The Maulers defeated the Cobras 23-5 in St. Thomas Pee Wee League baseball action Tuesday afternoon at the Emile Griffith Ballpark.
The Maulers exploded with 20 hits. They were lead by Neville Patrick, Deron Hanley and Shirlyn Brown, who all went 3 for 3. Hanley hit two home runs. Darnell Little also had three hits but in four plate appearances. Alvin Davis was 2 for 2 and Javed Benjamin, Reginald Knight and Malcolm Thompson Jr. each went 2 for 3 for the Maulers.
The Cobras did manage five hits. They spread the wealth evenly as Troy Richards, Gary George, Andres Nunez, Tevon Richards and Deshawn Hewitt each had a hit.
The St. Thomas Pee Wee League is made up of children 6 to 8 years old.

The Sholine 50-Plus Hurricanes will be sponsoring the 40-and-Over Baseball League again this year.
Last year the league consisted of four teams, the Cardinals, Rangers, Hard Nose and Carang. The Cardinals ended up the champions.
The league was done to peak the interest of men over the age of 40 who were interested in playing baseball. Additionally, it was used as practice and preparation for Men’s Senior Baseball League tournaments held aboard. The Sholine 50-Plus Hurricanes annually travel to three MSBL tournaments in Puerto Rico, Atlanta and Arizona.
The league will be named the Joseph "Joemeat" Sprauve Men’s Senior Baseball League. The tentative starting date will be July 15, 2000. The league will conclude in September.
Because of the many individuals who did not get the opportunity to play last year, the league is projected to add an additional two teams this season. It is recommended that anyone making 40 before the end of the year and is sincere in wanting to play baseball to sign up for the 2000 draft.
Anyone interested in playing for or managing one of these teams is urged to attend a meeting to be held Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Emile Griffith Ballpark.
For more information contact Antonio Acevedo, league coordinator at 775-6435 in the evenings or Steve Parris, public relations, at 777-0672 and leave a message.

Juan Miguel Medina, the man arrested in Puerto Rico on charges of murder, could be extradited to the Virgin Islands as early as Friday.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron said Wednesday he expects that once testimony is completed at an extradition hearing, there will be no objection to Medina being returned to the Virgin Islands.
Medina is facing charges that he beat 31-year-old Juan Pierre Batista to death last May 29 near Muhsens Supermarket in Market Square.
Stridiron said that the V.I. Police Major Crime supervisor, Sgt. Reynold Fraser,
may travel to Puerto Rico on Friday to testify at the hearing which will determine whether the suspect will be returned to the Virgin Islands.
"We may send an attorney from our office to accompany Sgt. Fraser at the hearing," Stridiron said, adding that he has "no doubts" that the extradition will be granted.
"We have a strong case against Mr. Medina and there is no doubt that after the hearing is held, immediate extradition will be granted," Stridiron said. "The case is clear-cut. We have iron-clad evidence against this man, who we believe is the prime suspect in this case."
Medina was picked up at his home in Santurce by Justice Department agents and Puerto Rico police officers over the weekend. He is being held in a Puerto Rico jail in lieu of $1 million bail until Friday's extradition hearing.
"If the go-ahead is given for Mr. Medina's extradition, we'll have a Justice Department aircraft awaiting him at the Marin International Airport," Stridiron said.

The once-isolated community of Coral Bay took another step into urban America Tuesday afternoon as its first automated teller machine started dispensing money on authorized demand.
Located just inside the fire truck stall in the lower parking lot of the Fire Services station, the ATM is available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers driving up have park their vehicles about 40 feet from the machine, but the area is well lighted and firefighters are on duty at all times at the station, assistant fire chief Brian Chapman said.
Chapman was instrumental in getting the device installed at the location. "When I saw that it looked like they were going to be approved by the Legislature, I called the company," he said. "I explained it would be the only place viable for 24 hours in Coral Bay. We weren't guaranteeing security, but we are there for 24 hours."
The machine is one of the non-bank ATMs proliferating in the territory since the government authorized their operation earlier this year. It's owned by Caribbean Exchange Enterprise, the only locally licensed provider at present.
ATM's allow customers to make cash withdrawals using major credit cards or recognized bank debit cards. The non-bank ATMs, which are regulated by the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department, charge a fee for each "card swipe" transaction.
Caribbean Exchange owner Frank Nassetta admits that when Chapman approached the company, "we were a bit skeptical" about setting up operations at a fire station. But he came to see it as a "creative solution" to the Coral Bay community's needs.
When company officials expressed concern about exposure to the elements, Chapman went to so far as to put up a wall to protect the machine from driving rain. He noted that the location is convenient for boaters as well land residents and visitors on St. John's east end.
The ceremonial inauguration of the machine had been set for Monday afternoon, but the Caribbean Exchange official who showed up with the money to be placed in the device neglected to bring the key to open it. On Tuesday, all went as planned, and Chapman, who is based at the Cruz Bay fire station but lives in Coral Bay, said he tried it out later Tuesday. Not only did he get the requested cash, he said; the receipt "showed a bigger balance that I thought" in his bank account.
Although the fire station ATM is the first in Coral Bay, Caribbean Exchange already put five others in operation as well on St. John this week. Three are at resorts and two are in Cruz Bay. The company has also installed 18 machines on St. Thomas and 15 on St. Croix.
Caribbean Exchange Enterprise is an affiliate of The Credit Card Center, which has operations throughout the mainland United States and Canada. According to a press release, the Credit Card Center is "the largest process provider for ATM's."

Editor's note: For further information about St. John's ATMs, see Business/St. John.

Public meetings to gather information from island residents on hazardous flooding conditions in the territory will be held in the evening Wednesday on St. Thomas, Thursday on St. John and Friday on St. Croix. Findings will be incorporated into a report being prepared by Island Resources Foundation for the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
The report will summarize existing conditions and available research data and make recommendations for developing flood hazard mitigations programs in the Virgin Islands.
The objectives of the programs are twofold, according to Island Resources manager Bruce Potter:
– To reduce and prevent loss of life, personal injury, and economic and property damage due to flooding; and
– To integrate effective flood hazard mitigation activities and controls within the V.I. government's land-use and natural resources-management programs.
Those who have experienced serious flooding conditions in the islands are encouraged to attend the meetings. Col. J.P. Walker, VITEMA state director, described the data-gathering effort as "valuable and long-overdue." He urged those who have personal knowledge of flooding conditions to "attend these meetings and share their insightful and valuable information."
The St. Thomas meeting will take place Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Vitema offices in the AQ Building across from Nisky Center.
The St. John session will be held Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Legislature Building conference room in Cruz Bay.
The St. Croix meeting will be on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Education Department Curriculum Center.
At all three meetings, the Island Resources Foundation will present a summary of its findings to date and take testimony. Those wishing to present information are asked to telephone 775-6225 or e-mail bpotter@irf.org.

Public meetings to gather information from island residents on hazardous flooding conditions in the territory will be held in the evening Wednesday on St. Thomas, Thursday on St. John and Friday on St. Croix. Findings will be incorporated into a report being prepared by Island Resources Foundation for the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
The report will summarize existing conditions and available research data and make recommendations for developing flood hazard mitigations programs in the Virgin Islands.
The objectives of the programs are twofold, according to Island Resources manager Bruce Potter:
– To reduce and prevent loss of life, personal injury, and economic and property damage due to flooding; and
– To integrate effective flood hazard mitigation activities and controls within the V.I. government's land-use and natural resources-management programs.
Those who have experienced serious flooding conditions in the islands are encouraged to attend the meetings. Col. J.P. Walker, VITEMA state director, described the data-gathering effort as "valuable and long-overdue." He urged those who have personal knowledge of flooding conditions to "attend these meetings and share their insightful and valuable information."
The St. Thomas meeting will take place Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Vitema offices in the AQ Building across from Nisky Center.
The St. John session will be held Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Legislature Building conference room in Cruz Bay.
The St. Croix meeting will be on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Education Department Curriculum Center.
At all three meetings, the Island Resources Foundation will present a summary of its findings to date and take testimony. Those wishing to present information are asked to telephone 775-6225 or e-mail bpotter@irf.org.

Public meetings to gather information from island residents on hazardous flooding conditions in the territory will be held in the evening Wednesday on St. Thomas, Thursday on St. John and Friday on St. Croix. Findings will be incorporated into a report being prepared by Island Resources Foundation for the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
The report will summarize existing conditions and available research data and make recommendations for developing flood hazard mitigations programs in the Virgin Islands.
The objectives of the programs are twofold, according to Island Resources manager Bruce Potter:
– To reduce and prevent loss of life, personal injury, and economic and property damage due to flooding; and
– To integrate effective flood hazard mitigation activities and controls within the V.I. government's land-use and natural resources-management programs.
Those who have experienced serious flooding conditions in the islands are encouraged to attend the meetings. Col. J.P. Walker, VITEMA state director, described the data-gathering effort as "valuable and long-overdue." He urged those who have personal knowledge of flooding conditions to "attend these meetings and share their insightful and valuable information."
The St. Thomas meeting will take place Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Vitema offices in the AQ Building across from Nisky Center.
The St. John session will be held Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Legislature Building conference room in Cruz Bay.
The St. Croix meeting will be on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Education Department Curriculum Center.
At all three meetings, the Island Resources Foundation will present a summary of its findings to date and take testimony. Those wishing to present information are asked to telephone 775-6225 or e-mail bpotter@irf.org.

Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen welcomed Virgin Islands artist and two-time winner of the Congressional Arts Competition, Delney Carbon, to Capitol Hill Tuesay for the ribbon cutting ceremony and photo session honoring this year's winners of the "Artistic Discovery" contest.
Carbon, a recent honors graduate of the St. Croix Educational Complex, received top honors over 52 entries from high school students throughout the territory for his painting entitled "Crucian Geckos of the 21st Century." He was accompanied by his art instructors John Jones and Bernard Brooks. Carbon will be majoring in Computer Animation this fall at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland.
The annual Congressional competition showcases work from students across the United States and is sponsored locally by Christensen. In addition to the ceremonies on Capitol Hill, the winning selection will be displayed in the Cannon House Office Building until next year.
"It is always a pleasure to welcome our students to the nation's capitol and particularly to honor their academic achievements. I encourage all students with an interest in art to prepare for the next year's local competition," Christensen said.

Virgin Islands Capital Resources, Inc. (VI Cap) and the University of the Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center will host the 2000 Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Conference on June 24 at the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino on St. Croix.
The theme of the conference is "Connecting the US Virgin Islands to the World Economy," and the schedule features a keynote presentation by Daniel Johnson, a partner in the firm Fenwick & West LLP and an intellectual property attorney who counsels technology companies in Silicon Valley.
The program also features the first-ever Youth in Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, which recognize outstanding entrepreneurs in the territory.
The one-day conference is designed to focus on the private sector and to offer practical information regarding how to participate in the global marketplace. Besides the keynote address, presentations and panels include, "The Status of the US Virgin Islands in the World Economy," "How Other Communities are Connecting," "Implementation Strategies – Logistics," and "Implementation Strategies – Technology." Businesses, those interested in community development, and government workers and officials are all expected to gain useful information and networking contacts from the event.
The 2000 conference follows the success of the 1999 conference, which had a theme of "Establishing a Healthy Economy through Entrepreneurship and the Private Sector" and featured a Keynote address by Michael Fields, former president of Oracle USA and successful entrepreneur.
"This year’s conference builds on the foundation we began laying last year," said SBDC Associate Director Daniel T. Hogue. "We want to expose our local business community to as many new avenues as possible in order to maximize their ability to tap into new markets. If we can gain a foothold into the emerging technology markets, then we can diversify our economy and also create new job markets for the future."
Registration for the conference can be done on-line in the services area of http://www.ekalaloo.com. All other forms of registration should be directed to Karen Jones at the office of the University of the Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center on St. Croix (340-692-5270). To find out more about the conference please also speak with Karen Jones or visit the web site at http://www.seslia.com/html/entrepreneurial_conference.html.

All the parties involved in the lawsuit surrounding the Southern Energy-V.I. government deal to sell 80 percent of the Water and Power Authority were claiming a modicum of victory following a Territorial Court judge’s decision Tuesday.
Earlier this year, St. Croix community activist Gail Watson Chiang filed suit against the V.I. government, Southern Energy and several WAPA board members. Among the complaints filed by Chiang and her attorney, Lee Rohn, were that Gov. Charles Turnbull didn’t have the authority to enter into negotiations with the company and that by dealing only with Southern local competitive bidding laws were violated.
Turnbull subsequently submitted the sale proposal to the Legislature for its approval. The proposal would give the Atlanta-based company 80 percent ownership of WAPA in a deal worth between $380 million and $400 million over 25 years. The immediate value to the government is about $148 million, including the forgiveness of $31 million the government currently owes WAPA and other indebtedness.
Of the $14 million, Southern Energy would pay the government approximately $105 million in cash up front.
On Tuesday, Territorial Court Judge Alphonso Andrews dismissed the counts against Turnbull and Southern Energy. He also dismissed counts against WAPA board members Andrew Rutnik, Arthur Downing, Dean Plaskett and Ira Hobson. They were all on the government’s negotiating team that went to Southern’s headquarters in Atlanta last summer. Chiang alleged that first-class airfare and rooms at the Ritz Carlton, among other things, were paid for by Southern.
Andrews let stand Chiang’s contention that the Public Finance Authority’s financing of the initiative, particularly the hiring of consultants, was illegal in that the PFA can only fund capital improvement projects. That issue will be addressed in an Aug. 22 hearing.
"Really, it’s a great victory. I think the judge was fair and just," Chiang said, adding that the survival of the PFA count showed the case had merit. "The issue now is how much money they have expended, which is millions, to determine if that was legal or illegal and if they have to pay it back."
Meanwhile, James O’Bryan, a Turnbull administration spokesman, said that government officials had yet to be fully briefed on the decision Tuesday night. Still, he said the dismissal of the counts against the government, Southern Energy and the WAPA board members supported the governor’s decision to enter into negotiations with the company.
"In large part, the decision is one that is favorable to the governor and his position," O’Bryan said. "The governor continues to support the proposal and feels he was operating within the confines of his authority as chief executive."
Because administration staff hadn’t seen Andrews’s decision Tuesday evening, O’Bryan was reluctant to comment on the outstanding decision on the PFA.
"In the long run, the governor feels the court will hold up his decision" to enter into negotiations with Southern Energy, O’Bryan said.
Andrews dismissed several of the counts because they were not yet "ripe." If the Legislature approves the sale proposal, Chiang said the dismissed counts will be viable.
"The issue of ripening was an issue we had to face a long time ago. We had to go ahead and file it rather than wait," she said. "Once the Legislature makes a decision . . . that will make them ripe.
"We’re in the fight. It ain’t over."