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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Hulihee Palace to close for fixes
KAILUA-KONA » Hulihee Palace will be temporarily closed to the public in mid-October as work starts to repair earthquake damage.
Fanny Au Hoy, palace administrator, said the palace's remaining artifacts will be removed, cataloged and put into storage.
"We hope construction can begin end of October," she said. "Repairs are scheduled to take eight to 12 months."
The palace's adjacent Kuakini Building -- which houses the palace gift shop, temporary office, kitchen and restrooms -- also will be repaired and might need to be temporarily closed. During construction the palace grounds will still be available for private special events.
Hulihee Palace suffered an estimated $1.5 million in damage during the Oct. 15 earthquakes.
Huge cracks split the stone walls, molding fell from the ceilings and the roof was knocked askew, but only a few of the artifacts were damaged.
In addition to private donations, funds to help repair the national historic landmark were approved by the Legislature. The Department of Land and Natural Resources is securing bids for the work.
A Hulihee Restoration Fund has been set up, and tax-deductible donations still are being accepted.
The palace reopened to the public after the earthquakes when it was found to be structurally sound.
Built in 1838, Hulihee Palace is managed by the nonprofit Daughters of Hawaii and its auxiliary group, the Calabash Cousins. Founded in 1903, the Daughters of Hawaii opens its membership to any woman who is directly descended from a person who lived in Hawaii before 1880.
ASSOCIATED PRESS / U.S. AIR FORCE
U.S. Air Force Gen. Paul V. Hester signs a guest book as Chinese Maj. Gen. Zhong Wanfu looks on at the People's Liberation Army Air Force Command College in Beijing. |
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General optimistic about China
The top U.S. Air Force general in the Pacific said yesterday his recent trip to China marked a step forward in openness between the two military powers.
But he said many questions about Beijing's military remain unanswered, including how China plans to use its rapidly growing and modernizing force.
Gen. Paul V. Hester, the Pacific Air Forces commander, told reporters during a conference call that he visited two military bases during his late July trip, including one called Jining that no American commander had ever been to before.
He saw the Su-27, a Russian-made supersonic jet fighter, while there and met the aircraft's flight and maintenance crews.
Hester said this showed progress compared with previous U.S. military visits, noting Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was only able to see an Su-27 that was kept at a nonoperational Chinese base.
Hester's staff specifically asked that he be allowed to see advanced planes in their normal operating environment, and China accommodated the request, he said.
Hester also met China's air force chief in Beijing and visited the Chinese air force's command college where he took questions from a group of about 30 officers.
The four-star general said he was pleased with the access afforded him during his trip.
"The question is, Is it progressing?" Hester asked. "Absolutely."
UH school to host asbestos talk
Preventive and diagnostic approaches for cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities associated with asbestos exposure will be discussed tomorrow at an international meeting at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
Dr. Michele Carbone, professor of pathology and director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, has organized the program.
Carbone is one of the leading physicians and researchers on malignant mesothelioma, cancer of the membranes that surround the lungs. His research team has received more than half of National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute research funds for work on mesothelioma and asbestos.
Leaders of the Early Detection Research Network of the National Cancer Institute and Environmental Protection Agency will attend the meeting at the Kakaako school, as well as scientists and physicians from the mainland, Carbone said.
Associated Press and Star-Bulletin staff
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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HONOLULU
Kakaako stabbing leads to arrest
A 25-year-old man was arrested in Kakaako for allegedly stabbing a man in the chest twice at 3:51 a.m. Sunday.
The victim, a 21-year-old, was reportedly jumped and then stabbed twice in the chest after he left a nightclub and was immediately transported to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.
The suspect fled and was later arrested.
Pair arrested in Macy's robbery
The Honolulu Police Department arrested a couple who allegedly robbed Macy's at Ala Moana Center at 2:15 p.m. July 30.
The couple was identified as 41-year-old Eric Scott, and 48-year-old Kathleen Johnson.
Police said the couple was seen removing clothing items and placing them in a Macy's shopping bag. When store security approached them, Scott and a security guard got into a physical altercation. The couple then dropped the stolen items and fled the scene.
Scott and Johnson were also wanted in connection with thefts at Ward Center, Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, Hilton Hawaiian Village and Duty Free, police said. Both have outstanding warrants.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Suspect allegedly abuses woman
Police arrested a 36-year-old man for investigation of a felony abuse charge after he allegedly abused a 34-year-old woman.
Police said the suspect and victim were arguing at about 6 p.m. Sunday in Kakaako when the suspect abused the victim.
Officers found the suspect later and learned that he had prior convictions for abuse which warranted the felony arrest, police said.
Man arrested after house is damaged
Police arrested a 32-year-old Kalihi male for property damage to his 48-year-old girlfriend's house in Kalihi on Sunday.
The suspect had an argument with his girlfriend at about 5 p.m., police said, and the argument escalated when he threw a rock at her window from outside and struck her.
He fled the scene and returned later, confronting her in the residence, police said. He prevented her from calling the police and threatened her with a knife, they said.
WINDWARD OAHU
Crews suspend search for diver
The search for 38-year-old skin diver Larry Freed was suspended at 5 p.m. yesterday.
Fire rescue crews and helicopter, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Coast Guard searched Kaaawa Beach and the Kualoa Beach Park area for signs of Freed but did not find him.
Coast Guard officials said that if new information about Freed is reported, they will resume the search.
To report more information about Freed's whereabouts, contact the Coast Guard at (808) 541-2500.
CENTRAL OAHU
Police make arrest in credit card fraud
Police arrested a 47-year-old woman who allegedly tried to buy more than $600 worth of merchandise with someone else's credit card.
Police said the woman tried to make the purchase at a Mililani store at about 11:49 p.m. Sunday. Police said the woman also had a driver's license belonging to a 25-year-old man who owned the credit card.
Store employees discovered the fraud and called police, according to a police report.
Police arrested the woman for investigation of fraudulent use of a credit card, attempted second-degree theft and identity theft charges.
WEST OAHU
Police arrest man after rifle threat
Police arrested a 23-year-old man in a Waipahu apartment complex for threatening two males with a rifle Sunday morning.
The suspect threatened the 28-year-old and 45-year-old men with his rifle, fired it and endangered the residents of the apartment.
The man was arrested for investigation of reckless endangering and firearm violations.