Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Tuesday, June 9, 1998

By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
A large brush fire that started yesterday near the H-3 freeway
lookout made its way over Puu Papaa ridge into the Aikahi Park
area last night, coming within 100 yards of Oko Street before
it was contained early this morning.

Fire menaces Aikahi Gardens

By Mary Adamski, Star-Bulletin

Fire scorched several acres of a Kailua hillside last night as residents of Aikahi Gardens subdivision watched from their doorsteps a couple of hundred feet away.

Firefighters from eight Honolulu Fire Department companies sprayed water on dry shrubbery around the perimeter of the 148-unit townhouse development, halting the fire's progress about 200 feet from the nearest homes. No one was evacuated.

The blaze began before 5 p.m. on the slope along the H-3 freeway and crested the Puu Papaa ridge less than an hour later. Darkness ended efforts to drop water from the department helicopter.

Fire crews contained the blaze at 2:30 a.m. today.

Aikahi station firefighters said they will continue to monitor the area.

Brian Walker, manager of Aikahi Gardens, last night said there have been brush fires on the slope in the past and a recent reroofing project took that into account. The original cedar shake roofing has been replaced with asphalt tiles.

"My daughter put our cats in the bathroom and the dog on a leash so we can move them in a hurry if need be," said Sue Myhre.

Sarah Myhre, 15, also watered the rooftop and packed her favorite CDs and photographs while her mother and other residents stood guard at one of the driveways, waving sightseers away.

"There hasn't been a sense of panic," said Jane Campbell, whose first instinct when she arrived home was to put film in the camera. "It looks like a lava flow. I want to show the kids."

Douglas Perry, who watered the roof of his home on the street closest to the slope, said there is a firebreak on the way up the hillside.

"Hopefully some good will come out of this," he said. "Once it's burned off, this won't happen again for a while."

Nancy Cullen, also a veteran of past fires on the slope, predicted the aftermath.

"All the rats and mongoose are going to be coming down looking for a new home."

Governor urges talks on allowing assisted death

Gov. Ben Cayetano today urged public debate to begin on whether Hawaii should decriminalize physician-assisted suicide and physician-assisted death.

Cayetano, who received a final report of the state Blue Ribbon Panel on Living and Dying, said society has a vital interest in protecting life and safeguarding the ability of health-care providers to cure and care for the ill.

On one hand, he said, it is vitally important to individuals to control every moment of their lives up to the final days.

"Keeping this in mind, I plan to consider very carefully the recommendations of the panel in shaping public policy for Hawaii's citizens that respects both life and death," Cayetano said today.

Panel Chairman Hideto Kono said six of the group's eight recommendations were unanimous. The issues surrounding euthanasia, however, will be emotional and impact every individual.

"To take a firm stand on this is not a great political move, and we commend you," Kono said of Cayetano's move to encourage public discussion.

"We believe this needs to be tackled," Kono said.

A public forum with the panel has been set for 9 a.m. June 25 at the state Capitol auditorium.

Waipahu High gets refund for blackout at graduation

Waipahu High School will get a refund check of $660 for the disruption caused to more than 6,000 people during postgraduation ceremonies held at Blaisdell Center Sunday night.

A light fixture ballast in the exhibition hall exploded at about 8:45 p.m., electronically shutting down the lighting system just as 432 graduates were entering.

City Auditoriums Director Alvin Au said an evacuation procedure was put into place with the graduates slowly making their way out of the Ewa and Diamond Head exits of the exhibition hall and back into the adjoining Blaisdell Arena.

A 69-year-old woman reported suffering heat exhaustion. She was hospitalized, treated and released. A police officer on special duty also reported undisclosed injuries during the incident, but apparently his injuries were not anything serious requiring hospitalization, Au said.

The postgraduation festivities that took place in the arena were calm although disorganized, spectators said.

Au said the city will refund the money used to rent out the exhibition hall but not the arena. The school paid the standard $660 nonprofit rental fee for each facility, he said.

Court denies Kahapea supervised release

Ewa Villages suspect Michael Kahapea spent the night in jail, held on $460,000 bail after failing to win supervised release in Circuit Court yesterday.

In a hearing, Renee Yuen, Kahapea's attorney, asked for his release, saying he is not a flight risk and poses no danger to the community. She presented a recommendation for supervised release from the Intake Services Center and asked Kahapea be freed under his sister's supervision.

Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Young sought postponement, arguing that he had not been given at least 48 hours' notice to respond to the request for release.

Acting Circuit Judge Karen Ahn sided with Young and continued the hearing until Friday.

Kahapea is charged with 47 criminal counts and is believed to have been the mastermind behind a deal involving misuse of $5.5 million in the city's failed Ewa Villages Revitalization Project.

Man faces murder trial for infant son's death

A Nanakuli man indicted for murder after his infant son died of a skull fracture is to begin trial the week of July 27.

Eugene Tabag yesterday pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a term of life in prison with parole.

Tabag allegedly said he accidentally dropped his 3-month-old son, Austin, on his head in the bathroom May 31.

An autopsy determined that the infant died of a skull fracture with intercranial injury.

Woman to be tried for welfare fraud

A Kapolei woman was recently charged with first-degree theft in connection with welfare fraud, the attorney general's office announced yesterday.

Rhoda Ann Leilani Ganal, also known as Carrie Ramona Belen, allegedly obtained $83,000 in illegal welfare benefits, according to the attorney general.

Ganal was arraigned and a trial date was set for July 27.

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

---

Police/Fire



By Star-Bulletin staff

3 hunted in robbery, stabbing at Wahiawa

Police are searching for three men who robbed and stabbed a man in Wahiawa last night.

A 25-year-old Wahiawa man was followed by three suspects when he got off the bus at California Street, police said. The trio confronted him and demanded his wallet at Circle Drive and Rose Street at 9:25 p.m. After the man gave up his wallet, the suspects beat him, stabbed him once in the chest and fled, police said.

The man was taken to Wahiawa General Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Police investigate case of abduction and rape

Police are investigating the apparent abduction and rape of a 20-year-old woman who was attending a graduation ceremony at the Neal Blaisdell Center on Sunday.

After the Waipahu High School graduation ceremony, the woman was approached by a man asking for help in starting his car, police said. She was in the driver's seat of the car when she was pushed in and taken to Sand Island State Park, where she was raped at 12:45 a.m. yesterday, police said. The suspect is still at large.

Big Isle police sweep area for marijuana

HILO -- Police seized 10,179 marijuana plants yesterday during an eradication operation in a 40-mile area from Hilo to Hamakua, they said.

There were no arrests.

Reward offered for help in catching 2 suspects

Two men are being sought for questioning in an April 10 robbery and beating at a Kaimuki home.

Police yesterday offered up to $1,000 through CrimeStoppers for information on the whereabouts of Young Woong Yoon, 41, and Won Young Choi, 29.

Three robbers entered the home and beat the male resident with golf clubs when he refused their demand for money, police said.

The incident is also classified as a kidnapping because the beating victim and a woman were held against their will for 90 minutes in the house. They were released after the male victim gave them money.

One man has been arrested in the case.

Calls made to CrimeStoppers 955-8300 are confidential and anonymous.

Efforts to revive ocean swimmer fail

An unidentified man was an apparent drowning victim yesterday in the ocean off Diamond Head.

Roofers working at the Seabreeze apartments at 3065 Kalakaua Ave. saw the swimmer in trouble and signaled to nearby surfers. Surfers brought the man ashore just before 11 a.m. and firefighters from the Waikiki ladder company tried to revive him. He was taken to Straub Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police and firefighters recognized the man as a homeless person often seen in the Kapiolani Park area. Investigators are seeking the identity of the man, described as being in his late 30s.

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