Newswatch
Police say Caban shot at officers, but the shots sailed over police cars "in an effort to get away and to get them to back off as they did," Birney Bervar, Caban's attorney, said yesterday in his opening statement in Caban's trial.
Bervar also said police planted a bullet casing at the Date Street scene to make it appear that Caban fired at an officer on foot. But Bervar said the gun allegedly used by Caban was jammed and was never fired at the scene.
He also said a microscopic analysis of the casing would show that it didn't come from the gun Caban allegedly used at the officer.
"The physical evidence doesn't lie," he said. "It will show that Mr. Caban did not intend to murder anyone."
But Chris Young, deputy prosecutor, said Caban had a gun as he rode in a Volvo through Moiliili after the armed robbery and fired at officers Ernest Robello and Jason Kawabata.
Lingle suggested a 30 percent decrease in capital improvements but a 4.2 percent increase in the county's operating budget.
Lingle has asked for nine new positions in the police department and seven new positions in the parks department, including three pool guards and three water safety officers.
Her capital improvement budget includes building a $7 million Kihei Community Center and swimming pool complex and $100,000 to plan and design new youth centers for Haiku and Makawao.
"Although the budget is very lean, it does include exciting new projects and programs, as well as expansion of existing programs that are working well," she said in a prepared statement.
Lingle is asking to spend $250,000 for a "self-sufficiency program" to supplement the county homeless program and lessen the impact of federal cutbacks as part of the national welfare reform.
She said the reform creates a need for increased job training and placement programs, adult education, child care, transportation and volunteer services.
Lingle wants to provide a $600,000 increase for visitor industry marketing.
More than 25 librarians and their supporters went before the House Education and Higher Education committees yesterday to urge passage of a Senate bill that would bar companies from selecting books for state libraries.
Earlier at a news conference, Arnie Wight, Baker & Taylor's senior vice president for customized service, acknowledged problems with the selections after the company signed a contract with the state last year. But he said those problems have been corrected.
The North Carolina-based company signed a 51/2-year, $11.2 million contract last March to select and supply books for Hawaii's 49 libraries.
Librarians say selection has suffered in the year since.
Norman Fitzpatrick, who oversees the young-adult section at Kaneohe Public Library, said the vast majority of books supplied by Baker & Taylor are of little or no use to his customers - or were provided in far greater number than needed.
Baker & Taylor is paid a flat rate of $20.94 for each book, videotape or audiotape it provides.
Traffic investigators said the 19-year-old soldier's car crossed the center line and hit the car being driven by the woman.
The driver of a pickup truck which was following the woman's car was not injured.
The soldier, stationed at Schofield Barracks, was pronounced dead at St. Francis-West Hospital at about 2:30 p.m.
All three drivers were wearing seatbelts and an airbag was deployed in the woman's car, police said.
Speed may have been a contributing factor, police said.
The death is Oahu's 18th traffic fatality of the year, as compared with nine on the same date in 1996.
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- Kaimuki High student investigated for threatening