Ige backs decriminalizing small amounts of pot
HONOLULU — Gov. David Ige will support a state measure to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.
Ige will allow the measure to eliminate criminal penalties for possession of 3 grams or less of marijuana. The measure, scheduled to take effect Jan. 11, 2020, will make possession of those small amounts punishable only by fines of no more than $130.
The decision was “a very tough call” on which Ige went back and forth before ultimately deciding in favor of decriminalization by supporting House Bill 1383, he said.
The governor previously opposed bills this year that would have legalized marijuana for recreational use.
The governor also sought provisions to help steer young people using marijuana into treatment programs dealing with substance abuse issues, he said.
Lawmakers declined to include the treatment program language in the new bill.
Law enforcement officials told Ige that 3 grams is a small enough amount that “essentially they will proceed the way they always have,” he said.
Postal service returning decade-old stolen Hawaii mail
HONOLULU — The U.S. Postal Service says it found mail stolen in Hawaii more than a decade ago.
The family of a now-deceased postal worker discovered the stolen mail inside a storage unit and turned it over to officials.
The postal service says the stolen mail is being sent back in the next couple of days. The mail dates back between about 13 and 15 years ago.
The stolen mail was mostly first-class and priority mail and newspapers and magazines.
Officials haven’t identified the postal worker or his or her route. Most of the mail belonged to people living in the downtown Honolulu area.
The postal service said stolen mail that’s returned will have a label explaining the item’s delay and a number to call.
Sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be escorted to Wyoming
LARAMIE, Wyo. — A motorcade will escort the remains of a sailor who died during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor from Denver to the burial site in Wyoming.
The remains of Navy Machinist’s Mate 1st Class George Hanson will be escorted today to Laramie, Wyo., for a burial Saturday.
The sailor’s remains were identified last December.
Hanson was among the 429 crewmembers killed when the USS Oklahoma capsized after being hit by aerial torpedoes during the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise attack.
The Federal Protection Agency is overseeing the motorcade.
Agency Director Leah Mondy says police, fire and emergency medical services personnel will be along the route to render honors.