Military digging up WWII remains
HONOLULU (AP) — Military and Veterans Affairs officials are digging up the remains of dozens of unidentified Marines and sailors killed on a remote atoll in the Pacific during one of World War II’s bloodiest battles.
The 94 servicemen were killed in the Battle of Tarawa in 1943 and buried as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu after the war. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency spokeswoman Maj. Natasha Waggoner said advances in DNA technology increase the probability of identifying the unknowns.
Cemetery spokesman Gene Maestas said the disinterments began in October. The cemetery expects to transfer the last eight servicemen to the military next Monday.
More than 1,000 U.S. Marines and sailors were killed in the battle. About 550 remain unidentified.
Homeowners starting to offer dwellings for rent
HONOLULU (AP) — A year and a half after Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed the city’s accessory dwelling unit into law, 145 applications were approved for permits allowing homeowners to have the units on their property.
City officials hope the 2015 law enabling homeowners to build the units will help create more affordable rentals amid Oahu’s housing crisis.
The city provides qualified homeowners with financial incentives for having the units and waives up to $10,000 in fees for homebuilders.
The number of Honolulu-area homeowners interested in the program has grown, with more than 1,200 homeowners submitting precheck forms to find out if their lot qualifies for the addition.
13 states urge appeals court
to OK travel ban
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A group of 12 state attorneys general and one governor is backing President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban targeting six predominantly Muslim countries, telling a federal appeals court Monday that the Republican acted lawfully in the interest of national security.
The states are urging the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court judge’s ruling that blocked part of the president’s revised executive order. The states say the administration’s action is not a “pretext for religious discrimination” and does not violate the constitution.
The states are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia. Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi also joined.
The appeal stems from a ruling by a federal judge in Maryland earlier this month. That ruling and a separate one in Hawaii were seen as victories for civil liberties groups and advocates for immigrants and refugees.
