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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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COURTESY PHOTO
This week's full moon will be the biggest of 2007. Casual observation will not show the difference, but seeing side-by-side images, like the ones above, reveals the size comparison, according to the Bishop Museum.
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Museum sees a big moon rising
Check out the full moon tomorrow night: It will be the biggest full moon this year, according to the Bishop Museum Planetarium.
Planetarium Manager Carolyn Kaichi said it will appear about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than full moons earlier this year. It's a matter of distance, she said, explaining the moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other. This month, the full moon is located on the near side (called perigee), making it appear bigger and brighter, she said.
City close to selling Kulana Nani
The city is negotiating with owners of the land sitting under Kulana Nani in Kaneohe, the first of 12 affordable housing projects it plans to sell, with residents worrying about possibilities of rising rents.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann said he hopes to finish negotiations with owners Kamehameha Schools by December and then the city could solicit bids from private or nonprofit groups to manage the 160-unit complex.
"We're much closer today than we ever had been," he said yesterday at a news conference. "Once we do this, I always felt it would be much easier for us to tackle the other housing properties we have."
Selling Kulana Nani is more difficult because, unlike the other properties, the city doesn't own the land. The city will also spend $2.8 million, coming from the city construction budget, on repairs and maintenance needed to sell the complex.
Hannemann announced earlier this year that Kulana Nani would be the first of the city's affordable housing properties sold. While he assured residents then that he intends to keep the units affordable, some are still worried housing costs will go up once there's a new manager.
"Affordable to us is the way it is," said Pam Mercado, 48, who has lived in Kulana Nani for the past 20 years and pays $725 a month for a four-bedroom unit and parking stall.
Applications sought for regents
A University of Hawaii council is accepting applications and nominations to the school's Board of Regents until Nov. 1.
The Regents Candidate Advisory Council wants to fill 12 vacancies by 2008. There are five seats for Honolulu, two for the Big Island, one each for the counties of Maui and Kauai and three at-large seats. For more information, call 692-1218 or e-mail borapp@hawaii.edu.
St. Francis agency accredited
St. Francis Home Care Services, which is celebrating 45 years on Oahu and 30 years on Kauai, recently was accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for an additional three years.
The accreditation recognizes the program's compliance with rigorous national standards for health care quality and safety.
St. Francis Home Care Services is Hawaii's first home health agency and provides skilled home care to patients.
Lecture at UH to discuss climate
"The Hurricane Future: Science and Policy" will be discussed at 7 tonight as part of a Centennial Lecture Series at the University of Hawaii on the changing climate and its significance to Hawaii.
Speaking will be Tom Schroeder, Department of Meteorology chairman and director of the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research. He will discuss the scientific basis for global warming and the impact on increased hurricanes. He also will summarize the scientific debate on the issues, identify societal issues and propose strategies to address them in Hawaii.
The free public event, in Room 205 of the Architecture Building on Manoa Campus, is co-sponsored by the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and the UH-Manoa Climate Change Commission.
Star-Bulletin staff
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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Makaha fire flare-up is put out
The Makaha brush fire, which began Friday and reignited Monday, burned 1,000 acres but was fully contained as of last night, fire officials said.
The Honolulu Fire Department, Police Department, the U.S. Army Environmental Group, and the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife provided one helicopter each to fight the blaze.
The effort included 45 HFD and 10 federal firefighters on the ground. Two Schofield Fire Suppression crews and a Forestry and Wildlife ground crew also assisted.
Although the fire was contained, firefighters planned to monitor the area for hot spots overnight.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Hotel worker faces sex assault charge
Big Island police charged yesterday a 37-year-old Kailua-Kona hotel employee for allegedly sexually assaulting a female guest at the hotel.
Corpus Taracena of Kailua-Kona was charged with kidnapping, first-degree sexual assault and attempted first-degree sexual assault.
Police said the attack occurred in an open common area of a resort hotel in Kailua-Kona at about 3 a.m., but would not name the hotel.
Taracena was arrested Monday. He is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail.
HONOLULU
Women allegedly assaulted for years
Police arrested a 45-year-old Kalihi man for allegedly sexually assaulting three women since they were children.
The three women, ages 23, 24 and 27, accuse the suspect of sexual assaults since 1994 through Saturday. The man was found at his Ahihi Street home Monday night.
He was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault and released pending investigation.
WAIKIKI
Invitation led to alleged attack
Police arrested a 27-year-old man who allegedly punched and robbed an acquaintance.
Police said that about 8:50 p.m. Monday, the victim, a 26-year-old man, was in Waikiki and was headed to the store when the suspect invited him upstairs to his apartment.
Police said the victim opened the screen door and was punched repeatedly by the suspect. The suspect allegedly then took items from the victim's pockets. Police arrested the suspect on suspicion of first-degree robbery.
Woman's body found near Pali
Rescue crews recovered the body of a 52-year-old woman missing since Friday.
At about 9 a.m. yesterday, rescue officials went down the slope on the Kailua side of the Pali Highway tunnel and recovered the body of Paula Marie Iversen, said fire spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig.
Iversen was last seen at 12:45 p.m. Friday walking on Pali Highway toward the Pali Lookout. A CrimeStoppers news release stated she was emotionally distraught.
NORTH SHORE
Bodyboarder, 36, requires rescue
Fire rescue personnel rescued a 36-year-old male visitor who was bodyboarding at Sunset Beach last night.
The man had gotten into trouble and was unable to get to shore as it had gotten dark, Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.
Firefighters got the call at 6:56 p.m.
A rescue company and the fire helicopter were dispatched.
Engine companies from Sunset Beach and Waialua responded and launched surfboards. One of their rescue personnel brought the man to shore, Seelig said.