THERE was only one president of the Republic of Hawaii, and he was Sanford Dole. President Dole
Born in Hawaii the son of a missionary from Boston, Dole attended Williams College in Massachusetts and studied law in Boston. He served in the Legislature in 1884 and 1886, and was a judge on the kingdom's Supreme Court before heading the provisional government.
Dole was actually second choice to head the government that replaced the fallen monarchy in 1893. Missionary scion Lorrin Thurston, the Committee of Public Safety's first choice, felt his reputation as a political agitator would hinder his leadership.
Starting with the 1887 Bayonet Constitution, in which King Kalakaua was forced to sign away most of his power, Dole's life would become closely linked with Hawaii's modern history.
When Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898, Dole transitioned from Republic president to territorial governor
2nd piranha turned in under state amnesty
That's two piranhas and counting.A second member of the flesh-eating fish species was turned in at Honolulu Zoo Sunday, and state Department of Agriculture officials hope it's a trend.
Anyone with an illegal pet can escape stiff penalties -- the minimum fine is $5,000 -- by turning the creature in to the department, or at any zoo or humane society in the islands.
The amnesty program is offered to encourage owners not to release animals foreign to Hawaii into the wild, where they can do immeasurable damage.
The 8-inch fish and a 6-inch red-bellied piranha handed over last week are being held at the Plant Quarantine Station until they can be shipped elsewhere.
H-2 ZipLane open but signs out of action
Although ZipLane signs on H-2 freeway will be off until the end of next week, the ZipLane remains operational. A construction mishap last week damaged two sign conduits."We will have a temporary portable message sign in the shoulder which will indicate that the ZipLane will be open," said Martin Okabe, Oahu district engineer, state Highways Division.
Hurricane prep session offered at state library
At a brown bag session at noon tomorrow at Hawaii State Library, residents can get free advice on how to prepare for a hurricane.Tom Heffner, warning coordination meteorologist of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, will present information on tropical storms, hurricanes and high storm surf. Heffner will offer advice on preparing for a disaster.
The National Weather Service and Hawaii State Public Library System are sponsoring 15 hurricane awareness programs statewide.
Veterans Affairs office moving up to Tripler
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regional office will close Friday at the Federal Building to move into new offices at Tripler Army Medical Center.The new offices, which will open July 19, will be housed in the hospital's E-Wing.
State gets $1.1 million for coastal program
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has given a $1,121,000 grant to the state to continue the coastal zone management program. The grant to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism will promote the program.
Freeway interchange to be earthquake ready
Construction is expected to begin in September to retrofit the Kapiolani Interchange of the H-1 Freeway to meet earthquake design standards.The state Department of Transportation awarded the $4.7 million contract to Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company.
Y2K Briefs
United Way helping nonprofits battle 'bug'
Battling the so-called "Y2K bug" is not only time-consuming, it's expensive.Enter the Aloha United Way's ASK-2000 referral line, which has free or cheap help for cash-strapped nonprofit organizations.
Thanks to a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation, ASK-2000 can offer nonprofit groups a Y2K audit workbook and virtual help desk to help assess and upgrade their computer systems. The material is free to nonprofits with annual budgets of less than $500,000 and $35 for those with budgets bigger than that. Call Aloha United Way ASK-2000 (275-2000) for more information.
3 more 'critical' systems compliant
Three additional critical state government computer systems attained Y2K compliance as of the end of last month.The upgrading of the statewide payroll system, state employees' retirement system and offender-based tracking system mean that nine of the state's 12 "mission-critical systems" are Y2K compliant, Deputy Comptroller Mary Pat Waterhouse said.
The remaining three systems are to be fixed by the end of September, she said.
State raises salaries of computer specialists
Computer specialists are a hot commodity these days, and the Hawaii state government is paying a premium to keep technical staff from leaving for more lucrative jobs in the private sector or county government.Computer programmers and data processing system analysts got raises averaging 8 percent -- bringing the average salary from $39,182 to $42,349 a year -- after the state made those jobs "shortage categories" in November 1998, officials said.
The higher pay, combined with the state's generous benefits, is credited with retaining workers.
By Christine Donnelly, Star-Bulletin
Police, Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffRelative held in death of woman in apartment
A 28-year-old man was arrested last night in connection with the slaying of his 78-year-old grandmother, who was found dead inside their McCully highrise condominium.Police officers were sent to a 24th-floor unit at the Iolani Court Plaza at 2499 Kapiolani Blvd., where a 911 call was made at 8:28 p.m.
Responding officers discovered the woman dead in the unit.
There were no obvious signs of trauma, said homicide Lt. Allen Napoleon. An autopsy is scheduled today to determine the cause of death.
The man told police that he caused the woman's death, according to a detective's report. He was then arrested for second-degree murder.
Police and investigators would not disclose the manner of the death.
Woman critically injured after punching girl in car
A 22-year-old woman was critically injured yesterday after she attacked a girl sitting in a car in Nanakuli, police said.The woman approached the 16-year-old girl, who was waiting in a Helelua Street parking lot at 4:24 p.m., and started punching her for no apparent reason, police said.
The girl reversed the vehicle in an attempt to get away, and she hit three parked cars while the suspect clung to her car.
Investigators said the woman was injured when she slammed into the parked cars.
She was airlifted to Queen's Hospital.
The girl later called police and reported the assault.
No arrests were made.
Driver killed on Big Isle highway at Waikoloa
KAILUA-KONA -- A 49-year-old Japanese national living in Waikoloa was killed yesterday when he failed to yield the right-of-way while driving onto Queen Kaahumanu Highway from Waikoloa Road, police said.His identity was withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
The victim of the 5:13 a.m. accident was struck by a resort transportation van driven by Mitchell Thompson, 30, of Waikoloa, who received only minor injuries.
The traffic fatality was the 15th of the year, compared with 20 at the same time last year.
Woman victim named in fiery Big Isle crash
KAILUA-KONA -- A woman killed in a head-on collision on Queen Kaahumanu Highway June 30 has been identified as Susan Herrera, 50, of Kailua-Kona, police said.Herrera's car caught fire in the accident and she was burned, which prevented her identification at the time.
Other motorists were able to pull the driver and his wife from the second car before it, too, burned.
Coastline to be checked for missing Maui youth
WAILUKU-- Fire officials in Hana plan to do periodic checks along the coastline today for 15-year-old Troy Fujiwara of Lahaina who has been missing since he disappeared in waters off Koki Beach on Saturday.The boy was last seen a little past noon in waters about 20 feet from shore and was noticed missing when friends came to shore, according to fire officials.
The beach, located between Hana town and Hamoa, has a strong rip current that can take swimmers quickly away from the shoreline, said Assistant Fire Chief Alan Cordeiro.
"Conditions were rough that day," Cordeiro said.
COURTS
Killer gets life term in Nanakuli shooting
Only the governor can change Norman Montira's sentence. Unless that happens, Montira will have to spend at least 20 years in prison.Circuit Judge Melvin Soong yesterday sentenced Montira to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree attempted murder.
A jury in April found that Montira intentionally shot at three people, fatally wounding one at a family barbecue in Nanakuli in April 1997.
Prosecutors said Montira went to the home of ex-girlfriend Cheryl Botelho allegedly to confront her brother, Glenn Botelho, who Montira felt was meddling in the relationship.
Three men who tried to stop Montira were shot at, including David Eli, 24, who died. The two others were hospitalized.
Defense attorneys argued Montira did not intend to kill anyone.
However, he shot the three men who were unarmed and not acting aggressively at point-blank range in the vital parts of the body, said Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marter.
State contests federal tab for Iniki relief
In the wake of Hurricane Iniki, Hawaii says it owes the federal government about $4 million less for reconstruction aid than federal officials are seeking.The Sept. 11, 1992, hurricane caused extensive damage to Kauai and other areas, and the state filed a complaint in federal court yesterday objecting to the May 13 denial by the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the state's second appeal. A federal audit determined the state received duplicate benefits (FEMA-funded assistance and insurance proceeds) for repairs made by the Army Corps of Engineers to 10 damaged buildings belonging to four state agencies.
The state says it owes $7,423,481. The federal audit concluded FEMA is entitled to reimbursement from the state for $12,167,381.
Two men charged in immigration fraud
Counterfeit documents and fraudulent visa applications in a conspiracy to illegally bring aliens to the United States led to arrests of two men for immigration violations, the U.S. attorney's office said.A grand jury indictment additionally charged Kim Huat Khoo, arrested in Honolulu, and Pao Chin Lou, arrested in Ontario, Canada, with money laundering of payments received for the counterfeit documents and fraudulent visa applications. The June 30 indictment said the scheme included Khoo's wife, Chung Yu Khoo, and Benjamin Yen.
The two also are charged with providing an alien a counterfeit stamp that falsely showed the alien was a lawful permanent resident.
The U.S. attorney's office said the indictment and arrests resulted from a 21-month investigation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Internal Revenue Service and Honolulu police.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
