Caregiver allegedly stole $73,000

WAILUKU » A Maui woman is facing trial for stealing $73,000 from an 86-year-old woman she cared for.

Rosemarie Delatorre was indicted last month by a Maui grand jury on 22 charges, including first-degree identity theft, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

The 51-year-old Kihei woman was hired as a certified nursing assistant to help the elderly woman with day-to-day chores.

The indictment alleges she forged 16 checks made out to herself from the victim's First Hawaiian Bank account for amounts ranging from $600 to $2,750.

The trial is scheduled to begin on May 11.

Delatorre, also known as Rosemarie Dabrera and Rosemarie Delatorre-Dabrera, has pleaded not guilty.

Hawaii to get $30M in energy funds

Hawaii Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka say Hawaii will receive close to $30 million to help residents reduce their energy bills and make their homes more energy efficient.

They said in a joint news release issued Thursday in Washington that 75 percent of the funding, or almost $26 million, will go to the State Energy Program.

The rest of the money, about $4 million, will go to the Weatherization Assistance Program, which will help pay an average of up to $6,500 per home in energy efficiency upgrades. The money will be available to families making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or about $50,720 in Hawaii.

They add the money made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will also support the creation of jobs.