State seeks attorneys for oil pricing case
The state has started a nationwide search for attorneys willing and able to assist the state in its potential claims against Chevron Texaco Corp.Attorney General Earl Anzai said yesterday that there have already been expressions of interest from a number of national law firms.
Last month, Gov. Ben Cayetano said he wanted to go after Chevron Texaco for the $563 million that two economics professors estimate the giant oil corporation avoided in state taxes through a complex pricing scheme. The professors said Chevron Texaco evaded $3.25 billion in federal and state taxes from 1970 to 2000 by improperly pricing crude oil purchased in Indonesia.
Cayetano directed Anzai to determine why the federal government backed off its investigation of Caltex, which operates oil fields in Indonesia. Caltex was a joint oil drilling and well operating venture of Texaco and Chevron before their merger in 2001.
The new company said the professors' allegations are without merit.
Anzai said interested attorneys must have the resources to handle the numerous issues that may arise from the Sept. 12 report authored by University of Hawaii Professor Jeffrey Gramlich and University of Michigan Professor Emeritus James E. Wheeler. Attorneys must also be willing to work on a contingency fee basis and be willing to absorb all litigation costs, Anzai said.
The deadline for applications is Oct. 21.
Forums planned on Oahu critical habitats
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will hold three informational meetings and one formal public hearing on its proposal to establish critical habitats for 99 threatened and endangered plant species on Oahu beginning Tuesday.Informal meetings will be held:
>> 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at McCoy Pavilion in Ala Moana Beach Park.At the meetings people can ask questions, said Paul Henson, Pacific Islands field supervisor for the agency. "During the public hearings we can only accept testimony, not answer questions. So these informal meetings are a good opportunity to learn more about our critical habitat proposals.">> 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Nanakuli High School, 89-980 Nanakuli Ave.
>> 3:30-5 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Ala Moana Hotel in Waikiki.
The public hearing will be held 6-8 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Ala Moana Hotel.
The agency has proposed critical habitats to help the endangered plants survive and thrive. It identified 25 proposed critical habitat units covering 111,364 acres, mostly in the Koolau and Waianae mountains. More than 90 percent of the proposed habitat is zoned state Conservation District.
Copies of the proposed rules and a fact sheet regarding Oahu plant critical habitat proposal can be seen at pacificislands.fws.gov or by calling the service at 808-541-3441.
Preschool applications open at Kamehameha
Kamehameha Schools is accepting applications for its preschool for Fall 2003 from families with children born in 1999 and 2000.Kamehameha Schools, which operates 32 preschool sites, gives preference to children of Hawaiian ancestry. Deadline for applications is Dec. 2. For applications, call 842-8800 on Oahu or 800-842-IMUA ext. 8800 from the neighbor islands. For more information, call 842-8887 or 800-842-IMUA ext. 8887. Financial aid is available.
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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
CENTRAL OAHU
Wahiawa man dies after motorcycle crash
A 24-year-old Wahiawa man died Saturday afternoon after his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck at California Avenue and Kalia Place, police said.The motorcyclist was traveling westbound on California Avenue when he hit the truck, which was reversing into a nearby driveway, police said.
The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from his vehicle and died at the scene. The truck driver was not injured, police said. Speed may have been a factor in the accident, police said.
HONOLULU
Makiki fire leaves family of 3 homeless
A Makiki family of three is homeless after a fire damaged their apartment last night.Firefighters responded to the apartment fire at 1419 Dominis St. at 5:32 p.m. and extinguished the blaze at 5:51 p.m., said Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada.
The fire damaged the front of the apartment while smoke damaged the rest of the unit, Tejada said. Damage was estimated to be $70,000, he said.
The American Red Cross is assisting the man and his two sons with living arrangements.
The cause of the fire is being investigated
Woman, 24, allegedly abandons her 3 kids
A 24-year-old woman was arrested after she allegedly abandoned her three children at the Honolulu Airport yesterday.At about 8:30 a.m., the woman told her two boys and a girl, ages 4 to 8, that they were going to visit their grandmother in New York, said Marilyn Kali, spokeswoman of the state Department of Transportation. The children carried cash but had no flight reservations or airline tickets, she said.
The children were turned over to Child Protective Services after a security guard spotted them wandering in the airport, Kali said. Police said the woman was arrested around 11:30 a.m. in Pearl City.
The children are military dependents whose father is in the Army and believed to be stationed in Germany, Kali said.
Child abandonment is considered a misdemeanor in Hawaii and is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine.
Man, 2 boys arrested in hitchhike robbery
A man and two boys were arrested early Saturday morning at Naopala Lane and North King Street for allegedly robbing a man, police said.After the victim gave the suspects a ride to a convenience store, the suspects asked to be taken to other stores, police said. When the victim refused, the adult suspect allegedly threatened to shoot him unless he handed over his car keys.
LEEWARD OAHU
Pedestrian fatality ID'd as Waipahu man
The Honolulu Medical Examiner has identified the 66-year-old man who was fatally struck by a car on Farrington Highway Friday as Vincente C. Cabuloy, Sr. of Waipahu. Police said Cabuloy was trying to cross the highway near Awanui Street in Waipahu about 8 p.m. when he was struck.
WAIKIKI
Dad of girl, 13, attacks her Marine companion
A 19-year-old Marine who was in a hotel room with a 13-year-old girl was struck on the head with a bottle and beaten after her parents burst into the room, police said. Police said the girl's father attacked the Marine while his friends, six fellow Marines, stood watching from the lanai of the hotel room.The Marine said he thought the girl was 19 and declined to press assault charges.
Teen suspect arrested in alleged mugging
Police arrested a 19-year-old man early yesterday morning on suspicion of third-degree assault, second-degree robbery and two counts of criminal contempt of court.The man is suspected of being one of three men who attacked three other men walking toward Diamond Head on Kalakaua Avenue at around 12:15 a.m., police said. One of the attackers allegedly stole a victim's wallet, police said.
