Governor names new homelessness coordinator Governor names new homelessness coordinator ADVERTISING HONOLULU — Hawaii has a new coordinator to tackle homelessness in the islands. Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Friday announced Colin Kippen as his new coordinator on homelessness. Kippen replaces
Governor names new homelessness coordinator
HONOLULU — Hawaii has a new coordinator to tackle homelessness in the islands.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Friday announced Colin Kippen as his new coordinator on homelessness.
Kippen replaces Marc Alexander, who stepped down for personal reasons in January after just one year on the job. Former vicar general of the Catholic Church in Hawaii, Alexander had left the priesthood to join the administration.
The 62-year-old Kippen is an attorney who served as the National Indian Association executive director in Washington, D.C., and was previously the executive director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council.
Abercrombie said as a Native Hawaiian, Kippen brings a cultural sensitivity to the growing rate of Native Hawaiians who are homeless.
Abercrombie on Friday also signed legislation establishing an interagency homelessness council.
2 Oahu developments win LUC approval
HONOLULU — The state Land Use Commission has approved plans for developers to build housing on two Oahu areas currently used for farming.
The commission on Friday voted 8-to-1 gave the go-ahead to D.R. Horton’s plans to build on more than 1,500 acres in Ewa. The development called Hoopili would have nearly 12,000 homes.
On Thursday, the commission voted 7-to-0 to approve a plan by Castle & Cook in Hawaii for a 5,000 home-development between Mililani and Waipio called Koa Ridge. It would also include medical and shopping centers.
Groups including the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter testified against the developments, saying the island would lose valuable farmland as a result. But others say Oahu’s growing population needs more housing.
Man convicted of Kauai killing to serve 45 years
LIHUE, Kauai — A man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s father on Kauai in 2000 must serve at least 45 years of his life sentence.
The Hawaii Paroling Authority last week issued an order setting Matthew Blankswade’s minimum term to expire on June 26, 2045.
Blankswade pleaded no contest to second-degree murder. Prosecutors say he broke into Jeffrey Brisebois’ Wainiha home and used a stolen shotgun to kill him as he slept.
He initially denied any involvement but confessed after failing a polygraph test. He told police his girlfriend planned the murder and watched him shot her father. Blankswade said his girlfriend wanted Brisebois dead so she and her friends could live in his house.
Since he was 21 at the time of the murder, Blankswade would be 66 years old before he’s eligible for release.
At a parole hearing last month, Blankswade appeared by video from Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona, where he’s incarcerated. Kauai Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho argued before the board that the murder was premeditated. She said he prepared himself by stealing guns and practicing shooting in the days leading up to the killing. Then, dressed in camouflage during the early morning, he broke into the victim’s remote home and shot him in the head at close range, she said.
By wire sources
