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Big Island prosecutor studying Houston case
HILO -- The police report on singer Whitney Houston's alleged possession of marijuana at Kona Airport is being screened by the Big Island prosecutor's office to determine if there is sufficient evidence to warrant a charge.The county prosecutor received the report Wednesday, according to a news release issued last night.
On Jan. 11, Kona Airport security officers found 15.2 grams of marijuana in a cloth bag which contained no identification. Witnesses alleged that the singer left the bag behind at a security checkpoint. She boarded an airplane before police could be called.
State law provides that possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is a petty misdemeanor subject to a fine of up to $1,000 or jail term of up to 30 days.
District judge may fill Circuit Court vacancy
District Court Judge Karen S.S. Ahn has been named to the Circuit Court bench to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Melvin K. Soong.Ahn was in private law practice specializing in criminal cases and served on the state Land Use Commission before she was named to the lower court bench six years ago. She served five years as a deputy city prosecutor after graduation from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law.
The appointment is subject to state Senate confirmation.
Schools evade tab for trustee pay study
Kamehameha Schools does not have to pay for a $70,000 trustee pay study commissioned by the state attorney general's office, a state judge has ruled.Probate Judge Kevin Chang said the study -- by Radnor, Pa.-based Solutions Network Inc. -- was "reasonable" and conducted in good faith but was not necessary since a court-appointed committee to study trustee pay had commissioned a separate pay study.
Solutions Network, whose report was filed in Probate Court last September, recommended that future trustees of Kamehameha Schools not be paid for their work at the trust.
Previously, the estate's trustees were paid as much as $1 million a year.
Chang later ruled that future trustees' pay should be capped at $97,500, based on recommendations by the court-appointed trustee pay committee.
At Kamehameha song contest, seniors rule
The senior class took top honors with three awards last night at the 78th Kamehameha Schools Song Contest.It won:
The Charles E. King Cup for best combined class performance.
Other winners:
The program, at Blaisdell Center Arena, was dedicated to Helen Desha Beamer, composer and matriarch of a family of island musicians.
Corrections
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Early-morning grease fire burns Waianae home
A fire gutted a Waianae home this morning, causing more than $200,000 damage.A three-bedroom home at 89-190 Moelua St. was fully engulfed with flames when fire crews arrived at 5:25 a.m., said Fire Capt. Richard Soo.
The fire was extinguished about 15 minutes later.
Investigators said the blaze was caused by overheated cooking oil. The family of three apparently was frying chicken when the grease fire started.
No one was injured.
In Kalihi a fire caused $7,000 damage to an apartment unit at Mayor Wright Housing.
The fire, intentionally set by one of the residents, stemmed from a domestic dispute, according to fire officials.
No injuries were reported.
'Bunch of students' beat Ewa Beach teacher
Police are investigating the beating of a intermediate school teacher in Ewa Beach.The male teacher at Ilima Intermediate School was in the courtyard yesterday at 11:30 a.m. when he was "rushed by a bunch of students," police said.
He was knocked to the ground, and three students began punching and kicking him.
No arrests were made and no major injuries were reported.
Pedestrian, 74, dies after being struck by SUV
A 74-year-old Aina Haina woman was killed yesterday after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the street in Kaimuki.Traffic investigators said the woman was inside a marked crosswalk at Koko Head and Mahina avenues when she was hit by a Ford Bronco at 1:14 p.m.
The Bronco, driven by a 22-year-old Waialae man, was trying to make a left turn from Koko Head Avenue, police said. He was not injured.
The woman was taken to Queen's Hospital in critical condition and died a couple hours later.
Maui woman, 70, dies of injuries after accident
WAILUKU -- A Maui woman died yesterday from injuries suffered in a two-car accident Thursday on Honoapiilani Highway at Lahaina, police said.The victim was identified as Teopista Palmero, 70, of Lahaina.
Palmero was driving through Lahaina when an oncoming car crossed the center line and struck her car in the 12:41 p.m. accident, police said. The name of the other driver was not released.
Palmero was taken to Maui Memorial Hospital with fractured ribs and a broken left leg.
Her death was the fourth traffic fatality of the year on Maui, compared with two at this time last year.
Speed traps target No. 1 cause of traffic fatalities
Police will set up several speed traps around the island today and through the weekend in an effort to curb the leading cause of traffic deaths."Getting drivers to obey speed limits has always been a priority," said Police Chief Lee Donohue. "The roads are safe for everyone -- drivers, passengers and pedestrians -- when people drive within the speed limit."
Speeding has been a factor in more than half of Oahu's 13 traffic fatalities this year, police said. A record 36,000 speeding citations were issued last year on Oahu.
Girl, 15, reports sexual assault in Waianae
Police are searching for two men who apparently sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl near Waianae High School last night.The girl said she was sexually attacked in the area of the high school at 10:30 p.m., police said.
She said the two men had driven her from Ala Moana Center to Waianae.
