Hawai'i briefs

Advertiser Staff

Debate, contests sponsored by OHA

Students from across the state will compete today in the second annual "Na 'Oiwi 'Olino" debate, poster contest and essay contest on Native Hawaiian issues, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jefferson Hall at the East-West Center.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. It is open to the public.

Debaters will pursue the topic: "Should the United States government recognize Native Hawaiians as indigenous aboriginal Americans?" Preliminary rounds, involving public and private school students, were held at the Kamehameha Schools yearly Thanksgiving invitational debate contest.

A total of 253 Hawaiian and English essays and posters explored the theme "Malama Kekahi i Kekahi" (to take care of each other, the land and the environment). Winning poster art will be featured on a 2004 OHA calendar. OHA will publish winning essays.

Debate, poster and essay finalists will be honored at an awards ceremony at today's free event, which will be videotaped for later broadcast by KFVE.

Air marshals subdue passenger

A former prison inmate on a Honolulu-to-Seattle flight Thursday was subdued by undercover air marshals after he charged toward the cockpit, shouting that he wanted to see the pilot, officials said.

The incident involved 29-year-old Reno U. Maiava and occurred about 2 1/2 hours into Northwest Airlines' Flight 924, according to Dave Adams, spokesman for the federal air marshal service. Maiava, who spent 10 years in prison on two assault convictions, screamed, "Where's my shirt?" at one point in the flight, then charged toward the cockpit shouting that he wanted to see the captain.

Three undercover air marshals, on board to monitor him, identified themselves and, after a brief altercation, handcuffed the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Maiava. The passengers applauded the arrest .