US Virgin Islands
[singlepic id=4817 w=180 h=40 mode=web20 float=left]Good morning! This is Alex Randall with Good News Headlines
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Governor Pays the Bill – CIGNA Still Insuring
The Governor held a press conference this morning and said He says he reviewed the offer from QCC of Philadelphia and he thinks the senators had enough time to read the materials. Yes there is an increase in the he premium of about $5 per pay period, which is a bargain given the new benefits added to the policy. He says the air ambulance benefit is justification alone for the premium increase. He clarified that yesterday there was hasty action to pay CIGNA the premium due to stay on duty until the new insurance carrier is in place. He said “It can never be said that in any crisis I didn’t stand up like a man and make a decision that’s important for everyone.” So he paid the bill. He also said that the Hess sale is good for the Virgin Islands, as it will allow the refinery to remain open and active. He pointed to other islands that have lost their refineries and that Hess is responsible for 3.3 billion dollars spent in the Virgin Islands. He also said he is speaking with Northwest Airline about bringing new flight service to the Virgin Islands. The Governor also had a Big Thank You for all the folks who came out to pay off their old taxes that were due. The threat of the sale of the past due taxes made a lot of people come forward and pay their tax bills.
Today’s Photo: Who said that the Cruz Bay dock has a traffic congestion problem?
Current Conditions in Paradise:
Temperature: 83 Degrees at 11 AM Skies: Sunny, Occasional Cloud, breezy and gusty too Chance of Showers: Slight to 20%: Water Temp: Perfect Beach and Swimming Conditions: Sooo Perfect Sailing and Diving Conditions: World Class! Drinks: Ready
Hess is Selling Half
Amarada Hess Company will sell 50% of its oil refinery on St. Croix to the Petreloes de Venezuela for 625 million dollars payable over 10 years and Hess says they will show a loss of approximately 125 million on the sale. The joint venture will enter into a long term supply contract with Venezuela to purchase crude oil that will satisfy about half the refinery’s capacity. The joint venture will also build a new “coker” over the next three years to process heavy crude into lighter petroleum products. The St. Croix Facility has a capacity of 500,000 barrels of oil per day. and it has a state of the art fluid catalytic cracking unit, one of the largest in the world. Being 500 miles from Venezuela, the agreement means a steady supply of oil for our refinery into the future and the project will bring new jobs to the Virgin Islands.
Yacht Haven to Sell this Month
The deal to sell Yacht Haven to a Malaysian development firm is expected to close later this month. There are negotiations going on to lease 7 acres of land in Long Bay from WICO, but no deal is sealed on that yet. The project will reach from Wendy’s to the pump house on Long Bay Road. At the Press Conference, the Governor said the developers plan to build a storm proof marina with a new 300 room hotel, department store and six restaurants.
Salt River Purchase in the Budget
Delegate Christian-Green says the Virgin Islands is expected to get a million dollars for the program to create a national park at Salt River Bay. We are lucky to have this included in the federal budget. Many states were not included in the funding for this program. So don’t expect more money in this budget, even though Delegate Christian-Green thinks there isn’t enough to really get the park started.
PTA National Affiliation Is Coming.
All the Parent Teacher Associations on all islands are coming together in a new unified PTA Congress. The Congress can apply for national affiliation with the National PTA. Mario Frances says we will get new resources from national affiliation. There are leadership training programs, supplies, and possible grants too. The cost of national affiliation is $1 per parent in each local PTA.
Synagogue to Get Renovation
With the new designation as a national historic landmark, the St. Thomas Synagogue is gearing up for a major renovation. The Synagogue is the second oldest in the western hemisphere and is famous for its sand floors. This summer they are going to do renovations to the structure and no they are not getting rid of the sand.
WAPA works on Pipes.
WAPA isn’t finished with that east end water pipe problem. WAPA says they will continue to work on that water line today, so the east end doesn’t get WAPA water until later today.
Checking the Calendar:
Property and Procurement will be selling cars in an auction tomorrow on St. Croix at The Public Works Yard in Anna’s Hope. There is an auction on St. Thomas February 12th in Subbase The deal is 25% down, three days to pay and 7 days to get the car moved out. Rotary 2 is meeting for the weekly luncheon today at Frenchman’s Reef at 12:30 with Orville Kean from UVI is speaking. Lockhart PTA meeting for monthly general meeting at 5:30 PM – at Cafeteria. All parents and teachers are invited to be involved. There is a special guest speaker – Ione (eye-own) Kitnurse who will teach you about parenting skills.