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HAWAII
Judge tosses out Local 5 squabble

District Judge Hilary Benson Gangnes has thrown out a temporary restraining order against Eric Gill, financial secretary-treasurer of hotel workers union Local 5, that was sought by the union's president.

At a hearing yesterday in state District Court, Gangnes also denied Orlando Soriano's request for an injunction against harassment.

Soriano got the temporary restraining order against Gill on April 3, after Soriano told the court Gill had shoved him and he was afraid that Gill or others would use violence to force him to resign from the union.

At yesterday's hearing, the judge said Soriano didn't have a case and was using the restraining order for political reasons.

AT&T Wireless lays off 9

AT&T Wireless, which acquired the Kauai wireless operations of Cingular Wireless earlier this month, plans to lay off nine people at its Lihue office.

The layoffs will occur between Aug. 31 and Nov. 15, according to a filing by AT&T Wireless with the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The company said it does not know whether it will offer jobs to the employees.

AT&T acquired the Kauai operations in a swap of wireless licenses with Cingular in several states.

Naming of airline trustee delayed

The search for a new Hawaiian Airlines trustee will be extended into next week.

San Diego-based U.S. Trustee Steven Katzman, who was in Hawaii most of this week, probably will name a trustee on Monday to lead the carrier through Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy, according to a source close to the situation.

Katzman had been hoping to select a replacement by yesterday. However, he flew back to California last night without naming someone to take over from former Liberty House executive John Monahan, who resigned Tuesday for personal reasons. Monahan, who is continuing in his position until a replacement is found, stepped down due to health issues, sources said.

The Trustee's Office would like to find a candidate with a Hawaii connection, airline experience and a bankruptcy background, but most likely will settle for the latter two, another source said.

MAINLAND
America sends dial tone

Leave us alone!

Nearly three-quarters of a million Americans sent that message to telemarketers yesterday by signing up to block unwanted calls to their homes.

The Federal Trade Commission, which had been working for more than a year to roll out the free "do not call" program, said that by 5 p.m. East Coast time on the first day of registration, more than 735,000 people had signed up.

Far more might have joined them if they could have gotten through, but the FTC Web site, www.donotcall.com, was overwhelmed by visitors.

People living west of the Mississippi River also were able to register by using a toll-free telephone number -- 1-888-382-1222. The eastern part of the country will be able to sign up by phone starting July 7.

Those who sign up on the Web site must provide the phone number they want protected and an e-mail address to receive confirmation.

New Enron mediator named

The federal judges overseeing Enron Corp.'s bankruptcy and huge civil lawsuits have appointed a new mediator, an 83-year-old federal judge, to see if the company and some key parties can negotiate a settlement.

Senior U.S. District Judge William C. Conner, of White Plains, N.Y., was appointed mediator by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon of Houston and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez of Manhattan. Conner, an appointee of Richard Nixon, will mediate with Enron and its creditors, a group of financial institutions and the shareholder and employee plaintiffs in the would-be class-action suits.