Unnamed plaintiffs appeal order

The four students and their parents challenging Kamehameha Schools' Hawaiian preference admission policy are appealing a federal magistrate judge's order to reveal their identities or drop their lawsuit.

The students and their parents filed their lawsuit Aug. 6 under pseudonyms to conceal their true identities.

Federal Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren ordered the plaintiffs on Oct. 28 to reveal their identities. However, Kurren stayed enforcement of his order for 10 days to give the students and their parents time to decide whether they will continue to pursue the lawsuit.

In papers filed in U.S. District Court yesterday, the plaintiffs, through their lawyers Eric Grant and David Rosen, say the public and private reactions to the order “;demonstrate convincingly that plaintiffs' fear of harm if their identities are revealed to the public is reasonable,”; and that the harm outweighs any prejudice to Kamehameha Schools and the public's interest in knowing the plaintiffs' identities.

They are asking Kurren to reconsider his order denying their request to pursue their lawsuit anonymously.

Bed-and-breakfast bill advances

Dozens of Oahu residents called for the City Council to reject a proposal to create a board that would regulate bed-and-breakfast homes.

The measure would give authority to a board to license and enforce bed-and-breakfasts, a problem that the City Council has tried unsuccessfully to solve by amending current laws only to be met with both fierce opposition and support from the community.

“;My concern here is the lack of enforcement and the city's utter inability to enforce the existing law,”; said Councilman Charles Djou, who introduced the measure.

Community members on both sides of the issue called for the City Council to consider other bills moving through the Zoning Committee relating to bed-and-breakfasts over Djou's proposal.

In spite of the overwhelming opposition at a meeting yesterday, the City Council pushed the bill forward that would create a ballot question for voters to decide in 2010.

Wider Fort Weaver Road to open

State transportation officials are gearing up to open a newly widened section of congested Fort Weaver Road at the beginning of the year.

Crews are almost done with paving from Laulanui Street to Old Fort Weaver Road as part of the project where the state is widening Fort Weaver Road from four lanes to six lanes.

The state plans to open the roadway up to Old Fort Weaver Road in January and then up to Renton Road by March, said Tammy Mori, Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

The work is part of the second phase of the $59.5 million project from Aawa Drive to Geiger Road.

High surf expected on North Shore

Surf up to 22 feet will pummel the North Shore of Oahu today, the National Weather Service warns.

The weather service issued a high-surf advisory through 6 a.m. tomorrow for the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Kauai and Niihau. Also affected will be the west shores of Oahu, Kauai, Niihau and Molokai, the agency said.