Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Thursday, March 5, 1998

Harris wants water board to give refund

Mayor Jeremy Harris says the Honolulu Board of Water Supply should be refunding money to water users instead of holding on to $79 million in unspent funds.

But water officials say the agency has no reserve fund and that the $79 million hasn't been spent only because of project delays.

The disagreement comes on the heels of Harris' announcement to have a newly created Environmental Services Department take over the now semiautonomous water agency and merge it with the Wastewater Department and the Solid Waste Division of the Public Works Department.

The mayor said he's asked Corporation Counsel David Arakawa to look into whether the water agency's retaining of the additional funds violates the City Charter.

The Charter says the water board "may provide for the accumulation of funds for the purpose of financing major replacements, or extensions and additions to the water systems" for 10 years.

The amount, the Charter says, "shall not exceed 15 percent of the gross revenues of the water systems of the department in any fiscal year."

The limit would be $15 million because the agency takes in $100 million a year.

Panel hears racial views about Porteus

Betty Porteus believes the social science building at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus named after her late father-in-law will be renamed but says Stanley D. Porteus was not a racist.

Testifying yesterday before an ad hoc committee reviewing the proposed name change, Mrs. Porteus said it's unfair to judge Stanley Porteus' whole life by what he wrote 72 years ago in "Temperament and Race."

"I think race prejudice is a little like anger," said Betty Porteus, wife of the late state Sen. D. Hebden Porteus.

"You can't blame someone for feeling mad. You blame him for what he does because he is mad.

"Father Porteus didn't live as a racist. He was a good friend to people of all races here and always did what he could do to help them. . . . .

"He didn't write what he did to be derogatory. He was only trying to find out what was true about the races and writing what he found in his testing. I can't say he didn't have any race prejudice but who didn't 70 years ago."

The Associated Students of the University of Hawaii recently passed a resolution calling for the name change.

Man charged in death of girlfriend in Waikiki

Police have charged a man in connection with the strangulation death of his girlfriend, Jolene Shott, 35, whose body was found in her Waikiki apartment last week.

Steven Villa, 43, was charged yesterday with second-degree murder and is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, police said.

Villa turned himself in to authorities Monday night.

He was accompanied by his attorney T.J. Lane.

McCully man booked in rifle killing of dog

Police arrested a 39-year-old McCully man for allegedly firing his rifle and killing a pet dog yesterday.

The suspect entered the yard of a home on Harding Avenue and reportedly started firing rounds at 4:50 a.m., police said. He fired one or two shots in the back of the house and four or five in the front, which killed the dog. He then fled.

Officers spotted the suspect a short while later riding a bicycle on Kapiolani Boulevard and Kaimuki Avenue holding a gun case with a rifle sticking out.

During the arrest, the suspect told an officer, "I have two rounds for you," police said.

He was booked for first-degree reckless endangering, firearms violation, cruelty to animals and second-degree terroristic threatening, police said.

Oahu woman indicted for welfare fraud

Gloria Sansano has been charged with welfare fraud in the acquisition of more than $7,000 in benefits.

The Oahu Grand Jury indicted her for second-degree theft.

She will be arraigned, and a trial date will be set.

Anyone with information on welfare fraud should call the state Department of Human Services Fraud Hotline, 587-8444.

Charities may apply for funds from walk

Charities interested in receiving funds from the May 16 Hawaii Hotel Association Visitor Industry Charity Walk are encouraged to apply.

Applications may be requested by mail or fax to Hawaii Hotel Association, Attn: Tina Yamaki, 2250 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 404-4, Honolulu 96815, fax 924-3843.

Charities should list their name, address, and name and number of a contact person. Completed forms must be received by 4 p.m. May 29 at the association office.

The 1997 Visitor Industry Charity Walk raised more than $700,000 statewide and helped more than 116 Hawaii charities.

More than $10 million has been raised for Hawaii charities since the walk began in 1978.

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

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Police/Fire


By Star-Bulletin staff

Two women arrested in robbery at Waipahu

Police yesterday arrested two women shortly after Territorial Savings & Loan Association's Waipahu branch was robbed.

The suspects, ages 32 and 26, were in a car that was stopped by patrol officers in Waipahu.

The robbery was reported at 2:40 p.m.

Two traffic victims in critical condition

A man and a woman injured in motor vehicle accidents yesterday remained in critical condition at Queen's Hospital this morning.

The man, 20, was a passenger in a two-door sedan that crashed through a guardrail and down a hill on Kunia Road yesterday at 1:44 a.m.

The 67-year-old woman was struck by a pickup truck at South King and Bishop streets at 5:40 a.m.

Cutting torch sparks fire at Pahala mill

Sparks from a cutting torch started a fire during the dismantling of the old Pahala Sugar Mill on the Big Island yesterday.

Firefighters worked nearly an hour and a half to bring the fire under control at 12:53 p.m. It was extinguished at 3:09 p.m.

In other news...

KAILUA-KONA -- Big Island police yesterday charged a 23-year-old South Kohala man with multiple criminal offenses, including first-degree burglary.

Zachary Williams of Kawaihae is being held in lieu of $11,700 bail.

In addition to burglary, he is charged with second-degree theft, third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, promotion of a detrimental drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.

HAMAKUA -- A California man was in critical condition this morning at Queen's Medical Center after falling off a pickup truck on the Big Island.

Frank Liu, 21, of Berkeley was flown to Oahu yesterday for treatment after police received a call about the fall at 5:27 p.m.

WAILUKU -- Pioneer Mill and state conservation workers yesterday battled a fire that burned between 10 and 15 acres of brush land in Kauaula Valley in west Maui.

WAILUKU -- A Maui man was in critical condition this morning at Queen's Medical Center after suffering head injuries in a motorcycle accident yesterday. Alan Aina, 23, of Hana was thrown from his motorcycle at 12:30 p.m.

HILO -- Police yesterday arrested a 49-year-old man in the shooting of a woman Sunday at an apartment complex. The woman was treated and released from Hilo Medical Center.

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