Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Friday, July 18, 1997

School supporters say
money's not sole solution

Supporters of Hawaii's public education system say it will take more than money to cure its woes.

"It's doing a disservice to the public to make it seem as though simply money is the critical difference between an excellent educational system and a mediocre one," said Rep. David Stegmaier, chairman of the House Education Committee.

"Our funding compares with funding in other jurisdictions that do a lot better job than we do. Obviously something needs to be improved about our own system."

The latest schools superintendent report on school performance and improvement said the state is not spending enough on public education, particularly when enrollment and the number of children being identified with special needs are increasing.

"The fact of the matter is we have to look at increasing level of funding for public schools," said Joan Husted, executive director of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

"The kind of (school) system we want is necessary if we want to have a thriving economy and business community."

Waimanalo Teen Project
groundbreaking, blessing

After 15 years of making do in a cramped rental, the Waimanalo Teen Project is coming of age.

Within 12 months, the nonprofit agency that has helped steer hundreds of Windward Oahu youths through their teen-age years for the past quarter-century will move into a large ranch-style complex on Hihimanu Street. Groundbreaking and blessing for the 9,400-square-foot facility on 10 acres of state land is set for today.

Funded by grants from the Harold K.L. Castle and Weinberg foundations and Bank of Hawaii, the $2 million project will include a recreation room, offices, a kitchen, alternative school, a body-and-fender shop and a minibike track.

"It'll look kind of like a ranch or a farm," said director Jimmy Torres. "It'll blend in with the agricultural portion of the community."

Begun 25 years ago by a group of volunteers and VISTA workers to help kids in the community "survive their teen years," the Teen Project has grown and thrived.

"We're trying to get our youngsters to become productive citizens in our community," said Torres. "Some of them need assistance in knowing what their choices are."

Light poles rusting
away at West Loch

City Council members are questioning the administration's use of $50,000 for a study to determine whether all 427 decorative street light poles in the city's West Loch project need to be replaced.

The city has already removed four poles due to rust and corrosion. The city Transportation Services director, Cheryl Soon, said the poles, installed when the subdivision was built between 1989 and 1991, were never galvanized.

"We're going to hire an expert to go in and look at all of them to determine the extent of the damage to see if we need to replace them now," Soon said. The consultant should be hired in the next few weeks, she said.

Soon said it is "very unlikely" that all of the poles will need to be replaced. One of the four poles has been replaced and 18 other replacements are on order, she said. If more poles are found defective, the city will order more, Soon said.

The city capital improvement budget includes $1.25 million in the 1999 and 2000 budgets for West Loch replacements.

City Council members, however, questioned moves by the administration.

Councilman Steve Holmes said he opposed the use of the decorative lampposts when they were installed at a cost of roughly $3,500 each, compared with $1,000 for standard light poles.

"That's not the look of West Loch; it's supposed to be an affordable housing project," Holmes said, noting that the fixtures aren't very energy efficient.

"If the new lights cost three times as much, you reach a point where you say, 'Why don't you just tear out the old ones and put in the regular ones at a third of the cost?'" Holmes said.

Alcohol ban at Shell
to be strict tomorrow

Concert-goers carrying coolers to the Waikiki Shell tomorrow should expect an inspection.

The city will begin strict enforcement of the ban on bringing alcoholic beverages to the outdoor amphitheater, according to an announcement yesterday by Auditoriums Director Alvin Au.

Au said that anyone who refuses to show the contents of a cooler or package will be not be allowed to bring the container into the Gregory Isaacs concert.

The city is tightening enforcement of the ordinance because of concerns about excessive drinking at some past concerts, he said.

Beer and wine are sold by a concessionaire at the Shell.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.

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Police/Fire


By Star-Bulletin staff

Japanese pedestrian dies;
she ran into side of taxi

Police identified the pedestrian killed yesterday in Waikiki as a Japanese tourist.

Police said the 37-year-old woman had almost made it across the Ala Wai Boulevard when the light turned green and she ran into the side of a moving taxi at the intersection of Kalaimoku Street and the Ala Wai.

Police are continuing their investigation and have not pressed any charges against the driver, a 27-year-old man.

Two more sought in theft
of police officer's auto

Police are looking for two other suspects in the theft of a police officer's car.

Police arrested and released a 29-year-old Kalihi man this week in the June theft of an officer's unmarked 1997 4-door Dodge police car.

On June 8, sheriffs found the car in flames on the H-3 freeway near Halawa Valley while patrolling the not-yet-opened freeway, police said.

The car had been stolen from a police officer's home in Makiki while she was away for the weekend, police said.

Police said the thieves apparently had tried to pull the radio from the car but were unable to do it.

Police said the suspects may have set the car on fire to destroy any fingerprint marks they left.

Other Police/Fire headlines
in today’s Star-Bulletin:

• Big Island woman charged in theft at Naalehu store
• Makakilo man is charged with assault of girlfriend
• Electrical short blamed in fire that killed Hilo man

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.