HART chairman Don Horner resigns ADVERTISING HART chairman Don Horner resigns HONOLULU (AP) — The chairman of the board overseeing Oahu’s $6.5 billion rail project resigned amid concerns about excessive costs and mismanagement. Don Horner said Monday he is resigning
HART chairman Don Horner resigns
HONOLULU (AP) — The chairman of the board overseeing Oahu’s $6.5 billion rail project resigned amid concerns about excessive costs and mismanagement.
Don Horner said Monday he is resigning from the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation because he does not want to be a distraction to the rail project. Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he will begin searching for Horner’s replacement immediately.
Horner’s resignation comes just days after Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin called for the board’s leadership to step down. Martin pointed to a draft city audit that says there is no plan in place for how the rail system would operate and be maintained. It also noted weaknesses in the board’s financial plans.
In a letter to Caldwell, Horner said the HART board “needs an effective and constructive working relationship with both the city administration and the City Council.”
Caldwell appointed Horner, who is the former CEO of First Hawaiian Bank, to a second term on the HART board in June 2015. His term as chairman of the board was set to expire June 30.
The rail project has continued to struggle with rising costs and city officials expect it to grow by up to another $800 million.
Slom to undergo bypass surgery
HONOLULU (AP) — State Sen. Sam Slom’s office says the Republican lawmaker will undergo coronary bypass surgery later this week.
Slom, who was hospitalized last week, said in a statement he would miss Tuesday’s floor session to prepare for surgery.
Slom has represented the state’s 9th senatorial district for 20 years.
Guam high court upholds convictions for tourists’ deaths
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The Supreme Court of Guam denied an appeal filed by a man sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of three Japanese tourists in 2013.
The high court’s decision Monday upheld the criminal convictions of Chad DeSoto, who was found guilty in August 2014 of three counts of aggravated murder and 11 counts of attempted aggravated murder.
DeSoto pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness for driving into pedestrians on a sidewalk and stabbing bystanders with knives in Tumon.
In his appeal, DeSoto argued his conviction should be reversed because the court gave inadequate instructions to the jury regarding his mental state. He also claimed some testimony should have been excluded at trial, including that of his psychotherapist, as it was a breach of doctor-patient privilege.
However, the court’s opinion says the Superior Court’s jury instructions “weren’t erroneous under Guam law.” It also says DeSoto waived the doctor-patient privilege when his attorneys disclosed medical records from the doctor to other expert witnesses.
