Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Army to detonate bomb at Makua on Tuesday
The U.S. Army will detonate a 1,000-pound bomb and two other pieces of ordnance Tuesday in Makua Valley.A similar 1,000-pound World War II bomb was detonated in the valley in 1998. It was lodged on the valley's north ridge, about 1,155 feet above the Ukanipo Heiau.
Farrington Highway fronting the military reservation will be closed from 6 to 8 a.m. during the ordnance disposal.
Light winds force delay of voyage by Hokule'a
The Polynesian Voyaging Society's sailing canoe Hokule'a has postponed its launch for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands from today until at least tomorrow because of light winds, crew member Ka'iulani Murphy said yesterday.The canoe's planned trip to Kure Atoll and back over the next two months will involve two 12-person crews -- one for each leg of the journey.
Crew members will communicate regularly with 70 Hawaii classrooms as part of Navigating Change, a cooperative project among many educational and scientific organizations to encourage people to improve environmental conditions, especially for coral reefs.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society will post daily updates on its Web site, at www.pvs-hawaii.com/voyages/voyaging_03_nwhi_reports.php.
Benefit for nisei vets to feature Ariyoshi
WAILUKU » Former Gov. George Ariyoshi will be the keynote speaker today at the fund-raising dinner for the planned Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Maui.The benefit dinner will be held at the Grand Waikapu Country Club, with no-host cocktails starting at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person.
The center will honor nisei soldiers who served in the U.S. military during World War II despite racial discrimination and the incarceration of many Japanese-American families in internment camps.
The center will include a preschool and adult day-care center. Center board president Hiroshi Arisumi said the group anticipates receiving a building permit in early summer to begin construction of the preschool building and eventually hopes to raise the balance of money to develop an adult day-care facility.
As World War II drew to a close, Ariyoshi served as an interpreter with the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Service in Japan. He was the first Japanese American to be elected governor in the United States; he served three terms as Hawaii governor, ending in 1986.
For more information, contact the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center office at 808-244-6862.
[ TAKING NOTICE ]
» Hawaii Baptist Academy science teacher Tina Mueller has been picked as one of 10 teachers nationally to participate in an earth science education workshop at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., in July.
» Eight University of Hawaii at Manoa faculty and two doctoral students will participate in the UH-Peking University Exchange Program in Beijing this summer or in spring 2005.
They are Roger Ames, a professor of philosophy; Ronald Brown, director of the Center for Chinese Studies; Shana Brown, an assistant professor of history; Sen-dou Chang, a professor of geography; Chung-ying Cheng, a professor of philosophy; Eric Harwit, an associate professor of Asian studies; Margaret Lee, a clinical professor of surgery; Giovanni Vitiello, an associate professor of Chinese Eastern-Asian language and literature; Xing Fan, a theater major; and Andrew Lambert, a philosophy major.
» Jaw-Kai Wang, a professor of bioengineering and aquaculture at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has been appointed to a three-year term on the state Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources. A registered professional engineer, Wang has made significant contributions to the design of marine aquacultural production systems and effluent management.
» Winners of the 2004 HiTech Quest Junior Competition at the Road Runner Technology & Internet Expo include Kawananakoa Middle School, first place, $500; Enchanted Lake Elementary, second place, $300; and La Pietra School for Girls, third place, $100.
In the "Using Technology to Problem Solve" division, the Kamehameha Schools' Makoa Jacobsen and Peter Thourson won first place, $1,000; Kalani High School's Paul Ching, Zach Felipe and Marc Thompson placed second, $500; and Campbell High School's Alex Boatright placed third, $250.
In the "Using Technology to Communicate" division, Waianae High's Liberty Peralta won first, $1,000; Waianae's Holly Stephens placed second, $500; and La Pietra's Catherine Ly placed third, $250.
The Board of Directors Awards went to Waialua Elementary, $500; and Kalani's Royce Arai, Tony Fujii and Peter Wang, $500.
» Sonya Yuri Kuki, of Hilo High School, and Blair Suddath Masato Suzuki, of Campbell High, served as delegates to the 42nd Annual United States Senate youth program to inspire future leaders.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Big Island police located and arrested a fugitive from court who was hiding out at in a Puna neighborhood yesterday.
Big Isle police nab fugitive from courtPolice said a man fitting the description of the suspect, identified as Ronald J. Soares, had caused a disturbance on the Pahoa High School campus, then left, crossing the street and entering the property of a nearby residence. Police searched the area and found Soares hiding in some bushes in a back yard.
Police had been looking for Soares since his escape Monday from a resentencing hearing in Circuit Judge Terence Yoshioka's courtroom. Soares was seen leaving the Hamakua entrance of the state building on Aupuni Street at about 9:30 a.m. and escaping on foot. He is currently being held at the Hilo police cellblock.
[ THE COURTS ]
Aki jurors to resume deliberations Monday
Jurors in the Christopher Aki murder trial went home yesterday without reaching a verdict after two days of deliberations.The jury was handed the case late Wednesday.
Aki, 21, is accused of second-degree murder in the death of 11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal, the younger half sister of his longtime girlfriend.
The Aiea Elementary sixth-grader disappeared Dec. 10, 2002, from the Puuwai Momi housing complex in Halawa where she lived. Her body was found three days later at the Keaiwa Heiau State Park in Aiea.
The jury is expected to resume deliberations Monday.
Man pleads not guilty to firearm charges
A 42-year-old man pleaded not guilty to federal firearm charges involving a gun that is believed to have been used in the March 2003 shooting of police officer Glen Gaspar.Darren Nakahara entered his plea in U.S. District Court yesterday.
The government is expected to ask that Nakahara be held without bail because he is a danger to the community and a flight risk, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Silverberg. Federal public defender Peter Wolff could not be reached for comment.
Nakahara was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm and using a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime. He allegedly traded the gun to Shane Mark for drugs.
Mark was convicted of second-degree murder last year in Circuit Court for fatally shooting Gaspar at the Kapolei Baskin-Robbins. Gaspar was among a group of undercover officers who were looking to arrest Mark in connection with an earlier shooting in Moanalua.
City prosecutors alleged that the gun used to shoot Gaspar was the same gun used in the Moanalua shooting.
According to state court records, Nakahara told police he sold the gun to Mark for $100 and about a quarter-gram of methamphetamine in late 2002. He told police he had no idea how Mark intended to use the gun. Mark is awaiting trial June 7 on an attempted-murder charge for trying to kill another police officer who was with Gaspar.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
