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	<title>Crucians In Focus &#187; Uncategorized</title>
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	<description>&#34;We knew the job was dangerous when we took it.&#34;</description>
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		<title>Recall Combatants Heed Court Order And Submit Motions By Monday Deadline; And Now It&#8217;s Up To The Judge</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/21/recall-combatants-heed-court-order-and-submit-motions-by-monday-deadline-and-now-its-up-to-the-judge/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/21/recall-combatants-heed-court-order-and-submit-motions-by-monday-deadline-and-now-its-up-to-the-judge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2012 03:42:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Election Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14924</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And now it rests in the hands of the Judge. On Monday, both sides in the court battle over the recall of four members of the St. Croix Board of Elections met Judge Wilma Lewis&#8217; deadline to file all relevant motions in the case. Judge Lewis issued the order last week after the legal delays in this critical matter threatened to continue indefinitely and the petitioners&#8217; request for an expedited hearing was stalled as a result. The current set of court actions between the Virgin Islands Action Group and the St. Croix Board of Elections revolve around two basic points:  Did the Supervisor of Elections, John Abramson, correctly certify that the recall petitioners had successfully collected the threshold number of eligible signatures to support the scheduling of a recall election, and; Once the petitions had been certified, does the Board of Elections have a choice in whether or not to schedule a recall election based on the outcome of the recall initiative?  After receiving what they termed “inconsistent information” from Abramson about the number of signatures required for the petitions to trigger a recall, the VIAG sued Abramson to certify the signatures and declare that an election was required &#8211; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/21/recall-combatants-heed-court-order-and-submit-motions-by-monday-deadline-and-now-its-up-to-the-judge/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>93</slash:comments>
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		<title>No More &#8220;Back Talk&#8221;; Judge Lewis Orders Board Of Elections To Respond To Recall Lawsuit By May 21</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/18/no-more-back-talk-judge-lewis-orders-board-of-elections-to-respond-to-recall-lawsuit-by-may-21/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/18/no-more-back-talk-judge-lewis-orders-board-of-elections-to-respond-to-recall-lawsuit-by-may-21/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 05:30:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Election Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14908</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Judge Wilma Lewis has had enough of the legal gymnastics.  Per her order, the St. Croix Board of Elections (BOE) has until May 21 to  respond to the lawsuit filed by the Virgin Islands Action Group (VIAG) related to the stalled recall initiative that would force a recall election for four of its members.  The order came after a last minute attempt by BOE Attorney Scot McChain to delay a request for an expedited hearing filed by the Virgin Islands Action Group, the sponsors of the recall initiative.  The VIAG had filed a request for an expedited hearing in the matter of their original lawsuit, filed after the Board refused to honor the results of their recall petition drive, which had been accepted by Supervisor of Elections John Abramson, following advice from VI Attorney General Vincent Frazer. The BOE then filed counterclaim motions designed to delay action in the hearing.  In response to the counterclaim, VIAG Attorney Yohana Manning filed a motion to dismiss the counterclaim and reinforced the VIAG claim by stating of the BOE attempt to delay, “irrespective of their “affirmative defense” and “counterclaim” they must set a recall election date.”  “When the law, as here, requires an [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/18/no-more-back-talk-judge-lewis-orders-board-of-elections-to-respond-to-recall-lawsuit-by-may-21/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>83</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>$750,000 Parking Lot, $3 Million In Management Fees And $3 Million For &#8220;Land Acquisition&#8221; Highlight GlobeVest Cost Plan</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/17/750000-parking-lot-3-million-in-management-fees-and-3-million-for-land-acquisition-highlight-globevest-cost-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/17/750000-parking-lot-3-million-in-management-fees-and-3-million-for-land-acquisition-highlight-globevest-cost-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 20:55:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Maybe the stripes will be painted in gold. That’s the only reason we can come up with to explain the $750,000 that GlobeVest LLC estimated it would cost to construct a parking lot at its proposed sports complex on St. Croix. An October, 2009, letter from GlobeVest CEO James Sutherland to Governor John P. deJongh, Jr., outlines the financial plan the development group says is required to construct the multi-use facility. This highly contested proposal has now been moved to the Rules Committee, after being ushered out of the Human Services, Parks and Recreation Committee by a 2-1 vote. The proposal requires a minimum $30 million investment by the Virgin Islands government. The letter details a study completed by the C.H. Johnson Consulting Company, Chicago, IL, and pouts forth the projected cost and activity requirements for the complex operations to be successful. According to the study, the “demand profile” indicates that “over 60 multi-day events and festivals that will attract 75,000 visitors which will generate nearly $45 million annually.” Additionally, the letter states, “the sale of sponsorships, photography and profit centers will generate gross sales related to the complex between $28 and $35 million annually.” The attached document outlines the costs [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/17/750000-parking-lot-3-million-in-management-fees-and-3-million-for-land-acquisition-highlight-globevest-cost-plan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
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		<title>BOE Defamation Complaint Names Multiple Defendants, Two Of Its Own Members And CIF President In Recall Dispute</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/14/boe-defamation-suit-names-multiple-defendants-two-of-its-own-members-and-cif-president-in-recall-dispute/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/14/boe-defamation-suit-names-multiple-defendants-two-of-its-own-members-and-cif-president-in-recall-dispute/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 22:11:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Election Reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14882</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s like watching an animal feeding on its young. The St. Croix Board of Elections (BOE), still challenging the validity of a recall drive, has filed a defamation suit against a host of defendants, including one of its members, a member of the St. Thomas BOE, CIF President Michael Springer, between one and twenty “John and Jane Does”, several other named defendants and all members of the VI Action Group, the organization that sponsored of the recall drive. The suit, filed on May 1 in the Superior Court, is an “Action for Injunction, Declaratory Relief and Damages” and accuses all named defendants of defamation and torturous interference as a result of their actions, direct and indirect, related to the recall petition and actions surrounding its validation. A copy of the complaint is attached below. In summary, it states that the recall petitions, which it is claimed were initiated and authored by BOE Member Adelbert Bryant, contain “false and unsubstantiated allegations against the plaintiffs with reckless disregard for the harm it has caused and continues to cause Plaintiffs and their individual professional reputations and character.” The complaint outlines the backgrounds of all the board members and then goes on to describe [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/14/boe-defamation-suit-names-multiple-defendants-two-of-its-own-members-and-cif-president-in-recall-dispute/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>171</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Why Didn&#8217;t They Just Kill The Sports Complex Bill In Committee?</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/10/why-didnt-they-just-kill-the-sports-complex-bill-in-committee/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/10/why-didnt-they-just-kill-the-sports-complex-bill-in-committee/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 03:11:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14867</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By now we all know that the GlobeVest deal was moved out of the Legislative Committee of Human Services, Parks and Recreation and on to the Rules Committee – but we can’t figure out why. Two voted yes; one voted no; one didn’t vote; and three just didn’t show up. And at the end of the night, the proposal for a multi-million dollar sports complex, replacing the deteriorating Paul E. Joseph Stadium with a multi-use sports complex – and requiring at least $30 million in government funds before the “investors” spend a penny, was one step closer to becoming a reality. Sens. Terrence Nelson and Alicia Hansen voted yes; Committee Chairman Sen. Alvin Williams voted no; Sen. Craig Barshinger didn’t vote. But they did show up – unlike Sen. Janette Millin-Young, rumored to have apparently “boycotted” the hearing because she didn’t like the way the deal was being cut; and Sens. Shawn Malone and Patrick Sprauve – who weren’t there and who knows why? We’ve listened all day to the post mortem – all the speculation on why Nelson voted yes (because there are amendments coming when it gets to the Rules committee that will make the deal more relevant for [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/10/why-didnt-they-just-kill-the-sports-complex-bill-in-committee/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>191</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>GlobeVest Comes Back For Round 2 Before Committee; But Was The Deal Already Struck? The Blog Is Open</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/09/globevest-comes-back-for-round-2-before-committee-but-was-the-deal-already-struck-the-blog-is-open/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/09/globevest-comes-back-for-round-2-before-committee-but-was-the-deal-already-struck-the-blog-is-open/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 11:43:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14857</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[They will gather again tonight to pitch the next “public-private” partnership that is going to save the Territory and will only cost us a few more tens of millions of dollars. The Committee on Human Services, Parks and Recreation will hold its second hearing at 6 p.m. on St Thomas to consider a proposed multi-million dollar sports complex to be located on St. Croix that would include the razing and rebuilding of the dilapidated Paul E. Joseph baseball stadium and a multi-sport complex that would feature tennis, beach volleyball, and an “aquatic center.” But did the real meeting on the complex happen last night at the offices of Property and Procurement and already seal the deal? It has been reported that Sen. Alvin Williams, who chairs the Human Services Committee; Sen. Usie Richards, whose Rules Committee would get the proposal if it gets out of Human Services tonight; Attorney General Vincent Frazer; members of the Administration’s financial Team; P &#38;P Commissioner Lynn Millin-Maduro and her staff; and representatives of GlobeVest, LLC met on Tuesday evening.  It is very difficult not to wonder whether the deal has already been struck. The Denver, Colorado based development company, GlobeVest, LLC, has been contracted to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/09/globevest-comes-back-for-round-2-before-committee-but-was-the-deal-already-struck-the-blog-is-open/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>161</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>As Caricom Joins Diageo Backlash And Promised Revenues Fail To Materialize We Must Ask The Question &#8211; Does Anybody Remember Why This Was A Good Idea?</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/06/as-caricom-joins-diageo-backlash-and-promised-revenues-fail-to-materialize-we-must-ask-the-question-does-anybody-remember-why-this-was-a-good-idea/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/06/as-caricom-joins-diageo-backlash-and-promised-revenues-fail-to-materialize-we-must-ask-the-question-does-anybody-remember-why-this-was-a-good-idea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 May 2012 22:09:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It has already cost us a fortune in lost revenues to the General Fund and our relationship with Puerto Rico. And now the Diageo Deal is the focus of a lobbying campaign by our other Caribbean neighbors to officials in Washington DC that will focus even more attention on what’s left of the cover over revenue the Virgin Islands receives. A recent news report related that Caricom, a regional group of 15-Caribbean nations, will send a delegation to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk on Capitol Hill this month to complain to authorities that the Diageo deal, including the $250 million the VI government gave the British multi-national to build its plan, and the lucrative tax, marketing and molasses subsidies that were part of the deal, are undermining the ability of other rum-producing nations to fairly compete in the profitable United States market. The deal has already cost the VI millions in lost revenues to the general fund, as cover over revenues have been severely depleted by debt service, lost tax revenues and subsidy costs. In addition, the Territory has also been forced to further subsidize Cruzan Rum, who under the Fortune Brands banner cut its own deal after the Diageo [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/06/as-caricom-joins-diageo-backlash-and-promised-revenues-fail-to-materialize-we-must-ask-the-question-does-anybody-remember-why-this-was-a-good-idea/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>95</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Senate President Russell Representing &#8220;Interested Party&#8221; In ICC Bankruptcy Case; Submits $13k Claim To Court For Unpaid Fees</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/02/senate-president-russell-representing-interested-party-in-icc-bankruptcy-case-submits-13k-claim-to-court-for-unpaid-fees/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/02/senate-president-russell-representing-interested-party-in-icc-bankruptcy-case-submits-13k-claim-to-court-for-unpaid-fees/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 03:07:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14822</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why is Senate President Ronald Russell doing legal work for an &#8220;interested party&#8221; in the Innovative Communications Corporation (ICC) Bankruptcy case? Yesterday, Russell submitted to the District Court a “Motion For Administrative Claim” in the amount of $13,363 for legal services he has provided since July, 2010 to Cardinal Conner, identified in court papers as an “interested party” in the ICC case. And a portion of that work has been done since Russell returned to the Senate in January, 2011. Conflict of interest perhaps? Russell filed the claim after the court approved a motion to establish a “bar date” for administrative expenses related to the case. The motion had been submitted by Stan Springel, the trustee in the bankruptcy proceedings. A “bar date” is a date after which no claims for payment of fees generated after a certain date, in this case March 31, 2012, can be submitted for payment. The purpose of the claim is to assure that the creditor is included in any distribution of funds as a result of the disposition of the case. According to the legal services agreement between Russell and Connor, dated July 24, 2010, Russell was retained to “represent him and the interest of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/02/senate-president-russell-representing-interested-party-in-icc-bankruptcy-case-submits-13k-claim-to-court-for-unpaid-fees/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>153</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Former Sen. David Jones Identified As &#8220;Bag Man #2 As Department Of Interior Arrives On St. Thomas</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/02/former-sen-david-jones-identified-as-bag-man-2-as-department-of-interior-arrives-on-st-thomas/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/02/former-sen-david-jones-identified-as-bag-man-2-as-department-of-interior-arrives-on-st-thomas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 14:53:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Caller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14805</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The plot thickens as former Senator David Jones has been identified as the behind the scenes “Bag Man” in the $20 million bribery scheme involving Virgin Islands government officials as revealed by the Daily Caller (DC) online newspaper. The bribes, according to the Department of Justice source, were for Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr., his attorney general, Vincent Frazer, and assorted Virgin Islands legislators — all aimed at quashing local concerns about financial irregularities identified on the books of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Cooperative (CFC). The CFC was the eventual purchaser of Innovative Communications Corporation (ICC), formerly owned by Jeffrey Prosser. Prosser is currently involved in a bitter bankruptcy proceeding concerning his former ownership of ICC. According to the DC story, Jones was the invisible operative behind another former Senator, Roosevelt David, who was identified earlier as the primary money man in the bribery scheme. According to the DC, those who were reluctant to deal with David were more comfortable dealing with Jones when the money was allegedly being spread around. The story is the latest in a series of allegations concerning bribes to government officials, including several senators, some still sitting, who have not yet been identified. The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/02/former-sen-david-jones-identified-as-bag-man-2-as-department-of-interior-arrives-on-st-thomas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>53</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Students, Parents Only People Surprised By Bus Service Shutdown On St. Croix</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/01/students-parents-only-people-surprised-by-bus-service-shutdown-on-st-croix/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/01/students-parents-only-people-surprised-by-bus-service-shutdown-on-st-croix/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 16:28:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=14808</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The only people who were surprised that there was no bus service on Monday for the public school students on St. Croix were the students and their parents. It was no surprise to the owners of the Abramson Bus Company, who had notified the education administration that unless some $627,000 in outstanding invoices was paid that service would be discontinued. It was no surprise to the officials of the education department, who knew that they were seriously in arrears on this $4 million annual contract. In fact, according to an education department spokesperson, Ananta Pancham, the department has been working diligently to “identify money to pay the remaining balance” they owe, after struggling with ongoing cuts in their funding during the “financial crisis.” But despite all this prior knowledge, it was only in the early morning hours on Monday that word began to spread that there was to be no bus service – and then only spread selectively – and news reports later indicated this would be the situation for the forseeable future. This situation begs the same question we ask when reviewing the types of positions that are being eliminated from the government payroll – is anyone reviewing the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2012/05/01/students-parents-only-people-surprised-by-bus-service-shutdown-on-st-croix/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>76</slash:comments>
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