MAUI TEACHER REWARDED
GARY KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Maui High School teacher Neill Nakamura, at center, received a $5,000 check yesterday as Wal-Mart's State Teacher of the Year. Nakamura, 34, is an instructor in auto mechanics and auto body repair. The $5,000 goes to the school, as did the $500 he won as the Maui Teacher of the Year. Nakamura will be among educators competing for Wal-Mart's National Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced in early November. Others in the photograph include, from left, school principal Randy Yamanuha, Wal-Mart Kahului co-manager Laurie Fifita, company community relations coordinator Kanani Vaivai and personnel manager Janice Herrick.
HSTA opposes bonds for private schools
A proposed state constitutional amendment that would authorize the state to issue special-purpose revenue bonds to assist not-for-profit private elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities has drawn the ire of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.HSTA President Karen Ginoza said yesterday that if state resources are going to be used, they should benefit the public good.
The amendment would help private educational institutions when the state's public schools, which serve more than 80 percent of Hawaii's children, are struggling with a repair and maintenance backlog that tops $600 million, Ginoza said.
Voters will decide the fate of the proposed amendment during the Nov. 5 general election.
The HSTA represents more than 13,000 public school teachers in Hawaii.
Measure approved for military building
A U.S. House-Senate conference committee has approved a measure containing $257 million for military construction projects in Hawaii."This bill addresses two significant problems facing military service members and their families: the poor conditions of some military housing and the shortage of housing," U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said in a news release issued by his Washington office.
Among other things, the bill contains $49 million for Schofield Barracks, $29 million for Hickam Air Force Base, $24.7 million for the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe and $23.4 million for the Pacific Missile Range Facility. The Hawaii Army National Guard would also get $22.4 million for Phase One of its Administrative Building project.
The Military Construction Appropriations Bill now faces final House and Senate votes before going to the White House.
Gubernatorial debate to air on 5 TV stations
Hawaii Public Television's live debate between the two major candidates for governor will be simultaneously televised on four commercial Honolulu television stations, the public station announced Tuesday.The Oct. 25 one-hour debate between Democrat Mazie Hirono and Republican Linda Lingle will take place at the studios of the public station KHET and broadcast live on that station as well as KHON, KITV, KGMB and KHNL.
"This is an amazing display of teamwork and how the power of television can work for the public good," said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of KHET.
Linda Taira, vice president of station relations at the Public Broadcasting Service, will moderate the debate.
Workshop to cover end-of-life issues
James H. Pietsch -- co-author of "Elder Law Hawaii Handbook" and "Deciding 'What If?'" -- will be featured in a workshop from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 18 at the Kakaako Room, Ward Warehouse.The Alzheimer's Association-Aloha Chapter is sponsoring the event, entitled "Deciding 'What If?' Planning for Incapacity."
Pietsch teaches elder and health law courses at the University of Hawaii law and medical schools and supervises delivery of legal services to older persons at the UH Elder Law Program. He has practiced law in Hawaii for more than two decades.
The workshop will help people become familiar with wills, trusts, powers of attorney and learn how to complete an Advance Health Care Directive to ensure medical, financial and legal decisions are made to meet their personal wishes.
The presentation is free but donations are welcome. To make reservations or obtain more information, call 591-2771.
Waimanalo fair will have Olympic athletes
A free all-day Keiki Asthma Fair will be held Saturday at Waimanalo Elementary and Intermediate School for children with asthma and their families.Tommy Kono, Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting, and Rob Muzzio, Olympic decathlete and asthma educator, will be special guests.
Straub Foundation is sponsoring the fourth annual asthma fair, with fun games, a modified Olympic competition and an awards ceremony to demonstrate "You Can Do It With Asthma."
Call the foundation, 524-6755, to pre-register and reserve a free T-shirt for children ages 6 to 12.
The fair is supported by Friends of Hawaii Charities, Strong Foundation, HMSA Foundation and Castle Medical Center.
Kuakini seminar focuses on obesity
A free seminar on gastric bypass surgery, aimed at saving the lives of morbidly obese people, will be presented from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in Kuakini Medical Center's Hale Pulama Maui auditorium.Dr. Brandt Lapschies, an expert in the field, will give an overview of the procedure and talk about the risks and benefits of gastric bypass surgery as a weight loss option.
More than 1.5 million Americans are morbidly obese, meaning they have a body mass index number of 40 or more and are 100 pounds or more over their ideal weight, according to Kuakini's education services department.
Seating is limited to the first 100 people. Parking will be validated. For more information, call the Kuakini Bariatric Hotline, 547-9007, or 547-9168.
Health care operation gets honorary week
A proclamation declaring Oct. 25-31 Healthcare Facilities Management Week will be presented tomorrow by Mayor Jeremy Harris to the Hawaii Society for Healthcare Engin- eering.The observance is sponsored by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering of the American Hospital Association. It is designed to recognize contributions of health care facilities management to American hospitals.
Donald Wojtkowski, former president of the national society, said, "Health care facilities management is at the core of the health care system." It includes employees from such areas as building and grounds, plant operations, planning, design and construction, safety, security, clinical engineering and various trades.
The Hawaii Society for Healthcare Engineering was formed more than 25 years ago to discuss and implement engineering matters, new regulations, technological changes and other areas of interest to hospital engineers at Hawaii hospitals.
The society has more than 80 regular and associated members, including small businesses and companies that supply products , services or expert information in technical areas.
HPR drive for new members has goal of at least $395,000
Hawaii Public Radio (HPR) will hold its semiannual fall membership drive Wednesday through Oct. 25, asking listeners to pledge financial support to cover the costs of programming for the following six-month period.The campaign's goal has been set at $395,000.
The Atherton Studio for the Performing Arts will become "Pledge Central" for KHPR 88.1 (Oahu), KKUA 90.7 (Maui) and KANO 91.1 (Hilo), classical music and news stations. For the first time, the HPR music library will become "Pledge Central" for KIPO 89.3, the news, conversation and music station.
HPR claims 105,000 regular listeners.
Anyone who wishes to participate in the drive, answering phones or other work, should call Gene Evans at 955-8821.
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[Taking Notice]
Dobelle honored for nurturing 'understanding within diversity'
University of Hawaii President Evan S. Dobelle has received the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award recognizing human rights and nonviolence.Dobelle's wife, Kit, accepted the award on his behalf recently after the Aloha Peace Concert at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Presenting the honor were Lawrence E. Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel of Morehouse College in Atlanta; Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for nonviolence; Michael Nobel, chairman of the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates; and George Takei, trustee chairman for the Japanese American National Museum.
Dobelle was cited for his "outstanding career of leadership as an educator and administrator, in which he has dedicated himself to transcending differences and nurturing understanding within diversity among our fellow citizens."
COURTESY PHOTO
Mayor Jeremy Harris addressed the Honolulu and Hiroshima Rotary clubs recently at a tree-planting ceremony. The event was to mark the 20th anniversary of the clubs being sister clubs.
Sister Rotary clubs mark 20 years of friendship
The Rotary clubs of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima celebrated 20 years of post-World War II friendship and peace with the recent planting of two kou trees in Blaisdell Park.Robert R. Deibler, former district governor of the Hawaii club, said friendship between the clubs began in 1982 with a pact signed by him and the late Seiki Hirotani. For 20 years the Hiroshima Rotarians have planted peace trees on shores of Pearl Harbor during their visits to Hawaii. Hiroshima is also the sister city to Honolulu as well as its sister state.
The most recent planting took place on Sept. 23, with Mayor Jeremy Harris addressing the sister clubs.
|"Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
>> Matson Navigation Co.'s container ship Matsonia left Oakland for Honolulu Tuesday night. A story yesterday said incorrectly that the ship was leaving from Los Angeles. Corrections and clarifications
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Managing Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
CENTRAL OAHU
Police seek gunman who shot man in face
Police are looking for the gunman who shot a 26-year-old man in the face and dropped off the wounded man at the Waialua Fire Station yesterday.The victim was taken to Queen's Medical Center in critical condition but has improved to stable condition.
Police said the victim walked into the fire station about 2 p.m. with a gunshot wound to the left side of his face. Police believe he was shot with a handgun near Kukea Circle in Waialua.
The gunman was described as 27 years old and apparently homeless. He is 6 feet tall, 190 pounds and driving a stolen Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
CRIMESTOPPERS
The suspect in the robbery of the Kaimuki branch of Hawaii National Bank was caught on a surveillance photo.
HONOLULU
Heavyweight robber hits bank in Kaimuki
Police want help identifying the man who robbed the Kaimuki Branch of Hawaii National Bank yesterday.At 1:30 p.m. the robber walked into the bank at 3450 Waialae Ave. and gave a demand note to the teller, stating he was armed, police said.
He was described as 20 to 30 years old, 5-feet-10, about 300 pounds, with heavy build, tan complexion and short black hair.
He was wearing a light blue T-shirt with a tapa design on front, dark-colored shorts and athletic shoes.
Anyone with information may call Detective Derrick Kiyotoki at 529-3055 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
18-year-old charged for alleged sex assault
An 18-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend who said he took her out of school to his apartment and assaulted her.Daisuke Shiga, of Makiki, was charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of third-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. His bail is set at $100,000.
Tip leads to arrest of bank robbery suspect
Honolulu police arrested a suspect yesterday in connection with the robbery of the main branch of Bank of Hawaii on Monday.Police said they arrested the suspect on a probation revocation warrant following a tip to CrimeStoppers.
Father accused of sex assault on his son, 4
Police arrested a 51-year-old Date Street man Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting his 4-year-old son.The man was released pending investigation. No other details were available.
Firefighters kept busy with fires in Kalihi
Firefighters spent more than five hours yesterday battling flare-ups of a brush fire that has burned more than 50 acres of a Kalihi Valley ridge since Sept. 28.Firefighters were called to a part of the ridge near Fort Shafter at about 6:42 a.m.
The Honolulu Fire Department's Air One helicopter assisted, according to Capt. Richard Soo.
WAIKIKI
91-year-old woman dies after 2-story fall
A 91-year-old Waikiki woman died yesterday after she fell from the seventh floor of her apartment building to the pool deck on the fifth floor.Police said it appeared the woman was trying to open a window at Chateau Waikiki, 411 Hobron Lane, at about 10:11 a.m., when she fell. She was taken to Queen's Medical Center in critical condition and died later.
WINDWARD OAHU
Public asked to help ID man who stole dinghy
Honolulu police said an alleged boat thief posed for a picture as he made off with a dinghy he stole from Kaelepulu Pond in Enchanted Lake.
Police said the photo was taken by a witness who saw the man steal the 10-foot white dinghy moored behind a residence at 700 Wanaao Road on Aug. 7 between 10 and 11 p.m.
The thief was described as in his early 20s, 6 feet tall, 250 pounds, with a brown complexion and short, black, wavy hair. He had on gray shorts but no shirt.
Anyone with information may call Detective John McCarthy at 261-6106 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
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[The Courts]
High court declines to settle Felix dispute
The state Supreme Court has declined to settle a federal judge's question on whether the state Attorney General's Office has a conflict of interest in representing various parties involved in the Felix consent decree.In a one-page ruling filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the justices noted that case law provides "clearly controlling precedent" to determine whether under state law, the attorney general should be disqualified from representing any or all of the state parties in the Felix case.
"Obviously, the Supreme Court found it's not a problem," Attorney General Earl Anzai said yesterday.
He noted the high court's decision affirms what they had felt all along. "We were and always have been able to represent different agencies and prosecute employees of those agencies, even those we represent."
The Attorney General's Office represents the governor, Health and Education departments in the Felix lawsuit that resulted in the federal consent decree to improve special-education services to public schools. It also represents the Joint Senate-House Investigative committee which is looking into state spending on Felix compliance and is asking the court to reconsider its order quashing a subpoena issued to Judith Schrag, a member of a panel that advised the state on Felix compliance.
Chief U.S. District Judge David Ezra, who oversees the federal consent decree, sent the question to the Supreme Court because he does not know whether the Attorney General's Office can represent "competing and contrary interests" in the Felix litigation.
Pending the high court's decision, Ezra put on hold a request by Felix plaintiff attorneys to find the state in contempt over the conflict of interest and a request by the investigative committee asking him to reconsider his order quashing a subpoena issued to Schrag.
Felix plaintiff attorneys Eric Seitz and Shelby Floyd could not be reached for comment.
Ewa Beach man faces 30 years for hit-run
A 32-year-old driver of a van that fatally struck a 21-year-old bicyclist in Ewa Beach in March 2001 has pleaded no contest to second-degree negligent homicide.Alfred James Willard, of Ewa Beach, faces a maximum extended term of 30 years' imprisonment when sentenced Jan. 14. But he also could be sentenced to probation.
Prosecutors are expected to ask that he be sent to prison.
Willard was indicted in July for striking Theron Keoki Nicodemus from behind on Fort Weaver Road and fleeing the scene.
State records show Willard was convicted in September 1999 for driving while intoxicated four months earlier. His license was revoked for 90 days, and he was ordered to pay a $150 fine.
