The Waikiki Community Center will benefit from a fund-raising concert scheduled for Aug. 13 at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel. Entertainers lined up
for benefit showThe concert, "Pii Mau Together Forever," features the Makaha Sons, O'Brian Eselu and Friends, HAPA, Pure Heart, Melveen Leed, Loyal Garner, Karen Keawehawaii, the Champagne Lady Myra English and Kanilau.
Aloha United Way and Sheraton-Waikiki sponsored the concert to start the AUW Visitor Industry campaign.
The Waikiki Community Center has provided services to the Waikiki community since 1982.
The services are: child care, programs for senior citizens, emergency food pantry, farmer's market, a federal food distribution point, volunteer programs for teen-agers and adults, and a thrift shop.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Hawaii Ballroom. Tickets went on sale yesterday at Tower Records locations, Records Hawaii, Harry's Music Store and Hungry Ears. Advance tickets cost $20 and $25 at the door.
For more information, call 931-8178.
Have an angel in your life? Contest recognizes 'angels'
Sisters Offering Support, a nonprofit organization that helps sexually exploited women and children, wants to hear about it.
The group is sponsoring an essay contest, and the first-prize winner, plus the winner's "angel," will receive more than $1,000 in prizes presented by first lady Vicky Cayetano.
In 250 words or less, contestants must describe the impact this angel had on their own lives, the lives of someone they know or the community. The angel must currently reside in Hawaii.
Winners will be honored at a ceremony Aug. 30 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The "1999 Angel of the Islands" winner will receive a guardian angel sculpture.
Postmark deadline is Aug. 16. The essay and a $5 entry fee (check or money order) should be sent to "Angel of the Islands," c/o Sisters Offering Support, P.O. Box 75642, Honolulu HI 96836.
Entries should include the full names, ages, addresses and telephone numbers of both the essay writer and the nominated angel. Proceeds will benefit Sisters Offering Support.
For the first time, the U.S. Forest Service has called on the state government to help fight a wildland forest fire, and three Hawaii foresters left Wednesday night to battle flames in California. 3 isle men to fight fire on coast
Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, north of Santa Barbara, has scorched more than 6,000 acres over the past few days.
Wayne Ching, Patrick Costales and Glenn Shishido were picked to serve in command positions and also play leadership roles in operations and safety, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said.
Ching, the department's protection forester, heads the state fire management program.
Castales serves as Oahu forestry and wildlife branch manager.
Shishido is a Maui protection forester.
The three Hawaii men likely will spend about a week there.
All costs for travel, transportation and staff time are underwritten by the Forest Service.
Lyon Arboretum, dedicated to saving native and endangered plants, is offering a chance for residents to join the conservation effort by purchasing plants at the annual summer plant sale. Arboretum's plant sale Thursday
It will be from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Blaisdell Center exhibition hall.
Native and endangered plants will be among the offerings, as well as the debut of a new ginger, Hedychium "Taylor's Delight." This pink hybrid ginger, developed by Bob Hirano, features orange buds.
Rare fruit trees, vegetable seedlings, herbs, taro and a variety of other indoor and outdoor plants will also be available at the sale.
The Lyon Arboretum is an active research unit of the University of Hawaii-Manoa focusing on tropical plants, native Hawaiian species, conservation biology and Hawaiian ethnobotany.
For information, call the Arboretum at 988-0470.
Millennium Moments
MTV's "The Real World," the teen drama which recently filmed and aired here, was just the latest in a string of television shows set in Hawaii. Stay tuned
Hollywood came calling in 1959-62 with "Adventures in Paradise," starring Gardner McKay; with "Hawaiian Eye" from 1959-63, starring Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens; and "The Little People/Brian Keith Show" from 1972-74.
But Hawaii's biggest TV break came with two detective dramas: "Hawaii Five-0" from 1968-80 starring Jack Lord; then "Magnum P.I." from 1980-88 starring Tom Selleck.
"Magnum" was followed by several series, most of them short-lived: "Jake and the Fatman" from 1988-90,"Island Son" in 1989 and "Raven" from 1991-93.
In 1994, Hawaii was the setting for several shows, including "The Byrds of Paradise," which co-starred Jennifer Love Hewitt; "One West Waikiki" starring Cheryl Ladd; and "This Old House." And try as they might, last year's "Fantasy Island" and "Wind on Water" failed after one season.
But the lure of Hawaii just can't be ignored. Coming soon to a TV set near you: "Baywatch Hawaii" starring David Hasselhoff; and USA Network's "Pacific Blue."
Y2K Briefs
HPD comm system needs Y2K upgrade
The Honolulu Police Department's digital communications system has Year 2000 computer problems and will cost the county about $200,000 to upgrade, officials said.The work will start in mid-August and last about a week, said Osame Kobayashi, HPD's radio engineer. It involves replacing hardware and software in the computer console that controls radio communication between police dispatchers and officers out on the streets.
HPD began using the digital system in 1998. But the contract with Ericsson Private Radio Systems was worked out in 1992-93 and did not require Y2K compliance, said Randy Fujiki of the city Department of Design and Construction.
The police dispatch system is separate from the 911 emergency call system, which is handled by GTE Hawaiian Tel. That company has previously said 911 would be Y2K compliant by September.
Pacific Islands getting special federal funds
WASHINGTON -- Pacific islands, including Guam and American Samoa, will share in $22.2 million in federal funding aimed at helping U.S. territories and the Freely Associated States deal with the Year 2000 computer problem.Danny Aranza, acting director for the U.S. Office of Insular Affairs, said the islands need the extra help because their economies are depressed and many of their computer systems had been installed using federal grants.
Among the grantees are Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.
Now when consumers get money from automatic teller machines, they'll also get reassuring news about the so-called "Y2K bug."
ATM receipts from banks and savings and loans throughout Hawaii now carry the message "Y2K tested" to reassure people there will be no disruption to the money supply come Jan. 1, 2000.
The public awareness campaign is run by the Hawaii Bankers Association and the Hawaii League of Savings Institutions. Together, they include all the banks and savings and loans in Hawaii.
State flag will be flown half-staff for John Jr.
Gov. Ben Cayetano has ordered the state flag to be flown at half-mast through tomorrow in memory of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Caroline Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette.On Monday, Cayetano, on behalf of the people of Hawaii, sent a letter of condolence to U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and his family and niece Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg. In the letter, the governor said John Kennedy Jr. will be remembered as a true American son.
"Throughout his all too short life, John Jr. taught us how to weather the tragedies and triumphs of life to which we are all destined with enormous grace and dignity," Cayetano said. "He led an exemplary life that any parent would have been proud of."
Hawaii woman charged with not paying taxes
Kathryn Abraham has been charged by federal authorities of accepting bets without paying the wagering occupational tax.Assistant U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni said nothing further on the case will be made public at this time but that more may be released in about two weeks.
Group sponsoring free glaucoma screening
The United Chinese Society will kick off its Chinatown Vision Care Project by providing free glaucoma screening every Sunday morning through Aug. 8, from 9-11 a.m.Thirty people will be accommodated per session at the society's hall.
Eye specialist Dr. Ming Chen will be conducting the screenings.
For more information call the United Chinese Office at 536-4621 or Chen at 531-8874.
Corrections
The phone number for the Kaimuki store We're Best Friends is 734-3693. Wednesday's Today! section had an incorrect number.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
No foul play suspected in death of prison inmate
Homicide detectives have tentatively ruled out foul play in the death of an inmate.Oahu Community Correction Center inmate Roman Brewster, 34, was found unresponsive in his cell yesterday morning, police said.
He was taken to Kuakini Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:06 a.m.
Police said Brewster had no visible injuries.
Man who fled police faces escape charge
Police yesterday charged a man who escaped from officers during an arrest and jumped into a canal on Wednesday.Gilbert J. Pacheco, 38, was charged with second-degree escape, police said. He is being held on $15,000 bail.
After being handcuffed for having an open container of beer at Aala Park, Pacheco ran from police and jumped into the River Street canal.
Pacheco refused to come out and attempted to swim away, police said. He was finally controlled with the assistance of fire crews.
Police investigating why man was shot in the leg
WAILUKU -- Police detectives were investigating the shooting of a 20-year-old man on Molokai. Police said they received a call from Hoolehua at 5:20 p.m. Wednesday that a man had suffered a gunshot wound to a leg.Officials said the wound did not appear to be life threatening and the man was transferred to an Oahu hospital.
