Suspects plead not guilty in attack at Kauai camp
LIHUE >> Two Kauai men charged with first-degree attempted murder in the May 26 attack on a group of gay campers at Polihale State Park have pleaded not guilty at their arraignment in Kauai Circuit Court.Trial for Orion Macomber, 19, and Eamonn Carolan, 18, was set for Sept. 12 by Judge Clifford Nakea. The two remain in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
Macomber and Carolan are accused of going on a rampage before dawn, setting one tent on fire, pushing a tiki torch over on another and trying to run down several men with their car. They were arrested shortly afterward at a nearby campground.
No one was injured in the attack on the camp.
2 Maui High students fourth in auto contest
The recent statewide teachers strike put a dent in the competitive plans of two Maui High School students, but they overcame adversity this weekend to place fourth in a national high school auto-repair contest.The teachers strike had canceled a local competition leading up to the national championship in Washington, D.C., where Hawaii representatives Karl Espinda and Robert Bonnes went head to head against the top 100 student auto technicians from each state.
The high-schoolers had to diagnose and repair a 2001 model of the Ford Focus "bugged" with identical defects. Problems ranged from faulty wiring to malfunctioning computer electronics.
Espinda and Bonnes, 18-year-old teammates, made the repairs in 61 minutes, said their instructor Dennis Ishii.
"The Hawaii students didn't get a hands-on contest back home, so it's great that we made the top five," Ishii said.
>> Pauahi Nahoe, Ginger Royal, Ronda Rapozo, Betty Akau and Ululani Makue have been awarded scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 by the Windward Branch of the American Association of University Women. Nahoe and Akau are students at Honolulu Community College. Royal and Makue are students at UH-Manoa. Rapozo attends UH-West Oahu. [Taking Notice]
>> Anthony "Tony" Ramos has been named the 2001 MetLife/National Association of Secondary School Principals Hawaii High School Principal of the Year by the Hawaii Association of Secondary School Administrators.
Ramos, Kamehameha Secondary School principal, is the first private school principal in Hawaii to receive the award. He will represent the state during a conference scheduled for the award winners Oct. 6-9 in Washington, D.C. Ramos will also be a candidate for the 2002 National High School Principal of the Year award.
>> Duke's Waikiki has named Miles Ono, Mathew Miller and Kerry Atwood its Lifeguards of the Month for January, February and March, respectively. The three men's names were added to a koa canoe paddle hanging at Duke's to commemorate the recognition. They were also presented with plaques from the restaurant.
>> Kawika A. Mortenson, Amy N. Congdon, Kalikolehua K. Hurley and Nicole Shishido were presented with awards from the Hawaii Dental Association for their work in the recent 44th Annual Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair. Mortenson, Hurley and Shishido are students at Kamehameha Secondary School. Congdon attends St. Andrew's Priory.
>> The University of Hawaii's College of Business Administration has been awarded a $63,000 renewable grant from the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The money will be used by the CBA to establish the Kauffman Entrepreneurial Internship Program to support the college's new Center for Entrepreneurship and E-Business.
>> Jillian Inouye has been awarded the Anna M. Shannon Mentorship Award from the Western Institute of Nursing. She was recognized for her exemplary mentorship of nurses and nursing students. Inouye, a professor at the UH School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, was presented the award during the WIN annual meeting in April.
>> Jill M. Hattemer has been awarded the 2001 Thomas J. Watson Memorial Scholarship by IBM. The scholarship recognizes academic excellence among eligible children of IBM employees. IBM presented scholarships to 350 students this year.
Do you have items about Hawaii residents earning academic or professional honors, or winning scholarships, awards or elections to professional or civic groups? Please send them in writing for "Taking Notice" to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Publisher and Editor in Chief John Flanagan at 529-4748 or email him at jflanagan@starbulletin.com. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
HONOLULU
Charges filed in stabbing of McCully man, 83
Honolulu police have charged a 44-year-old man with attempted murder, assault and terroristic threatening after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend's grandfather in the neck. Brian Purugganan is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail after police arrested him Sunday afternoon.The incident happened before 2:26 p.m. on McCully Street where police said the 83-year-old victim was attempting to break up an argument between his granddaughter and Purugganan when Purugganan stabbed him. Purugganan is also charged with threatening his girlfriend with a knife.
Woman arrested after razor attack on husband
Police arrested a 39-year-old Pearl City woman after she allegedly attacked her husband with a razor blade.Police said the woman attempted to commit suicide and cut her left wrist with a razor about 9:30 last night. When her 41-year-old husband intervened she slashed him with the razor.
The husband drove both of them from their Akaikai Loop home to Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi for treatment. Hospital officials called police, who arrested the woman after both were treated and released.
Getting gun from stolen vehicle not a good idea
Two men were arrested early yesterday after one of them told a police officer he had a loaded weapon in a stolen vehicle the officer had just seized.Police said the officer noticed the stolen sport utility vehicle while responding to a complaint at an apartment complex at 1551 Kalakaua Ave. about 1:30 a.m. yesterday. The officer arrested a 39-year-old homeless man who entered the vehicle. When a resident of the apartment complex, 30, told the officer he had a loaded weapon inside the vehicle and asked for permission to remove it, the officer arrested both men for firearm violations.
Second suspect arrested in home invasion robbery
Honolulu police have arrested a second man believed to have been involved in a Kapahulu home invasion robbery last month. The first suspect, Edward Diaz, 23, was charged Monday with burglary and theft in the case.The second suspect, a 29-year-old male, was arrested yesterday for robbery. Police are still looking for the other two men.
The suspects allegedly broke into a Herbert Street residence punched a 34-year-old man in the face and pushed him off his second-floor lanai as he tried to keep them from stealing his surfboard.
LEEWARD OAHU
Makaha structure fire appears intentionally set
Fire investigators said a fire at a Hawaiian hale in Makaha appears to have been intentionally set. The fire was reported at 6:38 p.m. Monday and caused $23,000 in damage to the structure.A police investigator determined that the fire was set with an incendiary device on the makai side of the hale.
WAIKIKI
One pet dies, 2 missing after fire in apartment
One pet was killed and two others reported missing after an apartment fire yesterday in Waikiki. The fire was reported at 5:39 p.m. at 1819 Lipeepee St., Unit R.Fire Capt. Richard Soo said the fire gutted the bedroom of the third-story apartment and caused $60,000 damage to the structure and contents.
The 25-year-old female occupant of the apartment was not home at the time but her pets, a dog and five cats, were in the unit.
Soo said one cat died, while two others were not found. The dog and the other two cats were OK, Soo said.
