EWA BEACH TO GET $100,000 TO FIGHT DRUG CRIME

The Ewa Beach community will get a $100,000 federal grant to help fight
drug-related crimes.

The grant comes from the U.S. Justice Department and was made to Drug-Free
Hawaii, the fiscal agent for the Ewa Beach Community Coalition.

The coalition will use the money for programs to reduce substance abuse
among youth in a community wide effort.

It will create a support network for youth and their families; assess the
community's needs, pool resources and create working partnerships
supporting a drug-free community; create a multiyear strategic plan to
achieve its goals; subcontract with the Kalihi YMCA and Boys and Girls
Clubs of Hawaii for services; and create a new alternative school to allow
youths to earn high school diplomas.

"It's very heartening to see communities like Ewa Beach taking
responsibility at the grass-roots level," said U.S. Congressman Neil
Abercrombie. "That's an absolutely necessary precondition for success in
fighting the ravages of drug use."