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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Ex-Aloha workers land city gigs
The city has hired more than 40 former Aloha Airlines employees who lost their jobs after the company abruptly ended operations last month.
City officials also expected to recruit more employees after a major job fair yesterday at Neal Blaisdell Center that featured more than 225 local and mainland companies, including military and government agencies. The employees will work in a range of jobs in several departments.
The city also facilitated training for four former Aloha pilots that will qualify them for jobs with other airlines under a training program funded by the federal Workforce Investment Act.
State cuts air conditioning use
Air conditioning in state buildings is being scaled back to conserve energy and save on the state's electricity bill.
According to a memo from the Department of Accounting and General Services, the department is projecting a budget deficit of $2.3 million in the fiscal year that ends June 30 due to rising energy costs associated with the soaring costs of crude oil.
To decrease costs, air conditioning in state buildings will be operated only from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Systems will not be turned on during the early morning hours to precool buildings, according to the memo signed by state Comptroller Russ Saito.
Occupants who would like the air conditioning to operate outside those hours can make a written request and will be billed at the rate of $50 an hour.
Airports add parking for overflow
Hawaii's airports are expected to be busier than normal this week due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend, which heralds the start of the summer travel season.
Cell phone waiting areas will be available from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. As regular parking fills up, there will be overflow options:
» Honolulu Airport: Valet parking is available for $20 a day from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Interisland Terminal by the second-level center median across from the Hawaiian Airlines check-in lobby. When this fills up, overflow parking will be available at the Economy Parking Lot at Aolele Street for $6 a day. It is available only when regular parking and valet options are filled up. Free shuttle service will be running to and from the terminal every 15 minutes.
» Kahului Airport: Additional overflow parking will be available at Aalele street, with emergency parking in Lot S.
» Kona Airport: Overflow parking in the Uu Street remote parking lot.
» Hilo Airport: Additional parking in the overflow grass lots on both ends of the terminal parking lot.
» Lihue Airport: Additional parking in the overflow lots on both ends of the airport terminal.
E. coli present in Makawao water
Maui County water officials issued a warning for residents in portions of Makawao to boil their water because of E. coli bacteria found yesterday during routine tests.
The affected area includes fewer than 50 homes and spans from the Fire Station, which is on the corner of Makawao Avenue and Nane Lane, to the intersection of Makawao Avenue and Old Haleakala Highway.
Officials said E. coli bacteria indicate that the water might have been contaminated with human or animal waste. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches and other symptoms. They might pose a special health risk for infants, young children and people with severely compromised immune systems.
Department of Water Supply personnel are collecting water quality samples and flushing the water system with chlorine. The county will advise when tests show no bacteria and residents no longer need to boil the water.
Rockslide shuts Kolekole Pass
A rockslide forced the closure of Schofield Barracks' Kolekole Pass yesterday, according to the Army.
Army and Navy officials closed the pass due to the rockslide on the Lualualei side of the pass. The pass will remain closed pending the cleanup.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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LEEWARD OAHU
Handicapped man is beaten, robbed
Police arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly robbing a man in a wheelchair of his portable PlayStation.
Police said that at about 1 a.m. yesterday, a 44-year-old man was in a wheelchair at his Waianae home watching a movie on his PSP. Police said the suspect entered the home, approached the victim and asked for the PSP. When the victim refused, the suspect allegedly punched him, pushed him off the wheelchair and took the PSP.
The suspect fled, but Waianae police spotted him later at Mill Street and Waianae Valley Road and arrested him on suspicion of second-degree robbery.
WEST OAHU
Man, 54, accused of abusing girl
Police arrested an Aiea man on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl for years.
The 54-year-old suspect had allegedly sexually assaulted the now-13-year-old girl over a 7-year period, from September 2001 to March 2008.
The man was arrested at his home yesterday on suspicion of five counts of third-degree sexual assault and the continuous sexual assault of a minor under the age of 14.
Man killed in car crash is identified
The Medical Examiner's Office has identified the 82-year-old Pacific Palisades man who died Tuesday after the car he was in rolled down the roadway and hit a light post near his home as Yoshio Tamashiro.
The Medical Examiner's Office said Tamashiro died from blunt force injuries to the chest due to the crash, and determined it was accidental.