Hearing planned for akaka bill

The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs plans to hold a hearing next week on the Akaka Bill, according to the bill's author.

Sen. Daniel K. Akaka said yesterday the hearing is set for Thursday afternoon in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington.

“;With the 50th anniversary of statehood less than a month away, we are reminded of our sacred trust relationship with the indigenous people of Hawaii that today remains unfulfilled,”; Akaka said.

“;Thursday's hearing will be an important next step forward towards providing native Hawaiians parity with the other indigenous people of the United States.”;

Sirens to sound in Civil Defense test

State Civil Defense will conduct its monthly test of the statewide outdoor siren warning system in coordination with a live broadcast of the Emergency Alert System at 11:45 a.m. Monday.

The 45-second siren is used to alert the public of life-threatening emergencies including natural, industrial or terrorist hazards.

When the alarm is sounded, tune to a local radio or television station for emergency information and instructions, Civil Defense officials said. Civil Defense disaster information can be found in the white-pages telephone directory.

Cancer center gets clinic trials award

A Cancer Research Center of Hawaii program has received an award for helping oncologists and medical centers increase patient participation in clinical trials.

The Minority Based Community Clinical Oncology Program received the 2009 Clinical Trials Participation Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Jeffrey Berenberg, co-principal investigator of the program and chief of Tripler Army Medical Center's hematology-oncology department, accepted the award at the society's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., on behalf of the Cancer Research Center.

State to buy 17 acres with land trust

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is joining the Trust for Public Land to buy 17 acres of Big Island lands that hold cultural, archaeological and natural resources value.

The land is at the southern end of Lapakahi State Historical Park.

DLNR will spend more than $1 million, and the trust, a national nonprofit land-conservation group, will contribute $1.3 million in matching federal and private funds.

The property's 200 feet of shoreline will connect with almost two miles of publicly held coastline. Conserving the land will help protect the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

The state will also spend $7,000 to buy seven acres near Kukuipahu from Chalon International of Hawaii Inc.