— Carnival is in high gear in St. Thomas and so far it has been wonderful. If you’re not here, you should be. If you’re here and you’re not taking part in Carnival activities, you should be. The Carnival spirit is infectious — and it’s worth catching!
— One interesting addition to Carnival Village this year: a condom giveaway. Several booths have baskets set out with free condoms inside, compliments of the HIV Care Centers. The message on their card: "Jump up and sway for Carnival Y2K….but don’t get carried away!" The card goes on to say that "the correct and consistent use of condoms during sex can greatly reduce your risk of getting HIV" and gives the center’s phone numbers on St. Thomas (774-3168) and St. Croix (772-9501). As Irving "Brownie" Brown (the very deserving honoree of this year’s Village) would say, "Good t’ing!"
— Gov. Charles W. Turnbull did the right thing in requesting FBI assistance to solve the recent spate of shootings on St. Thomas. The only question is, why did it take him so long? The feds had said they were willing to help weeks ago. We should have jumped on their offer immediately.
— Why, oh why, can’t Public Works keep our main roads litter-free? The same bottles and scraps have been in the same place along the Magens Bay Road for weeks. Ditto for Mafolie Road and many other well-traveled byways. They’re an embarrassment. Roadside litter pickup is a simple but important task that has to be done regularly — daily, ideally, but at least weekly. What’s the problem?
— But, to Public Works’ credit, we’ve seen crews in recent days cutting brush along many of our roadsides. One crew even cut the tall growth at the bottom of Mafolie Hill, along Maude Proudfoot Drive, so motorists can again see the stop sign that had been hidden for weeks.
— Before we leave Public Works, we want to raise one other issue: potholes. Just as the issue can be summarized in one word, so can our assessment of Public Works’ performance: pathetic. One pothole on Magens Bay road is so enormous that the St. Thomas Swimming Association could start giving lessons in it until its pool is finished.
— Speaking of which, it is really good news that construction has started on that pool in Estate Nazareth. It has taken forever, but it’s becoming a reality thanks to the persistence of people like Kathy Huttel.
— Does the law still prohibit darkened windows in vehicles? If so, does anyone ever enforce it?
— On the far western end of Magens Bay the other afternoon someone had written in big block letters in the sand, "LIFE IS WONDERFUL." It’s worth remembering.