Millennium Moments
SENT from "Hanaloorah, Woahoo," a letter written by Sybil Bingham on June 27, 1820, became the earliest recorded piece of Hawaii mail. Special delivery
One of the first missionaries who came to Hawaii, Bingham sent the letter to Mrs. Fanny Howell of Canandaigua, N.Y., according to "Firsts and Almost Firsts in Hawaii" by Robert Schmitt.
The correspondence was carried privately via ship to Boston, where it arrived March 22, 1821, then went on to New York via regular mail service.
It wasn't until the mid-1800s that postal service was established in Hawaii, Schmitt said: A treaty signed on Dec. 20, 1849, provided for mail exchange between the Kingdom of Hawaii and the United States.
The first bag of mail under this pact arrived here from San Francisco in December 1850; the first eastbound bag of mail under the treaty left here in early November 1850.
The owner of Kengo's restaurant pleaded not guilty yesterday to filing false personal and corporate income tax returns from 1992 to 1994. Feds claim Kengo's owner
filed false income tax forms;
Nozaki pleads not guiltyKengo I. Nozaki is free until his Oct. 6 trial after posting a $25,000 signature bond.
According to a federal indictment filed Aug. 12, Nozaki reported gross receipts for Kengo's Royal Buffet in 1992 in the amount of $3,041,906 when he knew it was actually about $3.154 million.
He also reported total income for 1993 as $54,525 when actual total income was approximately $221,000, the indictment said.
Nozaki also reported total income of $75,164 for 1994 when he knew the total was approximately $144,000, according to the indictment.
Pauline jurors examine trunk of Volkswagen
HILO -- Jurors returned to the courthouse basement today to view a key piece of evidence in the Frank Pauline Jr. murder trial.Yesterday, the jury viewed a yellow Volkswagen bug allegedly used to run down Dana Ireland on Christmas Eve 1991. The prosecution said Ireland had been stuffed in the trunk of the car before she was beaten, raped and left to die.
The defense questioned whether someone Ireland's size could fit in the trunk.
When jurors saw the car yesterday, the gas tank, usually located in the trunk, had been removed and placed to the side of the vehicle. Police said that's how the car was recovered.
The defense objected to the way the evidence was presented, and the judge agreed to show the jury the car with the gas tank in the trunk.
The Ireland family was in the courtroom this morning, as was the father of suspects Albert Ian and Shawn Schweitzer. As a police officer testified this morning, Jerry Schweitzer shouted something about the gas tank, then stormed out of the courtroom.
Kailua boy's design selected for stamp
Nine-year-old Zachary Canter, son of Jeff and Suzie Canter of Kailua, has the stamp of something special.He's one of four children nationwide whose artwork will appear on U.S. postage stamps issued in the year 2000 as part of a Postal Service competition called "Stampin' the Future."
Suzie Canter said last night her son was thinking of fun for kids in the future. He came up with images of skateboarding in space and riding through space in cars for kids, she said. The work was done in water colors with soft pastels, she said. Zachary, a fifth-grader at Aikahi Elementary School, has won other art contests, she said.
The four U.S. stamp designs were unveiled Sunday at the Universal Postal Congress in Beijing.
Some 50 million stamps featuring the selected artwork will be issued next year as part of the World Kid's Congress at World Stamp Expo 2000 in Anaheim, Calif. The four U.S. winners will help dedicate the stamps bearing their designs.
Genetic make-up is topic at Queen's
"Understanding our Genetic Make-up: How important is it?" is the subject of The Queen's Medical Center's Speaking of Health community lecture series at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Queen's Kamehameha Auditorium.Panel members will include Dr. Berkley Powell, medical director and geneticist, discussing "Genetic Diagnosis and Management," Janet Brumblay, clinical nurse specialist, "Integrating Genetics into the Community," and Susan Seto-Donlon, certified genetic counselor, "Genetic Risk Assessment."
For reservations and information, call The Queen's Referral Line: 537-7117.
Clarification
Two Boeing 737-700 aircraft that Aloha Airlines plans to put into West Coast service in February are about 18 feet longer and 8 feet wider, wing tip to wing tip, than the 737-200 models in the airline's interisland fleet. Cabin widths are about the same. A report in Hawaii Inc. Friday said the aircraft will be 9 feet wider.
Corrections
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Maui cop died instantly from explosion of heat
WAILUKU -- Police officer Gene V. Williams died instantly from an explosion of heat after a ruptured gas tank ignited in a two-vehicle collision in west Maui, Maui police Lt. Charles Hirata said.Williams was directing traffic near Puukolii on Aug. 9, when a pickup truck hit a car from the rear. Hirata said the car ran over Williams and pinned him.
Ricardo R. Pantoja, 25, the alleged driver of the pickup, is being held on a number of charges, including manslaughter.
Did you see Toyota truck chasing a black Bronco?
Police are seeking witnesses to traffic incidents that occurred about 1:30 p.m. Thursday on Kunia Road between Schofield and Village Park.The suspect, who is now in custody, was driving an older brown Toyota pickup. The victim was driving an older black Ford Bronco. The victim said she almost caused at least three head-on collisions in her efforts to flee from the suspect.
Anyone who observed these incidents or was a driver or passenger in any of the vehicles that had near accidents -- a white Toyota pickup, a large moving van and a green mini-van -- or heard gunshots along Kunia Road at that time is asked to call Detective Kathleen Osmond at 529-3834, evenings, or Detective Ray Lucio, 529-3584, days.
In other news ...
The man allegedly grabbed a purse from a 33-year-old tourist from Japan near Kuhio and Seaside Avenues at 8:30 p.m., police said. The suspect then handed the bag off to an accomplice, who ran away with the purse, police said. The suspect was stopped by the woman and a witness 30 minutes later on Lewers Street and arrested for felony theft.The bag was never recovered,and the accomplice had not been arrested .
The woman, who accused her husband of cheating on her, attacked him with a knife at 8:45 p.m., police said. The man then grabbed the blade, cutting himself.
