Government workers unite at rally against Harris plan
They came from different city agencies to fight Mayor Jeremy Harris' plans to lay off workers and reorganize government.For the first time, workers from the Parks, Planning, Finance and other departments and the Board of Water Supply rallied yesterday against a common foe.
But what practical effects the rally, which included more than 400 workers at noontime yesterday, has on decision-makers remains to be seen.
City Managing Director Bob Fishman remained unswayed.
"This is the center of democracy for the City and County of Honolulu. This is the place where people come to speak their mind," Fishman said.
"But this is about the time that we have to bite the bullet in the city.
"Not only are our taxpayers asking us to do that, but the budget forces us to that as well."
City officials say the "reduction in force" layoffs will save some $10 million, while union officials say it will save only $2.5 million.
Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim, vocal critic of the reorganization plan and the layoffs, said she wanted to show support for the employees.
The reorganization and the layoffs need to be reviewed with more scrutiny, she said.
Nonetheless, Kim said, "I don't believe the Council has the ability at this point to save all of their jobs."
The Council could fund the jobs, but the decision to actually fill the positions is in the hands of the administration, she said.
Housing employee Patricia Tompkins, one of those whose position is being eliminated, does not think the layoffs and reorganization are a done deal. She said she and other workers are confident that the Council will pass legislation that would delay the reorganization for a year, a move that may also stop layoffs.
Russell Okata, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, was at the rally with several top lieutenants. The union has been criticized for not taking a stronger stand against the layoffs immediately following their announcement.
Rally organizers say they will hold similar gatherings each Tuesday until the administration changes its position.
Schools superintendent applicants still sought
Nearly all of the applicants for the job of state schools superintendent thus far are from outside Hawaii.With half a month remaining before the deadline to apply, the state Board of Education as of yesterday has received 15 applications, 13 of them from out of state.
Meanwhile, only one person -- someone who has been in the Hawaii State Library System before -- has applied for state librarian.
Applications for both positions must be submitted to the school board by April 30.
The board hopes to have replacements on board when schools chief Herman Aizawa and State Librarian Bart Kane step down June 30.
Aizawa, superintendent since May 1994, announced in February he was resigning, saying he could not continue without a contract.
The school board a few days later voted not to retain Kane, head of Hawaii's 49 public libraries for 16 years.
Dr. Mitsugi Nakashima, chairman of the search committee, said the identities of the applicants will remain secret until the committee has whittled the field to the top five finalists in each post.
The committee hopes to come up with a list by its May 7 meeting and announce its choices in early June. None of the applicants so far appear to have submitted their names during the search for a superintendent four years ago, Nakashima said.
Forty-six people applied for the position in 1994 after then-superintendent Charles Toguchi announced he was retiring.
Nakashima said the $90,000 annual salary Hawaii offers its superintendent isn't competitive when compared to other school districts.
In the April 1 edition of Education Week, next to the announcement for Hawaii's superintendent, were the searches for superintendents in:
New Fairfield, Conn.: 2,800 students, $95,000 to $115,000.
Rape victim blames state in assault
State corrections officials acted negligently in allowing a dangerous inmate to be transferred to a medium-security prison, says the attorney for a woman who was kidnapped and raped by Larry Pagan after he escaped from a Texas prison."Larry Pagan was a violent criminal with a history of escapes who should have been kept in the maximum-security facility most appropriate to his criminal behavior," attorney Thomas Grande said.
In a court-filed response to a state motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Wilma and Henry Parnell, Grande noted the state reclassified Pagan from "maximum" status at the medium/high security Halawa facility and transferred him to Fillyaw, a minimum-security prison comparable to Hawaii's Waiawa and Kulani facilities.
At Halawa, Pagan was among 12 to 20 inmates out of the total population of 1,400 held in the "special holding unit," reserved for the "most disruptive and violent criminals" and was among the few who were classified as "maximum," Grande added.
Pagan's record includes an escape attempt using a hostage.
"The state of Hawaii standard for transfer was that only an inmate appropriate for transfer to a minimum-security facility within the state of Hawaii could be considered for transfer to Fillyaw Prison," Grande noted.
The motion to dismiss, filed March 24 by attorneys David Louie and Scott Grigsby, argues that the state cannot be held liable for Pagan's conduct since it did not have custody or control of him at the time of his escape in Texas.
A hearing on the motion is set for tomorrow before Circuit Judge Kevin S.C. Chang.
Pagan was one of 300 inmates sent to Texas in December 1995 to ease overcrowding in Hawaii's prisons.
He escaped from the Newton County, Texas, facility on Feb. 14, 1996, kidnapped Wilma Parnell and forced her to drive to the Mexican border.
The woman was repeatedly assaulted and raped by Pagan.
The state says it had no duty to control Pagan's conduct unless a special relationship existed between the state and Pagan or between the state and plaintiffs, which would give them a right to protection.
"Hawaii courts have consistently refused to extend the special relationship burden when actual custody is absent," the state says.
Grande says the state has totally misunderstood the nature of the negligence alleged in this case.
"The issue on this portion of the Parnells' allegations is not one of control; the issue is one of appropriate administrative action in making its decision to transfer Pagan to the Texas facility," Grande said.
State officials were warned that Pagan could become a problem in Texas.
Grande's written response includes a Dec. 12, 1995, memo from education specialist Alvin Kort about a remark Pagan made in a classroom about the pending transfer to Texas.
The memo, addressed to Cinda Sandin, Halawa's residency supervisor, via acting unit team manager Stephanie Dixon, reads:
"I wish to call to your attention a comment made by inmate Larry Pagan during class on December 5, 1995.
"During class, the students got into a discussion of inmates going to Texas.
"In response to their questions, I told them that I had no further information about this.
"Inmate Pagan then jokingly stated that he wanted to go so he could escape and make his way to Mexico.
"Although it was said in a joking manner, I do feel that if sent to Texas, Pagan might be a flight risk especially since he has already attempted to escape from custody."
Navy dedicates Ford Isle bridge
After a quarter century of planning, the Navy this morning dedicated the nearly mile-long bridge connecting Ford Island with the rest of Pearl Harbor.Sen. Daniel Inouye, who wrote special congressional legislation authorizing the Navy to sell Pearl City properties in return for money to build the bridge, this morning described it as "an example of partnership, cooperation and friendship between the people of Hawaii and our military leaders."
"It is a symbolic bond that stretches one mile and ties two communities together," said Inouye in his prepared remarks.
Access to the 450-acre island will increase the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex by 50 percent, from 800 to 1,200 acres and stimulate a major development plan for military housing.
The $500 million plan, which includes 500 homes for Navy personnel, a learning center, a Navy museum and a military hotel, will be built over the next decade.
The plan hinges on congressional funding proposal now pending before Congress and calls for major participation by private developers.
Inouye said the proposed Ford Island Developmental Plan between the public and private sector should be viewed as "a national development model for the 21st century."
"It will utilize Hawaii business expertise," Inouye said. "It will mean jobs for our workers and will result in an island we can all be very proud of."
The 4,700-foot-long and 46-foot-wide bridge is one of only six concrete floating bridges inml6 Daniel
Inouye the world. Four are located in Washington area and one in Canada.
Named after Adm. Bernard "Chick" Clarey, a former Pacific Fleet commander, the $78 million bridge has been a project of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and was designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff and constructed by Dillingham-Manson.
Inouye recalled that after Clarey retired from the Navy 25 years ago he made Hawaii his home and "served as a bridge, tying the past to the present, and helping to bring the military and civilian communities together" serving as an executive with Bank of Hawaii, in the Boy Scouts, the Hawaii Heart Association and other community groups.
His widow, Jean, helped to unveil the plaque dedicating the bridge to one of the Navy's highest decorated naval officers.
The Clarey Ford Island Bridge features a 650-foot-wide drawbridge in the middle for marine traffic, such as an aircraft carrier.
Construction began in January 1996.
Free legal advice offered at clinics
People may speak with an attorney free of charge about legal problems at Ask-A-Lawyer Neighborhood Clinics on May 9.Volunteer attorneys will be available to help the community by providing legal information and referrals. The four Oahu clinics will be at:
Girls say two brought them to isles as prostitutes
A man and a woman are facing federal charges for allegedly transporting two juvenile prostitutes to Hawaii last week from Las Vegas.The girls, ages 16 and 17, arrived in Honolulu last Wednesday and were working as prostitutes in Waikiki until Saturday, when they sought help from police, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court yesterday.
Police arrested Courtney Fitz-hugh, 20, and Shannon Brooks, 21, Saturday night in a 14th-floor hotel room on Kuhio Avenue and booked them for second-degree promotion of prostitution.
Fitzhugh, also known as Courtney Nash and "C Money," is charged with the federal interstate commerce offense of knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a person under the age of 18 to travel to engage in prostitution.
In his affidavit, FBI Special Agent Anthony Pickard said Fitz-hugh and Brooks, a Waikiki prostitute also known as Monique Edward and Monique Woods, allegedly supervised and trained the girls to be prostitutes in Las Vegas.
While in Hawaii, Brooks allegedly got one or more customers for the girls, who are runaways, according to the affidavit.
"Fitzhugh and Brooks instructed them to charge $300 and up for sexual intercourse," Pickard noted in the complaint. "(Fitzhugh) would verbally threaten one or more of the juveniles whenever they did not make any money from prostitution during a night."
Fitzhugh allegedly told the 16-year-old girl that he expected her to make at least $2,000 a night for him and allegedly slapped her mouth on Saturday, the affidavit said.
The two girls fled the hotel room while Fitzhugh and Brooks were out and went to the Waikiki police station for help.
The girls told police they were recruited by Fitzhugh to be prostitutes in Las Vegas and worked for him in various casinos.
"While in Las Vegas, (Fitzhugh) taught them how to get customers in casinos and how much to charge for various sex acts," the court document says. "All prostitution proceeds were given to (Fitzhugh)."
Fitzhugh and Brooks persuaded the girls to accompany them to Hawaii after Brooks was arrested in Las Vegas for prostitution.
Sex-abuse caller makes false claim, center says
An unidentified man reportedly is calling teen-age girls and falsely representing himself as an employee of the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, according to the center.The man has asked for volunteers to help him in a project to prevent sex abuse. He says the volunteers will be paid for working with him, the center said.
The caller asks the girls to meet with him and fill out an application. He also attempts to engage the girls in role-playing on sex-abuse prevention on the phone.
The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center said it has no such project under way. If anyone receives such a call, the center asks the public not to give any identifying information, including name, address or age.
If the caller gives his name or phone number, the Sex Abuse Treatment Program asks the public to call the center at 696-1523 and pass along the information.
Drive to immunize kids enters neighborhoods
On "HOPE for Healthy Kids Day" Saturday, more than 500 volunteers will go door to door through Kahuku, Kalihi, Ewa, Waianae and Waipahu to inform families about the importance of child immunizations.Volunteers will focus on the hepatitis B series of vaccinations, which the Hawaii immunization program considers to be the greatest immunization need facing Hawaii's children today.
A rally to kick off the immunization drive will be 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. at Kapolei Regional Park.
For more information, call Jim Santucci at 955-1196.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staff13-year-old girl arrested in knife threat on boy, 12
Police yesterday arrested a 13-year-old girl for allegedly threatening a 12-year-old boy with a knife.At about 5:55 p.m., the girl reportedly entered the boy's room at a home in Ewa Beach, pointed a knife at him and said, "Maybe I should kill you." The boy wrestled the knife away, police said.
The girl then grabbed another knife from the kitchen and locked herself in the bathroom, police said.
Police said she was later booked for first-degree terroristic threatening. No injuries were reported.
Pedestrian, 63, killed crossing S.King Street
Oahu recorded its third traffic fatality in four days yesterday when a pedestrian was killed while crossing South King Street near Birch Street.The woman, 63, died at Queen's Hospital following the 5:23 p.m. accident. She is Oahu's 16th traffic fatality of the year.
Police said the woman was in a marked crosswalk when struck by a car traveling in the third lane from the south shoulder. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be contributing factors.
Man nabbed at airport for concealing weapons
Police last night arrested a man for reportedly possessing two firearms at Honolulu Airport.Hawaiian Airlines officials discovered an unloaded rifle and a shotgun inside the man's golf bag, police said.
The weapons were seized, and the man was arrested for undeclared firearms.
Construction worker, 49, critical after 2-story fall
A construction worker was critically injured yesterday when he fell from the second story of a Kahala home.The man was working inside a new home on Farmers Road and Noio Street when he fell at 8:17 a.m., fire officials said.
The 49-year-old Waikiki man suffered head injuries and remains in critical condition at Queen's Hospital.
Fisherman says barge hit his boat
WAILUKU -- The Coast Guard is investigating a report of a fisherman who says his boat was struck by a barge off Kahoolawe.Jubilee Logan, who has been cited in the past for fishing within the two-mile restricted zone off Kahoolawe, told the Coast Guard he was on his boat sleeping outside the prohibited area Monday night.
He said he was struck by a barge at about 11 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.
Logan fired flares, and a Coast Guard helicopter crew searched that night but was unable to find him.
The helicopter crew found Logan at 8:30 a.m. yesterday while he was trying to swim to Lanai, the Coast Guard said.
Logan's fishing boat was last seen 10 miles south of Lanai.
Logan has been cited for fishing within the restricted zone with his lights off and has been warned to keep out of the area.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Nicole Rose said Logan, who was treated at Maui Memorial Hospital, had a broken ankle put into a cast before his release.
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