They haven’t collected property taxes in four years – and now they want you to pay.

And if you don’t, or you can’t in the time they determine is adequate, that property may belong to the bank. And there won’t be a thing you can do about it.

Or you can sign on to the Lt. Governor’s “installment” plan, and pay 106% of the value of the back taxes. That’s right – they’ll charge you interest on taxes they never bothered to collect.

And now we are told that without these tax revenues, and additional borrowing, we’re facing government shutdown by the end of June.

Last week, the Legislature received a bill proposal from Lt. Governor Gregory Francis. The bill, if approved, would allow the government to send out 2006 and 2007 tax bills using 1998 rates and values. This would provide an estimated $30 million from 2006 and about $50 million from 2007, and would be used to decrease the now estimated $170 million budget deficit for FY 2010. Read more »

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Editor’s Note: Since the public hearing on St. Croix last month, there have been rumblings that some revision of the Alpine Energy deal is in play. According to statements on radio by Sen. Craig Barshinger, the revised plan would  all but eliminate the use of pet coke from the waste to energy process.  There are few other details on this “new” plan so there’s not much more we can tell you. What we do know is that Alpine has begun some construction activity on St. Thomas and whatever plan they’re following, that causes us some concern. In the meantime, until some official information is released, we must continue to stay focused on the issues of the plan as we know it. Mr. Payne’s editorial addresses a key point in his article here. The Alpine St. Thomas leases are on Monday’s Legislative agenda.

By Clarence Payne

There is startling information within the Information Packet submitted by Alpine to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that must be discussed. This particular concern has flown under the radar and probably for good cause. Or because the other components of the Alpine Project are so alarming that we didn’t tackle this issue; however, it is about time that this issue comes front and center. 

The major concern is what will be done with the ash substance from the PET COKE fired plants. Ash is as problematic as wastewater discharge, air quality concerns, and lack of transparency. Previously this writer discussed the wastewater discharge so that residents can be made aware of this latent quagmire which would help us make better decisions about the ecological feasibility of this plant being allowed to burn PET COKE in our fragile ecology. 
Ash management is going to be a huge problem. A few of the Senators along with Executive Director Hugo Hodge Jr. and Paul Chakroff visited a PET COKE fired plant in Jacksonville, Florida. Even though the PET COKE fired plant appeared to be operating in compliance, it was reported to this writer by several of the members of the group, that they saw a pile of ash the size a pyramid! They were “deeply concerned” by what they observed. Why would a pile of ash, the size of a pyramid, in Jacksonville, Florida, cause deep concerns? This writer does not believe there is a structure the size of a pyramid in the Virgin Islands, so if the size of the pile of ash “was cause for concern”, we are in for a rude awakening.  Read more »

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New details in the domestic violence allegations against Sen. Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg emerged in a hearing Friday before St. Thomas Magistrate Judge Alan Smith, who advised the Senator of his rights and set an arraignment date of March 11 for the Senator to enter a plea on the formal charges.

Donastorg, who turned himself into authorities on St. Croix on Thursday, is charged with aggravated assault, third degree assault, brandishing a deadly weapon and using a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime of violence. The charges stem from an alleged incident on January 28 between Donastorg and an unidentified 19-year-old woman.

Defense attorney Gordon Rhea said the accuser, who Rhea and the police agree has attempted to recant her story about the incident, was bribed with $150,000 to make the allegations and that the Senator’s defense rests on that claim. On Thursday, St. Croix Attorney Lee Rohn, who accompanied Donastorg when he turned himself in to authorities, stated that tapes and text messages exist in which the accuser admits the charges are false and reveals she was offered money to make them.

The incident has generated intense public debate on whether there is any merit to the allegations or whether this incident is politically motivated by those who were opposed to Donastorg’s burgeoning campaign for governor in the upcoming election.

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By now you know that on Thursday afternoon, Sen. Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg turned himself into Frederiksted police after being charged with domestic violence by the Virgin Islands Justice Department.

The charges stem from an alleged incident in January involving a 19-year-old St. Thomas woman who, oddly enough, was not identified. The specific charges are one count of assault in the third degree, under the V.I. domestic violence statute; one count of aggravated assault and battery; one count of brandishing a deadly weapon (firearm); and one count of using a dangerous weapon (firearm) in the commission of a crime of violence.

Donastorg’s Attorney Lee Rohn called the Justice Department’s insistence on pressing the charges a “travesty” and said the alleged victim has already admitted the charges are false and that she was offered cash to make them.

Rohn said that Donastorg felt “persecuted,”  believes that the motivation for the charges is political and that he intends to fight the charges and bring to justice those involved in this episode. Read more »

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Sovereignty, status and native rights are the major areas of review for the US Congress as they evaluate the draft Virgin Islands Constitution submitted by the Fifth Constitutional Convention. 

The draft was submitted to Congress by President Barack Obama on February 26, 2010, and Congress has 60 days to review the document and make its recommendations.

Hearings on the document will be held March 17 in Washington, DC and local testifiers are being invited, according to a press release from Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen. However, based on tight legislative schedules, there will be no hearings held locally to discuss the document, the release said. 

President Obama wrote that he had received the draft from Virgin Islands Governor John P. deJongh, and that deJongh had “expressed his concerns about several provisions of the proposed Constitution. ” As a result, Obama requested and received input from the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior whose analysis concluded that “several features of the proposed constitution warranted analysis and comment,”  and fowarded those concerns, along with the draft, to Congress. (attached below)

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Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that he didn’t have to die.

Let us begin by offering our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and community that is now mourning the senseless death of Hernan “Puchy” Santos, 43, who was gunned down late Saturday night in the Marley Homes in Frederiksted, St. Croix. May they find strength during this most difficult time from the prayers of their community and all who learn of this tragedy.

He was a husband, father, son, brother, role model and contributor. He was a man who, like many of us, had his struggles. But he worked his way through them and at the time of his death was the owner of Yee Feed Shop, his own business, the realization of a dream he never thought was possible but one he worked and sacrificed for until it was his. And now he is dead.

Sometimes death by crime becomes so common it becomes impersonal; we become desensitized but in this case, in the words of his brother Jaime, we begin to feel the crushing, personal reality of the loss.

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