HONOLULU (AP) — Researchers from a Washington think tank and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are recommending that Mexico’s government open a permanent consulate in Hawaii to serve a small but growing population. Mexico advised to open office ADVERTISING
Mexico advised
to open office
HONOLULU (AP) — Researchers from a Washington think tank and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are recommending that Mexico’s government open a permanent consulate in Hawaii to serve a small but growing population.
The Migration Policy Institute and the university included the recommendation in a study presented Monday that said people of Mexican origins in Hawaii have different experiences on the islands than in other U.S. states.
The study says people of Mexican origin make up about 3 percent of Hawaii’s overall population, with 38,700 people. That includes people born in Mexico and people born in the United States of Mexican descent. Researchers say that number has more than doubled since 1990, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The biggest jump in the past decade has been on the Big Island, where the population of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans has grown 85 percent since 2000, to 6,600 people, the study said. The study said 24,900 people of Mexican origin live on Oahu, while 7,200 combined live on Maui, Kauai, Molokai and other smaller islands.
The study says a permanent consulate would make it easier for Mexican nationals to access services and act as an intermediary between the Mexican community and state and federal government.
It also recommends that Hawaii lawmakers and U.S. agencies begin to plan services for children and older people of Mexican origin to help those with limited English.
About 90 percent of the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living in Hawaii are U.S. citizens, the study said.
$200K paid in officer’s assault
HONOLULU (AP) — Maui County has paid a woman $200,000 to settle her claim of sexual assault by a county police officer.
Tracy Motelewski sued in March 2010.
She was arrested Aug. 17, 2008, at Puamana Beach Park. The arresting officer was later convicted of stealing $500 from her purse.
She spent a night in a Lahaina police cell and was ordered to leave the next morning without her ring and purse.
As she walked along Honoapiilani Highway, a second officer, Kristopher Galon, offered her a ride home but instead stopped at a parking lot and sexually assaulted her. Galon in May 2011 pleaded guilty to using his police authority to sexually assault Motelewski.
