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HAWAII
Failing to benefit from nanotech

Hawaii is in a four-way tie for last place among U.S. states for economic development from nanotechnology, the science of the very small, according to a report from New York-based Lux Research Inc.

The study measured state nanotech spending, companies active in nanotech and in-state nanotech patents, among other things. Massachusetts, California and Colorado placed first, second and third, respectively. Hawaii tied for last with Alaska, Arkansas and Mississippi. Differing populations of the states factored into the rankings.

S&P Ratings gives A&B an 'A-'

Alexander & Baldwin Inc. gots its first corporate credit rating and it's an "A-," the company said yesterday.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Service gave A&B a stable outlook, and affirmed a separate "A-" rating for A&B subsidiary Matson Navigation Co.

Nurses union teams up with UAN

The Hawaii Nurses Association is uniting with the nation's largest union of registered nurses, which represents more than 100,000 nurses across the nation.

The alliance with the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, will allow the local union to organize and educate nurses to negotiate better contracts, Hawaii Nurses official Ana Silva said.

Nearly 1,400 nurses at Queen's, Kuakini and St. Francis medical centers went on strike in early December 2002 and settled in January 2003.

"There's been a lot of organizational turmoil in Hawaii in recent years, and nurses have been caught in the middle while employers took advantage. Those days are over," said Cheryl Johnson, president of the United American Nurses.

The Hawaii Nurses union represents nearly 4,000 nurses.

New tax kiosk opens on Kauai

Kauai taxpayers can get federal tax forms and information from a new kiosk in Lihue that is a partnership between the Internal Revenue Service and the state.

The kiosk is at the state office building at 3060 Eiwa St.

NATION
Teenager gets prison for 'Net worm

SEATTLE » A teenager was sentenced yesterday to 1 1/2 years in prison for unleashing an Internet worm that crippled 48,000 computers in 2003.

Jeffrey Lee Parson, 19, of Hopkins, Minn., will serve his time at a low-security prison and must also perform 10 months of community service.

He could have gotten 10 years behind bars, but the judge took pity on him, saying his neglectful parents were to blame for the psychological troubles that led to his actions.

The Internet "has created a dark hole, a dungeon if you will, for people who have mental illnesses or people who are lonely," U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said. "I didn't see any parent standing there saying, 'It's not a healthy thing to lock yourself in a room and create your own reality.'"