ACLU may reconsider Justice Thomas rejection
The American Civil Liberties Union will meet in about two weeks to decide whether it should reconsider its decision not to invite U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to speak here in 2003.Vanessa Chong, ACLU executive director, said its 19-member board of directors will meet July 18 to determine whether it should reconsider its May 2 decision rejecting a subcommittee's recommendation to invite Thomas to debate the ACLU's national president at the 2003 Davis Levin First Amendment Conference.
A board member said Thomas lacked integrity in the area of affirmative action.
Past speakers include Justice Antonin Scalia, another conservative on the high court; Ralph Reed, head of the Christian Coalition; and Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice.
Child passport law taking effect today
A new law designed to protect against international parental child abduction went into effect today. The law governs passport applications for minors under the age of 14. The U.S. State Department called international parental child abduction a "growing phenomenon" over the past couple of decades.Anyone applying for a U.S. passport for minors 13 and under must show consent by both parents, or the applying parent must show that he or she has sole authority to obtain the passport. The law allows for exceptions in special family circumstances that call for the child to travel immediately.
The law applies to passport applications made at domestic U.S. passport agencies and at U.S. consular offices abroad. Minors 14 and up can apply for their own passport.
Parents who are worried about passport applications for a minor child who may become the victim of an international parental child abduction, including children between ages 14 to 18 who are not covered by this new law, should contact the Office of Children's Issues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at (202) 663-2641.
A LITTLE BACKED UP
Labor Dept. gives $5 million to Molokai youth program
A program that serves Molokai children has received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.The grant to the Yo! Program is part of a $204 million grant to 36 communities to continue successful local outreach programs for at-risk youth.
The Youth Opportunity Program on Molokai provides an array of services with objectives to reduce high school dropout rates, increase post-graduate enrollment in college and vocational and military programs, and improve the job skills of participating youths.
The program grants direct funding to local organizations to provide services for youths from high-poverty areas. Molokai, which has a population of about 7,400, is considered a target area. The poverty and unemployment rates on Molokai are nearly 2 1/2 times the state's average.
Key partners with the program include the Molokai Community Services Council, Maui Community College, Kamehameha Schools and the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center.
>> Aiza Cathe Alejandro Go, a senior at Waipahu High School, was awarded $1,000 for finishing third in the National Endowment for Financial Education's annual competition. [TAKING NOTICE]
>> Desmond Magana has been selected to attend NexTech: The National Summit of Young Technology Leaders, sponsored by Envision EMI. He will join 1,000 high school students in Austin, Texas, next month to participate in meetings and seminars designed to introduce students to careers in the technology industry. Magana is a 2001 graduate of Waianae High School.
>> The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to Chaminade University. The money will be used to help finance construction of a residence hall. It is the first new building scheduled to be built at the university in more than 20 years.
>> Kaneohe resident Cheryl Yukuno was named lieutenant governor for the Coral Division of KIWINS, a Kiwanis-sponsored nonprofit service organization. As the highest-ranking officer in Hawaii, she will be responsible for more than 600 members of the seven Hawaii KIWINS chapters. Yukuno is a student at St. Andrew's Priory.
>> The Hawaii Electric Light Co. has awarded $5,000 to Goodwill Industries of Hawaii Inc. The money will be used to purchase a forklift for Goodwill's Hilo goods processing center and retail sales operations.
>> Debbie Liu, a Hawaii Kai resident, was awarded a $3,500 scholarship for her first-place finish in the Executive Women International Scholarship competition. She was also awarded a $500 cash prize. Liu also received a $2,500 scholarship from Discover Card. She is a student at St. Andrew's Priory.
Corrections and clarifications
>> E. White Sutton served as a deputy attorney for the Territory of Hawaii and was also a former president of the Bishop Trust Co. A story in yesterday's Star-Bulletin stated that those positions were held by his son, Richard "Ike" Sutton, who died Saturday.>> Richard is survived by his daughter Beverly Toomey, among others. Toomey's name was misspelled in yesterday's edition.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Publisher and Editor in Chief John Flanagan at 529-4748 or email him at jflanagan@starbulletin.com.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHONOLULU Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Stabbing leads to charge of attempted murder
A woman was charged with attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed another woman at a restaurant two months ago.Patricia Soares, 37, of Ewa Beach was arrested after a tip was called in to CrimeStoppers. The stabbing occurred on May 6 before 8:14 a.m. Two woman were fighting in front of Royal Kitchen, located at 100 N. Beretania St.
Police said the victim, 39, of Moiliili, entered the restaurant, and when she turned to pay for her food, Soares stabbed her in the back. The victim was treated at Queen's Medical Center. Soares is being held in lieu of $85,000 bail.
Fire at garment firm was intentionally set
Saturday's fire at a company that makes police uniforms was intentionally set.Police said cardboard boxes, old telephone directories and uniform packing material were used to start the fire at Pacific Woolen Co. at 1315 N. King St.
The fire burned through the wooden doors of an outside storage closet causing an estimated $28,000 damage to its contents. The damage estimate to the building is $10,000. Police have no suspects.
State Hospital escapee arrested downtown
A 64-year-old man who left the Hawaii State Hospital grounds Friday was arrested in downtown Honolulu Saturday after a hospital employee saw him walking on Hotel Street.The hospital employee flagged down a police officer who arrested Stanley Santos at the corner of Hotel Street and Nuuanu Avenue. Santos has been charged with escape and is in custody in lieu of bail.
LEEWARD OAHU
3 men arrested after officer hit with machete
Three bothers were arrested for assault after a police officer was struck on the hand with a machete Saturday night during a domestic argument in Makaha.Witnesses told police one of the brothers, 31, was beating up his girlfriend at 84-1119B Hana St. When they tried to intervene, one of his brothers, also 31, pulled out a handgun and threatened the witnesses with it, police said.
As police were separating the suspects and witnesses, a third brother, 38, threw a machete into the crowd striking the brother who had the handgun and a female police officer.
The officer received a minor cut and bruise to her hand. The brother who was hit with the machete was treated at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center for a laceration to his chest and released back to police.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Police suspect murder in body found burned
HILO >> Police believe a person found burned beyond recognition in a vehicle Friday was murdered.The body was found in an abandoned vehicle on North Kopua Road in the Mountain View are of Puna. Detectives suspect foul play because an autopsy showed the man was already dead before he was burned. The cause of death has not been determined.
The case was reclassified yesterday to murder from a coroner's inquest.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Dana Chong Tim at 808-961-2380. Callers also can contact CrimeStoppers in Hilo at 961-8300 or 329-8181 in Kona.
Big Isle police arrest 8, seize drugs, cash, gun
KAILUA-KONA -- Police said they arrested eight people and seized several drugs during a raid on a Kealakehe, North Kona home Saturday.Those arrested, all in custody this morning but not yet charged, included four men, ages 22 to 41, and two women, ages 25 and 39. Items seized included crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, six vehicles, $8,600 in cash, and a shotgun.
