Taxpayers hold protest today

Hundreds of taxpayers were expected to protest at the state Capitol from 4 to 7 p.m. today against proposed tax increases.

Dozens of area businesses and organizations, including the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, will participate in Honolulu's second Tax Day Tea Party to rally against what they see as excessive spending at all levels of government. Radio talk show host Rick Hamada will emcee the event.

Last year, about 2,000 people attended the first Honolulu Tax Day Tea Party.

According to a news release, a 2010 Hawaii Pork Report by the Grassroot Institute identified more than $300 million in government waste at the state and local level in Hawaii, “;yet our politicians claim there is nothing else they can cut and continue to insist upon tax increases instead,”; said the institute's president, Jamie Story. “;Taxpayers need to hold their elected officials' feet to the fire, and the Tea Party provides the most visible way of doing that.”;

Blue Angels to fly in for 2 Kaneohe shows

The Blue Angels, the Navy's aerial demonstration team, will help celebrate 100 years of aviation in Hawaii with two shows Sept. 25 and 26 at Kaneohe Bay.

The gates at Marine Corps Base Hawaii are tentatively set to open to the public at 9 a.m. on both days for the free air shows by six blue and gold F/A-18 Hornets.

Since they were formed in 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 400 million people.

The last two Blue Angels shows at Kaneohe Bay in 2007 attracted nearly 65,000 people. The team also performed there in 2004.

Their support aircraft, a U.S. Marine Corps C-130, will also be at the show. Known as “;Fat Albert,”; it carries 25,000 pounds of cargo, 45,000 pounds of fuel, and transports the squadron's support and maintenance crew to each show site.

Man faces prison time for storing solvent

An Oahu businessman has been convicted by a federal court jury of transporting hazardous waste without a required manifest and storing hazardous waste without a permit.

Stephen Swift was accused of illegally transporting a dry-cleaning solvent from Sand Island in 2005 and storing it in an unlocked container on his property in Waianae until 2008.

Swift had been hired to dispose of the solvent by Jerome Anches. He illegally stored it at his Sand Island warehouse from late 2001 to early 2005.

Anches has been sentenced to five years' probation after pleading guilty to storing the hazardous waste without a permit.

Swift faces a possible maximum sentence of nine years in prison. He could also be fined $50,000 a day for each day the solvent was stored on his property.

Workplace testing shows meth use is up 22%

Crystal methamphetamine use is up 22 percent among employees and potential hires in Hawaii in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year, according to test results by Diagnostic Laboratory Services, which gathers data from workplace testing.

Marijuana use dropped from the end of 2009, but increased 9 percent over the same quarter last year.

Carl Linden, the company's scientific director of toxicology, said: “;Our methamphetamine rates have been two to three times the mainland rates. They've been dropping a little, but they're still significantly above the mainland,”; while marijuana use is comparable.

Meth use was much higher a number of years ago, and “;we've had an appreciable decline over the years,”; he said.