After classes were dismissed Tuesday morning at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School due to a job action by teachers, an altercation broke out between students, resulting in a V.I. police officer assigned to the school firing a gun into the air as a warning.
Witnesses at the scene told Radio One News that during a fight between students on the campus, one student struck and injured another with a copper pipe. However, St. Thomas-St. John District superintendent Rosalia Payne, who said she had been on the campus "from early" because of the failure of teachers to report for work, told the station she understood the injured student had been stuck with a rock.
According to witnesses, one of two police officers on the campus got caught up in the melee while trying to break up the fight, and a second officer fired at least one warning shot.
Payne told Radio One she had been told that two shots were fired, but that the officer who discharged his gun as a warning "took his good time and allowed what happened to happen."
The injured student was taken by ambulance to Roy L. Schneider Hospital, where he was treated and released. Before he left the campus, he reportedly opened the ambulance door twice to threaten a police officer at the scene, saying he had a gun at home and was going to use it on the officer.
Acting Police Chief Jose Garcia was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

June Archibald, public information officer for the Education Department, notified St. Thomas Source that the Addelita Cancyrn Junior High School had to be closed Tuesday morning due to a job action.
Archibald did not provide any other details. She said only that the school was closing and parents were asked to pick up their children.
On Monday two elementary schools had to be closed due to teacher sickouts – Kirwan Terrace Elementary School and New Horizons. For the last few weeks teachers at various schools have been calling in sick, forcing Education officials to dismiss classes.
A meeting between administration officials and union leaders originally scheduled for Tuesday morning was postponed Monday and now is slated for Friday morning. An earlier meeting Friday did not resolve the problems.
The teachers' job actions were prompted by media disclosures of pay raises, promotions and new hires by the Turnbull administration at a time when teachers have forgone raises and are still awaiting payment of retroactive salary increases.

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The Color of Joy promotes the work of Virgin Islands artists and artisans, and offers for sale an extensive range of original work: watercolors by Corinne Van Rensselaer and Silvia Kahn; oils by Aphrodite, Mercedes Berruz, Judith King, Marcia Reed Hendricks, Bruce Smith and Eunice Summer; acrylics by Alexis St. John; ceramics by David Francke and Mary Stratford; batiks by Doreen Walsh; Glass by Jan Mitchell; photographs by Philip Bailey and Jennifer Meranto; Mocko Jumbie creations by Jane Clemo.
The unique store at the East End also carries a wide variety of wearable art and hand-painted clothing by Sloop Jones, Yemaya, Ellen Swane and Spider Lily.
Opening hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. [Sunday hours from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. will resume in November.]
In addition to the Gallery space at American Yacht Harbor, The Color of Joy exhibits paintings on the walls of the Frigate East Restaurant, currently showing work by Bruce Smith and Jackie Cawley..
All the work is for sale.
The Color of Joy also offers a full service custom frame shop with conservation treatment available for maximum protection of fine art.
For more information and for our winter 1999/2000 schedule of art shows please call Corinne Van Rensselaer at 340-775-4020 or e-mail: art@virginislands.net. Or check out the Color of Joy website by clicking here.

In light of the V.I. government’s money crunch, Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II is calling on the parents — himself included — of Central High School students to pitch in and help repair the campus.
At a meeting of Central High’s PTA on Sunday, James said he would work with parents to form a group of volunteers to identify the pressing problems of the school and how to address them. James’ daughter is a ninth-grader at Central High.
"Some of the problems that the school is facing now — infrastructural needs, personnel, school supplies — are the same problems we faced as parents at Central High with previous administrations as far back as 1991," James said.
Some of the infrastructural problems, though, can be tackled by parents and the community, he said. The first step is to identify parents and others in the community who may want to help, including plumbers, painters, electricians, carpenters and masonry workers.
"There are enough skilled workers in the varied professions that can assist us during these trying times," James said. "What we need to do is address it in a holistic manner."
"Let us work as one to improve the schools our children attend and create a better community."

After a year of flying between St. Thomas and San Juan, not only will Cape Air extend service to St. Croix and Tortola but it will also kick in $10,000 to help market the territory.
Cape Air, the largest independent regional airline in the country, began service between St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico, last November. Starting on Nov. 4, the airline will begin daily service between St. Croix and San Juan every hour from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. There will also be five daily flights between St. Croix and St. Thomas.
At a press conference Monday with Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II and Acting Commissioner Michael Bornn, Cape Air’s president Dan Wolf also announced that the airline will begin flights to Tortola from St. Thomas and San Juan on Dec. 9. A St. Croix-Tortola flight may be added in the future, Wolf said.
"I think the opportunity here and the future here is very bright for us," Wolf said, adding that Cape Air’s fares will be equal to or slightly lower than American Eagle's.
In July, Gulfstream International Airlines announced that it too would offer round-trip flights between St. Croix and St. Thomas and San Juan, starting Nov. 1. Flights between St. Croix and St. Thomas will also be offered.
But while Wolf said the addition of the new carriers could reduce prices, his company won’t be trying to knock the mighty American Eagle out of the sky anytime soon.
"Don’t expect us to come in and start a fare war with American Airlines," he said. "If we did, don’t expect us to be here in a year."
Instead, Wolf said to expect Cape Air to offer better service with more frequent flights. Although the company uses small nine-seat aircraft, it has 15 planes and 29 pilots flying in the region and can add flights as demand requires.
"Our capacity to carry people isn’t limited to the size of the airplane," Wolf said. "The real reason we’ve been successful is the frequency and ability to add flights. You know you can go to the airport on the hour and go to San Juan."
And that success between St. Thomas and San Juan is what prompted the $10,000 contribution to the Department of Tourism. Bornn said that a specific use for the money hasn’t been identified, but said it could be used to bolster Cape Air’s presence at the airport in Puerto Rico, an international airport hub.
"My number-one priority is to drive consumer demand to the U.S. Virgin Islands through increased advertising and marketing," Bornn said. "Cape Air’s contribution will be another step toward that goal."
Cape Air also has full ticket and baggage "interline" agreements with several major airlines. That will enable prospective visitors to book flights from any airport to San Juan and then on to the V.I., Wolf said.
Bornn also said that while Cape Air’s service will help the tourism industry, it is also a benefit to commuters.
"If we cater to locals," he said, "the tourists will also benefit."
Wolf announced that Cape Air has hired St. Thomas resident Robert Siefert as the company’s new sales and marketing representative.
Along with the Caribbean, Cape Air serves Cape Cod, New Bedford, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston and Providence, R.I. The company also offer daily flights to Key West, Fla., from Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Naples, and has also expanded its service to the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Norfolk, Va.

Only 70 of the needed 130 people showed up for the opening of the V.I. government’s casino training school Monday in Frederiksted.
Because of the low turnout, Acting Commissioner of Tourism Michael Bornn said registration for the school will be extended through Tuesday. Some 150 people registered for casino-gaming training two years ago, but time has apparently taken its toll, Bornn said. A heavy rain on Monday didn’t help either, he said.
Bornn said the training, which will cost Virgin Islanders $25, is worth between $900 and $1,200 on the mainland.
"Let’s get going," he said. "It’s a great opportunity."
The Divi Carina Bay Resort casino, scheduled to open in December, needs 130 people to staff blackjack, roulette, craps and poker tables as well as slot machines. V.I. law also mandates that a casino operating in the territory must have 65 percent Virgin Islands residents as staff by the end of the first year. The percentage increases to 75 percent after the second year and 80 percent after the third.
"We held orientation for the registered students at the site (Monday) morning and we had almost 20 new registrants attend the session," Bornn said. "Yet almost 60 openings" remained by noon on Monday.
Because of the shortage Bornn will extend the registration through 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Bornn said the turnout Monday was a "disappointment." He said that because of the dismal economy on St. Croix he figured on around 200 people showing up.
"I thought our problem would be that we would have to turn away people," he said.
Assistant Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards said that those who are already in the program will begin a more intense level of orientation this week, including one-on-one interviews with the school’s staff, to determine gaming training. The first official day of classes begins on Friday, she said.
A six-person training crew headed by Vic Taucer, the owner of Nevada-based Casino Creations, will conduct the training. Taucer’s $92,000 contract ends on Dec. 3. The overall cost for the casino training school is $200,000, Bornn said.
Casino Creations produces casino instructional seminars, gaming curriculum and publishes instructional text books on gaming. Taucer, a professor of casino management for the university and community college system in Nevada, also consults with casinos on managerial training.
Those interested in registering for the casino training school can either visit the Frederiksted Mall or call 692-6757.

Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has called a meeting of senators at Government House for Monday night to discuss the bond issue legislation he submitted to the Legislature last week.
The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m., was called around the same time the legislation was presented, according to Sen. Lorraine Berry, chair of the Finance Committee.
Berry said the bill is "troubling" to her. She is awaiting an analysis from the post auditor before saying more, though.
"The whole process bothers me," she said. "Every three months we're borrowing money."
"I want the post auditor to see if this is in the best interest of the people," Berry said.
Berry added that she doesn't see how the gross receipts taxes can be committed as the revenue to pay back the bonds when the gross receipts are already included in the budget revenues.
A legislative session has been scheduled for Friday to consider bill no. G-23-0013, which would authorize the issuance of bonds through the Public Finance Authority. The governor has asked for the authority to issue bonds in the amount of $130 million.
A second part of the legislation seeks authorization to issue an additional $180 million in bonds if legislation currently moving through Congress to amend the Organic Act is not passed. The additional $180 million would be used to pay off current bonds, thereby freeing up revenue streams to be used for working capital.
The governor's bill would also require all agencies in the future to issue bonds through the PFA.
The federal legislation came a step closer to passage Monday when it was approved by the House of Representatives.
The House bill, introduced by Delegate Donna Christian-Christiansen, would change the Organic Act to allow the Virgin Islands to borrow working capital by issuing bonds, which is in keeping with other jurisdictions.
It must pass the Senate as well before going to the President for signature into law.

The meeting beween union leaders and government administrators scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed until Friday.
In a letter to chief government negotiator Karen Andrews, Tito Morales, president of the Central Labor Council, said none of the labor leaders would be available to meet on Tuesday.
"We are requesting that the meeting with the governor and the lieutenant governor be rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 1, at 9 a.m. at Government House."
Morales asked that an agenda for the meeting be sent to him in advance. He was not available for comment Monday evening.
The first meeting between the two sides took place last Friday evening. The government said nothing was accomplished.
In another development, two more schools were shut down Monday due to an apparent job action by teachers.
For more on that story click here.

The St. Thomas Diving Club is offering free diving classes for youngsters from 12 to 18 years of age.
Those interested are invited to an orientation and registration session on Saturday, October 2, at 4:30 p.m. Families of those interested in the classes are encouraged to attend this session.
Courses will be held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the course is completed.
The course, made possible by a Community Development Block Grant, is coordinated by St. Thomas Diving Club, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The course is intended to teach young people about the marine environment and give them an opportunity to explore the dive industry as a profession.
The basic scuba certification course involves bookwork, academics, classroom and pool time before students advance to open water dives, rescue and medic first aid.
"Youngsters don't have to be strong swimmers to take advantage of these courses," said Sigrid Tejo of St. Thomas Diving Club. "As long as they feel comfortable in the water, are in reasonably good health and are from a low to moderate income household, they can take the course".
There is no charge for the course. Applications are available at St. Thomas Diving Club at Bolongo Bay Hotel or by calling 776-2381.