Governor to speak at program on improving health care in Hawaii

Experts will share their thoughts on transforming health care in Hawaii on Wednesday at the Capitol.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie will open the event by discussing his priorities.

The program also features three speakers:

» Registered nurse Denise Levis Hewson is the director of Clinical Programs and Quality Improvement for Community Care of North Carolina, a Medicaid "medical home" that serves more than 1 million clients.

» Dr. Craig Jones is the director of the Vermont Blueprint for Health, a chronic care initiative established by the state of Vermont.

» Aaron McKethan is the vice president for strategy for RxAnte, a health information technology company that focuses on medication adherence, helping patients to use prescription drugs as prescribed.

The event will be held in the state Capitol auditorium from 8:30 a.m. to noon. It is open to the public.

Big Isle deaths investigated

The possible murders of two Orchidland women are still under review by the Hawaii County prosecutor’s office years after their deaths.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Sunday that police have identified suspects in each case, but no charges have been filed.

Dawn Gambsky, 34, had been missing for almost seven months when police found her skeletal remains on Aug. 8, 2008, in a shallow grave behind the home she shared with her husband, Alexander. An autopsy found "traumatic injuries."

Kaycee Smith, 21, was found dead June 30, 2009, in the living room of a rented home where she lived alone. Police said she died from a gunshot to the head, and a handgun was found near her body.

A court document filed by police said the scene was manipulated to look like a suicide.

"There has been some discussion back and forth between the prosecutors and the police," Prosecutor Charlene Iboshi said of the cases. "We want to make sure all the issues are resolved before we charge or not charge."

Kauai students study currents

About 370 eighth-graders from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School studied the movements of marine debris Friday by tossing oranges into the ocean off Nukolii Beach on Kauai.

The data will be studied back in the classroom, teacher Deborah Finke told the Garden Island newspaper.

"It has a relation to the tsunami debris generated by the earthquake in Japan," she said. Millions of tons of flotsam from the March 11 tsunami are moving east across the Pacific.