HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Moped accident victim stable
Advertiser Staff
A 41-year-old woman riding a moped this morning rear-ended her friend's moped and was taken to The Queen's Medical Center and was stable.
The accident occurred at 11:40 a.m. near Kapahulu and Kaimuki avenues, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Department.
BIG ISLAND
NO THREAT CHARGES IN DRUG PLEA DEAL
A Big Island man accused of threatening to kill two police officers involved in a drug case against him entered a guilty plea yesterday in which he will be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Francis O. Carter, 38, admitted to possession of more than an ounce of methamphetamine under a plea agreement that led to dismissal of eight other charges against him, including the charges that he allegedly threatened police officers serving on the Big Island's Ice Task Force last year.
Carter, also known as "Adobo," allegedly told a fellow inmate at the Hawai'i Community Correctional Center last year that he planned to blow up the homes of the two officers who arrested him in the drug case, and to shoot any survivors of the blasts.
MAUI
RFK JR. TO OPEN 'GREEN' SERIES
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other prominent environmental advocates are coming to Maui for a lecture series designed to raise awareness of global warming, alternative energy and other issues affecting the future of the planet.
The Focus Green: Conversations on Climate Change series is sponsored by Dowling Co., a Maui developer recognized for its "green" building practices.
Kennedy will launch the series Feb. 21. He is a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council and was named one of Time magazine's Heroes for the Planet for his work in environmental restoration.
Scientist David Suzuki, host of the television series "The Nature of Things," will appear March 14, followed by journalist James Howard Kunstler on March 21. Kunstler's latest book, "The Long Emergency," examines a future without abundant oil reserves.
Environmental strategist Terry Tamminen will speak March 28. He is a chief policy adviser to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and author of the book "Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction."
The final speaker in the series will be Christine Ervin, head of the U.S. Green Building Council, who will appear April 4.
All events will be at 6 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. There is no admission fee, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Maui Coastal Land Trust.
For information on the lecture series, call Diane Lee at the land trust at (808) 244-5263 or Jennifer Stites at Dowling Co. at (808) 270-0516.
MANOA
HISTORIAN EARNS INOUYE HONOR
John Hope Franklin, a historian of the American South and African-American experience, has been named as the first Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.
The school made the announcement in a news release yesterday.
Franklin is the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University and perhaps best known for his book "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans," of which more than 3 million copies have been sold.
He will be in residence as the chairholder and will participate in various activities and events at UH-Manoa from March 15-25.
In addition to "From Slavery to Freedom," Franklin's numerous publications include "The Emancipation Proclamation," "The Militant South," and most recently, "My Life and an Era: The Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin," an autobiography of his father that he edited with his son, John Whittington Franklin.
Franklin has served on many national commissions and delegations, most recently as advisory board chair to "One America: The President's Initiative on Race."
