Mongoose Halloween, Sugar high!
Friday, October 31st, 2008Capt’n John mixes with da kids.
Archive for October, 2008
Sarah Palin brings campaign to St. John
Friday, October 31st, 2008
Cid, from Connections, stumping for votes on Halloween Eve as Sarah Palin. Is she convincing? You betcha!
Recession hits Here to Grow
Friday, October 31st, 2008
Here to Grow, a St. John day care operation with a very good reputation, needs more kids or lower bills.
It’s that simple.
The operators say they may not be able to stay open past January without more students or cutting their overhead. The school, in its seventh year now, is run by Joanna Werman and Karen Jarvis, who ran children’s programs at Caneel and the Westin in the past. They hope to increase enrollment, find a less expensive home to rent for the business or even find a generous benefactor.
“We teach the kids to play well together. We teach them how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ We show them how to have fun, and we do it all without a television or DVDs, says Joanna. “We love what we do, and we want to be here for a long time.”
If you’re traveling to St. John with toddlers, consider giving them a little cultural experience too. The local kids would love to have a Continental kid to color with.
Read a little more about Joanna and Karen, and perhaps if you can help, here!
Don’t blame the St. John post office
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
The sometimes unexplainable, often times unreasonable delays in mail service on St. John can be traced back to a messed up system in Puerto Rico. That’s the conclusion of the USPS Office of Inspector General, after investigating ongoing complaints first hand.
“They found that all of our complaints are valid and told us that every class of mail they observed being processed through Puerto Rico demonstrated delays,” says Congresswoman Donna Christensen in a statement. “However, once the mail got to the Virgin Islands, it moved quickly and efficiently.”
Well, that last part may be a bit of an exaggeration, but now at least we know the St. John post office can officially pass the buck.
The investigation found Priority Mail, usually a two to three day service, takes on average more than a week to get from the territory to the mainland. It blames Puerto Rico mail workers for misdirection, excessive handling and lack of communication between the postal workers and Customs folks. It also blames out of date sorting machines for damaging large packages (the mashers!)
Christensen asked for the investigation, and wants the Virgin Islands to be allowed to process its own mail, instead of Puerto Rico. The agency will issue a final report this winter.
Coral Bay gas is flowing, and it’s cheap(er)
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
The Domino station in Coral Bay has gas again, and it’s a buck cheaper than it was the last time the station was pumping. (It seems the government has a few questions for gas stations about pump prices too.)
Speaking of Coral Bay, it is waking up after its off season nap. Skinny Legs and Aqua Bistro are entertaining guests again. Miss Lucy’s opens Sunday, Nov. 2, and Shipwreck landing will be back with the music Monday, November 3.
Take the stairs?
Monday, October 27th, 2008
How does the Banana Deck get a brand new Vulcan range and sandwich table up all those steps? They don’t.
Big debut for Café Roma and John Hiebert
Friday, October 24th, 2008
A guy from Vermont is about to make his big St. John debut.
Café Roma reopens with new owner John Hiebert tonight. John brings with him a wife, two kids, and just a few changes at the restaurant.
The new menu has been tweaked a bit, but the pizza stays the same, and the mural survived the sprucing up. And John now holds the recipe to the secret marinara sauce. Read our interview with John, and learn a bit about him, here!
Cruz Bay haircut
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
You can’t just go around pruning big trees, especially ones on a beach. But the trees along Cruz Bay had gotten so big and low-hanging that they were starting to take over the beach itself. And they were also creating little hiding places for the occasional trouble causing slackers.
With CZM permission granted, Wharfside just had the trees cut back. Just enough to fix the problems. Now you can walk from the dock to the Beach Bar without wading in the water. (Unless you want to of course.)
The actual Coconut Telegraph
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
If you are looking for the real, live, genuine St. John Coconut Telegraph, you’ll find it at Shipwreck Landing. Coral Bay darling Pace Donnelly demonstrates how fast word travels. (Local calls only.)
Beaches you may have overlooked
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
Thanks to a big volunteer effort, the Coral Bay Community Council recently led a cleanup of two Coral Bay area beaches often overlooked by visitors. More than 50 volunteer hours went into cleaning up Calabash Boom and Johnson Bay. It was part of the International Coast Weeks Cleanup, and also included help from the Coral Bay Yacht Club, KATS and the Johnson Bay Homeowners Association.
“Both of these beaches are good swimming beaches, and it is great to see the trash and debris disappear so that people can enjoy these areas with safety,” says Sharon Coldren of the Coral Bay Community Council. “At our request, DPNR has been doing weekly water quality testing at Johnson Bay for over two years and the water quality has always tested excellent for swimming.”
If you’re curious, here’s a Beach Break from about a year ago at Johnson Bay. Beautiful.
Plate envy
Monday, October 20th, 2008
We’re not even sure this plate belongs to an On-StJohn.com reader. It’s a reconnaissance photo captured on the Garden State Parkway near Long Beach Island.
OSJ reader Joe Jackson sent it to us, along with a request. “If the owner of the plate contacts you, please put them in touch with me. I want that plate!”
Joe runs a construction business in NJ called…Cruz Bay Construction. (Looks like he does a little work for the rich and famous too.)
Feet tats
Saturday, October 18th, 2008
Here’s more of Pat’s work at Octopus Ink. These feet belong to mother and daughter Samantha and Maria who say they got these tattoos in July, during one of their two trips to St. John this year.
“We love them! Every time we look down at our feet it reminds us of our favorite place to be,” says Maria.
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Coral Bay dog becomes Cover Girl
Friday, October 17th, 2008
Good Morning America resident veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker launched his new book, “The Ultimate Dog Lover” on the show last week. And there on the cover of the book is resident Big Fish mascot Lilly.
“Marty is a regular St. John vacationer, and when he was down last year we had his family over for drinks one night,” says Big Fish owner Christy Dove. “He took a picture of Lilly that night and a few months later he contacted me to ask if he could put Lilly on the cover of his new book.”
This is Lilly’s second brush with stardom. Last year, she showed up on the CBS Morning Show as part of a feature called Around the World For Free, when producers visited the island and went on a hike with Christy and Lilly.
Marty is returning to St. John over the Thanksgiving Holiday (and staying at fellow author Homer Hickam’s Carolina house) and Christy hopes to put together a book signing by the author and the model at the store.
Lilly seems to be taking her celebrity status in stride, but as for her owner? “I think I’ve become a stage mom,” says Christy. “She’s quite photogenic.”
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