Remains of unaccounted WWII sailor ID’d
GARBER, Okla. — The remains of a U.S. sailor from Oklahoma unaccounted for since the battleship USS Oklahoma was sunk at Pearl Harbor almost 77 years ago were identified.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday that the remains of 21-year-old Navy Fireman 1st Class Leonard R. Geller of Garber, Okla., were accounted for Jan. 9.
Geller was assigned to the Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The battleship capsized, resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Geller.
The remains of the ship’s deceased crew were initially interred in Hawaii. Geller’s remains were disinterred in 2015 and positively identified this year using DNA analysis, circumstantial evidence and anthropological analysis.
The remains of more than 72,000 American servicemen are still unaccounted for from World War II.
San Francisco Marriott hotel workers vote on new contract
SAN FRANCISCO — Marriott hotel workers in San Francisco voted Monday on a new contract, bringing a possible end to a coast-to-coast effort by workers for better wages and job security from the world’s largest hotel operator.
San Francisco is the last holdout of eight U.S. cities where nearly 8,000 Marriott hotel workers went on strike in October.
Last week, workers from hotels in Maui and Waikiki agreed to a new labor agreement and they are back at work at hotels such as The Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu. Earlier in November, Boston hotel workers ended a 45-day strike after ratifying a new contract.
In San Francisco, nearly 2,500 union members UNITE HERE Local 2 were deciding whether to ratify the agreement and end a two-month strike that disrupted guests’ conferences and vacations. The vote came after union leadership and management reached a tentative contract agreement early Monday.
No details of the tentative agreement were immediately disclosed.
Flight to Sydney returns to Hawaii due to mechanical issue
HONOLULU — A Hawaiian Airlines plane bound for Sydney returned to Honolulu after takeoff on Sunday because of a possible mechanical problem.
An airline spokeswoman says the flight was diverted just over an hour after takeoff due to a possible problem with one of its three hydraulic systems. The flight to Australia normally takes about 10 hours.
Spokeswoman Ann Botticelli says there was no emergency and the plane landed without incident.
There were 201 passengers aboard Flight No. 451. Botticelli says passengers are being re-accommodated on the first available aircraft.