3 escape unhurt after sailboat runs aground
WAILUKU -- A 35-foot sailboat ran aground about 200 yards off southwest Molokai with three people aboard yesterday morning.No one was hurt aboard the Shon-A-Lei when it struck the reef in darkness about two miles north of Laau Point, the Coast Guard said.
Two people and eventually the captain swam ashore, after notifying the Coast Guard at 4:50 a.m.
The vessel Hookupu later helped in salvage operations, including removal of fuel from the sailboat.
Army hopes to handle cuts without firing
Fifty jobs are at stake as the Army Corps of Engineers reorganizes its operations at Fort Shafter.The Army hopes to handle the reduction in force through attrition and early retirement rather than involuntary separations, said Larry Hawthorne, Army spokesman.
"The likelihood is low," Hawthorne said, that people will lose their jobs as the Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division is split into two separate organizations by the end of the year.
The corps announced an early retirement incentive where participants could receive a bonus of up to $25,000, Hawthorne said, "to increase the appeal for anyone who may be sitting on the fence."
The goal is to reach a manpower strength of 475 in the new restructured district and 50 in the division, he said.
cb Tourism crime class
free to visitor industry
A free class on how crime affects tourists in Hawaii is being offered to workers in the visitor industry.
The "Crime Against Tourists" class is being held through Dec. 5 at Honolulu Community College. Call Adrienne Kamaura, 845-9451, or Robert Vericker, 845-9227, for more information.
Vicky Cayetano shushes small talk in Taipei
Here's more evidence of first lady Vicky Cayetano's assertiveness: Perturbed that speakers at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office's National Day reception couldn't be heard over the ballroom chatter, the first lady firmly asked the crowd of 500 to suspend their small talk.While not everyone did so, guests could better hear subsequent speakers, including the first lady's reading of a gubernatorial proclamation, than they did earlier speakers.
"We're very proud of her," said Kai Wang, director general of Taipei's office in Honolulu.
The Manila-born first lady, who is of Chinese ancestry, generated much interest at the reception last week.
That's not surprising, said Wang, who recalled that many on Taiwan were extremely interested in her when she accompanied Gov. Ben Cayetano on a trade mission in May. In Taipei, the first lady gave a speech in Fukienese, the local Chinese dialect, impressing an audience of 800, Wang said.
Museum proposed
U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka has introduced a bill that would create a Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum showcasing Americans' diverse ethnic and racial origins.The National Museum of the Peopling of America would also be a center for research and public education programs, serving as a clearinghouse for information on ethnic documents, artifacts and artworks held elsewhere, Akaka said.
The museum, Akaka added, would also help Americans address "the racial and ethnic tensions that divide us and which prevent us from achieving our potential."
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.
Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffMan with head injury found in zoo parking lot
A Mililani man found bleeding from a head injury early this morning in the Honolulu Zoo parking lot appears to have been beaten, police said.The man, 19, is in guarded condition at Queen's Hospital.
A passer-by found the man and called police, who are investigating the case as a first-degree assault, said Waikiki District Sgt. James Strickland.
2 men held in separate domestic violence cases
Felony charges are pending against two men arrested in separate domestic violence cases.Wahiawa police last night arrested an 18-year-old man for attempted murder at 11 p.m., about 90 minutes after he allegedly drove his car at a girl, 16, at a shopping center in Waialua.
The victim is a friend of the suspect's girlfriend, police said.
In an unrelated case, a 21-year-old man was arrested at 4 p.m. yesterday for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend, 16, at Pearlridge Center. The suspect allegedly punched and choked the girl to keep her inside his car, police said.
The girl was treated at Pali Momi Hospital and released.
Store owner arrested for firing warning shots
A 65-year-old Kaneohe man was arrested by police for allegedly firing several warning shots in the air while chasing two men who stole beer last night from his Nanakuli grocery store.The owner of BK Superette at 1680 Farrington Highway was arrested for a firearms offense and reckless endangering in connection with the 7:30 p.m. incident. The thieves had fled the scene.
Police ID card found among stolen property
A police identification card was among the stolen property recovered today after the arrest of two men in a Waikiki hotel room.Police responded to assist Outrigger Village Hotel security, who were detaining an unregistered guest found in a 12th-floor room. Several fake identification cards and stolen credit cards were found in the room.
Police were questioning the Pearl City man, 29, when the registered guest returned to the room. The guest, a 29-year-old Kalihi man, was arrested for firearms violations for being in possession of a 9mm semiautomatic handgun.
The ID card belonging to a police dispatcher was stolen from a car in Kapahulu on Oct. 3.
Big Island man charged with multiple offenses
HILO -- Police have charged a Pahoa man with four offenses in three different incidents.Charles Jacob Medina, 37, was arrested and charged yesterday for burglary and theft at Pahoa Cash and Carry earlier in the day.
He was also charged with robbing a BHP Gas Express station in downtown Hilo Thursday, as well as for assaulting a 43-year-old man on Kapiolani Street Monday. He is being held in lieu of $17,000 bail.
In other news ...
A 72-year-old woman died last Thursday at Queen's Hospital from injuries she suffered in an Oct. 4 one-car accident in Kaimuki.
The woman was a passenger in a car driven by a 77-year-old man which crashed into a rock wall near the 6th Avenue offramp from the H-1 freeway.
The conference, which is expected to become an annual event, is geared to heightening public awareness of crime, its economic impact and how it is treated by the criminal justice system.
The registration fee is $25.
Call 586-1444 for information.
Crime expo to heighten awareness
By Star-Bulletin staff
A daylong conference and exposition on crime prevention will be held Saturday at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel as part of "Crime Prevention Month in Hawaii" activities.The conference, which is expected to become an annual event, is geared to heightening public awareness of crime, its economic impact and how it is treated by the criminal justice system.
Guest speakers include U.S. Attorney Steve Alm, state Attorney General Margery Bronster and Iwalani White, city deputy prosecuting attorney.
The registration fee is now $25 for the forum, organized by the Council of Police and Private Security.
For information, call 586-1444.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.
