Give Layton some crayons and pencils, and he gets lost in his own world, creating it with colorful fantasies on paper. Family with disabled son
By Pat Gee, Star Bulletin
needs kitchenware
That's how he best expresses himself, how he can let loose with his emotions. But ask him to tell you what he wants or to describe his feelings, and Layton is at a loss for words.
The 10-year-old doesn't communicate like the average person. He's mentally retarded and has other developmental problems. But he's friendly, outgoing and well liked by his peers.
His dad may lose his job anytime now because he's working at a company going through downsizing.
His mom has not been able to keep a job because she can't find someone to care for Layton on a regular basis. She also has to take care of her father, who suffered a heart attack and is in a coma.
The family, which includes another son, now has their own home after sharing a house with a relative for a while. But they are still living out of boxes and could use some dressers to store their clothes. They also need a bed, sofa, clothes, kitchenware and eating utensils.
For Christmas, Layton's brother is hoping for a sleeping bag for camping, and Layton would appreciate art and writing supplies.
If you can help, send a check to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's Good Neighbor Fund, P.O. Box 2019, Aiea 96701. Or you can donate items to the Community Clearing House in Building 914 at the Kapalama Military Reservation on the left of Sand Island Access Road, about a half-mile beyond Kilgo's. Call 845-1669 for information.
Mail call at sea, even under combat conditions, has changed in the Navy as spouses can now keep in touch via the Internet and e-mail. Desert Fox sailors'
spouses praise e-mailSpouses of men serving on the USS Paul Hamilton, the USS Hopper and the USS Fletcher -- three Pearl Harbor-based Navy destroyers involved in Operation Desert Fox -- all praised the use of e-mail, which allows sailors to keep in touch while at sea for as long as six months.
E-mail is a new service, and the three ships only recently got it, Lt. Cmdr. Rod Gibbons, Pearl Harbor public affairs officer, said yesterday.
Messages are sent to a Navy e-mail address and then forwarded to ships via satellite. Gibbons said the service is limited, so friends and relatives shouldn't use it when spouses are trying to keep in contact.
Spouses of several sailors now taking part in the action against Iraq spoke about the service. The Navy requested that their last names not be used because of privacy and terrorism concerns.
Kathleen was excited that she was able to send and receive messages from her husband, who serves on the Paul Hamilton.
She and her husband don't discuss the Iraqi situation, she said.
"It is more like, 'I love you' and 'Send more candy,' " she said. "E-mail has made it a lot easier. We can keep updated daily. Without it a six-month chunk would be gone from each other's lives."
UH bioengineer to leave, planned marine center
Oskar R. Zaborsky is leaving the University of Hawaii after developing plans for a bioengineering program that won a five-year, $12.4 million federal grant.Alex Malahoff, Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory director, has been named to replace Zaborsky as director of the new Center for Marine Bioproducts Engineering.
He and Harvey Blanch, a University of California-Berkeley Chemical Engineering Department chairman, have been the center's associate directors.
Formerly with the National Science Foundation and Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., Zaborsky said last month that he came here with a vision of a marine bioengineering center.
His proposal for a UH center, in partnership with UC-Berkeley, won NSF funding in stiff competition.
It will be one of five national biotechnology research centers.
Zaborsky could not immediately be reached for comment.
Cabbies file class-action suit against Charley's
Thirty-three taxicab drivers yesterday filed a class-action suit against Charley's Taxi, alleging misrepresentations and false inducements.The Circuit Court suit also claims breach of contract, and imposition of excessive fees and other drivers' costs by the company.
It says Charley's ran ads saying drivers can gross $300 a day, but calls that much income a rarity.
A spokeswoman for Charley's Taxi said it has not seen the suit "filed by the small group of dissident drivers."
"But it can say with confidence it has the backing of the vast majority of Charley's drivers," said spokeswoman Lynette Lo Tom.
"The rules and policies the company has (are) for the customers' comfort, safety and service."
She added, "All these drivers are not employees. They're independent contractors."
The firm has more than 400 drivers, and at least 300 are happy with their contracts and able to make a living, Tom said.
Kailua-bound Pali lanes to close intermittently
Kailua-bound Pali Highway lanes between Waokanaka Street and Nuuanu Pali Drive will be closed tomorrow through Wednesday, and Dec. 27-30, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.Honolulu-bound lanes will be contra-flowed during those times to allow for road work.
Motorists are advised to use caution and allow extra travel time.
Ballet Hawaii's Sunday performance of "Nutcracker" is at 2 p.m. A story in Thursday's Do It! section listed a wrong time. CORRECTION
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffPOLICE
Pair threaten taxi driver with knife, flee with cash
Police are searching for two men who robbed a taxicab driver early today.The driver picked up the suspects at the Pagoda Hotel at about 12:30 a.m. and was directed to the University of Hawaii area, police said.
Upon arriving at Hokulani Elementary School at 2940 Kamakihi St., one suspect held a knife to the driver's neck and demanded money, police said.
The two suspects then fled toward the university with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Man reportedly steals, then tries to use counterfeit bills
A 19-year-old man was arrested in Kailua yesterday for allegedly using a counterfeit bill which he stole to purchase food.The man was walking near Uluniu Street when he saw $40 inside a car, police said. He got into the car and reportedly stole the money at 7:58 p.m.
He then went to a restaurant to use the money, police said. But the cashier noticed the ink was running and called police.
The man was booked for first-degree forgery.
Sand Island robbers beat one victim, leave with woman
Police are trying to locate a missing 23-year-old woman who left with six men involved in a Sand Island robbery yesterday.It is unknown if Marissa Pizarro accompanied the suspects willingly or was kidnapped. One of the suspects may be an acquaintance of Pizarro, police said.
The six men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, entered a business establishment on Kaliawa Street at 3:30 a.m. and confronted Pizarro and three men.
The armed man threatened to shoot one victim, 45, who tried to flee. He was chased by the suspects and beaten, police said.
The suspects took a jacket containing cash and fled in a bronze-colored Camero.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers (955-8300) or Detective Kathy Ferreira (529-3382).
Coast Guard copter picks up crewman injured at sea
The Coast Guard yesterday transported an injured crewman from a container ship to Queen's Hospital.An H-65 helicopter from Barbers Point picked up Jimmy P. Querubin, 31, from the merchant vessel Peria Marina.
He suffered an open leg fracture Tuesday when struck by a loose deck plate.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
