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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire service
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 COURTESY OF ANITA BLANCHARD VIA NEW YORK TIMESSen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), left, with friends during their annual basketball competition last Christmas in Hawaii. Obama competed for the Punahou School team as a high school student and played a lot of pickup basketball until his presidential campaign got under way. CLICK FOR LARGE |
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Pearl City seeks site for licensing
The city is looking for a new location for a driver's license station in Pearl City.
The current station, at 1100 Waimano Home Road, will close permanently at the end of the month to make room for renovations to Honolulu Police Department's Pearl City Station, which shares the building.
The renovations are being done to meet federal requirements to separate juvenile detainees from adult detainees.
The last day of business for the Pearl City Driver License Station will be June 29.
People who need road tests or other license services are directed to go to the city's Driver License Main Station at 1199 Dillingham Blvd., Kapolei Station at 1000 Uluohia St., Koolau Station at 47-388 Hui Iwa St., Wahiawa Station at 330 N. Cane St. or Waianae Station at 85-670 Farrington Highway.
Drivers can also get license renewals and duplicates at the satellite city halls at Fort Street Mall, Windward Mall, Hawaii Kai and Pearlridge Center.
Emergency siren was false alarm
Residents of the Olomana area in Kailua reported being awakened by emergency warning sirens at about 4:30 a.m. yesterday.
Oahu Civil Defense spokesman John Cummings III said it was a false alarm. These runaway sirens or bleeping sounds occur every couple of months at one or two of the island's 170-plus sirens.
The false alarms can be caused by an electrical short, a malfunction or other reasons, Cummings said. Civil Defense technicians are checking into the problem and should know the cause in a day or so, he said.
If a warning siren goes off, Civil Defense recommends turning on the radio or TV, and if no warning information is broadcast, call 911 and report it to police.
Police dispatch can issue a cancel tone, Cummings said. If that fails, Civil Defense can dispatch personnel from the nearest fire station to manually shut it off.
Rotor piece at fault in accident
WAILUKU » The failure of a tail rotor control rod was the probable cause of a hard landing by a tour helicopter on Maui, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The pilot and four passengers were not injured in the landing at Kahului Airport on Oct. 14, 2005. The board said an examination found striations typical of a fatigue crack on the tail rotor control rod.
The pilot said in a written statement that the tail rotor control was lost during the tour flight, forcing him to make an emergency landing.
The board said due to the damage, investigators were unable to determine whether the crack would have been visible during the helicopter's last inspection, which took place less than 100 hours prior to the accident.
Coming this weekend in your Star-Bulletin:
Sunday
Today: Penguins hit the waves in "Surf's Up," a "mockumentary" that comes to theaters Friday. Surf champs Kelly Slater and Rob Machado provided wave-riding expertise to bring realism to the animation.
Business: Frank Igno has gone the extra mile to put green features in his Hawaii Kai Peninsula home. The upgrades raised construction costs, but Igno said that they have since paid for themselves. In making his home environmentally friendly, Igno also has hit on one of the hottest trends in residential real estate. Also in business, people on MySpace are running into problems in the workplace.
Travel: Thrill-seekers searching for the new biggest, tallest or fastest roller coaster rush might be slightly disappointed. The 2007 class of coasters at amusement parks across America is not a record-breaker.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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Infant attacked by family dog
A 7-month-old baby boy was hospitalized in serious condition yesterday after being attacked by the family dog in their Aliamanu house.
Police said the dog, a mix of Shar-pei and pit bull, was almost done eating when the baby approached, and the dog turned and bit the baby's face.
The boy received lacerations to his upper lip and cheek, police said. He was taken by ambulance to the Queen's Medical Center in serious condition. The attack occurred at about 3:45 p.m. yesterday at 1136 Puolo Drive.
The dog was taken by Hawaiian Humane Society officers, said police, who added that the animal's fate will be determined by its owner.
The family owns other dogs, but they are kept outside, police said, while the dog that bit the child was kept inside.
EAST OAHU
Couple is sought in series of thefts
Police are looking for a couple suspected in at least six shoplifting incidents that involved distractions at the stores.
The latest theft occurred at about 3:30 p.m. March 18 at the Island Treasures store in Koko Marina Shopping Center.
The man distracted the employee while the woman removed a koa jewelry box and placed it in her shopping bag.
The woman then distracted the employee while the man placed another box in his bag. Both suspects were caught on video. The boxes are worth about $2,200 and $600 each.
CrimeStoppers Coordinator Sgt. Kim Buffett said the pair are suspects in five other similar thefts in jewelry stores in Hawaii Kai. The man is described as in his 40s, 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and a mustache.
The woman is described as in her 30s, weighing about 120 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches tall. Her hair is dirty blond.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
WINDWARD OAHU
Man allegedly hits liquor store owner
Police are looking for a man who allegedly punched a liquor store owner without provocation, and without robbing the store.
At about 10:30 p.m. May 8, a man in his 20s entered the Pali Bottle Shoppe at 660 Kailua Road. Police said the man asked for an item, and when the owner turned around to look for it, he was hit repeatedly in the back.
The owner suffered major cuts and received stitches. The suspect did not take anything from the store, and the owner did not know who he was. The suspect is described as 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, with dark blond hair. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, a dark tank top and surf shorts. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
