The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating what caused a Sea Flight commuter plane's engine to fail minutes after takeoff from the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. Donald Lewis, owner and president of Sea Flight said yesterday that the engine of the Cessna 208 B failed just minutes into the flight. The single-engine turbo-prop had floats for water landings.
Elson A. Jones was arrested and charged with first Degree Reckless Endangerment, Registration, Confinement and Confiscation of Dangerous Dogs, Ferocious, Vicious or Mischievous Animals and Dogs Running at Large. On Sep. 4, 2019, the 911 Emergency Call Center received a call that a man in Estate Clifton Hill was being attacked by several dogs that belonged to Jones. Officers found an 84-year-old man with multiple dogs bite wounds about the body, feet, leg, hands, and face. The man was taken to the Juan Luis Hospital for treatment and later airlifted to Puerto Rico and now is in Maryland. Jones voluntarily surrendered the dogs to the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center. The dogs were euthanized due to their dangerous potential and at Jones’ request. Bail for Jones was set at $10,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing.
Senator Kenneth L. Gittens introduced a measure that will go for the pension benefits for any public employee convicted of stealing from the Government or otherwise abusing the public trust for personal gain. The legislation calls for an offender’s retirement benefits to be used to pay restitution. Once restitution is made, the balance would either go toward the expense of their incarceration or applied toward the Government Employees Retirement System’s unfunded liability. Rules and Judiciary members voted to hold the bill because the testifiers - the Attorney General, the Inspector General, and the GERS Administrator - were not present.
Members of the Virgin Islands National Guard competed in this year’s Central and Eastern Region Biathlon competition at Camp Ripley, Little Falls, Minnesota, Jan. 16-17, 2020. Lt. Col. Ruth Cresenzo, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mervin Mills, Capt. Jeremy Garfoot, Capt. Elvor Narciss and Sgt. Priscilla Desormeaux are athletes and competitors within the community and were not afraid to brave extreme cold weather conditions to represent the VI. The Biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship. Before the competition, the team got one and one training with a coach on how to ski and shoot. Along with a coach from the Alaska National Guard, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mervin Mills, a former Taekwondo instructor for the VING, served as the coached for the team.
On Saturday, January 25th starting at 8:30 am, the St. John Centerline Road from Susannaberg Clinic up to Bethany Church Entrance will be closed to dig a trench for New Fiber Optic cable.