News of St. John

Governor John deJongh said he wants to kill the proposed three-story parking garage planned for land across from the old barge dock (at left), known as the Creek.

In his State of the Territory speech, deJongh emphasized he is committed to helping St. John manage its growth through planning.  "To this end, I have given instructions to Counsel to see how, and how soon, we can terminate … the ill-conceived and undersized parking project at The Creek."

Hundreds of residents signed a petition against the project, which was backed by the previous Governor.  Numerous “start dates” for the project were announced, plans drawn and even, according to reports, a contractor hired.  The structure was to include parking on the second and third floors with either a new Post Office or local vendors on the first floor.

Read moreGovernor opposes downtown garage

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake shook St. Thomas and St. John at about 5:30 Monday morning.  The Puerto Rico Seismic Network estimated the center was about 25 miles north-northwest of the bigger island, the St. John Source reported.  The acting director of the Territorial Emergency Management Authority reminded residents the VI’s are in the same seismic zone as California.  "We need to be quite aware of our surroundings," Steve Parris told the Source.  He added that the last "bad earthquake" was in 1867.

There’s a Web site which can save you money on drinks at Morgan’s Mango, a beach bag at the Pink Papaya, and Cruz Bay Grill Rub at St. John Spice.  It was created by Gail Siart of Outside the Box Solutions and Keryn Bryan of Graphic Island Design.

Go to Couponstjohn.com and you can choose from merchants discount offers including restaurants, water sports and activities, shopping, and more. Click through the individual categories or download and print out all the current offers.  Siart said new coupons are added weekly.  "We have actually had three businesses change their coupon because the site was working too well," she said.

There are three new options for getting an early start to the day. 

The Mojo Cafe at Wharfside, Satyamuna at the Marketplace, and Made From Scratch Bakery are serving breakfast.  They’re not the only ones, of course – just the newest. 

Satyamuna, a veggie place, offers eggs, oatmeal, granola and Belgian waffles.  The Mojo Cafe is serving up a traditional start-the-day menu.
Delrise Varlack’s new place, the Bakery, is where there used to be a pizzeria, between the Tamarind Inn and O’Connor’s Texaco.  The menu features local items including johnny cakes and pates but also has tried but doughnuts and other pastries.

The New York Post’s Page Six adds spice to the story:

"Spies at Caneel
… tell the New York Post that Brad and Angie have been living large
with their kids and nannies in a five-bedroom, $8,000-a-night beach
front villa. (One report says it used to be Laurance Rockefeller’s home.)

"They showed up with 97 pieces of luggage … have been seen having candlelit dinners on their veranda.

"Rumor has it – real estate alert!!! – Brangelina is considering
investing in a number of properties in the area owned by Donald Trump."

Trump?  Trump!  Who’s ever heard of Trump on St. John?  Anyone??

Another source says Brad and Angelina had dinner in Cruz Bay at Zozo’s.

Gotta admire their taste.

The annual Sprauve School benefit brought out the finest
table manners in the territory’s high and mighty over the weekend.
Waiters for the 10th annual benefit dinner included Gov. John deJongh,
as well as several VI Senators, and 1970’s graduates of the school.  In
remarks, deJongh said, " "I now have the fortunate opportunity to make
sure that education in St. John reaches heights that it never has
reached before," deJongh said, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported.
A member of the gala’s planning committee said the evening’s event and
auctions raised $100,000 for the school.  The funds will be used to
purchase electronic white boards, the newspaper said.

The Wednesday Night Jam invites locals and guests with a musical bent to sing for their supper at the Sun Dog, the outdoor cafe at Mongoose Two.  The music starts at 7 p.m., and the Sun Dog serves dinner until 10 p.m. It’s usually an 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. operation.  (Great lunches!)  Locals with a reputation may stop by and visitors are welcome to join in.  There’s no charge.

Ruth and Ron Ernst have called St. John home for almost 10 years.  Their successful St. John Spice business is one of the first things you see coming off the ferry, located close to the dock, offering hot sauces, coffees, teas, and Ruth’s hand-made Cruz Bay Grill Rub. 

Ruth is a New Englander, and still has some of that area’s stereotypical reluctance to talk about herself.  But she loves to talk about the island, and her business, despite its long hours and seven-day-a-week demands.  Doesn’t leave too much time for limin’, she said, in this week’s St. John podcast. Listen to the podcast by clicking the play button below.

You can download or hear the file, also, by clicking here.

You can also subscribe to News of St. John’s weekly podcast by going to the Apple iTunes Music Store and searching for "news of st. john," or you can copy the words feeds.feedburner.com.stjohn and paste them into the subscribe field under the iTunes software’s "Advanced" tab.  You can also use that Feedburner link to subscribe in other podcatching software.  If you’re having a problem, e-mail: [email protected].