Virgin Islands

Chelsea Newton scored 16 points to lead No. 17 Rutgers to a 77-53 victory over Oregon State in the second round of the Paradise Jam tournament yesterday in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. Kim Butler led the Beavers (1-2) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Knights (3-0) led by six at the break and limited Oregon State to 18 points in the second half. St. Joseph's 41, Mississippi State 38 - Maura McBryan had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Hawks (2-3) tripped the Bulldogs (1-2)

Drexel basketball player Frank Elegar will play for the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Pan American Games in Brazil. The team begins pool play Wednesday. Elegar, who will be a senior, led the Dragons in scoring, rebounding and field- goal percentage last season. The Virgin Islands qualified for the Pan Am Games by winning the silver medal at the Centrobasket Tournament in 2006. The team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in its history with an 85-84 win over previously unbeaten Puerto Rico in the semifinals, but lost to host Panama in the title game, 73-59.

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands - Authorities have arrested a man accused of threatening a witness in the slaying of a 21-year-old Bucks County resident in the U.S. Virgin Islands, police said yesterday. Ryan Meade, 31, of St. John, was arrested Monday, Police Commissioner James McCall said at a news conference. The suspect in the killing, Kamal Thomas, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder, assault and weapons possession. The victim, James Cockayne, of New Hope, was stabbed to death June 19 on the island of St. John as he waited to begin work at a yacht club.

Nobody seems to know how a remote American territory 1,000 miles south of Miami and 40 miles east of Puerto Rico ended up in the same federal judicial circuit as Philadelphia. The U.S. Virgin Islands became part of the nation in 1917 when they were bought from Denmark. The act of Congress that finalized the sale also made the islands part of the 3rd Circuit, which is based in Philly. Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., set out in the mid-1990s to find out why the islands are part of the 3rd Circuit.

A government-backed airline whose purpose is to deliver visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands is scheduled to begin service this week. The airline - U.S. Virgin Islands Prestige Airways - will offer twice- weekly flights from Washington's Dulles International Airport to Miami, continuing to St. Thomas and St. Croix. After the inaugural flights beginning Friday, the airline's regular service will be on Sundays and Thursdays. The aircraft will be a Boeing 727-200, which can carry 164 people.

With seven of their teammates in Japan for the Winter Olympics, the 15 other Flyers players enjoyed a week away from hockey. On Tuesday, they were back at practice at the Coliseum in Voorhees. "At my age, it sure benefited me," Kjell Samuelsson, the 39-year-old defenseman, said with a laugh, discussing the break as he rested on a stool in front of his locker after practice yesterday. "Honestly, I think it will benefit everybody, except maybe the guys who are playing in Japan," he said.

Hurricane Luis, still a large and explosive storm, took a benevolent turn yesterday, sparing Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of catastrophic damage and posing little threat to the U.S. East Coast. But nine people were reported killed and dozens missing on the French-Dutch island of St. Martin, home to 50,000 people. One thousand people were left homeless, said Michel Dissenbacher, the French representative on Guadeloupe, which governs St. Martin's French portion. In Antigua, hundreds were left homeless as roofs were ripped off scores of buildings, including an emergency shelter.

What: Paradise Jam consolation game Who: Saint Joseph's vs. De Paul Where: St. Thomas, Virgin Islands When: 6 o'clock TV: None Radio: WNTP (990-AM)

The Reagan administration is considering a ban on imports of oil from Iran, the New York Times reported today. The Times, quoting unnamed senior officials, said the consideration of an oil embargo was part of a larger study of administration options in dealing with Iran as tensions continue to build in the Persian Gulf region. According to the Times, the options range from cutting off other imports to a wider embargo that would signal a return to a state of economic hostility similar to that of the 1979-1981 hostage crisis.

Beaches Ready to hit the beach? Here's ShermansTravel.com's list of the best beach destinations. 1. Anse Source d'Argent La Digue, Seychelles 2. Grace Bay Providenciales Turks and Caicos 3. Ipanema Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 4. Lanikai Beach Oahu, Hawaii 5. Manly Beach Sydney, Australia 6. Paradise Beach Mykonos, Greece 7. Plage Malendure...

Make 2012 your year to visit an eco-friendly destination with your family. Here are five places where green is good: 1. Oregon. This northwestern haven for all things green is possibly the most eco-conscious state in the nation. With more than 300 miles of stunning coastline preserved as public land, families can visit pristine beaches, bike in two-wheel-friendly cities including Portland and Eugene, and raft on wild and scenic rivers. You can also explore high deserts, farm and wine country, and the Columbia River Gorge, all on one grand holiday.

Wholesale gasoline futures in the Northeast surged Wednesday after a giant oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands announced it was closing next month, the latest petroleum processor to call it quits. Hovensa L.L.C., a joint venture of U.S.-based Hess Corp. and Venezuela's state-owned oil company, announced it will cease operating its 350,000-barrel-a-day refinery in St. Croix. The plant provided 83,000 barrels a day of gasoline and 47,000 barrels of distillate fuel like heating oil and diesel to the U.S. Northeast, according to the Energy Department.

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - Frantz Massenat scored a career-high 23 points, and Samme Givens added 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Drexel past Winthrop, 68-45, Monday in the seventh-place game of the Paradise Jam. Drexel, which had lost to Norfolk State and Virginia in its first two games of the tournament, shot 48 percent from the field (23 of 48), including a 52 percent clip (11 of 21) from three-point range. Massenat was 6 of 8 from behind the arc. "We did a better job of handling the ball, and we made some shots," said Drexel coach Bruiser Flint.

The good news for Drexel was its smothering defense, which held Virginia in check for the first seven minutes of the second half. The bad news was 26 percent shooting from the field in a 49-35 loss in a losers' bracket game of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Drexel (1-2), which lost to Norfolk State in Friday's first round, will play Winthrop at 1 p.m. Monday. "Both teams made it an ugly game," said Drexel coach Bruiser Flint. "They did a great job on us in the first half, and they capitalized on some of our turnovers, too. I knew they were a good defensive team.

Fierce rains lash Italy; 9 killed ROME - Torrential rains lashed Italy from its northern Alps to the southern island of Sicily, causing flash floods that killed at least nine people and left six missing, authorities said Wednesday. The storm that began late Tuesday spared few areas, but the northwestern coastal region of Liguria and the central region of Tuscany were the hardest hit. Six of the victims were in Borghetto Vara, a village in Liguria known for its grapes, wines, and chestnuts.

Drexel's season opener also is the earliest game in school history. The Dragons open at 6 a.m. on Nov. 15 at Rider as part of ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon. In other highlights of the schedule released yesterday, Drexel also will play Norfolk State in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands on Feb. 18. The Dragons will play three more games as part of the tournament. Drexel's home opener is Dec. 10 against Princeton. Drexel does not play across-the-street rival Penn this season.

Beaches Ready to hit the beach? Here's ShermansTravel.com's list of the best beach destinations. 1. Anse Source d'Argent La Digue, Seychelles 2. Grace Bay Providenciales Turks and Caicos 3. Ipanema Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 4. Lanikai Beach Oahu, Hawaii 5. Manly Beach Sydney, Australia 6. Paradise Beach Mykonos, Greece 7. Plage Malendure...

ON JAN. 17, the DN pulled a "bait and switch" with the cover story tease "From Philly to Virgin Islands: For U.S. District Justices, Temporary Gig a Real Beach. " For good measure, there was a woman in a bikini on the cover. Are things that desperate? Granted, the Eagles season is over. And Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a slow news day. But to try to goose sales with the tease of a scandal where there isn't one does a disservice to the judiciary, your readers and the paper's reputation.

Nobody seems to know how a remote American territory 1,000 miles south of Miami and 40 miles east of Puerto Rico ended up in the same federal judicial circuit as Philadelphia. The U.S. Virgin Islands became part of the nation in 1917 when they were bought from Denmark. The act of Congress that finalized the sale also made the islands part of the 3rd Circuit, which is based in Philly. Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., set out in the mid-1990s to find out why the islands are part of the 3rd Circuit.

AROUND THIS TIME of year, as shivering Philadelphians trudge over snow-covered ground, the U.S. Virgin Islands - with white, sandy beaches, turquoise waters and perpetual summer - seem like, well, paradise. A little-known fact is that federal judges from the Philadelphia area are periodically dispatched there on the government's tab, often during the winter months, to preside over cases. In fact, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, headquartered here, is scheduled to speak tomorrow at a conference in St. Thomas.