You know the Dept. of
Tourism Cent-Sation program is attracting a lot of interest. Now American Airlines has put trips to the Virgin
Islands on sale too. American Airlines, announced a sale on fares for travel to
the US Virgin Islands of St Thomas and St Croix. Fares from the mainland United States to the
islands start at $91. NY St. Thomas costs 118 and NY St. Croix is 177. San Francisco to STT is 195 and Dallas to St.
Thomas Costs 206. Those are the one-way
fares based on a round trip that will double the cost. Travel must be Mondays to Thursdays for purchases
before 3 November for travel by 17 December 2009. We are on sale.
UVI has news as they unveiled the
latest changes on the St. Thomas Campus.
There are 140 new classroom seats in the Classroom Building. Several departments of the administration moved
to the Administration and Conference Center Building last year and this cleared
the way to redevelop the space as classrooms.
Over the summer the physical plant crew rehabilitated the old registrars
offices and turned the area into modern classrooms. They also totally revitalized the Third floor
mini-amphatheater – it now seats 70 students in comfort.
Senate Appropriations and budget committee is meeting at on St. John at 6:00 PM. On Tuesday
the Senate is in a special session to
take up the Cruzan rum deal.
The Prosser Desk has a report British Virgin Island’s that the
Minister of Communication approved an application for the National Rural
Utilities Cooperative Financing Corporation to acquire British Virgin Islands Cable
TV Ltd. The US Bankruptcy court has already approved the transfer. It is the first communications transfer under
the British Virgin Islands’ new communication law. One more step in dismantling
Prossers tangled mass of businesses.
Lieutenant Governor Gregory Francis brought together the
insurance commissioners from the states of the southeast region in a meeting of
the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Among their topics was the
use of credit scoring to determine insurance rates and the use of Chinese
Drywall in construction. Is Chinese
drywall safe or is it an insurance hazard.
The Lieutenant Governor is working toward accreditation by the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners.
WAPA is talking to Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Utility.
They are talking about running an underwater cable between Culebra and St.
Thomas. It would cost 40 to 60 million dollars but would allow WAPA to draw
power from Puerto Rico’s wind farms. The WAPA board also approved major repairs
to Unit 13 – the largest unit on St. Thomas and the main utility workhorse. 1.8
million dollars.
Cruise Ship News Victory and Grandeur of the Seas at
Havensight Dock
This is red Ribbon Week and at Ricardo Richards Elementary
School they have events all week.
Lost and Found we have a wallet here that belongs to Liston
Fontaine of Fredenhoj. Liston Fontain your Marine Corp card and all your bank
cards are here. If anyone knows Liston
Fontain, tell him to come to WSTA to get his wallet. And a Big Thank You to
Soldier Woodley who brought it to us.
Liston Fontaine your wallet is here.
Also over the weekend, the American Advertising Federation
held their annual fund raiser for charity at the VI Christian Ministries Bowling
alley. They raised over $2,500 for charities. The VI Daily News team was top
scorer with 511 winning money for the Beacon Schools. Congrats to Terri Depka of MLB Creative who
was the top scorer of the day and the team from Banco Popular won the award for
best body English.
Sunday brought out a crowd at the Animal Care campus on Weymouth Rhymer
Highway as the Humane society held its annual Barktoberfest. It was bittersweet. The new facilities are mostly complete, but
still some $200,000 short of being suitable for occupation. So people toured
the facilities, but they are not yet in use. Best Costume: Gizmo and Cookie, the prince
and princess. Owners: Imani and Helen Sidiropoulos; -- Best Dancer: Mocha.
Owner: Rhea Vasconcellos; and
Who had the Best Trick? Who was the Best Kisser: Maxie owned by John
Klein. Judges gave both awards to Maxie – he stood on his hind legs and
spun for a treat and then jumped into John's lap kissed him- a double hit.
Good News Maker of the Day is Loan Sewer. She is a graduate of Temple University and
Virgin Islands native Now she has joined a prestigious group of alumni from
Temple University as an Inductee into the Temple University Gallery of
Success. Sewer, the Director of Sales for the U.S. Virgin Islands
Department of Tourism, is a 2002 graduate from the School of Tourism and
Hospitality Management with a Masters in Tourism & Hospitality Management
and one of thirty-four alumni worldwide selected for this esteemed
honor. As Director of Sales, she manages the Department’s North
America sales team and six regional offices from the Washington, D.C.
headquarters, and establishes strategic partnerships in the U.S. mainland to
promote the islands for business and leisure travel.