The U.S. Virgin Islands now has another year to come into compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), thanks to an extension granted by the federal government to all U.S. states and territories.

Several states and territories had already filed for extensions to the July 2010 deadline, prompting the federal government to push back the deadline by one year. Any state or territory who does not comply with SORNA, passed in 2006 calling for “substantial compliance” with federal law, could stand to lose 10 to 15 percent of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds.

The Virgin Islands Department of Justice — just one of the many players in the process of rewriting the territory’s sex offender laws — is optimistic that the V.I. will comply with SORNA by the new July 2011 deadline.

“We are examining every single thing with a fine-toothed comb,” said V.I. DOJ spokesperson Sara Lezama. “It gets down to the really nitty gritty stuff. We’d rather be very thorough and diligent and have it take a lengthy period of time than rush it and not have a comprehensive law.”

Some of the countless issues faced by those rewriting the law include whether to require a sex offender who own a timeshare in the territory to register in the V.I., and how to handle situations like a father taking his 17-year-old son to a strip club to celebrate his high school graduation — a crime which could result in a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor with a sexual connotation, requiring the father to register as a sex offender.

“We don’t want to leave any loopholes open,” said Lezama. “It does take a very long time. We have several other agencies involved in order to have a really comprehensive perspective while writing the law.”

As the feral chicken population continues to explode across the territory, DPNR is trying to get a handle of the fowl problem as shown in this photo taken at Francis Bay in the V.I. National Park.

In response to the numerous complaints by residents throughout the territory in regards to the significant nuisance created by feral chickens inundating the community, Department of Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Bob Mathes, announced last week the administration’s control and eradication strategy.

“This effort will truly require not only a comprehensive multi-agency response but also a genuine public/private partnership throughout the territory in order to be a success,” Mathes said.

The control and eradication strategy will address not only feral chickens but all of the territory’s stray animals, including dogs, cats and horses, Mathes added.

After clearing construction debris, Caneel Bay Resort officals planted native flora on the property.

As part of Caneel Bay Resort’s scheduled program of repair and maintenance, work was undertaken on the area of the property adjoining the North Shore Road.
This involved the removal of rubble and building materials discarded from past building projects.

Diane Mathurin, Census 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands clerk, stands outside the organization’s office on the third floor of The Marketplace.

Households whose Census questionnaires were missing critical information will soon be revisited by Census workers in the second phase of the Virgin Islands Census, which began July 10 and will close July 22.

Not every household will be visited during this phase, deemed “Field Follow-up,” during which volunteers will attempt to gather missing information, and verify that dwellings listed as vacant are indeed empty.

Once the second phase is complete, the information gathered during the Census will be evaluated by the Count Review Program, made up of individuals appointed by Governor John deJongh.

Numerous volunteers canvassed the territory during the first phase of data collection, gathering questionnaires which were mailed to each household in an attempt to count all residents of the Virgin Islands.

Senator at Large Craig Barshinger’s office, the St. John Chapter of the St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce and the St. John Administrator’s office will co-host a Town Meeting on Monday, July 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Westin Resort and Villas ballroom.

The V.I. Port Authority has selected architectural firm Robert deJongh and Associates to plan improvements to the waterfront and their draft plan will be presented at the meeting.