Michael and Minako Hoffman have a "story" that their Pacific Palisades neighbors will have to live with. Three-story home owners standing tall
By Rod Ohira, Star-BulletinIt has to do with their house, which doesn't conform with other homes in their community.
But the Hawaii Supreme Court yesterday ruled 3-2 to overturn a Circuit Court judgment, allowing the Hoffmans to keep their three-story home in a community that prohibits dwellings more than two stories in height.
In the opinion of Chief Justice Ronald Moon and Justices Robert Klein and Steven Levinson, the 1966 covenant adopted by the Pacific Palisades Community Association fails to "define the measurable height of a story" and is therefore unenforceable.
The Hoffmans' home is designed to follow the downhill grade of their lot in a staggered, terrace-like form.
The dissenting opinion of Justices Paula Nakayama and Mario Ramil says the majority "saves one story of a single house but betrays years of reliance by the Hoffmans' neighbors and the larger Pacific Palisades community on the covenant's plain language ..."
Hana Medical Center forced to cut service
WAILUKU -- Hana Medical Center officials say after-hours emergency services won't be offered after July 1 because of cuts in state-funded subsidies.The center serves the Hana District with a residential population of about 2,000 residents. The closest hospital is Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku, about a two-hour drive from Hana.
Emergency care will be provided by an ambulance service, clinic officials said.
The state Legislature previously spent about $1.5 million annually to operate the facility, but funding has been cut to $750,000 for next year -- $50,000 less than the center received this year.
Effective July 1, the center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
The center will be closed Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Area residents were advised to call 911 for after-hours medical emergencies
Alakai Jaycees named top chapter
The Alakai Jaycees at Hawaii Pacific University won recognition as best of 30 Hawaii chapters at last month's Hawaii Jaycees Spring Convention.The chapter won honors for organization efforts in the first three months. It won 14 additional awards while members and officers won 19 individual awards.
Development plan amendments OK'd
City Council members voted unanimously yesterday to approve amendments to the East Honolulu Development Plan that limits growth.The plan was praised by farmers in Kamilonui Valley for providing a buffer between themselves and development in Hawaii Kai.
A point of contention was a new 40-foot height limit, down from the current 100 feet. While some residents praised the proposal, landowner Maunalua Associates opposed it, calling it a hindrance to plans for more elderly housing and affordable town homes.
The following clues were dropped from the Crossword of the Pacific puzzle that ran Monday in the Today section: (Down) 49. Musubi wrapper 50. Stats for Murakami's team 51. Hanabata 52. Spanish house 53. Sakuma's instruments 54. Mochi soup 57. Charged particle 59. Pay TV. Correction
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Police, Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffAutopsy shows man was strangled, suffocated
An autopsy has revealed that a Waikiki man who was found dead in his apartment Monday was strangled and suffocated.Fred Cramer, 81, a longtime volunteer with the Honolulu Symphony, was found bound and gagged in his Cleghorn Street apartment with a bag over his head, police said.
The resident manager at the Venture Isle apartments entered Cramer's apartment Monday morning, according to detectives.
There was no evidence of a forced entry or robbery, they said.
Thieves targeting rims, tires of Hondas, Acuras
Police are alerting owners of Hondas and Acuras to watch for thieves targeting the rims and tires in the east Honolulu area.Honolulu Police have responded to five cases since March in the Hawaii Kai, McCully and University areas, police said.
The suspects jack up the cars during the night, put the car on wooden blocks and steal the wheels and tires.
Gym at old Maui High goes up in flames
WAILUKU -- A Maui County gym used by a dance company was destroyed by a fire yesterday evening.Assistant Fire Chief Richard Fernandez said the gym at the site of the old Maui High School at Hamakua Poko was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived after receiving a call at about 5 p.m.
The gym was used by the Maui Dance Council, a group that stages dance performances and conducts creative movement classes at Maui elementary and intermediate schools.
Fernandez said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
Leeward Coast stand-off has peaceful conclusion
A stand-off between police and a man who had barricaded himself inside his Leeward Coast home ended peacefully this morning.The man, who was on supervisory release from prison, was taken into custody at 5:56 a.m.
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