While it’s still early in the XIII Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Canada, the territory’s athlete with the strongest chance of bringing home a gold medal has missed the mark.
The long jump results from Flora Hyacinth, 33, fell short of her usual capabilities, leaving her in eighth place in that event. Hyacinth, who won a gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Venezuela last year, jumped 6.18 meters. The winner, Maurren Maggi of Brazil leapt 6.59 meters.
Some 5,000 athletes from 42 western hemisphere countries are participating in this year’s Pan Am Games, the third-largest multi-sport event held in North America after the Los Angeles and Atlanta Olympics.
The V.I. team consists of 24 members in boxing, equestrian, fencing, sailing, shooting, swimming, tennis and track and field.
In sailing, Benjamin Beer in the Finn class, Anthony Kotoun in Laser and Paul Stoeken in Mistral are hovering just above the bottom of their categories four races into the 11-race Pan Am regatta.
In 1995, the V.I.’s J-24 team of Peter Holmberg, Chris Neille, Chris Rosenberg and Maurice Kurg sailed to a silver medal.
One high point so far in these games is Chris Rice, who finished fifth among 30 shooters in the Free Pistol competition.
The other high point, off the field, was the team leadership of Hyacinth, who carried the V.I. flag during the competition’s opening ceremony, and the exposure to international competition the event gives V.I. athletes, said Dr. Cora Christian, part of the V.I. delegation at the games.
Since the games go on until Aug. 8, they started on Friday, the V.I. team is still in the running for some medals. Still to be run are the men's 110 meter hurdles, the women's 10,000 meter, all the equestrian events and more shooting and sailing.
Boxing, fencing, swimming and tennis events begin later in the games.
The V.I. team consists of: Track and Field: Hyacinth; sprinter Steven Jones; distance runner Jackie Morgan and and hurdler Jeff Jackson.
Tennis: Aisha Christian; Eugene Highfield and Nichole Syms.
Swimming: Jamie Shufflebarger; Josh Laban; Ashley Allaire; Scott Hensley; Rocco Colabella; Adrian Smith and George Gleason.
Shooting: Chris Rice and Bruce Meredith.
Sailing: Ben Beer; Anthony Kouton and Paul Stoeken.
Fencing: Tashmo Marsh
Equestrian: Charles Holzer; Gigi Hewitt (CAC silver medalist) and Stephanie Angus.
Boxing: Gibeon Gonzalez

Nearly $380,000 of the 1999 Community Development Block Grant funding will go toward preserving and renovating St. Croix’s unique architecture.
Of the $2.19 million in federal CDBG funds allotted to the territory this year, St. Croix will receive $877,610. Of that, three local nonprofit organizations requested $378,160 to spruce up familiar landmarks around the island.
Our Town Frederiksted will receive $125,000 to rehabilitate homes in the historic west-end town. The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is getting $120,000 to help renovate the old police station and theater in Christiansted’s Times Square and the St. Croix Landmarks Society will receive $133,160 to make repairs on the Whim Plantation Great House.
The historic Whim Museum property is owned by the V.I. government. The Landmarks Society operates and maintains it under a 30-year lease, said George Tyson, executive director of the Society.
The 250-year-old great house is the largest land-based tourist attraction on St. Croix, Tyson said, with more than 35,000 visitors a year.
Although the building "has withstood what nature has thrown at it" over the centuries, Tyson told V.I. senators recently that damage from Hurricanes Hugo and Marilyn still needed to be repaired. Tyson said the entire roof must be replaced and the windows and doors need structural repair.
The $133,160 that Landmarks will receive is about two-thirds of the sum it had requested, $200,000.
In early 1998, the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development acquired ownership of six derelict buildings in Christiansted's Times Square, including the old theater, the police station, and the burned-out building on the corner of Market and King Streets. The foundation is hoping that its renovations will spur other property owners to follow its example.
Last year’s purchases capped a four-year effort to buy the decaying buildings, plus outstanding debts, from Barclays Bank for $250,000.
Part of this year’s $120,000 block grant will go toward a new roof for the theater. The Foundation had requested $200,000 from the block grant program.
In its eleventh year of existence, Our Town Frederiksted originally sought $350,000 in grant funding to rehabilitate homes, but received $125,000. Although OTF has received approximately $150,000 from the V.I. government recently, it was as a subcontractor to the Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation, said Evelyn Jones, OTF’s executive director.
Since 1995, OTF has restored 10 residences in Frederiksted, making them available for the housing market. But for the last four years, Jones said the organization hasn’t been awarded any CDBG funds directly.
This year’s $125,000 will go toward keeping Frederiksted affordable for its residents, Jones told senators recently.
"We try to discourage gentrification and real estate speculation," she said. "What we’re looking at is revitalizing the town. We’re not looking at the owners’ financial status."
Also in the CDBG is $25,000 to the St. Croix Committee of the V.I. Historic Preservation Commission for signs marking historically significant structures.

An autopsy has confirmed that the drowning death of William Hudson-Grimmett on Sunday, July 18, was a homicide.
The autopsy report said the head injury sustained by Grimmett was inconsistent qwith a fall, Police Chief Jose Garcia told the Source Tuesday.
Garcia said there were no signs of robbery or theft.
The murder is being investigated by Safe Streets, a task force made up of members of the local police, the FBI and the U.S. marshals.
"We need their help," Garcia said. "Major crime has been very busy with other homicide cases."
Sources say Grimmett was an inventor and millionaire from Florida who recently purchased the property at 14 Estate Mafolie where he was found dead in his swimming pool.

Recent calls by a few of our lawmakers to reduce the number of members on the V.I. Casino Control Commission sound like something to rally around.
After all, the CCC, purely a regulatory agency, has been in business for almost four years now, and what has it accomplished for St. Croix? Just the Treasure Bay casino on the horizon, a tough call against the Black Hawk application and Mario de Chabert's newly submitted application.
Then we have Sen. Roosevelt David astutely pointing out that the territory now finds itself in a terrible financial crunch. The good senator says that by reducing the size of the CCC from seven to four members, the government will save some $250,000 a year in salaries alone. Casino commissioners earn $80,000 annually in their full-time positions.
A fat paycheck, indeed. But currently, there are only two commissioners on the CCC, Chairwoman Eileen Petersen and Imelda Dizon, collecting such a check. Gov. Charles Turnbull has yet to appoint any new members, probably because such a plum position has to go to the most connected…, oops, the most qualified person. Until then, nothing of import can happen as far as casinos go.
But back to David's proposal. He has stated publicly that CCC members have "collected substantial salaries without substantial results." He also said he's confident that the commission will be able "to do more with less" in the future.
OK, David's proposal has merit. But if were talking cuts, saving money and singing the "what have ya done for me lately?" song, let's take a look at Sen. David and his 14 esteemed colleagues in the V.I. Legislature.
Those 15, $65,000-a-year salaries alone almost hit the $1 million-a-year mark. Last time we checked, that was about the third most expensive state legislature in the entire nation. And that's for a community of about 110,00 men, women and children.
And other than the HOVIC/HOVENSA joint venture ratification, we're hard pressed to think of anything substantial that David and his colleagues have done for St. Croix in the same amount of time the CCC has been in existence.
Unless, of course, one counts the island's poor economic performance.
If senators are serious about saving money, then they should have a little talk with one of their own, Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg. More than a year ago, Donastorg introduced legislation that cuts the number of the senators from 15 to nine.
That, Donastorg maintains, would save the government $6 million a year.
Let's see, $250,000 versus $6 million. Hmmm?

When WAPA's Governing Board met on Wednesday, July 21, the three cabinet members, with the help of two others, ram-rodded through a Government House request that SEI (Southern Electric International, a subsidiary of the giant utility, the Southern Co.) be given an exclusive 60 day period for a "due diligence" examination of the Authority, preliminary to a formal offer to purchase. This was in total disregard of the fact that at least two other giant utilities have expressed interest in buying WAPA. What's wrong with a level playing field, open to all?
The previous administration first put WAPA into play. It paid an "independent" consultant $500,000 out of Public Finance Authority (PFA) funds to come up with a sales proposal. An additional $125,000 was payable to the consultant should WAPA actually be sold. The independent study was fatally flawed in that Water was almost completely ignored. Yet production-wise, Water and Electric are so tightly integrated that it's impossible to buy one system without the other. Let's hope the next group of consultants understands that.
By the way, isn't it wonderful that Government House through PFA has millions of dollars of interest from bond proceeds awaiting expenditure, under its control for which it's accountable to no one.
Finally if SEI, actually gets to acquire WAPA, it may have shot itself right in the foot. That's because, given the SEI "hold", WAPA's Board delayed approval of the purchase of the new gas turbine. That 23-megawatt unit is desperately needed to meet the St. Thomas peak load being experienced right now. To put it simply, until additional capacity is finally installed, if and when the two largest units break down simultaneously.
St. Thomas has nowhere to avoid rotating outages. And these may go on for weeks.
Finally, no one has yet come up with the answer to the biggest obstacle to any WAPA sale. Presently WAPA has nearly $200 million of outstanding tax exempt bonds. Any new buyer has to refund these almost instantly upon acquiring WAPA. That's $4 million a y ear of additional yearly costs the buyer would have to assume, and then seek to pass on to local rate payers.
Good luck fellows, You've got a tough row to hoe.
Editors' note: Hans Loeffler is a CPA who served two four-month terms as acting director of WAPA and six years on the board.

Scientific Name: Hibiscus tiliaceus
Common name: Mahoe; Sea Hibiscus
Family Name: MALVACEAE
Growth Habit: Small to medium-sized tree to 30' in height with a broad, dense, hemispherical crown; trunk to 10" in diameter.
Identification: Bark: Gray, smooth, blotched.
Leaves: Evergreen, alternate, simple; broadly heart-shaped, 4-7" long and broad; dark yellowish-green above, lighter and somewhat downy beneath.
Flowers: Showy, yellow, becoming red before falling, funnel-shaped with 5 overlapping petals; 4-5" across, flower lasting only one day. Flowering throughout the year.
Fruit: Round-pointed, grayish-green, hairy, 1-11/4" long; splits into 5 sections to reveal numerous brown, kidney-shaped seeds, each to 1/4" in length.
Growth Rate: Fast
Salt Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Propagation Methods: Seeds, cuttings, air-layering.
Landscape Uses/Limitations: A flowering, ornamental tree for medium-sized yards and park areas. May be planted in a row for an effective windbreak. Excellent for seaside plantings. Can be weak-wooded; requires selective pruning to be tree-like.
Economic / Medicinal Uses: Wood is moderately soft and porous; has been used as fuel, floats, and cork substitutes. Fibrous bark once used for ropes, nets, mats, and coarse cloth production. A tea produced from the bark has been used to relieve asthma and fevers.

Conservational Needs: Less than 10 of these trees are known to exist in the wild; they could be replanted in dry coastal areas or as shade trees in public areas.
Natural Distribution on St. Croix: Seen only at Annaly Bay.

Mercy was the word Monday night in the Bob Owens Slowpitch Summer League as all the games lasted only five innings due to the 10-run "mercy" rule.
In the first game scheduled to go six innings at D.C. Canegata Ballpark, Dave Schjang's grand slam in the second inning helped put the game away as 40-Caliber won its second straight with a 16-2 win over Guidance.
Tony Perez (4-2) got the win while Dee King (2-2) picked up the loss, snapping Guidance's two-game winning streak. Schjang (2-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI) led 40-Caliber, which also got home runs from Luis Cintron (3-4, HR, 5 RBI) and Michael Schjang Jr. (2-4, HR). Alex Gonzalez (2-2, RBI) got half of Guidance's runs.
In the second game, the Stealers and Most High were tied 3-3 after one inning. In the top of the second, Ronald Schjang Jr.'s triple drove in Jose McGregor to give the Stealers the lead. The Stealers easily handed Most High its second straight loss 18-4.
With the win, Samuel Ramos (4-0) remained unbeaten. Gregory Francis (1-3) suffered the loss.
The Stealers got five home runs from five different people: Guido Schjang (2-3, HR, 3 RBI); Ronald Schjang Jr. (3-4, HR, 2 RBI); Dave Davis (2-3, HR, 2 RBI); Valentine Bridgewater (HR) and Jose McGregor (HR).
The bats for Most High belonged to Eddie Ogarro (2-3, HR) and Randy Rissing (1-1, RBI).
Meanwhile, Junior Antoine (3-3, 2 HR, 7 RBI) blasted a three-run home run in the second and a two-run dinger in the third, as Anchor Dive snapped a two-game slide and kept Xtreme Danger Too winless on the season with a 21-4 win.
Steve Nisky (2-2) was the winner and Clifton Haywood (0-2) was tagged with the loss. Foro Ortiz (3-4, HR, 4 RBI) had a grand slam in the fifth and Danny Rodriguez (3-3, 3 RBI) tripled in the winning cause.
Charles Howard (1-2, HR, 2 RBI) and Ricky Denton (2-2, RBI) led Xtreme Danger Too.
In the league standings there remain one unbeaten team and one winless team.

W L Champagnes 4 0
Stealers 5 1
40 Caliber 4 2
Guidance 2 2
Anchor Dive 2 2
Most High 1 5
Xtreme Danger Too 0 6
Coming up Wednesday night at 6:15 p.m. at D. C. Canegata Ballpark, Anchor Dive hosts the Stealers. At 7:30 p.m. Guidance will take on unbeaten Champagnes. At 8:45 p.m. 40 Caliber will try to extend its win streak to three while Most High will try to snap a two-game losing streak.
The public is always invited to come out to the ballpark and enjoy the games, and the good food and refreshments at the concession stand.

The top talent in the community presents the best in music, dance and theater for three nights.

Reichhold Center for the Arts presents a new rousing musical that tells the story of the life of gospel great, Mahalia Jackson.

The Oakland Ballet will perform at the Reichhold — a co-production with the Birch Forum.
"Culturally and spirtually", the Oakland Ballet programming encompasses the rich tradition of Sergei Diahilev's Ballet Russes, the spirit of American dance, and contemporary works by regional choreographers.