Millennium Moments
Tucked away in the Kalihi Waena area of Honolulu is Fernandez Street, named for a full-blooded Hawaiian man, Abraham Fernandez, who once worked in the Mormon mission. Fernandez Street part of
greater Hawaiian legacyBorn in 1857 to a woman named Kalama Mahoe and adopted by her second husband, Peter Fernandez, Abraham worked as a missionary with his wife, Minerva Davis, according to "Place Names of Hawaii" by Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel H. Elbert and Esther T. Mookini.
The Fernandez legacy continues today via Abraham and Minerva's son, Edwin Kane Fernandez, who made a lasting mark in Hawaii as a prominent carnival and circus entrepreneur.
Though E.K. Fernandez died in 1970, his midway of carnival rides and games continues today as a multimillion-dollar business.
Lawmakers meeting on hospital financial crisis
The Hawaii Coalition for Health is hosting an informational meeting from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. tomorrow at the state Capitol on critical medical problems facing Hawaii.Among speakers will be Dr. Edwin Cadman, dean of the University of Hawaii medical school, Rosanne Harrigan, dean of the School of Nursing, Richard Miller, law professor emeritus and coalition consultant, Ah Quon McElrath, UH regent, and Nancy McGuckin, executive director of the Hawaii Nurses Association.
The meeting, scheduled in Room 229, is to apprise legislators of a hospital crisis and severe problems experienced by nurses in hospitals because of inadequate reimbursements to cover costs, according to Dr. Arleen Jouxson-Meyers, coalition president.
"If we do not sit up and take notice, we're in for a really serious problem here," she said.
At least 1,000 Oahu residents are looking to escape fireworks on New Year's Eve, and the American Lung Association of Hawaii hopes that is enough to keep movie theaters open throughout the night. Need a safe haven?
"The movie theaters were interested, but they needed some kind of documented need," said Austin Dias, a member of the Safe Haven 2000 committee.
The committee thought that 1,000 was enough to ask the theaters for a commitment.
"We think it's the tip of the iceberg," said Austin Dias, a volunteer on the Safe Haven 2000 committee. "There are so many people out there who would go to the safe havens if they knew about it."
People with lung ailments may have an alternative to movie theaters, Dias said. Since the association announced the project, Borthwick Mortuary has offered the use of its new air-conditioned chapels, and the YMCA in Waipahu has offered its facility, which holds about 300 people, he said.
For more information about Safe Haven 2000, call 537-5966, extension 304.
Treena Shapiro, Star-Bulletin
Internet kid porn gets man a 21-month term
U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor sentenced Dennis Menoni, 54, to 21 months in prison yesterday on one count of transmitting child pornography over the Internet.Menoni, formerly of Honolulu, entered a guilty plea Aug. 17.
His sentence also included three years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine.
Additionally, Menoni was ordered to possess no pornographic material, to allow federal probation officers to search his residence and computer for prohibited material, to undergo a psychosexual assessment and to undergo treatment until discharged.
Menoni's request for a lower sentence was rejected by Gillmor, who noted that he had sent child pornography to an officer who was posing as a 14-year-old boy three times.
UH students help save rare hawksbill turtle
HILO -- A rare hawksbill turtle was saved by students from the University of Hawaii and biologists from the National Marine Fisheries Service during recent work at Punaluu in the Big Island's Ka'u District, according to the the university.Students and biologists annually tag and release green sea turtles at the black sand beach. This was the first time in 20 years that the university crew sighted a hawksbill.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park observers saw a hawksbill in August, and reports continued that a turtle was stranded in a murky pond at the beach. Expecting a green sea turtle, the crew set up a watch last month and was surprised to discover the hawksbill.
Fishing line found wrapped around one of the animal's front flippers would eventually have cut it off, the university said. The line was removed, and the animal was released to the sea after being tagged and checked for other injuries.
Navy assault ship due for Pearl Harbor visit
The USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship, arrives Thursday for a three-day Pearl Harbor visit following a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf.Its mission included operations in support of the international effort in East Timor.
Corrections
Papaliitele Dr. Tusi Avegalio of University of Hawaii was misidentified in in a story yesterday on Samoan education.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Cops apprehend suspect in attempted-murder case
A suspect wanted for questioning in connection with an attempted-murder investigation was arrested yesterday in Waikiki on an outstanding court warrant.The man, identified in a CrimeStoppers news release as Henry Feliciano Jr., was released after posting $92 bail for the contempt warrant, which is unrelated to the attempted-murder case.
Feliciano, 22, who has no permanent local address, was arrested by East Honolulu Crime Reduction Unit officers yesterday at a residence on the 3300 block of Kaunaoa Street, near the Honolulu Zoo. He was booked at 9:45 a.m. for attempted murder and the contempt warrant.
The attempted-murder investigation stems from an early morning Oct. 24 incident on Lunalilo Home Road.
Five people, ages 19-22, were injured when struck by a silver 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier. The car's occupants had been in a fight with them.
Three of the four men in the car were questioned by police shortly after the alleged incident.
Young Kaneohe couple accused of child abuse
The parents of a 2-month-old boy who may have been physically abused were released by police yesterday pending further investigation.A Kaneohe-based Marine, 21, and his 23-year-old girlfriend were arrested for questioning on Sunday.
Both were booked for second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a minor.
The child has been placed in protective custody.
Man who robbed bank had distinctive tattoo
CrimeStoppers, Honolulu police and the FBI are asking for the public's help in identifying the male suspect who robbed the Kailua branch of American Savings Bank last Friday.The man entered the bank at 200 Hamakua Drive about 11:55 a.m. and passed a note to the teller demanding money.
The man had the letters "F - - -" written on his left fingers, according to the FBI.
He is described as a Caucasian male in his teens, about 5-foot-5, weighing 130 pounds with brown wavy hair.
The suspect wore a white baseball cap and a short-sleeved buttoned shirt with a T-shirt underneath.
Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
