Panel starts search for chief

The Honolulu Police Commission will hold a special meeting Wednesday to review and discuss the selection process for a new police chief.

“;Our goal will be to have a new chief by the end of the year,”; said Chairwoman Christine Camp.

Camp said she will likely name a selection subcommittee made up of community leaders and a few commission members.

The commission decided Wednesday not to renew Chief Boisse Correa's contract.

The commission will look at previous selection criteria and how neighbor island counties selected new chiefs in the past year.

The committee will look at an interim appointment after Correa retires Aug. 27.

She noted that the Kauai commission took a year and a half to make its selection, while Maui took two months.

“;In any event, we are confident that the transition will be orderly and we will be able to find the most qualified candidate,”; she said.

Chief Judge Gillmor retiring June 30

Chief Judge Helen Gillmor, the first woman to serve on the federal bench in Hawaii, is retiring on June 30, according to a release from the U.S. District Court of Hawaii. President Clinton appointed Gillmor to the court on Oct. 11, 1994. She became chief judge in December 2005.

Gillmor plans to continue serving as a senior judge. Appointments to the federal bench are lifetime.

Prior to becoming a federal judge, Gillmor was in private practice and served as a per diem judge in state Family and District courts. She was also a deputy public defender.

She was also a law clerk for Chief Justice William S. Richardson on the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Gillmor graduated from the Boston University School of Law in 1968.

Blaisdell Center parking will be tight

Drivers should plan ahead for increased traffic and limited parking at the Blaisdell Center this weekend because of high school graduations and theater productions.

Gates on King Street and Kapiolani Boulevard will be open, with overflow parking available at McKinley High School from 11 a.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, a news release said.

Valet parking for arena events will be off Ward Avenue near the box office, while valet parking for concert hall events will be available off Ward just after the Galleria driveway.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Meeting seeks sharing in Kauai waters

Conflicts between stand-up paddleboarders and surfers and other ocean users will be discussed next month at a public meeting in Lihue.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says complaints about conflicts between surfers and paddleboarders have risen substantially, especially in Hanalei on the North Shore and on the west side of Kauai.

“;It is hoped, through compromise and mutual respect, everyone who surfs the break, be it on a surfboard or paddleboard, can adhere to the same code of conduct and these conflicts can be resolved without establishing rules and regulations to separate the two user groups,”; said DLNR Chairwoman Laura Thielen in a news release.

The meeting will held from 7 to 8 p.m. June 10 at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School cafeteria.