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Young men registered for the draft are now able to update their address changes on the Internet. Draft service allows
online address changesThe Selective Service System has added a change-of-address page to its Web page at www.sss.gov.
Men 18 to 25 are required to notify the Selective Service within 10 days of moving.
The online forms are expected to reduce the agency's printing costs and save postage for those changing their address.
Some 2,000 acres of the Papa Forest in South Kona, home of several endangered birds, will be protected with $1.7 million in federal funds by the U.S. Forest Service. $1.7 million to help
protect Kona forestCongressman Neil Abercrombie reported funds have been secured to allow the forest service to lease the land to protect it from subdivision development, logging, uncontrolled grazing and the spread of invasive weeds, all of which threaten the forest habitats.
The Papa Forest contains koa and ohia trees that provide habitat for the apapane, i'iwi, elepa'io, amakahi, and the endangered 'io (Hawaiian hawk) and 'ope'apa'a (Hawaiian hoary bat). Also, three other bird species are known to have occupied the area until the 1980s.
A $30,000 grant and public service announcements will help the Maui Invasive Species Committee in its battle to remove plant and animal pests from the island. Maui gets grant
in pest warThe grant will be used to map and manage data to target areas where invasive miconia, pampas grass and Caribbean frogs have taken hold and help the five-person MISC field crew to focus its removal work.
Hula Bowl Maui, in partnership with MISC, will produce a 30-second public service announcement to educate people about invasive species and their dangers to native ones.
One ad will be televised on ESPN during the 2001 Hula Bowl game. Three other ads will be show on the stadium screen during the game.
MISC is a partnership of government, nonprofit and private agencies organized to battle alien species.
Recycle Christmas trees Saturday
It will soon be time to recycle your Christmas tree, and you can drop it off for recycling from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the following locations:
Kaneohe District Park will NOT be a collection site this year because of a scheduling conflict.Kailua Intermediate School.
Trees will be converted into mulch for use in parks and other sites.
Trees that are flocked or contain foreign objects such as tinsel, nails and ornament clips will not be accepted for recycling.
Trees may also be left out for the city's twice-a-month green-waste recycling collection.
Check the sticker on your automated refuse collection bin for your green-waste collection schedule. Trees also may be taken to city refuse convenience centers from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For more information on these options, call 527-5335.
For recorded TreeCycling information, call 521-2447.
Civil Defense to test sirens, alert system
The State Civil Defense monthly test of the sirens and the Emergency Alert System will be held at 11:45 a.m. Jan. 2.The siren test sequence is the attention/alert signal, a steady 45-second tone on all sirens.
This steady siren tone would alert the public to any emergency that may pose a threat to life and property.
When the attention/alert siren signal is sounded in your area, it means to turn on a radio or television for emergency information and instructions broadcast by civil defense agencies.
Tests of civil defense sirens and the Emergency Alert System are normally conducted simultaneously on the first working day of the month.
Congress OKs funds for Hawaii programs
Congress has approved $93.7 million to fund labor, health and education programs in Hawaii, according to Sen. Daniel Inouye.Programs that benefit native Hawaiians received $28 million toward education; $3.1 million for vocational education; and $6.25 million for health care.
School districts with students who are children of federal government employees and members of the military will receive $29.3 million for Hawaii's Impact Aid program, Inouye said.
Other programs will help develop rural areas on the neighbor islands and provide job training programs.
In addition, $650,000 will go to create a new presentation of Hawaiian history at Bishop Museum in conjunction with the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which received an appropriation of $500,000.
Four isle teachers earn national certification
Four Hawaii educators became nationally certified teachers.Charlene Miyashiro of Waiakeawaena Elementary, Bess Jennings of the Hawaii District office, Jill Hirota of Waialua Elementary and Devora Lemus of Maili Elementary were certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Hawaii now has five public school teachers with national board certification.
Hawaii's newly certified teachers join the 2000 Teacher of the Year, Derek Minakami of Kailua High School, who was certified in November 1999.
Wailuku agency gets federal housing grant
Hale Mahaolu Ekolu of Wailuku, Maui, has received an $83,057 grant under the service coordinator grant program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink.A service coordinator links eligible elderly people or persons with disabilities to the community-based supportive services needed to continue independent living in their homes.
"This grant will help persons remain in their homes rather than have to move into institutions," Mink said.
"This not only enables the elderly and the disabled to maintain their dignity and independence, but saves money in the long run, as institutionalized care is very expensive," she added.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Man dies in solo crash on Big Island roadway
HILO -- An unidentified man died earlier today in a one-car accident at the end of Kalanianaole Street near the gravel road leading to the Keaukaha District.The man was driving a 1993 Ford sedan heading east on Kalanianaole Street when he ran off the roadway and struck a stone wall. The vehicle went airborne and collided with a tree.
Police responded to the accident at 5:38 a.m. The man was transported to Hilo Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 7:17 a.m. Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, the 38th traffic fatality this year on the Big Island.
Missing boys, 14 and 1, return safely home
A 14-year-old and his 1-year-old nephew, missing since noon Saturday, returned home yesterday.Police had requested help in finding Brandon Akau and Jarius Su'e. Brandon took his sister's baby out at 9 a.m. Saturday. He called at 9:45 p.m., saying he wanted to sleep over at a friend's.
Akau's sister told him to come home with her baby, according to Joe Self, police missing-persons investigator. The teen spent the night at a friend's house in Ewa Beach and was afraid of the consequences, Self said.
