State will honor Shito and soldier

State flags at government buildings will fly at half-staff tomorrow and Tuesday in honor a former state representative and a Hawaii soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Flags will fly at half-staff in honor of former Rep. Mitsuo “;Mits”; Shito, who will be buried tomorrow.

Shito served in the House of Representatives from 1974 to 1988 and served as executive director of the Hawaii Housing Authority. Shito also co-founded the Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, now known as Hawaii's Plantation Village.

State flags will fly half-staff on Tuesday to honor Pfc. JR Salvacion, who died Feb. 21 in an insurgent attack in Afghanistan.

Salvacion, 27, of Ewa Beach was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colo.

He will be buried Tuesday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Interest low in public election funds

HILO » The state Campaign Spending Commission is surprised at the lack of interest in a pilot program offering public financing to candidates running for the Hawaii County Council.

The commission says only four candidates have qualified for a share of the $300,000 available for the nine council seats up for election this year. The commission's executive director, Barbara Wong, says an expected flood of interest has not materialized. Wong suspects the reason may be because to qualify, candidates must first obtain signatures and $5 from 200 registered voters living in his or her district.

Candidates have until Aug. 19 to enroll in the program that is available only for Big Island council races. The money is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mayor says rail EIS in 'home stretch'

Honolulu is in the “;home stretch”; for releasing its final environmental impact statement on the $5.4 billion rail system, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said in a news release.

City and state officials are meeting this week with the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration to conclude the federal review of the EIS.

The two federal agencies are reviewing issues surrounding the rail system near Honolulu Airport.

“;It is our expectation that no more studies or analyses will be needed after the meeting, since this issue will have been thoroughly examined,”; Hannemann said in a news release. “;We are optimistic that, shortly after the conclusion of the airport issue, the FTA will authorize the release of the FEIS.”;

Kauai spent $44,970 on tsunami alert

Kauai County's response to last month's tsunami threat cost about $44,970, mostly for payroll and overtime expenses, according to Kauai County spokeswoman Mary Daubert.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning Feb. 27 following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Chile. The small tsunami waves that traveled over the islands did not cause any damage.

The total cost for all four counties was nearly $768,000. Most of the cost for all counties was for overtime to prepare for the tsunami, which came on a Saturday.

Honolulu had the highest amount at $330,000.

Hawaii County's tsunami preparedness cost an estimated $274,000 while Maui County's response cost $113,895.