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ONE DOLLAR -- '�-=-----o..� vv.virginislandsdailynevvs.com
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'1li; :.j COIlYrlght � 2013 Omty News Puhh'.hillg Cu MONDAV, JULY 29, 2013 82nd ear, No. 22764
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I- :. . . ,!! . :
�eCreI IngrealenI IS V.1. pnde
H-avensignt
merchants
"warn 30%
are on brink
Longer slow season,
construction, competition'
hurting stores
Page 3
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Scouts return from
national Jamboree
Page 2
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Daily News Photo by JASON BRONIS
Vendors display their products during the first Virgin Fresh Value Added Market Day on Saturday at Rudolph Shulterbrandt Agriculture Complex on
St. Croix. The event showcased vendors who, use locally grown food , in their products, Page 5 "
$53 million
jewelry
heist Page 28
acx::z zz aD
Vietn@m war hero
Col. Bud Day dies at 88
Was McCain's cell mate Page 27
." . .
Umpire, owner and player
inducted into
Cooperstown hall Page 61
For Eagle,
quitting was
not an op.tion
, , Matthew
P!lge 2 Edwards
3 minion
hear pope
in Rio
Pages 20-21
, Vj§jt popular.combrlof
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2'iThe Vi·rgij;:f I:a'Mds:tlaljy:-N�1&.si. ',," f.x:.,.::,...,.:-,,; :. :: -Yni(;IN 'i:stAm>S; Monoay; July 29; 201-3 :
Sc�§ir:e.�ii���{tb'i;, � ,;3t ' national Jamboree
,. fo�· . � . . �� - " �' ;;.:� �' . '""� P4 ��... '"
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!twas reallY-cool becalJse we all
leamed teamwork. We had some
problems at first, but then we
got more comfortable wolting,
together, working as a team:-'
- Marcus Narkaitis, 14, patrol leader
•
at
ge�mg up OD: ·nm.e aauy, genmg tnelr mealS
. prep'a(Od, and cleaning up. The hot;,humid
weather "in West Virginia was also a chatJenge,
as was the-size of the new site for the - jamboree, .
according to Brooks,
The new reserve is so large, the group sometimes
1.(1, ·BQy·'Scouis.arrive· Friday at ROhlsen AlrRort on St ' Croix after spending 10 days at the National
had to walk tor more than an hour to get
.
to an activity, he· said. .. ,.
Because the �5 �couts who were part of the
" •
Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. .
group included'scouts from St. Thomas, St, :
: • . if-:: ', -'., . . . .
Croix and Washington, D,C" who did not necesteamwork,"
Norkaitis said, "We had some sarily kn.ow each other, one of the challenges
- .
i(wiIs. his fiis _t}liii.QIlJ'i jarnh!>ree.
HI � 'it.�as a .. v«:ry productive jamboree: It problems at first, but then we got more com- was getting them to work together, Brooks said,
bfstorms ... and some
was a wonderful �xperience," he said. "It was . a
historical ex�ence."
fortable working together, working as a team." Making the scouts from different areas into a
The 25 scouts from the territory included: cohesive group that worked well together was
��vities, i.ti�ludlng
the group had 'schedit
Norkaitis said it was historical because it was
the first national jamboree at the new reserve.
boys from II. to 17 years ol� from both- isl"!ld • .. on� of the major challenges, according to
districts. They joined up with 10 SCOUIs from Brooks.
� a "great trip" that For years, lbe national jamboree liad been held the District of Columbia for the ja_m_bore.;,�" "In doing that, they made friends for life," he
at Fort AP. Hill in Vrrginia.
Brooks said. The VlIgin Islands District is part ",id,')'AlI in all, our scouts. came back with a
how ,to deal with disapand
a patrol leader, said
The group also learned to work together, he
said.
"It was really cool because we all learned
of tl>e National Capitol Area Council
'
in D.C,;' - sense of accomplisinnent, asenSe of-friendShip,
"Brooks said.
and a.sense of being able.to safely do wha1ever
Among the challenges the-scouts faced was. task they were' asked to do,". . .
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BV'!JOy'BLACK'BURN -
Daily News Staff
. �"P;' " � \': ' .
'ST: CROIX - Local Boy Scout
which are specifically required; 'and
successfully complete a commumty:-
related service project, the p� release
said.
. Matthew Edwards recently earned the Maitbew's project involved a major
highest advancement award the Boy cleanup at Buck Island Reef National
Scouts of America offer, becoming an
Eagle'Scout
Monument
"I worked with the National Park
"We]e delighted, We are very Service and I coordinated and then'.
, prQud 9rhin! ', said Dale Edwards, helped them carry out a coastline/trail
, ¥atthew's failler, on Friday as he and cleanup on Buck Island," Matthew
Matthew's mother, Lori Edwards, said, The cleanup occWTed as Buck
waited for other so�. to return from Island Reef National Montunent was
the National Scout' Jamboree, "He ..
worked very hard for it"
celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Matthew, who has a brother who is .
Oilly 4 percent of all 'Boy Scouts already an Eagle Scout and two other
beCome Eagle Sc'outs, according to a
�iess release about Matthew·attaining
brothers who are working toward
attaining the Eagle rank, said he has
1h� I Eagle rank . ,- - been involved in �uting since he was
. To become an Eagle Scout, a candi- little, and he assumed he would become
�,bas.to earn 21 merit badges, II of . 'im Eagle Scout - although he lost
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ISSf,l2159-;J019 ::..,;,;.�. '. � Virgin Tsll.nds
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'l�hiO_\/o�' C"-OLa.+in'n'�·''hinhact 'r�nlt
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interest for awhile when he got into
high schooL
.' . " . do something you're not poiiifortable
But when he became a senior, �p . doing. it's fulfilling." ";"'-'; .
� � .
decided to comptete what he started -Matthew is home-sChoole<\,and his
and earn the rank of Eagle, he said,
"I wanted to know the accomplish,
ment of finishing it," he said, addjrig
immediate plan aftet.giaduation is to
p:irticipate in a five'-month disc,ip)e$ip
lraining schpol\\jth a focus;orl worship
that he also felt like it was a family; and music, MQugh Youth With a
expectation. : .".' -'. Mfssion, accot4i�g\. to' the press
So he plunged back into it . ." ,'-
"I think it definitely, gave me 'f.Iot of
perseveilince and pusbilig through," he
release. ,'" ' .' . ,
. He will be recognized as an !;agle' ,
SCQut in a' cer�niony at 6:30 p:�.
said "A lot of it vyas a lot of paperwoik Fqday:' at ·the :Howard M:-Wall Sqput
''To be willing to put yourself ou1 ttieri>,
and organizing," - ". ' ": " Camp," -.- "
. '-
Matthew said, that becoming wi" Matthew Edwards is the iith sCout
Eagle Scout requited diligence aDd to become an Eagle Scout in Troop
dedication - but it was wprth it. 227, ,which was chartered by Country
His advice for otherS who would like
to become Eagle Scouts?
Day SchooL'
- Contact reporler Joy Blackburn
"Just not to give' up because it's a I 714 - 91 4 5 0 r em a i I
worth it once you've �one it," he said, jblackbum@dailynews.vi.
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Mon,qaYpJlJly 29" 201;3,'
v.IRGlN ISL;WPS.'
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T)1e \(irgiri.lslal)ds Daily, �ews '3",
Struggling Havensight merchants see r�nt-abatement
as last chance for them to resuscitate their businesses
By AMANDA NORRIS
Daily News Staff
ST. THOMAS - For mercbants
at Havensight mail, it's summer
time, but the living is anything but
easy.
After being granted six months
offrec rent by the mall's owner, tbe
Governnient Employees Retirement
System, mauy said this has been
the worst off-season they -have
experienced.
They cited a perfect storm of
prolonged road construction in
front of the man, fewer cruise ships
docking in St. Thomas Harbor,
competition from Crown Bay mercbants
and skyrocketing utility
costS".
Whcn tbe GERS board voted to
relieve.the tenants of rent obligations
from July 1 to Dec. 31, tbey.
did so because tenants had accumulated
a delinquency of more than
$2 million and reported tbat tbey
could no longer sustain the cost of
doing business. The board discussed
tbe closure of Dockside
Booksbop, wbich'has announced
tbat it will close witbin tbe next
two weeks aftcI 35 years in
business.
GER·S. Administrator Austin
Nibbs presented tbe board with two
options: forego rent for six months
altogether witb tbe stipulation that
tenants pay all arrearages by April
1 or give tenants a 25 percent
reduction in rent over the next 24
months. Tbe board decided tbe six
month abatement, which would
cost GERS a little more tban $3
million, would be tbe most feasible
way to give tenants a chance to pay'
the $2 million in back rent owed.
"I don't like this rent abatement,
but if we want'to continue· to have
tenants, we are· going to have to
belp them," Nibbs said.
At the meeting, some board
members were under the impression
that another Havensight business,
-an office supply store called
The Draugbting Shaft, was also
scheduled to clqse, but. according
to· Th� Draughtiog Sbaft owner,
Terry Robinson, that was never the
case.
Nevertheless, Robinson said, he
bas had discussions witb GERS
board members and attended meetings
to inform them of the adverse
conditions that had caused him to
fall bebind in his rent.
Robinsoo said his business, unlike
ID3I1Y of the boutiques and stores that
cater primarily to tourists, had been
unduly hit by prolonged construction.
with orange bamcades diverting
traffic into and out of the . mall's parking
lots.'
Daily News File Photo
Dockside Bookshop in Havensight Mall is scheduled to close within the next .
two weeks after 35 years in business.
"Many of our customers are locals
. and residents, and many have called
and said they just don't want.to come
in because they don't want to deal
with, it," Robinson said of the construction.
Robinson i's among a number of
long-time Havensight merchants who
say they have been in business for
decades but never had to weather
, . , . . . " . � .
anything quite like tbe last six
months .
"I remember in the 80s the slow
season was only three months. now
it is a full six. months," Ram Mirpuri,
president of tbe Havensigbt
Merchants Association said.
Mirpuri's son, Minoj Mirpuri, owns
. Bliss Jewelers.
Ram Mirpuri said he hoped tbe
�
. Daily News File "Photo
Havensight Mall merchants say because of the ongoing Long' Bay road
project, rising \1.1. Water and Power Authority bills and other issues that they
, have had their worst off-season ever. The Government Employees R_etirement
System, the mall's owner, has granted the merchants six months of free rent
to help them repay $2 million in . ov.9"fdue rent.
--- " -
We were almost closing down. ,,(here was no way we
could survive_ We are extremely grateful for 'the
abatement. It will be a big help.
six-month abatement would be the
"springboard" Havensight merchants
need to recover. If not, about
30 percent of the association's.membership
bad reported that they would
go under this year or the next, he
said.
'The mall has been burting since
Crown Bay opened. We lost about
500,000 passengers because of that,"
Mirpuri said. He added tbat the larger
Carnival cruise ships, the Oasis of
the Seas and tbe Allure of the Seas,
dock at Crown Bay, where the harbor
can support them.
Projections are that. with !TIOre
cruise sbips scbeduled tbrough
2014, businesses on tbe brin,k of closure
might be able to use the abatement
to get througb to a breakthrough
season in the winter of
.2014, Mirpuri said.
. Other mercbants said their WAPA
bills had tripled or quadrupled since
they opened, leaving them to wono
der if an abatement would be enough
to counter the rising rates.
"WAPA is killing us," Sonny
Panjabi, owner·of the Casa Branca
jewelry store, said. Utility bills total
$3,000 during the busy season, and
- Sonny Panjabi,
jewelry store owner
$2,000 during the slow season, when
hours of operation are cut back, he
said. ' .
"We were almost closing down.
There was no way we could swvive.
We are extremely grateful for the
abatement. It will be a big help," be
said.
Since the recession hit, travelers
"seem to spend all their money on
the trip itself, and they come with
less disposable income/' according
to Jerry Woodhouse, president of St.
John's Bay Rum, a fragrance company
that supplies otber Havensigbt
stores and has offices be·hind the
mall.
Woodhouse also said that in the
last decade hotels, whicb used to provide
transportation to shopping districts,
have shifted to providing as
many amenities as possible to guests
and have limited the excursions to
beaches ratber than sbopping
districts.
"They want to grab as much revenue
as possible per customer while
tbey are staying at tbe bote 1,"
•
Woodhouse said.
- Conlocl Amanda Noms at 714-9104
oremail"anOnil@dailynews.vi.
•
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4 Th�-Y.i(9iD.lsl<tQsh;oDili!y.NeYII� WR&Ii'lI.ISJ"M'U>S r.{Ip,l;ldljy" Jllly 2�,.m;3,
. , . ". . . . ; '
. . ' . . .
Tiny� bo:ats, big speeds
. . .
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to I
navigat� th�
Daily Ne'NS Photos by JASON BRONIS
. . Aracer launches his radio-controlled boat off a dock at Bethlehem Pond during RC boat races Saturday on SI. Croix. The boats sped around
the porio at speeds upwards of'50 mph ' durjng two days of racing. - - , .
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U.gVlRGIN ISlANDS PHARMACY
. PIlJlllMAC.ST
NEEDED,
. FOR LOCA&.
�HJJllMACY
R .. �m.sto
A radio-controlled boat goes airborne before flipping over.
Radio-controlled boats race
around the course .
on Saturday.
Largest S�owroom in