Prosecutors on Kauai have new best friend

The Kauai County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney has a new four-legged member on its team, a yellow Labrador retriever named Ollie.

Assistance Dogs of Hawaii, a nonprofit organization, is the owner and trainer of Ollie, a 1-1/2-year-old courthouse facility dog that will provide a calming presence to victims and witnesses involved in stressful legal proceedings, according to a county news release Tuesday.

“Courthouse facility dogs like Ollie can help vulnerable victims and witnesses feel comfortable enough to tell their stories to investigators and in court while their cases proceed through a complicated and sometimes intimidating criminal justice system, while not affecting the fairness of the proceedings,” said Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar in the release.

Courthouse facility dogs assist prosecutor offices on Oahu and Hawaii island as well as the Honolulu Children’s Justice Center.

Maui planning documents put on website

The Maui Planning Department said Tuesday it is posting online supporting documents for agenda items of meetings for eight boards and commissions administered by the department.

Go to mauicounty.gov, find the “Planning Department” under the “Government” heading, then click on “Supported Boards &Commissions.” A list of the department’s boards and commissions will appear; click on any board or commission and then click on the link for its meeting materials.

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Star-Advertiser staff