|
Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
|
Pearl Harbor vet returns to ship
Edwin Ogonowski, a World War II veteran who was just a few feet from a kamikaze pilot before the Japanese plane exploded into the USS Missouri, returned to Hawaii for a ceremony yesterday commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the end of the war.
On the deck of the battleship in Pearl Harbor with hundreds of guests, 82-year-old Ogonowski shared his memories as a crew member and as a witness to the Japanese surrender in 1945.
The keynote speaker was Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, based at Camp Smith.
The ceremony, held 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., coincided with the time of day 62 years ago when representatives from 10 nations signed the Instrument of Surrender on board the Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Yesterday's ceremony also featured the Color Guard and a traditional military rifle volley salute for veterans.
COURTESY USS MISSOURI MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION
World War II veteran Edwin Ogonowski, left, and Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, met yesterday on the deck of the USS Missouri, now a floating memorial in Pearl Harbor.
|
|
Bush to make isle stopover today
President Bush arrives at Hickam Air Force Base for a little more than an hour this afternoon to refuel Air Force One before continuing to Sydney.
His plane is scheduled to land at 3 p.m. and depart at 4:35 p.m.
His visit is not expected to disrupt traffic, likely to be light anyway because of the Labor Day holiday.
Bush will be attending the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. He returns to Hawaii on Sunday, when he will spend more time on the islands and plans to meet military members.
Report fails to explain plane crash
National Transportation Safety Board investigators did not determine why a Cessna 150J airplane lost power and ditched into the ocean two miles south of Koko Head on June 15, according to a report adopted Thursday.
The pilot, a 29-year-old active-duty military pilot, and his 31-year-old wife rented a plane from George's Aviation Services in Honolulu.
Forty-five minutes into a return flight from Kahului Airport, the plane lost power 2,000 feet in the air and ditched in the ocean.
The couple escaped without injury and were rescued from an inflatable life raft.
The pilot told investigators that the engine's revolutions "rolled back," then ran smoothly for "approximately one minute and then completely stopped."
Before the flight, the pilot put in 22.5 gallons of fuel, which should have allowed for about 3 1/2 hours of flight time, the report said. Air traffic control records showed the pilot's flight time before experiencing engine trouble was 2 hours and 19 minutes.
The plane sank in deep water, and investigators did not recover it.
5 are indicted in fraud cases
Five people, including a 78-year-old woman, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Hawaii on Thursday for Social Security fraud and other offenses, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Patricia Pendleton, 78, also known as Patricia Blackburn and Patricia Uehara, is accused of using two identities and Social Security numbers to receive two Social Security pensions resulting in an overpayment of $50,000.
Christopher Brester, 48, allegedly claimed disability while working as a heavy machine mechanic, resulting in an overpayment of about $158,000.
Roy Delorenia Daano, 74, also known as Rufino Daano, allegedly received Social Security benefits intended for his former wife and stepchildren and was overpaid about $67,000.
Bon Von Jovi, 47, also known as Anthony Freel and Little Crowhorse O'bamsawin, allegedly had multiple identities and Social Security numbers.
Jeffery Keola, 47, is accused of theft related to his receiving $83,000 from his dead father's Social Security benefits.
All the defendants, if convicted, face a maximum prison term of five years for the Social Security offenses, a maximum term of 10 years for the theft offenses and a $250,000 fine.
Anyone with information about Social Security fraud may call the Social Security Administration fraud hot line at (800) 269-0271 or e-mail oig.hotline@ssa.gov.
|
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
|
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Driver on Big Isle dies in car crash
A man in his 20s died Saturday night after he lost control of his car, which crossed over the center line and then smashed into an embankment in South Kona.
Police said that at about 8:45 p.m. the man was driving south on Hawaii Belt Road in the Hookena area when he lost control of his 2005 Ford two-door sedan.
Firefighters transported a male passenger to Kona Community Hospital, where he was treated for injuries to his right arm.
Police are not releasing the driver's name pending notification of his next of kin.
WAIKIKI
Sex assault follows walk to hotel room
Police are searching for a man in his 20s who sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman in her Waikiki hotel room Saturday morning.
The woman told police she met the suspect at about 12:30 a.m. and walked back with him to her hotel where he held her against her will and sexually assaulted her. The suspect left before police arrived.
HONOLULU
Motorcycle wreck is blamed on speed
A 25-year-old Kapolei man sustained critical injuries yesterday after crashing his motorcycle on Nimitz Highway.
At about 1:20 p.m. the man was traveling east on Nimitz near Sumner Street when he failed to negotiate a right-hand curve with his black 2002 Yamaha motorcycle. He hit the left-hand curb and a concrete bridge railing, police said.
The man was ejected and sustained broken arms and ankles, a fractured skull, internal injuries and multiple contusions. He was not wearing a helmet, police said.
Emergency crews took the man in critical condition to the Queen's Medical Center.
Police said the weather was clear, traffic was moderate and that speed was a factor in the crash.
Koko Head hiker gets aid via copter
Firefighters airlifted a woman in her 50s off a Koko Head trail yesterday after she complained of faintness.
At about 8:50 a.m., firefighters hiked up to the woman's location to give her assistance. Fire helicopter Air One lowered the woman off the trail at about 9:30 a.m., said Honolulu Fire Capt. Earle Kealoha.
The woman was responsive and conscious when she was transferred to paramedics, he said.
Firefighters douse blaze near links
Firefighters extinguished a small brush fire near Pearl Country Club golf course yesterday that burned two acres.
The fire started at about 3:15 p.m. below the mauka side of the H-1 freeway between Kaamilo and Honomanu streets, Honolulu Fire Capt. Earle Kealoha said.
Wind spread the fire, but firefighters extinguished it by 4:56 p.m.
Hanauma mishap brings paramedics
Firefighters responded to a call of a possible drowning yesterday at Hanauma Bay at about 12:30 p.m., said Honolulu Fire Capt. Earle Kealoha.
Responding firefighters found lifeguards already giving the woman assistance. Firefighters transferred the woman to paramedics about 15 minutes later. Kealoha did not know her condition.
Alleged iPod theft leads to boy's bust
Police arrested a 15-year-old boy Friday who allegedly assaulted an 11-year-old boy and stole his iPod.
The victim was playing at Beretania Community Park at about 5:20 p.m. when a group of boys approached him. The suspect punched the victim in the face and took his iPod, police said.
Police arrested the boy on suspicion of second-degree robbery and released him pending investigation.