Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Wednesday, May 26, 1999

Star-Bulletin snuffing out tobacco advertising By Craig Gima Star-Bulletin The Honolulu Star-Bulletin will no longer accept tobacco advertising in the paper, said Publisher John Flanagan. The new policy was prompted by two tobacco ads that appeared in the last two weeks. "I think it's the responsible thing to do," Flanagan said. "There certainly isn't any way to say it's safe to use a carcinogen." Flanagan explained that the paper has not had a policy on tobacco ads because there have not been many tobacco ads in the past five years. During that time, Flanagan said companies and governments have adopted smoke-free workplaces and the public health impact of smoking has been recognized by courts in lawsuits against tobacco companies. Complaints by readers prompted the review of the policy, Flanagan said. Hawaii Newspaper Agency president and Honolulu Advertiser publisher Mike Fisch said under the operating agreement with the Star-Bulletin and the Advertiser, the publisher has the right to set guidelines for acceptable advertising. The Hawaii Newspaper Agency sells advertising for both papers. "We certainly respect John's right to make that determination," Fisch said. Fisch said he and Advertiser Editor Jim Gatti will discuss if the morning paper will adopt similar guidelines on tobacco advertising.

Web site looking out for children

A new Hawaii Web site offering safety tips to protect children was introduced yesterday, which was Missing Children's Day.

The Missing Child Center-Hawaii teamed up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Hawaii Government Employees Association to offer Internet guidelines for children, teens and parents.

The site also will feature missing and recovered children. It also will have links to foreign and domestic missing children clearinghouses and to the national center's Web site.

"The Internet is to the '90s what the playground was to the sexual predator in the '60s and '70s and what the video arcade was in the '80s," warned Rick Keller, acting attorney general.

"Law enforcement is seeing an increase in predators utilizing the latest technology to victimize children online," Keller said.

More than 2,200 children were reported missing each day in the United States in 1998, according to FBI statistics.

Hawaii's Own Missing Child Web site with Internet guidelines is at http://www.hgea.org/HSC/

State judicial historians to hold workshop

Organizations trying to preserve the history of Hawaii's judicial system are offering a workshop on oral history techniques.

The all-day workshop, sponsored by the Judiciary History Center and the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society, will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 7 in the Hawaii Supreme Court conference room at 417 S. King St.

Bradley B. Williams, director of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society, and Lani Ma'a Lapilio, executive director of the Judiciary History Center, will lead the workshop.

The society's oral history program is part of its effort to collect and preserve the history of law and to educate the public about the legal system in the states and territories of the 9th U.S. Circuit.

For information, call 539-4999.

Some Maui residents asked to cut water use

WAILUKU - Maui residents living along the slopes of Haleakala from Kanaio to Haiku have been asked to reduce their water consumption by 5 percent.

The Wailoa ditch has been flowing at about 37 million gallons a day for the past two days, compared to its capacity of close to 200 million, according to the county, which issued the voluntary request Monday.

Rainfall is expected to be insufficient to provide enough of a supply for the upper and lower Kula water system.

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

---

Police, Fire



By Star-Bulletin staff

Maui man sentenced to life in baby's death

WAILUKU -- A Maui man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the death of a 15-month-old baby.

Peter Pasigan Jr., 27, was sentenced yesterday by Maui Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto.

Pasigan, who pleaded no contest to murder in March, admitted to shaking and dropping Shyla-Ann Silva at a residence in 1997.

Pasigan was a boy friend of Silva's mother, Delinah.

She had asked Pasigan to watch the child while she went to work at a restaurant.Pasigan called her at the restaurant to say the baby was unconscious.

Pasigan admitted shaking the baby, after a physician determined Shyla-Ann had the symptoms of being violently shaken. She died two days later.

Deputy Prosecutor Davelynn Tengan said under the circumstances, obtaining a life sentence against Pasigan was all that could be done.

"It's really not much consolation to the family," Tengan said after the sentencing.

Kailua girl arrested; reportedly hit teacher

A 14-year-old Kailua Intermediate School girl was arrested yesterday, accused of striking a teacher who was breaking up a fight.

She was booked for second-degree assault and released to her parents.

A worker at Waianae Intermediate died almost two weeks ago while breaking up a fight.

Fire Department divers find cockpit of plane

Fire department divers yesterday located the cockpit of a plane that crashed offshore at Mokuleia Saturday, but found no trace of the pilot.

The wreckage of Pacific Skydiving Center's twin-engine Beechcraft B-90 is about 1 to 11/2 miles offshore, between Crozier Drive and Devil's Rock, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.

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