Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2000 Atlantic Hurricane Season, formed Friday morning south of the Cape Verde Islands and is heading west.
Maximum sustained winds are 40 mph with the forecast calling for intensification. The storm system could be upgraded to a hurricane by Monday.
Alberto grew out of a strong tropical wave that moved off the west coast of the African continent Wednesday. The weather system was upgraded to a tropical depression by 5 a.m. Friday; within six hours Tropical Storm Alberto was born.
The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center places the storm's center at 12.4 degrees north latitude and 25.0 west longitude. Alberto is moving to the west at 17 miles per hour with the motion expected to continue over the next two days.
Knight Quality Stations chief meteorologist Alan Archer said Friday afternoon, "Should Alberto maintain its forward speed and its present form, it would not be before Tuesday that the newly formed tropical storm would impact our weather conditions."
The storm system is being monitored carefully, he added. At 2 p.m. Alberto was located about 2,600 miles east of the Virgin Islands.
The latest information on Tropical Storm Alberto can be obtained by calling 774-4786. Current weather information for the Virgin Islands can be accessed by clicking on the rainbow at the top of the Source menu.
The next complete advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2000 Atlantic Hurricane Season, formed Friday morning south of the Cape Verde Islands and is heading west.
Maximum sustained winds are 40 mph with the forecast calling for intensification. The storm system could be upgraded to a hurricane by Monday.
Alberto grew out of a strong tropical wave that moved off the west coast of the African continent Wednesday. The weather system was upgraded to a tropical depression by 5 a.m. Friday; within six hours Tropical Storm Alberto was born.
The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center places the storm's center at 12.4 degrees north latitude and 25.0 west longitude. Alberto is moving to the west at 17 miles per hour with the motion expected to continue over the next two days.
Knight Quality Stations chief meteorologist Alan Archer said Friday afternoon, "Should Alberto maintain its forward speed and its present form, it would not be before Tuesday that the newly formed tropical storm would impact our weather conditions."
The storm system is being monitored carefully, he added. At 2 p.m. Alberto was located about 2,600 miles east of the Virgin Islands.
The latest information on Tropical Storm Alberto can be obtained by calling 774-4786. Current weather information for the Virgin Islands can be accessed by clicking on the rainbow at the top of the Source menu.
The next complete advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Responding to the news reports that a national young people's sports event was foundering on St. Croix this week, members of the Virgin Islands community have killed the fatted calf to make some 800 young athletes and their parents welcome.
Well, at least three lambs and a pig.
The president of the 23rd Legislature, other public officials, businesses and youth athletic group volunteers are now engaged in a full-scale attempt to save the 2000 World Youth Games, slated to continue through Sunday.
Because of miscommunications and lack of coordination between the V.I. World Youth Games Committee and the national organization, the annual athletic event, being held for the first time in the Virgin Islands, got off to a bad start. The approximately 500 young athletes and the 300 adults accompanying them found themselves without adequate transportation and food, and the opening ceremonies set for Tuesday night in the Paul E. Joseph Stadium were canceled because there was no way to get the youngsters there.
Hearing of the situation, Senate president Vargrave Richards set up an emergency meeting with officials of the Housing, Parks and Recreation and Tourism Departments and Government House officials. Thursday, according to a report in the V.I. Daily News, Richards was personally assisting the kitchen staff at a local elementary school and had his staff busy making appeals to the business community for contributions.
"I realized something had to be done," Richards said. "For whatever reason, this is a fiasco. There just wasn't any preparation to accommodate these young kids – and, frankly, this reflects on all of us in the Virgin Islands."
Richards praised the men and women who volunteered to help turn what was looking to be a major pappy show into a successful experience that will leave the visitors with positive memories.
Kitchen workers at the John H. Woodson Junior High School have worked around the clock preparing meals. An island resident donated three lambs and a pig to be dressed and served for meals, according to an executive at Annally Farms.
Assistant Tourism Commissioner Monique Sibilly-Hodge has been shuttling between St. Thomas and St. Croix offering assistance, and Nemy Ophelia Williams-Felix of Housing, Parks and Recreation stepped up to take charge of coordinating the competitive events.
In addition to Annally Farms, Hovensa, the West Indian Co. and the Sunny Isle Shopping Center have donated money or services. Abramson Enterprises and Vitran have been providing transportation services. Many St. Croix hotels and volunteers with the national World Games Committee have also lent a hand, Richards and Sibilly-Hodge said.
Hans Lawaetz of Annally Farms, in his capacity as president of the V.I. Olympic Committee, joined in soliciting last-minute donations to organize a Sunday closing ceremony. Richards and his crew have gotten an agreement from Hotel on the Cay to play host for a Saturday night banquet.
Lawaetz said competitions in basketball, bowling and golf took place Thursday and by Friday organization of the remaining athletic events was coming together. Those still to be scheduled included volleyball, tennis, track and field events and a Quiz Bowl-type academic competition.
"Everyone is pulling together, and we're going to make sure everyone has a good time," Lawaetz said.
WSTA/Lucky 13 Radio put out an appeal over its "Good News Headlines" program Friday morning for people willing to help. Anyone wishing to do so is asked to call Richards at 712-2266 or Lawaetz at 778-2229.
"For those who are still interested in giving something, we need some money, because we're trying to cover trophies," Richards said. Additionally, "anything along the lines of food in terms of buns and breads . . . and sodas and anything you know kids can appreciate is welcome," he added.

Future Vacations and the Sunterra Resort's Carambola Beach on St. Croix are teaming up to offer valuable "Free Nights" savings on air/hotel vacation packages for fall travel. Valid on bookings made during the month August for travel through October 3, the "Free Nights" promotion invites vacationers paying for three nights to take advantage of a complimentary fourth night. Vacationers paying for five nights receive the sixth and seventh nights free. As a sample, a "Fourth Night Free" package, including roundtrip air transportation on American Airlines from Miami, hotel accommodations for five days and four nights, full American buffet breakfast daily, roundtrip airport transfers and hotel taxes/service charges starts at $559. Rates start at $629 and $679 from New York (JFK) and Washington, D.C., respectively. Rates are per person and based on double occupancy for travel originating on Thursdays between September 7, 2000, and October 23, 2000. For reservations and more information, please see a travel professional or call Future Vacations at (800) 456-2323.
The second annual "Love City" (a.k.a. Cruz Bay) Triathlon will be held on St. John, September 4. Consisting of a half-mile swim, a 14-mile bike ride and a four-mile run, this exciting event is sure to draw some of the territory's most competitive athletes. Participants can do all three legs of the event or form a relay team with one or two other participants. An inter-island competition is open to all residents of the Caribbean. Awards will be presented for "Male," "Female," "Relay" and "Caribbean Island" divisions. A $25 entry fee is required, and the registration deadline is September 3. Registered participants can take advantage of one complimentary night stay at the world-famous ecotourism resort Maho Bay Camps the night before the event. For more details about the "Love City" Triathlon, call (340) 779-4214 or email inquiries to katmcm@worldnet.att.net More details about the complimentary night stay at Maho Bay Camps is available by calling (340) 776-6226 or emailing inquiries to louise@maho.org.
Bolongo Bay Beach Club & Villas on St. Thomas is now offering the new "Friends & Family Wedding" package. Brides and grooms can stay free-of-charge by earning a 10 percent discount on the price of their room for each room booked by friends and family (maximum of 10 rooms). Valid on all bookings for travel now through October 31 and May 1 through October 31, 2001, the promotion is only offered in conjunction with one of Bolongo's two wedding packages ?the Barefoot on the Beach Wedding or the Heavenly Days Fantasy Wedding. There is a five-night booking minimum for the bride and groom and a three-night minimum for friends and family. For more information about the promotion and package rates, call (800) 524-4746 or (340) 775-1800.

Responding to the news reports that a national young people's sports event was foundering on St. Croix this week, members of the Virgin Islands community have killed the fatted calf to make some 800 young athletes and their parents welcome.
Well, at least three lambs and a pig.
The president of the 23rd Legislature, other public officials, businesses and youth athletic group volunteers are now engaged in a full-scale attempt to save the 2000 World Youth Games, slated to continue through Sunday.
Because of miscommunications and lack of coordination between the V.I. World Youth Games Committee and the national organization, the annual athletic event, being held for the first time in the Virgin Islands, got off to a bad start. The approximately 500 young athletes and the 300 adults accompanying them found themselves without adequate transportation and food, and the opening ceremonies set for Tuesday night in the Paul E. Joseph Stadium were canceled because there was no way to get the youngsters there.
Hearing of the situation, Senate president Vargrave Richards set up an emergency meeting with officials of the Housing, Parks and Recreation and Tourism Departments and Government House officials. Thursday, according to a report in the V.I. Daily News, Richards was personally assisting the kitchen staff at a local elementary school and had his staff busy making appeals to the business community for contributions.
"I realized something had to be done," Richards said. "For whatever reason, this is a fiasco. There just wasn't any preparation to accommodate these young kids – and, frankly, this reflects on all of us in the Virgin Islands."
Richards praised the men and women who volunteered to help turn what was looking to be a major pappy show into a successful experience that will leave the visitors with positive memories.
Kitchen workers at the John H. Woodson Junior High School have worked around the clock preparing meals. An island resident donated three lambs and a pig to be dressed and served for meals, according to an executive at Annally Farms.
Assistant Tourism Commissioner Monique Sibilly-Hodge has been shuttling between St. Thomas and St. Croix offering assistance, and Nemy Ophelia Williams-Felix of Housing, Parks and Recreation stepped up to take charge of coordinating the competitive events.
In addition to Annally Farms, Hovensa, the West Indian Co. and the Sunny Isle Shopping Center have donated money or services. Abramson Enterprises and Vitran have been providing transportation services. Many St. Croix hotels and volunteers with the national World Games Committee have also lent a hand, Richards and Sibilly-Hodge said.
Hans Lawaetz of Annally Farms, in his capacity as president of the V.I. Olympic Committee, joined in soliciting last-minute donations to organize a Sunday closing ceremony. Richards and his crew have gotten an agreement from Hotel on the Cay to play host for a Saturday night banquet.
Lawaetz said competitions in basketball, bowling and golf took place Thursday and by Friday organization of the remaining athletic events was coming together. Those still to be scheduled included volleyball, tennis, track and field events and a Quiz Bowl-type academic competition.
"Everyone is pulling together, and we're going to make sure everyone has a good time," Lawaetz said.
WSTA/Lucky 13 Radio put out an appeal over its "Good News Headlines" program Friday morning for people willing to help. Anyone wishing to do so is asked to call Richards at 712-2266 or Lawaetz at 778-2229.
"For those who are still interested in giving something, we need some money, because we're trying to cover trophies," Richards said. Additionally, "anything along the lines of food in terms of buns and breads . . . and sodas and anything you know kids can appreciate is welcome," he added.

Future Vacations and the Sunterra Resort's Carambola Beach on St. Croix are teaming up to offer valuable "Free Nights" savings on air/hotel vacation packages for fall travel. Valid on bookings made during the month August for travel through October 3, the "Free Nights" promotion invites vacationers paying for three nights to take advantage of a complimentary fourth night. Vacationers paying for five nights receive the sixth and seventh nights free. As a sample, a "Fourth Night Free" package, including roundtrip air transportation on American Airlines from Miami, hotel accommodations for five days and four nights, full American buffet breakfast daily, roundtrip airport transfers and hotel taxes/service charges starts at $559. Rates start at $629 and $679 from New York (JFK) and Washington, D.C., respectively. Rates are per person and based on double occupancy for travel originating on Thursdays between September 7, 2000, and October 23, 2000. For reservations and more information, please see a travel professional or call Future Vacations at (800) 456-2323.
The second annual "Love City" (a.k.a. Cruz Bay) Triathlon will be held on St. John, September 4. Consisting of a half-mile swim, a 14-mile bike ride and a four-mile run, this exciting event is sure to draw some of the territory's most competitive athletes. Participants can do all three legs of the event or form a relay team with one or two other participants. An inter-island competition is open to all residents of the Caribbean. Awards will be presented for "Male," "Female," "Relay" and "Caribbean Island" divisions. A $25 entry fee is required, and the registration deadline is September 3. Registered participants can take advantage of one complimentary night stay at the world-famous ecotourism resort Maho Bay Camps the night before the event. For more details about the "Love City" Triathlon, call (340) 779-4214 or email inquiries to katmcm@worldnet.att.net More details about the complimentary night stay at Maho Bay Camps is available by calling (340) 776-6226 or emailing inquiries to louise@maho.org.
Bolongo Bay Beach Club & Villas on St. Thomas is now offering the new "Friends & Family Wedding" package. Brides and grooms can stay free-of-charge by earning a 10 percent discount on the price of their room for each room booked by friends and family (maximum of 10 rooms). Valid on all bookings for travel now through October 31 and May 1 through October 31, 2001, the promotion is only offered in conjunction with one of Bolongo's two wedding packages ?the Barefoot on the Beach Wedding or the Heavenly Days Fantasy Wedding. There is a five-night booking minimum for the bride and groom and a three-night minimum for friends and family. For more information about the promotion and package rates, call (800) 524-4746 or (340) 775-1800.

The pending sale of 80 percent of the Water and Power Authority has the utility’s management in limbo and its work force in flux, according to WAPA board chair Carol Burke, and the government's unpaid bills have it on the verge of economic crisis.
Burke’s assessment came in her State of the Authority address at a recent WAPA board retreat. Along with the proposed deal between the V.I. government and Southern Energy and how it is affecting staffing, Burke said, the other crucial challenge WAPA faces is collecting the approximately $20 million in outstanding utility bills owed by the executive branch.
The uncertainty of the utility’s future because of the pending sale has had an impact on the stability of WAPA’s work force and its ability to attract qualified personnel, Burke said.
"The joint venture has really consumed the management to the point that it has affected the management," Burke said. She said the pending deal has played havoc with WAPA’s ability to attract skilled personnel such as engineers, as well as lower-level employees, to replace those who she said are "leaving at every opportunity."
"We’ve lost a lot of engineers," she said. "Engineering is the backbone of the operation."
However, Burke said, the immediate future of WAPA depends on whether the V.I. government will be able to pay its ever-increasing electric and water bills. She said revenues for fiscal year 2000 to date are approximately $98 million for electricity and $30 million for water, while expenses are about $89 million and $23 million, respectively.
The government owes $10.2 million and counting for electricity and $9.1 million so far for water. Non-government receivables are $2.4 million for electricity and about $3 million for water, she said.
With regard to the government debt, "Should the present pattern continue, the Authority will have difficulty surviving," Burke said. "The continuing government receivable has resulted in qualified audits for both the electric and water systems and is having a negative impact on WAPA’s operations."
Although "expenses have been contained relative to revenues," she said, "the cash situation has deteriorated to a critical stage."

With the public school year starting on Aug. 25, four schools on St. Croix have yet to see renovations or even regular summer maintenance.
Department of Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds was absent from Thursday’s Senate Education Committee meeting. In her place, Property and Procurement Commissioner Marc Biggs told committee chairman Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste that for various reasons contractors haven’t started work on Alexander Henderson, Charles Emanuel, Juanita Gardine or Pearl B. Larsen Elementary Schools.
Biggs said work at Henderson and Emanuel hadn’t begun because his department only received a description of it from the Department of Education on Wednesday. At Gardine and Larsen, he said, contractors had to stop working because they couldn’t post a $1 million performance bond, a government requirement for work amounting to more than $600,000.
That information incensed Baptiste, who was the only senator present at the meeting along with Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd. Baptiste said work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district was on schedule.
"Is the Department of Education doing something different in St. Thomas than St. Croix?" Baptiste asked Biggs, who replied, "Only Education can respond to that."
"That’s exactly why they're not here today," Baptiste said, taking a shot at the absent Simmonds.
On the eve of the meeting, Simmonds notified Baptiste that she would be absent because of negotiations with the American Federation of Teachers.
"As a mater of fact," she said in a release, "these negotiations have been on-going for the past couple of weeks. We were simply unable to attend today’s hearing.
"At this time, however, the negotiations must take precedence, particularly in light of the proximity to the beginning of the new school year and our severe staffing challenges."
Liburd asked Biggs how long it would take to complete work on the schools. Biggs answered that "I assume the revised scope of work can be completed before the start of school."
Liburd, however, didn’t sound convinced. "Summer maintenance awaits bids," he said. "Summer's almost over."
When Baptiste asked if the schools in question would be ready to receive students at the beginning of the year on Aug. 25, Biggs was optimistic.
"In my opinion, yes, I feel comfortable these schools will be substantially complete," he said."
Baptiste asked about the status of work on Elena Christian Junior High, a wing of which was severely damaged by Hurricane Lenny in November, forcing double class sessions. Biggs replied that the school is as ready as it was when students and teachers left in June.

SAN GERMAN, Puerto Rico — The Virgin Islands men's basketball team, refusing to go into the championship game on a losing note, cruised to a 90-67 victory over Colombia on Thursday in the team's final preliminary-round contest at the Central America and Caribbean University Games.
All 10 players on the V.I. roster scored three points or more, with Johnson Isidore coming away with 23 points as the Virgin Islands enjoyed double-digit leads since taking a 27-16 advantage midway through the first half.
The Virgin Islands finished preliminary play with a 4-1 record and will face host Puerto Rico for the championship at 5 p.m. Saturday on the Inter American University campus. Puerto Rico, which played the Dominican Republic on Thursday night, is the only team to beat the Virgin Islands.
"We can beat Puerto Rico," said V.I. Coach Jose Paris, who is from Puerto Rico. "The big thing is once again the Virgin Islands made the final. Now, people from other countries know the Virgin Islands is a team to contend with."
The Virgin Islands senior basketball team finished second to Barbados at the Caricom Basketball Championships in July. At the Caribbean championships, the Virgin Islands was undefeated until losing in the final.
Against Colombia on Thursday, the Virgin Islands was never threatened. St. Croix's Carlos Hawkins, who recently finished high school in Delaware, scored two free throws to give the V.I. a 27-16 lead with 10:10 remaining in the half. The Virgin Islands took a 50-37 lead into halftime and stretched the lead to 61-41 after Tyrone Allick's layup with 14 minutes to play.
From that point, the young V.I. team that includes two recent high school graduates — Hawkins and Cuthbert Victor — rolled to victory.
Victor, the Murray State signee and the reigning St. Croix high school athlete of the year, played only 16 minutes. In that short span, he scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, made two steals and rejected two shots.
Isidore scored 12 points in the first half and added 11 after intermission as the Virgin Islands won for the fourth straight time.
Kevin Sheppard, a Jacksonville State guard, had 11 points and St. Thomas' Leroy Gore of the University of Miami scored all 10 of his points in the first half.
Holman Amoya paced Colombia with 28 points including 24 in the first half. Colombia finished the tournament 1-4 and lost to both finalists – Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Colombia guard Carlos Jimenez predicts the Virgin Islands will beat Puerto Rico in the title game.
"The Virgin Islands," Jimenez said when asked which team would win. "They have three players who are very quick. They are a lot quicker than Puerto Rico."
Jimenez scored 15 points Thursday against the Virgin Islands.
While the Virgin Islands men's basketball team will play for the gold, the women's squad will have to settle for the bronze medal at best. The injury-riddled Virgin Islands will play Colombia for third place on Saturday.
Basketball is the Virgin Islands' only hope of winning a medal at the Games, which brings together the top college athletes from countries throughout the region.
Steve Jones, the Virgin Islands' lone track runner at the games, pulled from the 200-meter finals after injuring a groin muscle. Jones finished seventh in the 100 meters.

The pier at the Ann A. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted is ready to greet the largest cruise ships plying the seas, the Port Authority announced Thursday.
A just-completed $3.6 million upgrade of the pier included the construction of four breasting dolphins and one mooring dolphin and will allow St. Croix to accommodate the behemoth "eagle class" cruise ships now coming into service, according to Port Authority executive director Gordon Finch. The actual platform of the dock was not expanded, he said.
Before the modifications, the pier could only handle vessels up to 101,000 gross tons," Finch said. "Now, it can serve ships up to 142,000 gross tons, like the Voyager and Explorer of the Seas, the largest cruise ships in the world."
Finch said the docking facility expansion was "part of an ongoing initiative by the Port Authority to improve its facilities and increase the marketability of St. Croix as a cruise destination."
Work in Frederiksted began in April. The contract for the pier upgrade design and construction was let in early 1999, and some of the new sections were prefabricated in Texas and Florida and then barged to St. Croix.
The two pairs of breasting dolphins were installed between the end of the pier and an existing mooring dolphin. The new mooring dolphin was driven into the ocean floor 230 feet seaward of the one already in place. Prefabricated catwalks connect the pier to the breasting dolphins to make it easier for line handlers to secure ships as they dock.
When the Frederiksted pier was rebuilt after Hurricane Hugo in the early 1990s, it was designed to handle 70,000-ton cruise ships, the largest then at sea. The pier was just barely able to accommodate the 105,000-ton vessels such as Carnival Cruise Lines’ Destiny that soon came on line.
With today's new generation of "eagle class" ships too long for the pier, expansion was essential in order for them to make St. Croix a port of call.
Now that the project is complete, two 140,000-ton cruise ships will be able to tie up in Frederiksted at the same time.
Meanwhile, the Port Authority is in the process of reconstructing the first span of the pier that extends out from shore. After the section was split apart by Hurricane Lenny last November, Hovensa constructed a temporary span to keep the pier operational.
Finch said the reconstruction will be completed in September. The new cruise ship season begins on Nov. 1 and ends next May 31. During that time, St. Croix will see a 22 percent increase in cruise ship calls — a projected total of 142, up from the 116 last season, according information released by the West Indian Co. earlier this week.
According to the WICO release previewing the 2000-2001 winter season, the first ship to call in Frederiksted will be the Galaxy, on Oct. 22. The Carnival Victory will replace the line's Destiny, starting Oct. 25.