Ship's crew honored for community work
An Aegis guided-missile cruiser based at Pearl Harbor took high honors in the 1998 Navy Community Service of the Year Award program.The USS Chosin won first place in the Project Good Neighbor Flagship Program and an honorable mention in the Personal Excellence Partnership Flagship category.
Chosin crew members visit Makalapa Elementary School twice weekly. They tutor children in reading and math.
Additionally, Chosin sailors do volunteer work aboard the battleship Missouri. They helped prepare the ship for its grand opening in January.
On "Make a Difference Day," Oct. 24, crew members also visited patients at Kaiser Hospital and elderly residents at Hawaii Kai Retirement Community.
Naval Pacific Meteorology Center/Joint Typhoon Warning Center at Pearl Harbor won an honorable mention for its partnership with Moanalua Intermediate School.
Activist to paddle 140 miles for cause
A leading female canoe paddler and marine-life advocate will attempt to break her own world record by paddling solo 140 miles from the Big Island to Waikiki.Donna Kahakui hopes to publicize the need to protect marine life by breaking her previous 72-mile record set last year when she paddled from Maui to Oahu.
Kahakui plans to begin her journey at daybreak Friday from the Big Island's Upolu Point and end it about 36 hours later - between 6 and 8 p.m. April 3 - at Duke Kahanamoku Beach off Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Her ocean crossing will raise funds for Kai Makana, a nonprofit organization formed last year to preserve, perpetuate and heighten awareness of marine wildlife.
Backers include the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Chevron Hawaii, Ocean Club, Starbucks Coffee, Jamba Juice, Aloha Airlines, Kaiwi Paddles and the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
Workers remodeling Social Security office
Honolulu's Social Security office in the Kuhio Federal Building is undergoing renovations from now through April 30.A new computer system is in the works, to link the local office with the national Social Security database. The office remains open, but the remodeling may cause inconvenience in the reception area.
Most Social Security business may be done by telephone. Call 1-800-772-1213 to change an address, schedule an appointment to file for benefits, report a missing check or set up a direct deposit.
Call from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to speak with a representative. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. Social Security information also is available at http://www.ssa.gov.
Hilo High accepting award nominations
HILO - The Hilo High School Foundation is taking nominations for the 1999 Distinguished Alumnus Award.Nominees must have graduated at least 20 years ago and must have shown outstanding accomplishment in a humanitarian, professional, civic, military or athletic area.
Forms may be obtained by calling (808) 959-5702 in the evening. Completed forms must be returned to the school by April 30.
Corrections
In a story yesterday on a proposed increase in the state excise tax, Sen. Brian Taniguchi said, "I didn't want to be part of his (Sen. Sam Slom's) theatrics." The story correctly attributed the remarks to Taniguchi, but a photo caption incorrectly attributed them to Sen. Bob Nakata.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffPolice/Fire
Infant falls to his death from high-rise in Aiea
A 10-month-old boy died after falling from the seventh-floor lanai of an Aiea apartment building yesterday.The baby fell from the Kauhale Street apartment at about 1:07 p.m., police said.
The mother told police that the boy started walking about one month ago.
The mother was in the apartment when her other child told her the baby was outside, according to police.
They said the mother looked outside and saw the infant hanging onto the railing of the lanai before he fell.
The child was taken to Pali Momi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police have found no foul play, and are continuing with the investigation.
400 pounds of netting pulled from sea off Lanai
A Coast Guard cutter today plucked about 400 pounds of nets which were in the ocean about 1-1/2 miles from Kaumalapau Harbor on Lanai.The debris found by the cutter Assateague consisted of 1-inch lines and monofilament netting clumped together.
It was spotted by the crew at about midnight.
The Coast Guard said derelict nets adrift at sea can harm marine life and damage vessels.
The cutter was expected to arrive at its Sand Island home port this afternoon to dispose of the debris.
German tourist fights off attempted backpack theft
HILO - A 51-year-old man from Berlin fought off a younger man who tried to steal his backpack yesterday, police said.The victim was taking photographs near his rental car on the Onomea Scenic Route north of Hilo at about 4 p.m. when he noticed the other man taking his backpack from the car.
When the victim grabbed the backpack, the other man punched and kicked him, then ran to a vehicle without the backpack and drove away.
California man drowns at Waimea Falls Park
A 21-year-old University of California student drowned yesterday at Waimea Falls Park.The man, a native of Northridge, Calif., disappeared after going swimming at the park with some friends at 4:18 p.m., police said.
Rescue divers searched the pond next to the waterfall and found the man at the bottom.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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