Playground rules aim to help the disabled
Proposed federal guidelines for access to children's play facilities will be presented 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Makiki District Park, 1527 Keeaumoku St.John McGovern and Cindy Burkhour, both members of the U.S. Access Board's Regulatory Negotiation Committee, will present an overview of the recommended guidelines and show slides of play equipment for children with disabilities.
Registration is $10 a person.
The guidelines are proposed by the U.S. Access Board.
Thursday's presentation is co-sponsored by the Commission on Persons with Disabilities and the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.
Nonprofit job service is awarded $20,000
A $20,000 grant has gone to a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation service to help defray operating expenses.The Hawaii Community Foundation presented the award to Network Enterprises. The service's mission is to provide vocational rehabilitation and job placement services for people who are physically, psychiatrically or economically disadvantaged.
Services include orientation, evaluation, counseling, transitional employment, skills training, job development and follow-up.
Network Enterprises operates statewide.
Network Enterprises is a licensed general contractor that over the past 13 years has completed more than $12 million worth of work for the state.
Heco gets praise for helping Guam
Hawaiian Electric Co. has received recognition for its power-restoration help on Guam following Supertyphoon Paka in late 1997.Edison Electric Institute -- which represents U.S. investor-owned electric utilities -- recently cited Heco for its Guam effort at its annual winter gathering in Scottsdale, Ariz., praising the 35 volunteers from Heco and its subsidiaries who sacrificed their Christmas and New Year holiday season.
Thomas R. Kuhn, Edison Electric Institute, commended Heco employees.
"The whole Heco effort was summed up by the message on each recovery vehicle sent by the company, which read, 'Aloha from your friends in Hawaii,'" he said.
"The attitude of our crews was tremendous," said Heco President and Chief Executive Officer T. Michael May.
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Police, Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffShooting suspect faces attempted-murder case
Police yesterday charged a Kahuku man with three counts of attempted murder stemming from Friday's shooting at California Market in Wahiawa.Tomas Quintares, 20, of 56-140 Huehu St. is charged with one count of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree robbery and firearms violations, including being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Quintares allegedly shot Pok Cha Fithian and also attempted to shoot Paul Fithian, the woman's husband and owner of California Market, during a robbery.
Three other suspects are still at large, says Detective Nick Cambra.
Autos tumble off road, hit house; boy injured
A 14-year-old boy was injured yesterday when two vehicles went off an embankment and struck a house on the 2400 block of Pacific Heights Road.The boy, who was working in the yard, is in critical condition at Queen's Hospital. One driver, an 82-year-old woman, is hospitalized in guarded condition at Queen's.
The incident was reported to police at 2:45 p.m.
Police say a station wagon coming down from Pacific Heights clipped a pickup truck headed in the opposite direction. The impact knocked both vehicles over the embankment.
Part of the truck hit a house and pinned the boy, police said.
Prostitutes, cab driver accused of extortion
Charges are pending against two female prostitutes and a cab driver who allegedly stole the passports of two British visitors in Waikiki early yesterday and offered to return them for money.The men were taken by taxi to automated teller machines to withdraw money.
Pepper spray was allegedly used on one of the victims.
Police arrested the women, ages 21 and 20, and the cab driver, 42, near Ena Road at 5:30 a.m.
They were booked for second-degree robbery and extortion.
Vandalism suspected in Hilo warehouse fire
HILO -- Fire officials suspect vandalism as the cause of a fire in a stack of tires at a warehouse near Hilo harbor, they said.The 4:10 a.m. fire yesterday caused heavy black smoke at Mid Pac Tires and scorched the outside of the warehouse, but firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby oil and gasoline storage tanks owned by Chevron Products USA.
Damage to the tire company was put at $10,000, but property estimated at $3.3 million was saved, they said.
Fire burns grassland owned by Queen Emma
KAWAIHAE, Hawaii -- Firefighters said "burning material thrown from a moving vehicle" caused a fire that burned 1-1/2 acres of grassland along Kawaihae Road at 5:17 p.m. yesterday. There was no further damage to the vacant land owned by the Queen Emma Foundation.
Hilo intersection closes for phone line repairs
HILO -- One lane of Kalanianaole Avenue and both lanes of a side road at James Kealoha Beach Park remained closed throughout the night after a GTE Hawaiian Telephone line became detached from a pole and hung in the street, police said.Since the company no longer maintains repair crews on the Big Island, a Honolulu representative of the company told police a hired crew would be sent at 6 a.m. today, police said.
Police said two officers directed traffic at the site for about four hours until they were relieved by hired security guards.
Missing Big Island man has returned home
HILO -- A Hilo man identified as Cory Young, 22, missing from his home since Jan. 4, returned home in good health Saturday, police said.
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