Newswatch
State may question McCorriston's role
Gov. Ben Cayetano has hinted that the state may soon challenge attorney William McCorriston's representing Bishop Estate trustees while maintaining he is representing Bishop Estate.
The governor said McCorriston is "putting on the most complicated legal defense he can present.
"The interests of the trustees may well be different than the interest of the estate," Cayetano said during a news conference at the state Capitol.
Cayetano, who ordered Attorney General Margery Bronster to investigate the trustees' handling of the $10 billion Bishop Estate trust, said the state may ask for legal clarification.
Cayetano said he would understand if Bronster files a legal motion asking for the courts to decide whether or not McCorriston can represent the trustees while saying he is working for Bishop Estate.
Cayetano's comments came several hours before a judge moved a hearing on Bronster's request for an injunction against the destruction of estate records from yesterday to Monday.
Circuit Judge Kevin Chang reset Friday's hearing for Monday afternoon after meeting privately in his chambers for about two hours with Bronster, attorneys for the estate and an attorney for estate employees subpoenaed by Bronster.
Bronster had sought a permanent injunction against the destruction of estate documents after a Bishop Estate employee said the secretary for trustee Lokelani Lindsey was deleting computer files.
McCorriston had denied the charges, saying the secretary was downloading data from her computer hard drive to floppy disks. Bishop Estate Archive
Recalled condoms pulled from local stores
Hawaii stores are among those nationwide that have pulled 57 million condoms off the shelves in a manufacturer's recall.A spokeswoman for Longs Drug Stores said all its outlets, including those on the islands, have stopped selling certain lots of condoms by Ansell Personal Products.
"It seems to be taken in stride," said Shawna Doughman, a spokeswoman at the retailer's headquarters in Walnut Creek, Calif. "I think that it's a proactive thing the company's doing, so we're not expecting any adverse reaction."
The Kmart Store on Nimitz Highway also has stopped selling the condoms, according to assistant manager Danelle Fivella.
Ansell Personal Products, an Eatontown, N.J.-based firm, says some of its Lifestyles, Prime and Contempo condoms with spermicidal lubricant "have been found to deteriorate before the end of their shelf life and may not adequately protect against pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease."
Water board says hydrants regularly checked
Honolulu Board of Water Supply officials say Oahu's 17,513 fire hydrants are inspected regularly and there's no cause for alarm.Officials Friday told the City Council Health Committee that hydrants are inspected every 18 months.
The officials were responding to concerns about a broken hydrant that delayed the Honolulu Fire Department's response to a house fire last week that killed seven people.
Assistant Chief Engineer Brooks Yuen said the hydrant in question, along Palolo Avenue near the charred remains of the Faumuina family home, did not work because of a broken stem that prevented water from charging firefighters' hoses.
Board crews cannot recall the last time the shaft was sheared off a hydrant, he said.
Yuen said the board inspects 1,000 hydrants a month, with this hydrant - near 1816 Palolo Ave. - last checked in May 1996. The hydrant was installed in 1983, and had been inspected nine times with no evidence of failure.
Two women shot, hurt; suspect caught
Two female workers at the Hawaii Employers Council building near Keehi Lagoon Park were shot in the office's parking lot Friday, allegedly by a man who tends cats in the area.Police said the two women, 41 and 49 years old, both of Salt Lake, were leaving work and getting into their cars about 4:30 p.m. when the man opened fire seven or eight times from his car, injuring both.
One woman was shot in the knee, while police on the scene were unsure of the injury to the other victim. The 41-year-old woman was in fair condition Saturday at Queen's Hospital. The 49-year-old woman was in stable condition at Straub.
The man apparently had befriended the older woman and had attempted to give her gifts, police said. She refused his gifts and apparently had not seen him for some time, until yesterday.
The suspect, described as a 70-year-old local male of Kokea Street, was arrested without a struggle about 10 minutes later after his car broke down on Kaliawa Street off Sand Island Access Road.
Police are seeking to charge the man with attempted murder.