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The Marine Corps Reserve, local businesses and charitable groups will launch the annual Toys for Tots campaign Sunday. Toys for Tots starts
holiday campaignThe program provides Christmas toys for Hawaii's economically disadvantaged children.
The public is invited to donate new, unwrapped toys for newborns to 17-year-olds.
The toys will be collected statewide through Dec. 22.
They may be dropped off at Longs Drug Stores, Subway Sandwiches, NAPA dealerships and the Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee Co. corporate office. Or at the Toys for Tots kickoff at Ala Moana Centerstage from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 25. Local celebrities and entertainers will perform at the event.
The toys will go to underprivileged, homeless, physically disabled and foster children.
Families may apply for toys at Salvation Army Corps Community Centers or any social service provider.
Applications are accepted weekdays from October 30 through November 10, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The following are Salvation Army locations on Oahu:
Honolulu, 296 N. Vineyard Blvd., 521-6551
Kunia H-1 lane closed 3 to 8 a.m. tomorrow
The right shoulder lane of the H-1 freeway Honolulu-bound from the Kunia interchange on-ramp to the Waikele offramp will be closed from 3 to 8 a.m. tomorrow for traffic counts. The state advises motorists to use caution while driving along the route and to allow for extra travel time.
Runway closures mean noisier Kalihi, Ewa
The sound of aircraft engines will be noisier than usual in Oahu skies from midnight to 7 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Nov. 20-21 because of runway closures at Honolulu Airport. Some runways are being closed for restriping.Kalihi residents will experience noisier skies Wednesday and Thursday, and Ewa Beach residents will hear louder sounds Nov. 20-21.
Windward blood drive draws record 307 pints
The state's largest blood drive drew 307 pints Saturday. The total matched the record for pints collected in a single day, set in 1999.The 10th Annual Windward Community Blood Drive was held in Kaneohe at Benjamin Parker Elementary School in Kaneohe. Last year, the Windward drive set the record.
"This blood drive is extremely important because it leads right into the holiday season," said Dr. Robyn Yim, Blood Bank of Hawaii president and medical director.
"Recruiting blood donors in November through the end of January is usually a greater challenge than any other time of the year because people get so busy with shopping and other holiday activities."
For information on donating blood, call 845-9966 (neighbor islands 1-800-372-9966) or go to www.bbh.org.
Free class offered on starting a business
A free class on starting a business will be offered at the Waimanalo Library, beginning tomorrow and running through Dec. 14.The course will cover selecting the right business, marketing a product or service, accounting, licensing, paying taxes and writing a business plan. Participants will also be taught how to find financing and will be given information about a loan program that can help people with poor credit history.
The class, part of the Waimanalo Community Development Corp.'s Microenterprise Assistance Program, will meet Nov. 14, 16 and 20 and Dec. 5, 12 and 14 from 6 to 8 p.m.
For more information, contact Gregory Field at 259-9558.
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Shooting victim critical in gambling debt case
A 28-year-old man, shot last night in Ewa Beach over a gambling debt, is listed in critical condition at Queen's Medical Center, police said.The man walked into St. Francis Medical Center-West at about 9:30 p.m. with two gunshot wounds. He later was transferred to Queen's.
Police are not releasing details about the shooting, but the case is being investigated as a first-degree assault rather than an attempted murder, which is a reflection of "intent to kill," police said.
The injured man is not cooperating with investigators, police said.
Felony charges pending in threat to police
Multiple felony charges are pending against a 19-year-old man who allegedly tried to run down two police officers yesterday in a stolen car.The suspect suffered injuries when he struck his head on the windshield, police said. No other injuries were reported.
The police officers responded to a call for assistance at Waikele Center security at 10:30 a.m. after a witness saw the suspect in a friend's car.
While attempting to flee, the suspect drove the car over a curb and struck a wall. He then allegedly reversed the car toward the officers and struck one of the police vehicles.
He was arrested after a brief struggle, police said.
He was arrested for two counts of attempted murder on the officers, auto theft and first-degree criminal property damage.
A total of three vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Armed man hunted in Hilo robberies, rape
HILO -- Police are seeking an armed man who robbed two victims and raped one of them Saturday morning, they said.Just before 5 a.m., a 32-year-old man reported that another man robbed him at gunpoint at a house on Olona Street near the University of Hawaii-Hilo.
Three hours later, a woman in the same area said a man of a similar description, claiming to be a policeman, forced his way into her house, threatened her with a gun, sexually assaulted her and fled with her money.
Big Islander injured by hit-and-run driver
HILO -- Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who seriously injured a man on Palai Street on the south side of Hilo Saturday evening.The victim was found at about 6:45 p.m. and taken to Hilo Hospital in critical condition, police said.
The vehicle involved in the hit-and-run was described as a 1984-1987 tan Toyota flatbed pickup truck with wooden sides and damage to the left headlight area.
The driver was reported to be in his 40s, with blond or brown hair and bearded.
Girlfriend kept captive; Kailua man charged
Police have charged a Kailua man for allegedly holding his former girlfriend captive for about seven hours earlier this month.Ricky Cabral of Manono Street, charged with kidnapping, is being held on $25,000 bail. The alleged offense occurred between Nov. 2-3 from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Intruder confronts occupant of house
KAPAAU, Hawaii -- A man in his late teens or early 20s entered an Ainakea subdivision home in North Kohala at about noon Saturday and confronted an occupant of the house, then left without taking anything, police said.The suspect had a light complexion and wore baggy pants, they said.
Neighbors douse fire in Big Isle neighborhood
Neighbors put out a fire that caused $18,000 damage to a Big Island house Saturday morning.When firefighters arrived, the patio extension of the house at 152033 Third Ave. in Hawaii Paradise Park was smoldering.
No one was home at the time.
