Neighbor Island briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

BIG ISLAND

Part-time judges reappointed

HILO, Hawai'i — Chief Justice Ronald Moon has announced the reappointments of Big Island part-time judges Karen Napua Brown and Matthew S.K. Pyun.

They will serve in Big Island district courts to handle case overloads or to substitute for full-time judges.

Brown, a graduate of the University of Hawai'i Richardson School of Law, has been serving as a per diem judge since 1987. She also works for Hawai'i County's recreation department as a kumu hula. She has a two-year term.

Pyun, a graduate of Drake law school, began his judicial service as a Honolulu part-time district judge from 1979 to 1984. He has served on the Big Island in recent years. His four-year term will run through Feb. 17, 2006.

Redistricting case declined

HILO, Hawai'i — The Hawai'i Supreme Court has declined to hear two lawsuits challenging Hawai'i County's reapportionment plan for its nine council seats.

The court said the suits should have gone to the 3rd Circuit Court.

Dale Holzman of Kona, who filed one of the complaints, said he will go forward with the suit at the Circuit Court level. Sandra Scarr, vice president of the Citizens for Equitable and Responsible Government, which filed the second complaint, also said her group probably will pursue its claims.

The suits say the redistricting process improperly counted University of Hawai'i-Hilo students, meaning the Hilo area will be overrepresented at the expense of West Hawai'i and Puna.

Hawai'i County Clerk Al Konishi said the plan was developed after nearly a year of hearings and discussion, and "meets all the constitutional tests."

MAUI

Whale behavior to be discussed

KIHEI, Maui — Behavior of the humpback whale calf will be featured in a lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary headquarters.

Rachel Cartwright, principal researcher for the Keiki Kohola Project, will discuss her research about the behavior of calves in Maui waters, the key nursery grounds for the central North Pacific stock of humpback whales.

The Keiki Kohola Project was launched in 1997 by a group of concerned captains and naturalists within the Maui whale-watching community to research the development, welfare and survival of the humpback whale calf.

The sanctuary's education center is located at 726 S. Kihei Road. Call 879-2818 for information.