Finnegan in GOP race to succeed Aiona

State Rep. Lynn Finnegan, the House minority leader, announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor yesterday.

Among Republicans she joins Adrienne King, who filed papers April 20 to seek the nomination.

At a gathering at Kakaako Waterfront Park, Finnegan was joined by friends, supporters and family members, including her husband, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Peter Finnegan.

“;Working on the critical issues facing our state in a bipartisan way will allow me to be a direct liaison from the executive chambers to the legislators, as well as directly to the people of Hawaii,”; she said.

On the Democratic side, state Rep. Lyle Berg and former state Democratic Party Chairman Brian Schatz have filed nomination papers. Also interested in the job are state Sens. Gary Hooser, Robert Bunda and Norman Sakamoto and state Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu.

3 Hawaii groups are awarded $737K

Three Hawaii organizations have received a total of $737,047 from the U.S. Treasury's fund to assist native American community development.

Hawaii First FCU of Waimea, Hawaii, was awarded $457,623; the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement of Honolulu, $150,000; and Kanu o ka Aina Learning Ohana of Waimea, $129,424.

The money will “;create additional economic empowerment opportunities for native Hawaiians,”; said U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in a news release announcing the awards.,

Added U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, “;We must do all we can to aid the advancement of native Hawaiian communities, a historically underserved segment of Hawaii's population. These funds will help expand educational opportunities, seed financial institutions and improve access to home and small business loans.”;

The Hawaii organizations are among 45 institutions selected nationally to share more than $10 million in 2010 financial and technical awards from the Native American Assistance Initiative, part of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

Kenoi is tapped to speak at UH-Hilo

Hawaii island Mayor Billy Kenoi will deliver the keynote address at the University of Hawaii at Hilo's spring commencement on Saturday at Edith Kanakaole Stadium.

About 476 undergraduate students will receive their degrees or certificates. Another 44 students are candidates for postgraduate honors.

Ceremonies begin at 9 a.m.

Reefs refuge project gets new leader

The superintendent of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument has a new assignment.

Susan White has been named the project leader for the Pacific Reefs National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Covering more than 125 million acres, the complex is composed of the three newest marine national monuments in the Pacific—the Rose Atoll, Pacific Remote Islands and Marianas Trench Marine National Monuments.

White has been the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Papahanaumokuakea superintendent for the past three years.

Papahanaumokuakea is nearly 100 times larger than Yosemite National Park and was created by President George W. Bush in 2006.

The reserve, located north of Hawaii, is home to 7,000 marine species.