Gabbard named to key military committee
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has been named to the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The House Democratic Caucus announced the appointment Tuesday.
Gabbard says Hawaii plays a significant role in advancing defense and policy in the Asia-Pacific region. She says her appointment ensures Hawaii will continue to have a role on the important committee.
Gabbard says she hopes to cut waste and inefficiency in the Department of Defense. As a combat veteran, she says she takes her responsibility very seriously.
Gabbard was named to fill a seat that was left vacant by Democratic U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews of New Jersey. He resigned from Congress in February during an ethics investigation.
Ticket hoarders hurt museums, critic says
Officials say tickets to visit the USS Arizona Memorial are being picked up online in bulk orders of 65.
Critics blame tour companies, and they say no tickets are left by the time individual visitors try to reserve them.
Ken DeHoff Jr., executive director of the Pacific Aviation Museum nearby, said many visitors don’t visit Pearl Harbor when they see tickets are sold out online. He told KHON that museum revenues are down by 20 percent since January.
The National Park Service issues 4,500 tickets each day to visit the memorial dedicated to sailors and Marines killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack. It distributes half of them online and half in person.
The tickets are free. People may either pick them up in person at the visitors center in Pearl Harbor or reserve them online for a $1.50 processing fee.
Online, people may reserve up to 65 tickets at a time up to six months in advance. There’s no limit to the number of times you can reserve them.
Ticket companies are to blame for the ticket hoarding, noting the $1.50 per-ticket fee, DeHoff said.
"There are very few individuals who are going to buy 65 tickets for every 15- or 30-minute tour all day long," he said.
$498,000 bail set for suspect in shooting
Hawaii County police Monday charged a 22-year-old Captain Cook woman with second-degree attempted murder in connection with the shooting of a Kona man Friday.
Randi-Keli K. Banagan was also charged with second-degree assault, first-degree terroristic threatening, reckless endangering in the second degree, third-degree promoting a dangerous drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and 14 firearm charges.
Bail for Banagan was set at $498,000. She was being held at the Kona cellblock.
Big Isle woman allegedly uses stolen card
A Hawaii island woman facing charges involving a stolen credit card is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 28.
Kimi Keani Bento, 23, of Honaunau was arrested Monday by police.
She was held at a police cellblock, after her initial court appearance Tuesday.
Police said a 37-year-old Kealakekua man reported that his wallet had been stolen and that several unauthorized transactions were conducted with his credit card.
Detectives on Monday charged Bento with theft forgery of a credit card, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information, four counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, four counts of forgery, four counts of identity theft and five counts of theft.
