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Sunday, Sep. 19: The Inquiring Iguana hears rumors

Kenny
That Kenny Chesney recently flew down one hundred of his closest friends to stay at his two houses and the Westin. Flying on a “Hooters” jet.”  (Thanks USVI-On-Line.com)

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That Johnny Depp has bought Great St. James. Rumor surfaced a few weeks ago. A St. Thomas real estate agent offering the property refused comment, saying only she’d maybe say something this month.

St. John’s Sussman in New York Times

Great Cruz Bay’s S. Donald Sussman was among those quoted in a New York Times story about the Virgin Islands’ tax break designed to encourage new businesses to locate in the islands and hire employees. The Times reports federal agents have been questioning workers and neighbors about when the last time the owners were in residence. The newspaper reported the current IRS inquiry into the EDC program has allowed some island residents to “dodge an estimated $400 million in federal income taxes.”

Sussman, a successful hedge fund manager, has 10 people helping him manage money in an office on St. Thomas.

Read moreSt. John’s Sussman in New York Times

Cleanup continues after Jeanne’s deluge

The edge of Tropical Storm Jeanne passed to the south Tuesday night and Wednesday. The government is hoping to have schools reopen Monday. However, at least a few classrooms probably will still be closed while workers shovel mud and debris resulting from the torrents which rained down on the islands at mid-week. Department of Public Works crews have been attending to roads and downed trees.

The Commissioner of Tourism issued a statement saying the islands “remain open for business and continues to welcome visitors.” Cleanup efforts are expected complete by the weekend, said Pamela Richards. All airports, seaports and govern ment offices are open, she said.

Read moreCleanup continues after Jeanne’s deluge

Free day at Trunk Bay

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The V.I. National Park in St. John has dropped its admission charge at Trunk Bay for Saturday. It’s the Park’s way of observing a nationwide Public Lands Day. “It’s a good time to bring the family and enjoy the snorkel trail,” Beulah Dalmida-Smith, the Park’s spokeswoman, told the St. John Source. While children under 16 are always free at Trunk Bay, adults are charged $4. Dalmida-Smith said the Park has dropped its admission charge to visit the Annaberg Plantation. The money collected did not justify the cost of a fee collector, she said.

Coral Bay gets two cops

A pair of Virgin islands police officers, both of whom live on St. John, have been assigned duty five days a week in Coral Bay. The Department’s director of crime prevention activities, Kenneth Blake, told members of the Coral Bay Community Council that Alvin Wesselhoft of Coral Bay and Lorraine Sprauve of Cruz Bay will be on patrol Tuesday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. They have been assigned the duty for almost two weeks, but “vehicle problems” prevented them from going on patrol, according to the St. John Source. In remarks, Blake blamed some of the recent crime problems on construction workers being paid low wages. He also encouraged Coral Bay businesses to install security cameras.

Master development plan shown

A town meeting Oct. 5 will give residents the opportunity to comment on a proposed Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan proposed by the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources. At a preliminary session, senators discussed the plan in a meeting at the St. John Legislature. It would designate land-use and water-use guidelines for areas, ranging from industrial to agriculture, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News. A master plan for the VIs is considered critical for St. John which has only 19.4 square miles of livable space. Sen. Roosevelt David, at the meeting, hinted opposition, saying the plan appeared driven by environmental concerns rather than economic development. “That’s what puts food on the table,” he said, according to the St. John Source. St. John resident and architect Rob Crane said he opposes the plan. The current zoning methods are fine, but they are not enforced, he told the Daily News. The Source has posted online a PDF file of the 284-page plan. You can get it here.

Assaults prompt neighborhood training

The Coral Bay Community Council has scheduled Neighborhood Watch training to be included in its monthly meeting, Sept. 13. following a number of robberies in the area in August. The V.I. Police Department’s crime prevention director, Kenneth Blake, will attend. The Council’s president, Sharon Coldren, said the session will alert residents how to notice “suspicious activity” and gather information on which the police act, according to a report by the St. John Source . The meeting, and training, is open to all island residents.

Caneel, Westin partner for promotion

The island’s two largest resorts have joined with seven hotels on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix to contribute as much as $75,000 each to drum up more business. The cooperative marketing effort has been organized by the V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association along with CoGo Worldwide Vacations, a travel wholesaler responsible for selling as many as 60 percent of all travel packages to the territory, according to the St. John Source. For the money, the hotels will be included in newspaper advertisements appearing in four U.S. east coast markets, and spotlighted by Liberty Travel Agency offices nationally. Beverly Nicholson, president of the hotel group, called the agreement really important, pointing out it’s been more than a year since the group has worked with CoGo.

Electric bills head higher

logoWAPA
Blame it on rising oil prices. The Water and Power Authority has gotten approval to raise utility bills in September. Director Alberto Bruno-Vega expects electric bills to rise by six percent, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News. WAPA said it has absorbed $17 million in higher fuel costs since January and now will recoup that money in higher prices over the next 36 months. “It’s the reality of the market,” Bruno Vega said. WAPA officials estimate the average residential customer will be paying about 20 cents per kilowatt hour. By comparison, stateside electricity customers in Virginia pay about 5.5 cents KWH.

You can now pay your WAPA bill on the Internet. “Why stand in line?,” said spokeswoman Laurie Christian, in comments to the St. John Source. The agency’s Web site is www.viwapa.vi. Customers logon using their account number and can then pay their bills, request a change of address and look at their consumption rates. The Web site’s home page carries a notice that it was “partially made possible by a grant from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.” What’s that about?