Vanelle Maunalei Love has been appointed interim executive director of the state Charter School Administrative Office, and will replace ousted director Jim Shon tomorrow.

Love was administrator of Hakipu'u Learning Center, a public charter school on O'ahu, from 2001 to 2004, according to the state Board of Education, which announced Love's appointment Friday.

She was co-founder of the Hawai'i Association of Charter Schools, now known as Hawai'i Charter Schools Network, and was a co-organizer of Hawai'i's first statewide Charter Schools Conference in 2000, according to the BOE.

The BOE fired Shon on Sept. 7. Members later indicated displeasure with Shon's leadership during the past year and criticized his lack of support for some of the board's policies.

Shon, a popular advocate for charter schools, said his job had been difficult because his office served as both the accountability arm of the BOE and the voice and advocate for the charter schools.

STRICT ID LAW REPEALED

WAILUKU — Maui has dropped a requirement that liquor-licensees "card" everyone who buys alcohol, regardless if they appear well beyond the legal drinking age of 21.

A number of residents and business owners had complained about the Department of Liquor Control's recent move to strictly enforce the existing law that requires bars, restaurants and other liquor sellers to ask all patrons to produce identification. The policy was meant to reduce underage drinking and other violations, but many law-abiding citizens found it offensive to be asked for ID.

The Liquor Control Commission reconsidered the policy and submitted to Mayor Alan Arakawa rule amendments that effectively repeal the law, leaving it up to liquor sellers to decide whose identification cards to check.

Arakawa, who had called the ID policy "an impingement on (patrons') right to buy liquor and their right to privacy," this week signed the amendments, which will go into effect on Oct. 2.