Liquor Commission official to resign

A co-vice chairman of the Honolulu Liquor Commission was charged with driving under the influence of an intoxicant Thursday morning in Kahala.

Danny Kim, 33, will submit a letter to resign from his position soon, Commission Chairman Dennis Enomoto said in written statement.

“;While we do not have all the facts surrounding this matter, if true, this is certainly not behavior that the commission condones,”; Enomoto said. “;We appreciate his effort in helping to improve the agency. It is in this light that he has offered his resignation while addressing the allegations.”;

Liquor Administrator Dewey Kim said Kim is a businessman who has been on the commission since 2003 and is a holdover since his term ended in December 2007.

“;He's done a real good job, along with all the commissioners, in turning this place around and putting out a lot of good programs,”; Kim said. “;He's worked extremely hard.”;

The five commissioners who make up the commission receive a small stipend but are volunteers who spend several hours every Thursday to hear liquor cases. Kim said the commission has operated with four commissioners before.

Waimanalo site cleanup is complete

The Marine Corps and the Air Force have completed cleanup of a 1-acre former landfill at Bellows Air Force Base in Waimanalo.

The site was transferred to the Marine Corps in 1999. It had been used as a landfill and burn pit area during World War II between 1942 and 1945. Scrap metal, wires, cables, glass bottles and cans were among the items dumped in the landfill.

Waimanalo residents requested the military to clear the landfill, but funding was not available. Military officials said they could not obtain funding after no toxic levels of contaminants were found at the site during investigations between 1996 and 2005.

The residents turned to U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, who secured $2 million for the cleanup in August 2007. The Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment was awarded the contract last March, and work began in September.

Center to offer state ID applications

State officials will offer an opportunity for residents to apply for Hawaii state identification cards at today at Aliiolani Elementary School in Kaimuki.

The processing center will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Applicants must bring the required documents:

» New applicants must show an original Social Security card and a certified copy of their birth certificate, or a resident alien card.

» People renewing ID cards with no change in name or citizenship need no other documents.

» Changes in status or name due to marriage, divorce, annulment, adoption or citizenship must be supported by government-issued certified documents.

The cost is $10 for senior citizens and $15 for all others, payable in cash. For information, call 587-3111 or visit www. stateid.hawaii.gov.

New leader for NOAA ship Hi'ialakai

Cmdr. John T. Caskey has taken command of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Hi'ialakai.

Caskey, with the NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps, relieved Cmdr. Jon D. Swallow, who will go to the NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center in Silver Spring, Md., as chief of the Officer Career Management Division.

The Hi'ialakai, dedicated to coral reef ecosystem research, performed more than 7,000 scientific scuba dives and supported many coral reef research, multibeam sonar mapping and education and outreach cruises in the Pacific under Swallow's leadership, NOAA said in a news release.

Caskey most recently was chief of the Officer Career Management Division. He has served with the NOAA fleet in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and in 25 countries.

“;Hi'ialakai”; means “;embracing pathways to the sea.”;