In brief: Family sues Hawaii over inmate’s stabbing

Honolulu – The family of a Hawaii inmate stabbed to death at a private prison in Arizona sued the state of Hawaii and prison operator Corrections Corp. of America on Wednesday.

The legal action came after two gang members attacked Bronson Nunuha in his cell on Feb. 18, 2010, when a prison employee left the door open at Saguaro Correctional Center, according to the suit filed in Circuit Court.

Nunuha was stabbed more than 140 times with two different weapons. The attackers also carved the name of their gang into his chest.

Nunuha, 26, was serving a five-year sentence for burglary and property damage. He was nine months away from finishing his sentence when he was killed.

The lawsuit alleges Hawaii agreed to and tolerated insufficient staffing levels at the site where Nunuha was confined. The suit said that allowed dangerous conditions to persist.

Issa requests interview on special treatment

Washington – House investigators want to interview Angelo Mozilo, the former Countrywide Financial Corp. chief executive whose VIP program gave discounted mortgages to members of Congress, other government officials and influential people who could help the company.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been investigating the VIP operation to learn who received special deals from the program known internally as “Friends of Angelo.”

Issa’s investigation so far has identified four current House members whose loans went through the VIP program: Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas; Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif.; Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif.; and Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y.

AP will Web-stream Houston’s funeral

New York – Fans worldwide who want to bid Whitney Houston farewell will be able to watch her private funeral on the Internet.

Her publicist, Kristen Foster, announced that the Associated Press will be allowed a camera at the Saturday ceremony in Newark, N.J. The AP will stream the service at livestream.com/aplive. The event also will be available to broadcasters via satellite.

Houston died in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday at the age of 48. The service will be at New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang as a child. She will be buried in Fair View Cemetery in Westfield, where her father, John Russell Houston Jr., was buried in 2003.