A federal judge has ordered a hearing to determine whether the V.I. Police Department has complied with the terms of a federal consent decree.
U.S. District Judge Curtis Gomez said in his order, dated Wednesday, that the Police Department and the independent monitors who track and report on the department's compliance efforts present drastically different pictures on how close the department is to reaching compliance.
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The Senate Committee on Government Operations, Energy and Veterans' Affairs met on St. John on Thursday to consider two bills related to the territory's property values.
The bills, both of which are sponsored by Sen. Craig Barshinger, were held in committee.
The first bill mandated that the values of St. John properties must be determined by using an average of St. Thomas and St. John properties that are similarly situated.
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ST. THOMAS - Once again Antilles School took the top slot in the St. Thomas-St.John District Mathcounts team competition Thursday, but the top individual score belonged to eighth-grader Sidharth Parwani from All Saints Cathedral School.
While it technically was his second year participating in Mathcounts, Sidharth said this year he really gave it his full attention - and it paid off. He gave credit to his Mathcounts coach V. Woodley.
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ST. CROIX - After the numbers settled, St. Croix Country Day School emerged the victor in the 2012 St. Croix District Mathcounts competition Thursday held at the Good Hope School's gym.
The school's four-member team bested nine other schools in the annual competition - with Elena Christian Junior High placing second and Church of God (Holiness) Academy placing third.
More than 100 mathletes in grades six through eight gathered around folding tables spaced throughout the gym, each sitting quietly with a pencil in one hand and a calculator - when the rules permitted - somewhere near the other.
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After the V.I. Education Department dismissed 14 employees Wednesday on St. Croix, officials followed up Thursday in the St. Thomas-St. John District, dismissing 11 more employees, including teachers and support staff.
Education officials said they met with each employee privately, the department said. The employees immediately were relieved of their duties and placed on administrative leave until March 9, according to school and union officials who viewed copies of letters delivered to those dismissed.
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ST. CROIX - V.I. Labor Commissioner Albert Bryan Jr. told the Rotary Club of St. Croix on Thursday that he was going to speak to the positive.
Bryan said that he has been talking a lot lately about the negative aspects of the territory's economic outlook since HOVENSA announced it would cease refining operations - and he decided to present a more hopeful picture to the Rotarians.
So, instead of talking about the unemployment rate, he spoke in terms of the employment rate.
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