Bands on the march

Marching bands from 16 Oahu high schools will perform in the University of Hawaii Band’s 31st annual Meadow Gold Rainbow Invitational Marching Band Festival beginning at 5:30 p.m. today at Aloha Stadium. Tickets are available through participating schools and at the stadium box office. For more information, call the UH band office at 956-7657.

Australian attempts Oahu-Kauai swim

An experienced long-distance swimmer from Australia is trying again to swim between Oahu and Kauai.

Penny Palfrey began her swim yesterday morning at Kaena Point on Oahu, hoping to complete the 72-mile crossing in 30 to 40 hours.

With her is an escort boat carrying lifeguards as well as her swim adviser, Steve Munatones. Plans call for a nonstop swim, with Palfrey treading water during food breaks.

In April, Portuguese man-of-war stings forced Palfrey to abort her swim of the Kaieie Waho Channel between Oahu and Kauai with only hours left to go.

State to oversee Illinois parolee

A Hawaii official says the state will supervise a paroled murderer from Illinois who will move to Oahu next week.

The Hawaii Paroling Authority confirmed that it will be overseeing 33-year-old Justin Boulay’s parole when he moves here to be with his wife, said authority Executive Director Max Otani.

Boulay has served the past 12 years at the Danville Correctional Center in Illinois on a first-degree murder conviction. He was found guilty of strangling his former girlfriend, Eastern Illinois University freshman Andrea Will, with a telephone cord in 1998.

Boulay has been cleared for parole on good behavior, after having served half of a 24-year sentence. He will be released Nov. 16, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Boulay is scheduled to arrive sometime next week, Otani said. He is married to an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s medical school.

Council puts off plastic bag bill

A City Council committee deferred a proposed ban on plastic shopping bags yesterday.

The Public Infrastructure Committee says it still is awaiting a report from the Department of Environmental Services on how the bill can be improved.

Environmental Services Director Tim Steinberger said his office complied with the request but that the report may not have been received because it was sent during a transition when new Mayor Peter Carlisle took office.

Committee Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi deferred action on the bill until the report is received.

Bill 43-10 would prohibit distribution of nonbiodegradable plastic bags under certain conditions by large businesses and encourage the use of alternatives such as recyclable paper bags or reusable bags.

Steinberger said the department continues to have concerns, including the singling out large businesses and specifying the type of bag that should be banned.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

2 meetings focus on drug programs

Kauai County’s Anti-Drug Office will conduct public meetings on drug treatment and recovery programs next week.

Officials said a panel of speakers will start the meetings, covering drug and alcohol addiction, residential treatment, clean and sober homes and therapeutic living in community settings. The meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m.

» Monday: Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall
» Next Wednesday: Hanapepe Armory

For more information or to request a sign language interpreter or information in an alternate format, call Theresa Koki at 241-4925.