U.S. soldier killed by blast in Afghanistan

A 24-year-old Army officer from American Samoa was killed Monday in Afghanistan when his vehicle was attacked by insurgents.

The Pentagon reported Thursday that 1st Lt. Jason Togi of Pago Pago, American Samoa, died in Hasan Karez, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

He was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.

Gun incident near school leads to arrest

A 49-year-old Puna woman was arrested Thursday morning in connection with a gun incident near an elementary school in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision.

Puna patrol officers responded to a 7:18 a.m. report that a woman at a residence near Keoneopoko Elementary School was brandishing a firearm and pointing it in the direction of the school.

No one was injured in the incident. Before the arrest, the school went on lockdown as a precaution.

Police arrested the woman on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening. She was taken to the Hilo police cellblock.

Proposal cuts list of officials to get raises

The number of Hawaii County administrators who would receive pay raises has been cut by about half under a new plan before the county’s Salary Commission.

The plan, presented at a meeting Wednesday, would provide raises for 13 department heads and deputies rather than 25 as previously proposed.

The raises would range between 9 percent and 13.5 percent.

Commission Vice Chairwoman Pudding Lassiter said the goal of the new proposal was to eliminate pay inversion, in which a subordinate makes more than a department head.

For example, a subordinate of the Hawaii County police chief currently makes more than he does.

Under the plan, the police and fire chiefs would make more than $127,000 while their deputy chiefs would make just over $124,000.