Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Friday, July 31, 1998

Kamehameha grad to sing lead at Met Keith Ikaia-Purdy, a renowned tenor, will star in Massenet's 'Werther' By Kekoa Catherine Enomoto Star-Bulletin Keith Ikaia-Purdy, tenor with the Vienna State Opera and former Kamehameha Schools student, will perform the lead role in the opera "Werther" at the New York Metropolitan Opera. "This is really special," said Henry Akina, general and artistic director of Hawaii Opera Theatre. "It shows Hawaii well in the world." Ikaia-Purdy, a 1975 graduate of Kamehameha, where he served as Hawaii State Thespian vice president of the International Thespian Society, reportedly was in Europe when HOT announced today his Met date. HOT released Ikaia-Purdy from its own January season opener, "A Masked Ball." The latter production would have been Ikaia-Purdy's first full-length opera performance in Hawaii. "To have Hawaii represented at the Met is very special," Akina said, "so we needed to release him. And he very generously offered to perform a benefit concert on April 18" for HOT in Hawaii. In April, Ikaia-Purdy sang four Hawaiian songs from the monarchy period in the world premiere of the opera concert "Liebe und Aloha" in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Lawyer says man meant to scare, not kill, wife

James C. Kendrick knew his 21-year-old wife, a student and a stripper, had other men in her life and was afraid he would lose her.

The 47-year-old man may have intended to threaten and intimidate her when he cocked a loaded gun inches from her head on Nov. 4, 1995, his attorney says.

But he didn't intend to kill her and maintains that the bullet that tore through her brain was accidentally discharged when she grabbed the gun, attorney Myles Breiner said yesterday during his opening statement at Kendrick's murder trial.

Breiner said Kendrick, who had married Hulejova in part to enable her to remain in the United States, was under extreme emotional distress, a condition for the lesser charge of manslaughter.

But Deputy Prosecutor Randy Oyama said Kendrick changed his story of the incident several times, first telling police that a gun "just went off" during an argument.

Man given life term for role in gang fight killing

A man convicted of murder after a gang brawl near the former Groove nightclub may be on the road to rehabilitation, but still should serve up to 30 years of his life sentence, a prosecutor says.

Enele Ili, 20, yesterday received a mandatory life term with parole for his role in causing the death of Tafiele "Moose" Mika in Iwilei on Oct. 5, 1996.

Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata said Ili threw a coconut-size rock at the back of Mika's head when Mika was lying face-down during a fight between rival gangs from Mayor Wright Housing and Kuhio Park Terrace. Mika, 22, lived at the latter.

Takata said he would ask the parole board to set a minimum term of 25 to 30 years. But he also said Ili, a former McKinley High School senior, had earned the equivalent of a high school degree while in prison.

"I think he can be rehabilitated and be a contributing member of society," he said.

Census Bureau offers five temporary jobs

Five temporary jobs will be available in Hawaii as the Census Bureau gears up for Census Day, April 1, 2000.

The positions offer limited, full-time employment through the summer of 2000, according to U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Patsy Mink.

They include a local census office manager; assistant manager for field operations; assistant manager for administration, recruiting; administrative assistant; and a community partnership specialist.

Regional offices also will need part-time workers who are familiar with their neighborhoods to ensure homes and residences are not missed during the count.

For further information, call 1-888-325-7733 or visit the U.S. Census Web site at http://www.census.gov/rolax/www/job.html or email la.regional.office@ccmail.census.gov.

Fees rising for divorce, marriage documents

The costs of tying the knot or breaking up will be more expensive, effective Sept. 1.

As a result of a bill passed during the last legislative session, the marriage license fee will increase from $25 to $50, making it consistent with fees charged by other states.

And the cost of obtaining a certified divorce certificate will increase from $2 to $10 for the first copy. The cost for ordering an additional copy at the same time will increase from $2 to $4.

Couples who want to take advantage of the lower marriage license fees are reminded that the license is only valid for 30 days after issuance.

Marriage licenses can be obtained at the Department of Health's downtown office at 1250 Punchbowl St. between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Licenses also can be obtained by calling the Health Department in Honolulu at 586-4545 or neighbor island district health offices.

The department issues about 20,000 marriage licenses a year, with over half issued to couples from out of state.

30 girls to attend economic summit

Thirty students in grades 7 and 8 have been chosen to participate in the first annual Economic Summit for Girls on Aug. 3-7 at Sacred Hearts Academy.

The summit is sponsored by the academy in collaboration with the Hawaii Council on Economic Education at the University of Hawaii.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Men with knife demand money at gas station

Police are searching for two men who attempted to rob a Windward gas station yesterday morning.

At about 8 a.m., two men brandished a knife and demanded money from the attendant at the Aloha Gas Express at 45-1151 Kamehameha Highway, police said. The suspects ran away when a customer entered the store.

Gun left on lap brings napper a police wake-up

Police yesterday arrested a 39-year-old man after he was allegedly found sleeping in his car with a loaded handgun on his lap.

An officer observed the man, who has no address, sleeping in a 1987 Toyota Celica at Aala and North Kukui streets at 2:44 a.m., police said. The officer saw a handgun on his lap and called for backup.

Patient reports assault at X-ray examination

A Waipahu X-ray technician was arrested Wednesday after a woman reported being sexually assaulted during an X-ray examination.

The woman, 30, went to the X-ray lab to take photos of her knee, police said. During the examination, the man, 43, reportedly touched and fondled her.

He was booked for first-degree sexual assault and later released.

Generous bar patron offered counterfeit $20

A 35-year-old Waipahu man who tried to pay for a round of drinks using a counterfeit $20 bill didn't get very far.

Police yesterday arrested him at Club Y-mi in Aiea after the bartender noted discrepancies on the bill. The man had paid for drinks earlier with a real $20 bill.

This is the third counterfeit case in the last three weeks. Last week, police arrested two Schofield Barracks soldiers in Waikiki after they allegedly tried to pass counterfeit bills at the Signature Theater. The week before, a 17-year-old boy tried to pass a fake $20 bill at the International Marketplace.

Big Island boy injured in bicycle-auto crash

HILO -- A 6-year-old Big Island boy is in critical condition at Kapiolani Hospital after riding his bicycle into a station wagon yesterday, police said.

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