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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Unity House seeks $2.5M in suit
Unity House says it is owed $2.5 million, but it will not say by whom.
The nonprofit union umbrella organization filed suit in Circuit Court on Thursday, seeking payment of the money. However, the lawsuit does not name the defendants.
Unity House's lawyer Randall Harakal refused comment.
The lawsuit says the unnamed defendants signed and delivered to Unity House Inc. a settlement agreement involving a loan in which the defendants "unconditionally promised they would pay plaintiff UHI the principal sum of $2,500,000 with interest thereon at the rate of 30 percent per annum by March 31, 2006."
The defendants have failed and refused to pay the principal and all the accumulated interest, according to the lawsuit.
Molokai water rate hike proposed
The state Public Utilities Commission is proposing increased water rates temporarily on West Molokai to keep two water companies in operation.
The rate increase would be for six months and allow the water utilities to continue operating beyond August. The two water utilities that could see increased rates are Molokai Public Utilities and Waiola o Molokai Inc.
Rates for Molokai Public Utilities would increase 40.95 percent, or about $1.30 per 1,000 gallons, bringing the rate to $4.48. The surcharge would raise $297,965 in additional revenue.
Waiola rates would increase 121.5 percent, to $3.93 per 1,000 gallons. The surcharge would generate $163,839 more in annual revenue.
Molokai Ranch, also known as Molokai Properties Ltd., owns the two water utilities and the sewer company Mosco Inc.
Molokai Ranch told the PUC it lost a substantial amount of money on its utilities last year and would stop operations at its water and sewer companies at the end of August unless another entity took over.
The PUC said the increased fees will keep the water utilities open until another entity, likely Maui County, can take over. Sewer fees will remain the same because Mosco is still profitable, a PUC news release said.
A PUC public hearing about the rate increases will be held July 15 at 10 a.m. in Maunaloa Elementary School on Molokai.
Mayor Charmaine Tavares and Councilman Danny Mateo will also hold a community meeting on Molokai on July 8 to discuss water and sewer service for the island.
The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Mitchell Pauole Center in Kaunakakai.
140 charities receive $1 million
Friends of Hawaii Charities distributed $1,097,000 to more then 140 Hawaii nonprofit organizations yesterday.
The amount was a record for the nonprofit, which was celebrating its 10th anniversary yesterday, Friends officials said in a news release.
The funds were largely raised through the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, which matched every dollar raised by the group at the Open.
This is the fourth consecutive year the organization has met or exceeded its $1 million charity goal, said Anthony Guerrero Jr., president of Friends.
"We are proud to contribute to the success of Hawaii's grass-roots community programs as well as larger, established programs," he said.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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WEST OAHU
Husband arrested in attack on wife
Police arrested a 42-year-old Ewa Beach man early yesterday morning after he allegedly punched and threatened his wife with a knife and broke the phone when she tried to call for help.
Police said the man and his 37-year-old wife were arguing at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday when he punched the woman and threatened her with a knife.
Police arrived and arrested the man at 12:05 a.m. yesterday at his Kaioli Street home on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, abuse of a family member and interference with the reporting of an emergency or crime.
Crews join forces to douse 2 blazes
Federal and city firefighters quickly doused two brush fires close to each other in Kalaeloa yesterday afternoon.
The fires began about 3:30 p.m., and firefighters brought them under control about 4:10 p.m., fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.
The fires were located near Franklin D. Roosevelt and Kasaan Bay streets.
About 40 firefighters battled and extinguished the fires.