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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Stop Rail goes to court Monday
The fight for an anti-rail group's attempt to stop the city's $4 billion rail transit project through a November ballot question continues.
Stop Rail Now has a hearing scheduled Monday morning with the Intermediate Court of Appeals - the second-highest ranking court in the state - contesting previous rulings that the group had failed in creating a ballot question.
"This tells me that the court is taking this very seriously," said Earle Partington, Stop Rail Now's attorney. "There's no indication of how they're going to rule, but it's important enough that they're going to require oral arguments before they rule."
Over the summer, Stop Rail Now had to overcome many obstacles while collecting signatures to create a ballot question asking voters to prohibit the city from building its mass transit system with trains or rail.
Stop Rail Now collected about 35,000 signatures of registered voters over four months. But the city clerk and a Circuit Court judge ruled against Stop Rail Now, saying it needed a greater number of signatures according to the City Charter. City Clerk Denise De Costa said the group needed about 45,000.
Foodland will match hurricane aid
As part of their annual "Give Aloha" campaign, Foodland and Sack N Save stores are encouraging donations from customers to help residents of the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
Foodland Super Market Ltd. and the Western Union Foundation will match a portion of each donation to the "2008 Hurricane Relief Fund" and give the money to the Hawaii Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Roughly 3.8 million people in the Gulf area still have no electricity after the storms, and the Red Cross has opened more than 800 shelters, according to Coralie Matayoshi, chief executive of the Hawaii chapter.
Customers may make donations of up to $249 to the 2008 Hurricane Relief Fund (code 78468) or to the Hawaii nonprofit of their choice, using their Maika'i Cards at checkout. Foodland and the Western Union Foundation will contribute up to $300,000 to the overall "Give Aloha" drive.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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2 suspects arrested in store robbery
Police arrested two men who allegedly robbed a Pensacola Street store at gunpoint last night.
Police said the men entered the store at about 8:35 p.m. yesterday, brandished a handgun and demanded money.
The suspects fled with cash, police said.
One suspect, a 20-year-old Wahiawa man, was found at 1296 Kapiolani Blvd. about an hour later and arrested for investigation of first-degree robbery.
The second suspect, an 18-year-old man with a Village Park address, was found on Cedar Street and arrested for investigation of first-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and resisting arrest. Police did not find the gun.
Vandal damages fast-food eatery
Police arrested an 18-year-old man who allegedly damaged a fast-food restaurant in Waianae after he was refused service early Tuesday.
Police said the suspect walked up to the drive-through at 1 a.m. to order food, but was denied service.
About 15 minutes later the suspect returned with a baseball bat and smashed the restaurant's windows, the drive-through menu board and other equipment, and then fled, police said.
At about 2:15 a.m. the suspect was found about 3 miles away at Farrington Highway and Hookele Street in Maili. Police conducted a field lineup, but witnesses could not identify him.
The witnesses went back to the restaurant and viewed the surveillance tapes and then confirmed that the man in the lineup was the same man who damaged the restaurant, police said.
The suspect was arrested for investigation of second-degree criminal property damage.
Man charged in sex assault case
A 27-year-old South Carolina man was charged yesterday for allegedly assaulting a man, then kidnapping and raping his 10-year-old daughter.
Christopher Eugene Cantrell was charged with five counts of first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping, second-degree assault, first-degree burglary and first-degree child abuse. Bail was set at $200,000.
The girl told police that Cantrell was inside their 12th-floor hotel room at the Waikiki Banyan where he had punched her father's face until he fell to the ground unconscious, a police affidavit said.
The girl told police that Cantrell then forced her down to the 10th-floor laundry room and sexually assaulted her.
Two security guards at the hotel detained Cantrell until police arrived. The alleged crimes occurred at about 3 a.m. Wednesday at the condominium hotel at 201 Ohua Ave.
Search for man on hold on Kauai
KILAUEA, Kauai » After a three-day effort, Kauai officials yesterday suspended the search for Kilauea fisherman Robert Nakashima Sr., who has been missing since Monday.
Using boats, helicopters, divers, searchers on the beach and the Coast Guard Civil Air Patrol, the rescuers found only the fishing bag of Nakashima, 80, Tuesday at Makapili Point.
Nakashima went fishing alone Monday morning, and was reported missing that day when he did not return by late afternoon.
The search was suspended at 11:30 a.m. yesterday.
"We've transitioned to a passive mode in this case and are prepared to reactivate our personnel should we receive any new information," said Kauai fire Chief Robert Westerman.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Big Isle police seek 56-year-old woman
Big Island police are looking for a 56-year-old Washington woman who has been missing for three weeks.
Patricia Alene Kenny of Port Townsend, Wash., was last seen in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision of Puna Aug. 30. Police found her rental car Sept. 3 on Shell Road in the Nanawale Estates subdivision.
Kenny is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 165 pounds, with medium-length hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information concerning her whereabouts is asked to call Detective Brian Miller at 961-2385 or the police nonemergency line at 935-3311. Anonymous calls may be made to CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 (Hilo) or 329-8181 (Kona).
CENTRAL OAHU
2 arrested in alleged sex assault
Police arrested a man and woman from Wahiawa who allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl.
The girl told police that she was sexually assaulted from Sept. 11, 2004, to Nov. 30, 2006, by her caretakers.
Police arrested a 30-year-old man for investigation of nine counts of first-degree sexual assault and four counts of third-degree sexual assault.
A 27-year-old woman was arrested for investigation of four counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree sexual assault. They were released pending investigation.
HONOLULU
Electrical breaker blamed in fire
A faulty electrical breaker box started a Salt Lake warehouse fire that caused nearly $1 million in damage on Saturday, the Federal Fire Department determined yesterday.
The fire started in a breaker box inside the 20,000-square-foot maintenance warehouse at the Navy Marine Golf Course and was determined to be accidental, said federal fire Battalion Chief Victor M. Flint.
The building housed tools, machinery and other equipment for the golf course. Federal and city firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby homes in Catlin Park housing, Flint said.
Federal fire investigators determined damage to the 1940s-era building and its contents was $989,236.