The victim of Friday’s Crown Bay boating accident is being transferred to a stateside hospital in guarded condition.
Robert Johnson, 69, a resident of Water Island, suffered a fractured spine when his Blackfin boat drove across a mooring line attached to the Dutch Navy ship Van Speijk.
The Dutch vessel, on liberty call on St. Thomas, was moored at the Crown Bay cruise ship dock at the time of the accident.
Maureen Venzen, an administrator at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital, said Johnson would be transferred to a Florida hospital for further treatment.
A marine enforcement unit from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, assisted by officers of the U.S. Coast Guard, responded to the emergency call after Johnson’s vessel, with a damaged control panel, sped into the Crown Bay Marina dock.
Coast Guard Lt. Chuck Barbee said Johnson’s accident was probably the result of not being able to see the mooring line because of the depth at which the Van Speijk was sitting in the water.
The lieutenant said even as rescuers were assisting Johnson and a female passenger, they saw a second vessel almost repeat the same error.
According to Barbee, the Dutch ship assigned someone to get boaters' attention to avoid further accidents.
"We directed them to hang some kind of marker so they could see it in the daytime. And they are going to light it at night as well so it shouldn’t be a problem again," Barbee said Friday afternoon.
Editor's note: See earlier story, "Water Island Man Injured in Boating Accident" for more details.

Beal Aerospace is "abandoning" its plans for St. Croix, despite comments by Beal officials as recently as this week that the company still wanted to build its world headquarters and rocket assembly plant on the island.
In a brief, three sentence statement to the media Friday afternoon, Wade Gates, Beal’s director of corporate affairs said the company is "abandoning efforts to build its corporate offices and primary assembly facility on St. Croix. Beal Aerospace will continue to explore its expansion opportunities in the continental United States."
Gates said in the release that the company would not comment further and he didn’t return a call Friday evening.
Beal’s announcement comes after news earlier this week that the State of Florida offered the company an unspecified incentive package to locate the assembly and headquarters facility with the Spaceport Florida Authority at Cape Canaveral. The Spaceport Authority provides financing, advocacy, technical support, business incentives, and facility/infrastructure development for space-related projects.
Despite the offer from Florida, Gates said Beal planned to pursue the St. Croix development because it is located near the company’s possible launch sites in Guyana and Anguilla.
Another possible factor in the company’s decision to pull out of St. Croix was a recent legal decision made in Territorial Court. Caribbean Space Technologies, an affiliate of Beal Aerospace, and the V.I. government were blocked by Territorial Court Judge Alphonso Andrews on Dec. 15 from implementing a land exchange agreement that would have given the company public property in order for it to construct its facility.
Andrews granted plaintiff Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen’s request for a permanent injunction against the land swap that was approved by the Legislature on Oct. 5. The swap would have given CST 14.5 acres of public land, known as Camp Arawak, in exchange for land it owns in Estate Whim and Grange Hill.
Although CST/Beal already own 270 acres adjacent to Camp Arawak, company officials contend that they need the public property for a portion of the assembly plant and parking lot.
Again, despite the ruling, Gates said the company "vowed" to appeal the decision and was starting the environmental permit process for the project.
A lawsuit filed by the St. Croix Environmental Association awaited the company as well.

The Department of Education is making an all out attempt at re-opening the troubled Elena Christian Junior High School on St. Croix Monday when sessions resume following the Christmas holidays.
On Thursday Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II and Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds toured the school, which is undergoing repairs, to see first hand the improvements that are under way.
"The repairs are underway and progress is quite evident," Education spokesperson June Archibald said Thursday evening. In the library she noted that the carpeting has been removed and replaced with tiles, fans have been installed in some classrooms.
However, it appears that all the repairs will not be completed by Monday’s school re-opening so double sessions will be in effect until the emergency repair work is completed. The department’s leadership will get a clearer picture of how long the repair work will take when another walk through takes place on Sunday.
"Following the walk through and inspection, contractors will turn over to the department the portion of the school that is ready for occupancy," Archibald said.
She said a tentative schedule has been developed for the double sessions that will likely be required at the junior high school on Monday.
Under that unofficial schedule, seventh graders will report to school at 7:15 am to 12:45 pm and eighth graders will report from 12:45 pm to 5:30 pm. Archibald said lunch will be served at both sessions and bus service will be available.
Simmonds is expected to make a statement sometime Sunday after the walk through is completed as regarding the resumption of classes at Elena Christian.
The school was shut down after Hurricane Lenny when a series of temporary fixes failed to repair structural deficiencies in the buildings that comprise the junior high school.
Teachers and students protested conditions at the school last year in a move to bring public attention to the myriad of problems they face daily.

Public hearings to address concerns of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority will be heard at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11 in St. Thomas, and 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 24 in the Legislature
conference room on St. Croix.
The hearings, called by Sen. George E. Goodwin, Housing, Parks and Recreation chair, will hear testimony from Conrad Francois, executive director of VIHA, on the authority's policy on family choice of rental payment, switching rent method and financial hardship.
Francois will also provide an update on VIHA's effort to relocate residents in the Donoe Housing community. The authority is currently trying to find private housing for the approximate 1,000 residents of the deteriorating Donoe project. The Donoe housing was originally planned to house 296 people.
The St. Thomas hearing was originally scheduled for Monday, Jan. 10, but was rescheduled to accommodate the governor's State of the Territory address at 7 p.m. Monday.

When most people think of Zouk Music, the first name that comes to mind is Kassav.
Zouk, the popular music of Guadeloupe and Martinique is sometimes referred to as French Soca/Calypso, although it is much more smooth and refined. Kassav has been around for over 20 years, however, their albums have been difficult to find outside of France and the French Caribbean. A new company has recently begun to import their recordings with three new albums released in the past year.
1) Cho, is a live recording from 1996 . It features new versions of some of Kassav’’s best known songs including Dife’’ and Zouk La Se. This recording was made at the Zenith in Paris and the sound quality is excellent. 2) Un Toque Latino, also includes well known material such as O Madiana and Que Tal Te Fue. The twist here is the songs feature Cuban musicians bringing a Latin flavor to Kassav’’s sound. If you like Zouk and Latin music you will love this brilliant fusion. 3) Best of 20th Anniversaire, is the latest release. This album features material recorded between 1984 and 95 plus three new songs.
Although some songs are repeated on these three CD’’s, the versions are so radically different that true Kassav fans will probably want all three. As always, the French recordings are impeccable.
For a full range of Caribbean music, check out www.parrotfishmusic.com.
Mr. Fish

It was indeed a privilege to participate in the workshop hosted by the Office of the Governor and the Chamber of Commerce on the future of Charlotte Amalie’s Waterfront. It was a rare opportunity for local planning professionals, architects, preservationists, community leaders and the business community to share concerns and ideas.
All participants lauded the Department of Public Works for taking a major progressive step to listen. The purpose was to "neither destroy nor promote Plan 8" but rather, to cooperate to develop a "shared vision" for the future of our Waterfront. Believe me, no one at this workshop wants to leave the Waterfront the way it is now. The resounding question is what is the best way to develop the harbor?
The 4-lane highway expansion concept was developed years ago with the assumption that we "the thousands of commuters who use Veteran’s Drive,": need four traffic lanes around the Legislature to get to points east and west of town; have little appreciation for public amenities such as elegant streets scapes, generous landscaping, historic type street lights, and beautiful civic spaces; and that sprinting across a 4-lane highway is no big deal.
Plan 8 was selected from several alternatives developed when it was believed that a highway project was required in order to fund enhancement. The ISTEA legislation passed by Congress in 1991 and TEA-21 passed in 1997 encourages alternatives to highway construction such as visitor centers, transportation centers, pedestrian elements, street scape improvements and restoration of historic monuments such as Fort Christian to be built as stand alone projects. Transportation is not
just about moving cars. Families and visitors walking along the harbor edge, shuttles, tenders, taxis, native flora and fauna, shade trees, benches, and mass transit are all part of the larger transportation picture. Like the new Christiansted boardwalk, a highway does not have to be constructed around the Legislature in order to bring long overdue improvements to our Waterfront. Our limited funds should be used for improvements that can begin immediately.
One commonly cited cause of congestion is a failure to provide more road space. However, recent national research shows that a road building-based approach to fighting congestion is expensive and ineffective. More innovative congestion fighting techniques can be employed. For every 10% increase in a road’s capacity there is a 5.3% increase in traffic on that road due to "induced travel." Circulation patterns, sprawl and other factors must be addressed. ISTEA and TEA-21 provide communities flexibility to use transportation funds to increase mobility (not just road capacity) while enhancing livability. Many people are distressed by what is happening to the beauty of our island. Buildings are located without regard for their impact on traffic. We should create buildings and spaces that are appropriate to our environment and historic character. The esthetic value and pedestrian character of Charlotte Amalie are important to attract visitors and enhance our quality of life. Transportation elements can be designed to reflect these values.
Workshop participants advanced several constructive ideas and common sense changes. Many can be implemented within the current PWD / FHWA budget. For example, vehicles on the W.I.C.O. property flow smoothly because traffic flow patterns, parking areas and taxi areas are arranged and managed efficiently. Workshop participants concentrated on bringing similar order and efficiency to our existing roadways. If this is not done, any highway whether 2, 4 or 8 lanes will be clogged at major intersections and arteries.
The aesthetic value and character of the current 4 – lane section of Veteran’s Drive is not pedestrian friendly and is inappropriate for a historic district and major tourist destination. In the 50's and 60's shoreline areas were not considered attractive and were used as expedient places to build highways because they were flat. Since the 80's, major cities like Baltimore, Norfolk, Miami, San Diego, San Francisco and nearby Old San Juan, to name a few, have realized the enormous cultural and economic value of a waterfront to serve as a great public space and a public amenity. We must not continue to apply outdated approaches to our 21st century problems. Doing so will retard our advancement and greatly erode our competitiveness in our global marketplace.
Editor's note: Chaneel Callwood – Daniels, AIA is a preservationist and a registered architect based in St. Thomas.

Representatives of the company that is leasing the restaurants at Bluebeard’s Castle Hotel met Thursday with the workers who were terminated from the hotel’s food and beverage staff. However, there is no word on the outcome of that meeting.
Reportedly, the meeting was to focus on the status of the terminated employees not yet rehired. Bluebeard’s Castle Director of Operations David M. Rice said this week that four of the workers let go on Tuesday have been rehired.
In explaining the decision to lease the food and beverage operations, Rice said Bluebeard’s operated them at a loss for as long as it could, and probably longer that it should have.
"For the past three years we have lost considerable money…in the first year we lost $100,000; the second year just as much and so far this year, we have lost over $50,000," Rice added stating that the hotel could not continue to operate food and beverage concessions at a loss. "At the end of the day, we had to take a close look at the bottom line," he said.
Under new ownership, Rice said that Bluebeard’s has a new approach to doing business, and no longer can or will operate with financial losses. "We do not want to ever operate something that is not profitable because we feel that if we are going to do something, we want to do it right," Rice said Thursday evening.
Bluebeard’s Castle management is aware of the way job terminations are being perceived by those sensitive to the plight of workers, but Rice said that the move was in keeping with sound business practices.
"We do live in a capitalistic society and there is a profit and loss issue. Anyone who has a business or has been involved in business can tell you, even those shouting from the rafters now about Bluebeard’s practices, that if their operation was in the red, they would pack it up."
Attempting to put the hotel and its decision in the best light, Rice insisted that Bluebeard’s Castle did its best to avoid the terminations which were handed out on Tuesday.
"If we were callous individuals and didn’t care about our workers, I do not believe we would have operated a restaurant which lost about $100,000 a year for three years. We would have shut it down after the first year."
As noted by a representative of the union that speaks for the terminated employees, Bluebeard’s Castle has enjoyed tax exemption benefits under the Industrial Development Program for a number of years. The Steelworkers Union representative Randolph Allen, suggests that beneficiary companies owe it to the community to provide jobs in exchange, but Rice contends that there should be no inference that a company must operate at a loss. "IDC does not say to anyone that if you’re operating at a loss you should continue to lose. If in one outlet of an operation you were losing $300,000 in a short period of time and your facility is enjoying the same $300,000 dollars in annual benefits, then you are not gaining anything by being an IDC beneficiary."
Rice notes that much of Bluebeard’s hotel operation has been converted to time share, which does not qualify for IDC benefits.

Seven high school students who exemplify the ideals of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored by the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas at a special Shabbat service at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14.
This marks the ninth year that the Hebrew Congregation has paid tribute to Dr. King's life and legacy by singling out a student from each of the island's high schools for their commitment to social justice.
"We are very proud to honor these exceptional students for their contributions to their schools and to this community," said Trudie Prior, president of the Hebrew Congregation. "The Martin Luther King service is always one of our favorites, and we hope the community will join us in honoring these young people."
The seven honorees, all selected by their principals and teachers, are:
— Nicole Turnbull – Charlotte Amalie High School
— Charlesse Pondt – Wesleyan Academy
— Kurt C. Williams – Seventh-day Adventist School
— Choni Arri – Ivanna Eudora Kean High School
— Diane Wade – All Saints Cathedral School
— Norma Gomez – Sts. Peter and Paul School
— Abraham Tarapani – Antilles School
Each of the students will receive a U.S. Savings Bond and a certificate of honor from the Synagogue.
Guest speaker for the Martin Luther King service will be John deJongh Jr., president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce and of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. DeJongh is president of Lockhart Caribbean Corp. and a former V.I. Finance commissioner.
Because the historic Synagogue building on Crystal Gade is still undergoing major renovations, the Martin Luther King service will be held in Lilienfeld House, the congregation's social center, which is a few steps up the hill from the Synagogue. A reception will be held at Lilienfeld House after the service.

Happy was the word for St. Croix’s Festival 2000 on Thursday and Friday with the crowing of a new Calypso King and the Childrens’ Parade.
Kicking off the happyfest was Lestroy "Happy" James’ coronation as Calypso Monarch Thursday night at Island Center. After five hours of performances by 11 calypsonians, who lampooned everything from V.I. politics to potholes, Happy was crowned king.
The main target of Happy’s tune, "Be Straight With The People", were politicians. Happy said he was going with his strong point in the song — "Crucian style, cultural all the way." He said he was ready for the calypso challenge on St. Croix’s sister island.
"I will be there for St. Thomas," he said.
Earlier Thursday in Frederiksted, ground zero for Festival 2000 events, was the J’ouvert and Food Fair. Thousands of revelers tramped through Freedom City in the early hours behind the China Dan Band. The tramp ended and the partyers headed to the Food Fair.
Continuing the happy theme on Friday was the Childrens’ Parade. Although heavy rains tried to slow the procession down early on, the sun was bright for the rest of the afternoon. Kids of all ages marched, danced and generally grooved to the pounding beats of steel bands on King Street from about noon to 4 p.m.
The Adults’ Parade kicks off Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

Offshore marine will host the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce Business After
Hours from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13, at 161 Subbase – next to WAPA Business Office.
Members, guests, and potential members are encouraged to attend. Complimentary hors'd'oeuvres will be served.