News of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Taxes, Palm Plaza, Tradewinds PDF

• There’s a report a Federal judge on St. Thomas is set to rule real, real, soon on the Territory’s proposal to revise property tax procedures and the Governor’s new tax assessment schedule.  Taxes on St. Johnians will soar. Some owners will be paying bills five times higher, or more, than previously.

 

• The “Contract Pending” sign has been taken off the Multiple Listing Service entry for for Palm Plaza, the small retail/office center near the Westin Resort. It's being pitched to buyers as ideal for condo development.

 

• The Tradwewinds hints it may start charging for the electronic version of the newspaper.  A PDF of each issue has been available for a month or so.  But an article about the feature published by the Tradewinds, indicated there might be a charge added.  The Virgin Islands Daily News also offers an electronic version of the daily newspaper, for a fee.

Strip Club on the way?

While Gary runs his Mixology Warehouse business out of a trailer at the Lumberyard, the island is talking about refurbishing going on at his old spot on the first floor, next door to the WAPA office.  They’re reportedly putting in a strip club.  “I am surprised that no one is up in arms about this... (yet),” said Blujahz on the VI Now forum.  “Who gave the license for something like that???,” added Connie.  “I don't understand why this is allowed on an island that does not tolerate simple nudity at the beach,” said Whatswiththat.

Promoguy said he thinks he sees another opportunity, if there is a strip club.  He suggests that because some patrons might be embarrassed to be seen, that somebody should open a business renting Halloween masks.

A number of locals commented that there have been strip bars on the island before and they have failed.

One person pointed out that the strip club is one thing, meanwhile at Wharfside company called Southland Gaming is renovating what used to be Larry’s landing,  The former bar and pool hall is being turned into a spot for video lottery and, presumably, other gaming activities.

Calling all dogs

The island's doggone, tail waggin', family and furry friends fun dog show is this weekend.

Wagapalooza is set for Saturday afternoon from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Sprauve School's ball field in Cruz Bay.  Expect to see dozens of dogs, from pedigreed to mixed-breed pooches in the competition, along with their owners, some of whom are pedigreed and some of whom are pooches, too.

This year the audience will participate in the judging in categories like Best Dancer, Best Lap Dog, and Best Spots.  High technology will be employed in the judging.  "Designed to measure the level of applause emanating from the audience, the Waga-Meter will determine the Dog Show winners by increasing the wag of its tail," said the event's organizers.

Besides the dog show, there will be live music, food, and drinks.  A police K-9 team will demonstrate its skills, and dogs will be able to have their nails clipped, free.

Proceeds from Wagapalooza benefit the St. John Animal Care Center.  You can support the ACC by buying the Waga T-Shirt. Send $25 to P.O. Box 429, St. John, 00831.

The emcee this year will be St. Croix radio star, Roger W. Morgan.

The Wagapalooza Web site is http://www.wagapalooza.com.

Music in the Moonlight

Saturday Night at the Sun Dog Cafe, it was another “Music in the Moonlight” event. 

Captain Buck was there with his video camera.  Segments released overnight include Ronnie the Baker (Ronnie’s Pizza) playing some down home blues on his harmonica.  A second track features Stepho and the Band.

The wealth of talent on the little island continues to amaze.  Check StJohnMusic for more.

Subway Closed

A domino tile falls. It knocks over another, and that’s apparently why the St. John Subway is closed.

The International House of Pancakes at Tutu Mall on St. Thomas, is closing. 

Allie-Allison Petrus, a former V.I. Senator, is the owner of the 15-month-old franchise operation. He also owns several Subway restaurants, including the unit on St. John.

About the IHOP closing, the St. Thomas Source quoted Petrus saying,  “We have seen our WAPA bill (electricity) hover around $11,000 and our cooking gas now around $3,000 monthly, not to mention a leasing rental expense around $13,500.”

As we said, Petrus also owns several Subway sandwich shops, one of which is - er, was - in Cruz Bay.  It is now closed, according to locals. The business is still listed for sale:  http://www.islandiarealestate.com/Details.cfm?id=28&type=commercial.

Here's the Source's report: http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1206160157

St. John gets a stamp

An iconic photograph of Trunk Bay will grace a new United States stamp to be issued next Friday, May 16.  Part of the Postal Service’s “Scenic American Landscapes” series, the 94-cent stamp can be used for international letters. 

It was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda. She also, in 1998, designed a stamp to benefit breast cancer research.  The photograph was taken by George H.H. Huey of Prescott Arizona, a nature photographer. 

The stamp will be officially issued in Rochester, New York during the Rochester National Stamp Exhibition. It will also be displayed at a brief ceremony Friday morning at Trunk Bay.

Sahara haze hangs over the island

Dust from the Sahara desert has turned the skies cloudy.

The Virgin Islands Department of Natural Resources said in a statement the hazy air is due to dust storms, causing the sand in the Sahara to become airborne. "This rise of accompanying warm air lifts the dust particles about 15,000 feet above the African deserts and these particles travel westward," DPNR said. "As a result, several hundred million tons of African dust can be transported over the Atlantic basin." Sahara dust storms pass through the region several times a year, but mainly in the spring and throughout the summer months.

The haze is expected to continue for a few days, DPNR said.

Best of St. John

Here are the results of the the annual balloting for for the "Best" of the islands. 

The Virgin Islands Daily News invited businesses to nominate themselves for the January ballot distribution.  (A commenter on this post, however, said the Daily News requires payment of a fee to be included on the ballot.  However, Ruth, of St. John Spice replied to that comment saying, it's not true.  "No one pays to register. This has been the case for at least two or three years," she wrote.

The paper identified 154 different categories for competition.  They included island needs such as A/C Refrigeration, Custom Embroidery, and tourist-focused services like Breakfast, Wine List and Fresh Fruit.

This year, the Daily News published separate editions with island-specific results. All the better to generate more advertising when you do it island by island.  Instead of one "Best Of" edition, you have three.  The St. John issue has 36 pages, three of which are the results, and 32 of which are advertising from the happy winners showing off their award certificates.  Of course, it's still a good resource if you're planning a visit to the island.

Here are a few of this year's "Best" winners:

• Bar/no live entertainment: Skinny Legs
• Bar/with live entertainment: Beach Bar
• Wine selection: Pine Peace
• Chef: Chris, Asolare Walter Hinds, Stone Terrace (R.I.P.)
• Gourmet Dining: Stone Terrace (R.I.P)
• Chinese: China Shack (R.I.P.)
• Beach: Maho Bay
• Gift Shop: Caravan Gallery
• Day Sail: Wayward Sailor
• Real Estate Agent: B.J. Harris

Here's the St. John "Best Of" issue: http://bestofstj2008.vidaily.com/.