shaun Pennington, Jean Etsinger, Molly Morris, Lynda Lohr and Jim Day.

Sept. 11, 2001 – Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen went into her Capitol Hill office early Tuesday morning, hours before suspected terrorists launched kamikaze attacks on the nearby Pentagon and New York City's World Trade Center.
The territory’s representative had gone to work earlier than normal to complete a speech for a meeting she was scheduled to attend later that day in Maryland. It wasn’t until she was on the road when she heard the unbelievable on the radio. She turned around and headed back to the nation’s capital where smoke was billowing from the Pentagon, the inner sanctum of the U.S. military.
"It was utter disbelief that this type of thing could be happening," Christensen related Tuesday evening from Washington, which, like Congress, was literally shut down earlier in the day. "We’re pretty much numb."
That shock, however, must be shaken off quickly as the House will convene Wednesday to draft a resolution condemning the attacks, Christensen said.
There was some debate among House members on whether there should be a session following the tragedies. But after a conference call with House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D.,Mo.) and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R., Ill.), it was decided to continue conducting the people’s business.
While the decision was made to show the world that the country wouldn’t be brought to its knees, Christensen said it wasn’t an easy one to make considering that no one is really sure that the attacks have ceased.
Whether it is safe, she said, is "really with the [Bush] administration at this point."
"We need to go back to do work, but we shouldn’t be daredevils about it," she said. "I don’t think we have anything to prove to anyone at this point."
As for striking back at whomever is responsible for the deadly attacks, the delegate said she had mixed feelings. On one hand, she said U.S. officials need to identify the terrorists, where they come from and "make sure they pay."
On the other hand, Christensen said that the United States, particularly national security experts, must learn more about the rabid dislike for the U.S. in some parts of the world, especially when retaliatory strikes will only pour more fuel on the smoldering hate.
"I’m not for fanning those fires just to say we are a big powerful country," she said. "We need to take a look at that."
Meanwhile, Christensen echoed the sentiments of Gov. Charles Turnbull that residents of the territory should be vigilant even though the islands are thousands of miles away from the death and destruction.
"I don’t think the Virgin Islands are under any specific threat," she said. "But it doesn’t hurt to be cautious."