Shinseki Senate hearing Jan. 14

The U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a confirmation hearing on Jan. 14 on the nomination of retired Army Gen. Eric “;Ric”; Shinseki as the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka, chairman of the Senate committee, said he wants the committee to hear the nomination of the Kauai native as soon as it is submitted by President-elect Barack Obama.

“;I am proud to support Gen. Shinseki's nomination and I look forward to a long and productive relationship with him as secretary,”; said Akaka.

As Army chief of staff, Shinseki saw his 38-year career cut short after he told the Senate Armed Services Committee, more than a month before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, that occupying that country would take “;something on the order of several-hundred-thousand soldiers.”; The Pentagon named his replacement more than a year before his scheduled retirement.

Shinseki, a 1960 Kauai High School graduate, would be the first Asian-American to hold the post of Veterans Affairs secretary.

Kickboxer guilty in air travel case

A federal jury found former world champion kickboxer Danny “;Hard As”; Steele guilty yesterday of molesting a female passenger aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu last year.

Steele, 39, faces a maximum two-year prison term when he is sentenced in March. He has been in custody since September for violating the terms and conditions of his pretrial release. The victim testified that she was asleep in a seat next to Steele Dec. 2, 2007, and awoke twice to find him molesting her.

Kona storm heads for Oahu, Kauai

A Kona storm system will make for wet and windy conditions on Oahu, Kauai and Niihau tonight, tomorrow and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

A flash flood watch is in effect for Oahu for tomorrow and for Kauai and Niihau from tonight through tomorrow.

In addition, a high wind watch is in effect for all three islands from this evening through tomorrow afternoon. Sustained southerly wind up to 40 mph with gusts to 58 mph are possible. The wind will also bring vog to Oahu.

Oahu will have scattered showers today, becoming heavy by tomorrow with a chance of thunderstorms, according to forecasters. “;There is potential for flooding with any Kona system,”; weather service forecaster Ian Morrison said.

Showers could reach Maui County Friday but are not likely to continue to the Big Island, he said.

Kamehameha lawsuit in isle court

A Hawaii court will settle a dispute, first aired in a California court, over whether damages are owed Kamehameha Schools for the disclosure that it paid $7 million to an unnamed student who claims he was denied admission because he is not Hawaiian.

A federal judge last month granted Kamehameha Schools' request to transfer the case to the U.S. District Court in Hawaii. The court in Hawaii received the case yesterday.

On the eve of a decision last year by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether to hear the case on appeal, Kamehameha Schools agreed to an out-of-court settlement in the 2003 lawsuit filed by the student and his mother.

Eric Grant, the student's California lawyer, then sued John Goemans, the student's Hawaii lawyer, over attorney fees from the settlement. Grant also obtained a court order prohibiting Goemans from disclosing any of the confidential details of the settlement.

But Goemans, claiming the public has a right to know how much Kamehameha Schools paid to settle the lawsuit, reported that the amount was $7 million. He also reported that Grant received 40 percent of the settlement.

Following Goemans' disclosure, Grant filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration that he is not liable for damages arising out of the breach of the confidential settlement agreement. The student and his mother filed similar lawsuits against Grant and Kamehameha Schools.