Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
CORRECTION
Friday, Jan. 30, 2003>> A baby who died after being left in a car for six hours on Oct. 13 was found after her mother finished work at the YMCA pool in Kailua, not Kaneohe, as reported in a "Newswatch" item on Page A3 yesterday.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.No charges for woman who left baby in car
The city prosecutor will not pursue charges against the woman who left her 10-month-old baby in her car for six hours on Oct. 13.Anuhea Paet's mother, Susanna Hunt, told police she had forgotten to drop off the baby at the baby sitter's in the morning and did not realize she was in the back of the car.
Hunt found the baby dead after she finished work at 1 p.m. as a physical therapist at the YMCA pool in Kaneohe.
The Medical Examiner's Office found Anuhea died from accidental exposure to high heat.
Prosecutors reviewed the case and found no basis for legal action, calling it a terrible accident, according to Jim Fulton, executive assistant in the prosecutor's office.
Fulton said prosecutors requested the case from the Honolulu Police Department for review and made the decision last month.
Police also concluded there was no basis to charge Hunt.
New Castle Junction contraflow set to open
The state Department of Transportation is advising Windward motorists that a new contraflow lane near Castle Junction will be open early tomorrow morning.Crews have completed a town-bound contraflow lane that will be open between 5:30 and 6:45 a.m. on weekdays, except for state holidays. The contraflow lane will run between Kapaa Quarry Road and Castle Junction.
Transportation officials said the contraflow lane was created to help get morning rush-hour traffic past the six-month Castle Junction emergency landslide project. Several landslides since last year have shut down the right-turn lane onto Kamehameha Highway, causing traffic to back up.
"We're asking everyone to be patient and drive courteous while everyone gets used to the new contraflow route," said state Transportation Director Rod Haraga.
Chief justice appoints 2 District Court judges
William A. Cardwell, a former partner for Cades Schutte Fleming & Wright, was appointed a District Court judge yesterday.Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon also appointed Christine Kuriyama as a judge for District Family Court.
Cardwell received his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974.
Kuriyama was a sole practitioner specializing in civil litigation and was a partner for Fukunaga Matayoshi Hershey Kuriyama & Ching from 1992 to 1994. She graduated from Hastings College of Law in 1974.
Cardwell's and Kuriyama's appointments are subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
Pregnancy and substance use is meeting topic
"Beyond Ice: Hawaii's Response to Pregnancy & Substance Use" will be highlighted at the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii's annual meeting 5 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at Tokai University's ninth-floor auditorium.Dr. Chris Derauf, assistant professor of pediatrics and director of the Pediatric Residency Program at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine, will speak. A panel discussion will follow.
Also on the agenda will be an annual report by coalition Executive Director Nancy Partika, election of officers and board members for 2004-05 and presentation of a 2004 Perinatal Recognition Award to the Molokai Women's Health Center.
The cost is $6 per person for coalition members and $10 per person for nonmembers. To obtain a registration form, contact the coalition by e-mail, nancyp@hmhb-hawaii.org, or regular mail, HMHB, 1500 Beretania St., No. 408, Honolulu, HI 96826.
Kona Hospital to get Radiation Therapy Unit
Kona Community Hospital will break ground Feb. 12 for a long-awaited Radiation Therapy Unit for West Hawaii patients.The hospital expects more than 200 residents in the next year to receive 15 to 40 radiation treatments in the clinic.
Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which operates the Kona Community Hospital, authorized $2.5 million for the $4 million project, and the Kona Hospital Foundation has committed to raising another $1.5 million in contributions.
The groundbreaking ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m. outside the hospital's Imaging Center, is open to residents by calling 322-5801.
Alzheimer's overview, issues to be discussed
A workshop titled "Alzheimer's Diagnosis: What Now?" will be presented from 10 to 11:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Alzheimer's Association Library, Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana, No. D-15.Julie Ellis, program coordinator for the Alzheimer's Association-Aloha Chapter, will provide an overview of the disease and discuss issues to be considered by afflicted persons and families.
Call the association at 591-2771 to make a reservation. The workshop is free but donations are welcome.
Retired UH oceanographer to be honored
Klaus Wyrtki, retired University of Hawaii-Manoa oceanographer, has been honored by the National Academy of Sciences for contributions to science.He will be presented with the Alexander Agassiz Medal and $15,000 prize April 19 in Washington, D.C. The medal is awarded every three years for original contributions in oceanography.
An internationally recognized pioneer in oceanography, Wyrtki did the initial research on the El Nino phenomenon. He was co-founder of the Global Sea Level Observing System and director of the UH Sea Level Center.
Last year, he received the Prince Albert I Medal established by the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Ocean with Prince Rainier of Monaco.
One of the boats in the UH fleet, a 57-foot longline fishing boat used for coastal research, is named for Wyrtki.
He was born in Germany and earned a doctorate in natural sciences from the University of Kiel. He did research at various institutions before joining Scripps in 1961, then UH in 1964. He retired as a professor emeritus in 1993.
Harris to open UH lecture series
Mayor Jeremy Harris will be the inaugural speaker at a Distinguished Leader Dialogue Series sponsored by the new University of Hawaii-Manoa Public Policy Center.Harris will address the topic "Building Sustainable Cities."
A welcome reception is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, with the dialogue scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the UH School of Architecture auditorium.
The UH-Manoa Public Policy Center, part of the College of Social Sciences, aims to educate professionals for careers in public life, conduct nonpartisan research and promote civic involvement.
Additional information is available by contacting Dolores Foley at 956-2780 or by e-mail at dolores@hawaii.edu.
[ TAKING NOTICE ]
HONORS
>> The Hawaii State Bar Association -- Young Lawyers Division has selected Mari McCaig as the 2003 recipient of the Liberty Bell Award, given annually to honor a nonlawyer who has made an outstanding contribution to the community. She has been a Victim Witness Advocate with the city Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for 15 years. She is currently coordinator of the Visitor Assistance Program, which helps visitors on Oahu who become victims of crime.>> Michael Chauvin, a historian of science and University of Hawaii educator, has accepted an appointment in Washington, D.C., as a resident scholar at the Smithsonian Institution. He will be engaged in research on a project entitled "Before Mauna Kea: Astronomy in Hawaii in the 19th Century."
>> Mamele Peterson, of Ewa Beach, is the children's division winner in the 2003 national Graceful Envelope Contest, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers, in recognition of the art of calligraphy and role of letters in binding people together.
>> The Fourth Annual Keauhou Resort Kona Coffee and Label Competition has awarded $3,000 in cash prizes to the winners of its label design contest and Web site competition during the 33rd annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival:
Label winners include Sundra Coffee, designer Chad Asuncion, first place; Long Mountain Coffee, (no designer listed) second; Kona Coffee & Tea Co., designer Paul Maddox, third; Makahiki Farms, designers Karen Spachner and Nancy Sechrist, Sponsors Award;
Web site winners were konapremium.com, owners Dave and Annie Knight, first place; makahikifarms.com, owners Jonathan and Nancy Sechrist; and konamountaincoffee.com, owner Andy Ruiz, tied for second; konacoffee.com (Baba's Beans), owner Cathy Artuckovich, third; haoleboycoffee.com, owners Jim and Julie Mortensen; and coffeeofkona.com (Lion's Gate), owner Diane Shriner, tied for the Sponsors Award.
"Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Listings also appear online at www.starbulletin.com. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffLEEWARD OAHU
Waianae man accused of pulling knife on pal A 23-year-old Waianae man was arrested after he threatened a friend with a knife at Makaha Beach Park last night, police said.
The man and a group of friends were drinking at the park at 84-039 Farrington Highway, when the suspect allegedly "took a swing" at one of his friends, pulled out a knife and swung at him again.
The victim, a 24-year-old Waianae man, went home and reported the incident.
Police arrested the suspect at his home for first-degree terroristic threatening.
Fire at auto business considered suspicious
Fire investigators consider yesterday's blaze at an auto recycling yard at the Pearl City Industrial Park suspicious.Investigators suspect arson because the shed has no ignition sources inside and no electrical wiring leading to or in the building, police said.
Police said a security guard at the nearby National Guard armory saw fire and smoke coming from a metal shed on the property of Abe's Auto Recyclers Inc. at about 4 a.m.
The fire gutted a two-story building used for storage and other areas where tires and other items were stored.
Police have classified the fire as a criminal property damage case. No damage estimate was available this morning.
HONOLULU
Suspects beat men, then steal their car Police are looking for three suspects who allegedly threatened and beat two men and then took their car yesterday.
Police said the incident took place on Date Street at 2:15 a.m. The suspects were described as two men in their 20s and a woman in her 30s.
Police said the suspects pulled up to the victims' car and said something to them. One of the victims, a 22-year-old male, said he thought the suspects were friends and got out of the car to approach them.
Police said the victim ran away after one of the male suspects pulled a dark handgun and pointed it at him. A second male suspect approached the second victim and punched him in the jaw and then jumped in the victim's car and drove off.
The other two suspects also fled the scene in their vehicle. Police are investigating the case as a first-degree robbery.
WINDWARD OAHU
Squatter assaults apartment manager A man staying in a vacant apartment assaulted an apartment manager in Kahaluu who went to investigate a complaint, police said.
Police arrested a 27-year-old man yesterday for the alleged assault at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Police said the 55-year-old manager of a building on Pulama Road went to inspect a vacant apartment and found one of the bedroom doors locked.
The manager identified himself and said he didn't want any trouble, and backed out of the apartment after the suspect came out and began yelling at the manager, police said. The suspect then allegedly kicked, punched and slapped the victim before fleeing.
The victim was taken to Queen's Medical Center where he is awaiting oral surgery for broken teeth and a fractured jaw, police said.
District 4 Crime Reduction Unit officers arrested the suspect for second-degree assault.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
