Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg says he has information that high ranking officials are trying to thwart an Industrial Development Commission investigation into violations of the V.I. Telephone Corp.'s IDC benefits.
Donastorg put his concerns in a letter to Attorney General Iver Stridiron, asking the AG to implement an inquiry into the accusation.
Donastorg has been a strong critic of Vitelco. In June the senator petitioned for a Legislative Meeting of the Whole to look into possible wrong doing on the part of the Public Services Commission relative to Vitelco.
IDC acting director Frandelle Gerard said Wednesday she was not aware of the letter and had no knowledge of any attempts to interfere with the IDC beneficiary compliance review process.
Gerard said all beneficiaries were currently undergoing a review, but she could not comment on any specific beneficiary with consultation with the partners involved in the process.
The review process is a joint effort between Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, Internal Revenue Bureau and the Office of Corporations, she said.
The departments each submit a report on each beneficiary which is then reviewed by IDC.
Gerard did say there is a proscribed process under which the Attorney General could be brought in.
Donastorg said he hoped the AG would not be "hindered in his investigation by an inappropriate sense of political loyalty.
"It is such concerns that lead me to believe that you and all future Attorneys General should be elected, rather than appointed.
"Such independence would help assure the public that the Attorney General is working for truth and legality rather than simply representing the administration."
Stridiron could not be reached. He was off-island, according to a staff member at his office.

Problems related to Hurricane Jose are still causing isolated, localized power outages throughout the territory.
A release from the Water and Power Authority Wednesday said salt spray on insulators and connectors, tree damage and winds from last week's hurricane have all contributed to the unusual number of trouble calls.
WAPA spokesperson Patricia Blake Simmonds said all problems should be solved by the end of the week.

Problems related to Hurricane Jose are still causing isolated, localized power outages throughout the territory.
A release Wednesday from the Water and Power Authority said salt spray on insulators and connectors, tree damage and winds from last week's hurricane have all contributed to the unusual number of trouble calls.
WAPA spokesperson Patricia Blake Simmonds said all problems should be solved by the end of the week.

Problems related to Hurricane Jose are still causing isolated, localized power outages throughout the territory.
A release from the Water and Power Authority Wednesday said salt spray on insulators and connectors, tree damage and winds from last week's hurricane have all contributed to the unusual number of trouble calls.
WAPA spokesperson Patricia Blake Simmonds said all problems should be solved by the end of the week.

Nicky Russell, who has entertained Virgin Islanders over the years as Calypsonian, disc jockey, public relations director and entertainer, is about to reach the half century mark of his birth. His friends thought that was enough of an excuse to stage a big birthday tribute to him. So on Saturday, October 30, at Iggie’s Bar & Restaurant at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, his friends will gather from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. to wish him a happy 50th birthday.
The year was 1949. Broderick Crawford won the Oscar for his role as bullying
Southern populist demagogue Willie Stark in All the King’s Men. John O’Hara was riding the Top Ten Best seller list with his A Rage to Live and Arthur
Miller was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his drama, Death of a Salesman.
But all that paled to the biggest news event of the year. It was in Austin, Texas, when on October 29, Edgar and Joan Russell welcomed little Nicky (Mighty Whitey)Russell into the world.
Russell wandered on to the St. Thomas scene as a child and eventually he joined the staff at WVWI Radio. But that wasn’t enough for Russell. In the mid-70s he went on to make a name for himself as Calypsonian Mighty Whitey. At the peak of his Carnival Calypso performances he captivated audiences with his original renditions about life in the islands. He ignited a flurry of letters to the editor with his controversial Move Your Mother Ass, a ditty about a wayward donkey belonging to a neighbor’s mother.
Now he spends his time around the island singing to residents and tourists,
entertaining with a variety of calypso, folk and soft country music.
Many of his selections are introduced with humorous anecdotes.
All are invited to join Nicky and his friends at Iggie’s at Bolongo on Saturday, October 30, from 1 to 6 p.m. for snacks and complimentary soft drinks and beer while the
supply lasts.
There’s also a cash bar and food at Iggie’s Bar & Restaurant.
For information contact Janet Reiter at 774-1239.

Coral World will host its 2nd Annual Halloween party from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, October 31, 1999.
In addition to the daily scheduled fish feedings and presentations, Coral World will offer fun activities including face painting, fortune telling, and a spook house.
Children 12 years old and under in full Halloween costume will be admitted free of charge. Adults and children alike can look forward to fabulous door prizes including, a Free Cellular One phone, Pokemon cards, great gift certificates from Polli’s Restaurant, Coral World and more.
Visitors can also get their pictures taken with the talented birds featured on the AT&T commercial. Bags of candy and other goodies will be distributed to all children. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, contact Coral World at 775-1555 ext. 247.

The University of the Virgin Islands Science and Mathematics Division has been awarded a $553,293 grant for its Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP). The grant, sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, is to be used over three years.
UVI has had a Health Careers Opportunity Program since 1991. The goal of the program is to increase the number of disadvantaged Virgin Islanders admitted to health professional schools. The UVI-HCOP seeks to better prepare students at various stages in their education, through direct educational programs, as well as through a series of partnerships on the local and national levels.
The UVI-HCOP has therefore established partnerships with:
•• Boston University Early Medical School Selection Program
•• Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU)
•• UVI's Upward Bound program
•• The V.I. Public Schools
•• The Roy L. Schneider Hospital
•• The V.I. Dental Association
•• V.I. veterinarians
•• The East End Family Health Center.
These partnerships will enable UVI to provide for internships, mentoring and information dissemination. Through the ready availability of role models and information concerning health careers, the UVI-HCOP will make it possible to recruit more students into health-related careers by sparking interest at an early stage of their educational experience.
Dr. Robert Stolz, an assistant professor of mathematics at UVI, is director of the UVI Health Careers Opportunity Program. "It gives students an opportunity to pursue their goals," Stolz said. "If they are interested in medical careers, it gives them a real push –– a link –– to help them in whatever discipline they choose."
Two UVI graduates, Kirsten Schuck and Glenville Morton, participated in the UVI Health Career Opportunity Program and are scheduled to receive medical degrees from Boston University School of Medicine in May 2000.
The UVI-HCOP offers a seven-week summer preparatory program for pre-college freshmen and rising high school seniors. Additionally, the program offers SAT, GRE and MCAT workshops, provides tutoring and mentoring for junior high school students, and provides support and shadowing experiences for junior high and high school students who have shown an interest in medical and health related careers. Students interested in attending UVI and participating in these programs should contact Dr. Robert Stolz at 693-1255.

Sen. Adelbert M. Bert Bryan has said a delay in the senate confirmation of acting director of the Industrial Development Commission Frandelle Gerard could result in confirmation by default. But Sen. V. Anne Golden disagrees.
In a letter to Golden, chair of the Rules Committee, Bryan said, "It appears that the Rules committee, as well as the 23 rd Legislature of the Virgin Islands, need to act with haste on the pending nomination. Failure by the Legislature to act in a timely manner, will result in confirmation of the nominee by default.
Golden said that's not true, calling Bryan disingenuous, saying "He (Bryan) knows full well that the Rules committee, its members and chairperson have already completed this process."
There was a delay in getting Gerard to the Rules Committee process because she had not responded to a request for information from the committee as of June 14. At the time there was a question about how long the committee had to act on the confirmation. It was determined the committee had 180-days in which to act.
Gerard was subsequently confirmed on Sept. 21.
Golden said, in a release from her office, that Gerard's confirmation is awaiting action by the full legislature and that the responsibility for placing the issue on the Senate agenda was with the Legislature President Vargrave Richards.

Gov. Charles Turnbull signed off on a bill Tuesday that provides money for garbage haulers and other government obligations for fiscal year 1999.
More than $2.2 million from the Indirect Cost Fund will be reprogrammed to cover molasses subsidy payments for fiscal year 1999, which ended Sept. 30, and prior years’ obligations. Another $500,000 from the fund will go to supplement the fiscal year 1999 rum-promotion subsidy.
Out of the same fund, the governor is seeking more than $1.8 million to reimburse the V.I. Department of Justice for a settlement between the government and contractor ABAMAR-BB involving a lawsuit over work done at the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix.
Meanwhile, $1.5 million in the Anti-litter and Beautification Fund will go to pay solid-waste contractors for this year and prior years. Garbage haulers on St. Croix stopped work twice in July because they had not been paid. The contractors contend they were owed almost $2 million from as far back as 1995.
Turnbull also wants to use some $140,000 out of the Anti-litter and Beautification Fund to purchase parts for VITRAN buses. The bill also gives Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson 30 days to explore the possible privatization of VITRAN.
Other elements of Turnbull’s bill proposal:
— $550,000 from the general fund for the St. Croix and St. Thomas hospitals to purchase six ambulances, three for St. Croix, two for St. Thomas and one for St. John.
— $150,000 to provide burial benefits for veterans.
— Amending Act. 6275 to allow the Department of Planning and Natural Resources to administer the V.I. Air Protection Fund as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
— $30,000 to the Fire Service for equipment.
— $10,000 for DPW to repair and maintain its garbage trucks.
— $57,250 to the Police Department to pay past-due rental to Caricom Maritime Services.
— Another $400,000 will go toward paying the V.I. Housing Authority’s final biweekly payroll in FY 1999. Some $150,000 in interest on bond proceeds will pay for repairs and maintenance at the Guy Benjamin and Julius E. Sprauve Elementary Schools on St. John.

One thing that I've noticed regarding traffic design in comparison between my two homes on St Croix and in Boston is the use of Boston’s "Parking Lanes."
These are single lanes that parallel the main traffic avenues intersecting just before traffic lights at the end of a block. This design allows access to the main lanes from the various properties on each block without slowing the rate of traffic on the avenues.
The absence of such a system in the Virgin Islands has meant this: That although in the past generation we have added modern roads, they have quickly become nearly as congested as the Danish ones.
By including "Parking Lanes" in planning unconstructed highways we can allow for
denser building construction. This would be particularly cogent in planning future construction through Castle Coakley, Peters Rest, Annas Hope and Grange. Use of "Parking Lanes" on the Christiansted Bypass would ease construction of apartment buildings and condominiums overlooking Christiansted.
Richard Bond