Governor John DeJongh announced
the Royal Caribbean has changed their plans for the new ship Oasis of the Seas.
This year it will dock at Crown Bay Dock
and not at Havensight – This means we have an additional year to plan
the dredging of the Charlotte Amalie harbor And the Governor says the dredging
spoils will NOT be dumped in Lindberg Bay.
This is an interim plan to allow more time to develop a different dump
site. It means no mess in Lindberg Bay. Senators and environmental activists
immediately chimed in hailing this as Good News and very good for the marine
life in Lindberg Bay. Ships that are currently schedule to dock at Crown Bay
Dock will be repositioned to Havensight
Dock on the days when Oasis visits St. Thomas. Commissioner of Tourism Beverly
Nicholson-Doty added that at task force will work on improvements at Crown Bay
Dock to accommodate this huge ship
increasing transportation from the Crown Bay Dock and more greeters on site. December 8 is when
Oasis of the Seas will dock at Crown Bay, and Carnival Cruise Line's new
flagship Carnival Dream will be at Havensight.
Governor John DeJongh appointed
Carmelo Riviera as asst Commissioner of Department of Planning and Natural
Resources. Riviera has recently been
director of employee relations and public affairs at HOVENSA and was formerly Commissioner
of Labor. He also served in NY as a manager with the Department of
Environmental Conservation.
If you are traveling to Puerto Rico be careful – there is a
massive strike going on in Puerto Rico – government workers have enrolled all
kinds of private companies in a general strike protesting the cuts of
government services and recent layoffs.
Governor John DeJongh has a
conference call planned for this morning when he will be available to the press
to answer questions. The Governor is
planning to lay out his plans to avoid reducing government services, and
layoffs and other cost cutting measures. We have been spared the worst of the
recession and the Governor will discuss plans to get through the rest of this
as the economy in the US is looking up.
Now the Jeffery Prosser’s bankruptcy
comes home to roost for local business.
The ICC trustee filed many law suits seeking money from companies Prosser
hired to work on his home. Roofers, painters, masons, cabinet makers, landscapers,
even flower shops are all being hit up
to return money given them by ICC for goods and services provided to Prosser. The
Contractors say they just performed work for pay. But the law says they were paid
by the phone company not Prosser and that was wrong. They should have insisted
on getting money from Prosser himself.
They may owe the bankruptcy court the money they received. The Good News
– they contractors may be able to sue Prosser for the money he took from the phone
company for his personal use. Their cases
may be dismissed.
Senator Wayne James and his committee on Education are looking at schools – not by listening to the Commissioner
or the department officials... This times James says the committee has invited
teachers, principals the PTA heads and union members, members of the student
councils and the school monitors, the cooks from the kitchen are coming to the
Legislature to talk about the schools. The
hearings last night on St. Thomas The
continue tonight on St. John.
Second Annual Health Disparities Institute is Today and Friday at the Westin St. John -
- Dr Gloria Callwood will open the
session today with Guest Speaker and workshops. There are CME and CEU credits
available.
Good News from Domino’s Pizza and Tutu Park Mall want you to
keep clean- Domino’s donated ten hand sanitizer Dispensers that will be located
throughout the mall. Department of
Health reminds everyone to wash hands frequently and use hand sanitizers
especially after touching door. They are unveiling the hand sanitizers today at
Tutu Park Mall.
UVI announced they have revised the calendar for the spring
semester. Spring break is now March 8 to 13 – April 28 is the last day of
classes – final exams are May 3 to 8 and Graduation on St. Thomas is May 15, on
St. Croix on May 16.
Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs is all about
saving you money – assisting, educating and protecting consumers. They are offering advice when you visit your
doctor - - Ask – what is the exact name of the drug/ What is it supposed to do?
What dose am I taking? How and When do I take it? When do I stop? Are there any
foods or drinks I should avoid when taking it. Are there side effects and will
this new prescription interact with any of the other drugs I already take. Make
some Good News for yourself – and you doctor will not mind at all answering
these questions.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the 3rd Project
Homeless Connect!
Project Homeless Connect
is Friday on St. Thomas at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center at 9:00
AM
There is also training
for volunteers on Friday, October 16
before the event opens. That’s Friday at 8:00 AM at the Sports and Fitness
Center. For more information call United Way at 774-3185.
On
St. Croix - Homeless Connect comes up next Friday, October 23, at
the Agriculture Fair Grounds – There is training on St. Croix tonight at the Juan Luis Hospital at 6:30
– there is more training for volunteers on Tuesday,
October 20th at the Ten Thousand Helpers office also at 6:30. For
more information on St. Croix call Kendall at 719-9900.
You can help serve the homeless – Donate personal hygiene
items including mouth wash, tooth paste, tooth brushes, shampoo, lotion, power,
deodorant and other toiletries. Drop off at St. Croix Mission Outreach on
King Street or United Way St. Thomas
Donate your time for a
day - be a guide, waiter, waitress or greeter! For
more information on how you can help with project homeless connect.. call United
Way at 774-3185.