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V.I.’s Jabari Blash signs with Mariners By AARON GRAY, reporter, Daily News Staff Published: July 24, 2010 St. Thomas native Jabari Blash is the third V.I. player to sign an MLB contract in the last two months.  It took a personal sit-down meeting with Davie Johnson, a senior adviser for the Washington Nationals, before Jabari Blash made a decision on his Major League Baseball future.    Blash, a St. Thomas native and former Charlotte Amalie High School star, signed a professional baseball contract with the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday after being drafted by the organization in the 8th round of the 2010 MLB Draft in June.    It was the third time Blash has been drafted — the first time came after he graduated high school — but the Miami Dade Community College sophomore felt now is the right time.    “Jabari has been playing under Davie Johnson in the Florida Collegiate League this summer and he went with his advice,” said V.I. Future Stars founder Darren Canton, who played a big role in the scouting process. “He told Jabari to go and not worry about the money. He signed near the deadline for drafted players and now he can go out and produce.”    Blash’s signing bonus is for just under $200,000, Canton said, and the Seattle Mariners will also pay for three years of tuition at the University of Miami.    In the five-year history of the Future Stars program, four players have been drafted but none have signed a Major League contract. Until this summer.    Blash became the third V.I. baseball player to sign a professional contract in the last two months. Akeel Morris, a recent Charlotte Amalie High School graduate, signed with the New York Mets on June 14 and Western Oklahoma State College product Jamaine Cotton, an Ivanna Eudora Kean High School graduate, signed with the Houston Astros on June 11.    James Sneed, a recent St. Croix Educational Complex graduate, was also drafted, which means he has until Aug. 15 to negotiate a contract.    “It’s been a great summer for V.I. baseball,” Canton said. “We have three new players now playing professionally in summer leagues and the V.I. national team is being competitive in Puerto Rico.”    Blash, a 20-year-old outfielder, reported to the Peoria Mariners of the Arizona League on Thursday for a physical and is hoping to start playing this weekend.    Canton said after a week in Arizona, he will start playing for a rookie-level summer team in Pulaski, Va., in the Appalachian League. It’s the same league Cotton is playing in with the Astros and the two are sure to meet on the field before the summer is over.    The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Blash had a .341 batting average with five doubles, two triples, a home run, 12 RBIs and 31 runs for Miami Dade in 29 games last year.    Blash was drafted by the Chicago White Sox out of high school and the Texas Rangers selected him last year. The Mariners announced the signing of Blash earlier this week along with two other players — right-handed pitcher Stephen Landazuri, who was taken in the 22nd round, and right-handed pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen, selected in the 45th round.    — Contact sports reporter Aaron Gray at 774-8772 ext. 352 or e-mail agray@dailynews.vi.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:   Renaldo Raymo – vicarnival_troupe@yahoo.com/301-404-5183 V.I. Carnival Troupe Wow Masses in Washington, DC with USVI-style Parade Showcase Group wins 2nd place for Band of the Year and is joined by St. Thomas Majorettes and USVI's DJ Avalanche Largo, MD, July 1, 2010 -- 130 brightly decorated members of the Virgin Islands Carnival Troupe (VICT) masqueraded down Georgia Avenue in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 26th portraying “An Enchanted Tropical Rainforest.”  Tramping to pulsating rhythms by the USVI’s-own D.J. Avalanche, VICT brought its legendary taste of Virgin Islands Carnival to the annual DC Caribbean Carnival Parade. Joined by the St. Thomas Majorettes, the troupe performed a winning dance routine to a musical mix of Virgin Islands hits from 2010 VI Carnival. In its sixth year, V.I. Carnival Troupe – which is largely made up of Virgin Islanders, but open to participants from around the world - took 2nd place honors for Band of the Year, and also dominated the King and Queen of the Band competition on June 13 with its queen – Racquel Joseph donning a multi-colored Parrot costume; king – Renaldo Raymo portraying a stunning  Peacock costume; and 3rd place winner for female individual costume – Kaiya Todman-Nash, wowed the crowd as a beautiful, red Hibiscus. Displaying a range of flowers from bright gold Yellow Cedars to vibrant, red Hibiscuses to radiant orange and green Lillies, VICT members were flanked by exotic characters in colors representing the Virgin Islands Flag. Now in its seventh year, The Virgin Islands Carnival Troupe Inc. also won first place honors in 2006 and 2007 for the DC Carnival Parade.  VICT was formed in 2003 by Virgin Islanders Ivah Chesterfield, Jr. and Renaldo Raymo as a subcommittee of the DC Metro Virgin Islands Association.   The group was sponsored by Senator Shawn Michael-Malone, Arturo Watlington, A Taste of the Caribbean and Superior Auto Services. ###

St. Croix native is 'HGTV Design Star' in the making By GENEVIEVE RYAN, Daily News Staff Published: June 11, 2010 Photo courtesy of HGTV Alex Sanchez to compete on “HGTV Design Star.” St. Croix native Alex Sanchez makes his television debut this weekend as a contestant on the fifth season of “HGTV Design Star” when the series premiere airs at 10 p.m. Sunday on Home and Garden Television. The St. Croix Educational Complex graduate says he has always been a creative type. As a child, he was happier building things out of the popsicle sticks and glue his father bought him rather than playing with toys. “I knew whatever I did it would center around homes,” Sanchez said. Creativity runs in the Sanchez family. For many years, his father, Hugh Sanchez, had a hand in designing the Festival costumes for the Sanchez and Associates Festival troupe, and his sister, Elisa Sanchez, puts her creativity to work as a civil engineer at V.I. Water and Power Authority. The 26-year-old, who now resides in Washington, D.C., left the territory after high school to attend North Carolina A&T State University where he earned a degree in architectural engineering, graduating at the top of his class. While in school, he earned money designing custom tattoos and T-shirts, and helping friends redecorate their rooms using thrift store finds. “Times were very tight when I was in college, so I used my artistic ability to make it through,” he said.  Sanchez says he has been a fan of “HGTV Design Star” since the first season, so when he saw the call to apply for the fifth season he just decided to go for it. “I felt like it was meant for me to do,” he said. In his designs, he says his Caribbean background is evident in the “punches of color” he uses, as well as his sense of freedom, something he inherited from his parents, who often break the rules of design to find what works for them. On the show, Sanchez will be competing against 11 other contestants from across the U.S., with backgrounds ranging from interior designers to contractors, stylists, architects and artists. Each week, the finalists will compete against each other in challenges that test their skills as designers. The season was shot in New York City and features a panel of judges that includes HGTV designers Genevieve Gorder, Candice Olson and Vern Yip. “HGTV Design Star” will air on Sundays for 11 weeks through Aug. 22. Beginning Monday, the show becomes interactive when audience members share their views about the show online at HGTV.com/designstar. — Contact reporter Genevieve Ryan at 774-8772 ext. 340 or e-mail gryan@dailynews.vi.

CAHS Graduate Receives $300,000 Scholarship to U.S. Coast Guard Academy By Source Staff — June 14, 2010 Two weeks after he turns the tassel on his graduation cap, 18-year-old Jamen DesCartes will report to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CGA) in New London, Connecticut, where he will officially become a cadet in the Class of 2014 after completing an intensive eight-week session called “Swab Summer.” DesCartes, a 2010 graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS), St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, distinguished his high school career by leading as captain of the school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) unit to a win for the third year in a row at the annual territorial Caribbean Drill Competition held on April 17. DesCartes, who says his favorite subject is math, also excelled in academics and graduated with a 3.7 grade point average or high ‘A’. He became interested in attending the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 10th grade when a relative suggested he apply to the academy’s summer Academy Introductory Mission program (A.I.M.).   “A.I.M. was really fun,” says DesCartes. “I saw right away that I wanted to go to the academy. I want to major in civil engineering.” DesCartes was offered an early appointment to the CGA in December; however, it was officially presented to him during CAHS’s Honor Night in June by LTJG Biann I. Creque. Creque, a 1999 CAHS graduate, received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University in Atlanta, Georgia, and then enlisted into the U.S. Coast Guard after seeing a commercial on television. After completing basic training at the Coast Guard’s training facility in Cape May, New Jersey, Creque was accepted into Officer Candidate School in New London. She has worked in communications and has been stationed in Miami, Florida, and in the Bahamas, before taking her present position as a communications systems engineer in Portsmouth, Virginia. “The opportunities and responsibilities that the Coast Guard offers really enable you to make a difference in people’s lives,” says Creque. Founded in 1876 and ranked among the nation’s most prestigious and selective institutions of higher learning, the CGA is an academic and military community educating future leaders for America. This year, more than 20,000 students inquired about admissions and over 4,000 submitted an application to the Coast Guard Academy. Of those, less than 400 were appointed, and 290 will swear in this summer to the Class of 2014. Since there are no Congressional nominations, appointments are based on merit and, therefore, the most qualified applicants are selected regardless of where they live. A scholarship is valued at $300,000 and the appointment offers a total life experience. The campus provides a secure, supportive and highly structured environment for a unique higher education experience focusing on academics, athletics, leadership and professional military development. Source:  http://stthomassource.com/content/community/people/2010/06/14/cahs-graduate-receives-300000-scholarship-us-coast-guard-academy

Laverne Jones-Ferrette, 2nd fastest woman on Earth    V.I. sprinter Jones wins 60m silver at Indoor Worlds By Dean "Sports Man" Greenaway Monday, March 15th 2010 DOHA, Qatar - Laverne Jones threw the monkey off her back and in the process, silenced critics who said she could not produce in big meets. The St. Croix speedster made her first IAAF World Championships final, then climbed the podium for the first time in her career on the global stage, after Jamaica's Olympic veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown used a personal-best effort to beat her in the 13th edition of the indoor championships at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar, Saturday night. Jones' former Barton Community College teammate snatched gold after running 7 to her 7.03 effort, as the USA's Carmelita Jeter placed third in 7.05. The historic night in Virgin Islands sports saw the British Virgin Islands' Tahesia Harrigan joining Jones in the final that had five Caribbean athletes - as she placed seventh in a season's best 7.17 - with the championships her only competition after being limited by a foot issue. Jones - the fastest coming into the meet with a 6.97 time - opened the competition on Friday with a time of 7.14 and followed that up with 7.05 in Sunday's semis, advancing her to her first final and becoming the second Virgin Islands athlete to medal in consecutive indoor championships after Harrigan bagged bronze in 2008. "Words can't explain, but I'm so ecstatic and I'm overjoyed," said Jones, who was one position from the 200-meter outdoor championships final in Berlin last August. "It has been a long time in coming and I did not what to go to a third World Indoor Championships without getting a medal, so I'm really, really happy. I told myself that I was going in as the fastest and whoever beats me had to run a personal-best and that is exactly what Veronica did, so I was happy with the outcome." USVI Track and Field Federation general secretary Wallace Williams said Jones' accomplishment shows that when a young person puts their head to something they can accomplish wonders. Jones, he said, has been working on this since high school and there are so many people who made significant contributions to her accomplishment. He said for the USVI and BVI to have world championships finalists is incredible. "We just need to motivate our young people, support our young people and provide them with facilities and resources so that they can accomplish these things," Williams said. "We know it can be done and Laverne just proved it." Jones' coach and husband Steven Ferrette said she has been working smarter over the last two years, working on technical aspects of her race and her weaknesses. "Her mindset is different now and she always enjoyed running, but now she's realizing her full talents," he said. "Her confidence level is a lot higher and she could have always run with them, but it's now coming to the point where she's witnessing it." Harrigan - the 2009 Sol BVI Senior female athlete of the year - had considered not attending the championships because of similar foot issues that plagued her in 2008. She said she was excited about her performance in her only meet of 2010, where she ran 7.26, 7.22 and 7.17, respectively, in each round of competition. "I can't say I was looking for anything better or anything worse, considering that the last 2Â months of training have been up and down, and not being able to have a complete week (of training) up until last week before the championships, I felt good," she said. "I was able to run 7.17 today. I was able to go through the rounds even though it was stressful on my body. Overall, I have to be excited about the time and making it to the final." Henry helps Texas A&M win NCAA 1,600 relay crown Tabarie Henry took out his 400 meters frustrations by helping his Texas A&M Aggies 1,600 meters relay team win the NCAA title on Saturday night in Fayetteville, Ark. A back problem limited the St. Thomas native's performance to sixth place in the open 400 in 46.19 seconds. "I wasn't healthy. I've been hurt since the Big 12 championships with a back injury, so I just did enough to help my team," Henry said. "My race was really flat. I couldn't do nothing throughout my race." Henry gave his team a 45.76 third leg carry on the 1,600 relay that won in three minutes and 4.40 seconds - the second fastest time in the world this season. BVI's Chantel Malone takes seventh in NCAA long jump University of Texas Longhorns and Sol BVI 2009 Junior Female Athlete of the Year Chantel Malone posted a seventh-place finish in the long jump on Friday's opening day of action at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. The Texas junior recorded a mark of 21 feet to become only the fourth athlete in Longhorns history to jump 21 feet or farther twice in their career. Two weeks ago, the BVI standard bearer registered the second-best leap in Longhorns indoor history when she jumped 21'4Ê" to claim the 2010 Big 12 Indoor Championship title. "It was a great experience and it's my first time making it to the final," Malone said. "My series was really bad in my opinion. My third jump was what really got me into the finals. But overall I think my indoor season was great. I wouldn't ask for anything better. It started off good and although seventh wasn't my goal for nationals, I am still pleased because I know that I am better prepared and outdoor is going to be phenomenal." - Dean Greenaway is a Daily News correspondent based on Tortola.

BRIGADIER GENERAL TIMOTHY L. LAKE Deputy Commander Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Cuba Brigadier General Timothy L. Lake is Deputy Commanding General for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since October 2009. He is responsible for the supervision of over 2150 members comprised of Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard as well as over 5000 civilian contractors and workers on the base. General Lake ensures that those under his supervision provide safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detained enemy combatants, conduct intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for protection of detainees and personnel working in Joint Task Force-Guantanamo in support of the Global War on Terrorism. He supports the Office of Military Commissions to law enforcement and war crime investigations, and on order respond to Caribbean mass migrations operations. General Lake was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1985 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at North Carolina A&T State University. He has served on Active Duty and in the National Guard, on the Joint and Army Staff, and at the White House Military Office. General Lake served as the Deputy Chief of Operations, White House Communication Agency and Commander, Special Missions Command Camp David before and after September 11, 2001. He served two Presidents as their communications officer leading missions anywhere in the world in support of presidential travels. General Lake served as the first Joint Task Force Commander in Louisiana capital city of Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, responsible to the civil-military leadership for discipline and order. EDUCATION: 1985 North Carolina A&T State University, Bachelor of Science, Industrial Technology (Manufacturing), Greensboro, North Carolina 2004 United States Army War College, Master of Science Degree, Strategic Studies, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania 2006 Joint Task Force Commander Course, United States Northern Command, West Virginia ASSIGNMENTS: 1. November 1985 - December 1986, Platoon Leader, C Company, 102nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea 2. January 1987 - May 1988, Platoon Leader, C Company, 24th Signal Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia 3. June 1988 - May 1990, Battalion Signal Officer, 3rd Battalion 69TH Armor, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia 4. December 1990 - April 1999, 1Battalion Motor Officer, 141st Signal Battalion, 1st Armor Division, Southwest Asia 5. December 1991- May 1992, Regimental Signal Officer, 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment,  Germany 6. May 1992 - December 1993, Command, B Company, 123rd Signal Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Germany 7. December 1993 - Jul 1994, Division Radio Officer, Assistant Division Signal Office, 3rd Infantry Division, Germany 8. July 1994 - October 1994, S-3, 786th Supply and Service Battalion, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands 9. October 1994 - December 1995, S-1, 786th Supply and Service Battalion, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands 10. December 1995 - May 1996, State Area Command, Security and Intelligence Officer, Saint Croix, Virgin Islands 11. May 1996 - June 1998, S-3 / S-2, 786th Supply and Service Battalion, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands 12. December 1998 - June 2000, Chief, Networks Division, White House Communication Agency, Washington, District of Columbia 13. July 2000 - June 2001, Deputy Chief of Operations, White House Communication Agency, Washington, District of Columbia 14. July 2001- July 2003, Commander, White House Communication Agency, Special Mission Command, Camp David, Maryland 15. June 2004 - June 2005, Chief, Policy and Analysis Branch, Plans and Readiness Division, Army Readiness Center, Arlington, Virginia 16. June 2005 - June 2006, Commander, Joint Task Force, Joint Force Headquarters, Virgin Islands National Guard, Saint Croix, Virgin Islands 17. July 2006 - August 2008, Chief, Force Assessment, Forces Division, the Joint Staff, J-8, the Pentagon, District of Columbia 18. August 2008 - September 2009, Assistant Chief of Staff, Army National Guard, Army Capabilities Integration Center, Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia 19. October 2009 - Present, Deputy Commander General, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS: Bronze Star Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster) Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters) Army Achievement Medal (with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster) Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal National Defense Service Medal (with Bronze Service Star) Southwest Asia Service Medal (with 3 Bronze Service Stars) Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Korean Defense Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal (with Bronze Service Star) Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Bronze Hourglass) Army Service Ribbon Overseas Service Ribbon (with Numeral 2) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters) Presidential Service Badge Joint Staff Service Badge Army Staff Badge Parachutist Badge PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS: National Association of Pershing Rifles, N-4, North Carolina A&T State University National Guard Association, Virgin Islands OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Military Graduate Research Paper: Reliable and Relevant National Communications System EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION: Second Lieutenant 1 July 1985 First Lieutenant 1 January 1987 Captain 1 January 1990 Major 9 May 1996 Lieutenant Colonel 1 November 2001 Colonel 30 September 2005 Brigadier General 26 September 2009 (Current as of October 2009) Source:  http://www.ng.mil/ngbgomo/library/bio/2049.htm, July 8, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: 301-613-3094/ gobimarketing@yahoo.com Note: Ms. Sewer’s first name is spelled with the accent mark over á) . Virgin Islander Loán Sewer Inducted into 2009-2010 Temple University Gallery of Success for Achievements in Tourism & Hospitality Washington, DC, October 19, 2009 – Temple University alumna and Virgin Islands native Loán Sewer (pronounced Lo-An) joined a prestigious group of alumni from Temple University on Friday, October 16, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a 2009-2010 Inductee into the Temple University Gallery of Success.  Sewer, the Director of Sales for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (Department), is a 2002 graduate from the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management with a Masters in Tourism & Hospitality Management (MTHM), and one of thirty-four alumni worldwide selected for this esteemed honor.   As Director of Sales, she manages the Department’s North America sales team and six regional offices from the Washington, D.C. headquarters, and establishes strategies partnerships in the U.S. mainland to promote the islands for business and leisure travel. The Gallery of Success is a collaborative effort between the University’s Career Services department and Office of Alumni Relations with a two-fold mission: to provide current students an opportunity to recognize and be inspired by the success of Temple graduates who have gone before them and achieved success in their chosen fields, and to honor Temple alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers serving as an inspiration to others in the attainment of their Temple degrees. Two graduates from each of Temple’s 17 schools and colleges are inducted each fall during Homecoming Weekend and on display for one year in the Gallery, located in the lower level of Mitten Hall, Temple University Main Campus.  Additionally, the names of all Gallery recipients are permanently displayed in the same location and on a special awards website at myowlspace.com. Ms. Sewer, who is also an alumna of the University of Maryland-College Park, is a board member of the National Capital Chapter of Professional Travel Agents of North America and a contributor to the newly released book, Tears to Triumph: Women Learn to Live, Love & Thrive.”  ###

Congratulations to Virgin Islander Wilma Lewis!  Ms. Lewis was nominated and confirmed by the US Senate as our new Director of Minerals Management Service within the Department of the Interior.  She will also have oversight for the Bureau of Land Management and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Department: Interior Position: Director, Minerals Management Service Childhood State: Virgin Islands Previous State: District of Columbia Previous Administrations: Clinton Lewis was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, holding that post from 1998 to 2001. From April 1995 to January 1998, she served as inspector general for the Interior Department. In that position, she oversaw investigative and audit activities designed to curb fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the department's programs and operations. After resigning as U.S. attorney, Lewis was a partner at Crowell & Moring's D.C. Litigation Group office until 2007, when she became managing associate general counsel at Freddie Mac until December 2008. Lewis, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, earned a B.A. at Swarthmore College in 1978 and her J.D. at Harvard Law School in 1981. Lewis was nominated for the post on May 6. Information source:  http://www.nationaljournal.com/decisionmakers/dm/312/ Photo of Ms. Lewis, courtesy of http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/2003/summer/images/f5-lewis.jpg Posting submitted by Virgin Islander Kenneth (Double) Greaves

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