Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Wednesday, June 11, 1997

State could end year
with $90 million tax shortfall

State tax revenues are continuing their downward spiral, and it appears highly unlikely that the current fiscal year will end with the 1.2 percent growth that the Council on Revenues has forecast.

If there's no dramatic improvement this month, the last in the fiscal year, the state could end the year with a shortfall of roughly $90 million.

Yesterday, state Tax Director Ray Kamikawa announced that tax revenue collections in May plummeted 13.9 percent when compared with May 1996; the revenue deposits of $204.4 million represents a drop of $32.9 million.

For the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, tax revenue is down 2.1 percent compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year, Kamikawa said. The current total of $2.513 billion is $54.5 million less than last year's 11-month total.

Medical chief attacks
city's drug policy

The city health services chief has issued an "open letter" accusing Mayor Jeremy Harris of bypassing his authority to appease the head of the United Public Workers union.

The charge centers around the city's controversial drug policy. Health Services Chief John Hall says Harris has been lenient with the UPW in enforcement.

"The current administration, headed by Mayor Jeremy Harris, has purposely and with adequate knowledge beforehand, compromised the safety of all of Oahu's citizens by catering to the wishes of a powerful union leader," Hall said.

UPW chief Gary Rodrigues could not be reached for comment yesterday. Rodrigues has been trying to eliminate Hall's job and wrote a letter to Harris recommending such.

Rodrigues and UPW attorney Herbert Takahashi said Hall's job is obsolete. They said ill or disabled UPW members have been forced to stay on leave after receiving clearance to return to work while waiting for Hall -- a 12-year veteran -- to give the OK.

A recent ruling by the Hawaii Labor Relations Board said the city must pay for time the worker stays at home after a personal physician gives clearance.

Hall, in his letter, said he and Employee Assistance Program counselor Ana Horne have been the ones deliberately excluded from the forming of a drug policy for UPW workers and "from being allowed to have any role in the application of the policy, or even, in fact, to have any knowledge of who tested positive, what treatment they had received."

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.

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Police/Fire


By Star-Bulletin staff

Young Molokai man
shot after dance

Molokai police are searching for a man who allegedly shot another man in the buttocks early today.

Police said an 18-year-old Maunaloa man was injured after another man, also 18, shot him with a .22-caliber rifle at 12:09 a.m. today.

Police said the two men were attending a community dance in Kaunakaki last night when a confrontation occurred.

After the dance, the two got into an argument outside the hall. The suspect shot the man once in the buttocks, police said.

At 3 a.m today, the injured man was flown to Queen's Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Other Police/Fire headlines
in today’s Star-Bulletin:

• Shots fired at Sunset Beach home
• Police request help identifying body
• 26 Rolex watches stolen from Duty Free store
• Big Isle woman held for stabbing spouse
• Cops ask assistance in locating woman

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.