I wish to say that I think that Michael Bornn is the only really logical
choice for the commissioner of Tourism. He knows his stuff and is a
great promoter.
Thank you
Sen. David A Puritz

Carnival Cruises Lines has now revealed 108 allegations of sexual misconduct against crew members in the five-year period ending Aug. 13, 1998. That is 46 more incidents than the 62 it admitted earlier this summer.
The cases were disclosed by Carnival under an order issued by a Miami judge presiding over a case in which a former crew member sued the cruise line claiming she was raped and sodomized by a ship's engineer in August 1998.
All the cases involve accusations made against crew members by other crew members or passengers.
"We had a very short time period to research the allegation and noted in our hastily prepared filing that we were continuing to research the matter and expected to amend it," Carnival attorney Curtis Mase said Wednesday in a statement released by the cruise line.
The allegations, which range from sexual harassment to rape, occurred over a five-year period, during which Carnival carried 6.5 million passengers. Mase claimed that FBI statistics indicate a person is over 100 times safer on a Carnival ship than in a similar-sized U.S. city.
"These figures alone should tell you that Carnival ships provide one of the safest vacation environments anywhere in the world," he said. "Nevertheless, the company continues to take measures to improve upon its already strong safety record."
Carnival said that for many years it has been training crew members on "proper and improper" relationships, sexual harassment, and how to treat passengers and other fellow ship workers courteously and professionally.
"We take all reasonable precautions and measures to provide the safest possible environment for our guests," stated the cruise line's president, Bob Dickinson.
The company also says it has recently instituted a "zero-tolerance" policy on crime, which has also been adopted by the International Council of Cruise Lines as a standard for investigating onboard crimes. The policy requires that crimes involving U.S. citizens are reported to the FBI and that any other incidents that occur on vessels calling on U.S. ports are reported to the proper law enforcement authorities.
Mase said the additional allegations were made by passengers via phone calls or letters after their cruises ended. The investigations of those allegations were difficult because many of the passengers who made them were not able to provide extensive details, Mase said.
"However, the breadth of the interrogatory required Carnival to reveal any allegations, including unfounded allegations. We are providing this additional information to be absolutely sure that we are fully compliant with the order," he said.
Acting Commissioner of Tourism Monique Sibilly-Hodge did not respond Thursday to a request for comment on how the allegations might impact tourism in the Virgin Islands.
A spokesman for the West Indian Co. Ltd. said WICO President and CEO Edward Thomas preferred not to comment on Carnival's revelations. According to WICO, however, Carnival brings more passengers to St. Thomas than any other cruise line; between October 1997 and September 1998, Carnival ships made 193 calls, bringing over 440,000 passengers.
Carnival has not publicly provided details of the incidents, such as the severity, the findings of investigations or whether any allegations resulted in arrests.
To prevent unwarranted panic, however, Mase promised that Carnival would provide more information about the incidents to the court than the order requires.
"There has been a great deal of misinformation floating around on this subject. We believe that by providing detailed information concerning these allegations, all of Carnival's guests, travel agents and the traveling public at large will be assured that they are safer vacationing aboard a Carnival ship than they are in their own community," he said.

The Senate Committee on Rules approved three leases and one bill Wednesday, but cut short its lengthy agenda because it could only maintain a quorum for about an hour.
The meeting was adjourned shortly after 11:30 a.m., when Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd's departure left the committee with only three senators, which is not enough to vote legally on legislation.
Committee Chair Sen. Anne Golden, Senate President Vargrave Richards, and Sen. Adelbert Bryan were the other three members present. Sens. Gregory Bennerson, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg and Judy Gomez were absent.
Before stalling, however, the committee gave a favorable recommendation to Bryan's bill capping the salary of government retirees rehired by the government at $30,000.
"We now have retirees receiving retirement benefits, social security benefits and salaries up to $50,000 and $60,000 a year, and then we tell our children and the young people that 'you are our future,'" Bryan said. "But when they return from school and college they find individuals that have retired 10 years ago, who left service after lucrative salaries and good careers, are back in the system doing some of the same jobs… and we are telling our children we don't have jobs for them to return to."
Bryan's bill was motivated by the fact that the government often rehires employees who had been making large salaries.
"But [in] hardly any of those cases would you find the government hiring retirees whose salaries were $15,000 or $20,000. It's always the case, it's retirees who were making $50,000 $60,000, sometimes $80,000," Bryan said. "When a person decides to retire, they retire on their own volition. There's no forced retirement in the government of the Virgin Islands. You can remain working until you die at a desk or die behind the wheel or die anywhere on the job."
Richards, who voted against the bill, said the government should not be prevented from rehiring talented and experienced retirees.
"While the intent is fine, I have questions about whether we will be creating a brain void, a leadership void in the government of the Virgin Islands," Richards said.
"We've had several early retirements that led to a reduction of people from the particular jobs that they had spent many years in and what happened was it created a void, a void meaning that you didn't have the people trained, one; developed, two; to take on the task of running the commissionership or the supervisorship," Richards said.
Sen. Lorraine Berry, not a member of the committee, also spoke against the measure.
"I believe there are places in this government for all people. There are people who are young, people who are middle-aged, and people who are older people who have a lot to contribute to this government," Berry said. "I think we need to have a balance in government with wisdom and youth."
Petrus, however, said if retirees were discouraged from returning to government service, they would better train their replacements.
"What has happened to us historically is that people who are in leadership positions, who are in positions of power, who are in positions of influence, they have a problem training people. They usually herd the knowledge, they isolate themselves so that there could be a great reliance on them," Petrus said.
"If a retiree… cannot be there, he or she should have been training someone coming up the ranks prior to, or years, before their retirement," Petrus said.
Liburd, who also supported the bill, said the government should keep positions open for young people.
"It sends a message that yes, we thank you for your service, but we have some new minds and we need to create some of these new minds," Liburd said.
Golden, who did not speak, also voted in favor of the bill.
Bryan said he didn't think the cap would have a significant impact on rehired retirees' ability to support themselves.
"Any retirees who have made over $30,000 before they retire can come back and still live within their means with an additional $30,000," he said.
The Committee also approved three leases between the V.I. Port Authority and American Airlines, Robert Lynch Trucking (on St. Croix) and Air Center Helicopters.
One major bill the committee could not act on was the Enterprise Zone Act, which would create an economic revitalization program for blighted urban areas by offering tax incentives to small businesses and investors.
The committee was also prevented from acting on bills that would allow limited public service employment for prison inmates and slightly expand the justifiable use of force.

Using the power under their newly granted semi-autonomous status, officials at St. Croix's Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital are instituting a bill amnesty program.
The amnesty period for hospital bills will run from Aug. 2 to Dec. 30. Hospital staff encourage all residents to take advantage of the program now. For information, call 778-6311 ext. 2510 or 2807 or visit the hospital's Business Office on the first floor of the hospital.

It is troubling to hear representatives of Beal Aerospace continue to say they must build their rocket factory at Great Pond Bay because they must have a protected harbor. This was disputed by several testifiers at the Senate hearing on July 23 where the Camp Arawak land exchange was discussed.
Gordon Finch, executive director of the V.I. Port Authority, said that the need for protected waters was never brought up by Beal as an issue during negotiations for lease of the Port Authority's land at Betty's Hope. In fact, Mr. Finch went so far as to say that, in his opinion, Beal‘s claim they must have protected waters was a "smoke screen, big time."
Several testifiers, myself included, pointed out the fact that Beal plans to ship the same rockets on the same barges from St. Croix to Sombrero Island off Anguilla. Sombrero is essentially a rock jutting out of the ocean, with NO PROTECTED HARBORS OR BAYS, which is awash during storms.
According to Beal‘s own website, Sombrero is frequently inundated during the winter months by large waves called "northern rollers." So how is it Beal can barge the rockets to the unprotected waters of Sombrero where barges would be moored stern-to at the dock and lowboy trailers towed directly off the barge, but they cannot ship the rockets from St. Croix's industrial area where there is already a container port and molasses pier where numerous ships and barges come and go safely on a daily basis?
Don't let the smoke get in your eyes.

Sincerely,
Robin Freeman
executive director
St. Croix Environmental Association

V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and other members of Congress met Thursday with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky to discuss solutions to the Caribbean banana controversy.
"I am very encouraged, to see how far USTR has come," Christensen said. "We were all encouraged by Ambassador Barshefsky's repeated statements of support for preferences for Caribbean bananas in the European market, and their intention to pursue its continuance as they seek to resolve the broader areas of dispute with the European Union (EU)."
The V.I. Delegate has cosponsored a bill with Waters to prevent retaliation against the European Union for protecting Caribbean banana growers and has pledged her commitment to work with the CBC to find a solution that will benefit the Caribbean region.
"On the issue of the Lome Convention and its expiration in 2003, we were also reassured in that she also voiced strong support for any effort to continue preferences if that was a part of the re-negotiated agreement," Christensen said.
Christensen Waters and Rangel will continue to be involved in negotiations between the USTR and EU on behalf of and with representatives of the involved Caribbean countries.

Michael Bornn, who sources say is Gov. Charles Turnbull's choice for Tourism Commissioner, has the support of Sen. Roosevelt David.
In a statement released Thursday, David expressed "loud and clear congratulations" to the Turnbull administration for making the selection, which is yet to be announced officially.
"Michael Bornn brings all the intellect and experience necessary for the efficient and effective operation of tourism in the Virgin Islands," David said.
David added that Bornn will bring vision to the post to implement long-term strategies for the development and promotion of tourism. David also said he is certain Bornn will work to promote all three islands with equal effort.
David urged his colleagues in the 23rd Legislature to support Bornn's nomination so there will be, "permanent leadership and guidance in the vital area of tourism for the expansion of a better Virgin Islands economy."

V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and other members of Congress met Thursday with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky to discuss solutions to the Caribbean banana controversy.
"I am very encouraged, to see how far USTR has come," Christensen said. "We were all encouraged by Ambassador Barshefsky's repeated statements of support for preferences for Caribbean bananas in the European market, and their intention to pursue its continuance as they seek to resolve the broader areas of dispute with the European Union (EU)."
The V.I. Delegate has cosponsored a bill with Waters to prevent retaliation against the European Union for protecting Caribbean banana growers and has pledged her commitment to work with the CBC to find a solution that will benefit the Caribbean region.
"On the issue of the Lome Convention and its expiration in 2003, we were also reassured in that she also voiced strong support for any effort to continue preferences if that was a part of the re-negotiated agreement," Christensen said.
Christensen Waters and Rangel will continue to be involved in negotiations between the USTR and EU on behalf of and with representatives of the involved Caribbean countries.

Michael Bornn, who sources say is Gov. Charles Turnbull's choice for Tourism Commissioner, has the support of Sen. Roosevelt David.
David expressed "loud and clear congratulations" in a statement Thursday to the Turnbull administration for making the selection, which is yet to be announced officially.
"Michael Bornn brings all the intellect and experience necessary for the efficient and effective operation of tourism in the Virgin Islands," David said.
He said Bornn will bring vision to the post to implement long-term strategies for the development and promotion of tourism, and added that he was certain Bornn would work to promote all three islands with equal effort.
David urged his colleagues in the 23rd Legislature to support Bornn's nomination to bring about "permanent leadership and guidance in the vital area of tourism for the expansion of a better Virgin Islands economy."

A St. Thomas man who was severely burned during a fire in his Altona apartment earlier this month has died in Miami Hospital, Radio One reported Thursday.
Faustonesi Sosa was in bed July 5 when a fire broke out in his apartment, across the street from the Frostco Plaza. He suffered first-degree burns to 60 percent of his body, including his face, arms, legs, chest and back.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.