Kaneshiro cuts 11 from staff

Incoming City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro will not be re-appointing 11 of the 104 current deputy prosecutors after he’s sworn into office Monday.

Kaneshiro won the special election last month to fill out the remaining two years of the term of former City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, who resigned to run for Honolulu mayor.

After Kaneshiro takes office, 93 current deputy prosecutors will be re-appointed plus six new deputies will be named, said Kaneshiro spokeswoman Lynne Waters.

The 11 who will not be re-appointed received word this week. Among them are prosecutors of varying experience levels, including veterans and those who had just started their careers.

The six incoming deputies include three former prosecutors, one of whom has extensive litigation experience in private practice and two younger attorneys, Waters said.

According to television station KITV, several deputy prosecutors who will lose their jobs said yesterday they believe they were not re-appointed because they supported Kaneshiro’s opponent, Franklin "Don" Pacarro. Pacarro is being retained.

Waters said after Kaneshiro won the special election, he informed all of the current deputies to each write a letter indicating whether they hoped to remain on the job in his administration. The submission deadline was last Friday, and not all of the deputies submitted letters, she said.

UH professor maps suspect slide areas

A University of Hawaii professor is starting a project to create digital maps highlighting potential landslide hazards on Hawaii’s Big Island.

The project, announced Tuesday, will be funded with $60,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Professor Peter Nicholson of the university’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will develop mapping and analysis tools to identify landslide hazards near developed areas, roadways and buildings.

The results of the study may be used for planning and permitting in areas at high risk of landslides.

The study may also help preparation for landslide mitigation and response.

Bond Library adding twist to book move

About 2,000 people plan to form a human chain Oct. 23 as they pass 15,000 books from the 80-year-old Bond Memorial Library in Kapaau to the new Kohala Public Library 1.3 miles away.

Bond Memorial Public Library, at 54-3903 Akoni Pule Highway, will close its doors for a final time at 4 p.m. Oct. 15.

The Bond Memorial Library, which has served Kohala residents for the last 80 years, opened in 1929. It was built by T. Yamane Contracting Co. on land deeded by Caroline S. Bond in July 1927.

The library staff and books will be relocated to the new North Kohala Public Library, which will celebrate the transition at 9 a.m. Oct. 23 with "The Great Huki-Puke," which means passing books in Hawaiian. The dedication and grand opening of the North Kohala Public Library, 54-3645 Akoni Pule Highway, will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 8.