Tuesday deadline cited for rule on special vote
The state Supreme Court would have to make a decision by Tuesday -- and the filing deadline for candidates would be Thursday -- if a special election for the remaining term of U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink is held on the same day as the Nov. 5 general election, the chief election officer said in a court filing yesterday.Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina said the names of candidates must be sent to the printer on Thursday, rather than the current filing deadline of Oct. 15, if the special election is held on Nov. 5.
Yoshina's affidavit is part of a petition by the state attorney general seeking a court order to allow the two elections to be held concurrently.
The attorney general argues that holding both elections on Nov. 5 will save the state $2 million and is more practical than holding separate elections.
The petition also seeks to have the court clarify that voters in the current 2nd Congressional District (rural Oahu-neighbor islands) can vote in the special election rather than going back to the old district lines that were in effect when Mink was elected two years ago, before reapportionment.
Event urges people to drive carefully
The second annual "Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day" will take place Thursday to urge everyone to take extra caution in preventing collisions on the road.The event is being sponsored by the state Department of Education and the Hawaii Society of Professional Engineers. More than 42,000 people are killed on America's roadways each year, 140 of them in Hawaii.
According to HSPE President Scott Seu, people can greatly reduce their odds of becoming a statistic by driving "as if your life depends on it, driving defensively, obeying the posted speed limits, slowing down in bad weather and in special construction and school zones, and not drinking and driving."
Other important safety precautions include always buckling seat belts, using child safety seats, wearing a helmet when cycling or skating, and crossing the street in crosswalks, he added.
October was selected for the event because it is the most dangerous month on American roads.
For more information and safety tips, visit www.brakesonfatalities.org.
[ TAKING NOTICE ]
GRANTS
The University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine has received a $1,562,500 federal grant to endow a Native Hawaiian Health chair, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie has announced.The grant will help support a concerted effort to deal with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other problems disproportionally affecting native Hawaiians.
It was awarded by the National Center on Minority Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.
DHHR also awarded two other grants to the UH medical school:
>> University of Hawaii-Manoa faculty received the following awards:
Winners of the Chancellor's Citation for Meritorious Teaching are Micheal Cheang, an assistant professor with the Center on Aging; Alison Conner, a law professor; Wayne Iwaoka, an associate professor in the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources; Annette Sherry, an associate professor in the College of Education; Jenny Teruya, an assistant professor of accountancy; and Syvia Yuen, director of the Center on the Family.
Michael Hamnett, director of the Social Science Research Institute, was given the 2002 Robert W. Clopton Award for Outstanding Service to the Community.
Recipients of the Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Service to the Community Award are David Bangert, an associate professor with the College of Business Administration; Donna Ching, an extension specialist in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; Ralph Kouchi, an assistant professor of welding and machine shop at Kauai Community College since 1977; and Nelda Quensell, a botany instructor at Kapiolani Community College for 25 years.
|"Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Managing Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
HONOLULU
HPD arrests woman for drug warrants
Honolulu police arrested a woman yesterday who was wanted on state and federal warrants.Rebecca Nona Kamakawiwo'ole was arrested without incident at 1:30 p.m. at a residence in Kapahulu. Police said she was wanted for a federal drug warrant and state failure to appear for sentencing warrants for felony theft, dangerous-drugs harmful-drug and firearms convictions.
Moiliili man arrested in knifing of bicyclist
An 18-year-old Moiliili man was arrested for first-degree assault yesterday for allegedly stabbing a bicyclist who was involved in a near collision with the car in which the man was riding.The incident happened on Makiki Heights Drive at about 4:45 p.m. The bicyclist, a 31-year-old man, received minor injuries and was treated and released.
Police released the suspect pending further investigation.
LEEWARD OAHU
Pearl City fire blamed on an electrical short
Honolulu fire investigators have determined that a house fire in Pearl City yesterday was caused by an electrical short.Investigators said the problem was traced to an extension cord that was connected to a second refrigerator in the laundry room of the house.
A 77-year-old woman who was asleep while the fire started managed to escape without injury, though flames gutted her home. The fire caused an estimated $270,000 in damage.
