State briefs for January 13

Diver killed after inflatable boat runs over him

HONOLULU (AP) — Family and friends are mourning the loss of a 59-year-old diver who was killed when an inflatable boat ran over him and his stepson while they were diving in waters off Kailua, Oahu.

Those who knew Sri Shim, who operated the flower shop at the Hale Koa Hotel, said he was a skilled diver and a well-respected surfer. They said he was well-known at the popular surf break Ala Moana Bowls.

Shim’s body was pulled from the water Saturday after the propeller of a 24-foot inflatable boat struck him and his 25-year-old stepson, who was left with serious injuries.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday that Shim died from blunt force trauma and boat propeller injuries.

Shim’s death has had an impact on members of the surf community.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said Shim’s autopsy would be conducted Monday. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Native Hawaiian to be SUPCO justice’s law clerk

HONOLULU (AP) — A lawyer from Hawaii will become the first person of Native Hawaiian ancestry to serve as a law clerk for a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

The University of Hawaii law school announced Monday that Justice Sonia Sotomayor selected Kamaile Turcan to be her clerk this summer.

The law school said this is the first time one of its graduates has been invited to be a Supreme Court justice’s clerk.

Turcan is a 1998 graduate and valedictorian of Kamehameha Schools’ Kapalama campus. She earned a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology from University of California, Berkeley in 2001.

She’s currently an attorney for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

As a clerk, Turcan’s duties will include helping Sotomayor prepare for oral arguments and helping justices decide emergency applications to the court.