Dear Source:
Elected officials, particularly those representing citizens in The United States and its territories, ought to be held accountable for their public dialog.
According to The Washington Post, V.I. Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen called radio personality Doug Tracht a "white supremacist". That is a filthy, slanderous lie. Smearing him with the "racist" label is likewise an ugly, un-truth, but Sen. Hansen's "white supremacist" is a baseless falsehood that further bruises a man who has spent the year trying to find his way after a terrible mistake.
I have known Doug Tracht for nearly 20 years. For over nine of those years, I produced "The Greaseman Show". Doug Tracht and I have been together in business, social and recreational situations of every kind. I have never known him to act anything but courteous and respectful of everyone he came in contact with. Aside from being the most talented broadcaster I've ever known, he's a great friend and kind and loving human being.
The people of the Virgin Islands should not be told lies about this man. They should have had the chance to make up their OWN minds about his radio program. The TRUTH is that is was an entertainment program! It's true, the comments Doug made around Martin Luther King Day in 1986, and last year's reference to Lauryn Hill were unfeeling, ill-timed and hurtful. They were not typical of the show, nor were they done intentionally. They WERE NOT the product of a "white supremacist".
Doug has spent the past year soul-searching and reacing out to African-American community. He has met with the Byrd family, spoken with ministers, etc.. He was truly sorry for what he did and now wants to move on with his life and career.
To hold a man accountable for his actions is expected, to deny a man his livelihood is evil. The truth is, Doug was well-known in the community. He was a volunteer sheriff, translating Spanish for Hispanics in court; he raised money and attention for the funding of The National Police Officer's Memorial here in Washington; Doug Tracht had friends and fans of EVERY race.
Doug Tracht would have been a positive person to have in The Virgin Islands community. The man who wanted to hire Doug for "The Mongoose" had every right to do that. To hold his decision hostage with threats of boycotts or worse is blackmail.
Radio listeners vote with their fingers, they can change the station or shut it off. Sen. Hansen should consider all the facts next time before she soils a man's reputation with a slanderous falsehood. She has done more than hurt Mr. Tracht's reputation, she has fouled her own.
Bill Scanlan
Washington, D.C.

As the Anguilla Landfill on St. Croix smolders and the Bovoni Landfill on St. Thomas sits atop a powder keg of methane gas, the Public Works Department is preparing to put out requests for the design of a new, state-of-the-art solid waste facility.
Depending on the winning bid, there could be either one or two new facilities to handle the approximately 150,000 tons of garbage – or more, depending on the estimates cited – produced each year in the territory, according to the Public Works draft request for proposals.
How much is 150,000 tons? Carnival Cruise Lines’ megaship Destiny tips the scales at 100,000 tons. Another way to better fathom the amount of waste generated in the territory can be gleaned from a 1993 study done by Gershman, Brickner & Bratton. That report estimated the per capita solid waste generation rates for St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John at 8.6, 11.1 and 12.4 pounds per person per day respectively. That amount is twice that of people on the mainland.
To handle the constant flow of waste at what are in effect dumps and not federally approved landfills, the Public Works RFP, set to be advertised at the end of February, seeks to identify a private contractor to build and operate a solid waste management facility on either St. Thomas or St. Croix or a facility on each island. While Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. didn’t return several calls regarding this article, past estimates for a single waste management facility have been in the neighborhood of $100 million.
"In general, it is envisioned that the solid waste management facility (SWMF) may consist of a material recycling facility (MRF), followed by a process to destroy solid waste, followed by landfilling of unusable/unprocessable materials and byproducts of the destruction process," states the draft RFP. "It is also envisioned that the waste destruction process could also produce marketable products such as energy and perhaps potable water."
According to the draft RFP, bidders will have the options of either building facilities on both St. Thomas and St. Croix on 10 acres adjacent to each island’s existing landfills, or of building a single facility at either of the existing landfills. If a single facility is chosen, 20 acres will be made available on the designated island and 10 acres of land will be made available for siting a transfer station for collecting garbage in the district that does not have a facility.
Ownership of the land will remain with the government and a $1 per year lease will be provided the contractor to allow use of the land during the life of the contract, providing all contractual conditions are met.
In return, the V.I. government would grant the winning bidder a long-term contract and the right to charge a tipping fee for disposal of solid waste brought to the new facility, a guarantee of a minimum quantity of solid waste to process and the right to market certain byproducts. In addition, the draft RFP states that the winning company will be eligible for Industrial Development Commission benefits.

TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN
Exactly what technology will be used to dispose of the islands’ garbage is not entirely clear at this point. Thompson has previously stated that the dearth of available land on each island makes a new landfill highly unlikely. He has also said –- although not directly — that incineration is not an option.
"Because of our present water collection methodology, via the utilization of cisterns, contaminating the roofs in our communities creates other potential hazards," Thompson said at a recent Senate committee hearing focusing on the territory’s landfills.
The draft RFP, however, also states that neither local law nor Public Works intends to stop a bidder from proposing other types of "thermochemical processes." That means other waste destruction methods that use heat to cause chemical reactions, including gasification, could be put into place.
Last year, Thompson visited jurisdictions that use gasification to destroy their waste, including Germany. While he isn’t campaigning publicly for one process or another, Thompson has hinted that gasification is the government’s preferred method for curing the territory’s solid waste woes.
Like incineration, gasification uses heat to destroy garbage. Incineration burns the organic material in solid waste by introducing air during the process, producing high-temperature gases that must be cooled and cleaned before being released through a smokestack. The byproduct of the process, ash, which consists of metals and silica, must be disposed of in a landfill.
Gasification, meanwhile, operates at temperatures almost twice as high as incineration. Because of the high temperatures, all organic compounds are destroyed. Gases produced in the process are then quickly cooled to prevent compounds such as dioxins from reforming.
The high temperatures are also above the melting point of metal and mineral products found in solid waste. The metal byproduct is processed into pellets that can be used in a smelter.

RECYCLE, REUSE, REWHAT?
Last year, the St. Croix Environmental Association completed its Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan. SEA’s plan places a high priority on recycling, reuse, waste reduction and composting. Through its work, SEA found that more than 50 percent of what is going into the territory’s landfills is compostable material.
A gasification method, however, has the ability to handle unsorted municipal solid waste, industrial waste, tires, medical waste, appliances and construction debris – basically anything and everything. And while that may sound like a panacea to some, it poses a problem for others.
Yvonne Petersen, director of SEA, said that while methods like gasification have become more environmentally sound over the years, the message sent to the community is that it doesn’t need to reduce the amount of waste it produces.
"Source reduction is an important part of an integrated waste management plan," Petersen said, adding that the draft RFP only gives cursory attention to recycling. "The language is not really very strong," she said. "There’s no discussion about educating the community on recycling.
"We have a long way to go to educate. We’re talking about gasification, but there is no educational component to it."
To the extent feasible, the draft RFP states, Public Works prefers to promote recycling and or reuse of solid waste.
"Thus, although not an absolute requirement, it is strongly preferred by the government that the contractor include a Materials Recycling facility (MRF) in the contractor’s SWMF and marketing of the materials recovered."
To promote recycling in the territory, Public Works states that it wants to establish recycling bins at its solid waste transfer stations "for those materials the contractor deems recyclable or reusable."
"Recycling or reuse by composting does not appear to be feasible at the sites provided by the government on either island because of the proximity of residential neighborhoods, limited land area, or the potential to attract birds which could jeopardize airport operations (St. Croix)," the draft RFP states. "However, it may be possible to work with (local) groups . . . to implement smaller, dispersed composting operations."
But Petersen said Public Works needs to make the recycling provisions in the RFP an absolute requirement, not just an aside.
"Based on past history with the government, we feel that if recycling is not part of the initial program, it’s not going to happen," Petersen said. "We need to get the dump fire under control, but we need to do it outside the crisis mode with long-range thinking."
STOKING THE FIRE
Paying for a system that could cost approximately $100 million means the territory would have to start doing what every ot
her jurisdiction in the United States does: charge people and companies tipping fees when disposing of garbage. Various studies commissioned by the government have placed the cost at $40 to $50 a ton.
The company building and operating a new facility would keep the revenue to cover costs associated with debt repayment or for operating, managing and maintaining the facilities.
"Tipping fees have never been charged for landfilling solid waste in the territory nor have residential customers been charged directly for government pickup and disposal of their solid waste," the draft RFP states. "It is thus difficult to predict what effect the advent of solid waste disposal fees would have on the amount of solid waste requiring future disposal."
And that could be key in the long-term operation of a facility. To fund a gasification unit, a large amount of garbage must be run through to make it economically feasible. Because of that, Public Works has guaranteed a future contractor a certain tonnage of trash per year. That opens the door for trash to be imported not only from within the territory, but from outside as well.
Public Works is only interested in proposals with technologies and facilities that can process, at minimum, not only 75,000 tons of solid waste per year, but also up to 150,000 tons, according to the draft RFP.
"There is one exception to this 75,000 tons per year lower end requirement. Since 75,000 tons per year of solid waste may be beneath the economic threshold of some technologies, the government may allow the contractor to bring into the territory additional solid waste providing it is not violating any regulation in doing so, it is demonstrated to be beneficial to the territory to do so, and it is approved in writing at least six months in advance of any actual physical transfer."

SAME OLD SONG?
Meanwhile, Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Environmental Protection Committee chair, asked Gov. Charles Turnbull Friday to declare a state of emergency concerning the solid waste situation in the territory. Donastorg, however, said such a declaration may have been put in place by the previous administration following Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 and never rescinded.
Whatever the case, the situation at the government landfills is not new. Dozens of methane-fueled fires have ignited at the Bovoni Landfill over the last 20 years. And, as with the latest effort by Public Works to construct a new facility, there have been almost the same amount of studies done concerning landfill and solid waste management – all for not.
"I think the situation . . . has become dangerous," Donastorg said, regarding the latest fires at the St. Croix landfill and the subsequent back-up of trash around the island. "I don’t see any significant effort to solve this problem."
Thompson, however, recently told Donastorg’s committee that Public Works efforts are for real this time. "We can’t afford to mess up this time, because the landfills of the Virgin Islands have a lifespan alarm clock ticking, which will sound off in a little over four years," Thompson said, adding that the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered that the St. Croix landfill be closed by the end of 2002.
A completed RFP is scheduled to go out to bid next week, with a notice to proceed at the end of August. Construction permitting and start-up of the St. Croix facility is estimated to take two-and-a-half years, with St. Thomas following six months later, according to Thompson.
"Based on need, the St. Croix plant will be built first, and I don’t think that there would be much dispute on that subject," he said. "Overall, we are moving in the areas of disposal in a timely manner from a financial and practical point of view."

As the Anguilla Landfill on St. Croix smoulders and the Bovoni Landfill on St. Thomas sits atop a powder keg of methane gas, the Department of Public Works is preparing to put out requests for the design of a new, state-of-the-art solid waste facility.
Depending on the winning bid, however, there could be either one or two new facilities to handle the approximately 150,000 tons of garbage – or more, depending on the estimates cited – produced each year in the territory, according to Public Works’ draft request for proposals.
How much is 150,000 tons? Carnival Cruise Lines’ mega-ship Destiny tips the scales at 100,000 tons. Another way to better fathom the amount of waste generated in the territory can be gleaned from a 1993 study done by Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. That report estimated the per capita solid waste generation rates for St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John at 8.6, 11.1, and 12.4 pounds per person per day respectively. That amount is twice that of people on the mainland.
To handle the constant flow of waste at what are in effect dumps and not federally approved landfills, Public Works’ RFP, set to be advertised at the end of February, seeks to identify a private contractor to build and operate a solid waste management facility on either St. Thomas or St. Croix or a facility on both islands. While Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. didn’t return several calls regarding this article, past estimates for a single waste management facility have been placed in the $100-million neighborhood.
"In general, it is envisioned that the solid waste management facility (SWMF) may consist of a material recycling facility (MRF), followed by a process to destroy solid waste, followed by landfilling of unusable/unprocessable materials and byproducts of the destruction process," states the draft RFP. "It is also envisioned that the waste destruction process could also produce marketable products such as energy and perhaps potable water."
According to the draft RFP, bidders will have the option of either building a facility on both St. Thomas and St. Croix on 10 acres adjacent to each island’s existing landfills or building a single facility at either of the existing landfills. If a single facility is chosen, 20 acres will be made available on the designated island and 10 acres of land will be made available for siting an Island Transfer Station for collecting garbage in the district that does not have a facility.
Ownership of the land will remain with the government and a $1 per year lease will be provided the contractor to allow use of the land during the life of the contract providing all contractual conditions are met.
In return, the V.I. government would grant the winning bidder a long-term contract and the right to charge a tipping fee for disposal of solid waste brought to the new facility, a guarantee of a minimum quantity of solid waste to process and the right to market certain byproducts. In addition, the draft RFP states that the winning company will be eligible for Industrial Development Commission benefits.

TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN
Exactly what technology will be used to dispose of the islands’ garbage is not entirely clear at this point. Public Works’ Thompson has previously stated that the dearth of available land on each island makes a new landfill highly unlikely. He has also said – although not directly — that incineration is not an option.
"Because of our present water collection methodology, via the utilization of cisterns, contaminating the roofs in our communities create other potential hazards," Thompson said at a recent Senate committee hearing focusing on the territory’s landfills.
The draft RFP, however, also states that neither local law nor Public Works intends to stop a bidder from proposing other types of "thermochemical processes." That means other waste destruction methods that use heat to cause chemical reactions, including gasification, could be put into place.
Last year, Thompson visited jurisdictions that use gasification to destroy their waste, including Germany. While he isn’t campaigning publicly for one process or another, Thompson has hinted that gasification is the government’s preferred method for curing the territory’s solid waste woes.
Like incineration, gasification uses heat to destroy garbage. Incineration burns the organic material in solid waste by introducing air during the process, producing high-temperature gases that must be cooled and cleaned before being released through a smokestack. The byproduct of the process, ash, which consists of metals and silica, must be disposed of in a landfill.
Gasification, meanwhile, operates at temperatures almost twice as high as incineration. Because of the high temperatures, all organic compounds are destroyed. Gases produced in the process are then quickly cooled to prevent compounds such as dioxins from reforming.
The high temperatures are also above the melting point of metal and mineral products found in solid waste. The metal byproduct is processed into pellets that can be used in a smelter.

RECYCLE, REUSE, REWHAT?
Last year, the St. Croix Environmental Association completed its Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan. SEA’s plan places a high priority on recycling, reuse, waste reduction and composting. Through its work, SEA found that more than 50 percent of what is going into the territory’s landfills is compostable material.
A gasification method, however, has the ability to handle unsorted municipal solid waste, industrial waste, tires, medical waste, appliances and construction debris – basically anything and everything. And while that may sound like a panacea to some, it poses a problem for others.
Yvonne Petersen, director of SEA, said that while methods like gasification have become more environmentally sound over the years, the message sent to the community is that it doesn’t need to reduce the amount of waste it produces.
"Source reduction is an important part of an integrated waste management plan," Petersen said, adding that the draft RFP only gives cursory attention to recycling. "The language is not really very strong. There’s no discussion about educating the community on recycling.
"We have a long way to go to educate. We’re talking about gasification but there is no educational component to it."
To the extent feasible, the draft RFP states, Public Works’ preference is to promote recycling and or reuse of solid waste.
"Thus, although not an absolute requirement, it is strongly preferred by the government that the contractor include a Materials Recycling facility (MRF) in the contractor’s SWMF and marketing of the materials recovered."
To promote recycling in the territory, Public Works states that it wants to establish recycling bins at its solid waste transfer stations "for those materials the contractor deems recyclable or reusable."
"Recycling or reuse by composting does not appear to be feasible at the sites provided by the government on either island because of the proximity of residential neighborhoods, limited land area, or the potential to attract birds which could jeopardize airport operations (St. Croix)," the draft RFP states. "However, it may be possible to work with (local) groups . . . to implement smaller, dispersed composting operations."
But SEA’s Petersen said Public Works needs to make the recycling provisions in the RFP an absolute requirement, not just an aside.
"Based on past history with the government, we feel that if recycling is not part of the initial program, it’s not going to happen," Petersen said. "We need to get the dump fire under control, but we need to do it outside the crisis mode with long-range thinking."
STOKING THE FIRE
Paying for a system that could cost approximately $100 million means the
territory would have to start doing what every other jurisdiction in the United States does: charge people and companies tipping fees when disposing of garbage. Various studies commissioned by the government have placed the cost at $40 to $50 a ton.
The company building and operating a new facility would keep the revenue to cover costs associated with debt repayment or for operating, managing and maintaining the facilities.
"Tipping fees have never been charged for landfilling solid waste in the territory nor have residential customers been charged directly for government pickup and disposal of their solid waste," the draft RFP states. "It is thus difficult to predict what effect the advent of solid waste disposal fees would have on the amount of solid waste requiring future disposal."
And that could be key in the long-term operation of a facility. To fund a gasification unit, a large amount of garbage must be run through to make it economically feasible. Because of that, Public Works has guaranteed a future contractor a certain tonnage of trash per year. That opens the door for trash to be imported not only from within the territory, but from outside as well.
Public Works is only interested in proposals with technologies and facilities that can not only process, at minimum, 75,000 tons of solid waste per year, but also up to 150,000 tons, according to the draft RFP.
"There is one exception to this 75,000 tons per year lower end requirement. Since 75,000 tons per year of solid waste may be beneath the economic threshold of some technologies, the government may allow the contractor to bring into the territory additional solid waste providing it is not violating any regulation in doing so, it is demonstrated to be beneficial to the territory to do so, and it is approved in writing at least six months in advance of any actual physical transfer."

SAME OLD SONG?
Meanwhile, Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, chairman of the Committee on Environmental Protection, on Friday petitioned Gov. Charles Turnbull to declare a state of emergency concerning the solid waste situation in the territory. Donastorg, however, said such a declaration may have been put in place by the previous administration following Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 and never rescinded.
Whatever the case, the situation at the government’s landfills are not new. Dozens of methane-fueled fires have ignited at the Bovoni Landfill over the last 20 years. And, as with the latest effort by Public Works to construct a new facility, there have been almost the same amount of studies done concerning landfill and solid waste management – all for not.
"I think the situation . . . has become dangerous," Donastorg said, regarding the latest fires at the St. Croix landfill and the subsequent back-up of trash around the island. "I don’t see any significant effort to solve this problem."
Commissioner Thompson, however, recently told Donastorg’s committee that Public Works’ efforts were for real this time.
"We can’t afford to mess up this time because the landfills of the Virgin Islands have a lifespan alarm clock ticking, which will sound off in a little over four years," Thompson said, adding that the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered that the St. Croix landfill be closed by the end of 2002.
A completed RFP is scheduled to go out to bid next week, with a notice to proceed at the end of August. Construction permitting and start-up of the St. Croix facility is estimated to take two-and-a-half years with St. Thomas following six months later, according to Thompson.
"Based on need, the St. Croix plant will be built first and I don’t think that there would be much dispute on that subject," he said. "Overall, we are moving in the areas of disposal in a timely manner from a financial and practical point of view."

The Government Employees' Retirement System invites members over 30 years of age to participate in a Pre-retirement Workshop at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 15, at the GERS Conference Room, 3005 Orange Grove.
Learn about your benefits: Social Security, legal rights, health insurance coverage, securing your financial future, system benefits, and much more.
For addition information or to pre-register, call Mrs. Ann Forbes-Samuel at 773-5480. Seating is limited so register early. Registration deadline is Friday, March 10.

The Cancryn Junior High School Iguana's Marching Band Boosters will meet at 12:30 on Saturday, March 4, in the Band Room at the school.
All parents of band members are asked to attend and support the Band Boosters activities.

The Addelita Cancryn Junior High School Iguana's Marching Band Boosters will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 4, in the band room at the school.
All parents of band members are asked to come and support Band Boosters activities.

My decision to become lean, mean machine several months ago has taken some real sacrifice and hard work. When my on again/off again Trainer, Niles Pearsall, (I am the off again/on again
part of that equation), asked me if I was "up" for the 8 Tuff Miles, I said sure! Luckily, this was posed to me on Thursday, the race on Saturday, so I did not have much time to dwell on the ramifications of my commitment.
The "Elysian gym" contingent was to meet at the Red Hook Ferry Dock at 6:15 a.m., about the time I usually go to sleep. So, Friday night, I set my alarm for 5:00 am, giving me ample time to consume at least an entire pot of coffee (energy), smoke a few cigarettes (yep), and try to eliminate as much of the coffee as possible. I carefully chose my tank top, sports bra, shorts and matching underwear (Mother always said you never know when you may make a trip to the hospital, and I felt the possibility certainly existed), my cleanest socks.
I found my spare set of truck keys, grabbed two $20s, my lip balm and a tube of spray vitamin B-12. Now the hard part…I climbed into bed at 9 p.m., set the air conditioner on cold! And snuggled under the covers, only to begin to worry if I could really do this. Brought out the boring book, and I was probably in la-la land before 10 p.m.
The alarm went off at 5 a.m., coffee pot went on and I began to dress. My mind was on red-alert.
Will I make a fool of myself? Will I make it? Do I have the nerve to not show up? I can do it!
No I can’t! Shut up BOTH of you! I tucked everything into my sports bra and took off in the dark to Red Hook. I immediately looked around for the gang, did not see them, so I went in search of more coffee. While en route to the Deli at AYH, I actually ran into some friends on their way home from a night out! That made me puff up a little when I informed them I was on my way to St. John to do a road race
Well, first of all, there were plenty of no-shows, in fact only seven of us showed up. As I departed the ferry, my first thought was "Will I make it to the restrooms?". Cruz Bay was abuzz with healthy, svelte people everywhere. Off to register. I decided to sign up as a walker, thinking that my time would not look so bad. Got my number, pinned it on, did some stretching, and off we were. I tried to keep up with some friends, but they are at least 6" taller than me and I could not keep up with their stride. I watch them disappear up the first hill. Did I say FIRST hill?, I should have said at the bottom of the five-and-a-half-mile hill. I realized quickly I needed to pace myself, it was hard to breathe. I could hear myself huffing and puffing, I checked everyone that passed me by for their breathing, but I seemed to be the loudest. Now I realize they didn’t hear me, only I did. Well, by the first mile mark, I just knew I wasn’t going to make it. It was just a matter of how I could drop out gracefully.
Next thing I know, I see the two-mile mark. Okay, that’s one-fourth, 25 percent of the course, if I don’t feel any better by mile three, I skip out. All of a sudden, I remember every cigarette I have ever smoked, every pat of butter I have ever spread, every Godiva chocolate I ever consumed. I will be better, I swear, just let me make it to mile four…that should be Bordeaux Mountain, and then it will be downhill from there! Well I made it mile four and Bordeaux Mountain was nowhere in sight. As a girl passed me she said we had another mile or so to Bordeaux, but the worse part was coming up ..from Reef Trail to Bordeaux. Now I started plotting, if I take the curves on the smaller part, I could shave off a few feet at each curve. Maybe I could stop to pee at Bordeaux and run downhill to make up the time. Maybe I could steal a donkey from the girl that gives rides at Bordeaux…Bordeaux, Bordeaux…that was my mantra. Finally, I rounded a corner, and by rounded, I mean I was bent over, forcing myself not to fall over backwards and the best sight I could imagine was before me!!! Bordeaux Mountain and a Rescue Truck. I figured they were waiting for me, but unconsciously, I waved to them as I passed by. I could see Coral Bay! I could look straight ahead and not see pavement!! I might make it.
About that time, Mardi Williamson caught up with me and we started the trek downhill. We could actually carry on a conversation. In fact, at one point I asked her if she had seen a mile six sign and she informed me we had passed it a while back! Next came mile seven and I thought I was home free, although going downhill so steeply is not much more fun than uphill. I did a little
"jog" of sorts, the rules state you have to walk or run, can’t do both. Next thing I know, Mardi was behind me and I was actually passing others.
Well, mile eight came up, and we were informed it was about another ½ mile to the flat. They lied!
I had set everything on that eight-mile mark only to find I had been duped! About that time a guy came by with two horses. Now I never, never go anywhere without my American Express card,
I would have bought a horse right then and there, but alas, it didn’t fit in my bra! So no horse,
no flyer miles, and onward I went. But I made it!
At the finish line, there was an inviting array of fruit and juices. I grabbed a cup of cold water and immediately headed over to Skinny Legs to get my prize..a T-shirt. I moseyed over the bar, with my head up high and ordered a Coke. Then I borrowed a cigarette from the guy next to me.
A couple at the bar mentioned they’d heard of people walking a mile for a Camel, but never anyone walking eight miles for a Marlboro….well.
My legs ached, otherwise the only thing I felt was homesick for my bed. I waited with others for a bus back to Cruz Bay, it was delayed by a funeral procession. A note here, one of the first things I saw was a black hearse upon entering Coral Bay….I thought Ha! Not this time! Since
the bus was late, we were really in a pinch to get to Cruz Bay in time for the 11 a.m. ferry. We
were stuck in traffic at the post office intersection, the driver informed me if I RAN I could still
make it and RUN I did, and I made it! After a two hour nap and a sandwich, I am ready to do it again!
A footnote here…Niles:, THANK YOU! To the KATS kids…congratulations, for
a well run race.

Music sounded, goods abounded and, armed with equal amounts of determination and shopping bags, St. Thomas' finest bargain hunters poured into the United Way fifth annual Flea Market on Saturday morning in Emancipation Garden.
The event has become a kind of singular tradition, with old friends exchanging greetings and advice, holding up a piece of clothing or, perhaps a cheeseburger telephone or a two-foot tall plaster giraffe.
A very tired but happy Yanick Bayard, United Way president, said afterwards it was all worth it.
"We took in about $6,000, but we still have a few tallies not yet in," Bayard said. "I'm very excited – anything over $5,000 is exciting when you are selling such inexpensive things."
Bayard was one of several local personalities, including Andrea Martin (and Gabby), Ellen MacLean, event chairperson, and Thyra Hammond who donated their time to the affair.
The event was really a team effort, Bayard said, and all countries were definitely heard from, up to and including a juggler, Steve Posterman, of the University of the Virgin Islands, who was tossing knives and flying torches around. But that's to name just one.
The Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Downstreet People's Youth in Action Steel Orchestra all pitched in. They sold all the tickets to a raffle, 500 at a dollar each, helped set up and break down the booths and displays, sold cakes, hot dogs and hamburgers, and tried their hand(s) at crowd control. And the orchestra played.
Victim Advocates, Catholic Charities, Ebenezer Gardens Senior Center and the St. Thomas Reformed church all had food and drinks for sale. The American Red Cross had plants and trees on the market.
Bayard said about 200 people came to shop, and not only locals. "We had lots of tourists from the ships stopping by," she said. "It was amazing. They were delighted to find the open air market and the local food and music, and they bought things, too – sunglasses, belts and hats."
Though the market did well, Bayard said, United Way is still short of its campaign goal.
"We are still accepting donations," she pointed out hopefully.
The day ended at 3 p.m. with the raffle of lots of prizes, topped off by a $450 diamond ring donated by H. Stern Jewelers, and won by Civil Air Patrol cadet Ronald Fahie.
"Oh. . . . I'm going to give it to my mother!" he said, providing a happy ending to the sun-filled day.

Amid the chair caning, fish net weaving and broom making at the 9th annual Folklife Festival at the Annaberg ruins Friday, a grade school boy wandered by contentedly sucking on homemade candy. He was one of dozens of youngsters on the grounds, and most of them seemed to be having a great time.
Over the years, the three-day cultural event staged in and presented by the V.I. National Park has been a time for both fun and reflection for hundreds of students, pre-school to pre-teen, from public and private schools. (Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. is the last opportunity to take in this year's fair. Admisson is free.)
Some of the youngsters present Friday were there to perform with groups of quadrille and bamboula dancers. Others, like Javon Franc from the Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School, played steelpan, setting a group of children 2 to 4 years of age from the Early Learning Center romping to the beat. A group of youngsters applauded and laughed as their friends in the band took their turns at musical improvisation.
Over by broom maker Randolph Thomas, two students stood by waiting to watch him bend fan palms into broom heads and mount them on sharpened sticks.
Javon, who's 13, said it was his second visit to the fair, where straw weavers and broom makers remind him of things he learned before he left his home down island two years ago. "I'm from Nevis, and when you sweep the yard, you sweep with that," he said, pointing to a hand- made broom." Here, he added, his family uses the store-bought variety.
For Jervan Jackson, a fifth grader from Peace Corps Elementary School, seeing native crafts such as Gwendolyn Harley's mango seed dolls was a new experience. "I've never really seen all of these things," he said. "It reminds me of my teacher's dolls."
But for Jervan, too, the broom making was familiar. He said his mother collects coconut fronds to make her homemade brooms.
A short distance away, in the shadow of the cookhouse, students from the New Horizons Alternative School on St. Thomas chatted in relaxed groups. Across the walkway, smoke rose from a slow-burning coal pit, part of a farming exhibit that held the attention of 14-year-old Simba Parker. "I like to farm," he said. "I like plants."
Robert Thigpen, 11, had sugar cane on his mind. "My granddad, he lives out in the country," he said. "He always brings sugar cane from Durant, Mississippi."
Other students said they liked the food, although the variety of dishes available is traditionally less lavish than at other V.I. festivals. Fifth grader Shenelle Buchanan found happiness in a meat-filled pastry. Nearby, a park interpreter called members of the BCB Burning Blazers band to sample fresh-baked dumb bread with cheese.
From the earliest days of the fair, V.I. National Park ranger Denise Georges has aimed her efforts in the annual Black History Month event at reaching out to local school children, both as participants and as consumers of culture. Friday afternoon, she looked over the gathering and smiled satisfaction.

After making the rounds in Washington, D.C., over the last week, Gov. Charles Turnbull said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will consider the territory’s request to restructure or forgive outright the approximately $200 million owed the agency for relief following major hurricanes.
Turnbull said he met FEMA Director James Lee Witt on Thursday to discuss the Hurricanes Hugo and Hurricane Marilyn Community Disaster Lonas. The storms devastated the islands in 1989 and 1995 respectively.
"I am pleased to report that we have reached a tentative agreement on a process for reviewing our petition," said Turnbull. "While I must emphasize that many difficult legal and technical issues remain, Thursday’s meeting produced a new willingness to work with the territory to address this important issue."
At the end of January, President Bill Clinton increased the share of disaster assistance for damage caused by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Lenny in 1999. That move took the territory off the hook for more than $2 million in matching funds.
The increased federal share will be applied to the Public Assistance Program for repairing storm-damaged infrastructure and the Individual and Family Grant Program. Funding will also go to the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The federal government has already agreed to a one-year forbearance on FEMA loan payments, saving the V.I. government nearly $10 million over the past 12 months.
Meanwhile, Turnbull visited a host of Capitol Hill movers and shakers to thank them for support on V.I. issues, including Sen. Frank Murkowski, (R-Alaska). Turnbull said he thanked the politicians for their support on legislation to increase rum tax revenue and an amendment to the Revised Organic Act last fall that facilitated a $300 million bond issue.