US Virgin Islands
[singlepic id=4817 w=180 h=40 mode=web20 float=left]Good morning! This is Alex Randall with Good News Headlines
Senate Creates Financial Control Board
The Senate passed the bill to create the Financial Control Board. The debate ran through 11 PM last night and they finally passed the Senate President’s plan for the Financial Control Board. The bill is now headed to the Governor for his veto or signature. There was sharp debate over whether the Financial Control Board will really do anything that the auditors or the Senate Post Audit Division is already doing for us. 03/19/97 7:56 AM
Other Senate Action
The Senate passed the bill to honor Tim Duncan with the Medal of Honor for his accomplishments in basketball. They also highlighted the upcoming American Airlines US Windsurfing Festival and National Championship and declared July – Water Sports Month in the Virgin Islands. They passed two appointments – Alvis Christian to the Government Development Bank and Amos Peters to the Industrial Development Commission.
WAPA News
The WAPA Board met. They announced that Unit 13 will go down for maintenance at the end of the year after summer. The project to bury the airport’s electrical lines is on schedule, but the St. John generator has to wait until WAPA gets more ground in St. John to work with. 03/19/97 7:44 AM
Danish Foreign Minister Coming to Virgin Islands
The Danish Foreign Minister, Niels Petersen, is coming to help mark the 80th anniversary of the transfer of the Danish West Indies to the US. Coming on the heels of a recent unpleasant news for Denmark, the visit may help us all heal the wounds. He’s arriving on March 28th. 03/19/97 7:37 AM
Road Progress
Tyrone Martin says Dept. of Public Works is holding the last public hearing on the project to widen Veterans Drive from the Legislature to Long Bay road. Hearings are tonight 6:00 PM at CAHS auditorium. Also, Senate Committee on Education will be holding hearings on the state of the University of the Virgin Islands. That’s at 7:00 PM at the Senate.
Let the Crooks Pay
US Attorney James Hurd announced that the Office for Victims of Crime received a grant of 795,000 dollars to support crime victim compensation and assistance programs. The money comes from fines and penalties assessed against convicted federal criminals, and this fund is at an all time high, so we get a bigger grant. That’s making criminals pay victims. 03/19/97 8:10 AM
Coming Up:
Senate Government Operations meeting scheduled for today at 10:00 AM has been cancelled. µ Also cancelled Public Hearings at 6:00 PM tonight at the Public Services Commission offices have been cancelled. Red Cross Ball is Saturday. They are up to 500 guests coming to the gala event of the season. Have you made your reservations yet. Call 779-2933.
Water Island Report.
The Dept. of Agriculture is coming to Water Island to hold their first ornamental landscaping class on Thursday at 10AM. And Thursday evening there is a meeting at the beach pavilion to discuss the demolition of the old hotel and catchement and removal of the asbestos and debris. That’s the Water Island Report.
New Business Alert – Virtual Driving
New business alert. Benjamin Hi-Tech Driving school has a driving simulator, so you learn to drive in the safety of a small room rather than on the road. Benjamin Hi Tech is the first company with the simulator in the region, so it is worth the ride. 03/19/97 8:12 AM
My Bad NewsÖ
Oh, and my bad news, the car ran over the edge of the cliff yesterday. The good news is that Starblack and his tow truck got me out. I promised Starblack that I’d end the news saying; It’s your good news, you TOW us, and we’ll tell everyone. 03/18/97 8:39 AM