Gov. David Ige will give his third State of the State address to the Legislature at 10 a.m. Monday in the chamber of the state House of Representatives at the Capitol.
The public is invited to attend.
Ige will focus his remarks on on transforming public schools to better prepare Hawaii’s children for the future, and reshaping the economy “to allow for more innovations in all of our industries in this knowledge-based, technology-driven world,” according to an announcement from the governor’s staff.
Ige also plans to discuss affordable housing, homelessness and making government “more efficient, effective and accountable,” according to the announcement.
Ige’s staff will be live-tweeting during the State of the State address. The bulletins can be followed at @govhawaii and by using the hashtag #HISOTS17.
The governor’s address will also be live-streamed on ‘Olelo Community Media at olelo.org/olelo49.
The text of Ige’s remarks will be posted on the governor’s website at governor.hawaii.gov immediately following his speech.
KAUAI
Man gets 20 years for stabbing that resulted in baby’s death
A 34-year-old Kauai man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years’ imprisonment in the December 2015 stabbing of his pregnant girlfriend.
Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano sentenced Christopher Cruz of Eleele for the Dec. 6, 2015, stabbing of Victoria Kanahele that resulted in the death of the child 31 minutes after birth.
Cruz pleaded no contest in September to the lesser crime of attempted manslaughter, a Class A felony, and reckless endangering in the second degree, a misdemeanor.
Cruz was initially charged with second-degree attempted murder.
The two were arguing in the Ace Hardware parking lot in Eleele over traffic citations Cruz received just before the stabbing occurred. Kanahele had hidden Cruz’s keys because she did not want him to drive angry, police said.
Police said Kanahele, who was then 18 years old and 28 weeks pregnant, suffered a puncture wound to the abdomen, lost a lot of blood and required an emergency cesarean section.
Cruz was holding their 2-year-old daughter when he stabbed her mother.
“Prison is the only sentence sufficient to protect the community from this defendant,” Kauai County Prosecutor Justin Kollar said in a statement. “This crime was shocking in its depravity.”
Kollar praised police Detective Christian Jenkins’ outstanding investigation and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Winn for putting together a case that led to a successful result.
