Gone but not forgotten

On Monday, a Beaconite was preparing to leave the office for the day when she received a phone call that made her very sad.

 The territory’s oldest resident, Eliza Turnbull, had died the day before. When Ms. Turnbull marked her 110th birthday on Oct.6, the Beaconite had been excited to speak with the centenarian again, as she had in years past. Unfortunately, flooding that week caused a planned celebration to be postponed. Nonetheless, the Beaconite will never forget previous interviews with the centenarian. Once, when Ms. Turnbull was asked about the Christmas season long ago, she exclaimed, “No sir, no Christmas now. Dem days? Dem were days, my boy.” And each time the devoutly religious centenarian was asked how she was faring, she would reply, “I am happy to be in the land of the living.” A song would usually follow. The Beacon offers its condolences to Ms. Turnbull’s family.

Out of reach

When you don’t want little children to get something, you put it out of their reach. One Beaconite understands this logic, because he has a toddler who gets into things he shouldn’t. For example, anything that could cause the child harm is stored on top the refrigerator — way out of his reach. It’s not only the Beaconite who understands this concept: Elmore Stoutt High School officials have also adopted this idea in an effort to protect the school’s sign, which is decorated with a picture of former principal Elmore Stoutt. Since it was installed, the sign was a target of crude graffiti—even after it was cleaned and replaced. But now the sign is elevated and out of the reach. Let’s hope the plan works, as it does for the Beaconite.

 

Proactive measure

The sign says, “Keep your belongings safe.” It then goes on to warn motorists that “thefts from motor vehicles are on increase.” Although the Beaconite believes that preventive action can deter criminals, he would like to see more done than just a sign posted at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds. For example, where is the sign that says, “Watch out for vandals, graffiti is on the rise”? A sign is a good step, but if theft is on the rise, then how about taking some serious actions to prevent the crime. Proper lighting, video cameras or a police officer who randomly checks the facility might be more effective.

 

Lost and found

A Beaconite is pretty good at some things: sitting at his desk and searching the Web, eating baked goods and drinking Coca-Cola, for instance. He’s less great about other slightly less vital tasks — like keeping track of his stuff. The Beaconite dropped his wallet in the (dry) High Court fountain Friday. He was without it for most of the day until an observant police inspector found it and returned it to the slightly embarrassed reporter. The incident followed the Beaconite’s loss of his wallet and keys in September after they fell out of his pockets in the bed of a pickup truck he was riding in. Thankfully, the truck’s owner found the wallet and went out of his way to drive it back to the Beacon office. The Beaconite’s keys, which were lost at approximately the same time, were dropped off on his doorstep a few days later. The Beaconite isn’t sure who dropped off the keys, but he’s grateful to all of the strangers who found his stuff and helped him out.

Road to the HOA

In the coming months, readers will notice the recurrence of a new logo that is making its first appearance with the elections special report on page one of this issue. Readers can expect Virgin Islands election coverage whenever they see this logo within a story. The Beacon looks forward to bringing readers comprehensive coverage of the road to the House of Assembly.