Hawaii

HONOLULU — About 150 Hawaii Medical Center employees will be losing their jobs.

The announcement came Friday, just about a month after HMC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Danelo Canete is HMC’s chief executive officer. He said HMC finds itself overstaffed since implementing a new operating model at its facilities in Liliha and Ewa.

Canete said the model uses fewer beds while caring for the same number of patients.

He said the staff reductions are meant to keep HMC competitive.

Canete expects HMC to emerge from bankruptcy within a year as a healthy institution that is financially stable.

Hawaii Medical Center purchased the former St. (Read the full post about ‘Hawaii Medical Center To Lay Off 150 Staff’…)

HONOLULU — Hawaii Democrats and Republicans both declared their candidate the winner of Friday’s presidential debate.

Video: Watch The Story

Republicans said Sen. John McCain’s authenticity was revealed during the televised debates held at the University of Mississippi. Meanwhile, Democrats attending a debate-watch party at Ward Warehouse said Sen. Barack Obama came out as the candidate Americans can trust, KITV reported.

Democrats said Obama stayed on message, especially when discussing the economy.

“He understood what we needed,” said U.S. Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii. “What we the people needed was to see him tell us and make us feel there is hope and there is someone in there to take us out of this mess. (Read the full post about ‘Local Parties Believe Their Candidate Winner Of Debates’…)

HONOLULU — A California company on Friday recalled White Rabbit Candy because it may be contaminated with melamine, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration.

The candy was distributed Hawaii, California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington state.

White Rabbit Creamy Candy is sold in other flavors of White Rabbit Candy, including Assorted (Chocolate, Coconut, and Coffee), Red Bean, Coffee, Corn, Lychee, Mango and Strawberry.

The Hawaii Department of Health issued a statement along with the FDA alert for customers to return or discard the candy.

HONOLULU — The Bishop Museum said it is very close to a deal with a community group that wants to save a National Historic Landmark from being sunk.

The 130-year-old Falls of Clyde has fallen into disrepair at Honolulu Harbor.

It was the only surviving iron-hulled, fully-rigged, four-masted sailing ship in the world before the Bishop Museum took down its rigging in preparing to scuttle the deteriorated vessel.

A group called the Friends of Falls of Clyde said it has an agreement with Bishop Museum to take over the vessel and send it to dry dock for repairs.

A museum spokeswoman said they are still waiting for key documents before approving the transfer of ownership.

Officials said an official announcement could be made early next week.

Previous Story:

• August 27, 2008: Museum Hesitant Of Group’s Plan For Falls Of Clyde

HONOLULU — A young man who terrorized his neighborhood with rape, robbery, burglary and an attempted murder will now have a chance for parole after he received a new sentence on Friday.

Miti Maugaotega was serving several life terms. However, that was declared illegal. It forced a rewriting of how the worst criminals are punished.

Five years ago, Maugaotega shot Eric Kawamura who was nearly at his front door. The two faced each other again in court on Friday.

In a brief hearing dictated by the state Supreme Court’s decision rejecting extended sentences, Judge Patrick Border gave Maugaotega new hope for freedom. He ordered a sentence of 60 years for a rape, robbery, burglary, drugs and attempted murder. (Read the full post about ‘Judge Cuts Sentence For Man Serving Life Terms’…)

NEW YORK — “Saturday Night Live” is having more fun at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s expense.

Tina Fey was back at it again in her role as Palin, appearing in the opening skit alongside Amy Poehler.

This time Poehler played CBS’s Katie Couric in a parody of Couric’s recent interview with Palin. (Read the full post about ‘Tina Fey Reprises Role As Palin On ‘SNL’’…)

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County prosecutors said they have declined to file felony charges against Kanye West for an incident in which a paparazzo’s camera was broken.

Los Angeles County District Attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said prosecutors referred the case to city attorneys, who will decide whether to charge West with a misdemeanor.

West was arrested Sept. (Read the full post about ‘No Felony Charges For West In Airport Flap’…)

AUGUSTA — A spokeswoman for DJ AM said the celebrity disc jockey has been released from a Georgia hospital after suffering severe burns in a fiery plane crash a week ago.

Jenni Weinman said Friday that DJ AM had been released from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta.

DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, and former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, were rushed to the burn hospital last week after their Learjet crashed on takeoff from a Columbia, S.C., airport.

Two pilots and two other passengers were killed in the crash just before midnight Sept. (Read the full post about ‘Spokeswoman: DJ AM Released From Hospital’…)

NEW YORK — A photographer is suing to force the return of seven nude and seminude pictures of Marilyn Monroe he says were stolen from him.

Bert Stern said the photos are worth more than $100,000 each.

Stern took the pictures in July 1962 while he was on assignment for Vogue magazine, six weeks before Monroe was found dead from an overdose of drugs.

Stern said in papers filed in Manhattan state Supreme Court that he lent the Monroe pictures to Eros magazine, a defunct 1960s quarterly, but they were not returned within a few months as expected. (Read the full post about ‘Photog Wants Nude Marilyn Monroe Pics Back’…)

NEW YORK — David Letterman is still not laughing.

Video: Letterman Slams

The “Late Show” host offered a second night of jabs at Sen. John McCain, who canceled a Wednesday appearance on the show.

Letterman said Thursday that he felt like an ugly date because McCain, the Republican nominee for president, backed out of the appearance.

The comic was unhappy when McCain sat for an interview with Katie Couric instead of him Wednesday. And he said he was steamed when he later learned that McCain didn’t leave New York until Thursday.

Letterman said he felt like a patriot to let McCain off his commitment to deal with the economy. (Read the full post about ‘McCain Made Letterman Feel Like ‘Ugly Date’’…)