Fungi is a cornmeal dish akin to polenta that's a staple co~fort food throughout most of the Caribbean. Like polenta, it can be served soft, roughly the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes, or, after cooking a longer time, spread out, cooled and cut into small pieces. Fungi is delicious side dish usually served with fish, or it's shaped into little balls as a garnish for soup such as kallalo. Fungi can be made plain or enhanced, like this recipe, with onions, okra, and tomatoes.
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/2 cup minced onion
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups yellow stone ground cornmeal
1/3 cup diced tomato, seeded and drained
1/2 cup frozen sliced okra, thawed,
coarsely chopped and well drained
melt the butter in a small frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for five minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan, preferably a nonstick one. Add the salt and slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir constantly for l0 minutes. (At this point, you have soft fungi. Just season it with 2 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper and serve in a bowl.)
Stir in the onions and butter, tomatoes, and okra. Continue stirring for five minutes until the mixture rolls off the side of the pan and no longer stick to the bottom.
Turn the mixture onto a lightly greased baking sheet and smooth the top evenly with a spatula into about a 10 inch square, about three quarters of an inch thick. Cool for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and lest rest for one hour.
Cut the fungi into about small squares and serve at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings
Editor's note: Michele Evans, a resident of St Thomas, is the author of thirteen cookbooks. She also co-authored "La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio", which won the James Beard Foundation award for the best Italian cookbook for 1997. Her travel guide, "Caribbean Connoisseur…An Insider's Guide to the Islands' Best Hotels Resorts and Inns", published by St. Martin's Press is in its third edition.

Fungi is a cornmeal dish akin to polenta that's a staple co~fort food throughout most of the Caribbean. Like polenta, it can be served soft, roughly the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes, or, after cooking a longer time, spread out, cooled and cut into small pieces. Fungi is delicious side dish usually served with fish, or it's shaped into little balls as a garnish for soup such as kallalo. Fungi can be made plain or enhanced, like this recipe, with onions, okra, and tomatoes.
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/2 cup minced onion
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups yellow stone ground cornmeal
1/3 cup diced tomato, seeded and drained
1/2 cup frozen sliced okra, thawed,
coarsely chopped and well drained
melt the butter in a small frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for five minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan, preferably a nonstick one. Add the salt and slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir constantly for l0 minutes. (At this point, you have soft fungi. Just season it with 2 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper and serve in a bowl.)
Stir in the onions and butter, tomatoes, and okra. Continue stirring for five minutes until the mixture rolls off the side of the pan and no longer stick to the bottom.
Turn the mixture onto a lightly greased baking sheet and smooth the top evenly with a spatula into about a 10 inch square, about three quarters of an inch thick. Cool for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and lest rest for one hour.
Cut the fungi into about small squares and serve at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings
Editor's note: Michele Evans, a resident of St Thomas, is the author of thirteen cookbooks. She also co-authored "La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio", which won the James Beard Foundation award for the best Italian cookbook for 1997. Her travel guide, "Caribbean Connoisseur…An Insider's Guide to the Islands' Best Hotels Resorts and Inns", published by St. Martin's Press is in its third edition.

Two incoming senators — freshman Donald "Ducks" Cole and George Goodwin — have set a wonderful example for others by limiting or refusing the use of government vehicles and by recycling furniture.
Cole began the trend this week, saying he would not use his government-assigned vehicle after 5 p.m. or on weekends, and encouraged his colleagues to follow suit.
Then Goodwin announced he would go one better. He wouldnÆt use his assigned vehicle at all, a policy he began as a member of the 21st Legislature. And heÆs furnishing his office with recycled furniture.
Though these measures are minuscule when stacked up against the woeful state of the V.I. government's finances, they are major in the example they set as well as the precedent.
Goodwin was reported to be reupholstering recycled chairs while other senators were busy buying new ones. Who is buying new furniture, and why? How old is the furniture that is being replaced? How much will this draw from the public treasury?
We don't expect our elected officials to conduct public business in the dismally rundown conditions that exist in many government offices — the Police Department's Zone A Command, for example — but we do expect them to consider carefully every dime they spend.
This is why Cole and Goodwin have set a fine example of thrift not only for other senators but for every official and employee who spends public money.
Is it more important that our senators, who make more than $65,000 a year, have a taxpayer-furnished vehicle or that our police cars have fuel and our children have textbooks?

St. Thomas Source is "launched."
Someone asked, "What does that mean? What is different?"
The answer: everything and nothing.
A lot of information and data has been put into the publication since the middle of December. Feedback is coming in. Content and its placement have been defined. The roles and commitments of our many volunteers have been established. And the days are getting shorter.
But with all of that, we will always be able to say that is what is different. We will always be updating data; the nature of the medium demands constant feedback, content and placement will be redefined and
roles and commitments will change. And the days will vary.
St. Thomas Source is a living thing. It will never be static.
One thing that will happen eventually: We will have a "front page" that will act as a “promo” to new and interesting items on inside pages.
In the meantime just "go there."
Check out the calendar for upcoming events. We expect that it will become a community resource, alerting community groups to what’s going on when and reducing competition for the same audiences.
Look in “Things to Do” for – what else? – things to do, and in the food section for recipes from noted cooks and stories about island restaurants.
The op-ed page will be updated frequently with informed commentary from some of the most knowledgeable and interesting people in St. Thomas. Don't miss it! And check out Open Forum and send your opinions to us.
We have ferry schedules, movie schedules, restaurant listings. We have a growing list of religious services, and a list-in-progress of members of boards and commissions.
And we are looking for more.
St. Thomas Source is truly of the people and for the people. We await your input — literally.
We offer this source to you for your community events, your club and organization bulletins, news of your family and friends, PTA issues — the list goes on ad infinitum.
You tell us what you want to see here. Send it to us by e-mail (source@viaccess.net) or fax (777-8136).

A report from a concerned citizen sent police Wednesday morning to a busy East End road where they found the first homicide victim of 1999 on St. Thomas, a young man whose body was slumped over the passenger seat of a blue Chevy Sprint.
The victim was identified as Gregory De Silva, 22, of Smith Bay, a native of the British Virgin Islands. He had been shot four times, in the head, forearm and neck, according to acting Police Chief Jose Garcia.
Police found the car off the side of Route 38, or Smith Bay Road, between Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina and Red Hook. The vehicle was clearly visible to passing motorists.
Garcia declined to speculate on a possible motive for the shooting or on how long De Silva had been dead before police arrived. Nor did he comment on preliminary findings by the homicide squad.
Garcia appealed for assistance from the community to solve De Silva's homicide. He asked anyone with knowledge of the case to call police homicide investigators at 774-2196 or 774-4050, or to call 911.

Residents who attended a forum on health hosted on St. Thomas Tuesday by Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christian-Christensen told her their major concerns were mental health and pharmaceutical needs, job availability for local nursing students, and lack of adequate nursing care facilities, according to the Daily News.
Eleanor Turnbull, mother of a mentally ill son, said there should be a place where mentally ill people living on the streets could go to just get a bath.
She said her son was too ill to keep at home, but that he is put out of the hospital every time a bed is needed.
Pharmacist Richard Dowling, one of the founders of the St. Thomas Pharmacists Association and the owner of Sunrise Pharmacy, said the government owes him $200,000.
Dowling suggested the Delegate work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create a medical storage facility on St. Thomas in the event of a natural disaster.
Students from the Raphael O. Wheatley Skills Center wanted to know if there would be jobs for them on island when they graduate. Eugene Woods, chief executive officer of Roy L. Schneider Hospital, said the hospital wants to hire locally but is hampered by the cumbersome process for new hires, which can take up to a year.
Ophelia Torres, a discharge planner at the hospital, said there was no place for patients to go when they are ready to leave the hospital. Sea View and Lucinda Millin Home are filled, she said, and the island needs more nursing care facilities.

The Water and Power Authority says the Virgin Islands government owes it $30 million, or about three-quarters of WAPA's total outstanding water and electric bills, which amount to $41.2 million.
According to Terry Drake, chief financial officer for WAPA, as of the end of December the government's debt accounted for 78 percent of accounts receivable for the water system and 68 percent of accounts receivable for the electric system.
Raymond George, executive director of WAPA, said the government made a lump sum payment of $2 million last week. George has encouraged the government to keep up with current billings and chip away at the old debt, according to the Daily News.
George said the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department, which uses substantial amounts of power to light ballparks and recreation areas, had one of the highest delinquent accounts.

Rho Omicron Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority announces that scholarship applications for its Educational Advancement Foundation open until Feb.15.
All sohpomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students are encouraged to apply.
For a scholarship application contact Diane John Baptiste at UVI Registrar's Office or Tricia Riviere at 693-1672.

Sources close to Government House confirmed Tuesday night that Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has named former Sen. Iver Stridiron as attorney general.
Stridiron served two terms as a Democratic senator in the 14th and 16th Legislatures.
He was Senate president during his term with the 16th Legislature before being defeated in his bid for re-election.
He has been in private practice since then and has remained active in Democratic Party politics.

Jennifer Erema Hunte, 36, of St. Thomas has pleaded guilty in federal court to making a false statement to the FBI, in connection with their search for Joseph Simmonds. Simmonds was wanted in connection with the burglary and arson of the home of Assistant United States Attorney Curtis Gomez.
FBI investigators had questioned Hunte about the whereabouts of Simmonds, telling her that harboring a federal fugitive was itself a federal offense. Agents told Hunte there was a warrant out for the arrest of Simmonds, according to a release from the office of United States Attorney James A. Hurd Jr.
Hunte denied that Simmonds was in her apartment. Soon after, Simmonds was arrested while climbing out her back window.
The maximum sentence for making a false statement to the FBI is five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.