Former inmate wins medical suit

A state judge awarded a former prison inmate $932,900 in a medical malpractice lawsuit because state prison officials gave him the wrong antibiotic for an abscess on his scrotum that became infected and grew to the size of a melon.

The judge awarded 41-year-old Gregory Allen Slingluff $632,900 for medical expenses and loss of earnings and $300,000 for pain and suffering.

According to prison medical records, Slingluff, who was confined at Halawa Correctional Facility for drug and drug paraphernalia possession, first complained to prison staff of pain caused by a pimple on his scrotum in early September 2003. He complained again Sept. 13 when the pimple had grown into an abscess the size of a golf ball.

Two days later the abscess was the size of a grapefruit, according to prison medical records. At that time, prison officials gave Slingluff an antibiotic, but it was the wrong type and the wrong dosage.

Four days after that, prison officials took Slingluff to a hospital for treatment because the abscess had grown into the size of a melon, and gangrene had set in.

His lawyer Richard Turbin said doctors at the hospital amputated Slingluff's scrotum and removed his testicles, leaving him infertile. He has undergone six surgeries and needs four more, Turbin said.

Work will reduce Ewa-area water

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is asking residents in Ewa and Ewa Beach to conserve water tonight while crew members work on service connections.

Crews will close several large transmission mains that mostly feed water to the Ewa area to make a water service connection.

Work will begin at about 9 p.m. and is expected to take nine hours to complete. Water pressure might be lower than normal because of the work.

Nobel laureate joins Peace Day events

A Nobel Peace Prize laureate will speak at weekend events at the state Capitol celebrating the International Day of Peace.

Betty Williams, who was honored in 1976 for rallying people against sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, will speak at noon Sunday at the Capitol auditorium. The Belfast resident co-founded the Community of Peace People in Ireland and is now director of the Global Children's Foundation.

This is the third year that a Peace Day Hawaii program has been organized since Hawaii's Legislature voted to join in the United Nations initiative to promote global nonviolence.

The two-day event is free and open to the public. The program includes:

» Sunday — “;Sustainability in the Schools”; will be the theme of a forum from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with participation by school and community representatives in the Hawaii School Peace Gardens Consortium.

» Monday — Williams will speak at the 4:30 p.m. Peace Day Hawaii celebration in the Capitol courtyard. The annual Peace Day Award will be presented, and there will be entertainment and a candlelight ceremony.