Ann-Marie Benjamin, an elementary education major at the University of the Virgin Islands, has received the 1998-1999 Artrelle M. Wheatley Scholarship.
Benjamin is a founding member of Teenagers Against Violence, often volunteers with the sick and the elderly, and is a teacher's assistant for the younger members of her church.
According to a CFVI release, Benjamin holds a dream to improve the Virgin Islands' future, "by becoming an educator and teaching the youth to heal the world."
The $2,440 Artrelle M. Wheatley Scholarship, which funds a year's worth of tuition, was established by St. Thomas businessman Henry U. Wheatley and other family members and friends. The scholarship is awarded to a student who shows commitment to community service and volunteerism.
The scholarship's emphasis on community service is to honor Wheatley's late wife Artrelle's dedication to the Virgin Islands.
"This scholarship recognizes Artrelle's years of volunteer work with the League of Women Voters and the Rotary Club of St. Thomas, as well as her many other contributions to this community," said Wheatley.
"Artrelle devoted 24 years of her professional life to UVI," where she dedicated herself to setting an example of excellence for students, he said.

The V.I. Water and Power Authority's Friday power rotation schedule has been revised: feeder 2 will be without power from 7:45-10 a.m.; feeder 10 will be out from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; feeder 9 will be shut down from 12 -2 p.m. and 6-8 p.m; feeders 4 and 6 will be off from 2-4 p.m.; and feeder 2 and 3 will be out from 6-8 p.m.
WAPA expects to have another electric generator in service by Friday. The feeder that provides electricity for the Jump-Up celebration in Christiansted should not be affected by any power outages.
WAPA is continuing to make repairs to the high voltage cables that caused the outages when they shorted this weekend.
Customers with sensitive electronic equipment such as computers are advised to use surge protectors and to unplug equipment before their feeder is turned off.

Editors' note: Check the Community/data section of St. Croix Source for a complete list of feeders and the locations they serve.

Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell arrived in the Virgin Islands Thursday to sample some of the territory's successes while attempting to lure some of his countrymen home to assist in his island's economic resurgence.
It's also to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Grenada's independence.
"Since winning the general elections, I decided I wanted to come out to the Grenadian community abroad to talk to them about the development in Grenada and how they can make a contribution to that development where they are," Mitchell said Thursday in a press conference at Cyril E. King airport.
"I'm also encouraging Grenadians to come home where they are needed," Mitchell said. "We've had a serious flight during the last 30-40 years. People have left to look for better opportunities elsewhere."
Pamela Hagley, president of the local Grenada Association, said Mitchell's first visit to the territory means a lot to the local Grenadian community.
"It's an exciting time for us because it's the 25th anniversary of Grenada's independence and we're reconnecting with home," Hagley said.
There are over 200 Grenadians in the Virgin Islands, Hagley estimates.
Mitchell said he is encouraged by the success Grenadians have had in the Virgin Islands.
"You have a number of citizens here who have done well and I'm very thankful to the Virgin Islands government and community for allowing them to make useful contributions and help themselves, and therefore help people back home," he said.
Mitchell said the political stability represented by his party's massive victory in last January's elections will be a tremendous boost to Grenada's economically and socially.
"There's a number of economic activities taking place, we have an international airport that's buzzing, we're building new hotels and we've just built a modern international stadium that's been identified as one of the best in the region," he said. "Tourism is also starting to go upward, though we don't think we've reached the tip of iceberg yet."
Grenada has begun an economic citizenship program where persons who can make investments in the country can attain a degree of citizenship, Mitchell said, adding he believes this initiative will attract many to the island.
"There are opportunities for people with skills, people with knowledge and people with resources," Mitchell said. "I believe even Americans will want to leave America when they see the beauty."
The Grenadian government is in the process of privatizing many services, he said, and followed with words that may apply to the Virgin Islands' current fiscal crisis.
"I've seen government operate and more and more I'm convinced that the smaller the government the better the country," Mitchell said.
The "political victimization" that has occurred in the past to opponents of sitting governments is being eliminated, Mitchell said.
"I think people feel they have more freedoms and there's more of an atmosphere for contributions from persons with different political philosophies," he said. "What has hurt Grenada in the past has been the political instability."
In a recent United Nations study, Grenada's quality of life was ranked 52nd out of the 174 countries surveyed. Grenada would like to follow the success the Virgin Islands has had in education, tourism and historical preservation, Mitchell said.
"There are certainly opportunities here, in education, in tourism and we can learn some serious lessons from the success of this beautiful country," he said. "We're also looking at protecting our heritage and developing our architectural sites. We know St. Thomas has done an excellent job in that area."
Mitchell said he plans to visit the archeological dig site at Cinnamon Bay in St. John.
Heritage preservation is vital throughout the Caribbean, Mitchell added.
"We as an African people have lost our identity and in many, many cases have adopted other cultures instead of our own," he said. "But you can't know where you're going until you know where you've come from."

The Seigel-Schwall BLUES Band with Sam Lay on the drums will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, in the Tillet Gardens.

The popular overlook on Valdemar A. Hill Drive, also known as Skyline Drive, is going to get an overhaul that will make it more handicapped-accessible and friendlier to everyone in the community, according to a release from the Tourism Department.
Acting Tourism Commissioner Monique Sibilly-Hodge said the renovations will take about nine months "provided there are no weather related delays."
The release Thursday didn't specify what exactly was going to be done to the area to "afford tourists and residents alike an atmosphere conducive to enjoying" the spot — only that the Public Works Department is spearheading the project.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 28.

Carnival Cruise Lines crew members have been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting passengers and co-workers 62 times over a five-year period ending last August, the company revealed this week.
Carnival reported the complaints Tuesday following a court 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, according to an article in Wednesday's New York Times.
"The number of alleged incidents — and bear in mind that it is a list of allegations, not necessarily substantiated incidents — includes everything from sexual harassment complaints to an unwanted kiss to matters of a more serious sexual nature," said a statement sent to the St. Thomas Source by Carnival's attorney, Curtis Mase.
"Many of the incidents do not involve alleged rape," the statement said.
The list only includes complaints involving crew-on-crew or crew-on-passenger, not passenger-on-passenger allegations.
Carnival did not provide any further details on the allegations, such as what types of investigations were conducted or how many resulted in arrests, the Times article said.
"In reality, what the numbers indicate is that Carnival's ships provide a very safe environment," the statement said. "When comparing the number of alleged incidents against FBI crime statistics, even when including such a broad spectrum of allegations, it is very clear that you are significantly safer on a cruise ship than you are in the average American town."
During the five-year period in which the allegations were made, Carnival carried more than 6.5 million passengers and tens of thousands of crew members, the statement said.
No local response to the report could be obtained Wednesday.
Acting Commissioner of Tourism Monique Sibilly-Hodge did not return a call asking if the government had any comment on the report. St. Thomas Police Chief Jose Garcia also did not return a call.
A spokesman for the West Indian Co. Ltd. said he could not comment because WICO President and CEO Edward Thomas is off-island.
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 more than 440,000 passengers.
This is the first time a cruise line has publicly reported alleged rapes and sexual assaults, the Times article said. Cruise lines are not required to notify U.S. law enforcement of crimes that occur in international waters, the Times report said
The alleged incidents occurred throughout Carnival's fleet and allegations were made against various levels of crew, including cabin stewards, cooks and a chief security officer, the article said.
The lucrative and rapidly growing industry has attracted attention and concern in Congress, where some members feel cruise lines are allowed to operate outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement.
"Carnival takes allegations of sexual assault very seriously and each one is thoroughly investigated," the statement from Carnival's attorney said. "As a matter of practice, we fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities according to the victim's wishes."

While the territory is in dire need of innovative ideas to raise revenue, there are some minor things the government can do to help itself sustain, operate and improve its basic infrastructure needs.
Over the last two years, federal and local auditors have said there are funding sources available that aren't being tapped that could help us deal with our solid and liquid waste problems.
For example, the U.S. Virgin Islands is the only jurisdiction under the American flag that doesn't charge a dumping fee at its landfills, or more precisely, its dumps. As part of a comprehensive solid waste management plan, such a fee would generate revenue so the V.I. Department of Public Works could better deal with the territory's out-of-control trash crisis.
Another example of mismanagement has lead to a crisis in sewage treatment. In an audit done by the Department of Interior's Inspector General in February of last year, it was pointed out that the DPW, which Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg calls the largest local polluter of territorial waters, has rules and regulations on its books regarding dumping septic sludge into the public sewage system by private haulers.
However, the audit found that DPW had not billed septic haulers for 10 years. According to the report, septic haulers generally charge customers between $150 to $250 per 1,500 to 2,000-gallon load. One business owner told the IG that he carried as many as eight loads a day to the sewage treatment plant.
Eight trips at $200 equals $1,600 a day. The DPW's rates are supposed to be $15 per 1,500 to 2,000-gallon load. But since DPW isn't collecting fees—as it's supposed to— revenues are being lost. And a private sector business is making a huge profit off a public system that barely functions.
Big deal? Well, the V.I. government is currently in trouble with the feds for operating a woefully inadequate wastewater system. When DPW is told to fix it, its leaders shrug, point at their budgets and say the department doesn't have the funds to repair the problems.
Additionally, the audit reported that over an eight-year period, the Department of Finance never collected sewer fees from some 1,434 users.
The result? Almost $350,000 was lost that could have gone to maintaining infrastructure.
In 1995, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommended that DPW increase sewer user fees by $25 to more accurately reflect the cost of service. That alone would put $400,000 a year toward maintaining a system which all too often malfunctions, spewing raw sewage into our environment.
We support DPW Commissioner Harold Thompson's plan to create a semi-autonomous Waste Authority to deal with trash collection, landfills and sewage. Hopefully, with such an agency there would be oversight and accountability, two things that are lacking now.
Donastorg has said increased sanitation fees, criminal prosecution, lawsuits and mandated action plans are all necessary to protect public health and the environment. We agree.
But without accountability, nothing will change.

To alleviate the seat vacancies he says are stalling the Casino Control Commission, Sen. Roosevelt David has drafted a proposal to reduce the size of the board from seven to four members.
"We have a problem in St. Croix that demands an immediate solution," David said in a statement released Thursday. "With the near completion of the Divi Casino Complex, it is time to start training Virgin Islanders to qualify for the hundreds of jobs that will soon be available."
The board has been criticized for a lack of progress, he added.
"The Casino Control Commission has been surrounded with controversy because its members have collected substantial salaries without substantial results," David said.
Cutting three members would save the government more than $250,000 a year in salaries alone, David said.
"Change is never a welcome visitor," David said, but added he is confident the current members and future nominees will be able "to do more with less."
During the upcoming budget hearings, David said the entire community will be able to see "the extraordinary economic crisis" the territory is experiencing.
"Everyone will have to step up to the plate and do more with the little resources currently available to us," he said.

Developers of the Carifest cultural entertainment park have received $5 million in equity capital for its $60 million project from a New York-based financing company.
Lion & Lamm Capital, LCC, of New York has committed to a joint venture and underwriting agreement with the locally owned Carifest Corp, which recently signed a new 70-year lease with the West Indian Co. Ltd., for about 9 acres of land south of Havensight Mall.
"Lion & Lamm has agreed to commit $5,000,000 to the Carifest project against an estimated capital budget of $60,000,000. We will underwrite the balance with our other strategic investors," Lion & Lamm Managing Director Jonathan Zich said in a released statement.
"Our decision was based upon the due diligence we conducted on Carifest, a new lease with WICO, a good U.S. economy and real estate capital markets, the strength of the cruise ship industry in St. Thomas and various other basic project fundamentals being in place," Zich said.
Carifest's developers describe the project as a one-of-its-kind Caribbean-themed cultural and entertainment park which will feature amusement rides, historical and educational exhibits, parades and performances.
"Having the first $5 million is a major breakthrough for this project," Carifest President Eric Matthews said Thursday. "The first financing is always the hardest to get and hopefully, now we've created the momentum."
The agreement with Lion & Lamm allows Carifest to begin the design phase of the project, which should attract further financing, Matthews said.
"With the Lion & Lamm agreement in place, we are now gearing up to enter the design phase of the project on July 26th in Orlando, Fla.," the statement said. "The design process will start to define the various attraction elements of the project and where they will be situated on the land site."
Among the attractions planned for the park are the Birth of the Caribbean River Ride, a Caribbean theater, a pirate stunt show, carnival parades of light, daily cultural exchanges at a folklife village and marketplace, a Carnival Arts Heritage Exhibit, a Calypso hall of fame, the Roots of Africa Discovery Center, Shipwrecks of the Caribbean, a West Indies aviary, the Old Sugarmill Rum Factory, and Arawak and Carib villages.
"The Lion & Lamm agreement was presented at the recent Carifest shareholders meeting in St. Thomas and the proposal was well-received by our shareholders," Carifest Chairman Leo Barbel said in the statement.
The Carifest park will be visible to all arriving cruise ship passengers because it will be located just to the east of the WICO docks. Many believe the park will help St. Thomas stand out further among Caribbean tourist destinations.
"A project of this magnitude, when completed, will put the Virgin Islands in the forefront with attractions in the Caribbean," WICO President and CEO Edward Thomas said in June. "There is a growing demand by the traveling public for family-type entertainment and the Carifest project is a major step in that direction."

French Heritage Week ended in grand style Wednesday night with a Bastille Day celebration at Government House.
Four hundred invited guests were treated to music, dance and delightful commentary provided by members of St. Thomas' French Community — with one notable addition coming from the mayor of St. Barthelemy Bruno Magras, who delivered his remarks first in French — then in English.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull opened the ceremonies saying the "Storming of the Bastille was a defining moment in world history."
"The French community is one of rich culture and traditions," he said. "Long live the people of French descent; long live French heritage in the Virgin Islands."
Anne-Marie Danet and Aimery Caron were honored for their contributions to the French community.
Danet is an historian of note who has chronicled the history of the French emigrants to the Caribbean.
Caron, who is the brother of French film star Leslie Caron, came to St. Thomas in the 1940s. He is a scientist and professor of chemistry and a contributor to the keeping of the history of the French people in the islands.
Highlights of the evening were the dancing of waltzes by four students of French descent and a short piano recital by Jason Quetel.
Sen. Lorraine L. Berry as mistress of ceremonies presented certificates and commendation plaques to students from the French community who had graduated from high school and college this year.
Though the room was packed and hot during the ceremonies most guests — of French descent or not — remained to eat, drink and dance to the music of the Sea Breeze Band.
Editors' note: We are happy to welcome historian and writer Anne-Marie Danet as a new and regular contributor to St. Thomas Source.