Millennium Moments
Though uninhabited, the small arid island of Kahoolawe has long been wrapped in controversy and spiritual mystique. Kahoolawe has
been Hawaii's refugeKahoolawe was, in old Hawaii, a place of refuge. From 1820-1853, the island also had a penal colony.
Later, the U.S. used the island for bombing training. In 1976, Kahoolawe emerged at the forefront of the native Hawaiian renaissance movement, becoming a symbol of wrongs inflicted on the native people and the land. Activists repeatedly occupied the island to protest the bombing.
Kahoolawe was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981; in 1990, the bombing stopped.
The island reverted to native Hawaiian control in 1993, and the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission was created to oversee ordnance cleanup and to restore native species and cultural uses.
A $280 million cleanup plan is in the works, but some are already saying that amount is not enough.
Bankoh hot line gives Y2K info
Bank of Hawaii has a Year 2000 hot line for customers who want to know how the bank is coping with the so-called "Y2K bug."Upon dialing 1-877-264-9725, callers will hear a brief recording and then have the option to speak to someone in person or receive more information by mail.
The recording says Bankoh's Year 2000 project is the corporation's "top priority" and expresses confidence the bank "will make a smooth transition into the next millennium."
'Dust devils' hit Oahu
Light winds, high temperatures and clear skies led to several sightings of what are called "dust devils" around Oahu this weekend.The "dust devils" look like mini-waterspouts or tornadoes, but are usually not significant or dangerous, said Bob Larson, the lead National Weather Service forecaster, yesterday.
"I seen 'um taking the rubbish up," said Craig Yano, who was talking with friends after surfing at Point Panic when he saw a dust devil at Kakaako Waterfront Park yesterday just after 1 p.m. "I thought it was balloons at first," he said.
"There was red dust going up and up," added Jay Agao. Agao said the dust rose several hundred feet in the air and the funnel was about 10 feet across. He said the wind knocked some dead branches off of a coconut tree.
"It's building up because of heating at the surface, and a whirlwind circulation develops," Larson said.
He said dust devils were also reported Saturday in the Ewa plain.
Kihei man is awarded for actions during WWII
A Kihei resident was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during a World War II bombing run.Paul Reioux, the pilot and commander of a B-17 bomber, was part of a group that flew from England on Dec. 28, 1944, according to the Air Force.
The group's target was rail yards in Koblenz, Germany, being used to resupply troops in the Battle of the Bulge.
After completing the mission, an oxygen tank in the nose of Reioux's plane exploded and burst into flames, which rapidly spread.
Reioux ordered his crew to bail out. While flames burned Reioux's hand and face, he pulled the plane out of formation so other aircraft wouldn't be damaged and set the plane on auto-pilot before also bailing out.
He received his award during a ceremony Friday at Hickam Air Force Base.
Gay Pride Week begins
Federal grants to fund state energy projects
The state has received $353,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy for projects to foster energy-efficient building design and install solar water heating in a rural community.The grants to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism include $200,000 to develop voluntary guidelines for designing commercial buildings that go beyond the state's model energy code. It is the fifth increment of a total of $800,000 in federal money.
Also, $115,000 will support a Rebuild America program in partnership with the University of Hawaii School of Architecture, and $37,000 will go for solar water heaters in North Kohala on the Big Island.
Exchange students seek host families
The International Hospitality Center is seeking host families for exchange students for the fall semester and academic year.Short-term housing is also needed for students from Tahiti, France and Japan for two to four weeks between July 18 and Aug. 14.
For more information, call Barbara Bancel at 521-3554.
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Police, Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffElderly woman killed while trying to cross Pali
A 90-year-old Nuuanu woman was killed yesterday when she was struck by a car while crossing Pali Highway near Niolopa Place in a marked crosswalk.The medical examiner's office today identified the victim as Anna Hara.
She is Oahu's 21st traffic fatality of the year, six of whom have been pedestrians - four of them 65 years of age or older.
Traffic investigators estimate the car was traveling about 45 mph in a 35-mph zone but the impact caused Hara to be thrown about 100 feet from where she was hit.
Police said Hara was returning home from church and was in a crosswalk when she was hit by a car driven by a 22-year-old man at about 10:40 a.m.
The weather was clear and there did not appear to be skid marks on the road. Police said alcohol was not a factor.
Fire started by children damages apartment
A fire apparently caused by children playing with a lighter caused $60,000 damage to a high-rise apartment in Waikiki.Two adults and three children, ages 4 to 13, lived in the apartment on the 29th floor of 2211 Ala Wai Blvd. The Red Cross was assisting them with temporary shelter.
The fire started at about 3:20 p.m. yesterday. The fire department said it was extinguished within 12 minutes of their arrival.
Man hit by pickup truck in guarded condition
A 24-year-old man was struck by a pickup truck early today on Moanalua Road near Kaimakani Street, forcing police to close the area to traffic for more than two hours.Traffic investigators suspect the man had left a car in which he was a passenger, possibly to urinate, and appears to have fallen on the roadway at about 2 a.m. before being struck by the pickup truck.
He is listed in guarded condition at Queen's Hospital with a shattered pelvis, broken ankle and internal bleeding, police said.
Stabbing victim 'stable'; acquaintance arrested
An 18-year-old man is in custody in connection with a stabbing yesterday at an abandoned apartment building on Kalakaua Ave. near Ala Wai Boulevard.Paramedics said the 19-year-old male victim was stabbed in the abdomen and was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Police said the suspect and victim knew each other.
One critically injured in Nanakuli traffic accident
A 49-year-old man was critically injured early today when the car he was driving veered across Farrington Highway in Nanakuli and into the path of a large pickup truck.Police had to close three of Farrington Highway's four lanes near Helelua Street from about 5:40 a.m. to 7 a.m., causing traffic delays.
The man was transported by helicopter to Queen's Hospital.
Man allegedly assaulted bus driver, faces felony
Police yesterday charged Rudy Arroyo Jr., 38, on a felony count of interfering with the operation of a public transit vehicle for allegedly causing injury to a city bus operator.The woman driver, 30, suffered minor injuries to her knees and hands while fleeing from Arroyo, who allegedly tried to punch her when asked to leave the bus Saturday night in Kaneohe.
Arroyo is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
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