|
Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
|
Isle Guard F-15s grounded anew
For the second time in a month, the Air Force has grounded its squadrons of older F-15 Eagle tactical jets, including 15 flown by the Hawaii Air National Guard.
The Air Force said the latest grounding is needed so the aircraft can receive detailed inspections.
The grounding order affects only 452 of the older Boeing jet fighters in the F-15A through D models. The stand-down does not affect the F-15E.
The Hawaii Air Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron has 15 of the F-15A through C models, some of them as old as 25 years, at Hickam Air Force Base.
In the interim, the Hawaii's Guard's air defense mission will be flown by F-16 jets from the Minnesota Air Guard's 148th Fighter Squadron.
The first grounding occurred after the Nov. 2 crash of an F-15C flown by the Missouri Air National Guard. The fleet initially was cleared to return to service Nov. 21.
There are more than 700 F-15s in service at bases throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Japan and the Middle East.
The Air Force plans to replace its F-15s, the oldest dating back to 1975, with Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. The Hawaii Air Guard is slated to receive 18 Raptors by 2011.
Man indicted in car crash death
An Oahu grand jury indicted a man yesterday on a first-degree negligent-homicide charge in connection with the death of his 23-year-old passenger in a 2006 car crash in Moiliili.
The indictment said driver Brett Allen Ragan, then 32, was operating the vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Police had said drugs, alcohol and excessive speed were involved in the crash.
On Aug. 3, 2006, a convertible driven by Ragan clipped a parked pickup truck while traveling on Date Street toward Kapiolani Boulevard just past the Kaimuki Stream bridge.
Police said passenger David Joshua, 23, of Honolulu died as fire crews removed him from the overturned car.
$5M funds cesspool conversions
The state has released $5 million for the ongoing removal and conversion of large-capacity cesspools at 60 Hawaii public schools.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires that all such cesspools be replaced with better waste-water treatment systems, Gov. Linda Lingle's office said yesterday.
There are more than 300 cesspools statewide that need to be closed, according to the state.
Cesspool projects at all of the schools are scheduled to be completed by September 2009.
|
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
|
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Victim IDs suspect in murder attempt
Big Island police are looking for a 48-year-old Oahu man wanted in an attempted-murder investigation.
Police said yesterday they have a warrant for the arrest of Fred Silva III.
On Sunday morning a man was found crawling on a road looking for help, police said. The man was taken to Hilo Medical Center with multiple head and body injuries, police said. He was, however, able to provide details of the attack and partially identified the attacker, who was known to him, police said.
Police said the victim was awakened Saturday night or early Sunday morning by the suspect, who entered his home and beat him with a rubber mallet and a baseball bat until he fell unconscious.
The victim received numerous broken bones and internal injuries from the beating. He remains at Hilo Medical Center in stable condition.
WEST OAHU
Familiar voice nets bomb threat bust
Police arrested a man whose voice was recognized during phone calls last week when he allegedly made bomb threats against a business.
On the morning of Nov. 21, the suspect allegedly called an Aiea business establishment numerous times, saying there was a bomb in the building. Police said employees recognized the voice as belonging to a 21-year-old man they know.
A search yielded no bombs. On Monday night the suspect was found and arrested on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening.