Well no wonder they’re trying to get rid of him! The day after Crucians In Focus filed a complaint with the Virgin Islands Board of Elections challenging Sen. Alicia Hansen’s eligibility to run for office due to her probationary status, Sen. Ronald Russell sent a letter of his own to the BOE asking for...
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Square footage and superstition are the key issues in the pre-inaugural skirmish among some of the senators from St. Croix. Instead of focusing on an agenda for the myriad issues facing the big island, the debate is about office space. Now you’d think that the most recently elected, Sens. Ronald Russell and Alicia Hansen,...
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It begins – again… Already the jockeying has begun and the picture that’s emerging is like a bad case of déjà vu. A case of apparent electoral amnesia has returned most of the usual suspects to the Legislature; added a clone in St. Thomas; and replaced a couple of sheep with a couple of...
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We want you to listen carefully today. Because buried beneath the Board of Elections hearing there are three other extremely significant (and recently added) items on the agenda for the Committee on Financial Services, Infrastructure and Consumer Affairs on Wednesday. The second item, discussion of a bill requiring that government agencies keep confidential the...
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Was she there to defend the budget proposal or the Governor? In a singsong presentation on the proposed FY2011 budget for the Office of the Governor, presenter Nellie C. Varlack was in turn petulant, proprietary and protective of her boss, Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. And the tone and content of her presentation caused...
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Oh, this one is rich. Let’s take a $16,000 journey to the Italian Tuscan countryside and the ancient city of Rome with Sen. Wayne James – all fully approved by Sen. President Louis Patrick Hill. The trip was for James to participate in the “Twin City Agreement” between the Virgin Islands and Montescudaio, Italy....
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When the Legislature’s Committee on Financial Services, Infrastructure and Consumer Affairs meets Wednesday, 10 a.m., on St. Croix, one of the bills to be considered is an amendment to a highly contested provision in Virgin Islands Law on the assignment and sale of delinquent property taxes. The bill, 28-0224, put forward by Sens. Louis Patrick...
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Saturday night the rage boiled over and Sen. Sammuel Sanes found himself on the fist end of the frustration being felt by Virgin Islanders after the Legislature’s 8-7 approval of $500 million in borrowing last week. During an event at the Chicken Shack, Sanes was punched in the eye by someone in attendance while explaining...
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As of this writing, the Senate is listening to testimony from Government agencies on how at 25% cut in funding would affect their operations. Sen. President Louis Hill stated early in the session that all government agencies had been notified that should the Governor’s latest request to borrow $500 million be rejected that budget...
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(Update: The “Racino” bill was successfully moved out of the Rules Committee on Monday and will be on the agenda for the Legislature’s full session Wednesday/Thursday.) What role should gambling play in the economy of the Virgin Islands? And how many more hits can the Casino Control Act of 1995 take before it becomes obsolete?...
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Those road repairs would be moving a lot quicker around here if there were only contractors who had the equipment and commitment to get them done. That, in essence, is what Department of Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls told the Legislature Wednesday when questioned about the lack of progress on already funded road repair...
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If you want to understand the game you’ve got to focus on the players. The central issue in the Mafolie matter is whether the Legislature intended that funds from Act 6917 could be used to renovate Governor John P. deJongh’s private Estate Mafolie home. It is from that issue that all the other issues, including conflict,...
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(Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with the full color, unmarked version of the IG report on the Mafoliegate investigation and includes color photographs of the Estate Mafolie renovations. Be patient – the file takes a while to load.) Crucians In Focus has obtained a copy of the US Department of the Interior Inspector...
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It is the second significant “oversight” this week. According to a letter issued today from the court reporter, the meeting minutes that listed Superior Court Judge Adam Christian in attendance at an October 6, 2009 meeting of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority were in error. In a letter dated January 21, 2010, to...
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On two separate occasions, under oath, newly ascended Superior Court Judge Adam Christian told the Legislature he did not attend the now infamous October 6, 2009 meeting of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority (PFA) where a resolution on funds appropriated 2 1/2 years ago was belatedly completed. Transcripts from the meeting, however, say he was...
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As the Chairperson for the Committee on Education, Youth and Culture, first-term Senator Janette Millin-Young has received more notoriety for her travel preferences than for any substantive actions to address the glaring issues in our educational system.
Thought of initially as one who would quietly follow, Millin-Young has shown recent faint glimmers of enlightenment, but our jury is still out on where she will fall as we enter a phase where all elected officials will be called upon to take a stand – on one side of the line or the other.
But for now, it’s your opinion we’re interested in. If the election was held today…
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.
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