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Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Saturday, September 23, 2000

Season's first humpback
sighted off Maui

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
Star-Bulletin

After a day of fishing last Saturday off Maui, Al Gustavson and his daughter, Natalie, spotted the first humpback reported to the Pacific Whale Foundation this season.

Between 3:30 and 4 p.m., about two miles from Lahaina harbor, Gustavson and his daughter noticed a big splash. Soon after, a big tail came out of the water and flapped twice, said Gustavson, owner of Tesoro Gas Station at 444 Kele St.

"It was a great day," he said.

Gustavson immediately notified the Pacific Whale Foundation in Kihei of the sighting.

Stephanie Burhkart, Pacific Whale Foundation's director of education, said, "My guess is that this was a juvenile animal, since the first whales to arrive are typically immature whales -- the ones that have not yet reached sexual maturity."

According to the Pacific Whale Foundation, humpback whales travel about 2,500 to 3,000 miles from their summer feeding areas near Alaska to winter in the warm waters of Hawaii. While in Hawaii, the whales mate and give birth to their calves.

The peak of whale activity takes place between December and April when the largest number of humpback whales are found in Hawaiian waters.

Isle U.S. District Court magistrate chosen

Circuit Judge Kevin S.C. Chang has been selected to be a U.S. District Court magistrate for the District of Hawaii by a Merit Selection Panel, Chief U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra announced yesterday.

Chang will be sworn in at the end of the year.

Chang currently serves as civil administrative judge and probate court judge for Oahu Circuit Court. He was appointed to the Circuit Court bench, Second Division in May 1993.

Previously, he was with the law firm of Kobayashi Watanabe Sugita and Kawashima, where he became a partner in 1986.

In 1980, he joined the city prosecutor's office as a deputy prosecutor.

He graduated from Lewis and Clark College and the Lewis and Clark Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1978.

That same year, he served as a law clerk with Senior U.S. District Judge Robert C. Belloni for the District of Oregon.

Chang is married to Lannice T. Chang and has a stepson, Travis I. Nakamura.

Chancellor, president duties at UH separated

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents has approved separation of the positions of Manoa campus chancellor and president of the UH system.

It is hoped the extra position can be created within available university resources and without additional costs.

Former UH President Albert Simone recommended the separation of duties earlier in this decade.

The separation also has the support of the Manoa and community colleges faculty senates and the Manoa Council of Deans and Directors.

'Birthday Bash' marks isle Dems' 100th year

Monday marks the 100th birthday of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and a "Birthday Bash" will celebrate it.

The bash will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Blaisdell Center's exhibition hall. Tickets are $10 and available at the door. Food, entertainment and a historic video will be featured.

For more information, call 596-2980.

Tomorrow

Some events of interest

9 a.m. tomorrow, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl: Club 100's 55th Annual Memorial Service.

5:30-7 p.m. Monday, Waipahu Elementary School Cafeteria, 94-465 Waipahu St.: Public meeting with the Division of Aquatic Resources to discuss revisions to the commercial fish catch monthly report forms. Contact: Alan Rabacal, 587-3397.

7 p.m. Monday, Waianae Army Recreation Center: Community meeting with the 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Hawaii to explain the results of a draft supplemental environmental assessment for routine training at Makua Military Reservation. Contact: Captain Cynthia Teramae, 655-8729.

Corrections There are 439,934 registered voters on Oahu, not 429,000 as reported yesterday. A photograph shot at Queen Emma Summer Palace that ran on page C-7 of Thursday's Do It! section was taken by Nicki Foster. That information was inadvertently left out.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

3-year-old Maui boy dies in hit-and-run crash

WAILUKU -- Maui police are investigating the death of a 3-year-old boy in an apparent hit-and-run accident yesterday evening in a residential area on the northeastern outskirts of central Maui.

Police officer Dennis Simpliciano said a pickup truck fled after the crash at 6:30 p.m. near 612 Linekona Place in Waiehu, but the 52-year-old driver was later found at his home in Wailuku.

The child, Tyrell J. Rapisura, died at Maui Memorial Hospital about an hour after being struck.

Simpliciano said the 3-year-old boy was riding a skateboard on the road.

Woman arrested in theft, forgery scheme

Police arrested a 24-year-old woman accused of stealing, forging checks and laundering money from co-workers and her employer.

The woman reportedly stole checks payable to employees at Aloha Conferencing Service and deposited them into her personal account on at least two occasions last year, police said. She also stole company checks and deposited them into her account.

She was booked earlier this week on six counts of second-degree forgery, two counts of money laundering and second-degree theft.