The H4 Hawai`i Times - News with Ryan Ozawa!

The H4 Hawai`i Times - News with Ryan Ozawa! Hawai`i News via Ryan Ozawa's Ka `Upena K ukui

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, April 23, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: BILL FOR DEADBEAT PARENT PENALTY DIES Reluctant to commit to an arrangement that state computers might not be ready to handle, representatives of the state Senate refused to accept a House measure that would have included driver's licenses along with business and private licenses to be revoked if child support bills went unpaid. The conference committee yesterday failed to reach a compromise on the bill, effectively killing it for this session. Saying that the majority of U.S. states have programs where deadbeat parents' licenses are revoked, officials with the Child Support Enforcement Agency supported the bill in any form, so long as some type of license was targeted. Revoking professional licenses alone would have affected state accredited doctors, lawyers and contractors. Supporters said similar penalties have been very effective in getting deadbeat parents to pay up. The House delegation insisted that on top of professional licenses, driver's licenses should be targeted as well. However, Sen. Judiciary Chairman Rey Graulty was concerned that the state child support agency's computer records could not yet be easily searched or cross- referenced with those of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Most lawmakers didn't see the bill's fall as a tragedy, noting that the CSEA computers should be fully upgraded by the fall of next year. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: LAWMAKERS TAKE HARDER LINE ON STUDENT VIOLATIONS Citing national survey figures supporting their stance, state legislators yesterday resolved a proposal that would enact a policy of "zero tolerance" for student possession of drugs, alcohol or weapons. House and Senate leaders agreed in conference committee to extend the expulsion penalty from the established 10 days to a maximum of 92 days, or about three months. That could take a student out of classes for an entire semester. "Education is the utmost priority," House Judiciary Chairman Terrance Tom said yesterday. "We want to have a safe school environment." Under the proposal, even if expelled students wouldn't find their expulsions to be a vacation. Depending on the length of time the student would spend out of school, he or she may simply have to participate in alternative educational instruction. Also, each case would have to be reviewed and approved by the Department of Education superintendent. Tom said 78 percent of the American public supported zero tolerance policies, and 84 percent of educators also back them, adding that the bill was long overdue. The bill now has to be approved by a full vote by both the State House and Senate. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: CHICAGO COP DIDN'T ESCAPE CRIME IN ISLES A violent attack on the North Shore yesterday has shaken people from neighbors to state officials. 33-year-old James Boreczky -- a Chicago police officer, boxer and weightlifter -- didn't want the prepackaged, glitzy view of Hawaii most tourists got when visiting. According to his brother Bill Boreczky, a North Shore resident, James Boreczky was in the islands to escape the troubles of the Mainland. Finishing up his stay, Boreczky left his brother's home in Velzeyland just after midnight yesterday to catch the first bus to the airport. Minutes later, police say, Boreczky was approached by three men on bicycles who said they wanted a lighter. The men left, but soon returned, and Boreczky sensed trouble. He headed back towards his brother's place, police say, but he was chased down -- then beaten. The suspects, two of them reportedly teenagers, escaped with Boreczky's money, credit cards, and airline ticket. Bill Boreczky said James' face was practically unrecognizable when he came to see him at Castle Medical Center. He underwent several hours of surgery yesterday. While visitors are often targets of non- violent crime, the severity of the incident has shocked many. "It is absolutely the worst thing for our primary industry," Assistant Attorney General Thomas Green said yesterday. "They have held their breath that the (crimes against tourists) that happened in Florida wouldn't happen here." -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: PASH RULING UPHELD IN U.S. SUPREME COURT In a decision that has native Hawaiian groups cheering, the nation's high court yesterday refused to hear a developer's appeal of a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling that said native Hawaiians could enter private property if it was to practice traditional, cultural or religious rites. Last year, Public Access Shoreline Hawaii -- a coalition of Hawaiian and other advocates -- successfully argued that Nansay Hawaii Inc. would have to make accommodations for native Hawaiian needs before being granted a permit to build a resort on the Big Island. With the backing of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, PASH asserted that the ponds on the North Kona shore were vital shrimp gathering spots for native Hawaiians. Citing the Hawaii State Constitution's protection of the native Hawaiian community, the Hawaii Supreme Court agreed. The decision was hailed as a landmark recognition of native Hawaiian rights. Nansay then filed the appeal, saying it violated their constitutional rights. By deciding not to accept the case, the U.S. Supreme Court has referred the debate back to the state level. Nansay will have to again make its case to the State Planning Commission. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES AKEBONO, the Hawaii-born sumo wrestling champion, was granted citizenship in Japan yesterday. Known in Hawaii as Chad Rowan, the 26-year-old, 480-pound wrestler told reporters that the honor will give him a fresh start in the ancient sport. Akebono was the first foreign wrestler to be a grand-champion (or yokozuna) in Japan tournaments. He had missed the last three due to a knee injury, however, and some fans had been predicting his retirement... OPPOSITION to legalized gambling wasn't strong enough to stop a House bill that would initiate a state study of its benefits and liabilities. The State House yesterday approved a resolution requesting that the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism examine the potential effects of legalizing shipboard casinos and pari-mutuel horse racing. The measure will now return to the State Senate for consideration... RESPONSE to the state's public tours of the H-3 freeway has been so strong that Department of Transportation officials announced yesterday that an additional 800 tickets would be issued for each of the two walking tours being conducted this weekend. The tours will be the last chance to see the freeway up close until a running event scheduled for next year. The weekend's 30,000 tickets had already sold out, at $3.50 each... MICHAEL Nakasone, band director at Pearl City High School, was named by Pres. Clinton this week as Hawaii's Teacher of the Year. Nakasone had led the Pearl City High School Marching Band in the Rose Bowl Parade, the Macy's Parade, and another festival in Japan. The 51-year-old has taught for 19 years, and his current work was recognized by Clinton for the broad community support the Pearl City students receive... LUNCHWAGON owners who operate within 1,000 feet of a public school will have to give up their cigarette sales or face a $1,000 fine, under a bill approved by a House and Senate conference committee yesterday. Lawmakers drafted the bill in response to complaints from parents that "manapua wagons" were a prime source of children's smokes... TEMPS: O`ahu 87/74, Kaua`i 82/73, Moloka`i 84/71, Maui 84/71, Hilo 82/68 CASTS: Partly cloudy, trades to 20MPH; North Shore surf to 6 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 9:52 a.m.; Low 2:04 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, April 22, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: SOME LEGISLATORS BACK OHA State lawmakers today openly expressed doubts that a controversial house bill to cut state funding to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will survive. The rumblings come the day before a planned "unity rally" of OHA supporters, which organizers say will draw together over a thousand people from almost every Hawaiian organization in the state. "The House Republicans are standing united with OHA in solidarity against this very egregious bill," Rep. Quentin Kawanakoa said today. House Speaker Joe Souki also said the bill may die for other reasons. An April 10 rally had brought over 200 people to the state Capitol to protest the measure. The bill would exclude the value of improvements the government has made to ceded lands, the proceeds from which the state must currently split with OHA. Gov. Cayetano had expressed support for the bill, and some lawmakers pointed to federal rules that prohibit the more than $6.5 million in yearly revenues from the Honolulu International Airport -- which sits on ceded lands -- from going anywhere else but back into the airport. Souki said confusion over the airport issue could kill the bill entirely. Despite the support, rally organizers are moving ahead with their plans. "I call upon all of you in the state of Hawai`i -- Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike -- to join us," said OHA Trustee Kinau Kamali`i. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SECOND FREEWAY TOUR PROBLEM-FREE Over 4,000 Hawai`i residents got a rare chance to have an up-close look at a project over three decades in the making. The H-3 freeway, still under construction, was opened to the first of two public walking tours this past weekend. The crowds kick-tested the walls and gawked at the towering gates to the freeway's pair of trans-Ko`olau mountain tunnels. State officials were also pleased to find no reports of health problems caused by an electromagnetic field emitted by the Omega Station -- a high-power navi- gational antenna in Haiku Valley run by the U.S. Coast Guard. Concerns over its proximity to the H-3 prompted the federal government's Environmental Impact Statement to require the state to put a wire cage over one segment of the freeway. Called a Farraday Shield, the cage is supposed to keep electromagnetic pulses from shocking travelers or affecting their pace- makers. To install it, however, will cost the state over $1.5 million. Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Marilyn Kaji said today that the state still hopes there's a chance the shield won't be needed. In addition to fewer fears of the EMF danger itself, the Coast Guard is expected to close the Omega Station late next year, soon after the H-3 is scheduled to open. Kaji said she hopes to hear by May whether the National Weather Service or the Navy is planning on keeping the station open. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: COUNCIL MAY CULL $13 MILLION FROM BUDGET Members of the City Council Budget Committee today said it is absurd for the city to spend more money this year when few O`ahu residents have that luxury. The committee proposed several amendments to the budget package proposed last month by Mayor Jeremy Harris, which was $10 million larger than the current year. "There's no way in good conscience we can justify increasing city expenditures while Honolulu taxpayers have to decrease theirs," said Councilman Duke Bainum. One of the amendments would remove a long-standing perk for department heads and their deputies -- the take-home use of their city cars. "They should be like any other city employees," Bainum said. Employees who are responsible for public safety would be exempt. In addition, the council members are considering the elimination of some deputy director positions and their accompanying secretaries. Finally, the committee has proposed cutting several positions from within the city's Office of Information and Complaint. The office director warned today, however, that cuts to their staff would lead to a tangible reduction in services provided to the public. Today's first round of meetings accumulated nearly $13 million worth of cuts. The next meeting will be held May 1. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES THEFT of metal is frequent, but one 30-year-old man will have to take a break. At about 8:30 p.m. last night, residents of Maka`aloha Street near the old Waipahu Sugar Mill heard a loud explosion. Police reported to the scene, and found the unconscious man inside a fenced Hawaiian Electric substation. He apparently had successfully removed several copper conductors before cutting into a live wire. He remains in critical condition at Queen's... HARRIS Theatre Group, based in San Francisco, will be joining local competitors Wallace Theatres and Consolidated Theatres in the movie market. The company this week announced plans for an 11-screen facility at the Pearl Highlands Center in Pearl City. That will bring the total number of movie screens on O`ahu to over 100. In addition, Harris officials say, two more locations are being considered... KAWAIHAO Church celebrated its 175th anniversary on Sunday, and the day's special services drew over 500 people. Mixing the church's unique religious mix of Christian and Hawaiian beliefs, the Kawaihao Choir performed a Gregorian Chant in Hawaiian, and the Royal Hawaiian Band backed a chant about Hawaii's days of spiritual creation. Located across City Hall on King and Punchbowl streets, the church is a national landmark... ALANA Dung, the 23-month-old leukemia patient, has eight weeks left to live. Her plight has moved more people in the last four days to register with the Hawaii Bone Marrow Registry than the program saw all of last year. Over 2,000 people gave blood samples during a bone marrow drive yesterday at the UH Special Events Arena, bringing the week's total to 5,000 volunteers. The drive continues Thursday at HPD headquarters on Beretania Avenue... FIRST-TIME gun buyers will have to pay the cost of processing their required background checks, if a bill resolved in conference committee last week is passed by the full Senate and House. The payments will come in the form of a fee for firearm permits, which are currently free. Although the bill doesn't state the amount, it's defined as equal to the price charged by the FBI for fingerprint checks. Last year, that price was $24... LAWMAKERS can't help competing, even when its a noble cause. The State Legislature's Food Bank Drive ended today, with the State House bringing in nearly 12,000 pounds of food and $185 in cash donations. The Senate made a valiant effort, netting 6,600 pounds of food and $2308. In all, senators and representatives donated 9 tons of food and $2,500 to the needy... TEMPS: O`ahu 84/72, Kaua`i 81/71, Moloka`i 83/70, Maui 85/72, Hilo 82/69 CASTS: Clear and sunny, warmer temperatures; North Shore surf to 5 feet. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 8:15 a.m.; Low 12:54 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, April 19, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: GIRL'S PLIGHT STIRS HUNDREDS TO GIVE Doctors scanned 2 million records in national registries, and another 15,000 in Hawaii. Last week, they turned to records in Japan and Singapore. Then the family of 23 month old Alana Dung -- a leukemia patient at Kapiolani Medical Center -- turned to their neighbors. The neighbors turned to their neighbors, friends and coworkers. Dung's search for a compatible bone marrow donor made it into the papers; fax machines purred across O`ahu. By the time the latest drive for the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry opened its doors yesterday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, over 1,000 people turned out. Some waited nearly 3 hours to give their few ounces of blood. Dung's plight also caught the attention of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, which yesterday pledged a $200,000 endowment to support the Hawaii registry, and another $50,000 to help cover the cost of testing the of samples collected over the next week and a half. In addition, administrators at the University of Hawaii said today that campus chatter has been strong enough to stir up hopes of holding a donor registration drive at the UH-Manoa campus. Finally, as proof that the aloha spirit thrives anywhere, a local internet service provider has donated a web page for Dung at http://www.hula.net/~idc/alana.html. Doctors say Dung only needs about a cup of marrow, which could boost her chances of recovery to 70 percent. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL BOLSTERS BLANCO'S STAND The University of Hawaii Board of Regents met today in a special meeting to discuss whether Regent Joseph Blanco should be reappointed to the board, despite now holding a position within Gov. Ben Cayetano's administration. Although no action was taken, a proposed draft of new bylaws that would protect against conflicts of interest was presented. Also submitted, comments from the Deputy Attorney General saying that there is nothing in board rules preventing Blanco from serving in both positions. Some BOR members, noting that Blanco sought the Deputy Attorney General's opinion on his own, said that it was at least clear that Blanco was working to make sure that everything was "on the level." Desmond Byrne, head of the watchdog group Common Cause Hawaii, also spoke at the meeting. Byrne insisted that even the mild impression that there's a conflict of interest could be damaging to the BOR and the Governor's Office. In addition, Byrne said that many other universities nationwide prohibit duality in the employment of their regents. Byrne noted that in some states, Regents are elected. The board's personnel committee will meet next week, where the new bylaws could be passed. The draft bylaws state, in part, that anyone appointed as a regent must disclose their own potential conflicts of interest. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: NEW WARSHIP COULD BRING $13 MILLION It's not built yet, but when it is, it will be 500 feet long, crewed with 350 sailors and armed with Tomahawk missiles, 54-caliber guns and six torpedo tubes. It will also be find a home at Pearl Harbor, Navy officials announced yesterday. The USS Hopper, still under construction at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, will eventually be the eighteenth surface ship based in Honolulu. The crew payroll will total about $13 million annually, officials say, and that means more employment and business for the state. "This will help our economy," said Sen. Daniel Inouye, "bringing new residents and revitalizing business in our community." With a displacement of over 8,000 tons, the USS Hopper still boasts a top speed of more than 30 knots. As an Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer, the USS Hooper is designed to battle airplanes, other surface ships and submarines. Three other ships in the class are already home-ported in Pearl Harbor. The USS Hopper scheduled to be commissioned in June of next year. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FORMER HONOLULU PROSECUTOR INDICTED A federal grand jury yesterday indicted 35-year-old George Parker, local attorney and former city deputy prosecutor, under obstruction charges for allegedly accepting money to pressure a Halawa prison inmate to keep quiet. According to U.S. Attorney Steven Alm, Parker accepted a total of $30,000 in 1994 from drug dealers William Batkin and John Bowley. In return, Parker allegedly met with Frank Moon, in prison on drug charges, and repeatedly urged him not to cooperate with the federal investigation. At yesterday's hearing, where Parker's request for no bail was eventually denied by Federal Magistrate Francis Yamashita, U.S. Attorney Marshall Silverberg also claimed that Parker owes as much as $50,000 in outstanding child-support payments and over $100,000 in back state and federal taxes. Parker's attorney called the drug money charges "bogus," and contested the $50,000 child-support figure reportedly claimed by Parker's ex-wife. The indictment currently only seeks the forfeiture of the $30,000 paid by Batkin and Bowley. Parker could also face up to 35 years in prison. In an unrelated investigation, Parker's law license was suspended earlier this week by the Hawaii Supreme Court. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES HAWAII-BORN actor Jason Scott Lee, star of several Hollywood films, has returned to the islands to play a part in a different sort of project. Lee and his colleague Richard Chamberlain have lent their names to an environ- mental education program established by the city. Lee is to appear with Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris in a television public-service announcement, filmed last week "on location" at Nuuanu Stream. Harris yesterday gave Lee an award of merit for his help... DEMEROL, a controlled substance, was supposed to be administered to patients at Hilo Hospital. Instead, say Big Island police, a 35-year-old nurse had been stealing the narcotics. The nurse was arrested after an internal investigation found the patients did not receive their drugs in at least four incidents over the past weekend. She was booked yesterday, and placed on administrative leave until official charges are filed... GOOFS were many in this year's instruction books and worksheets for the state's new "simplified" tax forms. In its first year of use, the N-11's accompanying documentation sported 17 mistakes, most of them in the sample worksheet. State tax officials insist the errors are obvious enough to most residents. Even so, officials say, if someone's tax bill is short because of the mistakes, they won't be penalized... LEAVING his home in Pauoa yesterday afternoon, a 44-year-old Booth Road resident wouldn't be stopped by anything -- or at least not by a woman lying in the path of his car. Police arrested the man for attempted murder after he rolled over a 39-year-old female acquaintance, who reportedly placed herself in the roadway to stop him. The driver was allegedly under the influence of drugs. The victim suffered bruises and scratches... KULA residents are coming together to see if they can save the neighborhood gymnasium after a fire damaged much of its foundation on Wednesday. Maui County Officials aren't sure the city can pay to repair it, despite the heavy dependence school and community groups have on the aging facility. The fire was started by a 12-year-old girl, who started a fire in the grass outside which spread under the gym... TEMPS: O`ahu 86/71, Kaua`i 81/70, Moloka`i 82/69, Maui 83/70, Hilo 81/67 CASTS: Some showers, trades to 25MPH. Surf on North Shore to 8, west 6 feet. SATURDAY'S TIDES: High 6:14 p.m.; Low 6:14 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, April 18, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: DEBATE OVER PROPOSED GAMBLING STUDY FLARES A floor debate in the state House yesterday got heated over a bill -- already passed by the Senate -- that would initiate a study of the economic potential and dangers of legalizing shipboard gambling and horse-race betting. Speaker Joe Souki at one point threatened to eject Rep. Cynthia Thielen from the proceedings after she insisted that senators be allowed to continue debating the issue. Mizuguchi had called a vote on the bill after 18 senators had spoken, but Thielen insisted that there was more to be said. "Gambling will be bad for Hawaii," Thielen protested, "You can bet on that." Mizuguchi maintained that there was more than enough opportunity for input, as eight of the senators who went to the floor were against the study. The House eventually voted to forward the bill to the House Finance Committee. "It's the legislature's responsibility to study the pros and cons," said Majority Leader Annelle Amaral, later adding that some representatives were being "closed-minded" in refusing to look at the potential benefits. Thielen, along with several other representatives who opposed the study, charged that it would be biased because the agencies performing it -- including the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Hawaii Hotel Association -- were already in favor of legalized gambling. Rep. Ed Case, who said he favors the study, suggested that the field of participants be broadened to include some anti-gambling groups, which to date include the police department and the State Attorney General. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: ANTENNA EXPLOSION TARGETS SCHOOLS Cellular antennas are cropping up everywhere, sometimes in residents' backyards -- and soon, on public school grounds. The explosive growth in Honolulu's telecommunications industry may best be demonstrated by the fierce bid war between three upstart wireless-phone companies who want to scatter their antennas atop buildings throughout O`ahu. With the swift expansion, however, some people are concerned the companies are moving too fast. Some residents are concerned that there may be health risks posed by the low-level electromagnetic field generated by such antennas. The companies contend, however, that all studies have proved there to be no danger. The state apparently agrees, with Health department officials yesterday reasserting that the antennas are safe. With the blessing of education officials, two companies plan to install antennas at Mililani High School. In return, the school will get lease money and possibly receive free digital phone service. One of the two companies, VoiceStream Wireless, plans to lease antenna sites from several other island schools. The other, PrimeCo, is still gearing up to offer its service this Fall. A Kahala condo tenant's protest over the proposed placement of an antenna atop her building has drew attention to the issue earlier this week. The condo owners had agreed to lease the building's rooftop to the company without consulting its residents. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: PAIR INDICTED FOR LAUNDERING DRUG MONIES The financial backing of a Maui surgery center three years in the planning may have come from cocaine and crystal methamphetamine (or "ice") sales. Maui medical analyst Henry Blakley, 60, and 39-year-old attorney Richard Frunzy were indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury, after having allegedly laundered more than $300,000 in drug money. According to U.S. Attorney Steven Alm, convicted drug dealer John Bowley gave the money to Frunzy in 1993. Frunzy then gave it to Blakley, both of them part owners of Hale Nani Partners -- the partnership which this year had finally won preliminary approval to establish a outpatient surgery center on Maui. Blakley, managing director of Hale Nani, then used a variety of schemes to get the funds into company accounts, Alm said. One other shareholder in the company, former House speaker Daniel Kihano -- now part of Honolulu's city administration -- was not named in yesterday indictments. The omission was hailed by Kihano's associates as a vindication, contrary to rumors of his involvement. The indictments come after a joint investigation by the FBI and the IRS. In all, the indictment involved over 110 money laundering counts. Each carries a maximum fine of $500,000 and a 20-year jail sentence. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES UNLOADING a barely-used warehouse in Campbell Industrial Park could raise $10 million for the city, said Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris. A city council committee approved the sale of the property, which sports 125,000 square feet of space, on Tuesday. In the past, the warehouse has been a bus garage and a place to stash Christmas decorations. Council Budget Chairman Duke Bainum said yesterday that the city's already gotten a bid for $8.2 million. For $1.8 million more, the upcoming year's operating budget could be balanced... UNABLE to secure a menu or a job application from the owner of The Kappo Aoki restaurant, two armed men yesterday settled for his wallet. Police say the 32-year-old victim was preparing to open the eatery when the robbers approached him just before 4 p.m. After asking about the restaurant's menu and job opportunities, both suspects displayed handguns. They locked the owner in the bathroom, and took money that was hidden in the kitchen... NEXT Wednesday will bring the grand opening of the new Kihei Public Library. The new $4.5 million facility will house over 30,000 books and a variety of other media. Once a community library, it first had a home 15 years ago in the old Kihei School. In 1988, it joined the state library system. The library will be backed with a $100,000 trust set up by prominent island publisher K. C. Edwards... SEVEN current and former Big Island police officers have filed a lawsuit against their former police chief, Victor Vierra. The class-action suit alleges that Vierra and three other police executives -- including Hawaii County Police Chief Wayne Carvalho -- rigged promotion exams. Also named are former Deputy Chief Francis DeMorales and former Maj. Richard Carter. The lawsuit seeks $10 million in damages... REPRESENTATIVE Patsy Mink announced yesterday that she's found the state $3 million for local pollution control efforts. The money will come from a revolving fund under the federal Clean Water Act, and will go to the state Department of Health to enforce environmental laws, monitor environmental hazards and prepare for emergency cleanup efforts. With contributions from the state, the local project has now received over $4 million... TEMPS: O`ahu 85/72, Kaua`i 81/71, Moloka`i 83/70, Maui 81/69, Hilo 80/67 CASTS: Morning showers, trades to 25MPH. North Shore surf to 6 feet. THURSDAY'S TIDES: High 4:52 p.m.; Low 11:35 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, April 17, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: HOUSE APPROVES INDUSTRIAL STUDY OF HEMP Supporters say it could be an industry that may revive the weakening, sugar- free economy on the Big Island. Opponents say its an attempt to eventually legalize marijuana. Apparently enticed by the economic possibilities, the state House today approved a proposal that would initiate a study of "non- psychoactive industrial cannabis hemp." The study, which would be performed by the state's agribusiness development program, comes after two House committees rejected a bill that would have legalized growing marijuana for industrial purposes. Lawmakers were concerned that the marijuana -- which could be used to create fuel or fabrics -- would also contain a psychedelic element known as THC. The proposed study, which now goes to Senate for consideration, would explicitly center around hemp that has minimal concentrations of THC. According to supporters, hemp could be a prosperous alternative to cotton farming in the garment and paper industries. County police officials contend that it is practically impossible to tell the difference between low-THC industrial marijuana and the high-THC breeds that are favored for illegal drug purposes. If eventually passed by lawmakers, the study's findings would be presented during next year's session. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SENATORS TO LET SAME-SEX BATTLE PLAY OUT A bill that would place the question of changing the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages on November's general election ballot is right back where it was just over a week ago. As a result, if there are enough votes in the full senate, it can now be brought to the floor and passed. Senate President Norman Mizuguchi had earlier referred the bill a second time, to the senate Health Committee. The move, Senate Judiciary Chair Rey Graulty said last week, was to make sure it would die with the end of the legislative session on April 29. The additional referral was protested by senate minority leader Michael Liu, who challenged Mizuguchi on Monday by saying his maneuver violated the state constitution. Mizuguchi had overruled the challenge, and Liu and another senator walked out in protest. Senate leaders yesterday rescinded the second committee referral. Now, if nine senators vote to do so, the bill can be pulled out of the Judiciary Committee. Then, it would take 17 votes for the full senate to pass it. Graulty said today that there's little chance it will happen. "This bill just refuses to die," Graulty said. "We'll just let the votes speak for themselves." Liu is confident that the bill has a chance of passing. Other senators say they're frustrated to see their peers expend so much time on just one issue. Liu insists the bill is an important one, saying that it has national implications. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FIRST ISLE "DEADBEAT DAD" INDICTED An arrest warrant was issued today for Maui doctor Steven Dubin, who is now the first person in the state to be named in a federal indictment for allegedly failing to pay child support. Dubin is charged with willfully failing to pay child support payments to the mother of his two teenage children, who now live with their mother in California. Dubin also faces four counts of income tax return violations. According to court documents, Dubin owes about $50,000 in child support. According to U.S. Attorney Steven Alm, federal legislation passed in 1992 allowed for more aggressive prosecution of deadbeat parents who live in a different state from their children. "There was a 13 month period where he willfully failed to pay his child support," Alm said today, "and Dubin filed income tax returns for the years 1989 to '92 in which he under-reported his gross income from $22,000 to $50,000 a year." Dubin's office in Kahalui was raided by federal investigators two years ago, and all financial records were recovered and examined. If found guilty, Dubin could face six years in a federal prison. Additionally, he faces a maximum prison term of three years for each of the four tax violations. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FIRST COURT DATE COMES IN SHAMPOO PARLOR STING The first of four women arrested last month on charges of prostitution and practicing unlicensed massage pleaded not guilty today in district court. Hyuk Nelson was arrested March 21 at "Seventh Heaven," a body-shampoo parlor that claims to provide "Asian relaxation therapy." In March, Honolulu police conducted an undercover investigation into several similar businesses, and four other women -- Sonia Chi, Kyong Choe and Min Lloyd -- were arrested on similar charges. Howard Luke, Nelson's attorney, said the prostitution charge may be unfounded. "I have a real question as to whether Ms. Nelson understood exactly what (the undercover officer) was requesting." Luke also said that regulations are less than clear in defining exactly what constitutes massage. If convicted, Nelson faces a month in jail and a $100,000 fine for each count. Court appearances for the other defendants are still pending. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES FANS of the popular TV series "Hawaii Five-O" can snatch a link to the 70s police show with a used car. A black, 1974 four-door Mercury Marquis seen in several episodes will go up for auction later this year at a first-of-its- kind Hawaii Five-O Convention (a la the ubiquitous Star Trek gatherings) to be held later this year. The current owner, John Nordlum, was a stand-in for show star Jack Lord, and received the car as a gift when the series closed in 1980. Driven almost daily, it has 250,000 miles on the odometer... REVERSING a vote taken April 1, the O`ahu chapter of the state police union today rescinded its earlier endorsement of Arnold Morgado for mayor. Eight members of SHOPO's Honolulu chapter board met this morning in response to concerns raised by its rank-and-file members. After taking their endorsement back from Morgado, they voted to give it to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris... MISSING for seven months, 4-year-old Ryan Anderson was recovered in New Mexico earlier this week after her mother was pulled over under suspicion of driving under the influence. Ryan was illegally separated from his father, Haleiwa resident Brad Anderson, in September by Valerie Safian. Ryan, who will be returned to Hawaii within a week, was discovered at the home of one of Safian's friends after the DUI arrest... UNIFORMS may begin cropping up in Hawaii's public schools, thanks to yesterday's approval of a voluntary uniform policy by a Board of Education committee. Provided the majority of the school's community favored introducing them, schools could begin asking students to dress in uniforms. Families opposed to them could get a waiver. Supporters say the plan could save parents money, while opponents say its a threat to individuality... POLICE had to use pepper spray to break up an early-morning brawl at Restaurant Row today. The fight broke out in the Blue Zebra Cafe, and among those in the tangle were two former UH football players. Leuea "Junior" Tagoai was arrested for assaulting a police officer and a restaurant employee, while Faamita "Mika" Liilii was arrested for harassment... TEMPS: O`ahu 85/72, Kaua`i 81/71, Moloka`i 83/70, Maui 81/69, Hilo 80/67 CASTS: Morning showers, trades to 25MPH. North Shore surf to 6 feet. THURSDAY'S TIDES: High 4:52 p.m.; Low 11:35 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, April 16, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: MARINES GUILTY, BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY Marine Lance Cpl. John Mayfield, 21, and 25-year-old Cpl. Joseph Vlacovski were found guilty today of disobeying a direct order. Their penalty in the court-martial, however, will only be a seven day confinement to the Kaneohe Marine Base and an eventual honorable discharge. The men had refused an order to submit to a DNA sampling on the grounds that the federal government's maintenance of a gene bank is unconstitutional and could lead to "genetic discrimination" and other questionable experiments. A decision by the military judge yesterday to allow two DNA privacy experts to testify in the trial had been hailed by the defense as a victory. By allowing the expert witnesses, defense attorney Eric Seitz says, showed that the court is willing to consider that the Marines' refusal to comply may have been a reasonable one. The prosecutor continued to insist that the case only involved their refusal to follow an order, and not their allegations of civil rights violations. The judge agreed. Even so, the Marines say they're still satisfied, as their fight had led to a pivotal change in military policy. Last week, the Pentagon announced that it would reduce the length of time they would keep DNA samples from 75 to 50 years, and would allow military personnel to request that their samples be destroyed when they leave the service. "At this point," Vlacovski said, "there are now protections in place for everyone else." When they complete their service, they will be allowed to collect their benefits, including financial aid for college. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SENATOR WALKS OUT OVER SAME-SEX SPAT Senate Minority Leader Michael Liu walked out on a senate vote yesterday after Senate President Norman Mizuguchi refused to hear Liu's challenge that he violate senate procedures when another committee was put between a constitutional amendment measure and a full senate vote. Last week, Mizuguchi referred a bill which would have amended the state Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage to the Senate Health Committee, claiming that the move would reset the 20-day minimum a bill must remain in committee before returning to the senate floor. By doing so, Sen. Judiciary Chair Rey Graulty said it was now technically impossible for the bill to advance. Liu said yesterday that Mizuguchi's claim that the 20-day period starts over with the latest -- rather than the first -- committee referral essentially infringes the constitutional right to recall. Mizuguchi quickly ruled against Liu's challenge, and Liu moved to overturn his call. Liu's protests were rebuffed as "out of order" by Mizuguchi, and when Mizuguchi called a vote on a different matter, Liu and fellow Republican Sen. Whitney Anderson walked out. Sen. Richard Matsuura, who initially backed Mizuguchi's call, said ignoring Liu's objections was unwise. "Now we look like hell," Matsuura said. Later, Liu issued a statement calling the Democratic leaders of the Senate "hypocrites with no respect for the law." -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: COUNTIES TAKE FIREFIGHTER RAISE TO COURT Despite arguments by union attorneys that the debate doesn't belong in a courtroom, Circuit Court Judge Daniel Heeley will rule next week whether to support or defer a pay-raise granted to Hawaii firefighters by an arbitration panel earlier this year. Officials from all four counties have since insisted that they cannot afford to give them the 7.2 percent raise. "The arbitrator found that there was in fact an ability to pay," said union lawyer Dennis Chang today. Ivan Torigoe, attorney for Hawaii County, said the claim doesn't make sense. "How can it be said that the arbitrators considered ability to pay," Torigoe said, "when they don't even know what it's going to cost?" Chang countered that the arbitration had already given the state and counties several ways to cover the cost of the raise: increase taxes, reallocate current funds, or bring themselves further into debt. Regardless, Chang said the debate over honoring the increase should be put before the legislature, not a judge. County attorneys also allege that the panel failed to follow the established state guidelines for granting the pay raise. Heeley's decision is expected next Tuesday. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SENATORS DEFER TO REGENTS ON BLANCO APPOINTMENT The UH Board of Regents will meet this Friday to discuss the possibility of writing new rules to address potential conflicts of interest by its members. The special meeting was called after members of the Senate Executive and Judicial Appointments Committee raised questions about Gov. Cayetano's re- appointment of Regent Joeseph Blanco, despite the fact that he currently works as an "executive assistant" within the Governor's Office. Senators deferred on giving Blanco their recommendation last Thursday after he hinted that the Board of Regents could amend their bylaws to address their concerns. Critics have questioned whether Blanco can serve the university fairly while simultaneously holding another state position. This week, Cayetano said he still feels Blanco is the right man for the job, acknowledging that it's the committee's job to ask the hard questions. Desmond Byrne, chair of the political watchdog group Common Cause Hawaii, said the potential for serving conflicting interests cannot be eliminated by adding rules against it. "Other states do not allow duality," Byrne said today. "The idea is for Regents to be citizens." Byrne said his group would be at the April 19 meeting to urge the Board of Regents to forbid Blanco from holding both positions. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- EXACTLY as they had warned, city officials today served notice of violations by SkySigns International. The company uses a helicopter to fly a lighted advertising sign over Waikiki's night sky. The company claims that their practice is protected under the First Amendment, and that the airspace they fly in is outside the jurisdiction of the state and city. The city says the flying sign is covered under ordinances that prohibit portable signs and signs that advertise activities that aren't being conducted on the premises where the sign is placed... TRAFFIC on the H-1 freeway was seriously snarled this morning when a man threatened to jump from the Kaneohe Street overpass in Aiea. Police held back rush-hour traffic at its peak for just over an hour, at one point closing all six lanes in both directions. The "jumper," who has not yet been identified, was eventually retrieved safely. State Department of Transportation officials said that they will not yet consider putting in fences or taller guide-rails on bridges that cross major highways... CONVICTS may soon have to pay for their own defense and court processing costs if a bill approved today by the Budget Committee is eventually approved by the City Council. Supporters say the "service fee" rightfully puts the burden on the people who create the expense in the first place. Under the bill, people convicted of misdemeanors or felonies would have to pay $250. Council members say it could raise half a million dollars each year... THANKS for all your words of support! Yours truly has been chosen to serve one more year as editor of the UH-Manoa student paper. That means you're going to have to deal with getting all this stuff from me for at least another 380 days. And once again, special thanks to my sweetheart Jen, for ever convincing me that I really can do too much -- and love it! TEMPS: O`ahu 83/81, Kaua`i 80/71, Moloka`i 83/69, Maui 82/69, Hilo 81/69 CASTS: Some showers, trades to 25MPH. North Shore surf to 4 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 4:15 p.m.; Low 9:31 a.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, April 15, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: DNA TESTING CONTESTED IN MARINE COURT-MARTIAL A first-of-its-kind court-martial trial opened today at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, as two Marines have initiated the first challenge against the Department of Defense practice of collecting DNA samples. As far as Lance Cpl. John Mayfield and Cpl. Joseph Vlacovsky are concerned, the debate focuses around the constitutionality of the military forcing them to contribute to a DNA bank. Prosecutors assert, however, that the trial is not a civil one. "We're only looking at whether they disobeyed a order by a superior officer," said base spokesman John Millman. "This isn't a constitutional case." The two men insist that the military hasn't proven that it can keep the results of DNA tests private, and that future abuses of the information could lead to "genetic discrimination" by health-care providers and insurers, as well as the military. Their defense will dispute that the original order to submit to the DNA sampling was unlawful. Defense officials say the prime reason for the genetic bank is to make the future identification of remains less difficult. The case has already garnered the attention of nationwide civil-rights activists and other specialists, and last week the Hawaii dispute prompted a fundamental change in Pentagon policy. Now, military personnel can request that their genetic samples and records be destroyed when they complete their enlistment. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: DOMESTIC ABUSE TRIAL FACES CONTRARY TESTIMONY A man convicted five years ago for the beating death of his wife is facing another trial, this one for the alleged assault of his current girlfriend. 45-year-old Alexander "Boy" Carvalho, who was paroled last year after serving several years in prison, is being charged by city prosecutors that he threatened and punched 41-year-old Nora Pacheco two months ago. The trial opened today. The case against Carvalho, however, will have to depend on statements Pacheco made earlier this year, when she said Carvalho hit her on Feb. 3. As a result of those claims, Carvalho was arrested and released on bail before his trial on Feb. 27. Pacheco didn't appear in court however, and later claimed Carvalho told her not to testify against him and also tried to choke her on Feb. 5. Now, Pacheco is saying nothing happened. "(Carvalho) never once touched me," she said last week, and has since recanted all of her previous testimony. Today, Pacheco again insisted that Carvalho was innocent, saying she had accused him of abuse because she was jealous from seeing him talking to other women. Although Pacheco has said she will maintain her revised testimony under oath, prosecutors are going ahead with their case. Carvalho was at the center of a statewide controversy in 1991, when he was convicted of manslaughter for the 1987 beating death of his wife Cathie. His 10-year maximum sentence was criticized as too lenient. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: TEEN HURT IN 40-FOOT FALL A 16-year-old girl remains in critical condition today after falling from the balcony of a 10th floor Waikiki hotel room Saturday night. Police say the girl, tentatively identified as Honolulu resident Keala Awa, fell about 40 feet to the lanai of a unit on the sixth floor. The Canadian couple in that unit said the sound of the fall was loud enough to wake them. "I had a gut feeling it wasn't a car accident," Kate Jenby said. "Sure enough, when I looked out the window there was a body lying out on the lanai." The victim was taken to Queen's Medical Center. Honolulu police are looking for witnesses, including a number of others who were reportedly in the room from which the girl fell. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES THREE board members of the Honolulu police union will meet tomorrow to discuss weather SHOPO's endorsement of Arnold Morgado for mayor should be reconsidered. On April 1, the chapter board voted 7-6 to back Morgado over Mayor Jeremy Harris. Since then, supporters of Harris have claimed that the vote misrepresented the wishes of the union's rank-and-file members. SHOPO officials said today that they aren't sure if the union's state board can force the O`ahu board to change its vote... DESPITE the objections by the United Public Workers union, Kauai Mayor Linda Lingle yesterday approved the hiring of a private company to handle island- wide trash collection. According to county officials, the new arrangement will create the largest home-pickup recycling program in the state. Lingle said the move to hire Waste Management of Hawaii, Inc. will save the city $500,000. Many Maui homes will be given special containers to accommodate automated trash pickup... HUNGRY employees of downtown offices no longer have to worry about sore feet too. Mayor Jeremy Harris and a number of city leaders joined the Hawaii Public Transit Authority today in dedicating a new downtown shuttle service. The buses, featuring pollution-free electric engines, will provide free rides to nearby restaurants at Restaurant Row, Aloha Tower Marketplace, and the Maunakea Marketplace in Chinatown. The shuttle will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a six-month pilot program starting tomorrow... GOLFERS had one less spot to play today, as the owners of the Honolulu Country Club closed down the course to give over 600 school kids a chance to survey the adjacent waters of Salt Lake. The field trip was organized by teachers and community members in order to teach students about protecting the environment. State Department of Health officials say the area's plant and bird life are being threatened by pollution. The country club operators say everything from oil to refrigerators have been found in the lake... POLICE are still investigating the diving death of a 53-year-old Japanese visitor yesterday. Officials say the woman was scuba diving with a charter group off Waikiki when she surfaced unconscious. Dive operators brought her back to the Hilton Hawaiian Village pier and she was taken to Straub Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police have reportedly taken her scuba tank as evidence... TEMPS: O`ahu 85/72, Kaua`i 81/71, Moloka`i 83/70, Maui 83/70, Hilo 81/68 CASTS: Cloudy, some light rain, winds to 20MPH; North Shore surf to 6 feet. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 3:38 p.m.; Low 9:02 a.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, April 12, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: CITY MAY CITE FLYING SIGN OPERATORS Prompted in part by complaints by residents and environmental groups, the city has asked an upstart company to voluntarily stop flying its lighted advertising sign over Waikiki. Despite a valid waiver allowing SkySign International to fly a helicopter in the evening hours, Deputy Managing Director Ben Lee said today the attached 36-foot wide light-grid -- which scrolls, flashes and blinks a variety of advertising messages -- is in clear violation of at least two county regulations. "It is in violation of the city sign ordinance, as well as the aerial advertising ordinance." Company officials responded today that their "place of business" isn't regulated by the city. David Bettencourt, attorney for the company, said today that the helicopter flies in federal airspace, outside the control of the county and the state. "The right to engage in first amendment activities, which advertising is, is granted by the constitution to every citizen," Bettencourt said. "That's all that's being exercised here." If SkySign doesn't voluntarily comply with the city's request to stop, Lee said, it will receive a citation for the violations on Monday. Meanwhile, members of the city council have begun work on a bill that would prohibit aerial advertising for any purpose. That is expected to be unveiled next week. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN CLARIFICATION PASSES Saying that it would be irresponsible to hold back, Sen. Milton Holt yesterday urged lawmakers to vote either for or against a measure that reaffirmed the state's existing exclusion of gay couples from the definition of marriage. Without another word, the Senate voted unanimously to approve it. The bill reasserts a 1994 law that defines marriage as being between a an and a woman. It is hoped that by passing it, the senate can help the state Attorney General fight a 1990 lawsuit filed by three gay couples. When the suit comes to trial later this year, the state must demonstrate a compelling reason to maintain its current ban on gay unions. The bill was first brought up last Thursday in an unusual maneuver by Sen. Milton Holt, who it in his Consumer Protection Committee -- despite the established jurisdiction over the issue by the senate Judiciary Committee. After review by senate leaders, however, it was reincarnated and brought to yesterday's full senate vote. In order to smooth the feathers of senators who disapproved of Holt's move, senate president Norman Mizuguchi this week put Judiciary chair Rey Graulty in charge of representing the senate in conference meetings with the House. This clarification bill is different from another "constitutional amendment" measure that would have put the issue of same-sex marriage to a public referendum. That bill was effectively killed in the senate on Wednesday. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: HOOKED MAN RECOVERS, THANKS RESCUERS It was a tuna that started the trouble nine days ago for 45-year-old Dave Baker. While fishing about 1,000 miles south of Honolulu, Baker -- a California native -- caught the big one. It thrashed in the boat, however, and during the struggle Baker's hook made a shallow gash in his foot. The wound got infected, Baker fell ill, and on Monday he became the focus of a rescue operation that involved the U.S. Army, Coast Guard, and a parachuting team of Navy SEALS. Today, he was wheeled out of Tripler Army Hospital so he could publicly thank the countless people who he says saved his life. "I can't thank 'em enough," Baker said. His sister Barbara, who flew in from California when she heard the news, also expressed her gratitude for Hawaii's heroes. Baker's doctor, describing the injury as "aggressive but superficial," reported that he can't yet say how long it will be until Baker can walk out of the hospital. When Baker has fully recovered, he said he will race back to Christmas Island where his boat and his girlfriend -- who first notified authorities when Baker's fever set in -- are waiting. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BIG ISLE MURDERER SENTENCED TO LIFE Shannon Rodrigues, 23, was sentenced to at least 45 years in prison today for a double-murder at the old Hilo airport two years ago. "There was a callous disregard for human life," said Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamaura, who handed down the automatic sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. The mothers of Rodrigues' two victims -- 22-year-old Mark Miyasaki and 23-year-old Timothy Nicholas -- were there for the sentencing. "There is no justice, no justified punishment for what they did," said Elizabeth Miyasaki later. "It'll never ever bring back Mark." Gwendolyn Nicholas said she had begged the judge to impose the stiffest sentence possible. "My son is gone forever," she said. "All I have is his grave-site." Rodrigues was convicted Oct. 9 for his role in the attempted robbery and execution-style murder of the two men. As part of a plea bargaining agreement Rodrigues had earlier testified against William Hirano, who was convicted last year for 2 counts of second-degree murder. Hirano's sentencing will be on May 3. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES SAYING "the law treats the public unfairly," Gov. Cayetano said today that he supports a House bill that would cut payments to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs from its revenues collected through using ceded lands. The bill would exclude the values of improvements the government has made to ceded lands, such as the Honolulu International Airport. Earlier this week, nearly 200 demonstrators rallied at the state Capitol to protest the bill... MILITARY police have fenced off a section of beach at Kaneohe Marine Base, after discovering that a Hawaiian monk seal has chosen the spot to give birth. Her pup was born earlier this week, and for the mother's sake, military police are glad she's chosen the restricted location to nurse her newborn. Five years ago, the same seal gave birth on a public beach on the North Shore. That time, it was harder to keep crowds of onlookers away... TRACES of poison were found yesterday in a well in Kalihi, prompting the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to shut it down. Poisons once used to control termites -- chlordane and dieldrin -- were detected in the well, and seven others are also being monitored. Health officials say the trace amounts do not pose a serious threat, although if consumed in quantities over several years, there may be a slight risk of cancer... AGRICULTURE officials had to tell a 14-year-old boy on Wednesday that he'd have to say goodbye to his pet hamster. The hamster was declared on a mandatory form filled out during the flight. State investigators say the boy was not happy to hear that hamsters are banned in this state, due to the threat of their carrying rabies or destroying local crops. The boy will not be penalized, officials say... WATER safety officials today posted jellyfish warning signs along south- facing shores on O`ahu, from Ala Moana to Waikiki beach. In addition, signs went up on the Leeward coast from Makaha to Pearl Harbor. The city says more than 30 stings from box jellyfish were reported, with no serious reactions suffered by victims. No beaches were closed... TEMPS: O`ahu 82/71, Kaua`i 71/69, Moloka`i 82/69, Maui 83/82, Hilo 80/69 CASTS: Warm, clear, trades to 25MPH. Surf on the North Shore to 4 feet. SATURDAY'S TIDES: High 1:38 p.m.; Low 7:16 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, April 11, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: SOVEREIGNTY GROUPS RALLY AGAINST NATIVE HAWAIIAN VOTE At both the state Capitol and the UH-Manoa campus yesterday, the message from several Hawaiian groups was the same: oppose the Native Hawaiian Vote. The vote, formerly promoted as a "plebiscite," is being held worldwide later this year to determine if native Hawaiians want to establish an independent nation. As the vote is being organized by the Hawaii Sovereignty Elections Council -- a state agency -- many native Hawaiians feel it will only be used against the sovereignty movement. At the state Capitol, a number of native Hawaiian organizations claimed the vote would make achieving Hawaiian sovereignty a state-controlled -- and thus unlawful -- process. The HSEC insists, however, that the vote is just a first and necessary step along the long path to self-determination. Meanwhile at UH, Ka Lahui Hawai`i founder Mililani Trask also spoke out against the vote. "It only give the government a right to deny native Hawaiians a right to their own self-sufficient government," Trask said. Acknowledging that there are several native Hawaiian groups out there that oppose the vote, she said her group was among the largest and most unified. Trask also had some choice words for Bumpy Kanahele, leader of the Waimanalo-based group Nation of Hawaii. Referring to Kanahele as a convicted felon, Trask wondered aloud how the Nation of Hawaii could say it supports peace while supporting terroristic activities. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FEE WILL RETURN FOR HANAUMA VISITORS In an exhausted 7-2 vote yesterday, the Honolulu City Council voted to bring back and restructure visitors' fees at Hanauma Bay. Under the new fee system, non-residents would pay $3 to walk down to the popular shoreline. In addition, everyone -- resident or not -- would have to pay $1 for parking. The expected $2.4 million revenue from the fee would go directly to a special fund set aside to clean and maintain the popular nature preserve. Before the vote, Councilman Jon Yoshimura urged his peers to pass the reformed fee structure, noting that they have been swaying back and forth on the issue for the last three months. Last year, the council had implemented a $5 fee for nonresidents to cover the maintenance costs (estimated initially at approximately $900,000, but recently revised to $2.4 million). After concerns that charging tourists was unconstitutional, the council repealed the fee a few months later. Then, the city parks department established a donation system, putting up signs asking visitors to voluntarily pay $5 to get in. It is hoped the new fees -- specifically the flat parking fee -- will assuage some officials' concerns that non-residents are being unfairly targeted. Because a permit will be required to revive fees at Hanauma Bay, their implementation isn't likely until early next year. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SENATE KILLS SAME-SEX AMENDMENT BILL A controversial bill that would have amended the state constitution to explicitly outlaw same-sex marriage has been declared dead by senate leaders. Senate President Norman Mizuguchi yesterday added the Health Committee to the list of committees that would have to hear the bill before it can reach a vote by the full senate. Since legislative procedures require a measure be held in committee for at least 20 days, the move makes it impossible to beat Friday's deadline for passing constitutional amendments. Although the bill was already being held indefinitely in the Judiciary Committee, lobbyists and citizens phoned and faxed protests to the members' offices urging them to revive it. Judiciary Chair Rey Graulty said yesterday that he hopes the referral to the Health Committee will make it clear that the bill will not pass this session. Meanwhile, senators will vote today on another bill that would define some reasons why same-sex marriages are excluded by a 1994 law. The bill, which has survived a series of legislative twists since it was slipped before a committee last Thursday, is intended to strengthen the state's case in a pending lawsuit challenging the exclusion of gay marriages. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: TEXAS PRISONS SEND HEFTY BILL FOR PRISON CARE The first medical bill from Texas prison operators arrived this week, and its $25,000 charge has state officials wondering if they will run out of money. Nearly 300 island prisoners were sent to two Texas prisons late last year, in the hopes of cutting costs and easing overcrowding. The $25,000 bill only covers the cost of medical expenses incurred by the transplanted inmates for the month of January. Nearly 80% of the bill comes from treating a single Hawaii inmate at Dickens County Jail, who suffered a heart attack that month. Even so, with two more bills on the way, state prison officials are adamant that they can't take any more surprises. Officials point out that the corrections division's fixed budget pays for Hawaii prisoners whether they're in Texas or in the islands. No funds were allocated for urgent emergency care expenses like those behind the January bill, legislators say. "We don't expect an inmate to have a heart attack every month," said corrections division head Ted Sakai. He said if costs exceed the year's allocation, they will have to scramble to find it somewhere else in their budget. Inmates are all screened for potential health risks before being transferred, Sakai said. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: AIRPORT DRUG BUST HAS HELLS ANGELS CONNECTION Federal and state officials last week made the biggest drug bust ever in Honolulu International Airport history. Police and U.S. agents arrested 19- year-old Crystal York on Wednesday after she stepped off a flight from San Francisco. After consenting to a pat-down, law enforcement officers found a package containing 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine (or "ice") taped around her waist. Two other men were also arrested in the case, including 44- year-old Carl Serrano -- York's boyfriend -- and island resident Robert Martinez, 59. Court documents filed this week show Serrano is a member of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle group. York told investigators she was supposed to have delivered the drug to Serrano, who would then bring it to Martinez. A similar transaction took place last year, York said. At a hearing yesterday, York was determined to be a flight risk and was ordered to remain in jail until her trial. Meanwhile, federal agents are reportedly investigating whether the incident is related to a possible attempt by the Hells Angels to enter the island drug trade. Officials say the motorcycle group is heavily involved in the methamphetamine trade on the East Coast, and has been investigated in several other cities nationwide. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FLYING SIGN CALLED AN EYESORE Members of the Outdoor Circle, a prominent citizen's activist group, are not very pleased with the latest craze in advertising. Since Monday, a company called SkySigns International has been putting a lighted message into the skies over Waikiki. The 36-foot light grid is carried by a helicopter that only flies at night, leaving only its message visible in the sky. As it's carried in the air, company officials assert, it is not restricted by the state's billboard law. The Outdoor Circle disagrees, saying that although it doesn't violate the language of the law, it clearly violates it's intent. The group today asked the company -- which reportedly runs similar operations in several other U.S. cities -- to voluntarily ground themselves. If not, the Outdoor Circle said it plans to start a campaign to discourage local companies from hiring the airborne ad company. Federal officials confirmed today that the company has been granted a waiver in order to fly at lower altitudes between 7 and 10 p.m. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES AFTER waiting nearly two decades for a long-promised park, residents of downtown Honolulu were frustrated to hear that the city wanted to turn the dusty parking lot into a gym and shopping spot instead. Several community members turned up yesterday at a city council hearing to reassert the need for open space and a Head Start child-care branch at the property, located at the corner of Smith and Beretania streets... WASHING your car on condominium property won't lead to citations or fines after all. Earlier this month, condo owners were warned by the city that car washing streetside could be a violation of the federal Clean Water Act -- meaning fines of up to $25,000. After 10 or so warnings had gone out, however, public outcry have prompted Mayor Jeremy Harris to call off the car wash ban and work on rules that are more relevant to Hawaii residents... EDITH Kanaka`ole Stadium in Hilo will resound with cheers and song tonight, as the annual Merrie Monarch Festival gets under way. More than 20 hula halau from Hawaii, California and even Japan will grace the stage tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. Meanwhile, 13 women will vie for the title of Miss Aloha Hula. Kahiko (traditional) hula will be showcased tonight, and `auwana (modern) hula tomorrow. Saturday brings the highly-anticipated awards ceremony... SINCE Mayor Jeremy Harris never said whether he supported a contested 7.2 percent pay increase for state firefighters, Council Budget Chair Duke Bainum said yesterday that it was clear that the mayor was against it. Harris today asserted that he has taken no stand on the matter, saying the decision is by default solely in the hands of the city council. All other Hawaii mayors have come forward to oppose the raise, which they say they can't afford... TEMPS: O`ahu 83/70, Kaua`i 80/68, Moloka`i 83/68, Maui 84/70, Hilo 80/67 CASTS: Rising surf to 8 feet; cloudy with showers, trades to 30MPH. FRIDAY'S TIDES: High 12:47 p.m.; Low 6:07 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, April 10, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: ALOHA TOWER SUED FOR JANUARY EVICTION The January eviction of a restaurant and neighboring bar at Aloha Tower Marketplace is being contested with a federal lawsuit. The Florida-based Honolulu Limited Partnership, which had run Sloppy Joe's and Fat Tuesday at the retail complex, filed a lawsuit this week claiming Aloha Tower Associates breached its contract by failing to warn them of the evictions, or of their alleged failure to meet the terms of their lease. Aloha Tower Associates had shut down the two establishments, claiming unpaid back rent. The operators had reportedly stopped paying rent when a dispute arose over the placement of barriers and plants at the complex. As the lease terms granted ATM management the right to raise rents after more than 70 percent of the complex was occupied, the lawsuit also calls into question exactly when the needed number of tenants opened up. The federal suit was filed here on behalf of Louisiana- based Fat T, which franchises the trademark Fat Tuesday bars nationwide. Documents filed say, in part, that Fat T couldn't resolve any problems with Aloha Tower Associates because it was not given copies of official notices that management sent to the restaurant's local owners. --------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: CAYETANO ASKS FEDS TO SPARE STATE IN AVIATION BATTLE Japanese officials refused to let United Airlines fly to Korea. In response, the United States held back on letting Japan Airlines fly direct to Kona. Caught in the middle, Gov. Ben Cayetano said yesterday, is Hawaii. "I can't condone any action that holds the state hostage because of an issue that doesn't involve Hawaii," he said. Cayetano testified before a Honolulu meeting of the U.S. Senate Aviation Subcommittee, headed by Sen. Daniel Inouye and Rep. Neil Abercrombie. At issue is Japan's jurisdiction over allowing or forbidding U.S. airlines from flying from their shores to Seoul. According to United executives, the right to fly the Japan-Korea route was already established in a 1952 agreement. Japanese officials disagree. United claims Japan is trying to protect their inefficient airlines from American competition. The dispute prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation to hold back on JAL's request to open a Japan-Kona route. Until things are worked out, Cayetano urged, U.S. officials should grant JAL a six-month provisional approval to fly to the Big Island. A representative for Continental, a competing airlines, testified that the dispute is also threatening their operations in Guam. Continental also supports the provisional approval of JAL's request. --------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: ISLE MORMONS BLAST PEER OVER SAME-SEX INVOLVEMENT In an effort to distance themselves from other religious leaders in the legislative fight over same-sex marriage, members of a Mormon group today criticized Jack Hoag -- leader of lobbying group Hawaii's Future Today -- for his part in supporting a senator's controversial maneuver to pass a measure aligned against gay unions. Don Harryman, speaking for Affirmation Gay & Lesbian Mormons, said the continued support for the measure shows that politicians will "subvert the American democratic process itself to enact their rabid homophobic agenda." According to the group, Hoag -- a bank officer and regent of UH -- is also a member of the Mormon church. Last week, Sen. Milton Holt slipped a purpose clause into an unrelated bill to define marriage as an enterprise for only a man and woman. Although the modified bill was killed, the clause was revived in another committee with the support of key senators. Harryman said Holt and his committee violated established procedures that require advance notice of upcoming bills and an opportunity to testify. "The process of public notice and participation was thwarted," Harryman said. Only Hoag and the anti-gay coalition, he said, knew what was going to happen and was ready to support the gutted bill. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: HOSPITAL REDUCTIONS CUT MANAGEMENT After a four-month analysis of its staff structure, Queen's Medical Center announced this week that it will cut back on management while maintaining its general staff. Center executives say that as of next month, 140 management positions will be eliminated -- the majority of them being reassigned as staff. According to center president Arthur Ushijima, the reassignments will eventually mean lower pay for administrators. However, their current salaries will be maintained for at least another year, he said. For those holding the management positions which were cut outright, the center has developed a voluntary severance arrangement. The move leaves Queen's with 160 management positions, and a staff-to-management ratio of 11 to 1. Prior to implementing the restructuring program, executives say, that ratio was 20 to 1. After things settle, Ushijima said, the restructuring program will focus on other employee categories. When all is said and done, the center should be more efficient and better prepared to operate in a more dynamic health-care environment, he said. Queen's Medical Center employs nearly 3,000 people. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FIRST HAWAIIAN'S OREGON VENTURE ADVANCES First Hawaiian Bank's plan to open a bank in Oregon are moving forward, after the Federal Reserve Board approved the expansion earlier this week. The first branch of Pacific One Bank is expected to open in about three months, provided the last few needed approvals of state and federal agencies. Eventually, the Portland-based enterprise will have 31 banks, including twenty five branches in Oregon, five in Washington and one other in Idaho. The five Washington branches will be run by First Hawaiian subsidiary Pioneer Federal. When fully operational, company officials say, it will be among the ten largest banks in the region. First Hawaiian is also continuing with its plans to take over American National Bank, a four-branch operation based in Washington. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: REPRESENTATIVE TO RUN FOR MAYOR OF BIG ISLAND Following on the heels of retired judge Ken Takahashi's announcement of candidacy earlier this month, Representative Virginia Isbell, 63, today officially entered the race for mayor of the Big Island. After 15 years of service in the House, Isbell said she feels that the future of the state may lie in Hawaii County. Running as a Democrat, Isbell will directly challenge both incumbent Yamashiro and Takahashi for the party's nomination. Five others -- including former Hawaii mayor Lorraine Inouye and Kona council chair Keiko Bonk-Abramson -- are expected to join the race. "I offer a leadership that they've never had before," Isbell said today, identifying her greatest challenge as reaching voters in Kona, on the other side of the island. Bringing the eastern and western communities on the Big Island closer together will be among her priorities, as well as promoting ecotourism and easing obstacles to growth in small business and agriculture. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES CATHERINE Suh will spend another month in Hawaii, after a federal judge today denied her attorney's request to submit Suh to a mental exam. Her lawyer said Suh's panicked mental state has made it difficult properly defend the Illinois fugitive in extradition proceedings. Prosecutors argued that mental capacity has nothing to do with the extradition process. The next hearing was scheduled for mid-May. Suh fled to the islands when she was convicted in Chicago last year for murdering her boyfriend... WHETHER for economy or luxury rooms, hotels on four of the five major islands saw record high occupancy rates in February. According to a report from a tourism accounting agency, the statewide average occupancy was nearly 90 percent. Only the Big Island saw a drop, about 1 percent lower than last year. The survey also found the average room rate for the month was the highest its been in over seven years -- $120. Overall hotel revenues were estimated at $229 million, 17 percent higher than the previous year... HERBERT Naihe of Hilo pleaded guilty this week to sexually molesting six children. Naihe had worked with the Child Protective Services program, which placed him with families that needed help in caring for their kids. Naihe faces a 10 year prison sentence, set in a plea agreement in which he would waive the right to request probation. The assaults occurred between June and December of 1992... THOUGHT to be a regular visitor to Wailua Bay, a 20-foot tiger shark may have given Kaua`i beachgoers a scare on Sunday. The reports prompted county officials to close Wailua Beach, although the presence or size of the shark could not be confirmed. Shaken by the sighting, a visit the next day by manta rays -- whose wings can appear similar to shark fins when they surface -- sent swimmers crying shark again... THE REVEREND Paul Osumi, whose nuggets of wisdom have graced the pages of _The Honolulu Advertiser_ for nearly four decades, died Monday after a fight with pneumonia. Osumi, 90, was said to have the largest congregation in the state, his words finding a home on millions of island refrigerator doors and office bulletin boards... TOMORROW night brings the big interview to determine whether I can stay on as editor of the UH newspaper next year (the stress evidenced by today's writing quality). The position is largely responsible for allowing me the opportunity to remain in school -- and publish Ka `Upena. Don't fret yet! I'll figure out a way to maintain the Hawaii NewsList even if things don't go as hoped... TEMPS: O`ahu 85/71, Kaua`i 70/69, Moloka`i 84/69, Maui 84/71, Hilo 83/68 CASTS: Partly cloudy, scattered showers, trades to 20MPH; weak surf. THURSDAY'S TIDES: High 11:45 a.m.; Low 4:45 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, April 9, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: SAME-SEX BILL MOVES FORWARD DESPITE DISPUTE In the state senate, the ends may have justified the means in the fight of some lawmakers to keep the same-sex marriage issue alive. After day-long conferences yesterday, senate leaders killed a bill -- gutted and modified with a "purpose clause" that defined marriage as being "between a man and a woman" -- that was passed last Thursday. The clause will live on, however, as lawmakers further decided to slip it into a more appropriate bill. The last- minute modification by Consumer Protection Committee Chair Milton Holt was quickly criticized by other senators, as the same-sex issue was under the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee. Judiciary Committee Chair Rey Graulty was outraged that another committee had made a move on its turf. With the issue again under his leadership, Graulty said today he was glad that the issue was still alive. As a result, the marriage clarification will be heard by the Judiciary Committee later this week. Holt's clause basically repeated a 1994 law defining marriage as a man-woman union, but asserts it must be so "for the perpetuation of our society, protection of the social order, and the general health and welfare of the citizens of the state." Last week, Holt said his hope was to help the state fight a lawsuit in which it must demonstrate the state's "compelling interest" in banning gay marriages. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: STRANDED SAILOR SAVED BY PARACHUTING SEALS Carrying food, medical supplies and other survival gear, four Navy SEALS from Hawaii yesterday parachuted to the rescue of an injured sailor stranded nearly 1,000 miles south of Honolulu. Dave Baker was fishing aboard his 46- foot boat Zingara last week when his foot was jabbed by a hook. Within a day, Baker developed a fever, and his SOS was heard by another boatman docked at Ala Wai Boat Harbor. When panic set in on Monday, the Coast Guard was called. Unable to carry out a rescue so far from Hawaii, they called the Navy. Just after 7 a.m. yesterday, the SEALS boarded a C-130 aircraft and spotted the Zingara anchored off Fanning Island. Determining the island to be too small for either a plane or helicopter to land, Navy officials say the SEALS decided to skydive nearly 4,000 feet to get to Baker. Jumping into the ocean just after 1 p.m., the SEALS boarded the Zingara and stabilized Baker with intravenous drugs. Now, officials say, the rescuers will pilot the Zingara on a two-day journey to Christmas Island, which is large enough to land a transport plane on. From there, he will be flown to Honolulu for treatment. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: YOSHIMURA HEARS CONDO OWNERS PLEAS Nearly 50 condominium residents and their supporters met with City Councilman Jon Yoshimura today, in the hopes of convincing him to revive the city's efforts to implement its lease-to-fee conversion law. Many were outraged that the council had decided to back off their plan to condemn the Kuapa Isle subdivision in Hawaii Kai, in the face of legal opposition from landowner Bishop Estate. The law was intended to give lease holders a chance to buy the land under their units at a fair price. The residents told Yoshimura that the estate's high lease rates and inflated property appraisals led to several bankruptcies. The residents also charged the estate with trying to coerce them into buying the land under their units at unrealistically high prices. "This is tantamount to extortion as far as I'm concerned," said lease holder Andrea Hathaway, who presented Yoshimura with a basket of mailings from Bishop Estate warning her that if she didn't buy now, the price would go up within three months. Although Yoshimura does not want the lease-to-fee law repealed or changed, he told the condo owners that the city will most likely wait for the courts to decide whether or not the law is constitutional. "I know that what you folks want is you want us to proceed with Kuapa Isle," he said. "That's not going to happen." -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: RICHARDS BACKED FOR WATER COMMISSION SEAT A senate committee tonight voted to support the appointment of Herbert Monty Richards to the State Water Commission. Richards, a Big Island businessman, was appointed to the commission by Gov. Ben Cayetano eight months ago. Several local environmental groups had charged that Richards had not disclosed a number of financial connections to developers while previously serving on the Commission on Water Resource Management. While Richards admitted he failed to file the required disclosure forms, he assured senators that it had been "quite some time" since he had any direct contact with the companies in question. He added that he hadn't been initially asked about his connections. Richards reportedly invests heavily in Dole Foods, and had financial dealings with parties now involved in the dispute over the Waiahole ditch water system. Members of the Senate Committee on Executive and Judicial Appointments heard several hours of testimony this afternoon, but decided that the claims of ethical misconduct were unfounded. They voted to recommend the senate confirm Richards' appointment at a full meeting later this month. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES HONOLULU police today remembered the moral enlightenment brought to them by former HPD chaplain Sister Roberta Derby, who died of cancer yesterday. Derby, 72, had retired from the force in March, after years of service as the department's counselor, hostage negotiator and friend. She had recently moved to California to join her congregation. Chaminade University, where Derby had taught English, will hold a memorial Mass on Monday... DESPITE dwindling funds, Hawaii will receive $1 million in federal funds to support the criminal justice system in Hawaii. Last year, the state's allocation was more than $2.5 million. According to Rep. Patsy Mink, the state is fortunate to get the money, as other jurisdictions are taking deeper cuts. The money is earmarked for alternative sentencing and drug treatment programs, as well as domestic and child abuse support services... REMEMBER the record-breaking 89-degree heat that roasted Honolulu on Sunday? Yesterday the all-time high for April was set even higher. Temperatures on O`ahu cleared 90 degrees. Weather forecasters say the hot and humid conditions could drag through Friday, thanks to a storm system to the north that's holding a subtropical blanket over the state... BIG ISLAND mayor Stephen Yamashiro has his first official challenger. Ken Takahashi -- who retired five years ago from his post as a federal judge in Washington, D.C. -- filed nomination papers this week to run as a democratic candidate for mayor of Hawaii County. Takahashi has said his platform will focus on enhancing the Big Island police force and fighting unemployment... BISHOP Estate will be featured Wednesday night on PrimeTime Live, ABC's weekly newsmagazine. Earlier last month, news anchor Sam Donaldson had flown to Hawaii to conduct interviews for the segment. Among those who faced Donaldson's grilling were Trustees Henry Peters and Gerard Jervis, Rep. Cynthia Thielen and Haunani-Kay Trask... PEARL Harbor is now home to 23 submarines. Earlier this week, the USS Pasadena -- a 360-foot nuclear submarine -- moved into its new berth at the Navy's submarine base. With a crew of over 130, the Pasadena is expected to pump another $5 million into the island economy... TEMPS: O`ahu 87/73, Kaua`i 82/71, Moloka`i 84/71, Maui 86/70, Hilo 84/69 CASTS: Partly cloudy, warm with 20MPH trades; North Shore surf to 8 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 10:19 a.m.; Low 3:13 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, April 8, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: LAWMAKERS MAY FURTHER CUT UH BUDGET The University of Hawaii, recently home to some of the more passionate fights over state budget cuts, could find its funding slashed by 15 percent next year. Both the state Senate and House are planning to hear separate bills this week that would essentially diminish the effect of Act 161, a law passed last year that granted UH the authority to keep all funds collected from tuition. The law was also passed to ensure the state would not reduce it's general fund contribution to the university, despite potentially increasing tuition revenues. The House Finance Committee passed a bill on Thursday that would let UH keep only 85 percent of its tuition revenues -- a reduction of nearly $53 million. House Finance Committee Chair Calvin Say said that concern for other state departments and their dwindling budgets prompted the house bill. Senators, meanwhile, are looking to push back the implementation date of Act 161 for another year, to take effect for fiscal year 1998. The law currently mandates that UH get $352 million each year from the state general fund -- the same amount it got in 1994. It also requires legislators to increase that allocation should their actions require the university to implement pay raises or establish new programs. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: WOMAN TOPPLED IN EGG HUNT, GIVES BIRTH A Waipahu woman who was "trampled" at the Honolulu Zoo's Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday gave birth to a healthy son early yesterday morning. 22-year-old Waipahu resident Elena Fontanilla said she ended up in the path of a crowd of eager parents and children at the annual egg hunt. When the crowd surged past her, she said she was pushed to the ground -- landing on top of her 2-year- old son Christopher. Nine-months pregnant and due to deliver this Friday, Fontanilla said the tumble caused pain in her stomach. Her yells for her husband Ronnie were drowned out by the loud egg counts of other families, she said. Help eventually arrived, and Fontanilla was taken to Kaiser Hospital. According to hospital officials, Fontanilla began experiencing contractions while in the ambulance, and through doctor-induced labor she gave birth to 7- pound, ten-ounce Brandon shortly after 3 a.m. He is her third child. Still in the hospital's care, Fontanilla yesterday received a visit from Lois Hasegawa, a Meadowgold Dairies representative. On behalf of the event's sponsors, Hasegawa apologized and dropped off some baby toys. Fontanilla said she had no grudges against the zoo or the egg hunt's organizers, adding she was mostly disappointed by the frenzy exhibited by other parents. While the incident is still being investigated, city officials asserted today that future egg hunts at the zoo would probably still continue. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: FEDERAL EXEMPTIONS GRANTED TO FOUR AIRLINES Although all U.S. airlines are required to be flying only the quietest of aircraft by the end of 1999, four air carriers were granted exemptions to the rule last week. Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines -- two of the state's largest airlines -- and Alaska-based companies American International Airways and Continental Micronesia will be allowed to stick with their current fleet. Nearly all other airlines will have to upgrade to quieter "stage three" aircraft. The exemptions were granted through the efforts of Sen. Daniel Inouye. The high cost of compliance was the main reason for the exemption request, Inouye said, pointing to the need to support competition in the Pacific Rim. A spokesman for Aloha Airlines said last week that the exemption could save the company $10 million. Aloha had already started moving towards compliance, the costs causing concern among investors. Airline officials say the move should also keep the cost of air-faresThe exemption does not cover Mahalo Airlines, since it was not in business when the federal laws were first introduced in 1990, Inouye said. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: INTERNET RADIO HAWAII STARTS PLEDGE DRIVE After nearly ten months of accolades and explosive growth, Hawaii's first online radio station is facing a premature end. Internet Radio Hawaii, the personal project of Kailua resident Robert Abbett, is facing its first and potentially last licensing fee. Abbett, a popular radio personality from decades past, started IRH on his own web server using real-time sound software from RealAudio. "They, like myself, are still struggling to make the internet work we do pay off," Abbett said. IRH's contract for trial use of the software expires in about a month, after which Abbett must pay RealAudio at least $3,000 or close up shop. In an attempt to save the station, Abbett has kicked off a grass-roots pledge drive. "Just like you do with public radio and TV," Abbett explained. IRH has been featured in several local publications, popular among former islanders and newcomers alike for allowing them to hear Hawaiian music, news, comedy and commentary from anywhere on the internet. Abbett estimates 6,000 people listen in on IRH each day. "If we got a dollar from each," he said, "We'd be sitting pretty." For more information, Abbett can be contacted at rabbett@www.hotspotshawaii.com, or tune-in the station direct on the web at http://www.hotspotshawaii.com/IRH-Home.html. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES TRAVELERS to and from the Midwest will soon have a new airline to choose . American TransAir, which claims to be one of the ten largest airlines in the country, will open a route from Indianapolis to Maui on June 1. A summer-only route to Honolulu is also available. The Honolulu route will be run from June to September. To promote the flights, American TransAir is pushing a special one-way fare of $249 for travel between June 19 and July 3... KKCR will be the call letters of a new radio station coming to Kaua`i, thanks in part to the support of the federal government, the Kekahu Foundation -- a local nonprofit agency -- and the Eagles. A $38,000 gift from the popular rock group has given the station, which will broadcast at both 90.9 and 91.1FM, a head start in getting on the air. Another $20,000 is needed before Kauai Community Radio can make its debut late this year... SUSPECTS in sexual-assault cases will not be required to take tests for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The House Judiciary Committee last week killed a bill that would have required the tests, despite the support of the Attorney General's office and all four county police departments. Committee Chair Terrance Tom said disagreements between other agencies -- such as the city prosecutor's office and the governor's office -- led to the bill's end... AMERICAN Hawaii Cruises announced last week that they would be retiring one of their two cruise ships. Company officials said the aging SS Constitution will never return to Hawaii waters. The $60 million cost to refit the Constitution was too high, they said. Their other luxury-liner, the recently renovated SS Independence, will remain in service... HOT enough to fry an Easter egg? The temperature in Honolulu yesterday reached 89 degrees, the all-time high ever recorded for the month of April. Weather forecasters say it also breaks last year's record of 86 degrees. Limp winds and blindingly clear skies are cited as the culprit... TEMPS: O`ahu 87/73, Kaua`i 83/71, Moloka`i 84/70, Maui 85/72, Hilo 83/70 CASTS: Warm, sunny, trades to 15MPH. Surf to 4 feet on all shores. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 7:13 a.m.; Low 12:44 p.m.

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, April 5, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: UH TO HIRE ADVOCATE FOR NATIVE HAWAIIANS Native Hawaiian students and faculty at UH who feel they've been the target of discrimination will have their own voice in the university administration. University officials yesterday announced a new student advocate position, to be created specifically for hearing and investigating discrimination complaints filed by native Hawaiians. A candidate search should be underway by summer, UH officials say, and the spot should be filled before the start of the fall semester. Last year, Center for Hawaiian Studies Director Haunani-Kay Trask had demanded the university establish the position after a UH professor had campus security remove two Hawaiian sisters from his geology class. The students claim that the ejection was racially motivated. At the time, university officials had maintained that the existing student advocate office was adequate. The complaint was dismissed by the university in March, by which time several anti-racism rallies had been held at the UH-Manoa campus. The announcement comes one day after another such rally, where native Hawaiian members of the campus community condemned racism and defended the sisters. University officials would not comment on whether the creation of the new position was the result of the rallies or Trask's comments. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SENATE PRESIDENT CRITICIZES SAME-SEX MOVE Calling the maneuver "flawed" and "inappropriate," Senate President Norman Mizuguchi criticized the actions of a senate leader who yesterday slipped a definition of marriage that excluded gay unions into another bill. Milton Holt, chair of the senate Consumer Protection Committee, changed a bill six hours before a legislative deadline as a last-ditch effort to keep the issue of same-sex marriage alive. It was passed 5-4 by the committee last night. "It's better than nothing," Holt said before introducing the modified bill. Holt said he was frustrated that another bill -- one that would have amended the state constitution to ban gay marriages -- was shelved by Judiciary Committee Chair Rey Graulty and other key committee members. Mizuguchi confirmed today that jurisdiction over the subject was indeed held by Graulty's committee. After the Judiciary Committee had spent nearly three years discussing same-sex marriage, Graulty said, it was unthinkable that another committee would try and take matters into its own hands. "This is a circumvention of senate rules," he said today, adding that with Mizuguchi's blessing Holt's bill will be returned to committee on Monday. That would effectively kill it for the current session, he said. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: CHILD-SUPPORT SLIGHTERS FACE JAIL State representatives have passed a bill that would add jail time as punishment for failing to pay child support. The House Judiciary Committee this week approved the bill, which would crack down on deadbeat parents by suspending their drivers' licenses. If they're then caught driving without a license, they would serve a three-day mandatory jail sentence. Judiciary Committee Chair Terrance Tom said the threat of jail time is the only way to get repeat violators to shape up. In addition, the bill stipulates that professional licenses would also be rescinded if deadbeats don't pay up within a month of losing their drivers' licenses. The senate's version of the bill doesn't include the penalty of jail time, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Rey Graulty said yesterday that the House committee's move may in fact be an attempt to kill the measure given the reluctance of most legislators to add to the prison overcrowding problem. Graulty added that he is reluctant to implement the suspension of drivers' licenses, because the computer equipment needed to cross-reference the information is not yet in place. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: POLICE COULD DISARM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE If police officers spot a firearm while reporting to investigate reports of domestic abuse, they would be able to confiscate them without filing legal documents under a bill passed yesterday by the senate Judiciary Committee. The measure is seen as another important advance in the fight against domestic violence, which the Honolulu Police Department had earlier identified as a top priority this year. HPD officials yesterday said they wholeheartedly support the bill, saying that it would give them a chance to keep dangerous domestic situations from getting more violent. If passed, officers would be able to take guns found in plain view, even if they had not been used against victims. Currently, restraining orders must be filed before police can take guns from a home. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES TAKING a popular downhill bike ride on Maui proved fatal for a 17-year-old Washington man this morning. The victim was riding with a group down Crater Road on Haleakala at about 9 a.m. this morning when he apparently lost control of his bicycle on a hairpin turn and fell into the path of an oncoming tour bus. He was airlifted to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where he was pronounced dead... KANEOHE Marine Cpls. John Mayfield and Joseph Vlacovsky will appear at their court martial hearing on April 15, following their refusal last year to submit to DNA tissue sampling ordered by their superiors. The pair claim the specimen program, created in the hopes of better identifying fallen soldiers in future conflicts, was a violation of their privacy. The Marine Corps had recently defeated an injunction filed against the program... SALVATION Army officials are stunned, after their warehouse of food and supplies for the needy was robbed last night for the third time this week. The Kuluwela Mission House was ransacked, thieves again making off with five boxes of food and toys but leaving behind computers and a fax machine. So far, nearly $4,000 in goods have been stolen. The mission supports about 130 families each month. To help, call (808) 521-6551... SIGNS went up at several O`ahu beaches today announcing the arrival of some unwanted holiday weekend visitors. A swarm of Portuguese man-o-war, pushed by southerly winds, have arrived on south-facing shores. Water safety officials say there were 20 stings in Waikiki, and several at Ala Moana Beach Park. There were no reports of major shock reactions. The stinging creatures will be around at least until tomorrow afternoon, officials say... PROSECUTORS and law professors from China today toured the Honolulu Prosecutor's office to observe how the American legal and judicial system operates. Local law enforcement officials point to cooperation as the key to fighting crime on both sides of the Pacific, especially in battling the booming crystal-methamphetamine trade between China and the U.S... KA `UPENA can now be read on the web at yet another site -- this one put up by yours truly. I'm testing to see how easy it is to update daily, and I've provided a link to my own personal archive of past editions. I figured it was about time this online newspaper shared its home with that of the Hawaii NewsList. Try http://www.aloha.net/~prophet/kaupena.html... TEMPS: O`ahu 85/75, Kaua`i 83/74, Moloka`i 84/72, Maui 84/72, Hilo 82/71 CASTS: Mostly clear, warm with weak trades. Surf on North shores to 5 feet. SATURDAY'S TIDES: High 5:36PM; Low 10:45AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, April 4, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: LAST MINUTE MANEUVER ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE Faced with a midnight deadline, Senate Consumer Protection Committee Chairman Milton Holt may have gone too far today in the fight of some lawmakers to ban same-sex marriages. Minutes ago, Holt's committee passed a bill 4-6 that clarifies the definition of marriage under Hawaii law as valid only between a man and a woman. The Judiciary Committee has continued its refusal to hear a bill that would have amended the state constitution for a ban on gay unions, and there were no other related bills currently active in committee. In order to get something through before the deadline, Holt gutted a common bill concerning physician and osteopathic licenses and inserted a purpose clause saying same-sex marriages cannot be allowed "for the perpetuation of our society, protection of the social order, and the general health and welfare of the citizens of the state." Holt said he was frustrated that the Judiciary Committee had declared the issue dead and shelved the constitutional amendment bill. Rey Graulty, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he was appalled at Holt's actions, saying that the tactic was a violation of senate procedure. Graulty vowed to make sure the transplant bill doesn't pass, and adding that he will first urge Senate President Norman Mizuguchi to redirect the bill back into committee. Jack Hoag, spokesman for the group Hawaii's Future Today, conceded that the move was unorthodox. "No doubt it's going to be controversial," he said, "But procedurally, if the Judiciary Committee heard the (constitutional amendment) bill we wouldn't be in this fix." -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: SENATORS PONDER MIDWAY MOVE FOR INMATES The prison overcrowding problem in Hawaii may be solved by shipping inmates to correctional facilities on Midway Island, according to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. With the Navy moving out of its facilities on the island, located about 1,000 miles north of Kaua`i, the island will be practically deserted. Additionally, if the Navy is willing to donate some extra ships, the committee said, they could be docked at the island and be used as prisons. The hearing yesterday comes after Gov. Cayetano has asked state leaders to think of new ways to handle the excess of prisoners in Hawaii facilities. According to state officials, both the Department of Public Safety and Department of Land and Natural Resources have been approached by the governor's office to send delegations to Midway and evaluate the suggestions supported by the committee. As it stands, state prisons are already home to several thousand more inmates than they were designed to hold. Some relief came last year, when 300 island prisoners were transferred to facilities in Texas. Earlier last month, more than $2 million in additional funding was approved to arrange for another 150 prisoners to be sent to the Mainland. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: NEW SYMPHONY LEADER OPTIMISTIC Samuel Wong, former assistant director of the New York Philharmonic, was formally introduced today as the new musical director of the Honolulu Symphony. "I want you to know," Wong said, "that the symphony is probably the most relevant, hip, fun thing you will attend next year." He promised an exciting season next spring, with a repertoire spanning from Beethoven and Mozart to jazz to engagements with Mel Torme. "All in all, it's going to be a star studded season," he said. Coming in after highly publicized financial and morale problems plagued the Honolulu troupe, Wong said the key to reviving the symphony is to draw more people to concerts. "I think there's been some image that the orchestra is very formal or scary," he said. "We're very accessible. We're very much willing to play the people who are coming to the symphony for the first time." Wong, with a long history of holding prestigious musical posts, was overwhelmingly approved by the members, sponsors and fans of the symphony. Wong said he was proud to be part of the new era for music in Hawaii. "Life without the Honolulu Symphony would be a disaster," he said. Many of the concerts will be staged at the recently renovated, historic Hawaii Theatre in downtown Honolulu. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: HAWAII TOO SOFT ON DOCTORS, REPORT SAYS According to the Federation of State Medical Doctors -- a nationwide union of health professionals -- Hawaii ranks third from last in its aggressiveness in disciplining misconduct by doctors. Hawaii averaged only about 1.5 disciplinary actions per 1,000 doctors in the state, compared to the national average of six. According to researchers, other states are nearly 10 times more likely to punish doctors for offenses including incompetence, insurance fraud and sexual misconduct. In Hawaii, questionable medical practices are investigated by the State Medical Board, composed of seven doctors and two citizens appointed by the governor. A spokesman for the board defended Hawaii's health care community, saying the low number of disciplinary actions stems from quality professionals and a supportive peer review system instead of a negligence on the board's part. The highest figures were fore Arizona, with Delaware and the District of Columbia scoring lower than Hawaii. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: ENTREPENEUR HOPES FOR SPAM MUSUBI REVIVAL His pizza company was doing well enough, and when clients began asking for sandwiches he was happy to oblige. Soon after Matt Bowden began making Spam musubis, however, state regulations quashed the venture. But not for long. New rules were put in place last year, requiring everyone -- from supermarkets to mom-and-pop stores -- to keep food in refrigerators and heaters rather than displayed at room temperatures. Opponents said it would ruin the taste of Spam musubi, and indeed since the regulations were put in place the local favorite became more and more scarce. Enter Bowden. After toiling for weeks, Bowden has developed a musubi that can be sold frozen, but can taste as good as a fresh one when heated in a microwave. Called "Mr. Musubi's Microwave Musubi," the next-generation of Spam-and-rice cuisine will be sold in local supermarkets for under $3 for a set of three. "You've heard of safe sex," Bowden told the _Honolulu Advertiser_, "Well, this is safe musubi." Predicting sales of nearly a million a month, Bowden is already setting his sights on similarly packaging bentos and plate-lunch. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES FEARS that native American tribes on the Mainland might move to open casinos in Hawaii, the Senate Finance Committee today put aside a bill that would have allowed betting on horse racing and a state lottery. The gambling bill had been unexpectedly revived earlier this week. After 3 hours of testimony, including opposition from the governor's office and state Attorney General, committee chair Calvin Say made the motion to defer... DOUGLAS Smith, a 45-year-old resident of Waikaloa on the Big Island, died yesterday while diving west of Kawaihae Harbor. Police say Smith was planning on diving to 90 feet, but after not surfacing when scheduled, his girlfriend dove in to investigate. She found him about 260 feet under, police say, with his regulator out of his mouth. He was pronounced dead at Lucy Henriques Medical Center shortly before noon... FIREFIGHTERS were unable to save a house from being destroyed this afternoon, but they did manage to rescue approximately 80 birds -- including parakeets and canaries -- before smoke and flames could claim their lives. The residence on Alewa Drive had been home to a family of five, some of whom were apparently amateur bird breeders. Nearby residents reported hearing the birds panic as smoke spread through the neighborhood. The family was insured... WONDERING if there are any Hawaii-lovers in your neighborhood? The Hawaii NewsList is now open to passing along blurbs announcing or suggesting a "Hawaii Club" meeting anywhere you are. You'll have to be willing to serve as the contact person, and have your e-mail address sent to several thousand island fans. The NewsList can also help your Hawaii Club establish contact with other clubs worldwide. Write prophet@aloha.net with your questions... TEMPS: O`ahu 84/74, Kaua`i 80/73, Moloka`i 83/71, Maui 84/73, Hilo 79/69 CASTS: Cloudy, warm, trades to 15MPH. Surf on all shores below 4 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 4:50PM; Low 11:15AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, April 3, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: SENATE CONSIDERS QUARANTINE EXEMPTION Lawmakers are considering putting the first crack in Hawaii's long-standing quarantine requirement for imported animals, but one only wide enough to let seeing-eye or service dogs through. By state law, all animals must be kept in quarantine for four months, or 120 days, as a defense against a rabies outbreak in the island. Under a measure passed yesterday by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the governor would have the authority to grant exceptions to the quarantine requirement, provided the dog passes state- defined rabies inspections. If passed by the full senate in the coming weeks, the bill could also give Hawaii residents with guide dogs the freedom to travel out-of-state and reenter without trouble. Testifying before the committee, 18-year-old Kapi`olani Community College student Elliot Tomai said he and his family essentially had to live in the quarantine station in Halawa to make sure his guide dog didn't lose his special skills during the four month ordeal. The bill received strong opposition from the state Department of Agriculture, which is currently involved in a lawsuit challenging the state's quarantine law under the American with Disabilities Act. Department representatives said their case would be jeopardized if the state began granting exceptions based on a resident's need rather than on animal health concerns. After the committee approved the bill, Gov. Ben Cayetano said he would be eager to exercise the limited authority to make exceptions, adding that as a dog owner he'd be more than happy to see more reforms of the restrictive quarantine law. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: PROPOSED STATE BUDGET $175 MILLION SLIMMER The budget proposal introduced today by Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Donna Ikeda has the most severe reductions ever proposed for the state. Acting to preserve specific state programs -- including human services and education -- Ikeda has proposed the elimination of 1,300 state jobs and the implementation of a payroll lag for state employees. Other cuts include a $37 million reduction in the state's contribution to its retirement system, an $27 million budget cut for the state Business and Economic Development office, and shifting the entirety of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau's $25 million budget out of the general fund. In all, the state budget would be $175 million smaller than the one for this fiscal year. "It's a very austere budget," Ikeda said today. "If it didn't affect health or safety... we didn't fund it." Most of the positions slated for elimination are currently unfilled, Ikeda said. In addition, the payroll lag would save $23.5 million. That's less than half of what Gov. Cayetano had originally requested, however. The state welfare program would suffer no reductions under the plan, but budget increases requested by the program will not be granted. The university is also a prime beneficiary of Ikeda's budget, saving UH from an anticipated $14 million budget cut. Relief would also come for the Department of Education, which would not have to take a proposed $3 million cut. The budget plan now goes to the full senate for a vote. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BUDGET LENIENCY OFFERED IN TRADE FOR UH TIME Nestled in a legislative bill that would reform the state's part in funding the University of Hawaii, Sen. Donna Ikeda has added a measure that would let UH keep $9 million of its revolving and special funds -- if it gives up two hours of each day during the academic year. The growing rush-hour congestion on Honolulu roads prompted Ikeda's proposal, which asks the university to start it's first classes at 9:30AM, rather than the current 7:30AM. As the UH funding reform bill is geared largely in favor of the university, Ikeda said yesterday, her proposal would give UH a chance to help out O`ahu residents. Ikeda estimates the scheduling change could reduce early-morning traffic congestion by about five percent. UH-Manoa has traditionally been a commuter campus, with the vast majority of its 22,000 or so students living off- campus. Although the UH administration is eager for the chance to keep more of its money, some officials are worried the two-hour adjustment might in fact impact traffic little, but adversely affect students and faculty. Among concerns for students is the fear the change could reduce the number of hours they could work at part-time jobs. UH has one of the highest percentages of non-traditional students, many of whom hold some form of employment. Ikeda, however, said she figures most students would be happy to sleep in longer, and predicted that some of the long-standing parking problems at the campus would also be alleviated. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES FINGERPRINTS taken from the body found buried near Kawainui Marsh land Friday have confirmed what police have suspected all along: the body was indeed that of 32-year-old Sherry Lynn Holmes. Holmes was the girlfriend of John Nahale Miranda, who died in a police shoot-out on Sand Island two months ago. Police say the meticulous care taken to seal the body, which was found in a sealed plastic bag inside a cardboard box, was what preserved it well enough to get fingerprints. Miranda is currently the only suspect, police say... WAIKIKI residents met last night to make sure they were clear on how they stood on the issue of prostitution. After over two hours of discussion, the Waikiki Neighborhood Board emphatically repeated its opposition to any plan to legalize the world's oldest profession. Nevertheless, many of the more than 40 residents on hand urged compassion for prostitutes, saying that many were victims of child abuse and suffered at the hands of pimps... JUMPING into county politics for the first time, the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly -- the union representing over 3,000 UH faculty on campuses statewide -- has voted to back Mayor Jeremy Harris in his bid for re-election. In a statement issued yesterday, UHPA President Sinikka Hayasaka praised Harris for his consistent recognition of the university as a key part of Honolulu and the state's economy... KAMEHAMEHA Schools/Bishop Estate received one of the largest private land gifts in its history this week. Cedar Island, a 500 acre property in Virginia, was donated to Bishop Estate by Elizabeth and Ben Benson. Located on the East shore of the state, standing between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the island is one of only a few barrier islands in the region that are privately owned... HONEYMOONERS from the U.S. pick Hawaii for their post-marital escapes more than any other destination, according to a survey conducted by the editors of _Modern Bride_ Magazine. In this month's issue, the magazine says 66 percent of America's newlyweds opted for locales outside the contiguous 48 states, and of them 14 percent picked the islands. The next four most popular spots were foreign destinations, including Europe and the Bahamas... ANSWERING yesterday's rally by same-sex marriage opponents, supporters of gay unions today lined Beretania Street in front of the state Capitol. The demonstrators included about 30 members of the group "Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays," which has been lobbying against a bill that would amend the state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriages... TEMPS: O`ahu 84/74, Kaua`i 80/73, Moloka`i 83/71, Maui 84/73, Hilo 79/69 CASTS: Cloudy, warm, trades to 15MPH. Surf on all shores below 4 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 4:50PM; Low 11:15AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, April 1, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: SAME-SEX MARRIAGE OPPONENTS RALLY About 200 demonstrators gathered at the state Capitol today, urging state legislators to hear out a bill that would amend the state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. The crowd held signs and banners, cheering on a number of speakers who demanded that the same-sex marriage issue be brought to a public vote. "We cannot let it die now," said Sen. Randy Iwase. "This is not an issue that should be decided by two individuals out of the million people in the state of Hawaii." Iwase was targeting key members of the senate Judiciary Committee, who last month decided to put the bill aside for the remainder of the legislative session. The rally came while lobbyists continued their campaign to rattle the cages of Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Rey Graulty and his peers, going as far as petitioning their private employers and clients. "It's a little out of the ordinary," Graulty said today, "But it's par for the course." Jack Hoag, speaking for the self- proclaimed "grass-roots group" Hawaii's Future Today, said that they were playing hardball. "The senate leadership is blocking the bill and not letting the people be heard," Hoag said. Hawaii's Future Today has reportedly spent more than $25,000 last month in its lobbying campaign. Lobbyists were also at the Capitol yesterday, going door to door to bring their message to legislators. Civil rights activists were also walking the halls, saying that they do not want the state constitution changed. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: POLICE MAY HAVE FOUND HOLMES' BODY The missing chapter in the life and death of John Nahale Miranda may have been found last week, buried in a cardboard box. Pulled from a shallow grave near Kawainui Marsh late Friday, police could only say for certain that the body inside was female and blonde. Sherry Lynn Holmes, who had been missing since Jan. 31, was blonde. Holmes, 32, was the girlfriend of Miranda -- the frustrated construction worker who died in a police shoot-out two months ago. She disappeared about a week before the hostage standoff on Sand Island, and police are now saying Miranda had hinted that he had killed her. Acting on an informant's tip, Honolulu police and a team of dogs scoured the area several times before finding the box, buried only a few yards off Kapa`a Quarry Road. The body was too badly decomposed to be positively identified, police say, but there is little doubt that it is Holmes. As no dental records exist for Holmes, investigators will enlist the aid of the Army's identification lab in Honolulu, using DNA and photo imaging technology, to be certain. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: JAPANESE MINISTRY SPURNS U.S. AIRLINE The Japanese Transport Ministry has rejected a request from United Airlines to increase the number of flights between Honolulu and Osaka. In a statement issued today, Japanese officials have also vowed a similar rejection of a pending request to boost the number of UAL flights between Los Angeles and Narita. The rejection comes as apparent retaliation for the U.S. government's foot-dragging in approving Japan Air Lines' plan to begin direct Japan-Kona flights, which forced JAL to abandon its original expansion schedule late last week. The move led to some confusion at Honolulu International Airport today, as JAL flew its first plane of Kona-bound Japanese visitors to O`ahu instead. The 300 or so passengers had to board a Hawaiian Airlines jet to complete their journey to the Big Island. A spokeswoman for Gov. Ben Cayetano's said the governor is frustrated by the dispute, claiming Hawaii is being held hostage by the stubbornness of two governments. Local economists are levying some criticism on the U.S. Department of Transportation, which originally sparked the battle. Last month, the DOT made approval of JAL's Japan-Kona expansion conditional on Japan's allowing UAL to start flying beyond Japanese destinations to Seoul, Korea. UAL contends that approving changes to the number flights to Seoul is beyond Japan's jurisdiction. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: KITE RECOVERY ATTEMPT LEADS TO SHOCK, FIRE Two Maui men remain in the hospital tonight after receiving a serious shock from a 69,000 volt power line. 31-year-old Mark Watts and 40-year-old Stephen Grimes, both Pukalani residents, were apparently trying to free their tangled kite from the high-voltage line with a pole. The jolt was powerful enough to leave Grimes with entry and exit wounds on his right hand and leg respectively, and third-degree burns all over his body. Watts suffered second- and third-degree burns. Maui Electric officials said that the electricity -- intended to power several thousand homes -- shot through Grimes to the ground, setting off a "fireball" and igniting a nearby bush. The two men, who were flying their kite on a hill near Pukalani Golf Course, reportedly fell down a nearby gulch after the incident. Watts was able to climb out of the gulch and contact emergency crews. Grimes was immediately flown to Straub Hospital on O`ahu, where he was listed in serious condition this morning. Watts is in stable condition at Maui Memorial. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES TODAY marks the 50 year anniversary of the infamous April Fools' Day tsunami. In 1946, an earthquake off Alaska's Aleutian Islands generated a series of waves as high as 50 feet. They struck Hawaii just after 7 a.m., ravaging Laupahoehoe and downtown Hilo on the Big Island and killing 159 islanders. To remember the disaster's victims and survivors, the Hilo Tsunami Museum is slated to open late next year... STALLED negotiations between the state and the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly -- the union that represents UH faculty -- have led to the last contract extensions expiring last night. UHPA could now declare a strike as early as May 1, although union leaders are adamant that they'd rather not. The sticking-points center around intellectual property rights, tenure, and a number of other issues... WANDERING away from her friends at a gathering in Waipio, a 6-year-old girl had been gone for about 20 minutes before bystanders pulled her unconscious from a community pool. She was not breathing, and didn't have a pulse. Firefighters reported to the Waipio Uka St. recreation center and performed CPR, and the girl was first taken to Pali Momi Medical Center. She remains in critical condition tonight at Kapiolani Hosipital... SUMMER session and adult education classes at the University of Hawaii-Hilo may be the latest fatalities in an ongoing rash of budget cuts. UHH Chancellor Kenneth Perrin said yesterday that the College of Continuing Education and Community Service (CCECS) will probably be abolished, in anticipation of an expected budget cut of $1 million. The campus has already seen $1.6 million in cuts, leading to fewer lecturer positions... SHOPO, the O`ahu chapter of the police officers' union, decided today to endorse Arnold Morgado in his bid for mayor of Honolulu. In a close 7-6 vote this afternoon, the union chose to back Morgado rather than current mayor Jeremy Harris... TEMPS: O`ahu 81/70, Kaua`i 79/70, Moloka`i 80/68, Maui 81/70, Hilo 80/69 CASTS: Clear and sunny, trades to 25MPH. Surf islandwide 4 feet or lower. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 3:01PM; Low 8:52AM

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 22:47:36 -1000 I forgot, I wanted to share with y'all... I'm sittin in my Waikiki flat, watchin the TV Food Network, Jen's napping and I'm adding another 30 names to the NewsList registry (you have looked, right?)... then, I notice someone outside my door. They're whispering. "Think this is it?" "What if he's sleeping?" "I hear typing." Right when I'm about to freak, they knock. I leap up, confused, open the door. There are two very bright, awkward looking women standing there -- one 'bout 30 and one 'bout 60. Before they open their mouths, I notice a piece of paper in their hand with the unmistakable look of the obnoxious header to Ka Upena printed on it. "Hello?" "Are you Ryan?" "Um, yeah." "This is going to sound really wierd, but..." Turns out they're relatives of a 80-year-old woman in Norfolk, Virginia, named Doris. She owns a unit in the Waikiki Banyan, 'cross from where I live, and that's where these two ladies were staying. Her sister and daughter, you see. They said, "We just want you to know that every morning my 80-year-old mother starts her day by reading the news of Hawaii you and your partners type up. She thrives on it... she just got her computer, and even though she's just figuring it out, she's said over and over that it's given her a new lease on life. And for her to know what's going on here, it makes her very happy." Serious chicken skin. I said so, and they giggled the same back. I mean, I can't explain how bizzare but wonderful the short encounter was. The oddest links are forged on-line, and occasionally (as the ACHLM proved) some wonderful face-to-face meetings and standing friendships can develop... It's great! I'm impressed they got up the nerve to just visit and say "Hi!" I have no idea how _I_ would have started that conversation... I wrote Doris, told her what happened, and she was just tickled. I told her to tell her sister and daughter that they made my entire week, and she said I made hers. -- Ryan Masaru Kawailani Ozawa aka Prophet Zarquon Editor-in-Chief, Ka Leo O Hawaii ozawa@hawaii.edu Coordinator, The Hawaii NewsList * prophet@aloha.net Maintainer, The Complete Hawaii FAQ http://www.aloha.net/~prophet [ * For details, send the command "INFO HI-NEWS-L" to listproc@hawaii.edu ]

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, March 21, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= Subject: A NOTE TO READERS Ka `Upena is testing a new HTML-friendly format. With the addition of divider lines and distinct article subjects, most newsreaders will allow you to hit Ctrl-G to skip to the next news item. This is mostly to help readers who get Ka `Upena from the globally accessible USENET newsgroups alt.culture.hawaii and soc.culture.hawaii, where Ka `Upena is also posted daily. Thanks to "Mama Lani" for guidance in setting up this new arrangement! -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: MAKUA RESIDENTS GIVEN TWO MORE MONTHS After meeting with representatives of the more than 200 homeless residents of Makua Beach, Governor Ben Cayetano announced yesterday that he will give the them two more months to move out. The beach community must now leave the Waianae park by June 15, rather than the April 15 deadline Cayetano had set last week. He said the change was made so that the children living at Makua Beach could finish the current school year -- which ends June 7 -- before facing the challenges of moving. Even so, Cayetano was quick to warn that when the new deadline rolls around, the state will not hesitate to proceed with eviction. Cayetano again emphasized sanitation and safety concerns as the motivation for the crackdown, citing accumulated trash, abandoned cars and makeshift toilets. Residents of Makua Beach -- many of whom have lived there for several years -- contend that other O`ahu residents had been dumping the garbage, and that they have been clearing out what they can to make conditions livable. Meanwhile, the Senate Housing Committee is expected to revisit a proposed resolution that would ask the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct a one-year study of the homeless problem at Makua Beach. Supporters hope the resolution will be amended to extend the eviction deadline long enough to complete the study. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: COUNCIL MOVES ON NEW HANAUMA FEES Tourists may again have to pay to hike down to the curving shore of Hanauma Bay, and all visitors to the popular O`ahu attraction could be paying for parking. Both the budget and economic development committees of the Honolulu City Council yesterday approved a set of bills that would charge charge everyone a dollar to park in the frequently packed lot, and collect a $3 access fee from all out-of-state baygoers 13 years of age or older. The committees forwarded the bills almost unanimously, after Mayor Jeremy Harris told them he supported such fees. Altogether, they are expected to raise $2.6 million a year, more than twice the $1 million maintenance budget at Hanauma Bay. City officials say the excess revenues would be earmarked to take care of other Honolulu parks. Visitors to the bay are currently urged to make a $5 voluntary donation, after a controversial mandatory fee schedule had been repealed by the council three months ago. The full council is expected to vote on the new fee bills on April 10. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: HAWAII NOT COVERED IN MISSILE UMBRELLA According to Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, Hawaii and Alaska are not included in the protection zone of a planned defense system designed to guard the United States from ballistic missiles. The senate's defense subcommittee is currently considering increasing its investment in developing weapons that could disable incoming missiles. As proposed, the program is only designed to protect the contiguous 48 states. Inouye said he is working on protecting the remaining two, adding that he didn't think Hawaii would make a likely target of foreign attacks. Furthermore, he said, military analysts believe ballistic missle attacks aren't likely for at least 10 years, and that even after the technology was developed by other countries, many would think twice before firing them at the U.S. "They know very well that if something like that were to happen, they would disappear," Inouye told the _Honolulu Advertiser_. But some lobbyists disagree, saying that Alaska and Hawaii in particular are the only American targets within the range of unstable nations in the East. In particular, they say they are concerned about the recent antagonism between the U.S. and China -- citing rumors that a Chinese official last week threatened an attack on Los Angeles. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: CHOICE CHOOSES ISLE FOR GLOBAL GROWTH Five Hawaii hotels will be promoted around the world in a multimillion- dollar expansion campaign by Choice Hotels International. Claiming to be the second largest hotel-chain in the world, Choice may be better known as the comany behind American hotels that go by names like Clarion, Comfort, Quality and EconoLodge. The island hotels will be managed by the Castle Group, a local agency selected by Choice for the comparable quality and size of its hotels. The Big Island's Hilo Hawaiian, Molokai's Kaluako Villas, and Maui's Maui Eldorado and Kamaole Sands hotels will be marketed as Quality Resorts, while the Hanalei Bay Resort on Kaua`i will be tagged as a higher-caliber Clarion Resort. Choice is also reportedly considering adding Laie's Rodeway Inn Hukilau Resort, with which it already has a promotional contract. In addition, Choice executives say they are eying a new deal in Waikiki. The company recently completed a large-scale expansion in the Pacific Rim, including several hundred hotels in New Zealand and Australia. -----------------------------------------------------------------------==:]>- Subject: BITS AND PIECES FORMER gubernatorial candidate and comedian Bu La`ia was arrested today at Honolulu International Airport after illegally skateboarding in the baggage- claim area and strugging with airport security. Police say "Bu" ignored several warnings not to ride his skateboard inside the airport, and allegedly accosted the guard who eventually stopped him... KAILUA police are trying to track down a pellet-gun sniper who's been terrorizing pedestrians crossing Uluniu Street. Three people, two of them elderly residents, have been hit by pellets. Doctors have been unable to remove a pellet from the head of 70-year-old Nelson Peraza, who was hit Monday. A 73-year-old woman's face was grazed by another pellet... EXECUTIVES of the United Public Workers union are saying Maui Mayor Linda Lingle didn't explore all her options before announcing that the county would privitize its trash collection program. Lingle insists, however, that talks were going nowhere despite a contract extention to June 30. The union is now expected to seek intervention by the Hawaii Labor Relations Board... TOUTING views of Mauna Kea and the ocean, Big Island landowner C. Brewer this week has begun selling the first of several agricultural lots formerly used by the now defunct Hilo Coast Sugar. Prices range from $275,000 to $375,000, high in part because they are serviced by the city water supply as well as telephone and electrical lines. No rooster or pig farms allowed... EAGLE-EYED viewers of today's pre-release showing of "Race the Sun" -- a movie based on the adventures of Big Island high school students -- spotted more than a questionable use of pidgin vocabulary. Upside-down Hawaiian flags are seen blowing in the wind. Though blamed on crews down under, Hawaiian flags flown that way frequently mean support of Hawaiian sovereignty... TEMPS: O`ahu 80/68, Kaua`i 77/68, Moloka`i 79/65, Maui 77/60, Hilo 77/65 CASTS: North shore surf to 12 feet. Some showers, cool, winds to 30MPH. FRIDAY'S TIDES: High 6:45PM; Low 11:49AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, March 20, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= COUNCIL VOTES TO WAIT ON KUAPA ISLE CONVERSION The Honolulu City Council last night pulled the plug on its first forced lease-to-fee conversion, voting 6-3 to postpone the condemnation of the Kuapa Isle subdivision until legal challenges to the lease-to-fee ordinance were resolved. The move to defer was made at 10 p.m. by Councilmember Mufi Hanneman, after more than 90 people -- mostly landowners -- had testified. It came as a surprise to many members of the council, including the three who voted against it: councilmembers John Henry Felix, Steve Holmes and Duke Bainum. The decision to delay comes more than four years after the ordinance -- which empowers the city to condemn property in order to give tenants a fair chance and a fair price to buy the land -- became law. Last night's vote killed the hopes of 50 or so residents of Kuapa Isle townhouses in Hawaii Kai, who had fought since 1991 for the right buy their property from landowner Bishop Estate. The estate, by far the largest private landowner in Hawaii, had been waging a high-profile advertising campaign to fight Kuapa Isle residents and challenge the city's ordinance. Councilman Jon Yoshimura, who voted in favor of the delay, also said he will pursue a temporary hold on all future petitions asking the city to condemn condominium land. Bishop Estate is currently fighting to nullify the ordinance in a federal court, and estate trustees have vowed to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. ISLAND ROADS AMONG WORST IN NATION A national engineers' council this week warned of the impending collapse of America's infrastructure, and ranked the condition of Hawaii's roads third-worst in the country. Hawaii-based engineer Stanley Kawaguchi, poised to serve as president of the American Consulting Engineers Council, led a group delegation to Washington D.C. to support legislation that would boost capital-improvement spending nationwide. By federal standards, Kawaguchi said, 82 percent of Hawaii's highways and bridges were rated "poor" or "fair" as of 1992. Nearly 52 percent of the islands' bridges were rated "deficient," indicating a tangible weakness in the structure or incapable of handling the current traffic load. Only New Hampshire and the nation's capital ranked worse. Officials with the state department of transportation would not comment on the council's report, but said that one out of every ten state roads are resurfaced or repaired each year. In addition, officials said, two aging bridges on the Big Island and one on Maui are slated for replacement by 1998. Nationwide, the council reports that it would cost at least $70 billion a year to do a credible job of maintaining public works projects. The current budget is less than half that. NEW FLIGHTS FROM KOREA TO BOOST TOURISM Thanks to new federal rules allowing easier access to travel visas, five more weekly flights between Seoul and Honolulu will be added by tax day. Korean Airlines will add three Honolulu flights to its current slate of seven by the end of the month, putting back the flights the airline had cut in 1995. Asiana Airlines, meanwhile, will be booking one flight a day by April 15, expanding from its current schedule of five flights a week. In all, nearly 1,500 new seats will be available to bring tourists to the islands. Both airlines cited an unexpected easing of hassles at the U.S. Embassy in Korea, where travelers must apply for visas to enter the country. The State Department had increased the number of Korea-based travel agencies by over 30 percent and implemented a application-by-fax program after Hawaii tourism officials told them the bureaucratic visa process was hurting the island economy. Meanwhile, Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye is planning to propose a bill that would create a visa waiver program for Korean travelers, much like the ones currently granted to visitors from Japan and Europe. DISNEY SNIFFS OUT STATE FOR MOVIES Disney wants to tell the tale of the Deedles, a comedic family that discovers adventure in a rugged, wide-open world after living for years on an island. That island, Walt Disney Studio officials said this week, is O`ahu. Hawaii was in fact an integral location for the upcoming film "Meet the Deedles," Disney officials said, and the opening scenes will be filmed in the islands and at the Hawaii Film Studio near Diamond Head. The local operation is expected to pump more than half a million dollars into the island economy. The Hawaii Film Office has also been hosting a delegation of Disney executives who are scouting for spots to shoot another film, a live-action "George of the Jungle." All of that movie will be shot on location, with production slated to begin in July. Hawaii is competing with Mexico and Puerto Rico to host "George," but at least one delegate has said Hawaii -- with scenic locations like Waimea Falls and Kualoa Ranch on the Big Island -- is the current favorite. The scouting expedition is also giving Disney officials a chance to see what the state has to offer for as many as three more jungle-based films currently in the works. MAUI COUNTY TAKES TRASH CONTRACT OUTSIDE After nearly a year of failed negotiations with the United Public Workers union, Maui County has opted to hire a private trash-collecting company, and the county hopes to save $500,000 in the process. The current trash pickup program costs the county $2.5 million. Under the change announced yesterday, all Maui homes will be serviced by the yet-unnamed company -- except those in remote Hana, where regular trash service is already difficult to provide. Maui Mayor Linda Crockett said that privatization was the only choice, as UPW workers refused to increase the number of trash-pickups per crew. Officials say the new company, which is expected to sign a seven-year contract, has indicated that it can handle the county's demands. The $60 yearly fee for residents will not change, and in addition the new program will bring in automated trash trucks. Already available on O`ahu, the trucks need only a driver to collect trash from special bins provided without cost to residents. The public workers' union is expected to challenge the privatization move in court. GRANDMOTHER and gardener Hui Wai Fong, 92, died yesterday when a fire engulfed her Kapahulu home. Firefighters put out the fire on Moohea Avenue soon after 3PM yesterday, but were unable to rescue Fong, who had apparently succumbed to smoke while trying to get out the front door. Fong lived at the home with two of seven adult children, who will now have to take shelter with the Red Cross while investigators determine the cause of the blaze... HAWAII inmates being held in Texas might not be able to truly reach out and touch loved-ones in the islands, but they're a step closer with the state's introduction of a video-phone system next month. With the backing of the chapel at Halawa prison, two Honolulu churches will host family members of inmates who want to see and hear them starting April 6... THERE was a sizable crowd protesting outside the state capitol yesterday, but it was composed of two different groups that picked the same day to hold their rally. Supporters of the Hawaii Sovereignty Elections Council competed for legislators' attention with supporters of over 200 homeless residents slated for eviction from Makua Beach... TEMPS: O`ahu 81/70, Kaua`i 79/70, Moloka`i 80/66, Maui 81/67, Hilo 77/67 CASTS: Clear and sunny, trades to 25MPH. Surf islandwide 4 feet or lower. THURSDAY'S TIDES: High 6:01PM; Low 11:17AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, March 19, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= GRAY LINE CLOSES, DRIVERS WITHOUT JOBS The third largest bus-tour operator in the state ended its 70 year run yesterday, surprising many of its 250 now-unemployed workers and leaving its six competitors to fill the void. Gray Line Hawaii shut down its operations last night, with dispatchers scrambling to service the last few clients when some drivers walked off the job after getting the news. Gray Line President Nobu Shinohara sent letters to customers earlier this week, explaining that the business had to close because an investor they had been courting refused to buy the company. Executives with the first- and second-largest tour operators, Roberts Hawaii Tours and Trans-Hawaiian Services respectively, said were stretching their resources to pick up accounts left stranded by Gray Line's closure. Shinohara said Gray Line exclusively served about 30 different clients. When Hurricane Iniki struck in 1992, Shinohara said, Gray Line business dropped nearly 30 percent. The company had never fully recovered since then, he said, and a $700,000 bill for back taxes levied in January could have been the death blow. Shinohara said Gray Line had been without an owner since 1995. SOUKI WANTS MORE SECURITY AT CAPITOL House Speaker Joe Souki has introduced a proposal that would allocate $262,000 to bring in eight more deputy sheriffs as full-time security officers for the state Capitol building. Souki cited the threat of terrorism, recalling the Oklahoma City bombing last year. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Rey Graulty -- who had received death threats during a gun-control debate in 1994 -- also supported Souki's plan, saying he was more worried about the safety of legislative staff that work long after dark. Graulty also recalled past incidents of threats at the Capitol, including last month's confrontation between same-sex supporters and Christian activist Randall Terry. But Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Donna Ikeda, who said she's also received her share of threats, opposes the proposal. Ikeda said the plan would add to the legislature's fixed expenses, a questionable move when several legislative offices are under-staffed and under-equipped. "We can call the police if we have to," she said. Nevertheless, Graulty said that his committee would probably pass the bill this week. There are currently 27 deputy sheriffs assigned to protect buildings in the Capitol district. SPANKING BAN DEBATED, REJECTED IN COMMITTEE Counselors, parents and kids turned up to testify today on a bill that would have outlawed spanking and all other forms of corporal punishment. "The hitting of our children only teaches our children that violence is okay," said child advocate Debbie Shimizu, who was one of several residents who spoke before the House Human Services Committee. The committee heard several hours of testimony , most of it against the bill. Some children, self- admittedly disciplined by spanking, were on hand to speak against the bill. "Spanking, if done correctly, is not an abuse of children but a help," said Camie Patterson, who did not disclose her age. Many parents urged legislators to reject the bill and defend parents' rights, saying the government should not tell them how to raise their children. The committee voted to throw out the proposal this afternoon. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE FOES WATCHING BILL Opponents of same-sex marriage are pinning their hopes on a bill that would ban them, despite declarations by lawmakers that the issue is dead for the current session. Senate President Norman Mizuguchi forwarded a bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee that would amend the state Constitution to ban gay marriages. Mizuguchi said yesterday, however, that it was just a procedural move. Committee Chair Rey Graulty echoed Mizuguchi's sentiments, saying that he had no intention of putting the bill out for public hearings. However supporters of the amendment point out that votes from nine senators could pull the bill out of the committee and put it before the full senate, and that eleven senators voted against a domestic-partnership bill last month. Sen. Randall Iwase, who supports the ban, said today, "I don't think we should give up just because one or two people say the bill's dead." SAM Wong, associate conductor with the New York Philharmonic, confirmed today that he is accepting a job as the new music director for the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. Wong, who guest-conducted in Hawaii to high praise earlier this year, will be the symphony's first full-time conductor since Donald Johanos retired in 1992. He said he will be in Honolulu next month for the official announcement, and hopes to have his first concert in June... KAUAI Mayor Maryanne Kusaka last week submitted her operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and it's $400,000 smaller than this year's budget. There are no tax or fee increases, and no layoffs in the proposal. Like Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' proposed budget, however, Kusaka's plan does not account for pay increases granted to state firefighters... LOOMING mid-terms are taking their toll, and Ka `Upena editions may be smaller and sloppier than usual. Also, few if any issues will be published during Spring Break (March 25 through 29) -- my apologies! Finally, updates to the NewsList registry are flooding in. Please stop by and look up your peers at http://www.aloha.net/~prophet/NewsList/registry.html... TEMPS: O`ahu 82/71, Kaua`i 80/71, Moloka`i 81/67, Maui 82/69, Hilo 78/68 CASTS: Clear and sunny, trades to 25MPH. Surf islandwide 4 feet or lower. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 5:16PM; Low 10:47AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, March 18, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= THIRD FREEWAY TRAMPLED WITH FOOT-MOBILES Hawaii's third "interstate" highway saw its first rush-hour yesterday, several months before it's slated to open. Over three thousand people took advantage of a special walking-tour of the H-3 -- considered the most expensive freeway in the country -- marveling most at the highway's pair of mile-long, four-lane tunnels that burrow through the towering rocky facade of the Ko`olau mountains. The H-3, an embattled thoroughfare several years behind its original construction schedule, was built to connect military installations at Pearl Harbor to those at Kaneohe Bay on the Windward side of O`ahu. According to state officials, the tunnels sport over 2,000 lights, radio-signal boosters, enormous ventilation fans and corridors, digital road signs and several offices to house a 24-hour maintenance crew. As the freeway would be forever closed to pedestrian traffic once opened to vehicles late this year, officials with the state Department of Transportation quickly recognized the once-in-a-lifetime chance for island residents. Yesterday's tour was open to department employees and their invited guests. There are four upcoming "Taste of H-3" tours open to the public -- each limited to 6,000 local gawkers -- and the state says the $3.50 tickets are selling fast. PULSE OF PARADISE NOW BEATS ON THE NET Hawaii's oldest daily newspaper has gone online. The _Honolulu Star- Bulletin_ unveiled its web-site -- starbulletin.com -- today. Although still in the beta (test) stages, netizens can already see most of what the paper's electronic edition will offer. Anticipating it will eventually be the "most comprehensive, entertaining and useful online site for and about Hawaii," Managing Editor David Shapiro said they have released the work-in-progress to get feedback from readers. Many of the _Bulletin's_ popular features and columns -- including those by longtime-writer Dave Donnelly -- will be available, and special material will also be written especially for the online edition, Shapiro said. The paper's page-one announcement promises easy and quick interaction with reporters and writers. According to _Star- Bulletin_ staff, many articles will be posted as incomplete "teasers" that invite wired readers to pick up a copy of the paper version, in order to keep from compromising paid subscriptions. Saying the _Star-Bulletin_ is the "first statewide newspaper in Hawaii to go online," Shapiro suggests readers subscribe to national internet services like America OnLine and Prodigy to get to their page. The URL is http://starbulletin.com ISLAND TALE, THESPIANS SHINE ON BIG SCREEN The real-life trials and triumphs of Big Island kids serve as the inspiration for a major motion picture opening nationwide this Friday. Oscar- winning screenwriter Barry Morrow, inspired by a true story he heard from a Hawaii friend, wrote "Race the Sun" -- the dramatically-enhanced story of a solar-car racing team that competed in the 1990 "World Solar Challenge" in Australia. Headliners Halle Berry (Losing Isiah) and James Belushi (About Last Night) are joined by two Hawaii-raised newcomers to the movie scene -- Moki Cho and Adriane Napualani Uganiza. Possibly characterized as "Dangerous Minds" meets television's "Birds of Paradise," the movie is being promoted as the story of kids "from local working-class Hawaiian families... low-income, multi-ethnic teenagers" from the fictional Kona Pali High School. Cynical and unmotivated, the teens are shaken from apathy with the arrival of the naive and "attractive" new science teacher from the Mainland. How touching. Although most of the filming took place in Australia, film crews spent about a week shooting on the Big Island. KAMEHAMEHA III'S BIRTHDAY REMEMBERED While St. Patrick's Day revelers flooded Waikiki streets with costumes and music yesterday, a small group of Hawaiian historians and activists quietly marked the birthday of King Kamehameha III on the grounds of Iolani Palace. Palace staff and a new grass-roots coalition remembered the life of the monarch's pivotal but short-lived reign. Kamehameha, who was born on March 17, 1813 and died in December of 1854 at the age of 41, is perhaps best remembered as the king who in 1843 first spoke what was to become the state motto: "Ua mau ke ea o ka `aina i ka pono," roughly translated to "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Kamehameha III, who presided over the kingdom's roughest period of religious conflicts, also brought democracy to the islands by establishing the kingdom's first constitution, parliament and supreme court. Residents paid tribute with small picnics and local music. MARINES from Hawaii's Kaneohe Marine Base are in Florida today, taking part in "Internal Look '96" -- a training exercise to prepare them for the potential deployment to the Persian Gulf. Many of the more than 200 island Marines now in training would serve as the leadership in a Middle East operation. The activities will run through the last week of March... AFTER wandering away from his parents at a Saturday afternoon party, a 1- year-old Kailua boy was found face down in the pool of an Iana Street home. The child, first taken to Castle Medical Center, was transferred last night to Kapiolani Medical Center. He remains in critical condition... SECONDS from a safe landing, the parachute of a 44-year-old skydiver apparently folded yesterday at Dillingham Field. The Aiea man fell as far as 80 feet, suffering a broken leg and head injuries. After field treatment, he was flown to Queen's Medical Center where he remains in critical condition... HONOLULU Harbor received a rare visit yesterday from a humpback whale and her two calves. Waterfront witnesses saw the whales spout within 100 feet of Pier 2, first at 7AM and twice in the afternoon. Marine officials say the whales, the mother measuring about 30 feet long, swam back out to sea last night... HAVE you stopped by the NewsList home page on the web yet? Added yourself to the registry of readers? Checked out the local-style sites linked in the Weblopedia? Read the feedback from fellow kama`aina at heart? Well, please do! Just point at http://www.aloha.net/~prophet and click away... TEMPS: O`ahu 83/70, Kaua`i 80/70, Moloka`i 82/68, Maui 83/68, Hilo 79/67 CASTS: Cloudy, trades to 25MPH; surf on north and west shores to 5 feet. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 4:36PM; Low 10:16AM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, March 15, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= VENDORS WOULD NEED PERMITS UNDER CITY PLAN T-shirt and food vendors hoping to spread their message at several Honolulu landmarks would have to apply for permits, under a plan unveiled yesterday by the City Department of Parks and Recreation. To get permits, groups would have to document their non-profit status and carry insurance. In addition, the plan sets the number and size of the tables that can be set up at individual spots. As proposed, no vendor tables would be allowed at the Blowhole, four tables would continue to be allowed at Hanauma Bay, space for four tables would be added to the currently vendor-free Ala Moana Beach Park, and a single table space would be maintained at Sandy Beach. The complete prohibition of vendors at Blowhole was a primary sticking point for the merchants, who claim the proposal amounts to a violation of their freedom of speech. At a public hearing yesterday, an attorney with the ACLU said the city was cornering itself with a "double standard," noting that for-profit, commercial groups are allowed to use city facilities for events like craft fairs. City officials say the availability of open space and bathroom facilities determined the number of tables allowed at each location. MAKUA BEACH DWELLERS PROTEST About 60 of the estimated 250 people who call Makua Beach their home rallied this morning outside the state Capitol, protesting the state's move last Friday to evict them from the park. The beach dwellers were given 30 days to dismantle their semi-permanent homes and tents and move elsewhere. The problem, they told state officials, is that there's nowhere to go. The state was kind enough to provide them with a list of housing placement and financial assistance offices, but the demonstrators said today they visited each and every one on the list, only to be told there was no money nor room for them. Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele, leader of the sovereignty group Nation of Hawaii, was on hand today to show his support for the beach residents. "They've lived there for a long time," Kanahele said, "Years and years." Kanahele said they should have earned some special consideration to stay. Gov. Ben Cayetano had little sympathy, however. "Many of those people have places to go to," Cayetano said today. He reiterated that if they don't move out on their own, the state will step in. "They will have to make that decision," he said. Meanwhile, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs says that it will do what it can to give Makua residents more time. FIREFIGHTERS BANK ON RAISE, WON'T STRIKE Representatives of Hawaii's firefighters are still beaming after an independent arbitration panel ruled last week they deserve a 7.2 percent pay raise, and union officials are confident that a strike isn't necessary to cement the victory. "We're the winners here," said Hawaii Firefighter Association spokesman Francis Kennedy, "We don't have to do anything." Hawaii's county officials, however, maintain they can't do anything to accommodate the panel's ruling. The mayors of Kauai, Maui and the Big Island have all said that they cannot afford such a steep pay raise, whether or not the firefighters deserve it. Gov. Cayetano said yesterday that the members of the arbitration panel "must have been blind" to be unaware that the raise can't be done. In order for the pay increase to take effect, all counties and the state legislature would have to approve it. Representatives on the panel say at least a smaller increase should be granted. DEADBEAT PARENTS COULD FACE INTEREST CHARGES A bill that would add interest charges to late child-support payments has the broad support of lawmakers and citizen groups, and is currently making its way through the senate. Introduced last week to the Judiciary Committee and backed by the Attorney General and legal organizations, the bill would charge deadbeat parents 10 percent interest. The recent cut in welfare and other family services, supporters say, make the proposal even more vital to maintaining a safety net for island children. As it stands, less than 35 percent of unpaid support bills are eventually collected. A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said yesterday that the bill will both get more money to children, and also push more parents to pay on time. In addition to the interest proposal, the legislature is already considering bills to suspend the state-issued licenses -- such as those for contractors, doctors and lawyers -- of deadbeat moms and dads. MAYOR Jeremy Harris is again butting heads with members of the City Council, this week over his offer to resume city support to run the Makiki Library. The city stopped funding the library last year, but two corporate sponsors stepped in to keep it open. Those sponsors are pulling out this June. Councilmember Donna Kim said running libraries is the state's job... NEWCOMER telecom company Starnet this week filed to be the first challenger against GTE Hawaiian Tel in the pay-phone market. Starnet has filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission to set up 1,000 phone booths statewide. The company plans to offer property owners up to 50 percent of the phone's earnings, compared to the 15 percent GTE pays... PARENTS of minors who vandalize city property will be liable for cleaning and repairs under a bill now awaiting approval by Mayor Jeremy Harris. Passed by the City Council this week, the act will fine parents at least $250 for each offense. Honolulu is the first county to move on such a bill, after the state legislature authorized them to implement fines last year... HAVE you stopped by the NewsList home page on the web yet? Added yourself to the registry of readers? Checked out the local-style sites linked in the Weblopedia? Read the feedback from fellow kama`aina at heart? Well, please do! Just point at http://www.aloha.net/~prophet and click away... TEMPS: O`ahu 82/66, Kaua`i 81/68, Moloka`i 83/67, Maui 84/66, Hilo 80/66 CASTS: Sunny, easterly winds to 20MPH. Surf to 14 feet on North shores. SATURDAY'S TIDES: High 2:26PM; Low 8:09PM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, March 14, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= MILILANI HIGH MAY GO YEAR-ROUND Mililani High School, by far the largest high school in the state, could be operating on a year-round schedule by next year if a request by its management council is approved by both the state education board and department. Mililani administrators say it's the best option to deal with the school's burgeoning enrollment of 2,350 students -- already several hundred more than it was designed to serve. Under the proposal, passed Tuesday by Mililani's School Community Based Management (SCBM) council, students could be divided into separate groups, with a limited number of students on the campus at any given time. Another idea would be to divide students into morning, mid-day and afternoon "shifts." If implemented, Mililani would be the first high school operating year-round, joining several island elementary schools with the shorter-semester, shorter-vacation schedule. The plan has raised some questions about its effect on aligning child-care and vacations for families with children at different grade levels. According to Mililani SCBM chair Wayne Takahashi, one Mililani elementary school is also moving towards year-round schooling, and the area's first intermediate school -- scheduled to open in two years -- will also be on a year-round schedule. BUDGET BOUNCED FOR UNANSWERED PAY RAISE QUESTIONS For perhaps the first time in Honolulu history, the City Council yesterday opted to return the mayor's operating and construction budget untouched. Mayor Jeremy Harris' $1 billion city budget had been submitted during the same week a state arbitration panel ruled that city firefighters deserved a 7.2 percent pay increase over the next two years. Since his submitted budget did not provide for such a raise -- which council members estimate could cost an additional $4 million -- the council deferred action until next month to give Harris a chance to rewrite it. The council's decision will effectively force Harris to decide whether or not he will accept the arbitration panel's recommendation, a decision most county officials are reluctant to make during an election year. In the end, however, the city council will make the call. If Harris shuffles the budget to allow for the raise, he would likely be the first of four Hawaii mayors to support the pay increase. Maui Mayor Linda Lingle has apparently already advised the Maui council to reject the raises. All county councils and the state Legislature must approve the contract changes for it to take effect. RALLY DRAWS CROWD TO LEASE-TO-FEE HEARING A standing-room only crowd assembled in the Honolulu City Council chamber yesterday during the first public hearing on the city's lease-to-fee conversion law. The city plans to use the law this year for the first time, condemning the Kuapa Isle subdivision to allow those currently leasing its townhouses a chance to buy the land. Of the 90 people who testified, many where landowners who charged the law takes away their property rights. Those in favor of the law say people who lease should have the right to buy their land at a fair price, which they say KS/BE has not offered for the Hawaii Kai subdivision. The Kuapa Isle move is strongly opposed by landowner Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, and the strong attendance at yesterday's hearing came after an organized KS/BE rally drew nearly 800 Kamehameha alumni and estate supporters to City Hall. The estate had also run a high-profile media campaign opposing mandatory conversion, drawing criticism from some who felt the non-profit group shouldn't be spending money meant for beneficiaries on lobbying efforts -- which also included buying its supporters special T- shirts for yesterday's rally. RATINGS SHOW JOE STILL ISLE FAVE Longtime television news anchor Joe Moore was beaming today after the February 1996 Nielsen ratings were released yesterday, showing KHON's news team is still tops in the state. The figures are the first to be tallied since KHON became a FOX affiliate, and KHNL took over NBC's island operations. KHNL's prime-time NBC programming -- showcasing shows like "Friends" and "ER" -- garnered the new station the top spot in the prime-time category: 13 percent of island viewers. As soon as it was time for the local news, however, thousands of remotes clicked over to Moore on KHON Fox 2. For the 6 and 10PM news broadcasts, KHON led with 23 and 19 percent respectively. Of the four local stations, KHNL came in last for news viewership at 6PM, tying with KGMB for last at the 10PM time-slot. According to the FOX network's national office Hawaii's KHON affiliate is the top news station in the country. KHNL staffers are more than happy with their prime-time placement, and also pointed to their coverage of UH sports drawing an unprecedented 15 percent of viewers during the men's volleyball season. MONEY Magazine has ranked Kihei, Maui and North Kona on the Big Island among the top ten "boom towns" in the country. Among regions with 50,000 residents or less -- where job choices are diverse and median incomes are at least 23% above the national average -- Kihei took third and North Kona tool 10th. The rankings are from the magazine's April edition... BRYAN Kaluna, 42, may be the first island criminal to be sentenced under the 1994 "three strikes you're out" law. Kaluna was convicted yesterday for a September bank robbery in McCully, where $18,000 was stolen. If sentenced July 1 under the "three strikes" law, Kaluna faces life in a federal prison without parole. If not, state law has a maximum 15 year prison sentence... COMPETITION pushed Consolidated Theaters to offer $3.50 discounted afternoon "Pau Hana" movie showings, which in turn prompted Wallace Theater Corp. to discount tickets to all afternoon matinees. Consolidated now wants to expand its East Honolulu market, with a proposed eight-screen theater complex at Hawaii Kai's Koko Marina Shopping Center... GOVERNOR Ben Cayetano this week approved the $20-per-child increase in the fee for the state's popular A+ afterschool program. The new fee schedule, which includes special accommodations for families with many children or limited incomes, will take effect April 1... TEMPS: O`ahu 82/67, Kaua`i 82/68, Moloka`i 82/68, Maui 84/67, Hilo 81/65 CASTS: Sunny, easterly winds to 20MPH. Surf to 14 feet on North shores. FRIDAY'S TIDES: High 1:41PM; Low 8:11PM

The Net of Light did not publish on Wednesday....

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, March 12, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= JAPANESE-AMERICAN VETS RECOGNIZED WITH MONUMENT Ground was broken in Waikiki yesterday for the first monument recognizing the contributions of the Army's 442nd infantry division and the 100th Battalion during World War II. The "Brothers in Valor" monument, designed as a landscaped park with statues and plaques, will sit on the grounds of Fort DeRussy on the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Saratoga Road. Yesterday's ceremonies were attended by several veterans who served in the four units of the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was composed mostly of Japanese American soldiers -- a majority of them from Hawaii. Keynote speaker Gen. Robert Ord, commander of the Army's Pacific forces, said yesterday that the tribute is long overdue, and will never be enough to repay those Japanese Americans that fought for the U.S. after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The 5,000 square-foot site for the monument was donated by the Army, and most of the $500,000 construction cost was paid for with a $305,000 contribution by the city. The design will include time-capsules listing the names of the 442nd soldiers who served and died during the war, as well as the names of those who donated services to plan, design and oversee the construction of the monument. SUH RELEASED TO POLICE FOR EXTRADITION U.S. Magistrate Francis Yamashita ruled yesterday that mental competence is not sufficient reason to keep Catherine Suh, a convicted murderer who was captured Friday after a year on the run, in federal custody. As a result, the 26-year-old Suh -- known locally as Tiffany Escada -- will be turned over to Honolulu police today in order to start extradition hearings. Suh, who remains a suspect in the 1987 stabbing death of her mother, was convicted two years ago in Chicago for another murder. Before that trial began, Suh had fled Illinois and had apparently found a comfortable home in Hawaii. FBI officials said Suh had been a regular at many of Honolulu's trendiest clubs and restaurants. She disappeared from her boyfriend's Kakaako apartment in January. After she turned herself in to the FBI last week, Suh's attorney had claimed she was delusional and unfit to stand trial. Yamashita, however, agreed with federal prosecutors who said Suh's competence was irrelevant in the filing of a motion to released Suh to local police. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said today that Suh's mental state could still be called into question during proceedings at the state level. Suh's extradition hearings have not yet been scheduled. LEGISLATORS WANT MORE TIME TO BUILD UH-WEST O`AHU Ten years is not enough time to start construction on the West O`ahu campus of the University of Hawaii, according to Sen. David Ige. The state should request a five-year extension in the deadline currently established with landowner Campbell Estate, Ige said during committee hearings yesterday, or else risk defaulting on its Kapolei land-swap and losing the campus' accreditation during inspections this October. He said the state budget crisis, coupled with limited construction funds, makes it unrealistic to expect work to begin on the new campus before the current deadline in 2006. As a result, the Senate Higher Education committee requested that the deadline be moved to 2011. Ige said Campbell Estate should have an answer by Friday, when two key senate committees will consider the land-swap bill. The Senate Planning Committee is also expected to restore elements of the bill that were rejected by the House, including an allocation during the 1996-97 fiscal year to initiate preliminary planning for the campus. BIRD-NAPPING SUSPECTED IN WAIKIKI Photo peddler Pat Corrigan -- the self-proclaimed "Bird Man of Waikiki" -- is squawking about the disappearance of Woody, his $10,000 white cockatoo. Corrigan, who charges tourists to pose with his collection of exotic birds, had owned Woody for less than a week before he vanished Friday afternoon. Witnesses told the 47-year-old photographer that a young "punk rocker" -- replete with shaved head and gold medallions -- was seen walking down the street with a suspiciously familiar sounding bird on his shoulders just minutes after the disappearance. Corrigan told _The Advertiser_ that Woody was new at modeling, and had already show a tendency to hop away when he wasn't looking. The umbrella cockatoo was last seen bobbing on a wall at the corner of Kalakaua and Paoakalani avenues. Corrigan said he fears the worst: Woody was probably quickly sold or traded for drugs. He's offering a $200 reward for the bird's safe and anonymous return. MAYOR Jeremy Harris' $1 billion city budget proposal is under fire from some City Council members, who are questioning whether its reasonable to include one-time-only revenue sources as part of the general fund. Councilman Duke Bainum said departments may run into trouble in later years, after basing their operations on his unusually generous budget for the 1996 year... RECOVERY will come in about two years, but for now Hawaii's economy is the weakest in the country. According to a Florida insurance council, Hawaii ranked last in employment growth and 49th out of 50 for projected gross state product for the remaining years of the current decade. The survey cites lagging tourism and the high cost of living and housing as reasons... KAUA`I police now have two bikes with which to start a pilot bike-policing program, thanks to the Rotary Club of Kaua`i. The club donated a bike -- bells and whistles courtesy a local store -- to the department last week. The first bike was from an anonymous donor. Kauai police hope to have pedal patrols on Lihue roads by summer... ANOTHER fugitive wanted on the Mainland was arrested yesterday on Oahu. FBI agents caught 21-year-old Maurica Brown -- wanted in Kentucky for a second- degree robbery charge -- at a Waipahu mall. Brown will appear in court today to answer a federal charge for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution... TEMPS: O`ahu 83/72, Kaua`i 80/70, Moloka`i 82/71, Maui 84/67, Hilo 82/68 CASTS: Sunny and cloudy, winds to 20MPH. Surf to 5 feet on the North Shore. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 11:32AM; Low 4:51PM

<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, March 11, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= LAWMAKERS KEPT OUT OF SAME-SEX TRIAL The request of eight legislators to intervene in the state Supreme Court's debate on same sex marriage was denied today by Circuit Court Judge Kevin Chang. The representatives, backed by the legal counsel of Christian leader Pat Robertson, had charged that the state Attorney General wouldn't adequately present all possible arguments against legalizing gay marriages. The group wanted to air their positions during an upcoming lawsuit trial between three gay couples and the state. Chang cited a 1976 provision in the state constitution that grants the attorney general complete jurisdiction in defending the state, adding that the attorney general's office has planned strategies that were consistent with Hawaii's traditionally tolerant culture. Chang noted that the lawmakers have the floors of the respective houses to debate the issue and promote their positions. Jay Sekulow, representing the eight legislators, said today that homophobia and its effect on tourism should be addressed, and he criticized the attorney general for not making all information in its case available to the public. Sekulow also accused the attorney general's office of mimicking the views of Gov. Ben Cayetano, who has said he is in favor of allowing "domestic partnerships." INFECTION OUTBREAK STRESSES PRISON CREWS An outbreak of scabies at Halawa Correctional Facility has prompted state officials to lock down the prison for the rest of this week. while clothes and bed linen are disinfected and inmates are treated for the mite- borne skin disease. Although not serious, the incident has brought the state Department of Public Safety face to face with a serious staffing shortage. According to the department's health office, more than a third of its positions -- which provide mental and physical health care to Hawaii's inmates -- are currently unfilled. Despite being released from an earlier hiring freeze by the state, officials say recruitment efforts are three years behind schedule and are hindered by a shortage of applicants. According to the department, the mental health office has only one psychologist working part time at Halawa, and only two doctors -- one part-time -- servicing the entire system. Prison overcrowding and frequent overtime demands have state officials concerned for the morale of prison personnel. DRUG WORSHIPERS, FOES BATTLE ON BIG ISLAND A ruling in a Montana court case last month is being used by members of the Big Island's Religious Church of Jesus as a pivotal decision supporting their self-declared right to smoke marijuana for religious purposes. On Feb. 2, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a retrial in a case after the defense proved the state didn't allow using "religious freedom" as justification for using the illegal drug. Hawaii County police are adamant in reminding the public that using, distributing or possessing the drug is still against state and federal law. Police spokesman Sam Thomas said yesterday that the Hilo-based church is misinterpreting the Montana ruling, and that the police department will continue its fight against the widespread use of marijuana on the Big Island. Church ministers openly smoked the drug today in a Hilo park, telling reporters that use of marijuana as a sacrament has been a long-standing tradition in their church. POPULATION growth in the state is slowing again, after five years of constant growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hawaii's population rose 0.7 percent from 1994 to 1995 -- a total of 1.8 million in the islands as of July 1995. The national average for the same period was 0.9 percent growth. In general, neighbor islands saw stronger growth than O`ahu ... HALEIWA'S L&L Drive-Inn was struck by an early-morning fire yesterday that caused nearly $10,000 in damage to the restaurant. Investigators believe the fire was caused by an electrical short at about 6:30AM yesterday. No one was inside at the time, and the fire was extinguished within ten minutes... KANEOHE representative Cynthia Thielen was interviewed last week for an upcoming edition of ABC's "PrimeTime Live." Anchor Sam Donaldson reportedly lightly grilled Thielen about Bishop Estate, as part of a piece on the country's richest charitable organizations. The show airs April 10.... MELANIE RAY-SUMMER made it to shore safely in a kayak at about 3AM today, but the 40-foot sailboat she had originally been on was destroyed by fire. Coast guard officials say the "Engedi" burned while moored in the Big Island's Kailua Bay. The boat was owned by an unidentified California resident... TEMPS: O`ahu 82/70, Kaua`i 81/69, Moloka`i 81/69, Maui 83/67, Hilo 81/68 CASTS: Sunny and cloudy, winds to 20MPH. Surf to 5 feet on the North Shore. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 9:51AM; Low 3:32PM

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