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Murder probe opened in death downtown
Detectives have opened a murder investigation after an autopsy showed that a 41-year-old homeless woman found on Fort Street Mall was strangled with an object, police said.Police say also that a gold chain was stolen from the woman, Brenda Caves, who was known as a regular in the area.
Police said Caves was found unconscious early yesterday morning between a bike rack and a planter box in front of Ross Store at Fort Street Mall.
She was pronounced dead at the Queen's Medical Center at 1:30 a.m.
She had abrasions on her lower back, right hand, chest and around her neck, homicide Lt. Bill Kato said.
Maui retiree guilty of copter infraction
A Maui Circuit Court jury yesterday found a retired state wildlife manager not guilty of using an illegal electrical device to gather wildlife from Wailau Stream on Molokai.But Wesley Wong, 61, was convicted of landing a helicopter in a state forest reserve without a permit in connection with the incident on May 7,1999.
An illegal helicopter landing charge carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 in fines and up to a year in prison.
Wong, who retired as the Maui District manager for the state Forestry and Wildlife Division in December 1999, will be sentenced for the misdemeanor before Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto on April 19.
Wong's son, Matthew, earlier agreed to a deferred acceptance of his guilty plea to the illegal helicopter landing. He will be sentenced on the same day as his father. If Matthew Wong stays out of trouble, the conviction can be erased from his record.
UH trio's tunnel design worms way into judges' hearts
Winners of a design contest to build a "worm tunnel" at the Honolulu Zoo are University of Hawaii architecture students Nicole Ho, Noah Hawk and Tiffany Lee, who won $500.The contest was sponsored by the Hawaii Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and the American Institute of Architecture's student chapter.
The Hawaii chapter of the conservation society is accepting monetary or service donations to build the tunnel. The project will show how soil affects our daily lives and how important it is to the ecosystem.
Second-place winners include David Sumida, Chu Hyung Lee and Olivier Pennetier, who received $300.
Six $50 honorable mention prizes went to these teams: Margaret Innes, Mariel Moriwake and Jennifer Matsumura; Chi Lou Cheang and Henry Tonthat; Jenisse Miyamoto and Rodney Kanno; Yen Sun Kim, Steve Teves and Joon Chai; Richard Borromeo and Jacob Kwan; and single entrant Steven Hong.
For more information, contact Lynn Howell of the conservation society at 541-2600, extension 118.
Kaneohe park expands family fishing program
Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens at Kaneohe will expand its catch and release fishing program, starting this weekend.Family fishing day will be allowed every weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants can fish for tilapia and release their catch back into the park's stream. Families should bring hand-held poles, small barbless hooks, bait, buckets, walking shoes, insect repellent, light rain gear and a picnic lunch.
Parking, restrooms and drinking water are available at the visitor center, about a 20-minute walk from the fishing area. For more information, call 233-7323. The event is free.
Blessing, luau slated at new subdivision
A blessing and luau Saturday will celebrate the first downtown Honolulu residential subdivision built on Hawaiian Home lands in the last 40 yearsThe Kalawahine Streamside project blessing will be done by the Rev. David Kaupu at 10 a.m. at Anianiku and Kapahu streets near Lincoln Elementary School in Punchbowl.
The luau will follow.
Youth mediation parley scheduled Saturday
A conference Saturday is intended to reduce harassment and violence in Hawaii's schools by sharpening the mediation skills of some 200 intermediate and high school students.Ronald Moon, state Supreme Court Chief Justice, will be the keynote speaker at the Youth Education Committee's fourth Statewide Peer Mediation Conference.
Although the Mediation Center of the Pacific is no longer taking reservations for students, adults are welcome to observe the conference. It runs from 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Tower.
Luncheon pays tribute to governors' wives
Hawaii's four first ladies were to be honored today as individuals who tackled humble tasks as though they were great and noble.The Winners at Work 2001 Palaka award to Nancy Quinn, Jean Ariyoshi, Lynne Waihee and Vicky Cayetano was to be made at the Business As UnUsual luncheon at the Hawaiian Village Hotel.
They were cited for "outstanding ability to define and communicate important values within our community, to hold those values with passion, to focus on a strong sense of culture that encourages cooperation and commitment and to be the unique individual who tackles many humble tasks as though they were great and noble."
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
3 p.m., Waipahu Public Library: Students from the Society of Avid Readers will share stories in celebration of Read Across America Day. For information, call 675-0358.
Corrections
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Police seek suspect who fired shots at men
Police are seeking a man who allegedly fired shots at a group of men near the Makaha Beach Cabanas last night because another man refused to give him a ride.The suspect asked a 27-year-old man and his 30-year-old girlfriend for a ride, police said. When the woman refused, the suspect threatened to "return to kick their a--," police said.
The 27-year-old man went back to Farrington Highway and Lahilahi Street to ask him to apologize to his girlfriend, police said. The suspect then pulled out a handgun from his shorts pocket and shot at the man and three other men who had come upon the scene, police said.
The suspect fled on Farrington Highway in a parked, black, four-door Toyota. The four men got into a vehicle and pursued the suspect, but lost him near the Waianae Taco Bell, police said. No one was injured in the incident.
The suspect is described as about 6 feet tall, 240 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, a mustache and tatoos. He was wearing black shorts and slippers.
Truck hits 3 utility poles, but driver able to walk
A truck hit three utility poles on Kunia Road last night, shutting the road down in both directions, police said. But the driver walked away from the crash.Police say the accident occurred at about 7:45 p.m. one mile south of Schofield Barracks. Elecrical service was not affected, police said.
Man arrested for robbery and domestic abuse
Police arrested a 46-year-old man after he confronted his estranged wife in two separate incidents overnight.Police say the 46-year-old man, who had separated from his wife yesterday, stopped her in Waikiki at Kapuni Street and Kuhio Avenue as she was riding a friend's bike about 10:20 p.m. last night. Her husband tried to get her to go with him, but when she refused he took the bike, injuring her in the process, police said.
At 1:15 a.m. today, police responded to a domestic abuse case at Kaiulani Avenue and Koa Avenue involving the couple. Police said the man was arrested at that time for second-degree robbery and domestic abuse.
Big Isle police seek help in man's slaying
HILO -- Big Island police have renewed a request for the public's help in the Jan. 31 shooting death of Kallen James Agliam, 19, found by a roadside at Pepeekeo, north of Hilo. Agliam was supposedly to meet two men the afternoon he was found, one at 4 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m. His body was found at 5:17 p.m.Anyone with information on Agliam is asked to call 961-2377 or CrimeStoppers at 961-8300.
