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Mahalo to these latest contributors to the Good Neighbor Fund: Readers' contributions still
coming in to help familiesKristy, Micky, Travis and Matt -- .$100
Jim, Elaine and Jamie -- 100
Mitsuo and Betty Funatsu -- .100
In the Name of Our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ -- 100
In Memory of Kasan -- 50
In Memory of Bessie Takahashi -- 25
Wallace and Karen Wong -- 50
Bruce and Jeannie Hosaka -- 50
In Loving Memory Dad (Rene Catalan) and Grandma (Haksoon Mercado), Love, Your Family -- .50
Vernon and Eunice Ching -- 40
Evelyn and Francis Kawahara -- 30
Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Miyashiro -- 25
S. and Irene Leong -- 25
Arthur and Margaret Wong -- 25
George and Yoshiko Yamamoto -- 25
Kent and Val Hironaka -- 25
William M. Lane Jr -- 25
Pat and Jennie -- 20
Stanley and Jean Kamiya -- 20
Anonymous (7) -- 325Total: $1,210.00
Previous total: $14,970.04
TOTAL TO DATE: $16,180.04
An Oahu murder suspect who eluded police for 14 years is back in custody in Honolulu and will be arraigned in Circuit Court tomorrow at 8 a.m., according to prosecutors. Oahu murder suspect
caught after 14 yearsJoseph Richard "Binzo" Victorino, 65, is charged with first- and second-degree murder. He was extradited back to Hawaii over the weekend from Washington state. Victorino is also being charged with identity fraud for allegedly using identification from a deceased Hawaii resident when he fled to the mainland.
He was indicted by a grand jury in 1986 for the murder of his business partner, Michael Burns Maher. Witnesses told police Victorino shot the 49-year-old Aiea man on Nov. 22, 1986, during an argument at the PWC Lounge in Kalihi. He was also charged with carrying a firearm without a permit.
Ramadan observance ends in festival today
The month of Ramadan, which features fasting by Muslims -- abstinence from all food, drink and other sensual pleasures during daylight hours -- ended for island Muslims at 9 a.m. today.The end was marked by a final festival, Eid-ul-Fitr, a time for communal prayers followed by a potluck meal at Manoa Valley District Park.
"This is the first day after the month ends, which means we can eat and have whatever we were not allowed," said Aly El-Kadi, president of the Muslim Association of Hawaii.
"The significance is that we celebrate achievement: Basically, we obeyed Allah, the supreme power, and it's a pure, clean, fun celebration."
The 30 days of abstinence are decreed in the Koran, the holy book of Islamic scriptures. It is one of the Five Pillars of the religion, which has several hundred members in Hawaii and about 6 million in the United States.
Queen's Health exec honored for life's work
Ruth Ono, vice president of Queen's Health Systems, will receive the Annual Lifetime Achievement Award from the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii on April 26.The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to individuals who have significantly contributed to building bridges of international understanding, to fostering Japan-Hawaii relationships and to strengthening the Japanese Cultural Center to help it fulfill its mission.
Ono has served on President Clinton's Business Roundtable and as a director of Hawaii Electric Industries and American Savings Bank. She also has served on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and chaired the board of Aloha United Way.
Internationally, she has served on the Yokohama Scholarship Foundation board and as a director of the Urasenke Foundation of Kyoto, Japan.
Whale sanctuary gains $40,000 for studies
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary has received $40,000 in grants to study the endangered mammal.The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, under the U.S Department of Commerce, awarded the research grants, which will be administered by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Both agencies manage the marine sanctuary.
The grants will fund three research projects:
Estimate of the number of humpback whales in Hawaii;
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Man, 20, arrested in stabbing in Nanakuli
Police arrested a 20-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a 42-year-old woman at a Nanakuli home early this morning.The victim was taken to the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center where she is in stable condition.
The incident occurred at 89-270 Mano Ave. at 4:15 a.m., police said.
Man chases and beats victim with golf club
Police say a man in his early 40s tried to run over a 42-year-old man and then beat him with a golf club after an argument.The two acquaintances were in Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe when an argument over missing items broke out.
When they reached a secluded part of the gardens, the suspect began beating the victim, police said. The suspect then got into his vehicle and drove after the 42-year-old victim, police added.
After chasing the victim, the suspect then allegedly got out of his vehicle with a golf club and began hitting the victim with it.
The victim had a cut on the head and numerous bruises on his body, police said.
Police had not arrested the suspect as of this morning.
Christmas crash victim on Big Isle identified
HILO -- A man killed in a single-car crash on the Big Island Christmas Day was identified as Michael Pestrella, 42, of Hilo.Pestrella died of injuries suffered when he was partially ejected from a sedan that ran off a gravel roadway, struck a stone wall and crashed into a tree.
Pestrella, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at Hilo Medical Center at 7:17 a.m., an hour and 39 minutes after the incident at the end of Kalanianaole Street was reported.
The traffic fatality is the 38th of the year on the Big Island.
Suspect sought in First Hawaiian robbery
CrimeStoppers and the FBI are asking the public for help identifying a man who robbed the First Hawaiian Bank in Makiki on Saturday.The man entered the bank and presented a demand note to the teller, which said he was armed with a gun and had a bomb. He left with an undisclosed amount of money.
The man is described in his mid-20s to early 30s with black hair and brown eyes, with a beard and a mustache. The suspect is about 5 feet 3 inches with a medium to heavy build.
Anyone who has information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
Missing Nevada girl, 14, found OK in Hilo
HILO -- A 14-year-old Nevada girl who was reported missing in Las Vegas Nov. 7 was located in good health in Hilo yesterday, police said.The girl was the subject of a CrimeStoppers bulletin last week.
