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128th King Kamehameha festival
The King Kamehameha Celebration Commission is inviting various ethnic groups to participate in its 128th annual celebration, which includes the 84th annual floral parade.Parade applications are available for floral floats, marching units, specialty units and decorated vehicles. Booth space for ethnic craft demonstrations, food and displays also are available.
The parade is set for 9:30 a.m. June 10, followed by the Folklife Festival at Kapiolani Park.
For further information, call 586-0333.
Metcalf will run for mayor of Hawaii County
HILO --- State Insurance Commissioner Wayne Metcalf will quit his job at the end of the current legislative session to run for mayor of Hawaii County, his campaign committee announced..The committee, Friends of Wayne Metcalf, said it would take out nomination papers soon.
In a statement, Metcalf said he will make an official announcement in May.
Metcalf has been insurance commissioner since 1998. He served in the state House of Representatives from 1985 to 1992, most of that time as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and in the Senate in 1997-98.
A Democrat, Metcalf faces a primary race with emergency room physician Fred Holschuh.
Others who have announced they will run are businessman and former state House member Harvey Tajiri, a Democrat turned Republican, and Keiko Bonk, an artist, musician and former County Council member, running as a Green.
The Big Island is the only county that still has partisan mayoral elections. Marijuana and hemp advocate Jonathan Adler is running as a non-partisan.
Helping Hand
Deputy sheriffs at UH upset some
Police presence during a nonviolent student demonstration over tuition hikes last week has some University of Hawaii faculty members demanding an explanation and apology from UH President Kenneth Mortimer.Faculty members said student organizers had been assured by the administration and campus security that no police would be called on campus unless crimes were committed.
Although there was no criminal activity, state deputy sheriffs were on campus throughout the day. Students and some faculty also reported seeing canine units and a police SWAT team.
According to the administration, only campus security guards were present at a sleep-in at Campus Center, but a "back-up" force of deputy sheriffs stayed on campus in case of problems from "outsiders."
"The administration should not have called in the police," said UH English Professor Ruth Hsu. "At no time were the student protesters any danger to any one on campus. The administration broke its promise to the students when they called in law enforcement."
Hsu charged the administration "added to a culture of fear and mistrust on campus when students were trying to reach out to them."
Mortimer was out of town for a meeting yesterday and not immediately available for a response.
School lunch price might be raised to $1
Public school lunch prices could go up from 75 cents to $1 in the fall.An administration bill pending in the Legislature would restore a formula that would allow the cost of school lunches to be divided three ways, said state Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen.
The student, state and federal government would each pay one-third, he said.
The cost would be rounded to the nearest 25 cents. The actual cost of preparing lunch now is $2.68 per student, so the formula would allow the schools to charge $1 per lunch
"We do prefer having the formula back in place, then it's more automatic," Knudsen said."There would be plenty of time for the public to be aware of the increases. It would be a fair process, based on the cost of the lunch, divided three ways."
Any increase would require public hearings and approval by the Board of Education.
Felix undergoing tests after feeling poorly
City Councilman John Henry Felix has been at The Queen's Medical Center since being admitted late Monday,The 69-year-old Felix is undergoing undisclosed tests, and aides declined to elaborate.
He attended a Budget Committee hearing Monday morning and spoke to reporters afterward. He acknowledged that he had been feeling under the weather in recent weeks.
Felix chairs the Council Policy Committee and Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura presided over a meeting in his absence yesterday.
Felix has figured in a recent controversy over weddings conducted in his Aina Haina home.
Go Solar
DOE ponders allocation of 'special needs' funds
The state Department of Education is looking to rethink how it spends $2.8 million currently split among 75 schools designated as having special needs."In a sense, we're just giving the money away," Board of Education member Garrett Toguchi said.
The special needs program was developed in 1989 to assist schools with high absentee rates, high disciplinary referral rates, high referral rates for special education evaluation, high staff turnover, low test scores and low graduation rates.
The program began with 10 schools. While that number has climbed to 75, the appropriation hasn't gone up.
When the program started, the funding level was $305 per student, the DOE's Francine Grudzias said. Now, it's down to $50 per student.
DOE officials told Toguchi's Special Programs Committee yesterday that instead of automatically giving out money for items such as computers, personnel, textbooks and other uses, schools could be required to submit a proposal for funding in a process similar to applying for a grant.
The department also is considering using the funds for a single purpose, such as literacy programs, to make the most impact with the money.
Free class will discuss how to deal with asthma
Castle Medical Center is offering a free asthma class the third Thursday of every month from 7 to 8 p.m.Hawaii has the highest incidence of asthma in the nation and Castle estimates that 12,000 Windward Oahu residents suffer from it.
The class will discuss the disorder, proper use of medications and inhalers, handling attacks, and the importance of an asthma-management plan.
Call 263-5400 for information.
Sea Grant, Action programs receive grants
The Hawaii Sea Grant Program and the Honolulu Community Action Program received three federal education grants totaling $7.4 million, announced U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie.The University of Hawaii's Sea Grant Program will use its $1.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce on a program focusing on aquaculture, coastal processes and technology development.
The Honolulu Community Action Program will use its $4.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on its Head Start program.
An extra $776,692 was awarded to the state's early Head Start program, focusing on children from birth to age 3.
Septic-tank guide available
A homeowner's septic-tank guide that covers how septic tanks and drain fields work is available from waste-water branch offices.Office locations are 919 Ala Moana, Honolulu; 1582 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo; Old Kona Hospital, Kona; 3040 Umi St., Lihue; and 54 High St., Wailuku.
"Because septic-tank systems are buried underground, use no electricity and rely on microscopic natural soil bacteria to purify wastewater, we tend to forget about them and the vital role they play in preserving our coastal waters and fresh underground sources of drinking water, as well as protecting our public health," said Bruce Anderson, state health director.
During the past 10 years, more than 6,000 septic tanks systems have been installed throughout the state.
Donate your old vehicle and get a tax deduction
The Mental Health Association in Hawaii is asking for the donation of any vehicle, even if it is not running or registered.Donors may receive tax deductions for donated cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, and boats.
For information on how to donate a vehicle, call 521-1846.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Rape suspect surrenders but won't collect reward
A 39-year-old Waikiki man suspected of attacking two women and a teen-age girl this week has turned himself in to police.After seeing a composite sketch of himself in the media, the suspect called police yesterday morning and told CrimeStoppers' coordinator Det. Letha DeCaires he would be surrendering.
The man, a Kaiulani Avenue resident, was booked for first-degree robbery, kidnapping and fourth-degree sex assault stemming from Monday night's attack on a 14-year-old girl in the restroom of Hard Rock Cafe.
The sex assault may be upgraded to third-degree, police said. Meanwhile, he also is a suspect in two other cases.
One involved a woman, 32, who was attacked in the restroom of a Fort Street Mall building used by Hawaii Pacific University. The case was classified as third-degree sex assault.
The incident was reported at 7:15 p.m. Monday, an hour and 15 minutes before the girl was attacked at Hard Rock Cafe.
On Tuesday, the suspect allegedly robbed and tried to rape a 30-year-old Seaside Avenue shop manager in Waikiki at about 10:45 a.m. The woman managed to fight her attacker off.
The man has prior arrests for sex assaults, but no convictions, police said.
Big boa in Palolo
Roadway closed in Kalihi while utility pole replaced
A section of roadway at Waiakamilo Road and Moonui Street in Kalihi was closed today as Hawaiian Electric Co. crews replaced a severed, termite-eaten utility pole carrying a transformer.The damage, reported at 8:30 p.m. yesterday, left about 1,400 customers without electrical power for nearly 30 minutes. Fewer than a dozen customers were still without power early this morning, Heco said.
This is the third time HECO crews have had to replace damaged poles this week. "Three is very usual," spokesman Fred Kobashikawa said.
A fallen tree damaged poles on Tantalus Drive on Monday, and on Tuesday, poles had to be replaced on Kunia Road because of an auto crash.
Father allegedly beat 8-year-old with broom
Police are investigating an alleged second-degree assault against an 8-year-old Kapolei boy by his father on Sunday.The boy allegedly was struck with a broom stick by the man, 27.
Man suffers head injury in robbery attempt
HILO -- A 36-year-old Keaau man is in critical but stable condition after suffering a cracked skull and bleeding inside his head during a robbery yesterday.The unnamed victim was punched twice by a 26-year-old Hilo man, then fell, hitting his head on a cement walkway, police said. The 3:15 p.m. attack occurred in downtown Kalakaua park. The victim was flown to Queen's Medical Center.
The alleged assailant was in police custody.
