Happy New Year from Crucians in Focus

The abrupt resignation of Dr. Mercedes Dullum from her post as Commissioner of Health surprised some, and came as no shock to others. Her short tenure in the post has raised intense speculation as to what could have forced such a swift and emphatic departure.

Well we can't know for sure, but the recent audit of the Medicare program in the VI might have had something to do with it. To see what she was facing, and understand how the inability to fill out a form has cost the Territory hundreds of thousands of dollars, click here.

The Grand Jury that has been impaneled in the Virgin Islands is focusing its investigation on Sen. Alvin Williams, reliable sources have confirmed to CIF.

Williams, a St. Thomas representative whose legislative office was raided at least once by federal authorities, is the Chairman of the Human Services, Parks and Recreation Committee and, prior to the office raid, was the target of public controversy surrounding allegations that he had used his office staff and resources to obtain an online college degree.

Speculation is rife about the depth of the investigation and the individuals who are being called to testify. Considering all that has transpired that we believe warrant investigation and action, we can only hope that those who are hearing testimony hand down indictments that may be the most effective method to begin to repair the tattered shreds of government in the Virgin Islands.

More than half of the contributions Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen has received in the current election cycle are linked to a Washington contractor who is the subject of a federal inquiry.

According to an article today in the Washington Post, Christensen has received at least $37,000 from contractor Jeffrey Thompson, who is suspected of using “straw” or phantom donors to evade contribution limits that are set for candidates running for office. His operations have drawn the attention of Federal authorities.

According to the article, Thompson’s accounting firm Thompson, Cobb, Brazilio and Associates, has 189 contracts with the federal government, worth $17.1 million. The company has done some business in the Virgin Islands, auditing grant funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Highway Administration. TCBA recently advertised for an accounting position based in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands.

Recently, Christensen has urged the Federal Election Commission to investigate the election system of the Virgin Islands, citing public discontent with the way the Board of Elections in operating. Perhaps this current development will hasten their acceptance of her request.

Christensen Probe

Open Forum

As many of you heard recently, CIF President Michael Springer, at left, delivered the first in a series of radio announcements that will target specific issues and offer analysis on our most pressing concerns.

The feedback on the comments was extremely positive, so CIF will sponsor then as often as possible, and we thank those of you who have already donated! But airtime costs money and we're seeking your help.

If you'd like to help keep our voices on the air, please donate whatever you can using the PayPal button below. We thank you in advance for your support.

Be sure to click on the link below to see the latest iReport on our crippling corruption and scroll down to the comments. A wolverine posting under the name of "Bornyah" is trying to tell the world that the information that's getting some widespread attention is just "half-truth" from "disgruntled" people.

Nice try, Keep on reading and posting people. And send these links to everyone you know!

Pirates Of The Caribbean

Jersey Boy Campbell Mocks VI Judicial System

This past weekend, one of our CIF bloggers started a campaign to post the stories of our discontent on CNN iReports. If you scroll through the blogs from the past three days, you will see that this campaign has grown some very long legs in a very short time.

For more on this initiative, including how to participate, click here.

-Virgin Islands Code

-Library of Congress: USVI

-VI Delegate to Congress

-Governor's Website

-VI Legislature

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